Smart Apps For Kids

Teach Kids About Democracy and the 2016 Election with Help From PBS!

As adults, our conversations about the upcoming presidential election can be tense at times. However, big elections are the perfect time for parents and teachers to educate children about what democracy is, and how it works. PBS Kids has set aside a colorful, and very helpful section of their website to help with this task. There is quite a bit of informative and fun content.

Enjoy fast-paced arcade-type play with Iron Finger! NEW VIDEO!

Play fast-paced arcade games with Iron Finger! Iron Finger can help keep your hand-eye coordination tip-top while challenging you to reach higher scores. The games are simple & intuitive to play...but that doesn't mean they are easy to master. Enjoy the challenge of trying to best your high scores as you play this engaging, speedy app that helps quicken your skills.

Be sure to check out Ellie's video of this fast-paced new game!  

Spectacular Fall LEGO Activity Ideas - Including Halloween Fun!

Fall is officially here. The temperatures are gradually going down. The leaves will soon be changing colors. Halloween is just over a month away. What better way to celebrate than with LEGO activities?! 

LEGO bricks come to mind when you think of STEM and fine motor activities, but what about art? This list combines both, which makes it one of my favorites.

Some of the neat ideas include making a pumpkin patch marble maze, creating a small world inside a real pumpkin with LEGO mini figures, building LEGO apples, constructing a fall leaf shadow box, and creating a LEGO stamped pumpkin or LEGO stamped Indian corn. There is plenty of LEGO fall fun to be had with the projects on this list.

Review: Flute Master- a fun gaming app that teaches kids how to play a real recorder.

 

 

Bottom Line: Don't hate me for recommending a musical instrument app for your kids. Yes, I know it's painful in the beginning, but this app really works because I could use it and if it can teach me how to play, it can teach your kiddo how to make beautiful music instead of sounding like screeching cats meowing in an alleyway. The app is fairly simple to use and for just $4.99, you can't go wrong.

Clue Catcher - Breathing new life into boring lesson plans

Breathe new life into your lesson plans this year!

Back to school and looking at the same old worksheets?

Clue Catcher is an iPad app that provides a new and engaging way to teach your students to use context to figure out the meanings of unfamiliar words. It provides strategies and helps them to determine the meaningful clue words which will lead them through the process of gaining better understanding of the text they read.