Ballyland CosmoBally in Space

No VoiceOver skills required
Difficulty: Easy
Gestures: Touch, flick left, finger drag, ‘touch and hold’.

Ballyland™ CosmoBally™ in Space is a fun iPad app game that offers a simple introduction to the solar system, through the accounts of CosmoBally. She is an astronaut, and the first Ballylander to fly in space. Responding to touch with audio feedback, the story is presented both visually as well as through real human voices, audio effects, and songs. 

FIRST: Move through the interactive story and listen to CosmoBally sharing her experiences in space with the resident Ballylanders in Ballyland. What do they need to do in the radio tower? Can you breathe in fresh air out there in space? Which planet is the hottest? What happens if there is a solar flare?! Explaining how the features and looks of some planets remind her of her friends in Ballyland, CosmoBally presents snippets of factual information about the Sun, the Moon and the 8 planets. The story game uses ‘touch’ (with any amount of fingers) for independent use by young children.

THEN (optional): Play the Bonus Game. Find planets in a specific order along five routes to score points and connect to CosmoBally. The Bonus game uses ‘finger drag’ and ‘touch and hold’.  The Bonus Game and end Song reinforce the order of the planets from the Sun.
Click here to download the lyrics of Ballyland CosmoBally Planets Song
Song credits: Composition: D. Damsma; Arrangement/Artist: J. Norgaard; Lyrics: P. Damsma.
Listen here to the Ballyland CosmoBally in Space Planets Song (©2019 Sonokids Australia).

Read a review of the app on the Perkins Paths to Technology website

Learning Outcomes

• Facts about space and the solar system
• Cause & Effect game
• Finger drag skills, iPad interaction and Spatial awareness on the touch screen by students who are blind
• Bonus Game and end Song reinforce the order of the planets from the Sun
• Other:

“The story itself, though based on the solar system, gives scope for teachers and learners to expand beyond this: PSHE theme of friendship, feelings (they miss CosmoBally), Science (air to breathe, telecommunication), Art and Design (organize a cosmic fashion show, build a transport that can be raced against Wheelie and use different terrains from the planet), the importance of turn taking and not being grumpy for being last, and the list goes on…”
Expert Teacher, involved with testing ‘Ballyland CosmoBally in Space’

Special Features

• • Engaging interactive audio story with high quality audio (narration, sound effects and song)
  • No reading skills required
  • Built-in speech

  Accessibility

  • • Simple images and animations in bright colors and clear contrast
    • Suitable for users of iPad who are blind or visually impaired (VoiceOver skills not required)
    • Zoom can be used. Note that in the Bonus game, dragging around the grid is difficult with Zoom on. Use three finger double tap to turn Zoom on and off (when enabled in accessibility settings).
    • Easy to navigate when/if hand functions are limited
    • In the Bonus game, it is recommended that parents or teachers supervise the finger drag, or turn on Guided Access in the accessibility settings (or use an iPad case that covers the inactive border of the screen). Read the Instructions for tips on the finger drag gesture.
    • This app uses self-voicing. The start page is accessible with VoiceOver and will instruct you to turn off VoiceOver, and then flick left to start the app. When you want to leave the app, turn VoiceOver on again, and press the Home button. Double click the Home button to open the App Switcher and swipe up with three fingers to fully close the app. When you next open the app, it will start from the cover page again.

Tactile learning support

A nice example of the Sun and Planets to scale, with accurate rings of Saturn, is a design by 'Conorake' on Thingiverse. Link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2413399