{App Review}: Junganew – A Herd of Sounds
Disclaimer: This app was provided to me; however, the opinions expressed are solely my own.
I was contacted to do a review of a new articulation app called Junganew: A Herd of Sounds which targets /s/. It is created by Esther Giordano MA, CCC-SLP. This is what the home page of the app looks like:
There are a variety of /s/ games included in this app: isolation, initial /s/, medial /s/, final /s/, voicing, and s-blend games. One of the key features is the mirror model, which can show the child’s face on the left side. The character on the right gives cues and the child should imitate. This feature is unlike any other articulation app that I’ve seen and is highly motivating. This is what the screen looks like (except the black part is where the child will see him/herself):
This is one of the isolation games. Students need to pick up shells and place it in the correct bucket based on what they hear. I have to admit, I sometimes had a hard time discerning the difference.
This is what the voicing game looks like. Kids can touch each character and hear different voices.
For the medial /s/ game, your students have to find the missing part to complete the butterfly’s costume. All costumes have medial /s/, as do the missing pieces, which is great for lots of practice.
The other medial /s/ game has the student trace the same shape using both hands (this would make your OT very happy)! Then a picture with a medial /s/ shows up if you trace correctly.
This is what the s-blend game looks like. The child adds the consonant from the bowls on the left and treats pop out to feed Theo.
The initial /s/ game is a class doing show and tell. Tap the characters and see/hear what they plan to bring. Items begin with /s/.
The other initial /s/ game involves Theo hiding. Sal A Mander gives clues as to where he is hiding and the student touches the item based on the clues. This is great for listening comprehension too!
The final /s/ game is called Balloon Pops. The student has to select the balloon that rhymes with the given word. This works on phonological awareness as well as articulation, which is great.
The other final /s/ game is called Guess the Goose. Theo gives clues and your student picks the correct goose.
Another game involves adding toppings to cupcakes, so you can practice adding the the plural /s/.
What I Like:
-my students were engaged and motivated by the different games
-the different activities keep it interesting and each game provides a lot of trials
-the graphics/story are beautiful
-there are a lot of phonemic awareness components, so this would be great in classrooms or at home
-the mirror feature is wonderful!
What I Would Love To See:
-The app only targets /s/, so if you have a group with students working on different sounds, it would be difficult to just use this app. I believe the developer is coming out with other apps that target other sounds though.
-A sentence portion would’ve been great, but you can easily incorporate that into the activities themselves (ex. The missing piece is the ____.)
Overall, if you have students working on /s/ and you’re looking for something different, definitely check this one out! It’s available in the app store for $4.99! The graphics and storyline are engaging and there are plenty of activities to keep your kids practicing their /s/!