Monday 30 July 2012

My First App Vehicles Review

Overall: My First App Vehicles  from appp media is a combination of simple puzzles and vehicle sorting aimed at preschoolers . It is a universal app, therefore making it highly accessible to the younger market. It  has three game modes to choose from. The app has recently been updated to allow the user the option of turning the music off as some children find this a distraction.




My First App Vehicles is available in English, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish. It is edited by Kristin Heitmann and illustrated by Pe Grigo.



The app consists of three different game modes - Puzzles, Turning Game and Pinball. The eight vehicles used in the first two modes are identical.




            The first mode Puzzles consists of eight different vehicle pictures that be broken up and jumbled up in several ways. The developer has added the option of turning the puzzle pieces at an angle so that the child has to use more of a thought process to figure out the solution. There are eight different vehicle images and four different puzzle  sizes to choose from  - two, four, six and nine pieces.



The second mode is the Turning Game. The user is given a mismatched image of a vehicle. They need to find the matching pieces in order to complete the image. The child can scroll backwards or forwards on both sides until the correct pieces are placed together. Once completed the sound of the vehicle plays, such as the siren for the Police Car or the neighing of the horse. Once again there is an option to turn off the background music.





The final mode in the app is without doubt my favourite feature. It is a Pinball game where by the user sees a small silver pinball roll across the screen. the iPad or iPod needs to be tilted from side to side until the ball falls into one of the three holes in the picture. The images used in this mode are different from the other two, therefore the child experiences variety in the game. As the ball drops into each hole a little reward is given in the form of a bird flying or the bus door opening depending on the image being used.





My First App Vehicles is best suited for younger iOS users preferably toddlers or preschoolers. It contains a fun style of play and learning is easy for young children. It is fun and educational simultaneously.  There are a few minor issues that I would like to see included in future updates. The first being that the addition of a click sound as the child places a puzzle piece in the correct position, therefore informing then that the task has been successfully completed. The second recommendation I would have is naming each vehicle as it appears on the screen. This could be done either through narration or a simple word written below the image.  If you are looking for an app to start off your preschool child's learning then My First Vehicles is a good starting point. It doesn't contain any in -app- purchases or ads which is a bonus when it comes to young children.


If you would like to purchase My First App Vehicles you can do so now by clicking on this link iTunes. It is currently priced at $1.99 in the US iTunes store or €1.59 in the Irish store.


We have 5 copies of My First Vehicles from appp media to give away. Please enter via our Rafflecopter below.





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Kids Learn Everyday Words





Kids Learn Everyday Words 

for Android





Description:


First app in the series of Language Learning Curriculum from Nimble Minds. Features Learn and Play mode. Kids Learn the names of objects through observation and discovery, in Learn mode. And reinforce their knowledge by interacting and playing the quiz in Play mode. 


Kids learn objects and their names not by flash cards or rote memorization. But by observing objects where they are found in the environment. Situations and places available in the free version include: Bedroom, Bathroom, Breakfast, Classroom. In full version: Playground, Park, Street, Clothing store, Grocery, Party, Kitchen, Garden.About 12 words/objects in each situation. The graphics are HD, crisp and super attractive to gain children's attention which in return allows them to get involved and learn the words without even working hard to remember. 




















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Sunday 29 July 2012

Sentence Builder Give Away


Description


A fun new sentence builder app to learn about words, sentences, pronunciation, grammar, and punctuation.

The ONLY sentences app that can be fully customized with your own pictures, words and sentences.

We worked closely with teachers, parents and kids to design and test this app.

Students can move the words around to build the sentence themselves. Start with the built-in sentences. Then create your own sentences, use your own images, and use your voice to record your own sentences and words.

Each word can be clicked for the sound of the word, and words can be rearranged to make a proper sentence.

The app starts with simple sentences and progresses to more complex sentences. The sentences focus on daily life situations, with many references to numbers, colors, and dialogue.

This app is ideal for self-paced learning or home schooling. It teaches kids grammar, sentence structure, and develops their listening skills.

This game is is like having a private tutor to teach your child one on one.

PLEASE CONTACT US
If you have questions, problems, suggestions or complaints, please contact us: support@abatalk.com.

Abitalk is a member of Moms with Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers seeking to promote quality apps for kids and families.
Recommended Ages:4-7
Categories: Reading, Sight Words, Vocabulary

iTunes Link


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Word Family Give Away


Description


The Phonics Word Family provides the word phonics spelling, beginning sound, word family phonics, short vowel sound, and images with a lot of animations and interactions for each word. There are a total of ten word family groups which focus on the short vowel word family phonics learning. After children complete the phonics spelling in each group, the matching game follows and children can review what they learned.

Word Family Phonics Basics includes ten different phonics word family groups:

"_at", "_en", "_an", "_et", "_it", "_ip", "_op", "_ot", "_og", "_ug"

The game uses the Montessori Method for children to learn phonics and spelling. It will help develop skills in listening, learning, spelling, and pronunciation of words.

The game helps children recognize common word patterns, and understand how the initial consonant, middle vowels, and ending consonant affect pronunciation. These are all important stepping stones to becoming a proficient reader.

Features:
-Phonics Spelling
-Beginning Sound
-Ending Sound
-Word Family Phonics
-Short Vowel Sound
-Word Pronunciation
-Matching the word with the image
-Touch and Hear
-Progress Report
-Multiple User Account

Phonics Word Family Basic is a Universal App, so it works with both iPhone and iPad.

We also have a free version, Phonics Word Family Free, for you to try before you buy.

PLEASE CONTACT US
If you have questions, problems, suggestions or complaints, please contact us: support@abitalk.com.

Abitalk is a member of Moms with Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers seeking to promote quality apps for kids and families.
Recommended Ages: 4-7
Categories: Reading, Phonics



iTunes Link

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Phonics Consonants Give Away

Description

Learn phonics consonant sounds with this fun kids' game. Consonants are the build blocks of words, and knowing the consonant letters and their sounds is a critical step in learning to read.

This app includes six interactive learning activities:

- Ribbon Matching Game
- Rain and Clouds Game
- Mushroom Matching Game
- Christmas Tree Decoration Game
- Heart Pop Up Game
- Flash Card Game

Phonics Consonants teaches each word's phonics spelling and beginning sound for all 20 consonants. There are images with animations and interactions for each word.

The game uses the Montessori Method for children to learn the phonics and spelling. It develops the kids hearing, learning, spelling, and pronunciation of the words. It is ideal for self-paced learning or home schooling. You should encourage your child to work at his or her own pace, and make learning fun!

Features:
-Word Beginning Sounds
-Phonics Spelling
-Word Pronunciation
-Matching the word with the image
-Touch and Hear

PLEASE CONTACT US
If you have questions, problems, suggestions or complaints, please contact us: support@abitalk.com.

Abitalk is a member of Moms with Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers seeking to promote quality apps for kids and families.
Recommended Ages: 4-7
Categories: Reading, Phonics, Vocabulary

iTunes Link

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ABC Alphabet Phonics Reading Plus Give Away

Description

ABC Alphabet Phonics Plus provides everything your child needs to learn the alphabet, phonics and the sound and first words associated with each letter. This app includes the "Alphabet Song", a coloring book with a page for each letter, activities for learning the letters in sequence, and fun animated games to teach pronunciation and letter recognition. Your child can click on each animated letter and pictures and objects will pop up on the screen with the sound of the first letter and sound out the words. Learning to associate each letter with the phonics sound is an important first step for kids to learn to read. The entertaining and enjoyable format will keep children focused as they learn.

Your child will be having so much fun, that they won't realize how much they are learning.

ABC Alphabet Phonics Plus is a Universal App, so it works with both iPhone and iPad.

PLEASE CONTACT US
If you have questions, problems, suggestions or complaints, please contact us: support@abitalk.com.

Abitalk is a member of Moms with Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers seeking to promote quality apps for kids and families.
Recommended Ages: 1-3,4-7
Categories: Early Learning, Letters, Colors, Reading, Phonics, Vocabulary

iTunes Link


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Math Bug Give Away


Description


Math Bug teaches kids to count, add and subtract. It has fun and entertaining animations to keep your child focused as they learn. Click on the right answer, and the bird drops the apple to feed the "math bug".

You can choose three categories:

A. Addition
B. Subtraction
C. Mix of Addition and Subtraction

Within each category, you can choose five levels, starting with numbers from one to five, and advancing to double digits.

For the beginner levels, there is also a visual hint to help your child count to the correct answer.

Once your child gets a sufficient number of correct answers, the app will automatically advance to the next level.

This app is designed to adapt to your child's ability, and to be progressively more challanging as your child's math skills improve.

Math Bug is a Universal App, so it works with both iPhone and iPad.

PLEASE CONTACT US
If you have questions, problems, suggestions or complaints, please contact us: support@abitalk.com.

Abitalk is a member of Moms with Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers seeking to promote quality apps for kids and families.
Recommended Ages:4-7
Categories: Math, Addition, Subtraction



iTunes Link

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ABC Rhyming Bee Preschool Give Away


Description


Phonics Rhyming Bee is a fun app for learning to recognize rhyming words, and sort them by sound. A bee carries a heart with a word on it, and your child selects which of two flower pots has a word that rhymes. The bee then carries the heart to the flower, and if correct, a new petal is added to the flower. After each group of rhyming words is completed, the animated flower will review the words.

There are 28 different rhyming groups with a total of 168 short vowel sound words in the app.

Abitalk is a member of Moms with Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers seeking to promote quality apps for kids and families.
Recommended Ages: 4-7
Categories: Reading, Phonics





iTunes Link



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ABC Phonics Short Vowel Words Give Away


Description

Abitalk PhonicsOne is a fun game for young children to learn and practice phonics by piloting a submarine and shooting torpedos to identify each word.

PhonicsOne is for children just beginning to read. The words all have short vowel sounds. More advanced children should try PhonicsTwo, or PhonicsThree, with long vowel sounds and double vowels.

PhonicsOne is a Universal App, so it works with both iPhone and iPad.

This game provides many hours of enjoyment. Children are challenged to win "jewels" for successful completion of each level. After collecting enough jewels, they are rewarded with a bonus mini-game, allowing them to create sparkles on the screen, play "make-a-word" game, and a jumping mouse game.

Your child will be so involved in achieving each goal, that they won't realize how much they are learning.

By identifying words, this game helps children recognize common word patterns, and understand how the initial consonant, middle vowels, and ending consonant affect pronunciation.  These are all important stepping stones to becoming a proficient reader.

This game is is like having a private tutor to teach your child one on one.

We also have a free version, PhonicsOneLite, for you to try before you buy.

PLEASE CONTACT US
If you have questions, problems, suggestions or complaints, please contact us: support@abitalk.com.

Abitalk is a member of Moms with Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers seeking to promote quality apps for kids and families.
Recommended Ages:4-7
Categories: Reading, Phonics, Vocabulary, Spelling



iTunes Link

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Reading Comprehension 1st, 2nd grade Non-Fiction Give Away

Description 
This non-fiction reading comprehension app has twenty stories about the children's daily life. You can also create and add your own stories to the app.

Each story has about 80 words. Each story introduces new vocabulary and concepts, and is followed by a set of exercises that measure the student's comprehension. The exercises include multiple choice questions, true/false questions and matching exercises that ask the student to match words or concepts with their definition, compound words, suffix or prefix words.

The app allows unlimited individual users, and provides detailed reports on each student's progress. The app can be configured to email the progress reports to a parent or teacher.

There are two modes: Practice Mode and Test Mode. In practice mode, the student is given visual and audio feedback as they answer each question.


You can create and add your own stories, along with photos and questions. You can sync all the data (stories, images, questions, user accounts, reports, etc.) to your dropbox account, and import all the data to another iPad.

This app helps develop reading, vocabulary and comprehension skills.

This app is ideal for self-paced learning or home schooling. You should encourage your child to work at his or her own pace, and make learning fun!

PLEASE CONTACT US
If you have questions, problems, suggestions or complaints, please contact us: support@abitalk.com.

Abitalk is a member of Moms with Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers seeking to promote quality apps for kids and families.
Recommended Ages: 8-12
Categories: Reading, Science




iTunes Link

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ABC Phonics Rhyming Words Give away

Description


A fun game for young children to learn and practice phonics by finding pairs of matching words.
FunRhyming is a Universal App, so it works with both iPhone and iPad.

This game provides many hours of enjoyment. Children are challenged to win "jewels" for successful completion of each level.  After collecting enough jewels, they are rewarded
with a bonus mini-game, allowing them to trace or color a picture, create sparkles on the screen, and pop bubbles. Your child will be so involved in achieving each goal, that they
won't realize how much they are learning.

By matching rhyming words, this game helps children recognize common word patterns, and understand how the initial consonant, middle vowel, and ending consonant affect pronunciation.  They will learn to distinguish between long and short vowel sounds, and they will learn to pronounce consonant combination, such as "ch" and "sh". These are all important stepping stones to becoming a proficient reader.

This game is is like like having a private tutor to teach your child one on one.


We also have a free version FunRhymeLite for you to try before you buy.

PLEASE CONTACT US
If you have questions, problems, suggestions or complaints, please contact us: support@abitalk.com.

Abitalk is a member of Moms with Apps, a collaborative group of family-friendly developers seeking to promote quality apps for kids and families.
Recommended Ages:4-7
Categories: Reading, Phonics, Vocabulary, Spelling

iTunes Link


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Reading Comprehension 1st grade Fiction

Reading Comprehension 1st grade Fiction

  • $2.99
  • Category: Education
  • Released: 14 July 2012
  • Version: 1.01
  • Size: 9.8 MB
  • Language: English
  • Seller: Emmy Chen
Requirements: Compatible with iPad.Requires iOS 3.2 or later.

Description

iPad Screenshot 2
iPad Screenshot 3This fiction reading comprehension app has twenty stories about the children's daily life. You can also create and add your own stories.

Each story has about 80 words. Each story introduces new vocabulary and concepts, and is followed by a set of exercises that measure the student's comprehension. The exercises include multiple choice questions, true/false questions and matching exercises that ask the student to match words or concepts with their definition, compound words, suffix or prefix words.

The app allows unlimited individual users, and provides detailed reports on each student's progress. The app can be configured to email the progress reports to a parent or teacher.

There are two modes: Practice Mode and Test Mode. In practice mode, the student is given visual and audio feedback as they answer each question.

You can create and add your own stories, along with photos and questions. You can sync all the data (stories, images, questions, user accounts, reports, etc.) to your dropbox account, and import all the data to another iPad.

This app helps develop reading, vocabulary and comprehension skills.

This app is ideal for self-paced learning or home schooling. You should encourage your child to work at his or her own pace, and make learning fun! 


AppAbles Opinion 
While the app doesn't read the text, if a child struggles with a word, they just have to select it and it will be read to them - wonderful, so they have to try.  I also love how this app is totally programmable. You can set up the comprehension questions from your own story to be yes/no or more complex of multiple choice or matching word, definitions, prefix, suffix etc.  If you are out, take a photo and make a simple social story, add your questions from the day, choices that were made.  It is so very quick and easy to do.  Brilliant





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Saturday 28 July 2012

Cosmonaut Stylus by Studio Neat...Review

I have tried many, many, many, different styluses with my boys since we got them iPads.
Like most children on the Autism Spectrum they loathe hand writing and usually refuse to do it. I knew the iPad would be a great motivator and it is but I could NOT find a stylus that  1. they were comfortable writing with and 2. was accurate.
My search is finally over. The Cosmonaut by Studio Neat may just be the perfect stylus...



Uber chic and stylish, The Cosmonaut comes in super cool packaging and looks just like a big, black crayon, you know those short, chunky ones.

The Cosmonaut has a rubber coating which has a very pleasant feel ( my son said he likes it because it doesn't make his hand sweaty) and is quiet heavily weighted which I was concerned about but actually makes it easier to hold and use. It has a wide pointed tip that is super accurate and will write from any angle, great for kids who's pencil grip might be a little untraditional . The thick barrel and short length of the stylus means it encourages you to hold the stylus higher up meaning you very rarely accidentally rest your hand on the iPad screen.






The Cosmonaut stylus was designed to write like a dry erase marker and that is exactly how it feels.

The biggest problem I have had with traditional styluses is my children's love of chewing or pulling the tips off them, meaning I would have to replace them on a regular basis.
I am happy to report, after months of use I have not had to replace either of my boys Cosmonauts.


OverallThe Cosmonaut is well worth the $25.00 price tag. It looks good, feels good and is the most accurate stylus I have used. It's design makes it ideal for Special Needs children or those with fine motor  or carpal tunnel problems.


Friday 27 July 2012

Bugs and Buttons

Bugs and Buttons

  • $2.99
  • Category: Education
  • Updated: 15 February 2012
  • Version: 1.3
  • Size: 79.7 MB
  • Languages: English, Chinese, Danish, Dutch,
  • French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, 
  • Russian, Spanish, Swedish
  • Seller: Little Bit Studio, LLC.
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.Requires iOS 3.0 or later.


Description

★ Best of the iPhone Education category in App Store Rewind 2011 in the US.
★ Featured Nov & Dec in Education in the App Store
★ Screen Play App of the Week, Parenting.com
★ "An app masterpiece! It will change your expectations of what you can get in an app.", SmartAppsForKids.com

Make fun more educational! Bugs and Buttons is a uniquely styled collection of games and activities that are entertaining and educational. 

The app goes beyond simply great graphics and beautiful music by engaging children through intriguing game play that progressively adapts to their skill level. Designed to be self paced, each activity offers simple visual instructions. Offering two play modes, children can choose to be automatically guided or explore and play. 

KEY FEATURES 
• 18 games and activities* 
• 45+ minutes of fun, quirky, and beautiful music 
• 40+ achievement stamps to earn or find 
• Adaptive play provides challenge with less frustration 
• Advanced multi-touch interactions 
• Visual instructions that display and hide automatically 

IMAGINATIVE PLAY 
• Fling bees at a target flower. 
• Fly a butterfly through butterfly valley (tilt to steer). 
• Play tic-tac-toe with a dragonfly. 
• Sort and pack buttons fresh off the factory conveyer belt. 
• Race roaches across the finish grate/line. 
• Remove and sort bugs infesting the button production. 
• Catch bugs frantically scurrying about. 
• Pick apples while dodging bees. 
• Catch buttons falling off Uncle Bob's button truck. 
• Help bugs find their way through mazes. 
• Finish sequences on the letter train.** 
• Interactively count bugs. 
• Catch colorful fireflies in a jar.*** 
• and more… 

CRITICAL LEARNING 
• Counting 
• Fine motor skills (i.e. pinching) 
• Path finding 
• Patterns 
• Sorting 
• Tracking 
• and more... 
AppAble's Opinion
This app is brilliant.  With 18 different activities, there is hours and hours of fun.  I have seen so many children engaged in this app for quite a long period of time.  This will be the best $2.99 you have spent.

ITunes Link

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Kodee's Canoe 'Echo' - Review


Overall : Possibly one of the best story apps for ages 4+ on the market. The graphics and interactive aspects of Kodee's Canoe -Echo are unlike any I have seen before. This is the first interactive adventure of Kodee  and his good friend Raccoon. The app is bursting with CGI animation on every page which has been optimized for iPad 2 with iOS4.3 + . More importantly however you will be brought on a journey of friendship and adventure through a glistening island paradise.


Kodee's Canoe is created and written by Nicole Stinn and Greg Tiernan. Designed by Nitrogen Studios.

The story will grasp your attention from the very first page. The sights and sounds of nature are so realistic that you are emersed in the scene. My children loved the fish leaping out of the water, the frog catching flies and the owl hooting. Even the reflections in the water seem tangible.




Kodee's Canoe teaches children about the sights and sounds of nature. The combination of science, nature and literacy is what makes this app stand out from others on the market. The reader is taught about Echoes in a fun and interactive way. We see Kodee and Raccoon shouting across the lake to what they believe are two people on the other side. We are taken on their journey in the red canoe to the little island on the lake to try and discover who the mystery voices belong too.


The whole concept of what an Echo is , is well illustrated in this app. At the end the reader is given the opportunity to create their own Echo and have it played back to them. My children loved this feature and were howling with laughter as they heard their own voice echoed back to them. The authors have included an educational section about Echoes which gives a  detailed scientific explanation to the more inquisitive mind.


A feature of this storybook app which I find very beneficial is a 'drop down ' page menu from the top of the screen, which lays the pages out in an almost cinematic fashion. You can see an image from each page and easily pick which page you want without having to scroll through the entire book.



The narration options featured in Kodee's Canoe are exceptional. My children enjoyed being able to record their own voices and have them played back. The ability to be able to record each page seperately is and added bonus. If you make a mistake you can simply redo the voice over instantly. You can also replay each page back as you go. The authors have allowed for three extra profiles to be added to the settings. Therefore myself and my two younger children were all able to record our own voice overs of the book. This in itself is a very useful feature especially for children who find it comforting to hear the voice of a parent or caregiver as they are reading. By utilizing this feature your child can simply hear your voice narrating the story anytime.


Highlighted text is used extensively throughout the app and makes it easier for the reader to focus and follow the story's path. Each page is full of interactive features for children to engage with. The reader just needs to tap, drag and look around for objects to explore.


It will be difficult to find an app that compares to Kodee's Canoe -Echo as the app is so detailed and life like you almost feel as if you are watching a short movie clip as oppossed to reading a storybook. I simply can not find fault with this app. In my opinion it is currently the best children's interactive storybook of it's kind on the market. Kodee's Canoe  - Echo is the first in a series of adventures that we are going to see from Kodee and his good friend Raccoon. I can't wait to see how the next adventure unfolds. If you are looking for an app that children of all ages will love then look no further. Kodee's Canoe - Echo has everything you could possibly want out of a storybook app. I can not recommend it highly enough.


If you would like to purchase Kodee's Canoe -Echo you can do so now by clicking on this link iTunes.  It is currently priced at $3.99 in the US iTunes store.

You can visit their Facebook page by clicking her - Kodee's Canoe or their website by clicking on this link - Website.

Video link 



Enchanted Dictionary 4-6th Grade 7-12th Grade

Enchanted Dictionary
4-6th Grade / 7-12th Grade


  • $1.99
  • Category: Education
  • Updated: 07 June 2012
  • Size: 1.4 MB
  • Language: English
  • Seller: Golden Communications LLC
Requirements: Compatible with iPad.Requires iOS 4.3 or later.

Description:
Enchanted Dictionary gives you a new way to learn core vocabulary for the categories of Science, Social Studies, Math and English/Language Arts. Designed by a Speech/Language Pathologist, Enchanted Dictionary helps you focus on the wording of definitions.  The words of the definition fly in with the use of your finger dragging them across. Correct word choices stick, but incorrect choices bounce back. In 4-6th Grade you can choose from over 650 definitions, or enter your own custom definitions. With 7th-12th you can choose from over 800 definitions, or enter your own custom definitions.


What AppAble thought:
There is no distractions on the page - A book with white pages and black text.  You select the sentence(s)/definition(s) you want to practice and select play which located in the top left hand corner of the screen.  You can select 1 sentence or as many as you like - a wonderful feature as you can build concentration slowly, but can see the progress.  You drag the words from left to right, always coming back to the left hand side to get the next word.


How I used this app to use with my child:
I set it up with a category called Sight Words made simple sentences with the words that the children were learning.  Sometimes it is hard for our children to think of using the word in a sentence.  This gives them practice in putting the words together.  For children developing their speech it gives them the opportunity to say the word as they drag it across.  This is a wonderful app to help add variety to the learning sight words.  I find that we often need different ways to teach the same thing.  This is definitely an app that reinforces learning the same thing, but in a difference way.  With the sentences you can see from the picture, you can have them adding just 1 word to the sentence up to all the words depending on what level your child is at.
















I also set up another category called 'Oceans' as an example.  Sometimes you have a sentence that has a choice of putting either word first.  This is very simple, you just put a square bracket before and after the text eg [  ].  Please see the picture below.  This is a great feature as their vocabulary increases.







As both Apps are similar if you have a child in primary, get the primary version, if your child is in high school get the high school version as they will be able to use the other build in definitions and you can still edit the build in ones.



iTunes link for 4-6th Grade
iTunes link for 7-12th Grade
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Enchanted Dictionary 4-6th Grade
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Wednesday 25 July 2012

Montessori Tech - Review

For the record, none of my four children have attended a Montessori School. I have however used a couple of  Montessori based apps with them in the past with great success.Therefore I jumped at the chance to review these apps by Montessori Tech.

I was not disappointed! My prior experience with the Montessori Technique has been limited to literacy and spelling apps, so this is my first time using their learning method in a Maths Application.

Let's begin with Skip Counting. 


Skip Counting  uses the Montessori coloured bead chains to show the relationship of number multiples in a chain/number line format. It is designed to be used as a precursor to multiplication tables. 

This is the perfect app for Special Needs kids. My ASD boys use and struggle with the traditional number chart to learn "counting by" at school and I have spent ages trying to find a simpler and more visual way to teach them. This app is just what I was looking for.




Skip Counting is beautiful in it's simplicity and  although I was not familiar with Montessori Beads it did not take me long to understand the principal.

Upon opening the app you are presented with a blank page with a wooden "box" at the bottom of the page, containing vividly coloured bead chains, each representing a different numerical value from 1-10.



You can use the app in two ways...


There is a show me option that when selected creates a number chain with blank number tags. The empty compartment in the "box" fills with relevant numbers as the chain is formed. Those numbers then "move" onto the page in random order and then to the correct 








It then places the numbers on the correct tag.
    
This is the perfect exercise to use with your children to illustrate how the app works.





The other activity is to create your own chain. 
Again, the empty compartment fills with relevant numbers after your chain is complete. This time however the user has to move the numbers them self  to the correct tag. My boys found it a little confusing with all the numbers on top of each other in the "box" to figure out the correct order. I had to instruct them to copy the show me format of  moving the numbers onto the page before placing them on the tags. 




As your children get older or more advanced with this method they can progress to typing in  the correct number simply by touching the number tag. A window opens with a numerical keypad. I would like to see a visual response to a wrong answer included in the app...maybe a red cross instead of the green tick that is shown when a chain is completed correctly.



Overall I thought the app was fantastic. Montessori's visual learning method is perfectly suited to children on the Autism Spectrum and those with learning disabilities. Although there is not a huge amount or variation of content the $1.99 price tag is great value for an app that teaches such an important mathematical skill.








The second app I reviewed for Montessori Tech is Bead Facts  Plus Minus.
Again this app uses the Montessori Bead Chains but this time providing demonstrations and practice of addition and subtraction.





The wooden "box" with the Montessori bead chains also features in this app this time they can be manipulated to form addition or subtraction sums.







Once the sum is created you again use the beads to visually achieve the answer and complete the problem by finding the correct length chain to match the numerical answer.
It did not take long for my visual thinkers to learn which colour chain represents which number.





As with Skip Counting, Bead Facts also has a show me 
option.
This provides not only a tutorial for the app but can also be used to check an answer.






This app is customizable via the settings tab. You can choose to concentrate on just addition or only subtraction and also choose which numbers you want to use. Parents and teachers can also create their own mathematical problems making this a perfect app for homework. My son hates doing his homework on his work sheet but was more then happy to complete it when I presented it to him using this app. 



My one wish would be that instead of having to manually progress to a new problem this would be automatic in both the show me and custom modes. I would also love to be able to  program  the app via settings to enter a number of sums that could then be completed consecutively.



Again the highly visual aspect of this app supports my boys learning style perfectly and I really felt this presentation of  addition and subtraction made a lot more sense to them then the more traditional techniques.
Another great value educational app priced at $1.99








I will definitely be using both of these apps regularly with my boys and will be recommending their teachers do also.
Kudos to Montessori Tech for creating simple but effective and high quality apps that teach basic but fundamental maths formulas to our children .



Montessori Tech have given us one code for each of these great apps.  We will be giving them away as a package to one lucky person. Enter via the rafflecopter  box below.