Category Archives: FREE apps (for a limited time)

0

Jack and the Beanstalk by Mindshapes

|

FREE again – Jack and the Beanstalk, an app for the iPhone/iPad – this interactive read-along is a humorous, modern version of a classic tale. The app has 2 options: Read by Myself or Read to Me. The words are highlighted as they are read to help the emerging reader. The animations & illustrations are delightful with interactivity on every page. Teachers could use this app to compare and contrast this modern version to the classic version! This app is really cute and definitely worth downloading!!

The National Parenting Publication Awards: Honors winner in the Children’s Media/Virtual category

Jack and the Beanstalk by Mindshapes - Mindshapes Limited

0

ABCmouse.com – Ham with Jam, Dan & Jan, Hen in the Pen, Big Pig & Little Pig, To Run is Fun, Big Bug & Little Bug

|

FREE for a limited time – 6 beginning reading apps!! These apps for the iPhone/iPad are from the ABC Mouse word family beginning reader series. I chose to downloaded The Hen in the Pen to review the series. Each story emphasizes words from a particular word family. There are also easy sight words in the stories. There are several ways that the books can be read: Read to Me, Read with Pause, I Can Read It, and Hear the Words. I really like the Hear the Words option. It allows the child to read alone but tap any word that he/she gets stuck on. There are parent tips on the title page that explain word families and sight words for beginning readers. There are also parent tips throughout the books. The illustrations are colorful and support the text so that kids can use picture clues as they read. The story lines are very simple. But, that is not a negative thing because these apps are more about the process of reading than the actual story. When my son was an early reader, he loved books like these because he could read them “all by himself” and that alone makes them worth downloading 🙂 And…. they are currently FREE.

Common Core Standards met:

K.RF.3 – Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. c. Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does). d. Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

Recommended!

ABCmouse.com Ham and Jam - Age of Learning, Inc. Ham with Jam    ABCmouse.com Dan and Jan - Age of Learning, Inc. Dan and Jan

ABCmouse.com The Hen in the Pen - Age of Learning, Inc. Hen in the Pen     ABCmouse.com Big Pig and Little Pig - Age of Learning, Inc. Big Pig & Little Pig

ABCmouse.com To Run is Fun - Age of Learning, Inc. To Run is Fun   ABCmouse.com Big Bug and Little Bug - Age of Learning, Inc. Big Bug and Little Bug

0

Bug Games HD

|

bug games

Singing crickets! Bug Games HD is FREE for a limited time. This super cute app for preschoolers has 4 sections: Cricket Concert, Bee Word Builder, Ant Tunnel Builder, and Spider Dot-to-Dot. In the Cricket Concert section, kids can select a song to hear the crickets sing together or they can tap on each cricket to play the song on their own. In Bee Word Builder, kids hear the phonic pronunciation of individual letters as they use them to put words together. Ant Tunnel Builder requires kids to rotate puzzle pieces so that the ants can march through a completed tunnel. Spider Dot-to-Dot has kids connecting dots in numerical order. Kids collect sticker rewards along the way. This app has a nice combination of learning games for preschoolers – cute, fun, & engaging! Who knew playing with bugs could be so much fun 🙂

Bug Games HD - by Busy Bee Studios - Busy Bee Studios

0

Dino-Store Storybook

|

dino-store

FREE for a limited time – Dino-Store, a funny interactive story for early readers. Leo and his father go to the store to get eggs and chose a carton of HUGE ones. 12 baby dinosaurs hatch out and that’s where the fun begins! Kids can choose to follow along or read on their own as they enjoy the cute illustrations and fun interactions. And…the story line leaves it open for a sequel! This book would be great for teaching story sequence or as a springboard to writing about the dinosaurs’ further adventures.

Dino-Store Storybook - Bluemarker

0

Sail Through Math

|

sail through math

Ahoy there!! FREE today (normally $1.99), Sail through Math from McGraw Hill – a fun way for students to practice their math facts/skills. There are 3 levels of play for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. Other areas covered are addition equations. subtraction equations, multiplication equations, two-step equations, names for numbers, patterns/factors/multiples, and compare numbers. This app provides of great practice built around a pirate theme – complete with music and firing cannonballs! At the end of each game, the child can see what problems he/she missed as well as a percentage score. What a fun way to learn basic facts – in the classroom, at home, in the car on a way to an evening activity. I used to tell my students to practice during commercials – 10 to 15 minutes a day works wonders. This app provides a fun way to accomplish that goal 🙂

Common Core Standards met:

  • 1.OA.6 – Add and subtract within 20, demonstrating fluency for addition and subtraction within 10.
  • 2.OA.2 – Fluently add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies. By end of Grade 2, know from memory all sums of two one-digit numbers.
  • 3.OA.7 – Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as the relationship between multiplication and division or properties of operations. By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers.

Sail Through Math - McGraw-Hill School Education Group

0

Lincoln – Quelle Histoire

|

lincoln

FREE today, just in time for Presidents’ Day – Lincoln. This app includes a story about Abraham Lincoln’s life, a portrait gallery of Lincoln & others, and some games. The book can be read by a narrator or on your own. Lots of bigger words in this one, for example: envisaged, eloquence, adversary, promulgated. So… it might be best to read the story as a group. Then, the class could figure out the meaning of the words together using context clues. This book can be read in 4 different languages. This is a great feature, but I wish the developers would have used native readers. Because of the larger words, I think younger kids could have some difficulty with the narrator’s pronunciations – another reason to read it together. I liked how the story included dates and/or Lincoln’s age on almost every page. For that reason, the story could also be used to teach kids how to create a timeline. This app would work in a one iPad classroom with teacher and students reading/working together. 

Lincoln - Quelle Histoire - Quelle Histoire

0

National Geographic World Atlas

|

national geo

Currently FREE – National Geographic World Atlas for the iPhone/iPad. Updated for 2013, this app has a new look and improved functionality. Spin the interactive 3-D globe and zoom in on specific places. Place pins to mark spots and save them for later. Use the measurement tool to find the distance between two locations. Get information on every country and capital city in the world – socio-economic data, demographics, weather, & currency. New features include the ability to: add customize map pins, store pins in the cloud and share across devices, access up to the minute weather, check currency rates, see latitude & longitude with a tap of our finger. This app would be a great reference tool to have in a classroom. Teachers can easily access a map to show students where a current event is happening, where a story takes place, etc. Download while it’s FREE  🙂

National Geographic World Atlas - National Geographic Society

0

Endless Alphabet

|

endless

Currently named an Editor’s Choice in the app store, Endless Alphabet is FREE for a limited time. This interactive app combines learning the ABCs with learning vocabulary. Each letter of the alphabet features a word. Monsters come by and knock over the word and kids have to reconstruct it with animated, talking letters. A short animation that teaches the meaning of the word is also included for each letter. Words featured include: bellow, cooperate, gargantuan, portrait, quarrel – clearly not words found in the average ABC book. The app promises to be truly endless with new words to be added. The vocabulary development in this app makes it appropriate for a wide range of kids. Great idea – very appealingly executed!

Endless Alphabet - Callaway Digital Arts Inc.

0

Wheels on the Bus

|

1359163285.jpg

FREE today from Duck, Duck, Moose – The Wheels on the Bus. Cute, interactive version of the song for your little ones.

The Wheels on the Bus - All In One Educational Activity Center and Sing Along - Kids Games Club

0

ILoveMountains

|

mountains

FREE for a limited time, I Love Mountains for the iPad. Author Sloan Graham shares her love for the mountains in her first book for the iPad. Kids read along to learn about how mountains are formed, where they are located, what kind of plant & animal life live there, and more. Kids tap on arrows and plus signs to move the interactive story along. Written at a level that young children can comprehend, this colorful book is nicely done! 

Recommended!

I Love Mountains - Forest Giant, Inc.