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After first hearing about this app created by members of the Saskatoon diocese (that's in Canada, province of Saskatchewan, for those of you who are curious) I did a quick search in the app store for "Saints for kids." I was surprised that 29 apps came up. Wow, a crowded space. Well, not really. There are a bunch of Santa Claus apps, games (some that I have no idea how they appeared with that search criteria), a cooking app,... This is the only one that actually is what it says it is.
An initial 99 cent purchase gives you access to 121 saints and is supported by an ad. An in-app purchase of another 99 cents gets you access to a full year's worth of saints and feast days—that's 365 days of saintly goodness for only two bucks.
The random saint view appears to be a favourite for youngsters. My three-year-old loves the illustrations and is spending a fair amount of time exploring the various saints asking, "Who's this?" She also likes pressing the star, designating the selected saint as a favourite. She has declared St. Joan of Arc as a saint she loves, but was a little disappointed St. Therese wasn't available before making the in-app purchase.
The older kids immediately went for the calendar view, excitedly reading who the saint was for every one's birthday they could remember.
So far, the least popular view is the alphabetical listing, but I'm sure as time goes on it will prove its worth.
The descriptions are written in language perfect for younger children. My six-year-old easily read about Saints James and Philip at prayer time. I welcome the fact I no longer have to translate-on-the-fly while reading saint biographies written for adults. There's also a short prayer accompanying each saint.
You can share each saint via email or Facebook. You can also print the illustrations through an AirPrint-enabled printer to make great colouring sheets for the kids.
I give this app my blessing.
Thanks Derrick for a great review. I appreciate you taking the time to review it.
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