0

Tap A Tune

|

This adorable app for the iPhone/iPad is FREE for a limited time. Kids 2+ can play their own nursery rhymes (7 included) & holiday tunes (9 included) by tapping the animals as they pop out of holes in the ground. The app has 3 modes: baby mode (plays the tune correctly no matter which animal is tapped), play mode (tap the animals in the order that they pop up), and freestyle mode (tap the animals in any order to create your own tune). There is an option of changing to a keyboard when you feel your child is ready to make that transition. There are also 9 instrument options – piano, accordion, clarinet, acoustic guitar, xylophone, drum, harmonica, harp, and animal noises! When a tune is completed, all of the animals pop out of their holes to dance as the tune replays. The result is sheer happiness!

Recommended!

Tap A Tune - Mindshapes Limited

0

JibJab Junior

|

From the folks at JibJab comes a FREE app for your iPad that puts your child as the star of his/her own books. JibJab has been around since 1999. During the 2004 presidential election their Flash movie, This Land, featured George Bush and John Kerry singing a parody of the Woodie Guthrie song, This Land is Your Land. It became a huge success, received millions of hits, and was featured on several major news channels. The company has continued to make videos but added a commercial site several years ago where you can find 1000+ Make & Share eCards and 500+ Starring You videos. Their videos are made for adults so you will want to use the app for your kids rather than explore the website.

The kids’ app was updated in January of 2012 and it is very easy to use. Just choose a picture of your child from the photo library, Facebook, or take one with your camera. Place your child’s face in the opening, adjust it to fit the space, and then add his/her name. Make sure you choose the correct gender so that the pronouns are correct. If you have more than one child, you can create books starring each of them. The book has animations on each page. There is not a read along option because your child’s name is inserted in the text. The first book, The Biggest Pizza Ever, is free. After that you may purchase individual books ($7.99) or join the book of the month club ($3.99, but be aware that it automatically renews until you cancel). I have been a fan of JibJab for years so was excited to see them come out with products for kids – fun stuff!!

Learn more here: http://www.jibjab.com/kids

Highly Recommended!

JibJab Jr. Books - JibJab Media Inc.

0

Wonder Kids

|

This app is designed for the iPhone/iPad for toddlers and preschoolers. I downloaded it for FREE – it usually costs $1.99. It is supported in 5 languages (English, Korean, Chinese, Japanese & Spanish) and can be easily changed from one language to another by clicking on the flags. The version I have included about 40 animal flashcards. Additional in-app purchases are available. The animals are presented in abc order (for the English version of the word). For each animal you can opt to hear the word pronounced or an entire sentence using the word. I really like this feature – it makes this app stand out. There are 5 activities available for each animal – coloring, jigsaw puzzles (3 levels of difficulty), matching (3 levels of difficulty), bingo, and drawing. Each of these activities repeats the word or sentence containing the word and the colorful illustrations become animated when the activity is completed. This app is very appealing and nicely done!

Although this app is designed for young kids, it could be used to teach foreign language vocabulary to older students! However since I am not a foreign language expert, I cannot speak to how the sentence structure might translate.

Keep reading my blog for app alerts which will let readers know when the apps that I have reviewed are available for FREE  🙂

Recommended!

Wonder Kids - zibann

0

K12 Timed Reading Practice Lite

|

I download the FREE version of this app for iPhone/Pad to try. Kids read short, timed stories to determine their reading rate. Words-per-minute and a percentage (above or below the average rate) are reported. Stories can be reread to improve the scores. The full version (for $1.99) allows you to keep track of multiple students and has 250 leveled stories.The app’s description says that there are 46 Flesch-Kincaid levels of reading between 0.0 and 4.7 but only a general grade level (K, 1, 2, 3, 4) is marked in the lite version. Perhaps the full version is more specific.

Reading rate is important – if kids read too slowly their comprehension is compromised. But true reading fluency includes reading rate as well as the ability to read with accuracy and expression. This app tests rate in isolation. If the app had a record option, an adult could go back and listen for accuracy and expression. As it is, it could be useful depending on the needs of your child/children. If you have a child that is an accurate but slow reader, this app could be helpful to increase his/her reading rate.

K12 Timed Reading Practice Lite - K12 Inc.

0

Find the Synonym

|

This FREE app designed for the iPhone/iPad was just released today. It is listed as a game app rather than an educational app but it would be great for kids in upper elementary school/junior high. A word is shown with its part of speech and definition. You are directed to create a 4 – 7 letter synonym of that word using the letters provided. Points are awarded based on the length of the word, the time involved, whether clues are used, and/or if any mistakes are made. Badges are earned as the game is played. It’s simply designed  – not a lot of bell & whistles but it is heavy on content. There are a total of 1000 synonyms in the app. After you find 250 of them, antonyms are unlocked. There are 500 antonyms in the app.

I realize that this app was not designed for kids per se but it is educational. More flexibility in the settings would make it more suitable for classroom use. I could not find a way to restart the game. The game picks up where it left off & points are cumulative, so only one person can play. Also, having access to both synonyms and antonyms would be a plus. I am sure that teachers will come up with creative ways to use this resource 🙂

Recommended!

Find The Synonym - FreshLogo

0

ZOOLA Opposites

|

I originally posted a review of this app on July 6. At that time this app was FREE as the developer worked out a few known bugs. I discovered today that it had been updated again on July 9 and it works perfectly!! The cost is now $1.99. Designed to teach preschoolers the concept of opposites, this app is simple to use. Kids can flip 35 cards which have pairs of opposites on the front/back. The illustrations are nicely done and appealing. The opposite words are pronounced for the kids and the written words are show. This app is great for teaching young kids about opposites!

Common Core Standards met:

  • K.L.5 – With guidance and support from adults, explore word relationships and nuances in word meanings. Demonstrate understanding of frequently occurring verbs and adjectives by relating them to their opposites (antonyms).

Recommended!

ZOOLA Opposites - Best kids Apps

0

Opposites 1

|

This app for the iPhone/iPad is designed for kids ages 2.5+ to help develop the concept of opposites. Two levels are unlocked in the FREE version with 10 additional levels available if you purchase the full version. Each level has 4 sets of opposites to match. Kids find 2 pictures that show opposites and drag them into the box. As they do so, the written word appears underneath. If correctly matched, they disappear making the each choice simpler. You can add your own voice (or even better, your child’s voice) reading the words. This option is important for younger kids who cannot read the words plus it helps them make the text-to-print connection. Before adding sound however you’ll need to make sure you know what word will appear under the picture because that information in not on the recording page. I had trouble recording 4 out of the 16 words in the first 2 levels. The app would freeze and have to be restarted. I think young children would really enjoy hearing themselves “read” the words to go with the pictures so I am hoping that the developer can fix the bugs.

 

0

Bluster

|

Bluster is a FREE app for the iPad developed by McGraw-Hill. It was designed to teach vocabulary and word development to students in grades 2 – 4. Topics covered are rhyming, prefixes & suffixes, word roots, synonyms, homophones, and adjectives. There are 3 modes of play – single, team, and versus. Team mode permits collaboration with a friend. Versus mode allows head-to-head play with the ability to disrupt your opponent by causing weather related attacks. Kids start by choosing their mode of play, grade level, and word match type. They then swipe through the list to match 3 words with the same meaning, rhyme, prefix, suffix, or word root. There are 10 groups of 3 to match in each round of play. What a fun way to present over 800 vocabulary words!

Common Core Standards met:

  • 2.L.4 – Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known prefix is added to a known word (e.g., happy/unhappy, tell/retell). Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., addition, additional).
  • 3.L.4 – Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known affix is added to a known word (e.g., agreeable/disagreeable, comfortable/uncomfortable, care/careless, heat/preheat). Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., company, companion).
  • 4.L.4 –  Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., telegraph, photograph, autograph).
  • 4.L.5. Demonstrate understanding of words by relating them to their opposites (antonyms) and to words with similar but not identical meanings (synonyms).

Recommended!

Bluster! - McGraw-Hill School Education Group

0

Grammar Jammers Primary Edition

|

This FREE app for the iPhone/iPad teaches 5 parts of speech: adjectives, contractions, nouns, pronouns, verbs. Kids listen to an animated song about each part of speech. A 3-point quiz follows each song to check understanding. This app also teaches ending punctuation for the four kinds of sentences. The 3-point quiz for this section requires kids to know that different kinds of sentences end in different punctuation. Finally, there is a section on sentences. It teaches that a sentence has 2 parts and is a complete thought (statement or a question). It also teaches that a sentence begins with a capital letter & ends with punctuation. It does not mention commands or exclamations as it did in the punctuation section. For the quiz, the child only has to look at the capitalization & punctuation to determine which group of words is the sentence. Instead, I wish that the focus of this quiz would have been reading to determine if the words formed a complete thought. All in all, this is a good app that could be used to introduce parts of speech and/or to review them. Worth downloading!

Common Core Standards met:

  • 3.L.1 – Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences.

Recommended!

Grammar Jammers Primary Edition - Pearson Education, Inc.

0

Songs 4 Kids 2

|

This FREE app for the iPad includes 14 kids songs (Pat-a-Cake, Hokey Pokey, Looby Loo, Head and Shoulders, Finger Family, This Little Pig Went to Market, This Is the Way, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Old MacDonald Had a Farm, Little Cabin in the Wood, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Muffin Man, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, How Are You?). Your child can just listen & learn or you can record him/her singing along. The app also teaches how to play each song on the piano. It highlights which keys to tap to play the tune. Above the keyboard is the music. A red ball follows the musical notes for each key that played. There are also pictures to color, puzzles, and a game. Nicely done!

Recommended!

Songs For Kids2 - VCNC