Apps!

It's getting to be crunch time for me downloading apps to the iPads! There are a few really cool apps for free today. The one that I was most excited about is called Pocket Zoo HD. It is only free for today! It has a lot of great information about animals, plus videos and live webcams from zoos around the world. I was watching sharks in Gothenburg this morning--how cool is that? It is usually $4.99, so free is a total steal! This is the first app that I've signed in and out of every student iTunes account we have in order for all the students to have it. It was worth that 20 minutes of my life!

Also for free today is Frosby Early Learning Teacher. This includes basic games about shapes, colors, counting and the alphabet for preschool and kindergarten kids.

Pre-K prep is another app that is free today. It has activities for parents to do with toddlers to prepare them for preschool. Some of them are interactive on the iPad, but there are "real life" activities, too, such as visit the local library or cutting up cardboard into shapes.

Snowflake station is also free today. We could all use some snow right now to cool us off! This app does what it says: creates snowflakes!

There is also a fun free game called KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese "Dinner, Not Art" where you use noodle shapes to create artwork. Super fun!

Here is a list of digital books reduced to free today:
Miss Priss & Cabby (friendship theme)
Miss Priss (great for girls)
Jeff the Mis-Fish (about fitting in)
The Icky Mr. Fox (fairy tale)
What Grows on Trees? (a reading zone 1st grade reader)
The Story of the Three Little Pigs - Read Aloud Edition (marked down from $2.99)

Again, stocking up on as many quality digital storybooks as you can is a great idea. Reading is the thing I do most on my iPad, and students should feel comfortable and be motivated to read, as well, if we give them great book choices.

Apps for Sale!

Current apps for free--

Snowflake Station--fold and cut your own snowflakes
The Amazing Adventures of Eco Boy--an interactive ebook app about ecology (volumes 1 & 2 are currently free)
Draw a House--use blocks to build a house; would be great for younger kids learning about communities in early elementary
Dabble--a word game for older students; build words on a graduated bleacher when given a set of 20 letters
Jambalaya--another word game similar to Boggle
Family Games Fun HD--a collection of games, such as battleship, tic-tac-toe, hangman and others
Zoola Card Match--a matching game with 3 different levels
Bingo Math--practice math facts on a BINGO card
Finger Fun--fine motor skills for PK-1 students
Apples and Pairs--a matching game using either opposites or same meaning words; has advanced levels


iBooks on sale--
Place Value from the Ground Up--textbook about place value for grades 1-3
Grandma Gets Grumpy--can read to self, or use read to me option, has questions at the end (usually $3.99)
Chemistry from the Ground Up--middle school chemistry book
My Book of Colors--a fun way to learn colors and shades for PK-K students
Medieval Diggers and Dump Trucks--a great story for anyone who loves diggers, construction or castles
Edwin the Super Otter--based off of the animals at the Seattle Aquarium
Sweet Pickles: Very Worried Walrus--a series that has one book for each letter of the alphabet (usually $4.99)

I would encourage you to "buy" as many free books as possible. In the same way that you build your physical classroom library, it is important to load the iPads with as many books and stories as possible to encourage reading and listening.

Appy Independence Week

I bope you've had a great independence week--mine has been full of patriotism: I visited lots of monuments and museums in Washington DC, saw historic Philadelphia and watched fireworks over the Atlantic Ocean in Atlantic City.

Here are some apps that are currently free:

Edgemates US Capitals--a puzzle game to learn/practice state capitals
Pre-K Spell HD--early childhood spelling game
Rocket Speller--a spelling game for K-1 students
Nighty Night HD--a bedtime storybook
Zoola Opposites--a game practicing opposite words
World Explorer--an app that shows monuments and places around the world (usually $3)
App Star Picks--an app that tells which kids apps to download and includes reviews

Another fun free word game I found this week is called Hooked on Words. It is similar to Boggle but there are different ways to play. The only downfall is that there are short advertisements between games.


All of the board games are on sale this week for $.99, most of which are usually $10. This includes Where's Waldo, Monopoly, Life, Scrabble, Yahtzee, Battleship, UNO and Boggle. The LEGO Harry Potter games are on sale down to $.99 from $5.

There are also many free iBooks that you download in the iBooks store. You have to first install iBooks if you don't have it. It is free in the app store. The free iBooks are listed on this website.

Enjoy!