FREE again – the full version of Whose Toes are Those, a very cute app for preschoolers. The app has a game show host, music, and an audience. Kids (contestants) have to identify which animal/person is behind the curtain by their toes. If the child chooses correctly, the animal/person does a silly dance – really cute and sure to bring some giggles! Little ones will have fun building their matching skills with this app!!
SparkleFish is a FREE app for iPhone/iPad that works like a digital version of Mad Libs. Five stories are included in the app with others available as in-app purchases. Kids are asked to provide words from a specific category (animal, body part, etc.) or a specific part of speech (adjectives, nouns, adverbs, past tense verbs, etc.). If the child cannot think of a good word, he/she can get suggestions from SparkleFish by touching the word. Instead of writing the words, kids record their choices in their own voice. Their words are played back in the reading of the story. Kids can save their recordings and listen to them later. This app allows kids to practice parts of speech in a fun way. Kids love Mad Libs because the results can be hilarious. I am sure they will feel the same way about SparkleFish. 🙂
Recommended!
Timbuktu is an iPad magazine for kids and their parents. Each day new content is added – bedtime stories, paper toys, recipes, activities, games, pictures, ask Auntie Rita, videos, math mysteries, and news of the week! The design of the app is very slick – kids can see the most recent 8 articles with a preview of what tomorrow’s article will be. Kids can also go to “All Stories” to see a selection of earlier articles and unlock premium stories by using bubble (available as an in-app purchase). There is a lot of good content in this app – fun activities that kids & parents can do together. There is an option for kids to login and collect badges on their Timbuktu passport. Unfortunately, the only choice for logging in is through Facebook. Hopefully an update will provide another login option. In the meantime, you can enjoy it without “setting a profile.” The idea of a digital magazine for kids is very exciting!
NEWS FLASH: I emailed the developers of Timbuktu with my concerns about the FB login and they have already submitted a new release to Apple that addresses the problem. Look for that update in the near future!
Lingo Zoo is FREE for a limited time. Kids learn animal names in English and Spanish as they complete jigsaw puzzles. They also hear the animal’s sound as a reward for completing each puzzle. The animals are presented in 7 different settings (farm, ocean, forest, jungle, etc.) so that kids become familiar with where different animals live. As a child completes the puzzles in one setting, other settings are unlocked. Nicely done puzzle app for little ones!
Pick-a-Path is a FREE math game from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Kids help Okta the octopus reach a target number by choosing the best path from the top maze to the bottom of a maze. There are 7 different levels with 7 puzzles in each level. The puzzles start with basic operations then move to fractions, negative numbers, decimals, and other more difficult skills. Kids have to plan out a strategy to reach the target which can be a specific value, a minimum value, or a maximum value. This app provides a lot of good skills practice. And… as an extra added bonus, kids have to think of a strategy!
FREE for a limited time – Prancing Dancing Lily, an interactive story about a cow who doesn’t quite fit into her herd in Wisconsin. Lily loves to dance so she decides to travel the world looking for a dance that fits her perfectly. She eventually returns home and inspires her herd to dance in a conga line. Lily becomes the next lead bell cow – following in the hoofsteps of her Grandmoo and Mamoo. Very cute story!
Parents/Teachers – here is an app for you (and the kids)!
TED started in 1984 as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, and Design. It is now a nonprofit devoted to ideas worth spreading. Here is information on 2 apps that will bring the world of TED to the device of your choice!
Riveting talks by remarkable people, FREE to the world. Connect with the official TED app for iPhone/iPad to more than 1,400 talk videos with more added every week! Subtitled in more than 90 languages. A fabulous resource for lifelong learners!!
FREE for one day only – TEDiSUB – Enjoy TED videos with Subtitles! This app enhances the TED experience with added control features. It also allows you to see two subtitles at once – great for a language classes.
FREE – a newly released app called DIY Nano that teaches kids (and their adults) about the nanoscale. Funded by the National Science Foundation and developed by Berkeley’s Lawrence Science Hall, this app provides a series of activities and videos about nanoscale science, engineering, and technology. There are 12 hands-on activities in this app. Each one starts with a summary which gives an overview of the activity, the time it will take to complete (prep – clean-up), and the suggested age group. Next, there is a materials list. All items are inexpensive and widely available. Then there is a series of step-by-step directions – with pictures. Finally, there is an explanation of “what’s going on” in the activity. Related videos are at the bottom of the page so that your child can learn more. This app is very well-organized, easy to use, and provides a wonderful introduction to the world of nanoscale science. The best part about the app is that it gives kids and adults the opportunity to learn something new together and how exciting is that?!?
FREE today – Sakura Quick Math. Kids practice basic math (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and mixed operations) while racing against the clock. Three problems appear on the screen. Kids use their fingers to write the answers as quickly as they can. The app uses handwriting recognition to check the answers – very slick! If the number is not written neatly, the app does not recognize it and in my opinion that is a bonus. I spent 30+ years telling kids that part of their job was to write legible answers :). This app helps to reinforce that message! As a child’s skills grow, the app can be made more challenging because there are 3 levels of difficulty. You can create multiple users in this app and the app keeps track of each user’s progress in bar graph form. Very cool way for kids to practice their facts!
Common Core Standards met:
FREE today – SimpleSort for the iPad. The Clever Clouds have knocked over buckets full of items and everything is mixed up! Kids return the items to the correct bucket in this simple game that teaches kids the beginning math skills of sorting & categorizing. The game can be made more difficult (by adding more buckets) as a young child’s skills improve. It can be played in 2 languages – English or Spanish. So… it could also be used as a tool to teach older kids vocabulary in a second language. Check it out while it is FREE 🙂
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