Thursday, March 15, 2012

More Apps!

I have had several parents ask me about the free apps posted last time. At their request, I will continue to find apps I think kids might have interest in and share them. Perhaps all will be useful to your child, perhaps only one or two. Either way, it is a great educational opportunity for kids.

From ikidapps.com:


Learning from the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch can add a whole new dimension to education. As children become engaged in educational iPhone apps, they will remain interested while expanding their minds. Fortunately, parents don’t have to spend a fortune on pricey iPhone apps to give their children a stimulating educational experience with free apps for kids. In fact, some of the very best educational apps are free!

On this day…
Price: 1.99
Not free, but I thought still worth sharing.

Keep track of fun historical events with this nifty historical reference app. Each day, users can reference a listing of events and famous birthdays that happened on that day in history. You can also view any day of the year’s events by selecting a date from the calendar interface page. This would be a fun way for students to take a peek at famous figures they share a birthday with, or simply recognize the significance of each new day!

Flashcards+
Price: Free
Flaschards+ is completely free and offers users access to an interface with the Quizlet database of pre-made flashcards. If the desired subject isn’t already available in a deck of cards, users can also create their own custom flashcards. The simple interface of Flashcards+ makes it an ideal learning tool for students in first grade, or their freshman year.

Free Spanish Tutor
Price: Free
Students who are working on learning Spanish as a second language in high school, or parents who like to keep their children engaged with bi-lingual learning will get great use out of this Spanish language tutoring app. After looking over information sheets, users can practice the language by taking fill-in-the-blank style quizzes and confirm their pronunciation by listening to recordings of phrases spoken by native Spanish speakers. Hola, amigos!

ABC Phonics Animals Lite
Price: Free
Young learners will find fun ways to help develop their vocabulary and word recognition with ABC Phonics Animals Lite. A series of adorable flash cards display popular sight words for children as a recorded voice reads the pronunciation of the word. Other activities ask children to identify specific letters after they have heard their phonetic sounds, or identify the animal associated with a specific noise. Beware, however, that there is a full version of the app advertised within this free lite version. Watch wandering little hands, or turn off in-app purchases, to avoid accidental purchase.

BrainPop Featured Movie
Price: Free
BrainPop offers a daily educational video via this interactive app. Focusing on a wide array of subjects ranging from history to science and everything in between. After watching the daily educational video feature, users are encouraged to take an interactive quiz to test their understanding of the video. Apps like this are a fantastic way to help children improve their comprehension skills for a wide variety of subjects as they refine the ability to absorb, retain and repeat information.


I hope you find some or all of these helpful.