Turtle Hatchlings
Numbers to 10 and then 20, and counting on, as a baby green turtle scuttles down a Great Barrier Reef beach to the sea.
How it plays
A baby green turtle hatches on a Great Barrier Reef beach, and there's a number line to the sea. Ruby Roo says where the hatchling is and how many scuttles she takes; your child taps where she'll land. First to 10, one or two scuttles at a time, then three, then up to 20. A wrong tap gets a gentle nudge to count again.
What it's for
Numbers to 10 and then 20, and counting on, as a baby green turtle scuttles down a Great Barrier Reef beach to the sea. There is no score to lose and no way to fail: a wrong move is met with a gentle nudge, and a level ends when it's done.
Away from the screen: Hatchling hops
About two minutes, with things most homes have.
- Put ten cushions or pieces of paper in a line on the floor, and number them 1 to 10.
- Your child is a baby turtle, standing on 3.
- Say “Two scuttles!”. Before they move, they guess where they'll land.
- Then they scuttle and count out loud. Were they right?
Three questions to ask while they play
- If she's on 4 and takes two scuttles, where will she land?
- How did you work it out?
- Where is the turtle going in such a hurry?
Play together
Things to say or ask
- She's on 6. Two more scuttles. Where will she be?
- Let's count on from 6: seven, eight.
Taking turns on one device: One of you says how many scuttles; the other taps where she'll land.
If they find it hard
Count the scuttles together with a finger on the screen, one tap of the finger for each. Stay on the first level for as long as they like.
Every fact, and where it comes from
What Ruby Roo says in Turtle Hatchlings was checked against the page it links to.
- Six of the world's seven marine turtle species occur in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority)
- Turtles nest on the Reef's islands and Queensland's coast, from late October to February; Raine Island and Heron Island are key sites. (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority)
- Hatchlings emerge from December to May and orient towards the brightest direction and the shape of the horizon. (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority)
What it practises
- Reading numbers. Knowing numerals and what they're called.
AC9MFN01 (Mathematics, Foundation) - Counting on. Starting from a number and counting on, on a number line to 20 (and, in Big Steps, to 100 in tens).
AC9MFN01 (Mathematics, Foundation); AC9MFN03 (Mathematics, Foundation); AC9M1N01 (Mathematics, Year 1) - Australian animals. What animals look like and where they live (My animal friends cards).
AC9SFU01 (Science, Foundation); AC9S1U01 (Science, Year 1)
The codes are from the Early Years Learning Framework V2.0 (for children from birth to five) and the Australian Curriculum v9 (Foundation to Year 2). Each links to the official wording. Every skill, and the games for it.
What it costs, and what we collect
Nothing, and nothing. There is no account, no advertising and no tracking of any kind. Which games have been played is remembered on your own device and is never sent anywhere. The full version is here, and it's short.
Where it lives
Turtle Hatchlings is part of Australia's seas. It works on a phone, a tablet or a classroom screen, and once it's been opened it keeps working with no signal at all.
Updated