App Friday “Weekender”: A Potluck of Family-Friendly Apps

Welcome to App Friday, our weekly link exchange of family-friendly apps. Our regular programming was interrupted this week due to some iTunes snafus with the scheduled apps. To make up for it, our developers banded together and decided to offer an “App Friday Weekender”, selecting apps for you to preview. Most apps will revert back to regular pricing by Monday Sept. 13th, so you have the whole weekend to shop.

FREE APPS for the weekend of September 11th and 12th, from the developers at Moms With Apps:

• Lula’s Brew – Lula’s Aunties want her to be a witch just like them. But Lula hates to fly on a broom and prefers to study cookbooks rather than spellbooks — she wants to be a famous chef. In desperation, the Aunties insist she try to make one last potion. Lula secretly adds her cooking flair and in true witchy fashion ends up creating a brew that bewitches the entire town, and maybe her Aunties too! (iPad version too!)
• Long Multiplication – The app can be used to teach and study the long multiplication method. Solving long multiplication problems is also excellent times tables practice. The app is easy to use and it has an intuitive interface with customizable colors and other settings. The user can solve random and custom multiplication problems with small and large numbers.
• Kids Math Fun – Kindergarten – This application encourages Kindergarten children to practice the addition of two single digit (0-9) numbers, and the subtraction of two single digit (0-9) numbers (without negative answers). Children can gain confidence by doing practice problems with unlimited time, or they can build proficiency by selecting “Minute Math” to see how many problems they can answer with a time limit. The app defaults to 10 problems and 60 seconds, but these can be changed in the SETTINGS area of the iPhone/iPod Touch.
• Kids Math Fun First Grade – Practice the addition of a double digit (0-99) number with a single digit (0-9) number (without carrying), and the subtraction of a single digit (0-9) number from a double digit (0-99) number (without borrowing or negative answers).
• Kids Math Fun Second Grade – Practice the addition of two double digit (0-99) numbers (with carrying), the subtraction of two double digit (0-99) numbers (without borrowing or negative answers), and the multiplication tables of 2’s, 5’s and 10’s (to “times 10”).
• Kids Math Fun Third Grade – Practice the addition of two triple digit (0-999) numbers (with carrying), the subtraction of two triple digit (0-999) numbers (with borrowing, but without negative answers), the traditional multiplication table of (1-12) times (1-12), and the whole number division table of (1-144) divided by (1-12).
• Kids Math Fun Fourth Grade – Encourages Four Grade children to practice the addition of two decimal (0.1-9.9) numbers (with carrying), the subtraction of two decimal (0.1-9.9) numbers (with borrowing, but without negative answers), the multiplication of a double digit (1-25) number with a single digit (1-9) number, and whole number division of a number (1-225) divided by a number (1-15).
• Kids Math Fun Fifth Grade – 12 unique activities focused on Percentages, Fractions, and Decimals. Kids Fraction Fun is designed to help children in Grades Four, Five and Six practice, master, and gain confidence adding, subtracting, multiplying, and finding the equivalence for Percentages, Fractions, and Decimals.
• But That Wasn’t the Best Part – Young children, parents, teachers, and librarians love this story because even the youngest listeners can participate in its telling. They love to say, “But that wasn’t the best part,” as they make their way to the mouth-watering surprise ending. Hear the music of a marching band, the clang-clang of a fire engine, and the toot-toot-puff-puff of a little train. Dance along with the Latin band and pretend to zoom around in tiny cars with the clowns! (iPad version too!)
• MazeArt for iPad – Mazes are known to be an excellent tool for learning spatial and problem solving skills. With fun and interactive element added, your kids will be really motivated to solve those mazes. Check out this unique application designed to keep your kids engaged with the animated maze game with 3D characters. A character needs help to reach its destination. It will follow the path that you trace in the maze and award you with unique celebration movie. (MazeArt for iPhone too!)
• My Little Suitcase – kids travel application created by My Busy Kit for children 2 to 6 years of age. In My Little Suitcase children pack for their family vacation and choose where to go. A team of parents designed the app to encourage free choice and imaginary play with a fun travel theme. It begins with a bright menu of choices for a beach trip, snow trip, camp trip, or sleepover. Once the destination is chosen, kids get to pack things like mittens, camping lanterns and beach balls. One by one, they choose items to drag into the suitcase until packing is complete. Once they arrive, they get to do what kids to best – PLAY!
• My Road Rally – Ever wanted to be in a road rally? Now you can! Create routes and trips that allow you to time how long it takes to get somewhere. Add the distance to your route and get average time and speed it took to complete your rally. You can save start and stop pins for your start and finish line, and see your progress on a map.
• MomMaps (Always Free)- Mom Maps is an iPhone application that helps you find fun, kid-friendly locations on the go! Search our extensive list of parks, playgrounds, restaurants, museums and indoor play areas, as well as reviews by parents, for parents. We also partner with top parent bloggers and family travel experts so we can bring you their top picks for kid-friendly fun.
• ArtikPix (Always Free with in app purchases)- ArtikPix is an engaging articulation app with flashcard and matching activities for children with speech sound delays. Since the app includes child friendly language, you don’t have to be a speech-language pathologist to facilitate practice. Children use ArtikPix to practice sounds independently, with a speech-language pathologist or their parents. Utilizing fun and modern graphics, ArtikPix has a deck of “th” cards with features such as recorded audio, voice recording, and data collection. In app purchases enable all features with a total possible 21 decks with 40 cards each (840 total cards) for the following sounds: th, f, v, ch, sh, k, g, s, z, l, r, s-blends, r-blends, l-blends, p, b, m, n, t, d, j. The decks are combined, selected for sound group (e.g., beginning th, er), then practiced in full-featured flashcard and matching activities.
• iKidNY – Developed by a New York City Mom – A true favorite of locals and NYC visitors alike, this essential tool will change your life in the city as you know it. Imagine being able to find the closest parks, playgrounds, changing tables, indoor play areas, museums, libraries, subways with elevators, kid-friendly restaurants, and more, all with the touch of a button. We don’t stop being efficient New Yorkers just because we have little ones!
• Save Teddy! – Oh no! Teddy has wandered off and finds himself dangling dangerously from a balloon. Only you can save him by getting him safely to the comfy basket below. You can use fun balloons to bounce around and get to the basket, but beware of the crows though, they are trying to peck the stuffing out of poor Teddy!
• Just Fractions! – This app allows you to enter fractions the way you would normally write them on paper. The answer is also displayed as a fraction. All you have to do is select if you want to multiply, divide, add or subtract the two fractions and enter the fractions. Then you touch the “Calculate” button and the answer will pop up on the screen. If you want to reduce the answer, you simply touch the “Reduce” button and the answer will reduce itself to it’s simplest form. For further instructions, touch the “Directions” button.  (Written by 10 year-old Seaghan with some help from his father – congratulations Seaghan!)
• Okenko Books – Currently for Android (but iPhone coming soon) Okenko Books are a mobile phone subscription service for children’s books. Your first title is free – check out the details here!

App Friday Link Exchange: Our goal at Moms With Apps is to spread the word about family-friendly apps. Do YOU have a favorite app to share? Please participate in our link exchange and post it down below. Include the app name in the Link Title, your email, and a URL to the app. Thanks for your participation!