Tag Archives: educational apps for kids

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Lazoo Zoo

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Lazoo Zoo

Just released this week and FREE for a limited time  – Lazoo Zoo, another fabulous educational app from the developers of Squiggles. KIds help out with snack time at the zoo where there are 10 animals (lion, ape, chameleon, giraffe, hippo, whale, crocodile, crab, bird, & penguins) to feed. But Lazoo Zoo is not your ordinary zoo, so its animals react in extraordinary ways – the giraffe’s spots change according to what it’s fed, the ape tosses the food it doesn’t like to others, and more! Kids can even create their own foods to feed the animals. And, Lazoo Zoo has a photo booth where kids can snap their picture with their favorite animals. This app is super cute!! It encourages children to be imaginative & creative. 🙂

Check out the trailer at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L564yPHM3No&feature=youtu.be

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lazoo-zoo/id727786503?mt=8&uo=4

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Mindshape Limited – Story Apps

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Here we go again  – today is going to be a another record-setting day for FREE educational apps thanks to Mindshapes Limited! They are offering 18 of their story apps for FREE!! Teachers, if you are a planning a unit on folktales this year – download now. 🙂

Little Red Hen

Many of these stories are classic fairy tales. They are nicely illustrated, professionally narrated, and can be enjoyed in four modes: read, watch, learn, and play. So here are links to 18 FREE e-books from the Mindshapes. Enjoy 🙂

Rumpelstiltskin Rumplestiltskin - Mindshapes Limited

Princess and the Pea The Princess and the Pea - A Fairy Tale - Mindshapes Limited

The Boy who Cried Wolf The Boy who Cried Wolf - Mindshapes Limited

The Glass Mountain   The Glass Mountain - Mindshapes Limited

The Leaping Match The Leaping Match - Mindshapes Limited

Ali Babba and the Forty Thieves   Ali Baba & the Forty Thieves - Mindshapes Limited

The Ugly Duckling   https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-ugly-duckling-a-fairy-tale/id578076786?mt=8&uo=4

The Snow Queen The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen - Mindshapes Limited

The Tale of Cinderella   The Tale of Cinderella - Mindshapes Limited

Thumbelina   Thumbelina - A Fairy Tale - Mindshapes Limited

Hansel & Gretel   Hansel and Gretel - Grimm's Fairy Tales - Mindshapes Limited

Nutcracker – Ballet School   Nutcracker - Ballet School Stories - Mindshapes Limited

Aladdin –  The Arabian Nights   Aladdin - The Arabian Nights - Mindshapes Limited

The Little Red Hen   https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-story-of-the-little-red-hen/id583950594?mt=8&uo=4

The Tortoise and the Hare   https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-tortoise-the-hare/id572867513?mt=8&uo=4

Sleeping Beauty   https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sleeping-beauty-a-fairy-story/id584847816?mt=8&uo=4

Brer Rabbit & the Prickly Patch https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/brer-rabbit-prickly-patch/id578074771?mt=8&uo=4

The Story of the Dog and His Reflection   https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/story-dog-his-reflection/id578072856?mt=8&uo=4

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ClassDojo

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ClassDojo is a FREE & fabulous tool that helps improve classroom behaviors. Teachers are using it in different ways: to give feedback in real-time, to track behavior, and to generate reports. Reward good behavior in real-time – all it takes is a click. You need one device (computer, smartphone, a laptop, or a tablet) and an internet connection. It is very easy to set up with your class list. Each student 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!

If I were 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. Wow – a fabulous educational app!!

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

Highly recommended !!

ClassDojo - Class Twist Inc

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Toca Kitchen Monsters

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FREE just in time for Halloween – Toca Kitchen Monsters, another fun educational app from Toca Boca. Kids take to the kitchen to cook for two lovable monsters. In the frig they will find 8 different foods that they can slice, blend, boil, fry, or microwave. They can also add seasoning to the food but they need to be careful not to add too much. Once the food is prepared they plate it up, serve it to the monster and wait for a reaction. Kids will learn which foods each monster prefers – fun creative play!!

Teachers – use this app to inspire creative writing. Write stories or poems about each monster. It would also be fun to compare and contrast the food preferences of the monsters on a graphic organizer. Fun learning activities for Halloween!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toca-kitchen-monsters/id510301841?mt=8&uo=4

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ABCmouse.com – Ham with Jam, Dan & Jan, Hen in the Pen, Big Pig & Little Pig, To Run is Fun, Big Bug & Little Bug

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FREE for a limited time – 6 beginning reading apps!! These educational apps for the iPhone/iPad are from the ABC Mouse word family beginning reader series. I chose to downloaded The Hen in the Pen to review the series. Each story emphasizes words from a particular word family. There are also easy sight words in the stories. There are several ways that the books can be read: Read to Me, Read with Pause, I Can Read It, and Hear the Words. I really like the Hear the Words option. It allows the child to read alone but tap any word that he/she gets stuck on. There are parent tips on the title page that explain word families and sight words for beginning readers. There are also parent tips throughout the books. The illustrations are colorful and support the text so that kids can use picture clues as they read. The story lines are very simple. But, that is not a negative thing because these apps are more about the process of reading than the actual story. When my son was an early reader, he loved books like these because he could read them “all by himself” and that alone makes them worth downloading 🙂 And…. they are currently FREE.

Common Core Standards met:

K.RF.3 – Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. c. Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does). d. Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ.

Recommended!

ABCmouse.com Ham and Jam - Age of Learning, Inc. Ham with Jam    ABCmouse.com Dan and Jan - Age of Learning, Inc. Dan and Jan

ABCmouse.com The Hen in the Pen - Age of Learning, Inc. Hen in the Pen     ABCmouse.com Big Pig and Little Pig - Age of Learning, Inc. Big Pig & Little Pig

ABCmouse.com To Run is Fun - Age of Learning, Inc. To Run is Fun   ABCmouse.com Big Bug and Little Bug - Age of Learning, Inc. Big Bug and Little Bug

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Kids Academy · ABC Alphabet Phonics App HD

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Montessori 2Montessori ABC for Kids HD

FREE for a limited time – Kids Academy · ABC Alphabet Phonics App HD. This educational app has two sections: animated flashcards (to teach kids the letters/sounds) and traceable worksheets (to teach kids how to write the letters). The flashcard section has cute animations to teach kids letters & sounds in a fun way. The writing section has two modes (right-handed and left-handed) to teach upper and lower case letters. The app is designed to have multiple users and parents can track their children’s progress. Nicely done!!

Common Core Standards met:

  • K.RF.1 – Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print. Recognize and name all upper and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

Montessori ABC for Kids HD: Learn and Trace Alphabet Letters - Kids Academy Company

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Grandpa’s Workshop

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FREE today for Grandpa’s birthday – Grandpa’s Workshop, an adorable educational app for preschoolers. Kids join dancing grandpa in his workshop. There they play 7 educational games such as Puzzle Fix-Up and Paint the Project. They also watch short videos of real tools in action. Kids will love helping grandpa build and they will learn in the process. Concepts addressed through the games are: colors, numbers (1 -12), fractions (1/2, 1/4, 1/3), spatial relationships, measuring, observation skills, and vocabulary. I love this app – it seamlessly integrates important educational content into fun games. And, little ones will learn how things work. I especially like the when Grandpa asks for a high-five – so cute!

Highly recommended!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/grandpas-workshop/id555310530?mt=8&uo=4

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Adventures of Puppup: Lost at the Zoo

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Adventures of Puppup

FREE for a limited time – Adventures of Puppup: Lost at the Zoo. Julia takes her Puppup, her stuffed dog, to the zoo. Children are introduced to 16 different animals as Puppup befriends them. The story is told from the perspective of Puppup  – what he wanted to do and what he did while Julia and her dad rested. Kids will enjoy this cute story with fun animations – jumping fish, monkey-dancing, waterskiing, zebra-riding, and more.

When I was teaching, we had a class stuffed bear (with a journal) that went home with a different child every weekend. The bear then wrote in the journal about his weekend adventures with that child. It was a fun way to encourage writing and reading. This book would be great introduction to that sort of project. 🙂

The Adventures of Puppup: Lost at the Zoo - Fletcher Grayson

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The Tooth That’s on the Loose!

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FREE today – The Tooth is on the Loose is an e-book for the iPhone/iPad. The setting is the old West and a shifty, wiggly, little varmint named T.B. Wiggly is on the loose. Kids will be delighted by this legend, narrated by Sheriff Tex. The language is rich and fitting to the genre of the story. The story is illustrated in a cartoon-like style with animations, sound effects, and hidden activities throughout the tale. Coloring pages are also included. A really fun story for kids who are ready to lose a tooth. Another great educational app!

The Tooth That's on the Loose! - SachManya LLC

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PEEP and the Big Wide World apps

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FREE for a limited time – 6 PEEP and the Big Wide World apps from WGBH, the producers of the animated series of the same name. Major funding for these educational apps is provided by the National Science Foundation. These apps are designed to teach science to preschoolers (3 – 5 years) in a cute, fun way! The games begin simply but become more challenging as kids are successful. Each app also includes a “Try This Anywhere Activity” for you and your children to do together based on the lesson in the app. Your child will LOVE learning with Peep and friends. And you will too!

PEEP - House Hunt

PEEP and the Big Wide World House Hunt: Kids turn over leaves to pair animals with their homes in a match game that demonstrates that some habitats are home to many different animals.

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/peep-big-wide-world-house/id536554271?mt=8&uo=4

PEEP - Hide & peep

PEEP and the Big Wide World Hide and Peep: Peep and friends are hiding in the tool shed. This app helps kids practice their observation and memory skills.

Download link:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/peep-big-wide-world-hide-peep/id536312346?mt=8&uo=4

Peep - Paint Splat

PEEP and the Big Wide World Paint Splat: Kids join two quirky characters named Quack & Chirp to experiment with mixing colors in a fun, silly way!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/peep-big-wide-world-paint/id536621786?mt=8&uo=4

Peep - Sounds

PEEP and the Big Wide World Sounds Like Fun!: Kids explore music and sounds as they mix and match sounds with this app. The characters represent different musical rhythms.

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/peep-big-wide-world-sounds/id536623915?mt=8&uo=4

Peep - trash

PEEP and the Big Wide World Trash Stash: Kids practice their categorization skills by sorting objects using increasingly sophisticated criteria.

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/peep-big-wide-world-trash/id536624731?mt=8&uo=4

Peep - Quack's Apples

PEEP and the Big Wide World Quack’s Apples: Kids roll Quack’s apples into a pond – testing and tweaking the design of their route as often as needed. As they play, they are practicing the engineering design process!

Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/peep-big-wide-world-quacks/id536623428?mt=8&uo=4