Category Archives: FREE apps (for a limited time)

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Millie’s Book of Tricks and Treats

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FREE today = Millie’s Book of Tricks and Treats. The Millie books feature a very cute, lovable dog and kids LOVE them! If you own the other two: Meet Millie and Millie and the Lost Key, you will want this one too. This book presents a series of silly tricks and treats featuring Millie – nothing scary for little ones. Every time you read it, the randomly generated video clips change so the book is always different.There is also scratch-off picture & hidden sticker on every page. Love this series!

Highly recommended!

Millie's Book of Tricks and Treats - Megapops LLC

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Paddle Duck in Where is Carrie Cat?

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Normally $3.99, now FREE for a limited time – Paddle Duck is a fun interactive story for your toddler (18 months+). Your child will follow Paddle Duck from sunrise to sunset on his adventure to find Carrie Cat.  Along the way Paddle Duck needs some help – counting to three, knowing which way to swim, looking in the barn, etc. Stars appear around the area your toddler should tap to activate the interactivity. Two catchy little songs are incorporated into his adventure. The words for these songs and suggestions for interactions with your child are found in the parent’s learning notes section. The narrator’s voice can be changed from a British accent to a US accent. Colorful artwork, appealing & very polite characters, a rhyming song & a song to encourage dance movement – this app has it all. Nicely done for little ones!!

Highly recommended!

Paddle Duck in Where's Carrie Cat? An Interactive Story - PaddleDuck Pty Ltd

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Solar Walk – 3D Solar System Model

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FREE today only, this app for the iPhone/iPad has you zooming through space to learn about our solar system and the Milky Way galaxy. Winner of a Parent’s Choice Gold Award and chosen by Apple as one of the Best App in 2010 & 201, this 3D model of the solar system will fascinate kids of all ages. This app features information about each of our planets (general information, figures, internal structure, & science missions), the planets’ moons (general information & figures), comets, dwarf planets and asteroids. Information and pictures of 8 satellites (such the Hubble Telescope and the ISS) are also included. 8 movies to explain some of Earth’s phenomena are included: Size Comparison, Earth’s Cycles, Solar Eclipse, Moon Phases, Tidal Phenomena, Major Circles of Latitude, Constellations, and Cassini-Huygens. The app permits you to zoom in for a close up view of each planet, moon, etc. or zoom out to get a view of our entire galaxy. If it’s in our solar system, you are going to be able to view it and learn about it with this app! Beautifully done 🙂

Solar Walk - 3D Solar System model - Vito Technology Inc.

Highly recommended!

 

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Old MacDonald HD by Duck Duck Moose

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FREE for a limited time from the highly acclaimed, Duck Duck Moose series – Old MacDonald interactive book. This book has 12 pages with over 35 interactive activities for toddlers –  flip a cow, drive a tractor, work a bulldozer, etc. The song can be sung in English, French, Spanish, Italian, or German or played by a piano trio, cello, violin, or kazoo. There is even an option to record your child/you singing the song. The words on all pages are in English – even when it’s being sung in a different language. Lots of fun surprises in this version too – a cow reading the Moo Yorker, “Pig”casso, a small dog eating a large sandwich, an alien in a spaceship, etc. Very cute and very fun!!

Highly recommended!

Old MacDonald HD - by Duck Duck Moose - Duck Duck Moose

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I Can Xylo – A Nursery Rhymes Teacher

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The app was advertised as being FREE today instead of $1.99. The promo says, “NOW INCLUDES OVER 20+ TOP NURSERY RHYMES OF ALL TIME”  but the reality is that the download only has one free song – Mary Had a Little Lamb. You can also get 2 bonus songs – if you go to their Facebook page. If you click on any other songs, it wants you to upload to the pro version. That’s where you get the 20+ nursery rhymes. In Song Mode, you can play & listen to a song or you can play the song by following the highlighted keys. You can also record the song as you play it then play it back. The FREE version does allow you to exit song mode and play the xylophone on your own. Just like in Song Mode, you can record as you play then replay it. The app is nicely designed and has a good tone to it. You may want to try it while it’s FREE.

I Can Xylo - A Nursery Rhymes Teacher - Software-Kitchen

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The Mouth: Talking Doodles

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Just in time for Halloween – have your child create his/her own talking monster. This app is FREE for a limited time for the iPhone/iPad and it is extremely simple to use. There are 12 mouths (each with a different voice), 12 eyes, 12 accessories (horns, hair, whiskers,etc.), 12 backgrounds. Once your monster is created, it will listen to you and repeat everything you say.  You can also poke it (around the eyes) to upset it and poke its mouths to make it laugh. And if you are an adult who is creating a monster, you can be upload your creation to your Facebook wall. Kids will LOVE this app!!

And teachers – project the monster on a whiteboard to give directions to you class or let kids have their monsters present for them. Lots of creative uses are possible 🙂

The Mouth: Talking Doodles - Tayasui

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Facts for Kids – a new fact every day

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Free today only for iPhone/iPad. You’ve heard the adage – “You learn something new every day.” Well with this app, your child can!  Every day when your child launches this app, he/she will learn an interesting fact of the day such as – “Just as human children hold their parents’ hand when crossing the street, baby elephants hold their parents’ tails when crossing dangerous land.” and “Snakes cannot hear.” and “A gecko washes his eyes with his tongue.” Fun stuff  – kids (and adults) will LOVE learning these things 🙂

FACTS FOR KIDS - a new fact every day - Wombi Apps

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Earth Science Volume 1

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FREE  for the iPad for a limited time, this science e-book is designed for 8 – 11 year olds & science teachers. Each page features a photograph that relates to earth science. The page also includes three scientific details about the photograph in both written and audio form – great for different styles of learners. Pertinent definitions are also included on many pages. The photos are arranged in groups – all the water photos are together, rocks & soil photos are together, etc. There are 20+ photos in this book and lots of great information but I wish there was an index to make it easier to retrieve it.

I like the combination of photography and science. Teachers could challenge their students to complete a project doing the same thing – take a photo of something in nature then research three facts to go with it. Kids need to be encouraged to take a closer look at the world around them and learn from what they see. This app helps to provide that encouragement  🙂

Earth Science Vol 1 - Alex D. Jones

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Three Little Pigs – A Play

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FREE app for the iPhone/iPad for kids 4+. An updated version of the 3 Little Pigs is presented as a play starring Mitch, Clara, Ran, and Clarence Bear. The book is brightly illustrated and the characters respond when they are tapped. The background music and narration are nicely done. The book can also be read alone. The story generally follows the traditional tale – the first pig builds a house from straw, the second pig builds a house of sticks, and the third pig builds a house of bricks. All of the pigs get away (rather than the first 2 being eaten) and wolf runs away yelping in pain. The first 2 pigs learn the lesson: Take your time and do your best. The story ends with the first 2 pigs starting to rebuild their houses in the spring – with bricks, of course!

In my classroom I used different versions of the same fairy tale/folk tale for studying story elements as well as comparing & contrasting. This would be a good version to compare with the traditional tale since its setting is in modern times. Kids can look for evidence to prove that the story takes place in current times. They could also use Venn diagrams to compare the traditional tale to this version or other versions that they have read. Lots of possibilities to extend the use of this book as you get comprehension strategies.

Recommended!

Three Little Pigs - A Play HD - C&B Unlimited

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100 Diggers and Excavators

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The e-book, 100 Diggers & Excavators, was FREE for the iPhone/iPad last week but it is now $.99. This book is easy to use and features over 100 HD pictures of diggers in action with sound clips! There is text on every page describing a digger or excavator, its location, or the job that it is doing. The list in the upper right hand corner can be used to preview/access individual pages in the app. The book does have not to be read in order since it is not telling a story. It is simply describing the machines pictured on each page. Also included is a video clip of a digger in action. If you have a lover of heavy machinery in your life – you may want to check out this book 🙂

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

100 Diggers and Excavators - Whyse ApS