The Traditional Storyteller – Anancie and the Drum of Common Sense is a lovely new universal app – part of a series of apps that brings traditional stories from around the world to life with the aid of wonderful storytellers.

I feel privileged to have been introduced to this series and been given the chance to review this specific app, Anancie and the Drum of Common Sense. This tale of the same name is a classic West African story about Anancie, a half-man, half-spider character who collects common sense from children in the end distributing common sense to all the land in a way most satisfying.

The delivery of this story is brilliant in its simplicity. This video recording is of Tuup, a master storyteller, who tells this story looking directly into the camera as he talks. There is no music, sound effects or interactions in this main part of this application, allowing my son to focus on the tale at hand, who was captivated with this man’s wonderful performance.

Storytelling is an art form, and for those gifted in this skill, the delivery can be quite mesmerizing. From the first few words of this story, I don’t think my four year old son, very cranky at the time, took his eyes off my iPhone.

My boy really enjoys the idea of a half-man, half-spider and the imagery of this creature trying to climb a tree – an important detail of this story. As a parent, I really liked the simple lessons taught as Tuup explains the common sense children express as he puts these rules into a drum that he tries to carry up this tree. There is also a moment in this story where Anancie gets frustrated by his own children, not realizing they were trying to help – moments both parents and children alike can relate to.

The length of this story is about 10 minutes, a great length of time for my son to be asked to sit and listen to a story from start to finish, and this expert storyteller does a great job of keeping the energy high throughout this tale.

There are a few other sections of this app with related materials.

Map Game is a very nice section that includes a series of tiles that combine illustrations and audio from moments of this story that need to be re-arranged from start to finish, testing children on the memory, comprehension and understanding of story structure.

Listen and Repeat allows children to listen to moments from this story and repeat what they can remember in their own words as they make their own recording.

Tell Your Story Game lets kids and adults record their own story and email to friends and family.

Bets Bits are short excerpts highlighting favorite moments from this story, a nice section to view when families don’t have 10 minutes for the whole story.

There are so many highly stimulating, interactive applications available that I always find it nice to share wonderful apps that simply contain great stories that kids and their adults can sit back and listen to. Anancie and the Drum of Common Sense, as well as the other apps from this series, would be excellent titles for families who love traditional storytelling.

I also think this app would be great for special needs kids who may need to practice being comfortable around others who make direct eye contact.

This app would also be great in a school setting as it demonstrates not only an excellent delivery of this thoughtful, classic story with important messages, but would make a terrific choice for teaching comprehension and dramatic structure as well as diversity. This traditional West African tale would be a very nice selection for classrooms that may be looking for more multicultural activities.

I have become very excited about this series of apps as I am a fan of traditional storytelling in general, and I love seeing this ancient tradition kept alive with the use of such modern devices.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Just For Fun, Language, Preschool, Reviews, Social, Special Needs, Stories, Toddlers

Thumbnail Theater: Macbeth is a wonderful educational resource and a terrific universal companion app to those who are studying Macbeth in school or are simply fans of Shakespeare.

I am very excited to be introducing this app to readers as this app features Michael Mills’s Nine Minute animated adaptation of this tragic Shakespearean play.

Michael Mills is a British-born animator, director and producer – possibly best known for his Oscar-nominated animated shorts – ‘Evolution’ and ‘History of the World in Three Minutes flat.’

I do love his take on Macbeth. The animation style is sly and sophisticated, and with a tongue-in-cheek and will impress all ages.

Not only is this animated short included, but a terrific section, The Self Guide is also included with an impressive amount of information, both specifically about Macbeth as well as about life during this period of time in general.

There is so many great sections to explore, such as the main characters from this play and the complete text of Macbeth as well as the other works of Shakespeare. The Life and Times of Shakespeare and historical information about Scotland are included as well as information about theaters of this time period and a fascinating section on The Symbolic and the Supernatural.

Each of these topics is further broken down into sub-categories – some of my favorites being the discoveries and Inventions touching upon the scientific concepts of Copernicus and Galileo, the great Renaissance man – Leonardo da Vinci, and the importance of Gutenberg’s printing press, comparing it very wisely to today’s internet.

I think it is also great how the other works of Shakespeare are mentioned, such as the Sonnets, Poems, Folios and Quartos, as well as a section dedicated to famous Shakespearean quotes.

Other interesting information, like how the use of children instead of women as actors is touched upon, and I really enjoy how the superstition of the title Macbeth – never uttered while this play is under production – is also incorporated into this very rich encyclopedia of all things Shakespeare.

An impressive three hours of content is included that older grade school kids as well as adults will find very fun and informative. I appreciate how the included text can be narrated by Mills as his narration is wonderful, also allowing children who may be reluctant readers to gain a lot from this app by listening to it alone.

An interactive timeline and world map are also thoughtfully included that students of all ages will enjoy. Do tap on the animations as well, as some fun hidden hotspots are included, triggering some wildly witty animations.

It is great that an interactive mode also exists where one can watch the video and tap icons placed at the bottom of the page that will bring one to the corresponding informational section of this app, allowing one to gain further insight while watching the included animation.

This is very helpful in learning more about the various subjects within this app, but I did have some issues with getting back into the story after I perused the added info.

it would be nice if some sort of button was able to be tapped that would bring viewers back to the area of the video they were watching last. I also felt that the Self Guide of information took some getting used to in terms of its basic navigation -issues not too terrible but which could possibly be smoothed out in a future update.

I enjoy the additional clips of Michael Mills himself found within this app as well, exploring details further or giving instructions on how to best enjoy this app, but I found these clips to be of lower resolution, noticeable but not in a way that took away from the enjoyment of his presence, although the images of Mills himself are quite small, especially on the iPhone.

I also noticed that a few pages from the Self Guide did not have the included narration one would expect from this fully narrated app – an issue I hope can be worked out in the future.

Even with these minor notes, Thumbnail Theater: Macbeth is an app that I greatly enjoyed, both on its own merits and also because apps for older children are not as common as I would like in iTunes. I highly recommend this app to any student who is reading Shakespeare as well as to adults who would like to know more about this time period in general.

I am thrilled to learn that this app is first in a series like it, I will be on the lookout for more of these Thumbnail Theatre apps in the future as this one was terrific.

By Age Range, By App Feature, For Parents, Geography, High School +, Just For Fun, Language, Middle School, Primary School, Reading, Reviews, Social, Stories

Monsters & Mutants, as the name may suggest, is an informative application for iPad that includes the stories behind some of the world’s best known monsters and mutants, along with other fun information.

This app for iPad contains 20 creatures, each colorfully illustrated with lots of details that fans will enjoy. Without narration, this is an encyclopedic app that will require reading skills of either the app user or an adult to help read this text out loud.

I am impressed with the content of this app, nicely re-telling the stories that have made these scary subjects part of pop culture.

It is nice that readers tap to hear the noises these creatures make, as well as quizzing themselves on the correct size of these subjects, allowing readers to scale both adult male and monster images to see how correct they can get in terms of relative size in this interesting interactive application.

Where in the World is another interactive section allowing one to pinpoint sightings of these monsters with surprising accuracy – thanks to Google maps.

A gallery of images that demonstrates the story being told includes a monster close-up, also allowing one to create a coloring page as well as the use of the AirPrint. Some fun Did You Know? facts are also available.

There are a few ways to arrange the icons that each represents a character from this app, either in a grid or spread into a circle, randomly across the screen or in a pile. From here, one can move these images around the screen, further sorting if one is interested, creating a nice trading card feel that I appreciate. One can also re-size these icons, with small, medium and large choices if one so desires.

These beasts can also be grouped in a number of ways, such as their origins around the globe or type of creature, such as Mythological Monsters, Modern Monsters, Ancient Legends and Folklore and Movie Monsters. One can also rate these characters, splitting up and organizing these monsters this way as well.

The organizing by sub-categories is a good idea, but it is unfortunate that the an important aspect of crypto zoology was left out of the “Modern Monsters” section as these creatures such as Big Foot, the Loch Ness Monster or the Jersey Devil are interesting and important because their differentiation between fact or fiction has never been truly proven or disproven.

Developers may also want to change the chupacabra’s category from Ancient Legends and Folklore to Modern Monsters, as this blood-thirsty creature is described as a “modern menace of the Americas,” having first been described in 1995. Japan’s Oni, Western Europe’s Kraken and the Native American Thunderbird should possibly be best moved from mythology to Ancient Legends and Folklore as well.

I have also found that tapping on these monster icons in the interest of exploring these creatures further is sometimes unresponsive – something that I hope can be worked out in a future update.

Even with these issues, I have really enjoyed reading about these creatures. This is an app that I would have enjoyed this app a great deal in grade school and middle school, as this app will be a hit with fans of this subject matter.

It may be worth pointing out that some of the stories re-told about certain characters, such as the Reptoid Alien are rather disturbing if taken literally. I mean this is a good way, of course, in terms of the children who will naturally gravitate toward this application, but this app may be too intense for younger children, so my son will have to be older before I can share this app with him.

If interested, apps focused on vampires and dragons are also available from this developer, please check out iTunes for more information.

Animals, Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Geography, Just For Fun, Middle School, Preschool, Primary School, Reading, Reviews, Social, Stories

Alien Buddies is a universal educational app that my son has been really enjoying.

Three activities are included – a very educational matching game that teaches basic colors, shapes, letters and numbers, a well-done dot-to-dot game as well as sticker pages to explore.

My son has really taken to the connect-the-dots activity – something he has been exposed to before, but until now had no interest in. Here, eight silhouettes are offered. Tap to choose the image one is looking to complete. Really nice jazzy music (which parents will be happy to listen to as well) is included as children connect these dots. The night’s sky is the backdrop, complete with floating stars seen in the distance as these images are being transformed from numbers to a complete image once sequenced, reminding me of constellations.

It is especially nice that one can either tap each number in sequence individually or drag a finger around number to number or complete with one continuous movement with a finger, depending on the fine motor skills the player possesses – something my son could use some practice in. As of now, he is only tapping each number, but I hope soon he will be able to drag his fingers to each number as well – a more challenging way to complete these puzzles. If needed, players can also have a hint mode turned on, highlighting the numbers in sequence to make this section easier for young players.

The Matching game is very nice as players drag aliens, labeled with a specific letter, number or the like to the matching pod waiting to carry them to safety. The styling of this section is super-cute as are these colorful aliens who subtly tap their foot or look around nervously waiting for their turn to be saved as they step to the right of the screen.

Part of me wishes that there were some hazard one is trying to save these aliens from, but instead of negative consequences, children are encouraged to do their best by being rewarded with a new sticker unlocked in the sticker section of this app, adding to the base number of stickers one starts out with that can be used to decorate various landscapes.

I especially like how a just-listening mode is included, where no visual clues for corresponding matches are seen, making players rely on their listening skills, also great for children learning English as a second language or for use with special needs children who may need to focus on the understanding of spoken language. It is also nice that the dot-to-dot and sticker sections require no reading, allowing non-English speaking children to enjoy these sections as well.

The first thing I noticed about this app is how bright and colorful all the images found within are. This is especially true within the landscapes of the sticker section, as each of these eight sticker pages contains very different looking fantasy locations with vivid pinks and oranges, greens and turquoise – many colors really that create backdrops which could be at home in Dr. Seuss stories. Forty stickers can ultimately be utilized, with six stickers included to begin with, allowing players to be able to unlock the others as they succeed at the matching and dot-to-dot activities.

It is endearing how each of these aliens or monsters is cuddly and not at all scary. Parents who have spent some time in the iTunes store will understand the popularity of apps that teach these basics, and because a lot of time will be spent with apps like this, it is important for these apps to be fun and engaging, not only for the child, but for the parent as well.

Recently, a puzzle section has been added to this application, adding even more value to this fun, educational app. Here, eight colorful alien choices are offered. Choose with a tap and the drag pieces where they belong, with subtle jigsaw outlines seen as hints. Fun narration explains this intuitive gameplay, as well as a witty comment that kids will enjoy, such as “Where are my legs?” Players can choose to have these images broken up into 4, 6, or 8 pieces.

I appreciate that these puzzles have a nice level of “grab” to them, as they pull themselves into the correct spaces if the piece becomes close enough, as if by magnetism, “clicking” these pieces into place, along with the use of sound effects create for a satisfying experience. A subtle amount of rotation within these pieces is included that adds to the visual effect but does not effect the placement of these parts within the puzzle, and it is nice that kids can collect stickers for completed puzzles as well.

The bright and lively style of Alien Buddies unique matching game play, well-crafted dot to dot and sticker sections, cool puzzles and nice music will keep children entertained for a long time as well.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Just For Fun, Language, Matching, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews, Shapes, Special Needs, Toddlers

OLIVIA the Great on iPhone is a charming application that includes some fun hidden object activities, as well as re-enforcing fine motor skills, making this app a great choice for children – both fans of Olivia the pig and children new to this franchise. A version of this app is also available for iPad.

OLIVIA the Great stars Olivia herself, the pig that many children know from her own TV show as well as the series of books by Ian Falconer.

In this application, help Olivia perform a series of magic tricks, first by looking for the items needed in one of a few messy rooms of Olivia’s house and beyond, such as bedrooms, living room and playground.

Players may need to move other clutter aside to look for items such as a stuffed doll, top hat or robot, making this a nice take on a classic hidden-objects game that kids can relate to, as my son sometimes needs help finding his favorite toys among a sea of others.

It is also fun how the objects one helps Olivia find are relevant in the trick she is about to perform, be it the Floating Hat or Dancing Robot tricks – cute details that adults as well as children will enjoy.

With only the outline of the items in question given, this activity have a nice level of difficulty for preschoolers as it can sometimes be tricky to tell exactly what toy is being asked for by silhouette alone, but if a mistake is made, the incorrect choice is simply removed, making this game light, fun and with many items to tap on.

Once the necessary tools have been found, players are taken to the next scene that is minimally stylized with Olivia nicely dressed as a magician on a darkened stage beside a steamer trunk used for her performance. Olivia will then demonstrate the motions she needs to make with her magic wand, movements which players perform with the drag of a finger, complete with fairy dust and twinkling sound effects that my son really enjoys.

The movements needed to produce magic may include a circle, horizontal line or three-sided, almost square shape. Although not complex, these shapes will be the foundation of letter writing, making this an excellent app to practice fine motor skills.

It is also nice that one can perform these interactions, repeating what Olivia just demonstrated, or wait until her explanation is over, making these magic tricks more difficult as one must remember the shapes or movements just seen, especially when two drags of a finger are necessary.

Once the interaction has been performed, the scene is transformed to a brightly lit stage with friends and family in the audience as the trick is ultimately performed by using the toys once searched for, now having been placed in the steamer trunk on stage next to Olivia.

It is super-cute that other pigs in the audience will ask for specific tricks already in Olivia’s repertoire, or one can tap on the trunk to see the next trick one can learn, as these tricks are unlocked slowly one after the other.

Olivia the Great will greatly appeal to fans of Olivia as the voice of Olivia is used here with great effect, as is the delightful look of these stylized pigs and the fun, jazzy theme song which is used both here as well as on TV. It is also nice that a few tie-ins exist, like familiar areas of Olivia’s house or characters including younger brother William, Dad and cat Edwin, each partaking in the magic as well, but children unaware of this series will enjoy this cute and quirky app without feeling as if they are missing anything.

It is also worth noting that this app does not contain any of the sassiness that critics of Olivia sometimes point to in terms of bad behavior.

With 16 magic tricks to participate in, there is a nice amount of content to explore, and I appreciate that although the toys needed to be collected for specific tricks remain the same, the placement of the objects one must weed through is random, creating a new experience each time one of these sections is played – great for replay value.

This is an app that we have had for a long time now, and I am glad to have the chance to share this app with readers. This is an app my son has had a lot of fun with, choosing this to show off his tricks to other adults, as well asking for help as the finger movements required can be challenging for young children and their newly acquired fine motor skills. At four, this is an app that my boy still enjoys and has started to do a lot of these tricks on his own.

I appreciate how although this app is a little forgiving with the dragging movements needed for these tricks, this app does expect some precise lines or shapes to be drawn, and it is great how children cannot cheat their way through this app in the way it is possible if one simply fills in the templates found in letter apps also used to support fine motor skills.

Olivia the Great is a lovely choice for an app that is something fun and a little different. Children will not realize the educational aspects of this cute app, but parents can feel good about their young child spending time with Olivia the Great.

Animals, Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Just For Fun, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews, Toddlers

Bizzy Bear on the Farm is a charming new universal interactive storybook by Nosy Crow.

Two modes are included, each interactive, one with included narration and one meant to be read on one’s own.

My son has really taken to this delightful story about Bizzy Bear, a cuddly and relatable bear who is looking to be very helpful as he visits a farm, asking players for help as he partakes in such chores as feeding the pigs, helping sheep back into their pen or collecting eggs from hen houses.

Each page has a main interaction or two that is nicely explained by the narration or text found at the top of the page. Do tap Bizzy Bear to hear the multiple lines of dialogue offered as well as the other objects and characters found throughout these pages, and experiment with dragging Bizzy Bear around with a tap and drag for fun.

In looking at the comments left on iTunes, I have noticed that others do not feel that this app is as intuitive as the other apps developed by Nosy Crow – specifically The Three Little Pigs and Cinderella.

I have not found this to be the case for my son who has had no issues with the use of this application. It is true that without an autoplay section, the pages do not turn automatically, allowing children to play out these interactions fully before turning the page – an aspect that never tripped up my son as he happily explored these pages for all that they offer. They nicely include the use of the blue dots found also within their previous apps that mark characters that have something to say when tapped. When my son is finished with these pages, he simply taps the blue arrow found at the bottom right corner twice to turn the page.

The narrative for this book is not as involved as the classic story applications that Nosy Crow is known for, but works well for telling this simple story that young children will enjoy. Not being as intricate as the other apps, this simple story lends itself well to the open-ended and exploratory nature that this app offers, as my son fed, fed and over-fed these pigs until he felt satisfied enough to move on, not having to worry too much about remembering a specific plot underway.

I did, however, find that riding the horse was not easy to manipulate, as players need to figure out that one swipes behind the horse as if he is propelling him vs. dragging him where one may want him to go. An arrow demonstrating this in the future would be helpful.

After some practice, I could move this horse back and forth, turning directions, slowing down and speeding up but was not able to stop or slow down long enough to tap the bunnies found in the background of this page, which are highlighted with blue dots and looking for a tap – a disappointment for us in this otherwise very enjoyable application.

Fans of Nosy Crow will also notice that the style of illustrations found within this app is different from the previous digital tales. I enjoy the bright and bold color choices as well as Bizzy himself and all the other animals that kids will love. To me, these illustrations include nuances of Richard Scarry’s Busy Town characters which I appreciate, while maintaining a look all their own.

My son has really enjoyed Bizzy’s trip to the farm and has asked me if there will be more Bizzy apps soon – high praise from a kid with an abundance of applications to choose from. This is not a lengthy story but just right for toddlers and preschoolers, although longer stories in the future would be nice too.

Seeing how my son really enjoys Bizzy Bear, a bear who is thoughtful and kind to animals, I will be looking for some published books from this series also from Nosy Crow.

I am impressed that Nosy Crow is an independent publisher/developer of both printed books and applications. I hope to see more of their work in the future.

Animals, Art, By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Just For Fun, Language, Preschool, Primary School, Reading, Reviews, Social, Stories, Toddlers

2BME Firefighter is a universal educational app that teaches fire safety, allowing children to role play as a fire fighter, as well as including a classroom setting where kids can be quizzed on what they have learned.

My son has been enjoying this app a lot recently, as here, kids can pretend to be fire fighters, learning in more details about this occupation that I have seen in other apps.

I really like how all the hot spots are marked with different icons used to clue in players on how to interact. Be it a red circle to tap or a blue arrow to swipe, this app is very hands-on.

I also appreciate how not just basic fire fighting is touched upon here but also allows children to visit the command center and operate the control panel as calls come in from the wire. Fire safety is also taught, including such information about what to do if one’s clothing catches on fire, not touching matches or lighters, as well as preparing an escape route and meeting place.

My son especially loves to help the fireman slide down the pole and get him dressed as well as to explore the equipment on the truck and pretend to drive to emergencies.

I am impressed with how much information is provided, including advanced vocabulary, such as “turnout coat,” “air pack,” or “hydraulic rescue tool, with cutter and spreader.”

Three scenes can be selected individually or played in sequence and include a cat rescue at the park, a tour of the firehouse and an emergency call to put out a fire which includes a fun mini-game where one helps save a burning building.

A separate section is available, quizzing children on what they have learned.

We both really like how interactions more detailed to fire fighting and not commonly found in apps such as this, like how connecting the hose to the hydrant and then manipulating gears and levers to control the amount of water released through the fire hose are demonstrated.

It would be nice that if in a future update, a menu could be included as my son does ask for help finding his favorite moments to interact with.

I am glad that this is a universal app, as we have been enjoying this app on both our iPad as well as iPhone, but I do notice that the resolution could be a little bit better on the iPad and the narration sounds a little halted and computery, but my son has not complained about these adult concerns, as he enjoys the computer-generated 3D images that give this app a sense of dimension.

As one can expect, there are a lot of bells and alarms here and because of this, this app can get pretty noisy. It is nice, however, that kids are in control of these sound effects, allowing kids with sensitive ears to hear these sounds only momentarily, if at all.

It is also very nice that an interactive tutorial explains the tapping, swiping and dragging found within – good for children new to applications and information that will serve them well in working with other apps in the future.

2BME Firefighter is a great choice of apps for children interested in fireman-related activities or for parents who want to teach fire safety in a way that will be fun and engaging, as there is certainly a lot to interact with, touch and move in ways that are thoughtful and necessary to the task at hand.

I am not sure if this is part of a larger series of apps, but we would love to see more occupations explored in this manner.

This is an app my son keeps coming back to, and I really like the information he is learning. I would love if dialing 911 were also taught as well – something to think about for a future update.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Just For Fun, Preschool, Primary School, Reviews, Social, Toddlers

My First App Vehicles, now a universal application, is a very nice puzzle app for preschoolers with a lovely visual style and a great amount of content.

My son found My First App Vehicles himself while looking at the folder of new apps to review on my phone. I can see why this app caught his eye, as this app’s icon is bright green with a tractor – a vehicle he really enjoys. This is a nice image that represents the bright and bold color choices found within this whimsical app.

Three different styled puzzles are included, and I think it is interesting that a selection of eight vehicles is chosen for the jigsaw and matching style activities, and a different selection of vehicles is used for the tilt-style game – an activity that I have not seen a lot of in applications.

The choices of vehicles are delightful, colorful and simply a lot of fun, such as a 1960’s Hippy-style bus, royal horse-drawn cart or alien space ship, along with traditional choices like police and fire vehicles. I appreciate the subtle textures used here, as many backgrounds have a lined pattern found in expensive decorative paper – a nice touch.

I am impressed with how one can choose the number of pieces within the jigsaw puzzles section, ranging from two to nine, as well as including the rotation of pieces or not, depending on the level of difficulty one is looking for.

A nice level of “grab” is included, drawing pieces to the correct spots when a piece is brought close, but no other hints or reference images are given, making these puzzles potentially quite challenging, even for older children.

After each puzzle is complete, a colorful clown pops up onto the screen congratulating the player. This animation, although cute, can get a little redundant for adults, but fun for the children who are enjoying these puzzles.

The music included, although upbeat, can also get to be repetitive for adult ears – easy to fix as the music can be muted, making this a great quiet game, but I wish the sound effects were not automatically silenced along with the music – something to think about for a future update.

The Turning Game is this app’s take on the classic slider game where players scroll vertically, looking to match two halves of the same vehicle. When a vehicle is complete, a fun animated interaction with sound effects rewards young players.

I really like the “pinball” section of the app – a name I find a little tricky – as in most pinball games, one is trying to avoid the ball falling into the holes, but at a glance, parents will understand this “tilt” style game where one holds the iPhone in one’s hand while attempting to manipulate the device to get the ball into the holes provided.

This is good variation on the classic, low tech. game that all kids will at some point be exposed to. I am surprised that not more kids’ apps have styled games like this before. The small silver ball used with added reflective qualities and subtle shading found within the holes themselves makes this game-play incredibly life-like compared to the way this classic game is played – elements I have really enjoyed.

Eight new vehicles are offered in this section, and it is worth noting that the vehicles included within these activities are not introduced with narration, so adults may need to explain what some of these vehicles are, especially if this is a first vehicles app as the name of this app suggests.

I really like the choice of the red double-decker bus and street cleaner, as these vehicles are a little different from those found in other apps but still contain the same great colors and whimsical sensibilities found in the other puzzle sections.

This is a lovely, simple app that could keep a child entertained for a very nice length of time, making this a lovely choice to add to a collection of puzzle apps.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Just For Fun, Preschool, Puzzle, Reviews, Toddlers

Noodle Words – Active Game Set 1 is a charming educational app for iPad that is sure to put a smile on the face of users no matter the age, as well as teach the meaning of action works in ways most delightful.

Noodle Words is a very simple app to understand as a box of words is introduced as well as two adorable bugs, Stretch and Squish.

Tap the box for an action word to appear on the screen, which is also narrated.

Now tap this word for a demonstration, as the text itself acts out these verbs such as sprouting veins and ultimately pretty yellow flowers for the word “grow,” or spin around to illustrate the word “spin.”

Do tap the friendly bugs in the bottom left corner as well to further see the word in question demonstrated and do drag these words around the screen as well for fun.

As an adult, I was instantly intrigued and was eager to see how words offered like “Laugh” or “Blow” would be animated, and I have universally been quite pleased with what creative animations this app comes up with.

The animations included contain such whimsy that these words make me smile even after repeated use, such as the letters in the word “eat” eating themselves, turning into the word “ate.”

I think the use of Stretch and Squish is wonderful as well, as these bugs are also seen eating food, making this word less abstract as is the intriguing animation for this word.

Eighteen words are included within this first game set, with presumably more sets to come, something that excited me as I have really enjoyed watching these animated words come to life. The narration here is cute and very clear sounding – something important for a language app such as this.

I think this is a terrific application for language building and overall educational entertainment. This app is geared toward 4-7 year olds, and I think this age group will have a blast with this app, but I think this app would be great for those new to language as well, such as those one or two years old. Even as babies’ first app, the interactions are fun and engaging for parents as well as children.

This app would also be perfect for anyone who is learning English as a second language, or for special needs children who need some help learning about language as well. It is also nice that a thoughtfully written section for parents is included, as is a tutorial for children – a very nice touch for this already intuitive children’s app.

I am eager to see what new Game Sets have to offer, as I found this app filled with dynamic interactions, nice to look at and simply a lot of fun.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Just For Fun, Language, Preschool, Reviews, Special Needs, Toddlers

Feel Electric! is an interesting free, universal educational app aimed at helping children learn about and express emotions in a healthy way.

This app features the cast and content of The New Electric Company, teaching children the meaning of 50 emotional words and further exploring these different feelings with a variety of fun activities.

One area of this app is called My Life and consists of three sections, Mood Dude, Mood Tales and Moodosphere.

Mood Dude allows players to change the eyes, brows, mouth, arms, and color of an avatar reminiscent of an M&M character, allowing one to express how he is feeling. It is nice that both happy and sad choices are included as well as many other emotions.

Mood Tales includes ten story makers that also demonstrate emotions, here used as the tone to these short stories that get filled in with the choice of random words – Mad-Libs style – and include images from this hit PBS T.V. show.

Moodosphere allows children to choose three emotions that best describe their current mood do tap to hear and see proper usage of these words.

I really enjoy the vast selection of eclectic emotions included within this app, such as calm, confused, bored, regretful, jealous or proud, as well as how these words are explained as a tap of a finger opens up a glossary of terms, both written, narrated, and with a photo. I think it is great that the narration also expresses the emotion word in use, really bringing home the meaning of these important words.

The My Games section includes three fun arcade-style mini-games that also focus on children learning to express their emotions through words.

Pets Vs. Monsters is a fun game taking place on a baseball field where the player moves a batter back and forth with a finger trying to hit photo images that correspond with the emotion in question. I enjoy this mini-game, but I found this game a little hard as I tried to match up expressions that did not match 100 % with the emotion at hand but were good choices until the correct, most obvious choice was offered.

Prankster Madness is a tilt game where players tilt their devices to move a skateboarder back and forth matching expressive photos to word balls dropping from the sky, missing incorrect words and other objects in the fast-paced, timed mini-game.

Hey, Catch This is another emotion centric arcade-style game, here allowing players to shoot word balls at moving targets with matching expressions.

My Stuff is a section full of photos, music, and video clips from The New Electric Company. This section allows one to decorate the photos from the My Photos with stickers that also express different emotions. It is nice that a large selection of images, music and video clips from The New Electric Company are included, and I appreciate how this media can be accessed without an internet connection.

Fans of this show will love all of this included content, but I think children not familiar with this series may feel that there is a lot of context missing to fully understand what one is looking at or listening to.

Although this may be the case for this section of this app, it is nice that the other areas of this app are accessible to children who may not watch this show on TV, even if the concepts and characters past the basic gameplay may also be over the heads of those not fans of The New Electric Company.

My personal favorite area of this app is the What’s the Word section, a glossary of emotional words used throughout this app. Here, one can study the faces that make up each expression close up, also listening to the explanation of each word expressed in a way that demonstrates each word really well. This is a great area to compare similar yet different words as it pertains to how these expressions are demonstrated on the faces of those who possess these emotions. It would be nice to be able to see these photos blow up to even larger images, and it would be nice to choose words that are similar and be able to compare these images side by side.

Feel Electric! is also part of the website, Military Families Near and Far which aids children in expressing their emotions and keeping in contact with family. This is a wonderful application for allowing children to express their feelings especially while being faced with the challenges of deployed family members.

I would also like to recommend this app to families with special needs children who will gain a lot by the images of expressive faces and verbal cues offered about a variety of emotions. Jessica Ruiz and Danny Rebus, the teen cast members who star in this app as well as The New Electric Company do an outstanding job expressing these emotions in a way that is exaggerated enough for these feelings to register clearly, while still being grounded in reality.

Parents and teachers may also appreciate how this app keeps a log of the various emotions chosen on different days, allowing adults and children to look back and discuss the feelings that were previously felt.

It is impressive that an app of this caliber is free, as it is bright, colorful and a lot of fun, also including some fun, up-beat music used throughout.

Because of this fact, I would think many families would enjoy downloading this app and seeing what it is all about, as I can imagine young children not associated with military families, or those who have special needs, can gain a great deal of new vocabulary words, making this a good app for toddlers who can peruse the emotional faces and new words found throughout the What’s the Word section, making it a great first app where kids will grow into the other sections.

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