Language empires is another great language learning resource from Smarty ears apps.  It has the feel of a civilization type computer game for students and in depth data tracking for parents and teachers. All Apps by Smarty ears are produced by certified Speech and language pathologists and teachers. Eight civilizations are waiting to help kids master 8 different language concepts and earn rewards.  Journey to Ancient Rome to practice ‘How questions’ and then move to Ancient Egypt for ‘figurative language’.  6 more empires… Read more

What do you do after dinner as a family?  For a while, we have been doing tongue twisters and we all love it.  It is a fun way to bond with kids and it is a good activity to help kids understand the importance of speaking words clearly when they talk.  Kids learn words and phrases, practice their mouth muscles, and enjoy the family fun. The book we’ve been using is a FREE iBook Tongue Twisters for Kids. It is… Read more

Storybook Maker is a book creating app for kids.  I have reviewed several book creator apps, and this one is another great addition to the book creator library. I like this one for its versatility and intuitive kids’ friendly interface. Once kids start a new book, they can choose a template for each new page. There are several templates to choose from, with different picture and text layouts.  They can also choose to work on a blank page and design… Read more

News-O-Matic is a kid-friendly news app. It publishes 5 pieces of news every day Monday through Friday. All news is tailored to kids level (age 6 to 12) and includes various topics from international politics to sports, to new movies. It is free to download with subscription options. Without subscription you can still receive daily news, but can not go back to previous news. School teachers are able to receive free subscription via a link provided below. What I like about the app… Read more

‘She’s a beauty!’ passed through my mind as we slid through the Human Body Anatomy App by Tinybop. What a gorgeous learning tool, especially for a first effort from this new Brooklyn based development company. There were a few glitches, but overall, this company will be worth paying attention to. This creatively sophisticated (and stylish) app allows children and adults alike to marvel in our understanding of the human body without being too scary or too over/underwhelming. Your child can create… Read more

Toca Builder is another app from Toca Boca. It is a Mindcraft-like building app for kids age 5 and up, slightly older than a typical Toca Boca app’s target age.  It is free for limited time on App Store. Like other Toca Boca apps, it is all about free play, there is no goals or scores.  Kids simply get in the app and start building.  There are 6 builders in the app, each has a unique skill set and own… Read more

Do your kids play music? Or do you plan to have your child learn music or any instrument?  If the answer is yes, Music Learning Lab is a great app to get them started.  It teaches music theory in a fun way and all in bite-size lessons at kids’ level.  I wish we had it when my son started his piano. There are 4 sections in the app: Learn, Play, Create and Trophies. You want the kids start from Learn… Read more

Last year I introduced a multimedia insects encyclopedia: Meet the Insects – Forest Edition. I was very impressed by the app. I am glad to find out the same developer NCSOFT now has another insects app out: Meet the Insects – Water and Grass Edition. This one focuses on insects living near water and in grassland. Not surprisingly, this one is just as wonderful as the Forest Edition, with beautiful photograph and art works, high quality videos, smooth transitions between sections. It… Read more

Fix The Factory is a new free app from LEGO. LEGO calls it a puzzle game, but I view it another cool game app teaching kids about programming. The story of the game features a humanoid robot fixing the factory, where battery packs are dropped in all the wrong places.  The players’ jobs are to write instructions in code blocks to guide the robot move to the right spot, pick up the mis-placed batteries, and put them back to the… Read more

Today I want to share a series of math apps – iLiveMath series.  It is very unique in a way that it combines math with another subject, such as animals, oceans, transportation.  It helps kids connect math with the real world and see how math are used in real life. There are several apps in the series, including Oceans, Animals of Africa, Animals of Asia, Speed, Ford Cars, Farm Fresh, and Entomology.  Each app has three levels, covering grade k… Read more

When my son was young, we read together every day, at least at bedtime.  Once he gets to school age and is able to read by himself, we have not been reading together as much, not to mention read aloud together.  I wanted to re-start our reading together time, and found poetry being great to read aloud with kids.  They expose kids to sound and rhythms in addition the contents itself, and there are also many imaginary activities you can… Read more

The History of Science is anything but boring with Scott Dubois’ Shout Science. This app presents the biographies of three Scientists who made history during  the Scientific revolution.  These are not your regular narratives though.  Each person and their work comes alive in an interactive comic strip. On opening the app kids will find an interactive map and timeline, where they can find the featured scientists. Currently there are three biographies that kids can explore  by tapping the scientist’s homeland on the map or… Read more

Based on the hilarious book Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and the series that developed after that, Disney has created the app entitled Don’t Let the Pigeon Run This App! The book by Mo Willems has been given recognition on the New York’s best seller list as well as landing a spot on the National Education Association’s “Teacher’s Top 100 Books for Children” list; so it’s no surprise this is a great app. This app allows your child… Read more

Robots for iPAD is a very cool app about Robots. It is developed by IEEE (Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers). It has pictures and videos of 126 robots from 19 countries, with tons of information about each one.  I suggest all kids take a look at it, even you are just remotely interested in robots – it will open your minds up, learn the potential of technology and its impact in our everyday life.  It is currently FREE, and… Read more