Tag Archives: educational apps for kids

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Musical Paint

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Musical Paint

FREE for a limited time – Musical Paint a creative, multi-sensory app for the iPhone/iPad. Kids are welcomed into an art museum by a friendly blue walrus with a French accent. There is also an ensemble of lively musicians (underwater animals) at the museum. Kids are invited to paint a picture on a canvas. Each color is a musical tone so when the kids paint, they are painting music! If the child chooses to save his/her painting, it is hung in the museum – a very cute feature. They even get to sign their work. Kids can also share their paintings via email. What fun it would be for kids to send Grandma a picture of their masterpiece that is in a museum!! The app also has a lesson plan section for teachers & parents. Nicely done app for younger kids!!

Musical Paint - Building Blocks Media LLC

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Labo Drawing Apps on Sale!

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labo

On sale for $.99 – Labo Drawing Lessons. This educational app has 3 different modes: drawing lessons, free drawing, and PK. In the lesson mode, your child will learn to draw 40 different things from 5 categories: animals, plants, vehicles, monsters, people. The app utilizes a step-by-step teaching method then scores the drawing after it has been completed. In the free drawing mode, kids work on a blank canvas and draw their own creations. They are not scored in this mode. They can choose from 3 tools (pencil, crayon, brush) and 18 different colors. They can also pull in photos from the camera roll to use as a background. In both modes, kids can take pictures of their drawings, redo them, or trash them. If they take a picture, the creation is stored in the photo gallery and saved to the device’s camera roll. Once a drawing is on the camera roll, it can be shared, printed, or pulled into other apps. Finally, there is a PK mode which permits a child to compete with their parents or friends to see who can draw faster. Check out this YouTube video to see how this app works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/labo-drawing-lessons-3y+/id879834557?mt=8&uo=4

Also on sale for $.99…

Labo Car Designer: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/labo-car-designer-4y+/id872564909?mt=8

Labo Dancing Kids: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/labo-dancing-kids-magical/id903392264?mt=8

Labo Pebble Art: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/labo-pebble-art-make-crafts/id928944711?mt=8

Labo Fabric Friends: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/labo-fabric-friends-making/id966500443?mt=8

Labo Train: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/labo-train-creative-draw-play/id914323527?mt=8

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Math Duel

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Math Duel

FREE for a limited time – Math Duel-2 Player Mathematical Game.This educational app pits two players against each other on the same device which makes it perfect for sharing iPads in the classroom. The app has a split screen interface – students sit facing each other on either end of the iPad. As kids answer math equations, the app keeps separate scores for each student. The best thing about this app is that it is fully customizable (on both sides) which makes it a fabulous tool for individualizing instruction for a wide range of students. Equations can be set with 1 – 5 terms. Largest numbers possible can be from 1 – 100. Negative numbers can be turned on/off. Kids can practice addition, subtraction, multiplication, division or any combination of these operations. Fabulous and fun for daily classroom math practice in multiple grades!

Common Core Standards met:

  • 1.OA.6 – Add and subtract within 20, demonstrating fluency for addition and subtraction within 10.
  • 2.OA.2 – Fluently add and subtract within 20 using mental strategies. By end of Grade 2, know from memory all sums of two one-digit numbers.
  • 3.OA.7 – Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as the relationship between multiplication and division or properties of operations. By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers.

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/math-duel-2-player-mathematical/id495077699?mt=8&uo=4

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Sago Mini Bug Builder

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bug buider

On sale for $.99 – Sago Mini Bug Builder, an educational app for toddlers/preschoolers. Kids create, hatch, and play with cute little critters. They can transform 1 of 8 shapes into a colorful bug, add some color, then bring it to life. They can also add a funny hat, feed it a snack, clean up its mess, and take its picture. Kids can make unlimited number of unique bugs using this app which is very cute & creative! Older kids could create bugs to use for creative writing – a descriptive paragraph, a story, a dialog. Or, they could create 2 bugs to compare and contrast. Check out this colorful & creative app while it’s on sale!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sago-mini-bug-builder/id657821775?mt=8&uo=4

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Sight Word Sentence Builder

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sight word sentencesFREE for a limited time – Sight Word Sentence Builder. This app has kids building sentences using the Dolch sight words. Learning sight words is an important component of early reading. Being able to automatically recognize sight words improves a child’s reading fluency. Kids start by choosing one of three themes – classic, little princess, or train. The app has four levels of difficulty. Each level contains simple sentences that are constructed from sight words. After listening to a sentence, kids click and drag words to build that sentence. There is an option to have the sentence repeated if needed. There is also an option to turn off the audio so that kids can try to construct the sentences on their own. These options make the app suitable for multiple levels of kids. The app tracks a child’s levels, scores, and the amount of time played over a seven day and thirty day period of time. It does not have an option for multiple players so the app would have to be reset before using it with a second player. Check it out for your beginning reader!

Direct Link:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sight-words-sentence-builder/id527718967?mt=8

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This Day in History

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This Day in History

One of my favorite FREE resources…

WORLD BOOK  – This Day in History for iPad is a great FREE resource for the classroom. Historical events for the day are displayed on a calendar page. You can click on links to related media such as articles, photos/illustrations, music, speeches and more! When I was teaching, I had students  do “morning work” (correct punctuation, capitalization, & spelling in two sentences) while I took attendance, did lunch count, etc. This educational app would have been perfect for that daily assignment because I always used information about something interesting that happened that day. After correcting the sentences, the kids and I would discuss the history of that day. I was always amazed at how well kids retained what we had discussed during the opening minutes of every day. Throughout the year they would often remark, “We learned about that in our morning work.” You may want to try making this educational app part of your classroom’s morning routine. 🙂

WORLD BOOK - This Day in History for iPad - Software MacKiev

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Coding for Kids – 3 FREE & Fabulous Apps

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Why teach kids to code? Coding is what makes computer software work. Understanding the basics of programming will help your child be prepared for the jobs of the future. And, in the process your child will be using logic, solving problems, and having fun! Check out these apps and try coding yourself. Then try it with your students. We are living in creative, exciting times – be part of it!! 🙂

Here are fabulous FREE resources to use:

scratch jrFREE app – ScratchJr is designed to teach kids how to code their own stories and/or games. Specifically developed for younger children, ScratchJr is based on Scratch programming language (http://scratch.mit.edu) which is used by millions around the world. The app includes an introduction video and examples of sample projects. Once the add button is pressed, the app opens to a page with a friendly looking cat in a blank square surrounded by programming tools. Then the fun begins. Kids snap together programming blocks to make the cat move – forward, backward, right, left, hop, etc. They can choose to add a setting to their story/game by selecting one of the twenty-eight different backgrounds. They can add additional characters and/or objects to their scenes. They can make their character talk either by using word bubbles or by recording their own voices. They can control timing, speed, and the sequencing of events. The app can be simple but it becomes more complex as kids start to figure things out. For example, they can learn to program multiple characters to move in sequence, move together, etc. Kids can also add themselves to the story. They simply choose one of the fifteen “faceless” characters then add in their own face using the iPad’s built-in camera. How cool is that? As kids learn to program, they are also learning to problem solve, design projects, and be creative on the computer. LOVE this app!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/scratchjr/id895485086?mt=8&uo=4

kodableFREE for iPad – Kodable, an introduction to programming for kids 5+. The fuzzFamily has crashed their spaceship on Smeeborg. Kids help the fuzzes through Smeeborg’s mazes by creating drag & drop instructions for them to follow. As they code, kids need to remember that fuzzes follow instructions exactly as they are written. After coding the instructions, kids hit play to watch the fuzzes roll through the maze. They are rewarded with stars, coins, and extra members of the fuzzFamily if they are successful. This educational app comes with 45 free levels which become progressively more difficult. Additional content is available as an in-app purchase.

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kodable/id577673067?mt=8&uo=4

Hopscotch HD

Hopscotch HD is an educational app that teaches kids how to program their own games and animations! Introduce kids to computer science with this app. 🙂 Kids drag and drop “method blocks” into scripts. When they are done, they can press play to see their code in action! Why teach kids coding? According to the developer – there will be about 1.4 million computer jobs by 2020 and only 400,000 computer science students. Many coders first fell in love with coding when they were  8-12 year old children. Hopscotch is based on a visual programming language named Scratch which was developed by MIT. It promotes STEM education (science, technology, engineering and math) in a fun way – by making coding kid-friendly!  LOVE it!!

Hopscotch HD - Hopscotch Technologies

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Thomas & Friends Talk to You

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thomasThomas & Friends Talk to You is the latest app from ToyTalk Inc. Speech recognition technology allows kids (ages 3-6) to have a two-way conversation with Thomas and the Steam Team. The app literally works like a walkie-talkie. When the orange button appears on the screen, the child presses it to talk to Thomas. When the child lets go of the button, Thomas answers. The FREE portion of the app features a fun adventure on the island of Sodor. There are additional adventures available as in-app purchases. The app’s activities include: learning shapes, memory games, speaking & listening, singing, telling stories, solving a mystery, transmitting information, making silly noises, parts of speech, sharing & taking turns, and more. In order to enable speech recognition, ToyTalk Inc. needs to capture audio recordings of your child so parental permission is required. Parents can then access and control their child’s recordings from ToyTalk’s website: www.toytalk.com. If your child is a fan of Thomas and friends, make sure take advantage of this week’s  “launch special.” 🙂

Direct Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/thomas-friends-talk-to-you/id1002232132?mt=8

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Sago Mini Doodlecast

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On sale for $.99 – Sago Mini Doodlecast, an adorable drawing app for kids. This educational app is unique in several ways. First of all, it features 30+ open-ended drawing prompts that inspire creativity. Kids draw pictures to answer questions such as: Who lives on this planet? What is wet? What makes you happy? As your child draws, short videos of the entire drawing process are created, with accompanying audio. The app encourages parent/child play – recording your child’s creation (stroke by stroke) along with your conversation about his/her drawing. And, the app supports more than 14 languages. Parents can use the app as a teaching tool or to encourage kids to express their feelings. Finished videos can be shared with friends and family – perfect for grandparents who live far away! Super sweet app!!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sago-mini-doodlecast/id469487373?mt=8&uo=4

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ClassDojo

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ClassDojo is a FREE & fabulous tool that helps improve classroom behaviors. Rewarding good behavior in real-time is easy – all it takes is a click. To use ClassDojo, you only need one device (computer, smart phone, a laptop, or a tablet) and an internet connection. It is very easy to set up. Each student on your class list is assigned a cute, monster-like avatar. Kids earn points for positive behaviors and lose points for negative behaviors. ClassDojo is also fully customizable so you can delete behaviors from the original list and/or add your own behaviors. As you use it, it automatically logs any data that you input. This data can be used to generate behavior reports to share with parents and administrators. How awesome is that? You can go into a meeting/conference with reports in hand! And now, parents can check online to see what kind of day their child is having.

And, ClassDojo just keeps getting better. FREE messaging has been added to the app. Teachers can now send “direct” messages and/or photos to individual parents or they can “broadcast” a message to all parents. Sending reminders, assignments, homework, permission slips, etc. just became easier! Another newer addition to ClassDojo the option of creating groups. Teachers can now put students into groups – making it simple to award table points, team points etc. Fostering a collaborative classroom culture is simple with ClassDojo.

If I was still in the classroom, I would enter my class list twice – once for data on work/study habits and the other for data on behaviors. I would make my habits/behaviors match exactly what was on my report cards. Then as I used the app, I would also be gathering data for my report cards. At the end of the grading period, I would just print out the date and enter it on the report cards – how easy!  I would also have the data (in a printed report) to be able to back up any grade on the card.  “As you can see Mrs. Doe, Jane only turned in her homework 56% of the time.”  Instant data would also be available for the RTI process, IEPs or any other team meeting on a child. What a powerful tool for teachers! An educational app that has the ability to positively impact the learning environment – LOVE it!!

Check out the website for more information: www.classdojo.com

ClassDojo - Class Twist Inc