Last year, I wanted an iPad
(I really, really wanted an iPad), but in classic Cara fashion,
convinced myself that I could 'make-do' with first an iPod touch (too
small of a screen for researching out-of-print books) and then the
Asis eeePad (no Netflix, not very user-friendly). When the customer
service dude at Best Buy, who by now knew my life story, saw me in
line the third time he said, “Are you just going to get the iPad
this time?”
Now, I am not going to
comment on my own obsession with this little gadget right now lest I
start sounding very much like
Gollum (precious! My precious!),
so I will tell you how I love using it as an educational tool. It fits my credo of creating learning opportunities in the midst of life, not just in the classroom. I mean, after all, I sneak good stuff into their food -- spinach in the spaghetti and meatballs, yogurt in the milkshakes -- so why not find apps that combine learning with fun? And yes, we do have the goofy, silly apps where you can melt Grandma's face, and fight dragons and slice various exotic fruits, but these are my top favs for a little accidental learning:
With the help of reviewers
Ellie and Will, here are our top eight learning apps for the iPad:
Barefoot Atlas. $7.99 .
Our rating: **** (or 11. This one goes to 11!)
$7.99 was the most I
have ever paid for an app, but well worth it! It is my current favorite kids app. It
combines sumptuous oil painting graphics (a twirling ballerina over
Russia, a snapping piranha by the Amazon river, a churning riverboat
on the Mississippi) with the useability of Google Earth. Tapping a
country shows its features, attractions and landmarks and a narrator
can read facts aloud if you wish (great for the pre-readers!). Combine this with statistics like current time, temperature, weather,
value of currency, and this is an app that is fun to use, gorgeous
and makes geography a treasure hunt. Love it, love it.
Anything by Dan
Russell-Pinson. This man has somehow figured out how to make history,
geography and math cool, interesting, and integral to saving the
planet from aliens. Here are his apps:
Rocket Math. $.99 You
are building a rocket to go into outer space. To earn the money you
need to trick out the rocket, you have to solve addition,
subtraction, multiplication or division problems. Once your rocket is
ready, you choose a mission – anything from finding pennies to
shapes to even and odd numbers. A great lower level elementary school
game. Cons: Must be a reader to play independently, my kindergartener
wants to play himself and can't read well enough yet.
Stack the States. $.99
Answer questions about state
capitols, mottos, bordering states, state shapes and other stuff to
earn a state. Stack your earned states on top of each other to reach
the finish line. OK, this game is addictive and even my early readers
have a blast stacking the states. My kindergartener knows the shapes
of all the states and where they fit in the US. For 99 cents? Yes,
please!
Stack the Countries. $.99
Just like Stack the States,
except now it's the whole world (read: why didn't I learn this stuff!
This is hard!). A great way to learn geography – the kindergartener
know all the countries of South America and the 4th
grader just told me today that only two countries in the world have
the shape of their country in their flag. Do you know what they are?
No, I didn't either. Again, 99 cents, big pay-off.
Presidents vs. Aliens.
$.99 The White House is being
invaded by aliens (clearing throat) and you have to fend them off by
answering questions about the presidents (there are levels of
difficulty). Pretty easy way to help early elementary school kids put
all the presidents in sequential order and understand time periods
and events. Plus, you get to use their heads like hockey pucks to
fight aliens. Win-win.
For
the twins (or as they are known this week, the Gingham Dog and the
Calico Cat), I like Monkey Preschool Lunchbox. $.99.
Preschoolers help little monkey pack his lunchbox by choosing food in
specific, colors, numbers or letter-sounds. Plus, as one reviewer
said, “The music and sound effects aren't nearly as annoying as
they could be.”
Licking Letters. $.99.
Help the frog 'lick the letters' of words like dog, cat, jump, etc.
Complete words give the kiddo points which she can use to dress up
the frog (honestly, it falls apart a little bit there for me, seeing
the frog in a basketball jersey and a rainbow afro, but the kids like
it). Good for letter sound recognition.
And
while I do not strictly consider this an educational app, it got
props from Will for “good brain exercise” so I am including Cut
the Rope. $.99. It is a series
of crazy puzzle game that involves physics and strategy as you try to
feed a piece of candy to Om Nom, the little sweet-tooth whatsit. It
is harder than Angry Birds, and not ridiculous (and I can't really
figure it out), so I guess that it deserved his rating. <grin>
Note:
I am not really sure how many of these are available on non-Apple
platform.
So
there you have it! If you have a tablet or smart phone, what is your
favorite learning app?
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