Category Archives: apps for kids

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Oscar Finds a New Home

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image Educational app, FREE for a limited time – Oscar Finds a Home,a “You Tell Me” story. In this story, a cute little dachshund named Oscar finds himself in a dog shelter waiting to be adopted. Oscar gets more and more worried as other dogs are chosen. Just when the shelter is about to close, little Joey comes along and takes Oscar home. Cute story!

“You Tell Me” stories are designed with some special features: 1. They incorporate WordWinks into the story. WordWinks are questions and comments written in red italics. To maximize children’s understanding of the story, teachers often add comments/questions as they read aloud. WordWinks are meant to model that teacher voice. 2. They have a “Retell, Record & Share” section. Kids are asked to order 4 scenes from the story then record their own version of the story to share with grandparents or friends. the app is nicely done! If you have a preschooler or early reader, check out this e-book. I love that it emphasizes “thinking about reading.”

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/oscar-finds-a-home/id671135618?mt=8&uo=4

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North Pole and Africa – Animal Adventures for Kids

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North pole

FREE today – North Pole – Animal Adventures for Kids. Have kids check out the animals in Santa’s neighborhood! This educational app features 3 interactive settings: the arctic, an iceberg, and eternal ice. Kids tap the animals in each scene to discover their sounds and hear interesting facts about them. Facts for each animal in are narrated in 12 different languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Swedish, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Turkish, Dutch, and Italian. The app features cute artwork and is sure to delight little ones.

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/north-pole-animal-adventures/id716696933?mt=8&uo=4

Also FREE today – Africa – Animal Adventures for Kids.

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/africa-animal-adventures-for/id695120934?mt=8&uo=4

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Reading Rainbow

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Reading Rainbow is a library of over 200 books and videos for kids ages 3 – 9. This educational app is FREE to download but requires a subscription ($9.99 per month or $29.99 for 6 months) for full access. Once you subscribe, your children (up to 5 per family) will have unlimited access to the interactive books and video trips. This app is similar to the award-winning Reading Rainbow television series that was on PBS from 1983 – 2006. It even features the same host – Grammy winner, LeVar Burton. In less than a year, over 2.5 million books/video field trips have been viewed with this app!

After installing the app, kids fill out their profile (name, age, kinds of stories they like to read) and may choose one free book from one of the 6 themed island in the sky. The books are professionally read and feature “Read to Me” or “Read on My Own” options. They are lightly animated and include interactive activities that add to the story. A sticker rewards program motivates kids to read. There is also an individualized tracking system so parents can see books selected and minutes read for each child.

I must admit, I downloaded this app because of nostalgia. My kids grew up watching Reading Rainbow and we all loved it. I am happy to say that the appeal of Reading Rainbow today is the same as it was almost 30 years ago – Reading Rainbow provides kids with quality authentic literature. If I had a child/ grandchild (ages 3-9) or if I were still in the classroom, I would subscribe without hesitation. What a fabulous resource!

Highly Recommended!

Reading Rainbow - Reading Rainbow

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Color Uncovered & Sound Uncovered

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Color Uncovered

Sound Uncovered

Two FABULOUS & FREE educational apps from the Exploratorium!! Both interactive books contain illusions, articles, and videos. These apps make science fun by answering questions like – What color is a whisper? Are there secret messages in music played backward? Kids will love the illusions and you won’t believe these apps are FREE! Very interesting –  for kids AND their parents/teachers.

Color Uncovered   Color Uncovered - Exploratorium          Sound Uncovered   Sound Uncovered - Exploratorium

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Tiny Firefighters

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firefighters

Just named as Apple’s App of the Week and FREE for a limited time – Tiny Firefighters, an interactive seek & find book. Toddlers tap their way through interactive scenes (full of fun sounds) to help firemen and policemen do their work. They can help firefighters to put out a house fire, rescue a cow from a pond, rescue a cat from a tree, and more. In the police scene, kids help policemen direct traffic, catch a wanted burglar, escort a celebrity, etc. Kids will also love the fun “extras” in each scene  – the jewelry-stealing bird, the flying helicopter, the flying superboy, and more. The app has another fun feature – snow can be turned on/off to change the look of the 2 scenes. The app features lots of detail – great for talking with your child about what is going on in each scene and/or storytelling.

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tiny-firefighters/id632012899?mt=8&uo=4

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Wee Kids Math

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wee kids math

FREE for a limited time – Wee Kids Math, an educational app that features a variety of activities for beginning math students. There are 20 activities in all – each activity presented in a new brightly colored scene. Kids can order numbers on a caterpillar, match number words/numerals/pictures on ocean liners, practice addition on a farm, practice subtraction in the ocean, etc. A definite strength of this app is its variety. Number skills (0 – 20) included are matching, counting, ordering, identifying equalities & inequalities, identifying > & <, adding, and subtracting. The app jumps right into each activity without any sort of instructions. Most of the activities are fairly intuitive. But if kids can’t figure what they are supposed to do, they can go back & press the help button. Then they will find visual instructions for each activity. This app would be a good one to use WITH your child. There is no progress tracking so you will want to see what your child understands. 🙂

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wee-kids-math/id638457112?mt=8&uo=4

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Dr. Seuss Sale

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cat in the hatMarch 2 is the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel aka Dr. Seuss. Geisel published over 40 children’s books full of rhyme and imaginative characters. 200 million+ copies of his books have been sold. In his honor, March 2 has been named National Read Across America Day, an initiative created by the National Education Association. This year, Read Across America Day will be celebrated in schools on March 3.

Just in time for the celebration of Dr. Seuss’s birthday/Read Across America Day, his books (apps) are on sale. Most of them are $1.00 off but several of them are $.99. Here are links to 8 titles that are being offered for only $.99 each.

The Cat in the Hat: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-cat-in-the-hat-dr.-seuss/id353473931?mt=8&uo=4

Green Eggs and Ham: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/green-eggs-and-ham-dr.-seuss/id380751745?mt=8&uo=4

Oh, the Places You’ll Go: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/oh-places-youll-go!-dr.-seuss/id371171766?mt=8&uo=4

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GeoBee Challenge HD by National Geographic

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geobee

FREE for a limited time – GeoBee Challenge HD by National Geographic, a challenging game of geography for kids. Each year the National Geographic Society prepares the questions for the National Geographic Bee, a contest open to schools with 4 – 8 graders. The national contest was started to increase public awareness, encourage teachers to include geography in their teaching, and stimulate kids’ interest in their world. GeoBee Challenge HD uses materials from the National Geographic for three types of play: multiple choice questions, a map challenge, and a photo bonus round. The multiple choice questions come from the library of 1300+ National Geographic Bee questions. The faster that kids answer, the more points they accumulate. In the map challenge, students must identify one of 1000+ locations on a map. Once they zoom, pinch and tap their way to the location, the app shows them its EXACT spot on the map and tells them how close they were. The photo bonus round is the most challenging. Students have to identify a photo AND know its location on the map. This educational app is fun for adults too! GeoBee Challenge HD gives kids lots of practice in a fun, fast-paced game – LOVE it!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/geobee-challenge-hd-by-national/id373203236?mt=8&uo=4

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The Lonely Beast 123

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lonely beast

FREE for a limited time – The Lonely Beast 123, an educational app based on Chris Judge’s well-loved children’s book. Every day, the Beast counts the things in his house. Kids join him on his counting adventure which features 12 fun & interactive scenes. Every number has something to count – 4 eggs to fry, 6 flowers to water, 9 cakes to eat, 11 stars to tap, etc. The app is top-notch with lots of attention to detail. I love how the numbers are drawn – they show kids what to count on that page. The app is visually appealing with great sound effects – really fun for little ones! Highly recommended.

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-lonely-beast-123/id646406000?mt=8&uo=4

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Toca Doctor HD

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toca doctor

FREE for a limited time (as of few hours ago) – Toca Doctor HD,  another fantastic app for toddlers from Toca Boca. Kids get to be a doctor for the day with this app that introduces kids to the medical field. There are 21 puzzles/mini games in all. Kids will love the fun sounds and animations that accompany the tasks! If your child likes the other Toca Boca apps, you’ll want to add his one to your collection today because these apps do not “go free” that often. This is another great app from a developer that makes learning what it should be – fun, creative, and joyful!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toca-doctor-hd/id430807533?mt=8&uo=4