I have reviewed the first 2 MathLab apps. I like them being so simple and easy to follow, and the math activities being so diverse and different so kids won’t get bored easily. The first two MathLab apps are for kindergarten and first grade. Now they have a 3rd one in the series: MathLab for 2nd grade. Although it is designed for 2nd grade, any kids in early elementary school or kindergarten should find it helpful. Like the first two… Read more

Do you like fishing? Have you taken kids with you go fishing? We love fishing. It is refreshing to see an early learning app designed around fishing theme. Fishing with Grandpa is a new app from Fairlady Media, who has the grandma and grandpa app series. Like other apps in the series, Fishing with Grandpa does a great job at smoothly incorporating learning into the fishing activities. When kids start the app, they will be greeted by grandpa sitting in… Read more

Learning alphabet is the first step to literacy. Now with new technology, there are so many ways for kids to learn ABC’s. My Alphabet Underwater ABC is a fun app for toddlers and preshcoolers to learn letters. With the underwater theme, it is fun and soothing at the same time. The app is designed to help toddlers and preschoolers learn by sight, sound and touch while playing games. Kids will solve puzzles, match letter pairs, write letters, and learn to… Read more

Many studies have shown that taking notes by handwriting helps kids better understand the material, better at connecting the dots of what they know, and memorizing more of the content. However, we also know digitized notes are easier to keep and organize. It will be ideal if you can take handwriting notes on iPad or other tablets then easily digitize the notes. MyScript Smart Notes is just an app letting you do that. It is best to go through the… Read more

We are all familiar with the concept of photo editing thanks to the many photo editing tools and apps like photoshop. We can not only change the lighting and color of the picture, we can also add or take away parts of pictures, or combine several photos into one. You might think these photo editing is relatively new, but as I learned from Faking It, photo editing has been used for long time. Faking It is a free app from… Read more

Learn sight word is essential to a child’s reading skill development. It is also hard to many kids, as many kids felt it is boring. The more fun you can add to the learning process, the more and faster kids will learn these words. Today we have a fun app for kids, where kids will learn sight words while solving mysteries. If your kids are into detectives and mysteries, this will be a great sight word app for them. The… Read more

Do your kids like dinosaurs? How about trucks? and How about combining both into one? Dinotrux is a new Netflix show by DreamWorks for kids age 4 and up. It is based on the picture books of the same title, but the show has expanded the stories from the book tremendously. To accompany the show, DreamWorks also launched a free app of the same title. If you have kids like dinosaurs and trucks, you don’t want to miss Dinotruk. Netflix… Read more

I have heard of SimCity for a long time, and my son has played the game. However I have not really get the chance to really look into the game till now. It is a free app available for both iOS and Android. After spending sometime on it today, I like it. In the game kids will build a city and learn city planning and building. It is another simulation game I don’t mind my child playing. When kids start… Read more

Many kids have free access to internet. As parents and educators, we all know there are many good educational content out there, however, there are also content that are not kids appropriate and we don’t want our children to see. A lot of app developers and educators are working hard to create safe environment for kids, and today’s app WonderBox is a wonderful example. It is a completely free app, where kids can find articles, visual, videos on educational topics… Read more

Recently I met several parents whose kids have different levels of difficulties in handwriting. The poor penmanship is due to some handwriting disabilities, like dyslexia or dysgraphia. It could be very frustrating for both parents and kids when they have to write for the school projects or tests. Today I found a free app that can help kids with handwriting difficulties – SnapType. SnapType is designed by a Occupational Therapist who had a student with dysgraphia, a condition that impacts… Read more

Learning math is fun. It should be. Today we share an app that teaches kids math tricks for algebra: Mathemagics. It is the 2nd app in the series. The first Mathemagics app focuses on math tricks on mental math calculations, like adding and multiplying two digit numbers, or dividing a number by 7. This 2nd app in the series teaches math tricks on algebra. It is a great way to learn thinking differently and encourage kids to find better solutions… Read more

Recently I found another reading resource that is really helpful for kids, especially for teachers. It is a completely free resource, with reading materials, vocabulary sheets, and reading questions. The reading content subjects include science, social studies, original fiction and original reporting. All the reading materials are organized by grade levels. You can also search by keywords, Lexile level, skill and strategy. It is easy to find materials that fit your need. The site is readworks.org. You do need sign… Read more

Can you learn physics through art? Physics In Art is a free app teaching kids physics through art. It is designed by a physics professor at Drexel University. The artworks used in the app are all from Philadelphia Museum of Art, but you don’t have to be at the museum to use the app. The app has pictures of the artworks. Of course, if you are visiting Philadelphia Museum of Art, it will be neat to go to the real… Read more

I reviewed the first two Bob Books Reading Magic Apps and loved them. Now the series launched their 3rd app: Bob Books Reading Magic Sight Words. It is just as good. If you have a child learning sight words, I highly recommend this one. It goes well with Bob Books book series, but it can also be used by itself. There are 4 levels of games. All follow the same story and thus use the same words. Level one is… Read more