Welcome to App Friday, our weekly link exchange of family-friendly apps. Early learners will be tickled with this selection of apps for playful learning. Counting colorful beads, meeting a friendly elephant, and making patterns of cows and sheep may not sound like academic rigor du jour – but after getting to know these developers and their apps – you’ll see it’s all part of the plan.
Monte-Lingual 1 to 10 Monte-Lingual 1 to 10 for iPad is an educational app for children that introduces the basic concept of counting in four languages (English/Spanish/French/Chinese) using the Montessori method. By providing numerous approaches to counting that build upon each other within one space, Monte-Lingual is a fun counting activity for children of all ages. Monte-Lingual demonstrates a unique and original approach to counting by utilizing the Montessori bead stair concept in an interactive way. While combining the concept of language, spelling, and achievements all wrapped into a single game and activity, Monte-Lingual is much different than many other counting apps. Monte-Lingual employs various senses such as touch, sight, and sound to conceptualize “quantity” and “series” in a visual way. From the discovery mode’s free-play style to the goal-setting style of the quiz mode, Monte-Lingual is aimed at providing an early learning educational app that enables children to absorb and master the basic – yet crucial – concept of counting naturally.
Elephant in my Pocket Elephant in My Pocket is an interactive picture book app for the iPad. This story is written and illustrated by Dustin Luby, a father of two, who loves to make his children laugh. With that in mind, he created Elephant in My Pocket for our first baby girl. As he paged through the simple black and white sketches, seeing the look on her face and hearing the short giggles, he knew in his heart that one day he wanted to share his stories with other children. Elephant in My Pocket is about a girl named Suzy, who is walking to school when she meets an elephant on the way. They play together for a while. When she starts heading back to school, she sees and hears the poor, desolate elephant crying. Suzy decides to sneak him into class hoping no one will notice. Elephant in my Pocket is filled with animations, various sounds and unique character voices to bring the story to life. This comical storybook is also written in rhyme, which aids in the fundamental sounds of words to help children learn to read, and tested by elementary school children. The results? Approved by children with laughter — music to Jollybooks’ ears. To see all we are doing, visit www.jollybooks.com.
Fun Farm Patterning Welcome to the Fun Farm Patterning App, developed in conjunction with a 20 year veteran primary school teacher. This app has been designed for children aged 5-8. Your child will delight in the visuals and sounds of farm animals while solving patterning problems and developing critical thinking skills. Creativity will be explored though the process of making their own patterns in Activity 1. The patterns included are: ab, abc, aab, and abb. Over 50 combinations can be created! After they have accomplished this, they move onto Activities 2 and 3 which involve completing patterns and finding mistakes in patterns. Positive reinforcement include the sounds of children shouting “hurray” as well as the timed/score reward system. We have also included a video of the four types of patterns showing patterns being created using recognizable real-world items such as crackers, fruit and toys. This app will enrich your child’s patterning skills, which is threaded through the curriculums in both Canada and the United States at the Primary Level. Patterning is a great way to help young children develop strong thinking and problem-solving skills. It also helps develop a solid foundation for Mathematics, including algebraic thinking. Have fun!
What’s in it for me this App Friday, March 25th?
- Monte-Lingual 1 to 10 – FREE
- Elephant in my Pocket – $.99 (from $2.99)
- Fun Farm Patterning – $.99 (until April 1st)
Note: Apps revert back to regular pricing by 8pm US Pacific Standard Time Friday the 18th on the iTunes App Store.
App Friday Link Exchange Our goal at Moms With Apps is to spread the word about family-friendly apps. We also like to know about great deals. Do YOU have some app news to share? If so, please participate in our link exchange and post it down below. Include the app name (& details) in the Link Title, your email, and a URL to the app. Thanks for your participation.
