Two FABULOUS & FREE educational apps from the Exploratorium!! Both interactive books contain illusions, articles, and videos. These apps make science fun by answering questions like – What color is a whisper? Are there secret messages in music played backward? Kids will love the illusions and you won’t believe these apps are FREE! Very interesting – for kids AND their parents/teachers.
Color Uncovered 
Sound Uncovered
FREE again, Art ABC for the iPhone/iPad. Like all alphabet books, this educational app teaches kids the names & sounds of each letter. What makes it unique is that it also incorporates famous works of art. Each letter of the alphabet is presented on a fine art background. There is also a hidden object (with the featured letter) in the background. Kids explore the page by tapping to reveal each object – each in a different way! The app also contains a list of all the famous art included in the app – titles, artists, nationality, medium used, year, and location of the painting. This educational app could also be used with older students in art class. Nicely done!!
FREE again, for a limited time – Bean Bag Kids Present Little Red Riding Hood, an interactive fairy tale for the iPhone/iPad. Kids read along with this classic tale presented as a play by the Bean Bag Kids® – Pea, Pinto, Cocoa, Jack, and Vanilla. This educational app has 3 modes – read to me, read alone, or autoplay. Words are highlighted as the story is read. Kids can interact with the characters while they explore each scene. Just tap the 3D characters and their acting becomes more lively. As a bonus, kids can collect hidden stars on each page to unlock the Bean Bag Kids’ bios. There are also 12 simple puzzles (only 6 pieces) at the end of the play. One minor concern that I have is that the font may be difficult for little ones to read. Other than that, it’s definitely cute and worth downloading. 🙂
FREE again – Shrinky Kid’s Boogie Box by Mindshapes. This app features 4 stories about Shrinky and his magic shoebox – the first story is unlocked and the other 3 are available as in-app purchases. Strictly Hoofer is a story about a horse who is sad because he has lost his dancing music. His friends cheer him up with the help of the Boogie Box. The Boogie Box is an interactive music making app with over 500 possible combinations of instruments! Kids can jam with the band to create their own music after reading the story. Teachers could use this story to as a springboard to creative writing. Have kids create shrinky-dinks of themselves and write their own adventure 🙂
Very cute, very creative, very fun – check it out: Mindshapes Ltd – YouTube
FREE again – Jack and the Beanstalk, an app for the iPhone/iPad – this interactive read-along is a humorous, modern version of a classic tale. The app has 2 options: Read by Myself or Read to Me. The words are highlighted as they are read to help the emerging reader. The animations & illustrations are delightful with interactivity on every page. Teachers could use this app to compare and contrast this modern version to the classic version! This app is really cute and definitely worth downloading!!
The National Parenting Publication Awards: Honors winner in the Children’s Media/Virtual category.
Educational Apps – Back to School Special: Cells by KIDS DISCOVER, Ancient Greece by KIDS DISCOVER, Constitution by KIDS DISCOVER, and Galaxies by KIDS DISCOVER. FREE for a limited time! KIDS DISCOVER has been creating award-winning content for kids for over 20 years. Get the interactive, digital versions of these books for FREE. 🙂
Download links:
Cells https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cells-by-kids-discover/id593624778?mt=8&uo=4
Ancient Greece https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ancient-greece-by-kids-discover/id643330967?mt=8&uo=4
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. 🙂
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 
Princess and the Pea
The Boy who Cried Wolf
The Glass Mountain
The Leaping Match
Ali Babba and the Forty Thieves
The Ugly Duckling https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-ugly-duckling-a-fairy-tale/id578076786?mt=8&uo=4
The Tale of Cinderella
Thumbelina
Hansel & Gretel
Nutcracker – Ballet School
Aladdin – The Arabian Nights
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
FREE for a limited time – Fraggle Friends Forever. Celebrate Fraggle Rock’s 30th Anniversary with this story app from The Jim Henson Company and Cupcake Digital. There are 3 ways to enjoy this educational app – Read & Play, Read to Me, or Just a Book. Kids will find animations on every page and silly special effects throughout the story. At the end, there are fun games and coloring pages. There is also a Grown-Up’s Corner with suggested questions to get your kids thinking and talking about the story. The Common Core State Standards for ELA Literacy that are met by this app are also listed in the Grown-Up’s Corner. If you grew up with Fraggle Rock, you may enjoy this app as much as your children do. 🙂
Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fraggle-friends-forever/id641259280?mt=8&uo=4
Educational app, FREE for a limited time – Oscar Goes to the Zoo, a “You Tell Me” story. In this story, a cute little dachshund goes to the zoo and wonders what it might be like to be the different animals that he sees there. In the end he discovers that he likes being himself. Cute story!
“You Tell Me” stories are designed with some special features: 1. They incorporate WordWinks into the story. WordWinks are questions and comments written in red italics. To maximize children’s understanding of the story, teachers often add comments/questions as they read aloud. WordWinks are meant to model that teacher voice. 2. They have a “Retell, Record & Share” section. Kids are asked to order 4 scenes from the story then record their own version of the story to share with grandparents or friends. 3. If you register, you can receive a FREE Oscar Goes to the Zoo activity book by email.
If you have a preschooler or early reader, check out this e-book. I love that it emphasizes “thinking about reading.”
Download link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/oscar-goes-to-the-zoo/id587648796?mt=8&uo=4
FREE again for a limited time – Ten Giggly Gorillas, a cute book to share with 2 – 6 year olds. There are 10 giggly gorillas swinging in the trees. Kids must listen to the story to know which gorilla to tickle under the arm. When tickled, that gorilla giggles until it lose its grip and there is one less gorilla swinging in the tree. The story continues until there is only one gorilla left to tickle. At the end there is a cute surprise! With over 100 interactions plus a hidden toucan on every page, this story is sure to delight your little ones! The educational app also includes a monkey memory game.
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