Category Archives: FREE apps (for a limited time)

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Elliot and Rocco

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FREE today – Elliot & Rocco for the iPhone/iPad. Elliot, a cute little dachshund, finds a bone but drops it when he is frightened by Rocco, a mean giant schnauzer. But the little dog triumphs after Rocco gets greedy and loses the bone. Cute story – the part of the story about Rocco losing the bone is similar to Aesop’s fable: Dog & the Bone. Teachers can use this book to compare and contrast this story with the fable. The story also has rich vocabulary – good for lessons on adjectives & adverbs, context clues, and synonyms 🙂 The story is available in four languages (German, English, Russian, Spanish). It is professionally narrated with hidden movements and sound effects on every page. Take advantage of this FREE offer!

Elliot and Rocco - Ridili GmbH

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The Artifacts

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FREE for a limited time – The Artifacts for iPhone/iPad is a fabulous story for older kids. Asaf is a boy who collects many things – antiques, treasures from other people’s trash, caterpillars, etc. When his family moves, his collections are left behind. He is not permitted to collect things in his new tidy bedroom. So instead, Asaf begins to collect thoughts – imagining all sort of wonderful things. Kids interact with the story in many fun ways: tap the screen to make Asaf’s collections appear, help find treasures on trash day, race with leaf-munching caterpillars, rub-to-reveal Asaf in a wizard’s basement, and more. I loved the variety of interactivity in this app!

Teachers can use this story in so many ways. It contains rich vocabulary – perfect for a lesson on context clues. It also provides great opportunities for creative & imaginative writing. But the best thing about this book is its message. It encourages kids to imagine, read, think, and learn 🙂

Highly recommended!

The Artifacts - Slap Happy Larry

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Flori’s Birthday

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FREE today a cute, interactive e-book for iPhone/iPad – Flori’s Birthday. Flori, the giraffe, is having a birthday and getting ready to celebrate with her friends. Kids 4+ can interact with this book in several ways: They can help to bake & decorate the birthday cake. They can set the table. They can take pictures of Flori & her friends. They can sing & record a birthday song for Flori. Pictures and songs created within the app can be emailed to family and/or friends. This colorfully illustrated story has a “read alone” or “read-to-me mode” narrated in English or German. I love how the interactivity in this book is an integral part of the story. Kids will enjoy being able to help Flori prepare for her special day 🙂

Flori's Birthday - Velago GmbH

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Wee Sing & Learn ABC

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FREE again today (November 9, 2012), this app for the iPhone/iPad normally sells for $2.99. Wee Sing has been around for over 30 years. When my children were small, we always had a Wee Sing tape in our car. This app teaches toddlers the alphabet in a musically fun way. Every letter has a page with its own song featuring an animal with an instrument (both beginning with that letter). There are also three additional words for each letter which are pronounced and spelled. The real sound of every animal and each instrument are also included in the app. This app is well done with great attention to detail – a must have for every toddler 🙂

Highly recommended!!

Wee Sing & Learn ABC - zuuka incorporated

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McGraw Hill books: Little Red Hen, Jack & the Beanstalk, Why the Sea is Salty, Country Mouse & City Mouse, Little Red Riding Hood

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FREE  for your iPad  – five interactive readers from McGraw Hill. All of these titles usually sell for $1.99. These classic children’s tales can be read in two ways: read aloud or read to myself. All five books are nicely illustrated and have animations/interactivity on each page. Sound effects and music are also included – which can be turned on or off. The stories are all great but I especially liked the Little Red Hen. Download them today  – there is no reason to pass these up 🙂


Little Red Hen - Interactive Reader - McGraw-Hill School Education Group  Little Red Hen      Jack and the Beanstalk from McGraw-Hill Education - McGraw-Hill School Education Group  Jack and the Beanstalk     Why the Sea Is Salty - McGraw-Hill School Education Group Why the Sea is Salty

Little Red Riding Hood from McGraw-Hill Education - McGraw-Hill School Education GroupLittle Red Riding Hood    Country Mouse and City Mouse - McGraw-Hill School Education Group Country Mouse/City Mouse

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SketchTime – Quick Sketching and Photo Tracing

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FREE today! SketchTime for the iPhone/iPad makes sketching and tracing simple – as they should be! Just open the sketch pad, pick your gel-like pen or marker, and go. This app is very simple to use with all the tools right at your fingertips. It’s also very quick to change from pen to marker and to change sizes & colors. Photos can be imported in color or black and white and the adjustable transparency makes them easy to trace. Finished sketches can be locked to prevent deleting/editing. There is also a playback option.

This app would be awesome to have in a classroom. Students could sketch out answers to math problems, sketch what they visualize as they read, illustrate the meanings of words, sketch to explain a concept in science, etc. The possibilities are endless. When a sketch is complete, it can easily be saved, emailed, tweeted, and/or duplicated. Kids would love having their sketches featured and as they explain their thinking to others. Great app that can be used across the curriculum with all ages – this one is a keeper!

Highly recommended!

SketchTime - Quick Sketching & Photo Tracing - Hansol Huh

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Stop Math

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Stop Math is an interactive e-book for the iPad for 8 – 12 year-old kids. It was FREE the day that I downloaded it is currently $3.99. Written and illustrated by Jeff Weigel, Stop Math is the story of a boy from the future who hates math and wants to stop it forever. He and his robotic dog travel back in time to find the “evil” genius who invented math to drive kids crazy. Along the way they meet Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton and others and the boy ultimately realizes that math is key to understanding our world.

Here’s a quote from the author: “The iPad’s amazing capabilities are a perfect fit for this book,” says Weigel. “It gave me the opportunity to tell kids about the history of math, relativity and gravity in a way that’s entertaining—the animation and interactivity make it fun to read. Kids even enjoy the parts where they have to do some calculations to move the story forward.”

This e-book is fabulous! The story is funny and engaging – perfect for the third grade+. Kids will love the realistic artwork that is done in the comic-like style found in graphic novels. There are also interactive animations throughout the story. Stop Math connects math to history & science in a way that kids will enjoy. Important  mathematical & scientific concepts are introduced within the story. This book would be a perfect to use with an entire class to get them more excited about math, to help them understand the history of math, to emphasize how math is connected to science, and more! Teachers could also use this app as a springboard for creating a historical math timeline, doing research reports on mathematicians/scientists, brainstorming how people use math in their jobs, etc. Wow!!

Keep reading my blog to find out when great apps like this one are offered for FREE. However, if I was still teaching, I would pay $3.99 to have this app to use in my classroom!

Highly recommended!

Stop Math - Jeff Weigel

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Talking Rex the Dinosaur

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FREE for a limited time! If you have a child (8+) in your life that is obsessed with dinosaurs (and won’t be frightened), you may want to download this app. Talk to Rex and he repeats your words in his deep dinosaur voice. Touch his tail and he will try to bite you. Poke Rex repeatedly and he will roar at you. Pet him – he enjoys that. Press buttons to make Rex fight with another T-rex, eat a steak, or fetch a bone. All of this can be recorded, saved to your library, sent as MMS or email, and/or uploaded to YouTube & Facebook. Rex can act kind of scary so check this one out before you give it to your child. Personally, I would NOT use this with younger kids.

I usually don’t include entertainment apps on my blog but I know too many kids that LOVE dinosaurs.And as for its educational value… kids can teach Rex the words on this week’s spelling list, math facts, state capitals, etc. He will repeat them all back in his dinosaur voice 🙂

Talking Rex the Dinosaur for iPad - Out Fit 7 Ltd.

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Problem Solving – choosing the correct operation

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This iPad app (for kids in grade 3+) was FREE the day that I downloaded it but usually costs $1.99. Kids read/listen to word problems then have to choose the correct operation – addition, subtraction, multiplication, division. The problem is written but there is also the option of having it read aloud – just push the sound button. Equations (all containing the same numbers) are written beneath the problem and the child chooses the one that uses the correct operation. If the correct equation is chosen, it turns green. The answers are not a part of the equation and the child is not required to do the computation. Kids have to get 6 problems correct in a level before advancing to the next level. There are a total of 6 levels. Problems involving money are written in British pounds. The app’s language can easily be changed from English to French or Spanish.

This app provides practice in a much-needed area. Too many word problems are missed simply because the wrong operation is chosen. I wish this app would highlight clue words such as total, more, less, fewer, etc. Teaching kids to read and understand the question is critical. I also think that students should have to solve the problem – to meet the Common Core State Standards. Regardless, this app provides much-needed practice of a critical step in problem-solving.

Keep reading my blog to find out when apps become FREE.

Common Core Standards:

  • 2.OA.1 Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve one- and two-step word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions
  • 3.OS.3 Use multiplication and division within 100 to solve word problems in situations involving equal groups.

Problem solving: choosing the correct operation - myBlee - MyBlee

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ABC House

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FREE until November 12, ABC House for the iPhone/iPad introduces your toddler (3 – 5) to 60+ everyday things through sight, sound, and touch. The app opens to a grid arranged in ABC order. Kids can tap on a letter to find objects that begin with that letter or they can tap on a specific object to learn about it. As an object’s photo appears, a child’s voice says the initial letter then reads the name of the object (which appears in writing at the bottom of the screen). A little cartoon person drops down on the left hand side of the screen with a link to a video clip or an interactive scene where kids may iron a shirt, clean with a duster, open drawers, etc. The child can scroll to the left for additional pictures and videos about each object.

This app needs an internet connection to work because the 100+ videos are actually links from You Tube. They are chosen by Peapod Labs and checked to be interesting and safe for kids. Kids cannot link from this app into other You Tube content. This app is nicely done  – great for building vocabulary and beginning to read/spell words.

Also check out my July 29th review of ABC Wildlife by the same developers 🙂

Recommended!

ABC House - everyday objects with pictures, sounds and videos for kids - Peapod Labs LLC