Seeking distractions for young kids is an infinite task, so anything that helps children cope with visits to relatives, long journeys and eternities in queues should be embraced. National Geographic’s Weird But True is an educational trivia-delivery package that fits the bill. Users are asked to simply swipe the screen and a piece of scientific or geographical trivia will arise.

Most facts are enlightening (“Doctors have created heart muscle from human skin”), but a handful read like YouTube video descriptions (“A man once blew a bubblegum that was larger than a basketball”). It’s nicely presented, with each page elegantly and uniquely designed, and punctuated by an appropriate sound effect. It also allows its users to share facts with friends (via Twitter, Facebook or email), save their favourite facts and rank the oddness of the trivia on a “Weird-o-meter”. Weird But True has a basic free version, with more extensive packages available for a small price.

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