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TypeDrawing

Very cool FREE app that permits you to draw in type. I have the free version which has limitations but I would recommend starting with it just to get the creative juices flowing 🙂

A use that immediately comes to mind is writing concrete poetry  – how cool would that be! Kids could write a tornado poem in the shape of a tornado, a cloud poem in the shape of a cloud, etc. The app allows you to input whatever text you want. Then you can use those words to draw a simple shape in any color you wish.  You can also change the font and the size of the text.

And……even the free version permits you to save your creation to a photo gallery. So from there the sky is the limit – you can email it to parents or grandparents, bring it into another program (such as Story Kit) to create a book, etc.  Awesome!!

Highly recommended!

TypeDrawing for iPad V3.0 - Hansol Huh

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StoryKit

This FREE app can be used by young kids to write stories on an iPhone, iPod or iPad.  Kids can illustrate, take photos or use saved images to enhance their stories.  They can also record themselves reading their stories. Finalized stories can be shared on the StoryKit server.  Kids receive a private web address for their stories. Pretty cool!!

Also included in this app are 4 digital books (3 LIttle Pigs, Humpty Dumpty, Goldilocks & the 3 Bears, Rocket Man) to read or they can be edited to create another version of the tale. They are older versions of the stories not the ones that kids are familiar with. The Rocket Man has a reference to smoking in it.

The value of this app is in its writing component. Some teachers are using this app with iPod or iPad labs because it’s FREE and easy to use even with young kids. There are many uses beyond basic stories – take photos and create a travel journal, illustrate and define vocabulary words, photograph and explain cycles in nature, write about historical images, create a math glossary, photograph & label geometric shapes, etc. You are only limited by your imagination!

Worth downloading.

StoryKit - ICDL Foundation

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Dr. Seuss Band

I LOVE this musical app which is designed to use on the iPhone/iPad. Kids (and adults) can easily learn to play cute little tunes on the interchangeable horns. There are three levels of difficulty – easy, medium, and hard. Kids can also play on the keyboard and make up their own tunes. It’s a great app for the budding musician 🙂

The app was free the day I downloaded it but it generally costs $.99.  There are additional charges to unlock more advanced levels.

Highly recommended!

Dr. Seuss Band - Oceanhouse Media

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GroupShot

Have you ever taken a family photo and have everyone looking great except for one person? With Group Shot you can swap out a face of a person who is not smiling, has closed eyes, is not looking at the camera, etc.

Start by selecting two or more pictures. The app will select and display the best one with the others on the right. Then color over the face that needs replaced and Group Shot will allow you to swap it for a better one from an alternative shot. Needless to say, the more similar the original shots are, the better the results.

I could have used this when I was trying to get pictures of the kids 🙂

GroupShot - Macadamia Apps

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Best Corny Jokes

After teaching third grade for MANY years, I have definitely developed a third grade sense of humor. I love riddles and used them in my classroom for years. They are fun and educational (because they make kids think about homonyms and the multiple meanings of words).

With this app you can easily text, email, or paste the jokes into FB, Twitter, etc. The jokes seem to be geared to kids as they are fairly simple with a lot of play on words.

That being said, I am a bit cautious about recommending this app to be in kids’ hands for a couple of reasons – the use of the word moron and one kid-inappropriate joke comparing a naked man to an elephant. Funny…. but NOT for kids.

If you, the adult, are the keeper of this app then go ahead and get it. Ask the riddles and have the kids answer while waiting in a restaurant or for an appointment. It’s free and 99% appropriate for kids.