Monthly Archives: July 2013

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Madagascar Movie Storybook Collection

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FREE today for iPhone/iPad, this app normally sells for $.99. The Madagascar Movie Storybook Collection features favorite stories & characters from the Madagascar movies. Included with the app is a 30 page story based on the first Madagascar movie. Madagascar Escape 2 Africa and Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted are available as in-app purchases. There are three ways to  enjoy this book – read to me, auto play, or read to myself. This e-book uses vivid images from the movies and features genuine character narration – which kids will love. The story is not interactive – there is nothing to tap, find, move, etc. on the individual pages. Regardless, you will want to download this app if you have a child (2+) that is a fan of the Madagascar movies – it is nicely done storybook.

Madagascar Movie Storybook Collection - zuuka incorporated

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Toontastic Jr. Pirates

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Toontastic Jr. Pirates

Toontastic Jr. 2

Ahoy Matey…. Toontastic Jr. Pirates is FREE again for a limited time. This storytelling app, from the creators of Toontastic, has kids creating their own pirate cartoons. They start by choosing a beginning, middle, and ending. Then they animate the story by moving the characters and recording their voices at the same time. The educational app features 12 story starter videos and a cast of characters to get kids started. If kids would like to create a story with friends or family, they can utilize StoryShare, a new feature in Toontastic Jr. which is very cool! It enables kids to talk & create stories with friends or family anywhere in the world! Yo ho ho – how fun is that??

Toontastic Jr. Pirates - for iPad - Launchpad Toys

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Shiny Party

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Shiny Party

FREE for a limited time – Shiny Party, a math app for preschoolers. Charlie the monkey and Alice the giraffe are getting ready for their friend’s surprise birthday party. Kids learn about basic geometric shapes as they help. They find matching shapes, do shape puzzles, build cupcakes – all within the context of the story. All activities are age appropriate. Just have one minor concern about the content… the app teaches kids that a square has 4 sides rather than 4 equal sides. All in all, this educational app is great – colorful with adorable characters. Also, you can take a picture of your child with the characters and save it to your photos – a really cute feature. Nicely done and fun for little ones!

Shiny Party - Shiny Things

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Tiny Dentist

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Tiny Dentist

FREE again – Tiny Dentist. Kids get to be a dentist for a day with this educational app that teaches about dental treatments and instruments. Dozens of patients with dental problems need fixed. The “dentist” has the tools to: remove cavities & fill in the hole, remove plaque, use water & air sprays, remove decayed teeth, put on braces, and more! The app was developed to alleviate children’s fear of the dentist. Visual instructions for using the different tools are found in the grown-ups section. Another fun feature of the app is the ability to take before and after pictures of the patient. 🙂 Check it out!!

Tiny Dentist - fantastoonic

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Sago Mini – Forest Flyer

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Sago Mini Forest Flyer

FREE for  limited time – Sago Mini Forest Flyer. Young children guide Robin on an adventure through the forest. The fun begins at Robin’s birdhouse where kids ring the doorbell inviting Robin out to play. From there they fly though the forest looking for the yellow markers that trigger 20+ animations. Along the way Robin dances, sings, and plays. Kids can make up stories to go with Robin’s travels. A small caution – one of the animations is the little bird burping after drinking from the pond. Parents can use this scene to have a dialog about using good manners. All in all, the educational app is very cute and fun for little ones!

Sago Mini Forest Flyer - Sago Sago

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Brain Quest

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Brain Quest

36 million kids can’t be wrong!  Brain Quest® started as a series of flashcards that quizzed kids on academics – language, science, math, and more. Kids, parents, and teachers have loved it since its release. Their motto – It’s Fun to Be Smart!® still rings true 20 years later! And now, Brain Quest has been released as an educational app! Kids join Casey, Jake, and Gizmo on their quest to learn. The app covers 5 grade levels and includes 100 questions per level for FREE. Additional questions can be unlocked as in-app purchases. The game is fun for the whole family and permits the tracking of scores for up to 3 kids. We took Brain Quest® flashcards with us on many family vacations – it’s perfect for a long road trip! It also works well in the classroom when you have a few minutes to spare at the end of the day, before lunch, etc. Check out the FREE questions and see for yourself.

BRAIN QUEST - Workman Publishing Company, Inc.

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Robots for iPad

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Robots for iPad

Who doesn’t love robots? Robots for iPad is FREE for a limited time. This educational app was listed as “New & Noteworthy” by Apple. It was also reviewed or mentioned in the NY Times, Mashable, Wired, CNET and more! Kids (and adults) can explore real-world robots with this fun app which is chock full of interactivity, animations, photos, videos, & articles. The app introduces over 150 robots from 19 countries. Kids can swipe each robot for a 360° view then tap the robot to interact with it. There are also hundreds of videos and 500+ pictures. The app has information about all kinds of robots (drones, androids, etc.) as well as information about some famous robots – Honda’s humanoid Asimo, a NASA Mars rover, and Google’s self-driving car. VERY cool and very informative!

Teachers, there are lots of possibilities for using this app in your classroom. After exploring, use it for writing activities – descriptive paragraphs, write about a robot you would invent, pick a robot and write a story, etc. The app’s ratings section could be used for graphing activities. There is also a great timeline included as well as a section on how to get started in robotics. I can see how kids will love this app. 🙂

Robots for iPad - Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers Inc

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I Hear Ewe – Animal Sounds for Toddlers

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I Hear Ewe – Animal Sounds for Toddlers is a FREE educational app for toddlers. When your child taps on an animal’s picture, a voice says “This is the sound a ____ makes” and the sound follows. This app is very easy to use with big buttons for little fingers. 24 animal sounds and 12 vehicle sounds are included. There are 5 language options: English, Spanish, Chinese, German, and Japanese. This app is perfect for little ones who love naming animals and imitating their sounds. 🙂

I Hear Ewe - Animal Sounds for Toddlers - Claireware Software

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Lulu in the Amazon

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Lulu in the Amazon

FREE today – Lulu in the Amazon, an interactive storybook in English or French. Lulu and her cat Zazou are taking a trip around the world. Kids join them in this third adventure that takes them on a boat trip on the Amazon River in Brazil. They visit the rainforest, meet some new animals, and more. There are also activities throughout the story. Kids can click on the characters to hear them speak, look for the green bird Chirpy on every page, collect souvenirs, and play games along the way. And… at the end of their adventure, they can make postcards personalized with their own photo. Fun educational app for kids 3 – 10!

Lulu in the Amazon - ZANZIBOOK

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Toca Band

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toca band

Rock on… with Toca Band – FREE again!  This educational app for the iPhone/iPad encourages kids to explore music as they mix beats & sounds together to produce a hit song. The 16 characters in this app each have their own sound and rhythm. Kids drag different combinations of performers on stage to create their own musical band. How a character plays depends on where he/she is placed on the stage. Characters can also be chosen to give a solo performance. Even the names of the characters are fun: Bang Bang Chef on the drums, Dancy Nancy on the piano, Shaky McBones on the maracas,etc. Another great educational app from a developer that makes learning what it should be – fun, creative, and joyful!

Highly recommended!

Toca Band - Toca Boca AB