This app lets children take control of the “scary” monster and learn how to not be afraid of it. Each page progressively reveals and then removes each piece of the Big Green Monster by cleverly changing the background screen colors. Children can add the Monster’s eyes, hair, ears, and nose, and poke him to see what he does. There are four modes: Read Along with a Friend; Read Along with Ed; Sing Along; and Read Yourself. 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 app is designed to teach children the names of common colors using a hungry but friendly monster. There are 10 language options (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Swedish, Russian, Japanese and Chinese). Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Designed to introduce preschoolers to pre-reading and critical thinking skills, this app contains four activities: Bug Catcher – practice colors, shapes, number recognition and counting while you search for wiggly creatures to complete the collection; Present Search – follow the directions and listen to the hints to discover which of the pets is hiding a prize; Matching Duckies – a memory game where you must match the quacking ducks to reveal a message; and Barnyard Fun – master upper and lowercase letters with the help of barnyard cows. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Drill and practice gets a new face, voice and brain, with this updated edition of one of the first robotic learning toys. Powered by three AA batteries (included) the 9 inch tall robot is controlled by inserting one of 30 two sided cards into his belly, covering every letter of the alphabet and numeral up to nine. The cards are color coded on the bottom so Alphie can keep things straight using an optical reader. There are eight possible button combinations so children can make matches (e.g., 2D shapes with 3D shapes; sets with numerals, and so on). The LED screen and light-up mouth gives Alphie a wide range of expressions. 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.
Baby Einstein content comes to your mobile device for the first time in this mixture of short video, and do-it-yourself fact screens in which you can record your own voice and follow links to online purchases. The videos consist of six three minute video segments taken from existing content (Baby Neptune and Baby Beethoven). Each follows the tried-and-true formula of mixing classical music with close ups of interesting objects. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
If you’ve ever done a paint-by-number puzzle, you get the idea of “123 Color HD Talking Coloring Book for iPad” (the long name). This is the third update of this title, the first for iPad. You start by choosing from three sets of 17 black-line coloring sheets, one for numerals, upper case letters and lower case letters. There’s also a free coloring option. Each part of the picture is labeled, and a key is shown on the bottom of the screen. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.
Part of zinc Roe’s Tickle Tap App series, this $1.99 App turns your camera-equipped iPhone into a color sampler. After a brief introduction, children see a viewfinder surrounded by six colors. Once an item is scanned, the app tries it’s best to average all the pixels into one color, and concludes “this looks like orange.” 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 touch-and-explore book for the iPhone/iPod Touch contains 20 pages of surprises, hidden in simple, hand drawn illustrations. In the story, two best friends, a Monkey (Madera) and a Frog (Figaro) work together to find a lost cat named Ginger. As you move throughout the story, you can either freely touch to find hidden routines, or complete simple matching, counting and sorting tasks on par with what a child would encounter during the first week of Kindergarten. For example, in one screen, children touch and drag acorns to a matching squirrel hole. Subscribers, please log into our database using your password to read the full review along with our rating.