Sheilacakes: kids apps

Showing posts with label kids apps. Show all posts

Monday, February 10, 2014

Son of the Sun and Wizard Lizard App Review

Noah is a very smart and compassionate little boy. I am always teaching him about doing the right thing. I teach him to be kind to others. I teach him to forgive those who have hurt his feelings. I teach him these things every day. Sometimes I feel like I am a broken record. There are times that I wonder if I start to sound like the grown up from the Charlie Brown specials. I get really excited when I give Noah something that teaches him something. If there is a moral, than it is such an added bonus. He is the typical seven year old that likes Star Wars or Pokemon and other stuff that doesn’t really have any educational value. Noah had, I love Reading day at school, in November. Everyone was allowed to dress up as their favorite character in a book. Noah wanted to dress up as Darth Vader, because he was him for Halloween. I said no. Noah reads a lot of non-fiction books about fish, sea life and space. I surely didn’t want to send him to school as a mackerel or the International Space Station. I would love to get him more interested in fiction books that teach him a lesson.

Noah also loves technology. I strive to find him apps that teach him things that aren’t purely educational. Noah loves to read and loves interactive story books. He has so many books that when we go on a trip, bringing tons of books is not an option. I have traveled with many books in a suitcase or a carry on. It’s not fun. Thankfully, there are ebooks and Interactive apps. I love trying them out with Noah. We had the chance to try out SON of the SUN and WIZARD LIZARD. Son of the Sun is about little a sunbeam who was sent by his Father Sun to explore the Universe. The pictures and graphics are breathtakingly gorgeous. Noah loves to play along with characters. I also use Son of the Sun as a starting point to open up conversations about forgiveness. After we played the first time, I asked Noah what he thought about forgiving others. I asked him, if he understands what forgiveness is. I explained that once an apology is given, and you accept. You can no longer bring it up. It’s not something that can be used against someone later. We both love Son of the Sun.
SON of the SUN and WIZARD LIZARD is the first story in the series. The first book is telling about sunbeam’s adventures on the North Pole. The main theme of this story is forgiveness. Forgiveness is so important. Saying I am sorry and really being able to forgive a friend is really important.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Mudbuddy App Review

Noah loves to read. He also loves technology. So when I can find books that combine both things, he really enjoys it. When I was around his age, I remember going to the library and listening to books on tape. I also had some, the kind that would beep or chime when you are supposed to turn the page. It was always a treat when there was an opening on for the books on tape. That was also like 25 years ago. Technology has really made many advances since then. Now children can read books on iPads. The books interact with them too. Noah also loves animals and the environment. We recently planted flowers at his school. He had an amazing time. He always talks about how it is bad to liter and really cares about the planet. I wanted to share with you an app called Mudbuddy. Mudbuddy is an outdoor adventure on your iPad. You don’t have to worry about if you live in an apartment or if you just gave your child a bath. I think teaching your child about the environment is so important. If the environment isn’t taken care of, everyone including people, animals and plants suffer. We live in a beautiful area, it would be a shame for the world to lose its beauty.

Here is some information from the developer:

New to iTunes in May 2013 and the first in a series, Mudbuddy is a delightful, interactive storybook app for families who would like to learn more about the organic world around them and help their children make a positive impact on nature and our environment. Through simple stories, humor, and touch-screen interaction, readers can help Mudbuddy, the very adorable and slightly confused glob-of-mud-main-character, and his friends learn more about each other and their special abilities. Readers can manipulate the screens, drag and click, open up new scenes and bring the characters to life!

Hailing from Lightborne Studios, a world-class production house and design factory in Cincinnati, Ohio,Mudbuddy author, Ben Nicholson, and illustrator, Kurt Koch, have created a new children’s book app which parents are sure to love and is sure to even have reluctant outdoor enthusiasts – and their parents – running outdoors to find their very own Mudbuddy and hopefully plant some seeds of their own.

“It can be socially disconnecting to use a wireless device. I’m guilty myself. But tablets such as iPads are interactive tools and should be used for engagement, and not just for escape,” says Nicholson. “We hope the Mudbuddy app encourages parents, together with their children, investigate and interact with the world around them—and make a positive impact too.”

It’s an app that reads like a book. With charming illustrations accenting the story’s vibrant and often hilarious verse, Mudbuddy takes children of all ages to a never-seen underground world of environmental adventure where rocks talk and mud morphs. Clever situations and colorful imagery bring this new app book to life with wit and adventure. Written in language that is fun and silly, parents, caregivers and teachers can have fun reading this book to children, or they can have the built-in narrator read the pages aloud. There are laugh-out-loud sound effects and images too. Mudbuddy also includes the following themes:

The size of the globe, versus a state, city and neighborhood
The endless activities that occur under our feet
What is the purpose of dirt?
Ways to understand what is silly and why
Discovering how fun the outdoors can be
Uncovering your own special abilities or purpose

The story lends itself to discussion and engaging your imagination! How would you feel if you were Mudbuddy? What purpose would you like to have, that of the seeds, the water, the mud, etc? What colors are your favorites? Why? Does your belly grumble like Mudbuddy’s when you eat too much or too little? Did you know that grubs, worms, bones and moles were under the very ground you walk on? What else is under there?

“Backyard Environmentalism means that we can teach our kids about nature by giving them an appreciation of the things right outside their door,” adds Nicholson. “We can’t begin to change the world unless we start at home. Mudbuddy is a vehicle for this message.”

Noah loves Mudbuddy. He smiles and laughs the whole time he plays it. I love educational apps, so I know that he is really learning something when he plays Mudbuddy. We even play it as a family. It sparks conversations for what we can do to help the planet in real life. He has become really interested in bugs too. We have made plans to go on a dig and see what kinds of different bugs we can find. We love to explore together and learn. He will be so excited to see that the plant we planted last week already has already sprouted. This app is a must have for all children. It is so educational and fun. It is not like a typical educational app that is boring. I don’t know if Noah even knows that it is actually educational. I would love for them to have another app to come out about different sea and water creatures to expand the series.

Mudbuddy is available for iPad in the iTunes store for $1.99 You can download it HERE.

Do your children like the environment? If so check out Mudbuddy.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Dot to Dot Zoo App Review

When I was younger my favorite thing to do in activity books was the dot to dot puzzles. Now that I am a mom I share my love of dot to dot puzzles with my son. He really likes them and always smiles and gets excited when he finds out what the pictures are. They are great for counting and for fine motor skills. So, when I had the opportunity to review the Dot to Dot App from Rouxbee I was really excited. I am a sucker for educational apps. There are so many out there that I am glad that some will actually teach my son something. I love that not only can he do the dot to dot puzzles but also learn about animals. He really likes this app. He loves to play it on my tablet because it is a lot bigger than my iPhone which would be really hard for him.

Here is more information from the developer:

Dot to Dot: Zoo is designed to encourage exploration of the natural world by collecting and learning about the animals for your child’s zoo. Collecting animals is accomplished through two types of Dot to Dot gameplay: Animals and Letters.

Animal gameplay uses the classic connect the dots experience to teach your child basic number iteration and counting to complete the puzzle. Letter gameplay uses the traditional letter tracing technique to teach your child basic letter formation and handwriting skills to complete the puzzles. This type of learning is the foundation for advancements in overall writing and reading comprehension.

Depending on your child’s age, the game is easy enough for them to play on their own, but is also designed for co-exploration together with your child.

Available On

- Android

- iOS

- Windows Phone

- Kindle Fire (Available this December)

This app has two versions. There is a free version and a paid version. I recommend the paid one with maximum features and more puzzles.

Both versions are available in the iTunes App Store and the Google Play Store and Windows Phone

Free or Trial Versions of the app:

Dot to Dot Zoo for iOS

Dot to Dot Zoo for Android

Dot to Dot Zoo for Windows Phone

Paid Version of the app: