Yoomi is a free, specialized app that works with a special $40 iPad peripheral called the Duo that turns your iPad into a “would you rather” quiz game, for 2 or more players. Additional Duo compatible app titles are planned, including a quiz game on the Smithsonian museum. With a look that resembles a vegetable slicer, Duo is actually a simple optical reader connected to a rotating turntable. A small light sensor in the base watches a spot on the iPad’s screen. In order to register an answer, the iPad flashes a signal to the the optical sensor. The reader is powered by two AA batteries (not included), and there’s an auto-power off feature to save batteries. To play the game, you download and install the app from the iTunes store, and then line up the Duo on your iPad screen. The app asks you questions, like “would you rather sit in the window or isle seat?” You select your answer by touching the screen, kept from view of the other players by the Duo’s shield. Once you make your choice, the options are revealed to the other players. They try to read your mind by placing tokens into little cups on top of the Duo. The last step is to press “reveal answer.” The tokens for the right answer fall into the bank, and the player that uses his or her tokens first wins (and theoretically knows you best). Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Word Wagon is a letter and word recognition activity that provides structured practice with letters and letter sounds in the context of common words. The app gets right to business, asking children to spell a word like “dog” or “rocket,” one letter at a time. Letters are presented on letter tiles, which are pronounced when tapped. Content includes 103 words (including 44 Dolch sight words), organized into seven categories: Animals, Food, Vehicles, Numbers and Colors, Around the House, Mozzarella and Coco’s Favorites, and All Words. There are 4 Levels, ranged from basic letter recognition to spelling words up to six letters long. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
This interactive story contains 16 animated scenes designed to reward a child’s touch with animation and narration. The story is based on the book with the same title by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Marc Brown. Features include stop/start narration, word highlighting, and hidden animations. Created by Smashing Ideas for Random House. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Each page of this app has hotspots (called touchpoints in the instructions) that are flagged by a small blue dot. One touch reveals a bit of dialog, read by a child’s voice in a British accent. Children can can make the pigs talk, run, flip and build their houses, as well as blow into the microphone to blow down the pig’s houses. They can also listen to the story narrated entirely by children. See also The Three Little Pigs HD by So Ouat! Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Once upon a time, the three little pigs was only available on paper and ink, and the words could only be read in one language. Not anymore.
Made in France by app developer So Ouat (“so what”) this edition of the Three Little Pigs (there are several in the app store) takes reading scaffolding tools to a new level, by letting you toggle, on the fly, between English, Spanish and French. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Grab your uDraw Game Tablet ($70, sold separately and required for play) and jump into SpongeBob’s world in this collection of mini-games. Like WarioWare, this game contains over 100 challenges that last no more than five seconds each, and require extremely fast reaction time. You must lean the tablet left or right to avoid a fly swatter, or tap the tablet to pop balloons. If you can successfully complete 20 challenges (which takes about 10 minutes), you can unlock a new set of puzzles. The games take advantage of the uDraw touch tablet, for example, you might scribble to uncover a hidden drawing, or draw a path through a maze. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
This first ever 3D Sims title works only on the Nintendo 3DS, which means some additional new control mechanisms not available in the past. Besides the 3D graphics, the game plays like other Sims games, offering a top-down view of your Sim family. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Leapfrog’s second app is designed to introduce upper and lower case letters, and it can embed your child’s name in the dialog. You start by creating a profile for your child, in one of three slots. This consists of typing in your child’s name from a menu of thousands of possible options, as well as entering a favorite color and animal. The parent options are protected by a four digit pin (your birth year). At any time, you can revisit the control panel to see which letters your child has “learned” and change the challenge level if needed. Your child can then explore Scout’s (Violet is the female option) backyard, which includes a garden where letters grow. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This 35 level fighting game lets you become a Samurai fighter in ancient Japan. The title is more about strategy and exploring the levels than purely gory fighting. There are both free play and mission modes of play. The more you play, the more fighters and areas you can unlock. Progress can be saved in one of four game save slots. You control the weapons and armor, and decide which course to take to complete your mission. Content includes 35 warriors who can fight on foot or horseback. and can be customized. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Puppet Pals turns your iPad’s screen into a puppet show, where you can add your own voice to animated routines. You start by picking your characters (up to six) and your background. Your characters wait on the side of the stage. As you move them around, you add your own narration. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
The twin title to Pokémon Black this 2011 edition of Pokémon has an identical design and features, but different content, including a lush area called White Forest and 150 new Pokémon. Sharing features let you save game information to a remote server (in the cloud). When playing locally, you can also connect via video chat using the system’s camera. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
The legacy continues, with two more Pokémon adventures: Black and White. They share a nearly identical design, but offer different areas to explore. This version features a metropolitan area called Black City. Sharing features let you save game information to a remote server (in the cloud). When playing locally, you can also connect via video chat using the system’s camera. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
FrogDogMedia’s adaptation of the DreamWorks animated movie brings together two 20 screen ebooks with embedded movie scenes and the ability to record your own narration. Each story has read to me or read it myself modes and movie quality narration, a collection of jokes, plus a set of activities that nicely extend the story while giving children an active play option. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
There are 27 dog breeds, depending on which cartridge you buy. Each pet comes with a different personality, unique accessories and a cat companion. As with previous versions, you can teach your pet tricks and pet it with the lower touch pad but the 3DS version has some new tricks, including the ability to see your pet move around in 3D space. Networking features include the ability to share your pet with nearby players who also own their own $40 cartridge. You can also exchange Mii characters, puppies and kittens over the wireless connection using StreetPass. Or (of course) you can buy new new content online. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
This collection of word puzzles includes 300 words, each with an associated picture. Any word, letter or picture can be heard with a simple touch. In the easy level, words are spelled one letter at a time. Levels 2 and 3 automatically create multi-word crosswords in different combinations. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
This collection of 60 mazes turns your iPad screen into a spatial relations puzzle. After you choose a character and one of six challenge levels, you can try to make it through the maze by dragging your finger, leaving tracks. In order to move through the maze, you drag your finger in the direction you want your animated character to move, or you can point where you want him/her to walk. Your character will leave tracks around the maze, and the reference maze at the top corner of the screen is designed to make navigating easy. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
X = Xylophone in this musically themed ebook. Like most children’s eBooks there are three modes: read to me, read it myself and autoplay. A “parents corner” contains company contact information. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Six sorting and memory games are presented by way of animated jellybean characters in this first of a planned series of apps for younger children. In the game, you help the wiggly Jellytoon characters win stickers by completing six minigames including: Flo’s Tidy-up Challenge – shape and color sorting; Inky’s Path Challenge – fine motor skills; Max’s Balloon Challenge – shape recognition; Noodle’s Fruit Challenge – logic; Pip’s Hiding Challenge – observation skills; and Rex’s ice Cream Challenge – counting from 1 to 10. Content includes 30 sticker rewards. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
This third of the Hasbro Family Game Night series contains five classic board games from Hasbro. There are both classic and remixed versions of The Game of Life, Clue, Twister, Mouse Trap, and Yahtzee Hands Down. You can play in either local multiplayer capability (for up to four players) or — for the PS3 or Xbox versions — online. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
This collection of six cartoons consists of adaptations of nursery rhymes, each with word highlighting. For example, in Three Blind Mice, Mother Goose first reads the story. Children can then explore the screen where they discover animated routines, hidden acorns and games; in this case a game of “Whack-a-Mole” where you whack Mother Goose. In “Humpty Dumpty” you get to put Humpty together again by dragging and dropping the parts. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Children swipe their way through the original colored pencil illustrations from the book “Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” by Eileen Christelow (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). There are three replay options: Auto Play, which automatically reads and turns pages; Read to Me, which allows children to listen to the narrated story with words highlighted as they are read; and Read It Myself, which lets children read the book on their own. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Another in the series of the Disney Puzzle Books, this “finding Nemo” inspired ebook follows the same tried and true formula of mixing a familiar Disney story, with professional level graphics, sounds and four jigsaw puzzles. There are two levels to the puzzles (easy and hard) which varies the number of pieces, and children can collect fish tank items as they read, to decorate their own aquarium at the story’s end. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
Calling all occupational therapists. Now you can turn your iPad into a fine motor skill assessment and practice instrument. The $10 app, was inspired when an app developer (Frank Jensen) needed such a tool for his daughter. There are three sets of multi-touch activities designed to both assess and provide practice with common skills: Tap it, Pinch it and Write it. A set of reporting options records the time and accuracy of each task for one user. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating, and see why this received our Editor’s Choice Award.
This is a high quality iPad version of the classic, royalty free fairy tale known as Cinderella. Content includes 40 screens. Interactivity is limited to the ability to touch characters or items to hear an associated one or two word message or associated sound. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
In case you’ve never played Bust-A-Move, the goal is to aim and shoot little colored balls, one at a time, into an approaching mass. If you can hit the same color, the balls pop, giving you more time and points. You beat the level when all the balls have been popped. When in the puzzle mode, there are 8 stages with 10 levels per stage, each represented by a planet. As with other versions of the game (there are thousands of Flash based editions on line) the game is simple enough for a four year old to play, but some of the later levels require a surprising amount of nuance, including using angles. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Setting up a Multi-Touch Preschool:
An Eight Step Plan, with Costs, Apps and Other Details
Download This Article as a PDF.
Reprinted from Children’s Technology Review, March 2011, Vol. 19, No. 3, Issue 132 Copyright 2011
by Warren Buckleitner
In a preschool classroom, the difference between a smooth day and an utter disaster can be small, as any teacher knows. Experienced teachers also know not to skimp on the classroom materials available to children during free play time. I’ve seen a sand table soothe an upset child, simply because it gives him or her something that is easy to use (just run your fingers through the sand), fun to explore (we would hide small plastic toys in the sand), and provides unlimited ways to create (especially when mixed with drops of water). These types of materials lie at the heart of any early childhood curriculum.
Read the rest of this entry »
April 2011
Volume 19, No. 4, Issue 133
News & Commentary on Children’s Tech by Warren Buckleitner, Editor
NOTE: CTR is an ad-free, subscriber supported publication. We post select content on our site. Review and articles are sent each month to paid subscribers. You can subscribe for $24/year to get full access.
April showers bring 3D, at least for this year. They also bring iPad 2s and another wave of children’s apps.
First the 3DS. “It rocks,” said our testers when they first saw it last month. But more significantly, “it still rocks” a month later. The clear 3D upper screen, combined with the new gyro and motion detection (on par with a Wii Remote) bring something new to handheld gaming that isn’t going to fade. But the 3DS does have a few warts:
• The price. At $250, this flavor of 3D comes with a pricetag out of the range of many families. One father watched his daughter on the 3DS and groaned “Arggh — we just got our Kinect. Now this?”
• The batteries drain noticeably faster than the older DSi; a problem for long car trips. Week batteries are a big deal; dooming the PSP Go. Sure, the new charging cradle is nice, but you still need to be near a power outlet. Kids will be fighting for those scarce airport power outlets, too!
• 3DS game cartridges won’t run on the older DSi or DS light, giving parents another way to bring home the wrong game. Fortunately, the game packaging is well marked.
• Game quality varies. 3D doesn’t insure good game play, so read the reviews before paying for the 3D premium.
Hasbro’s MY3D is another interesting gadget you’ll find in this issue. It turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a 3D iMax theater. You snap your iPhone or iPod into it, to deliver 3D . Before you scoff “it’ll never work,” consider that the device costs about the same as a single 3DS title ($35) and will be able to play multiple apps that are either free or cost a few dollars. So, if you already have an iPhone or iPod Touch, 3D is within reach. See our in-office demo at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfqRiNfy2LQ
I uploaded a YouTube video — Engagement as a variable http://youtu.be/8i9-JmhvUQ4?a
I uploaded a YouTube video — HCRHS Winter Guard April 2 http://youtu.be/j4YEzaYSDRo?a
April 1, 2011, Redmond Washington. Microsoft Corp. today announced a significant upgrade to Windows Media Player, hailed by many as a breakthrough for combining hardware and software. “Finally! Smooth video on a Windows machine! Just turn it on and it works” said Bill Gates, who came out of retirement specifically for the announcement. “We asked our engineers to come up with a great solution that was affordable and reliable. They knocked it out of the ballpark.” The base-level Platinum package features a 17 inch high-gloss screen, turned off to provide a contrasting background, and a 6 cell battery for heft, to resist jolts. The dampened hinge tilts front or back, making it easy to find the right glare-free angle, for vertical and landscape viewing.