Super Why Phonics Fair is a great new app from PBS and Into The Blue Digital. Great for ages three to six, your kids will have a ball with their favorite Super Why pals as they play their way through the five super charged games!
* Join Woofster on his Woof-De-Word-Coaster as he introduces your child to family words while helping him on a roller coaster collecting letters for the words.
*Princess Presto's Spectacular Spelling will have you riding along with Pea to match letters to their sounds, while spinning the wheel to make the words appear.
*Wonder Red's Wonder Words Ball Toss! Practice reading words and matching them to their picture. My three year old needed my help with this one, which is fine. It's a great way for him to start learning word association.
*Alpha Pig's Whack A Word is mom's favorite--I can't help it, I have always liked these games. Use his hammer to knock down the nail that has the correct "family" word. Very cool.
*Super Why's Bumper Words. Bump the cars together to put together the word that Super Why calls out to you.
Clearly this app is amazing. The fun bright colors, great graphics, and flawless touchscreen controls really make your child excited to learn (even if they think they're just playing a game ). I am sure you won't be surprised to find out that this is not just an ordinary app, it is a legit learning tool. Super Why Phonics Fair not only has these amazing games but they also have an AWESOME parent's section that has a progress tracker. You can see what words your child is having trouble with as well as seeing where they excel. You can even get notifications when your kid practices a new set of ten word families.
Then once your child has leveled out of all the family words that came with it you can give your child a chance to grow with the game. You can buy 30 more complex word families and go into the advanced level. This is a key feature that I think most companies are missing out on. Yes I am sure your first thought may be, "Oh, they just want you to spend more money." But seriously, if your child truly excels by playing this game and has learned all the word families that it comes with, then this is working for your kid. Isn't the option to upgrade the learning tool well worth the couple of bucks it costs? You know you have spent way more on Candy Crush...ADMIT IT! I think this feature alone makes this app stand out among the others.
There are also stickers to be won and videos to watch which is just a great bonus to an all around top notch game. Definitely worth the $2.99 it costs at the iTunes store.
*I received a code to try the game- however all opinions are my own. If I don't like it, I don't write about it!
There are so many potty training apps out there on the world of smart phones and tablets that it can be a bit overwhelming. You don't want to shell out your dollars for a generic hum drum app that doesn't engage your child. You want one that will make the potty training experience exciting- because boy as parents we sure are excited to get this stage in our child's life going. You also want your child to understand whats going to happen. I mean why in the world would I want to leave my diaper behind and sit in a chair with a gigantic hole in it! That is just, as my son would say "crazy talk". I mean let's be honest, the toilet is big and scary, you can fall in, it makes a loud noise and swallows things. There was a good reason why I had my sister legit scared of the toilet for years!
ME-IFY Potty Star app is a fully customizable experience for your child. Yes this may be the only app you need to explain, encourage, and make potty training fun for your little one. Before you even start the game itself you as the parent are asked a series of questions, the first being your child's name. You not only type the name but you record it in your own voice. The name will be displayed and played in your voice over and over in the game. It will also have you pick the terms you use in your home like pee pee vs peeing etc etc. Everything in the set up stage is made so that your child is completely immersed in an environment that they are comfortable with. You even get to customize your child's own avatar. There is a wonderful story you go through that explains what going on the potty really means. It explains that your child loves their diaper, that they used it since they were a baby and they don't see any other way to "go". The potty arrives and it is super exciting- even if they aren't sure how to use it. Using your customized terms they go through how it feels when you have to go, how you use the toilet, what it looks like when you went-yeap they will show the poops and peeps ( on several occasions). They will explain that accidents happen- and there is no shame about it. They will share ideas on how to spend your time "waiting to go" as well as adorable songs! These songs play throughout the story including my favorite the "celebratory" one that plays when they finally go all by themselves! These songs are available to play outside of the story and are really good ways to make potty time fun. I myself did potty renditions in the way of "I have to poop and I cannot lie" and "Pee.. Pee... Baby.." (patten pending) and my son got a huge kick out of it. Oh the video taped shame I could have avoided if only I had this app a month ago! (my husband taped all my potty training songs and dance moves for posterity. Have to love Smart Phones) There are also games like aim the pee in the toilet which is a valid activity when teaching your son to pee standing up- who knew, puzzles and color pages. All geared towards getting your child comfortable with leaving his diapers behind.
Besides the fact that the concept of the app is amazingly well thought out, the graphics are crisp, clear, and brightly colored. The app works flawlessly, with no glitches in sight. It truly covers every single thing you would want to explain to your child in a way that will make them excited to start their training! This my friends is a potty training app I highly recommend to anyone that wants to introduce the idea of potty training to their little one and also to those that are in the process of training their child. Good luck my friends! May the force be with you!
Download on iTunes
For more information check out their Website
*I was given this code and received compensation for the review, however the opinions are my own-duh.
Cupcake digital Strawberry Shortcake Berryfest!
Cupcake Digital has done it again! From the maker of the Tickety Tock & Wow Wow Wubzy Apps, Cupcake Digital has blessed us with another amazing App in the form of Strawberry Shortcake Berryfest Princess. As a kid of the 80's, Strawberry Shortcake was always my own personal favorite and my 4 year old daughter is continuing the tradition. What I love the most about this app is that they incorporate the signature Strawberry Shortcake character into a princess theme for this game. This is right up my daughter's alley because not only is she really into Stawberry Shortcake, she's even more into princesses so this app hits two birds with one stone. Brilliant!
The first thing I'll discuss in this review is the format of the app. There are 2 actual games, a coloring page and a story. The story is done in "Read to Me" format and highlights each word as it's being narrated. The narrator sounds like Strawberry Shortcake herself -- enthusiastic and read at a good speed. The story is about who will be the Berryfest Princess whose most important duty was riding to the Berryfest Ball in a royal carriage. It incorporates all of the other wonderful characters we all grew up on such as Cherry Jam, Lemon Meringue, Plum Pudding, Raspberry Torte and Orange Blossom in a collaborative, team effort to make a carriage to take to the ball . At the end of the story, there's a "Grown-Up's Corner" that gives you guidelines and questions to ask your child to aide in reading comprehension.
The two games are awesome. My daughter is specifically obsessed with Tea Party where you help set up a table with napkins, tablecloths and teacups for a tea party by dragging and dropping the items. By the way, did I mention how great the music is in this app? It's an upbeat, pop-punk/soft rock combo of girly guitar music that not only makes it more fun to play for the child, but easy on the ears for the parents!
The croquet game is probably for more of an older child than mine, perhaps a 5 or 6 year old, where they have to find the missing letter to complete a word. You can't ever go wrong with a coloring section that allows you to color the pages using all different types of colors, stickers, spray paint and chalk. It even saves your child's masterpiece so they don't lose it for the next time they log in again and play.
The app itself is easy to navigate and bright with pink, vibrant colors. It's brought my daughter countless hours of entertainment that I highly recommend! Thank you, Cupcake Digital!
*Contributed by Jennifer Manno
Cupcake Digital has done it again! From the maker of the Tickety Tock & Wow Wow Wubzy Apps, Cupcake Digital has blessed us with another amazing App in the form of Strawberry Shortcake Berryfest Princess. As a kid of the 80's, Strawberry Shortcake was always my own personal favorite and my 4 year old daughter is continuing the tradition. What I love the most about this app is that they incorporate the signature Strawberry Shortcake character into a princess theme for this game. This is right up my daughter's alley because not only is she really into Stawberry Shortcake, she's even more into princesses so this app hits two birds with one stone. Brilliant!
The first thing I'll discuss in this review is the format of the app. There are 2 actual games, a coloring page and a story. The story is done in "Read to Me" format and highlights each word as it's being narrated. The narrator sounds like Strawberry Shortcake herself -- enthusiastic and read at a good speed. The story is about who will be the Berryfest Princess whose most important duty was riding to the Berryfest Ball in a royal carriage. It incorporates all of the other wonderful characters we all grew up on such as Cherry Jam, Lemon Meringue, Plum Pudding, Raspberry Torte and Orange Blossom in a collaborative, team effort to make a carriage to take to the ball . At the end of the story, there's a "Grown-Up's Corner" that gives you guidelines and questions to ask your child to aide in reading comprehension.
The two games are awesome. My daughter is specifically obsessed with Tea Party where you help set up a table with napkins, tablecloths and teacups for a tea party by dragging and dropping the items. By the way, did I mention how great the music is in this app? It's an upbeat, pop-punk/soft rock combo of girly guitar music that not only makes it more fun to play for the child, but easy on the ears for the parents!
The croquet game is probably for more of an older child than mine, perhaps a 5 or 6 year old, where they have to find the missing letter to complete a word. You can't ever go wrong with a coloring section that allows you to color the pages using all different types of colors, stickers, spray paint and chalk. It even saves your child's masterpiece so they don't lose it for the next time they log in again and play.
The app itself is easy to navigate and bright with pink, vibrant colors. It's brought my daughter countless hours of entertainment that I highly recommend! Thank you, Cupcake Digital!
*Contributed by Jennifer Manno
Tickety Toc App From Cupcake Digital
Tickety Toc App From Cupcake Digital
If you don't know Cupcake Digital now is your time to be introduced to a wonderful app production company that brings your child's favorite shows to life in an interactive app form. From Wow Wow Wubbzy to Fraggle Rock, CD has been creating amazing fun and educational apps that the whole family will love! Today I get to bring you a review of their new Tickety Toc app- the first of its kind, and it is as amazing as all the others. One of my favorite kinds of apps, Tickety Toc is an interactive story book. There are several different reading options: "Read and Play", which lets your child read the bookwhile being able to interact with the book itself, and has motion features; Read to Me, which is the same, only it reads to the child; and lastly Quiet Reading, which is literally just the book.
The "Read to Me" option is the one we usually choose. It has a narrator reading the book. The female voice is filled with excitement and reads the story at a good pace. Each page has something to interact with, as well as independent movements, and as the narrator reads, different areas of the page are highlighted so that you are participating in the story as well. The story is just as enchanting as any of their TV series. All our favorite characters show up including my son's favorite Pufferty, and the whole cast goes through a bubble filled adventure, while still getting back on time for Chime Time!
The graphics are on point to the show, which has a variety of different textures that make the show itself unique. It was wonderfully executed and did justice to such a visually inspired show. It is a well designed, easy to use App, that will keep kids of any age entertained. This has four games as well as a coloring feature on top of the the interactive story. Bubble Word ties in the bubble themed story and adds some spelling, Chime Time has your child put the correct time on thecuckoo clock. Train Time has your train loving kiddo build a track with Pufferty, and a memory match. I absolutely LOVED the Chime Time game, not only is it a great addition to the clock based app, but it helps your child learn how to tell time in our realistically digital world. My son (goes with out saying) loves Train Time, but he plays each one of them and smiles and gives high fives when he finishes the board.
What I love about Cupcake Digital is how detail oriented they are. They get every single detail from the show correctly. They do not cheapen your experience by leaving out the visually enticing parts of the show, and it makes you feel as if you are really interacting within the Tickety Toc World. They are a stand up company that makes every single app with the parents, the children, and the integrity of the show in mind. This book also has the Common Core Corner with details of educational experiences infused within the app to help prepare children for the CCSS required of them in school, which is an nice extra bonus as is the Grown-up's corner that offers questions that you can ask your child to start an open-ended conversation and reinforce the reading comprehension.
All of these extras plus the educational advantage make this app as well as this company stand up far above its competitors. You love the show for its innocent outlook on life and their simplistic yet tricky problems, and you love the app because it stays true to the integrity of the show as well as adding in some wonderful educated extras. Thank you Cupcake Digital for once again producing a wonderful app that parents feel good about and children adore!
PBS kids and The Jim Henson company have come out with a great Sid The Science Kid app! Just in time for school!! This app comes with three e-books- "The Trouble With Germs", "What's That Smell", and "Jokes". All three have read to me, auto play and read myself options, as well as two sing along animated videos "JourneyOf The Germ " and "Sid The Science Kid Theme Song!" But wait there is more! Add on some games- " I Sense" and "Spot The Difference" AND a coloring book and sticker book.
Phew- that is a lot. Now that I covered what the game comes with I'll discuss what I liked about it- everything. Seriously every part of this app is great. The graphics are bright and crisp, the touch screen controls are straight to the point and respond correctly. Easy for a fan of any age to understand and navigate, there is no lagging or glitches. Out of everything that is available on this app, none disappoint.
I have to say there are a couple of things on this app that I favor. There is one great extra that lets you record the stories for the "read to me" and "auto read" options of the e-books. Instead of some unknown narrator you or a family member can record the stories for your child to listen to. Even though I love those Hallmark books where you record the story in your own voice as well, those cost 25 bucks. Here there is no
extra cost and if you have a visiting family member or just someone who is outside the household they can record their story and be with your child via Sid The Science Kid- such a special touch.
My favorite game by far was the I Sense game. Sid explains what your five senses are and you go through the game picking out the object that Sid describes. For example Sid asks "Can you find something round and see- through?" On the shelf right next to Sid is a bunch of objects: a hammer, a watermelon, a balloon, etc.( I won't keep you in suspense any longer- the answer is balloon.) It's a great game that helps your child really grasp the concept of what senses are and how they use them in everyday life.
Digital is an up and coming app production company that brings your child's favorite shows to life in app form. Recently they just came out with Fraggle Friends Forever in honor of Fraggle Rock's 30th anniversary! Well we have been honored to review the second app in their Fraggle Rock series. This is one of my favorite kinds of apps, an interactive story book, based on an actual episode of Fraggle Rock. This one is called Fraggle Rock Game Day and is all about Red trying to beat all the Fraggle records. Click open the app and the theme song comes on and your kids will start
dancing-that is if they have their dancing shoes on like my son! Radishes display the choices which are: Read and Play, which has your child reading the book while being able to interact with the book itself, Read to Me, which is the same, only it reads to the child, and Just a Book, which is literally just the book.The "Read to Me" option is the one we usually choose. It has a narrator reading the book. The male voice is calming and reads the story at a good pace. Each page has something to interact with, and as the narrator reads, different areas of the page are highlighted so that you are participating in the story as well. Red is overcome with beating Fraggle records, and although she does succeed in breaking every single one, she is also tearing the place apart! When the other Fraggles try and explain to her what she is doing, they all get caught by Junior who is over joyed as usual to "catch a Fraggle!" No fears everyone, they are all freed in the end- with lessons learned and dancing!
What I loved about this new Fraggle App is all the ways that you interacted not only with the scenery but also with the story itself. On more than three "pages" you help Red complete her tasks. You help her break down a boulder in the sculpture contest, you bring her through a maze-like experience when she is doing the Doozer construction eating contest (ending it with a nice belch that had my son CRACKING up) and pulling up the radishes in the radish pulling contest. At the end of each of these tasks my son said "we did it!" A well designed easy to use App, that will keep kids of any age entertained, this has three games as well as the interactive story. The first is Alpha Suds which has you find the missing letter to the words that are popping up in Boober's laundry room. Second is Doozer Crossing, which has you find the missing shapes so that the Doozer bridge is completed and the Doozer can safely cross over. And then there is Whack A Radish, which is my favorite because who doesn't love whacking games, and radishes! There is also a coloring book option as well.
What I love about Cupcake Digital is how detail oriented they are. They are big into adding the little extras that maybe not everyone really notices, but the ones that do really appreciate. Like in the first page of the book- you are in Mokey and Red's room (one they did not share for that long mind you) and you see Mokey's plant Lambert. Every plant I have ever had since I was a kid has been named Lambert. I LOVED that! What is better than experiencing things that you loved as a kid in a new way with your own kids? Nothing I tell you!
This book also has the Common Core Corner with details of educational experiences infused within the app to help prepare children for the CCSS required of them in school, which is an nice extra bonus as is the Grown-up's corner that offers questions that you can ask your child to start an open-ended conversation and reinforce the reading comprehension.
So whether you grew up loving the Fraggles or you are being introduced to them along with your kids, make sure you get Cupcake Digitals Red's Game Day. You will not regret it!
*psssst- make sure you check out all the other Cupcake Digital apps, including their Wow Wow Wubzzy line!
PBS has done it again with its Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood series. If you have yet to see it- I highly suggest you take time out of your kids' regularly scheduled programming and introduce them to this Mr. Rogers- inspired world. All or most of us grown ups spent many an afternoon watching Mr. Rogers singing along to It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and following Trolley into the Land of Make Believe. In Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood you get to relive some of those memories with your child. In this series Daniel Tiger lives in the Land of Make Believe with all of his friends- who should be familiar to you grown ups. Take a ride on Trolley sing re-tuned songs of our youth and experience Mr. Rogers' world in a whole new way with this amazing program.
If you are already a fan then I am so happy to say that PBS has created a DTN app that your kids will love. Go into Daniel's house and help him go to sleep in his fully interactive bedroom. Your child will be able to take his blanket out of his drawer- listen to his goodnight song, listen to a story and turn off the light. But the fun doesn't stop there. You can also explore the bathroom- helping Daniel wash his hands, and brush his teeth. There is also a play pretend doctor- which is my kid's favorite part. Learning what all the doctors tools do while watching Daniels reactions.The graphics are crisp and clear bringing the TV series right into your child's hands, letting them explore, learn, and pretend with Daniel Tiger. There is also a sticker section where your child can decorate various areas of Daniel's house and the Land of Make Believe.
The app is what you would expect from any PBS product or program- well done with a mix of fun and education. It's replay value is endless and my son has played it more times that I can count since it was given to us to review.It also gives him a chance to interact with a character that he has grown to love and I know that when I am letting him play this game he isn't having a mindless experience. Taking more out of it than a normal game app. So guys- this is a no brainer for any DTN fan! Thanks PBS!
Cupcake Digital is an up and coming app production company that brings your child's favorite shows to life in app form. Recently they just came out with Fraggle Friends Forever in honor of Fraggle Rock's 30th anniversary! This is their first in a series of Fraggle Rock interactive apps that are just fantastic for old fans like myself and new ones like my two year old son, who I have been brainwashing since he was in-utero to love this series. This is one of my favorite kind of apps, an interactive story book, based on an actual episode of Fraggle Rock. Click open the app and the theme song comes on and it only gets better from there. Radishes display the choices which are: Read and Play, which has your child reading the book while being able to interact with the book itself, Read to me, which is the same, only it reads to the child, and Just a book, which is literally just the book.
With my son only being two and a half, we clearly choose the "Read to me" option, which he loves. The male voice is calming and reads the story at a good pace. Each page has something to interact with, whether it is Mokey's painting, Red jumping, or the team working on getting Boober a radish, My kiddo got a kick out of every single page. The plot is that Boober is just tired of Fraggle Rock's Great Hall being so crowded, so the rest of the Fraggles vacate leaving Boober all to himself-until the Slurp showed up of course. With a bit of team work, and the reuniting of the friends, the team get rid of the Slurp, move back into the Great Hall, and continue to dance their cares away.
A well designed easy to use App, that will keep kids of any age entertained, this has three games as well as the interactive story, including a fun recycling sorting game, a maze, and a Doozer find the missing letter as well as a coloring option, this brings forth the love that is Fraggle Rock- One of Henson's most magical series, and one of his most beloved to life. It is great to see that companies like Cupcake Digital are making the effort to show it to our kids' generation. The age is for 6 and up, but if your little one is a pro on the apps then I recommend it for a kid of any age.
This book also has the Common Core Corner with details of educational experiences infused within the app to help prepare children for the CCSS required of them in school, which is an nice extra bonus as is the Grown-up's corner that offers questions that you can ask your child to start an open-ended conversation and reinforce the reading comprehension.
I talked with Carmen from Cupcake Digital before reviewing this app and was just thrilled with everything she had to say about their company. Built by parents from the ground up they wanted to bring a education but fun application to the children's field. They have a great Wow Wow Wubbzy series (which my son already loved before I even realized it was from this great company) and all their apps are child tested and parent approved. They are trying to put the best product out there, not just trying to make an easy buck and it is so reassuring to have a company like this making products that my kid really enjoys. So keep an eye out for what's to come from this great company, as well as downloading this amazing Fraggle Rock App-come on, you know you want to!
Last year, we reviewed a company called Lazoo, and we loved them. (you can read their review here) Today I get to review them again, but this time not on their products, but their brand new app-Magic Stickers! This app is based on one of their best selling books Incredible Stickers. It is a unique and
interactive game that pushes your child's imagination outside of its usual constraints. Let me explain: using a variety of real life photos of snow cones, bread, broccoli, and the like set on top of a cartoon background your child uses animated stickers to create and decorate a bus (the bread), a forest (the broccoli) etc. After your decorating hit the go button and watch as it comes to life! Really really neat. I remember seeing the book and going "that is such a great idea", and this app is just adding to that greatness. There are eight pages of animated backgrounds, over fifty magic stickers (animated), an animated story short as well as the ability to make your own stickers.
Two of my favorite features are the "create your own background" and the "parents" screen. Create your own background lets you use the phone or ipad's camera to capture an image to decorate. Taking what the kids learned with the eight pre-set backgrounds, they can now turn everyday things in their own surroundings into an interactive picture, letting them go wild with the possibilities. My son now goes around the house and snaps photos then makes them into an "skyscraper" (a banana) or into the sea (the bathwater) and I love that. This app has enhanced his imaginative play both within the app and outside and I think that is just swell!
I also really enjoy the Parents section because you need to sweep ONE finger to the right to get to it, so your kids won't go prying in there and it also has a section with not only other Lazoo apps, but also has a crafts section, with a whole bunch of fun recipes and other things which is really neat. You can also sign up for a newsletter that will bring these fun ideas right to your inbox.
Sometimes as a parent bringing up a child in this society we are so worried about our children "learning" reading, math, letters, colors, keeping up with the "http://www.lazoo.com/homeJoneses"kids that we forget that learning how to imagine is just as important! That's why when I first saw the book I thought it was was so cool and that is why I think the app is a must have! But seriously, you don't have to listen to me, just take a look at the screen shot and the video, it's kindof a no brainer! Thanks again Lazoo, your company is still rocking!
No comments:
Post a Comment