Tag Archives: apps for kids

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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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Squiggles

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This FREE app for the iPad is adorable! Kids are encourages to draw squiggles to create: rain clouds (to water flowers), waves (to help fish swim), wool on sheep, cotton candy, etc. Once the squiggles are drawn, they press GO and the drawings come alive. The app includes an interactive storybook and an animated short which introduces the characters – Bobu, the monkey  & Miku, the rabbit. It also includes 14 drawing pages (just add the squiggles) as well as a blank page for your child to create his/her own pictures. Tools included are stickers, markers, paint, chalk, a ketchup bottle, as well as 10 colors & a mystery color wheel. Work can be saved into the gallery of the parents’ section by pressing the piggy bank. This app is super cute!! It encourages children to be imaginative & creative – it’s one of my new favorites 🙂

Highly recommended!

Squiggles! - Lazoo Worldwide, Inc

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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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Doodle Buddy – Paint, Draw, Scribble, Sketch – It’s Addictive

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The FREE version of Doodle Buddy (for the iPhone/iPad) is great for drawing and creating pictures. It comes with five kinds of tools. The drawing tool has several options – a brush, chalk, glitter, smudge, an eraser, and a color picker with thousands of colors. The stamper tool includes 80+ stamps with the option of making them small or large. Each stamper makes a funny sound when used. The stencil tool comes 6 stencils (basic shapes) with the option to buy other sets as an in-app purchase. Sets available to purchase are theme-based such as fashion, beach, cars, princess, dinosaurs, Christmas, and more. The text tool has 4 fonts with the ability to resize them. Text can be written in any color you choose. The background tool has about 30 backgrounds to choose from or you have the ability to pull in your own photos. Armed with such great tools, you can only imagine the fun you or your child will have creating a works of art! And…. the finished masterpieces can be saved to your photo album and/or shared via email. Fun!!!

There are so many fun ways to use this app. Kids can use it to illustrate their stories because saved illustrations can easily be pulled into a story writing app such as My Story – see my review from June 27. Have kids draw pictures of their vacation then save into photos and use as additional pictures or backgrounds for a photo vacation booklet created on Snapfish, etc. Make a book for Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, a grandparent, etc. – incorporating your child’s drawings and family photos. If creating a family cookbook, have kids do the illustrations. The list goes on……

Highly recommended!

Doodle Buddy for iPad – Paint, Draw, Scribble, Sketch – It’s Addictive! - Pinger, Inc.

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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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Moon Secrets – Interactive Children’s Book HD

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FREE for the iPhone/iPad, Moon Secrets is a sweet, beautifully illustrated story about the moon told through the eyes of a child. All pages include animations that become interactive when tapped. The story can be enjoyed in three modes: autoplay, read to me, and read by myself. There are also three games at the end of the story – coloring, find the difference, and find hidden objects. The only thing I don’t like about the app is the placement of the pop-up ad for PlayTales Gold Bookstore. It’s right smack in the middle of the story and it ruins the flow and the mood of the story. Other than that, I think this story would be a great bedtime read.

Moon Secrets - Interactive Children´s Book HD - Genera Kids