Category Archives: educational apps for kids

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Mental Math with Math Mathews

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matt mathews

FREE for a limited time – Mental Math with Math Matthews, the second Math Mathews math adventure. This time kids help Matt and his crew get into the Temple of the Earth by unlocking 8 levels of play. The app is part game/part drill – it alternates gameplay (collecting  treasure & coins) with addition & subtraction problems. Kids choose their own level of difficulty – easy, medium, hard, or expert. After each session, a report is generated so that teachers/parents can monitor students’ progress. The app can be used with 10 different players making it perfect to use for small group practice, centers, etc. Take a look at this fun educational app for kids while it’s free!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mental-math-with-math-mathews/id705166220?mt=8&uo=4

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Shiny Bakery

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bakery

FREE today – Shiny Bakery, an educational app for 2 – 5 year olds. Kids help Alice the Zebra bake then decorate cakes & cookies in her bakery. As they help, they are developing early number sense – counting, measuring, dividing, and sequencing. There is a lot of educational content packed into this fun little app. 1. Math: Kids learns to count as they add ingredients to the bowl. 2. Following directions (recipes): Kids will develop an understanding of following step-by-step directions. 3. Cause/effect: What happens when you add fish or a shoe to the cake mix? 4. Sharing/dividing: Kids have to divide the cake/share cookies equally to keep all of the customers happy because the emotions of customers vary according to what they receive. 5. Problem solving: If kids make a mistake they can try again. Shiny Kids apps are best  experienced through co-play. Parents are encouraged to play with their child and talk about their experiences – reading customers’ emotions, solving problems, sharing equally, etc. Nicely done app!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/shiny-bakery/id719860179?mt=8&uo=4

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Endless Numbers

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endless numbers

SO excited – LOVE these apps!!

From the developers of Endless Alphabet  & Endless Reading, comes a new app – Endless Numbers. The adorable silly Endless monsters are back and this time it’s to teach preschoolers about numbers. Kids can try numbers 1 – 5 in this FREE version with numbers 1 – 25 available as an in-purchase. Additional number packets will be sold in the future.

The app opens to a ferris wheels full of numbers. Kids tap a number and the fun begins. The app counts to the chosen number. Then the kids count by dragging the animated numbers back in place. Next, silly monsters come by to knock over the numbers and an equation appears. Addition is introduced. After working with the equation, kids count again. This time they count the eyes on the monster. Finally, there is a short animation that presents context & meaning for each number. This app delivers early number skills (number recognition, counting, simple addition, odd numbers, patterns) in an entertaining way. Endless Numbers makes early learning what it should be – joyful and fun. It is currently featured as a “Best New App” on Apple’s App Store. What a fabulous educational app!!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/endless-numbers/id804360921?mt=8&uo=4

 

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Sago Mini Bug Builder

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bug buider

FREE again for a limited time – Sago Mini Bug Builder, an educational app for toddlers/preschoolers. Kids create, hatch, and play with cute little critters. They can transform 1 of 8 shapes into a colorful bug, add some color, then bring it to life. They can also add a funny hat, feed it a snack, clean up its mess, and take its picture. Kids can make unlimited number of unique bugs using this app which is very cute & creative! Older kids could create bugs to use for creative writing – a descriptive paragraph, a story, a dialog. Or, they could create 2 bugs to compare and contrast. Check out this colorful & creative app while it’s FREE!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sago-mini-bug-builder/id657821775?mt=8&uo=4

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Thesaurasize

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thesaur

Looking for the perfect word? Check out Thesaurasize, a new FREE resource for teachers, students, and others lovers of the English language. According to the app, thesaurasize is a verb meaning: 1. to look up in a thesaurus 2. to completely ruin an essay by referring to a thesaurus for every other word, thus inserting words that you don’t really understand the definition of to make yourself appear smarter to the reader. I think some teachers may be able to relate to meaning #2. 🙂

Thesaurasize offers a quick way to look up synonyms for traditional and nontraditional words of the English language. The initial list of synonyms and the definitions came from the Wiktionary. The Princeton WordNet dictionary was also searched. So how does it work? Just type in a word and Thesaurasize generates a “clickable” list of synonyms with their definitions. The app also provides examples for many of the entries. Highlighted words within definitions can also be “clicked” for their definitions. Click your way to a better word choice today by using Thesaurasize.  And… it’s FREE!!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/thesaurasize/id840193912?mt=8&uo=4

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The Bear Went Over the Mountain and 5 other LoeschWare Apps

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bear

FREE for a limited time – The Bear Went Over the Mountain, a cute educational app based on the classic song by the same name. Kids join Bernie Bear as he travels over the mountain, across the desert, in a cave, under the ocean, around the moon – 8 locations in all. As they travel and sing along, kids learn about directional words. Once they arrive in a particular scene, they will learn about its geographical differences and the diversity of wildlife found there. The app also encourages kids to care for the environment and its inhabitants. Another fun feature of this app is the scrapbook. Kids can take & collect photos of their adventures with Bernie. This app has blended musical fun with academics for preschool/kindergarten aged kids!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bear-went-over-mountain-hd/id595159957?mt=8&uo=4

Also from LoeschWare for preschoolers/kindergarteners and FREE for a limited time:

Od McDonald HD: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/old-macdonald-hd/id396818866?mt=8&uo=4

Five Little Monkeys HD: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/five-little-monkeys-hd/id483498657?mt=8&uo=4

Big Top Circus: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/big-top-circus/id423485408?mt=8&uo=4

My ABC Train HD: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-abc-train-hd/id707630889?mt=8&uo=4

Word Wheel: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/word-wheel/id378429438?mt=8&uo=4

 

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Bluster

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Recently updated for iOS 7, Bluster is a FREE app for the iPad developed by McGraw-Hill. This educational app was designed to teach vocabulary and word development to students in grades 2 – 4. Topics covered are rhyming, prefixes & suffixes, word roots, synonyms, homophones, and adjectives. There are 3 modes of play – single, team, and versus. Team mode permits collaboration with a friend. Versus mode allows head-to-head play with the ability to disrupt your opponent by causing weather related attacks. Kids start by choosing their mode of play, grade level, and word match type. They then swipe through the list to match 3 words with the same meaning, rhyme, prefix, suffix, or word root. There are 10 groups of 3 to match in each round of play. Bluster presents 800+ vocabulary words in a fun way!

Common Core Standards met:

  • 2.L.4 – Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known prefix is added to a known word (e.g., happy/unhappy, tell/retell). Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., addition, additional).
  • 3.L.4 – Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known affix is added to a known word (e.g., agreeable/disagreeable, comfortable/uncomfortable, care/careless, heat/preheat). Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., company, companion).
  • 4.L.4 –  Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., telegraph, photograph, autograph).
  • 4.L.5. Demonstrate understanding of words by relating them to their opposites (antonyms) and to words with similar but not identical meanings (synonyms).

Recommended!

Bluster! - McGraw-Hill School Education Group

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Fractions – by Brainingcamp

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fractions

FREE again – Fractions by Brainingcamp, an excellent educational app for teaching fractions. The app covers 7 topics: introduction to fractions, equivalent fractions, common denominators, comparing/ordering fractions, adding/subtracting fractions, multiplying fractions, and dividing fractions. Each topic includes: a narrated lesson (with visual models), virtual manipulatives for kids to explore, practice questions to check understanding, and a challenging game for additional practice. Kids earn badges as they work through the components of each topic.

WOW – I love everything about this app. The lessons are wonderful. The manipulatives are designed to promote understanding of the concepts presented. The practice questions give students and their teachers a check of their understanding. And, the challenging games helps kids further master the topic. It would be a fabulous for grades 3 and beyond!

Common Core State Standards met:

  • 3.NF.1. Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is partitioned into b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as the quantity formed by a parts of size 1/b.
  • 3.NF.3 – Explain equivalence of fractions and compare fractions by reasoning about their size. Understand two fractions as equivalent (equal) if they are the same size. Recognize and generate simple equivalent fractions, e.g., 1/2 = 2/4, 4/6 = 2/3).
  • 4.NF.3 – a. Understand addition and subtraction of fractions as joining and separating parts referring to the same whole.
  • 5.NF.3 – Interpret a fraction as division of the numerator by the denominator (a/b = a ÷ b).

Highly Recommended!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fractions-by-brainingcamp/id471353363?mt=8&uo=4

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News-O-Matic

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news

Check out a FREE trial of News-o-Matic, an educational newspaper app for kids 7 – 11 years old. A new edition is published every Monday through Friday. Each edition features 5 articles from the news – sports, science, world news, wacky events, etc. The articles are kid-friendly and age-appropriate. Kids can read on their own or have the articles read to them. Important vocabulary words are underlined and linked to their definitions. The articles also include fun facts, a map for locating where the news is happening, videos, and games. Once registered, kids can connect to the News Room to draw pictures, express opinions, or ask questions about the news. This app helps kids become informed citizens of the world!

The FREE trial lasts for 2 weeks. After that, you must subscribe: yearly – $19.99. monthly – $1.99, or weekly – $0.99. If you subscribe before the end of your free trial, you get a special rate. Teachers, there is also a News-o-Matic School Edition. It comes with a teacher’s guide which includes discussion prompts, comprehension questions, Lexile reading levels, and more. And, it’s a great resource for non-fiction reading!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/news-o-matic-daily-reading/id578023255?mt=8&uo=4

 

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Ink Robin Story Apps

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FREE for a limited time – 9 great story apps from Ink Robin Story Apps!! These apps are wonderful – great stories, fun interactivity, and great artwork! Add them to your digital bookshelf today. 🙂

Hippo

The Hippo, the Rhino, the Elephant and Me is an adorable story about a little girl and her 3 best friends. Told in rhyme and full of interactivity, the story follows the characters through a week of fun. Kids join the fun as the characters play hide & seek, make music in a band, color, pretend to be monsters, race through the house, go to the park, and last but not least – clean up their mess (an ending that parents are sure to appreciate.) The story has 2 reading modes: read it myself or read it to me. The Hippo, the Rhino, the Elephant and Me is beautifully illustrated by British artist Lisa Hunt  – a cute story that your kids are sure to enjoy!

Will & Kate

Will & Kate is a royal fairy tale. This e-book tells the story of a young prince named William (who lived in England) and a young girl named Kate. They meet, become best friends, go on adventures together, and decide to marry. Sound familiar?? Kids join the fun as the royal couple as they take a hot air balloon ride, set off fireworks to celebrate their engagement, help Kate choose her wedding dress, and attend the wedding. The story has 2 reading modes: read it myself or read it to me. The story is full of fun interactivity and is cutely done!

Will & Kate - Ink Robin, Inc

PJ’s PJs- Giraffe! is another adorable app from Ink Robin Inc. From England comes the story of Percival Jenkins, a little boy with approximately 329 pairs of pyjamas. Choosing the ones to wear is the most important decision of his day. When he puts them on, his adventures begin. In this interactive tale, he chooses to wear his giraffe pyjamas. Kids learn what it’s like to be a giraffe as they travel to Africa with Percival. Cute illustrations add to the appeal of this educational app – a fun addition to your digital library! Other titles are also available in this series.

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pjs-pjs-giraffes!/id776058142?mt=8&uo=4

Also FREE PJ’s PJs- Koalas!: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pjs-pjs-koalas!/id776064004?mt=8&uo=4

LeonardLeonard is a fun interactive story about a young boy with an excellent imagination. When Leonard’s family moves from the city to the country, he is met with the challenge of finding new friends. He searches everywhere – a bug-filled forest, underwater, outer space, a safari, even his sister’s tea party. Kids join Leonard on his problem-solving adventure and encounter interactive surprises along the way. The story has 2 reading modes: read it myself or read it to me. Leonard is a beautifully illustrated, sweet story that your kids are sure to enjoy!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/leonard/id508815860?mt=8&uo=4

Piccadilly's
Piccadilly’s Circus is a humorous story about a group of circus performers. In order to solve an argument about which act is the most difficult, they decide to swap acts for one night. What could possibly go wrong? Elephants try to cross a tightrope, clowns try a fire-breathing act, the monkeys are in charge of the concessions, and other such silliness. In the end, they all apologize and help put the circus back together. This story was a 2013 Parents’ Choice Award winner.
Jerry
Jerry’s Day Out is the tale of a very small bird lost in a very BIG city – New York City! Kids join Jerry as he wanders around New York meeting all sorts of characters – latte-drinking possums, chess-playing cockroaches, jazz-playing owls, and more. Like all Ink Robin apps, this one is full of interactivity that helps to engage kids. What makes this app unique is its art – Gustav Dejert’s illustrations on the backgrounds of real NYC photos.
rabbit's tale
A Rabbit’s Tale is a cute story about a rabbit named Gordon with a VERY busy life in the city. When he goes to visit his cousin Fox, he is forced to slow down a bit. Ink Robin Apps delivers another fun interactive tale that kids are sure to enjoy!