Welcome to App Friday, our weekly link exchange of family-friendly apps. This has been an exciting week for some of our developers. Between the group that went to Dust or Magic’s App Camp, and the group that went to Washington DC, we must have had 20 developers focused intensely on the evolution of family-friendly apps. But no matter where we’ve been, it’s always nice to land squarely on App Friday. Take a look at the specially-priced apps we have for you this week, and let us know what you think!
Sage Kids is a game that children can enjoy while they develop spatial, memory and writing skills. It includes three games: a typical match game, a puzzle, and a “write this word with your finger” mini-game. They can choose photos from the iPhone / iPad / iPod gallery and use them in the Match as “Match Animals”, and in the Puzzle game where the photo chosen is cut into pieces depending on the difficulty chosen. The “Write” game includes dozens of words to write, with a guide and a comparison of the letters written to let the children know how good they are. Next update (free) will include the possibility of writing new words (automatically mapped into the game) with the option to use lower case or upper case.
MontessoriTech apps bring the beauty, simplicity, and ease of use of traditional Montessori classroom materials in a virtual form to your iPad. Our small company includes two experienced Montessori teachers who have adapted the materials to take advantage of the additional functions the iPad has to offer, but also stay true to the original materials. Our two currently available apps are Montessori Place Value and Stamp Game.
Montessori Place Value provides a clean, clear format to teach your child basic place value for units, tens, hundreds, and thousands using Montessori place value cards. The app provides for unlimited practice for reading and making numbers. Children hear and/or read a number in words (print or cursive) with one to four digits and then make the number in numbers using expanded notation, and then combine it. This time-tested visual manipulative has been used in Montessori classrooms for 100 years, has been adapted by traditional schools, and is now available on the iPad.
Stamp Game is a more advanced material that provides manipulatives to teach and deepen the understanding of addition and subtraction of four digit numbers. Your child will manipulate virtual “stamps” used in the traditional Montessori math materials. Settings allow the teacher or parent to adjust the level of difficulty including whether there is carrying or borrowing from one place value to another, whether or not the numbers contain zeros, etc. The “game” generates problems at the appropriate level. This virtual material has received high praise from Montessori teachers, parents, and home-schoolers around the world.
COMING SOON from MontessoriTech . . . Please look for “Montessori Compound Words”. This new app will give the children compound word puzzles to make and then match with beautiful photographs of the real objects.
PianoBall is an amazingly colorful musical instrument for children that teaches through play. The app allows children to explore the world of sounds, melodies and colors while developing creative, cognitive and motor faculties of your child. PianoBall has children of various ages discovering many aspects of the world of sounds and colors through the use of four feature balls: Color Ball, Tune Ball, Rainbow Ball, Instrument Ball. Young children will use PianoBall as a rattle, see a magical star shower and learn to identify sounds and names of 4 instruments (xylophone, piano, drum set, saxophone). The big keyboard allows them to experiment with the instrument of parental choice. Medium age children will play tunes in the toddler mode (chosen and fixed by the parent) with the instrument chosen with the Instrument Ball. In addition they can turn their keyboard to a rainbow with the Rainbow Ball. Older children will learn to play popular children’s songs selected with the Tune Ball by following floating little stars. The Color Ball allows them to paint the keyboard and learn color names.
BabyBinks is the man behind the Moms With Apps “App”, in addition to a line of educational apps including Elephonics, Zombies vs. Literacy, and Screentime. Tonight as I was constructing the post, I gave a holler to ole’ BabyBinks and said: “I need some free apps!”. Thankfully, he delivered. Cheers to BabyBinks for rounding-out this App Friday with free downloads for the teachers and parents who frequent our site every week.
What’s in it for me, this App Friday, May 27th?
- Sage Kids – $.99 (from $1.99)
- Montessori Place Value (for iPad) – $.99
- Stamp Game (for iPad) – $2.99 until June 3rd – (from $5.99)
- Piano Ball – $.99 (from $2.99)
- Elephonics – FREE
- Zombies Vs. Literacy – FREE
- Screentime (helps us set media limits) – FREE
- Moms With Apps!!! – (helps us find more educational apps) – FREE Always
Note: These prices are applicable on Friday May 27th until 8pm US Pacific Time. After the promotion is over, apps revert back to regular pricing on the iTunes App Store, unless the developers choose to extend the promotion over the weekend.
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.
