Category Archives: FREE apps (for a limited time)

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Paddington Bear

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paddingtonFREE today – The classic story of Paddington Bear by Michael Bond for the iPhone/iPad. The classic illustrations of R.W. Alley have been animated and sound effects have been added. There is an option to record your own voice reading the book, you can hear the narration of Paul Vaughan, or you can read it on your own. The app also includes a photo page. Take your child’s photo taken with Paddington Bear!  A wonderful story that has stood the test of time (over 50 years old) – download this must-have classic today!!

Paddington Bear - HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

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What Does Santa do on Boxing Day?

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boxing day

What Does Santa do on Boxing Day? is currently FREE for the iPhone/iPad. Told in rhyme, it’s a story that tells what Santa does on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas. According to this 45 page tale, he travels around the world taking presents to animals. He visits the jungle, the sea, the desert, a farm, & the arctic regions. Santa’s gift choices for all of the animals are great – well thought out and funny. For instance, he brings a foal tap shoes since she likes to clip-clop with her hooves. I wish the author would have left out a few details – Santa’s burp/nasty stomach and Santa needing “the loo”. The inclusion of those kind of details in kids’ books is a personal pet peeve of mine. They really don’t add anything to the story. Other than that, the story is quite cute!

pocket story - What does Santa do on Boxing Day? - Wotsamaflip

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Kids Vehicles: City Trucks & Buses HD

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kids vehicles

Merry Christmas! The full version of Kids Vehicles: City Trucks & Buses for the iPhone or iPad is FREE today as a gift from the developer 🙂 Jeff, the truck driver, teaches kids about 10 different vehicles. Included are: a school bus with an opening door, a dump truck with working bed, an ambulance with siren & horn, a concrete mixer with a revolving drum, a fire truck with a siren, horn, working ladder and more! Kids just tap on a part of the vehicle and Jeff identifies it. Then they can tap on Jeff for more details. I did find a minor glitch with the transit bus. When you tap on its roof, Jeff talks about a the roof of a school bus – obviously, this is not a major issue. If your child is a truck lover, you may want to take advantage of this gift.

Kids Vehicles: City Trucks & Buses HD for the iPad - Wojciech Bem

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Ice Age Movie Storybook Collection

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FREE today for iPhone/iPad, this app normally sells for $.99. The storyline is developed from the Ice Age movie and features some of its favorite characters – Manny, Sid, Diego, and others. There are three ways to  enjoy this book – read to me, auto play, and read to myself. This e-book uses the images from the movie and the narration is nicely done. 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 Ice Age, the movie – it is nicely done storybook.  Ice Age 2,3, & 4 are also available as in-app purchases.

Ice Age Movie Storybook Collection - zuuka incorporated

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Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island

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FREE for a limited time for the iPhone/iPad, Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island is an adventure story of a 10-year-old treasure hunter named Kai. Kai is always dreaming about treasure and looking for it in his parents’ store: The Treasure Shop. Kai’s dreams magically transport him to Shark Island where he finds a treasure chest. And so the adventure begins…. Kids help in the hunt for gold by choosing from 8 different treasure chests. Each chest reveals another clue – leading Kai through more adventures. Along the way there are animations to discover, great sound effects, and an original score. This digital story is similar to the “choose your own adventure” books with an “Indiana Jones” feel to it. It is different every time it is read with thousands of ways to find the treasure. This app would be great for kids who are a bit older and becoming independent readers. Very cool 🙂

Visit the website for a preview http://treasurekai.com/. After reading the story, your child can go back to the website for a variety of extras: watch fun fact videos, go behind the scenes, play a video game, work some puzzles, and more.

Highly Recommended!

Treasure Kai and the Lost Gold of Shark Island - Interactive Book App for Kids - Treasure Bound Books

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Monsters Band

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monsters band

The memory game section of the Monsters Band app for the iPhone/iPad is FREE today. Kids can choose their level of difficulty – 12, 20, or 30 cards to match. Points are awarded based on what level is being played. There are also time bonuses. Kids may register to build points and earn stickers but it is not necessary to do so in order to play. Very cute card memory game – love the silly monsters! Also available as in-app purchases are 3 levels of jigsaw puzzles and 3 levels of quizzes.

Monsters Band - Board Games - Latroupe Studios

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Pete and the Secret of Flying HD

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pete

Pete and the Secret of Flying is an adorable interactive e-book for the iPad about a little bird named Pete who has a dream.The story takes place back in the time when birds went everywhere on foot. Pete dreams of playing in the clouds and decides that perhaps he should try his wings out. And so the story unfolds… The narration & text can be turned on or off. There is also an option to autoplay the book. The graphics are great – simple drawings in blue and white with a bright yellow birds! Kids 2+ will love playing with Pete  – he interacts when he’s tapped. Really cute for little ones!

Pete and the secret of flying HD - Shape Minds and Moving Images GmbH

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Elf Yourself

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elf yourselfElf Yourself is back for 2012!! This FREE app is incredibly easy to use. Just upload up to 5 pictures of yourself, family, or friends. The app will transform all of you into hip hop dancing elves  – the stars of your own video. Other dance themes (80’s, Charleston, Soul, etc.) are also available. The results are hilarious! Videos can be shared via email with family and friends. Last year, I turned the students in my class into elves and used the videos as class motivators. The kids LOVED them!! This year, I made the family dog into a dancing elf  🙂 Spread some holiday cheer!!

ElfYourself by OfficeMax - Magic Mirror LLC

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Toca Band

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toca band

Rock on… with Toca Band – FREE today!  This 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 app from a developer that makes learning what it should be – fun, creative, and joyful!

Highly recommended!

Toca Band - Toca Boca AB

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Leo’s Pad Appisode 1

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leo's pad

Question: What do you get when Stanford education experts collaborate with award-winning storytellers and animators? Answer: Leo’s Pad – an interactive series of “appisodes” designed for preschoolers. The first story in this series was released on 2 days ago and is currently FREE. Kids join 8-year-old Leonardo daVinci and Galileo on an aesthetically appealing adventure called Gally’s Birthday. Interactive games that teach shapes, colors, number sense, drawing, letter identification, etc. are seamlessly woven into the story. They include a mixture of exploratory, creative, and problem-solving activities. Songs are also included which adds to the app’s Pixar-movie-like feel. Coming soon is a For Grown-ups section designed to give parents details about their children’s progress. Love this app for so many reasons – great story, beautiful animations, meaningful interaction, positive messages, catchy songs, age-appropriate skills, the list goes on…. Looking forward to Appisode #2, Rocket to the Stars, which is to be released in January!

Highly recommended!

Leo's Pad Appisode 1 - Kidaptive Inc.