If you haven’t seen Algodoo before, it’s a brilliant 2D physics sandbox game. It used to be called Phun which was free, and then a while back they renamed it Algodoo and it became a paid-for piece of software. I was pleased to notice the other day during a training session, that Algodoo is now free again. Which is excellent news 🙂 And so I thought I’d write about it again, for those who’ve not seen it.
It’s a totally open creative platform. Children can draw shapes, which become real objects which interact with each other. They can be pinned in place, or connected together via springs and chains. Objects can be transformed into liquids which behave exactly like a liquid would. Gravity can be altered, and switched on or off.
Algodoo is designed in an engaging, cartoon-like manner, making it a perfect tool for creating interactive scenes. Algodoo encourages students and children’s own creativity, ability and motivation to construct knowledge while having fun. Algodoo is also a perfect aid for children to learn and practice physics at home. It’s simple to pick up, and there’s a lot of depth to it for more advanced users.
Your creations can be shared via the Algobox, which also lets you download the creations of others. It’s well worth taking a look to see what other people have created – some are mindblowing.
The other big news is that there is now an Algodoo iPad app available that does most of what the desktop version can do, from what I can see. This isn’t free, but is only a few pounds, and I do think it’s well worth it. It works brilliantly on an interactive whiteboard, where it is easier to draw shapes and explore – likewise it works really well on an iPad.
I highly recommend it for Science and Design & Technology teachers. It’s well worth getting hold of a copy and having a play.
