FREE for a limited time – the full version of Whose Toes are Those, a very cute app for preschoolers. The app has a game show host, music, and an audience. Kids (contestants) have to identify which animal/person is behind the curtain by their toes. If the child chooses correctly, the animal/person does a silly dance – really cute and sure to bring some giggles! Little ones will have fun building their matching skills with this app!!
FREE for a limited time – the digital version of a beautiful story for children. LOVE this book!!
From the publisher: Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of the children, parents and educators in Newtown, CT. In support of the 1,600 copies of “The Kissing Hand” physical book being donated to the children of Newtown by Tanglewood Press, we are offering the digital book app free to children everywhere for a period of time. We hope this story about the power of love will offer comfort to your family as we all heal.
Put a zoo in your child’s pocket! Pocket Zoo HD is on sale for a limited time. The app opens to an illustrated virtual zoo with 50+ animals. When kids click on an animal’s picture and the app takes them to that animal’s page. The app features: 30+ Live Animal Cams – live video streaming from zoos all over the world, 200+ wildlife video clips, animals sounds, and pictures with fun facts, descriptions, & details about each animal. If you have an animal lover in your life, you may want to explore this app. It is now $1.99 but normally sells for $4.99. I was able to download it on a day that it was FREE. Keep reading my blog to find out if/when it is FREE again 🙂
Exciting News – the creators of Scribble Press (in my opinion – one of THE best writing apps for kids) have just released Scribble My Story. It is a junior version of Scribble Press which was named by Time as one of the top 25 apps of 2012. Designed for the youngest authors and artists (ages 3 – 8), Scribble My Story provides a friendly, easy-to-use platform for kids to imagine, create, and share. Included are 6 story packs (with audio for non-readers) that can be customized by the child and a recordable blank book for open-ended creations. Created books are saved in the app. Kids can go back and reread their books, edit them, or share them on the Scribble Press website. All great features except for the share button. I wish there was an option to disable it for children. In my opinion, parents/teachers need to decide & control what kids share on the internet. Using the Fingerprint email platform, parents/teachers can view created books through a browser, pdf, or iBooks. Additional story packs are available as in-app purchases. What a wonderful way to encourage kids to become writers from an early age! Highly recommended!
Also, check out my review of Scribble Press – one of my favorites 🙂 When I originally reviewed it, it was FREE. It now costs $2.99 but it is well worth its cost.
Create multiple choice questions with this app which is FREE for a limited time. Teachers/parents can create multiple choice tests for kids (with pictures & explanations) to help them learn or review a variety of subject matter. Older students can create their own tests. Also included in this app are 6 lessons on how to write good multiple choice questions. After the test has been created, kids take the test and the app keeps track of their results over time. Tests can be shared with other members of the MyCQs community. LOTS of possibilities for using this app with every age-group of students!
FREE 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!!
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!
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.
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.
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!
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