FREE again for a limited time – AlphaTots, a GREAT ABC app for kids! What makes this app unique is that it uses 26 action words to teach the alphabet. Kids are asked to complete 26 interactive tasks, for example: b – build a robot, p – play instruments, z – zap alien spaceships, etc. This app has been featured on The Today Show and has received a lot of positive press. It is a VERY fun app for toddlers/preschoolers who are learning their alphabet!!
FREE for a limited time – Tiny Dentist Holidays: Christmas. Too many cookies for Santa has landed him in the dentist’s chair! Kids get to be the dentist for a day with the holiday version of this educational app. Like Tiny Dentist, this app teaches about dental treatments and the instruments that dentists use to keep teeth healthy. 24 patients with dental problems need fixed. The “dentist” has the tools to: remove cavities & fill in the hole, remove plaque, use water & air sprays, remove decayed teeth, put on braces, and more! He/she also has 36 fun braces, 18 hair styles, and 6 unusual kinds of toothpaste to use. The app was developed to help alleviate children’s fear of the dentist. Another fun feature of the app is the ability to take before and after pictures of the patient. The app is rated by Apple as 9+.
Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tiny-dentist-holidays-christmas/id722921745?mt=8&uo=4
FREE for a limited time – Lullaby Piano Book, an educational app for your budding pianist! The app’s keyboard has 13 sounds. There is a learn mode and a play mode. In the learn mode, kids are guided (note by note) through the songs. In the play mode, the notes are provided but kids are on their own. I wish the app also included an autoplay so kids could hear the song before attempting to play it. The app features cute cartoon characters and 6 songs that kids love – Hickory Dickory Dock, Mary Had A Little Lamb, It’s Raining, It’s Pouring, Eensy Weensy Spider, Three Blind Mice, and Do Re Mi. This educational app is designed for both iPhone and iPad.
FREE for a limited time – Into the Snow We Go, a Stella & Sam app. In this adventure, kids join Stella and Sam to make pictures in the snow, decorate a snowman, and discover what’s hidden under the snow.These educational apps are based on the television show and book series by Marie-Louise Gay.The Stella and Sam books have been translated into 15 languages and have sold over a million copies. All Stella and Sam apps are also supported in French. I love how all of the stories focus on getting kids outside to enjoy the beauty of nature. They are beautifully animated, creatively presented, and such fun for preschoolers!
Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/into-snow-stella-sam-adventure/id420670528?mt=8&uo=4
FREE today only – Multiplications with Math Matthews, a great new app for studying multiplication facts. Kids join Math Mathews and his crew on a high seas adventure to find treasure and break the curse that turned him into an octopus. There are so many great things about this app that make it perfect for the classroom. The app includes a diary (ship’s log) that gives the back story to this adventure that kids are about to join. I envision teachers using this narrative as a group activity to get kids excited about joining the crew. Then the app is divided into 3 mini-games with each game using a different method of practice. Kids earn badges and collect gold as they practice facts. The app allows you to set which facts it will review. This feature makes this game particularly valuable in the classroom. Teachers can start with ones & twos, add fives, then three & fours – adapting their students’ practice to their teaching. And…the app can be used with 7 different players – perfect for small group practice, centers, etc. It keeps track of the progress for each individual – another plus for teachers. If I was still teaching, I would definitely use this educational app in my third grade classroom – it meet a CCSS for third grade multiplication. What a fabulous & fun learning tool for kids!!
Common Core State Standards met:
Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/multiplications-math-mathews/id611130011?mt=8&uo=4
FREE again – Tiny Dentist. Kids get to be a dentist for a day with this educational app that teaches about dental treatments and instruments. Dozens of patients with dental problems need fixed. The “dentist” has the tools to: remove cavities & fill in the hole, remove plaque, use water & air sprays, remove decayed teeth, put on braces, and more! The app was developed to alleviate children’s fear of the dentist. Visual instructions for using the different tools are found in the grown-ups section. Another fun feature of the app is the ability to take before and after pictures of the patient. 🙂 Check it out!!
FREE again – Petting Zoo, an adorable app for kids and adults who are kids at heart. 🙂 This educational app combines the charm of Christoph Niemann’s humorous animations with state of the art technology as one scene morphs into the next. The app is simple to use – just swipe and tap the 21 animals to see how they react. The results are delightfully surprising! Kids will discover what an elephant would do in the bathroom, if a dog can breakdance, how monkeys play soccer, and more. This app is suitable for kids of all languages because there are no spoken words. It’s perfect for discussion and predicting what will happen next. It would also be great for story writing. A really fun storybook app – creative, silly, and sure to delight!
Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/petting-zoo-animal-animations/id602773895?mt=8&uo=4
FREE for limited time – Sago Mini Forest Flyer. Young children guide Robin on an adventure through the forest. The fun begins at Robin’s birdhouse where kids ring the doorbell inviting Robin out to play. From there they fly though the forest looking for the yellow markers that trigger 20+ animations. Along the way Robin dances, sings, and plays. Kids can make up stories to go with Robin’s travels. A small caution – one of the animations is the little bird burping after drinking from the pond. Parents can use this scene to have a dialog about using good manners. All in all, the educational app is very cute and fun for little ones!
What Time is it Mr. Wolf? (by Teacher’s Pet) is FREE for a limited time. Make sure you get the correct one – there is another app by the same name by Joy Preschool. This app features a Wilfred the Wolf who spins the clock on the face of the moon 10 times. Kids have to choose the correct answer and drag it under the moon. The wolf giggles and says “well done” if the answer is correct. The app’s setting allows you to choose what interval of time you would like your child to work on – hours, half hours (half past), quarter hours, 10 minutes, or 5 minutes. Answers can be displayed in words, digitally, or mixed. You can also set the number of answers per question.
The Common Core Standards expect first graders to tell time to the 1/2 hour, second graders to tell time in 5 minute intervals (AM and PM), and third graders to tell time to the minute. So, this app would work well for first and second graders but not third graders. I like that this app includes practice with the words – half past, quarter after, quarter to. It is a difficult concept for some kids to understand. Nicely done!!
Common Core Standards met:
EyePaint Animals is FREE again for a limited time. This educational app let your child paint illustrations from Japanese artist, Mitsue Haya, in a very unique way. Kids “paint” using their cameras to capture the colors, textures, patterns around them. To begin, a child chooses one of the 10 included illustrations. He/she taps to select the area to be filled in and the creativity begins! Work can be saved to the photo library for sharing or printing. Easy, fun, and very creative!!
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