“Mother Goose Reader” is a lovely, content-rich children’s app for the iPad that introduces 20 classic Mother Goose Rhymes to children. Each rhyme is illustrated nicely, and there are a lot of hidden sounds to tap on and games to play, including shape, letter and size sorting, puzzles, memory games and drum pad. The rhymes can both be sung or spoken, and you have the option of doing your own recordings. The text is highlighted as the rhyme is sung/read, making it easy to follow along.

I really enjoy this app because I want my son (2 1/2) to be exposed to these classics. This app does a nice job in reciting the full versions of these rhymes, not just the first verse. My son really enjoys tapping all over the pages looking for the sounds and music. He also loves the hidden games and sometimes asks me to find them for him as soon as he opens up this application, the index of hidden games makes this easy, a nice touch!

I occasionally have mild problems flipping between pages, either doing so accidentally or not knowing where to tap. Grey triangles are sometimes present in the top corners of the screen to aid in page turning, I wish they were always on the screen to be seen.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Matching, Preschool, Puzzle, Reading, Reviews, Shapes, Stories, Toddlers

“Mr. Hat and the Magic Cube” is a new interactive game for children involving kids being transported to a magical world after playing with a mysterious cube. They can’t go home until they help Mr. Hat find the cube’s stolen pieces.

This app combines both animation and games that help teach spelling and vocabulary, counting, matching, dexterity, and puzzles, getting more difficult each time you play. Being plot-heavy for a kids app, “Mr. Hat and the Magic Cube” contains 3D animated video clips rivaling those of serious adult games.

I do think, however, that it takes too long to be able to go home for a children’s game, and I found it to be tiring and a bit frustrating, even for an adult. I like that the app saves your progress, but when you solve the game, I really wish it would start over from the beginning.

Putting these issues aside, I really enjoy the magical world the developers have created. Part Willy Wonka, part Dr. Seuss, this world is trippy and maybe even a little creepy for some parents. I find this refreshing compared to the other soft and fuzzy learning apps we play. I am curious to see what happens in the next “Mr. Hat” application.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Counting, Language, Matching, Math, Phonics, Preschool, Puzzle, Reviews, Spelling

The wait is FINALLY over and our friends Madera the Monkey and Figaro the Frog have returned… this time to Save The Day! (Duh-da-da daaaa!) “Madera & Figaro Save The Day” is the story of two silly friends who join forces to help their community after a large storm has hit their fair city. Their mission is to help restore the city in time for the big party. An impressive follow-up to publisher Lyn & Line’s first application entitled “The Rescue of Ginger”, this app is supersized with more story, more interactive features, and many more learning opportunities. It’s the most interactive storybook app I’ve experienced yet and provides a perfect symmetry of educational game play and story. It’s a rich source of learning opportunities for young kids including elements that teach sizes, shapes, letters, numbers, colors, and matching. It’s packed full of original interactive features and games, too. Designers have crafted the app so that the sequence of questions are randomized, thereby capturing and keeping the attention of young ones who play this application over and over again. It has vivid HD illustrations that are designed to work on both the iPad and iPhone. What a treat!

Animals, By Age Range, By App Feature, Counting, Language, Matching, Phonics, Preschool, Puzzle, Reading, Reviews, Shapes, Sounds, Spelling, Toddlers

The application “Jam Packed!” is a clever puzzle game with the theme of packing. The object of the game is to find a perfect place for each object so each box is completely jam-packed with items. The game contains three categories – Black Box, Jewelry Box, and Lunch Box – with each getting progressively more difficult as the levels progress. Each category has 15 levels, and the tricky part is that each level is locked until you have accomplished the level prior. Trust me – it’s harder than you think to pack things so they all fit! After each sub level is completed, there is a rewarding comment displayed. The graphics and illustrations of items to be packed are realistic and the sound effects are somewhat satisfying. There isn’t any music, but there are dragging sounds when shapes are moved. “Jam Packed!” is great to help kids develop critical thinking and problem solving skills and the game is geared for toddlers to age 10. This is a superior app, a great purchase, and there’s a whole lot of puzzle fun jammed packed in this game!

By Age Range, Counting, Creativity, Math, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews, Shapes, Toddlers

“123 Color” follows the “color-by-numbers” concept used in early childhood education and introduces letters, numbers, and colors to Preschoolers . The main menu has four categories from which to choose. When you touch the book at the top of the page, coloring pages will appear, then you choose the page and begin coloring. At the bottom of the coloring page are the color choices to match up with a number or letter. Touch a color, then match the number or letter in the picture and the color will appear. When the picture is colored correctly, musical notes will float across the screen and play a little jingle. If musical notes are not heard or seen, the colors or matches are incorrect. “123 Color” allows children to keep trying until all numbers or letters match correctly. It’s offered in a number of languages, including English, Spanish, French, and German, and a combo of English-Spanish. The app is well-done, bright, and colorful. The coloring pages are fantastic, and there are many choices within the app. I do hope the publisher decides to add new pages with every update. “123 Color” is also available for the HD iPad

By Age Range, Counting, Creativity, Matching, Phonics, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reading, Reviews, Toddlers

HOW GOOD IS YOUR MEMORY? This game will test just that! Train your brain while you play by watching the computer carefully as it creates sequences for you to repeat. If you make a mistake in the sequence, the game goes back to the beginning. There are four speed modes – normal, fast, faster, and fastest. There are also four sounds to choose from – original, piano, digital, and silent. The silent mode is good to train your brain on visual memorization, however if you combine the sound with the images, you benefit from both visual and audio memorization. “Memory Block” offers excellent early learning skills for new readers. The shape of the computer buttons are colorful and pleasing, and large enough for the littlest fingers. This is a keeper of a game because it has learning benefits for every age. It helps the young ones to develop future skills for reading, and helps the older ones to sharpen memory skills. Remember – our brain is a muscle, so keep working it while having fun!

By Age Range, Counting, Creativity, For Parents, High School +, Matching, Middle School, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews, Sounds, Toddlers

A classy classic puzzle game that never gets old. It has been around for centuries and is still used in our educational systems today. “Lets Tans…” is a visual spatial puzzle game that makes people of all ages use the ole’ brain. This app has 3 different puzzle modes – Classic, Replica, and Arcade. There are 7 brightly colored shapes called tiles and they fit together to make a perfect square “the basic Tangram.” The 7 shapes assembled can form thousands of different shapes. There are 110 different shapes to form in the “Classic” puzzle mode. Drag the shapes inside the large shape, tap once to turn the shape in the direction you want it to go or tap twice to flip the shape to it’s other side. After each shape is assembled, the player is rewarded with an applause or some type of celebratory sound and then on to the next puzzle. Whether you’re in the car, waiting room, restaurant, or just hanging out and your child has their head buried in your iPhone playing “Let Tans…” – RELAX… they’re learning!

By Age Range, Counting, Creativity, For Parents, High School +, Just For Fun, Math, Middle School, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews, Shapes

“Buubuu Jumble Zoo” is a puzzle-flashcard application geared toward toddlers and preschoolers just learning to speak and read. The application displays seven zoo animals and two human characters, and can be played in several different ways. You can play as a jumble puzzle by sliding through the selections to match the three correct anatomical parts; when the puzzle is solved, the animal is displayed in his native environment. The other option allows you to view the animals in flashcard mode with the identifying name. You can customize the app by recording your own voice or sound to identify the animals/characters, or you can change the settings for the creature’s name to be displayed in up to eight different languages. The artwork and graphics are delightful and aesthetically pleasing, and the sound recording feature is intuitive and easy-to-use. However, there are a couple of things I found challenging: the settings are difficult to navigate and there aren’t many different animals offered, but the option to customize the experience (such as puzzle vs. flashcards, record your own voice, and learn animals in different languages) helps to compensate for what’s lacking in zoo resident variety. My son and I hope V 1.1 will include some of our best-liked zoo animals… an elephant, zebra, rhino, and gorilla.

Animals, By Age Range, By App Feature, Language, Phonics, Preschool, Puzzle, Reading, Reviews, Sounds, Spelling, Toddlers

Calling…all…puzzlers! It’s my delight to present a tangram puzzle application called “Cross Fingers” that is loaded with hours of pleasant perplexity. (In case you were stumped already, a tangram is a Chinese puzzle where seven shape pieces – five triangles, a square, and a rhomboid – are used to form various designs and figures.) “Cross Fingers” offers three levels of game play (easy, normal, hard) with120 puzzles. Once you decipher the first 120 puzzles, you can unlock a set of bonus puzzles found in the arcade mode (that’s what I hear, anyway… I’m still working my way through the “hard” level.) This game is enthralling, mentally-challenging, and a great way to escape into meditative thought. The interface has a tactile quality to it with puzzle shapes that feel and sounds like wooden pieces that click together in a satisfactory way. The puzzles go beyond matching shapes – they also require strategic thinking; to solve the puzzle, you must also discover the correct order or sequence to move each piece. This app is rich in entertainment value, and “Cross Fingers” is a great way to help exercise creative problem solving and to develop spatial pattern recognition..

By Age Range, By App Feature, High School +, Just For Fun, Matching, Middle School, Primary School, Puzzle, Reviews

Spring is finally here! That means it’s time to worship the Easter Bunny and to gorge on gooey-sugary goodies that were purchased “for the kids.” It’s also the perfect time to review an Easter-themed app that we’ve been enjoying in our household. “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” is a storybook app about a rebellious rabbit who gets into mischief by gorging on vegetables in the forbidden garden of Mr. McGregor. The story is based on the classic tale written by Beatrix Potter and it is illustrated by Curtis Wager-Smith. There are several qualities that make this application a worthwhile purchase. First, the story is a timeless classic with lovely vintage illustrations that translate well onto the iPhone screen. Further, the art, music, and narration are nicely orchestrated to convey a solid, quality ebook reading experience. Much like Potter’s original books, illustrations are represented in both black and white, and color. Each page first presents in black and white and as the narrator reads the story, the illustrations transition to vivid color. “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” also includes an additional bonus feature; along with the storybook option, there are seek-and-find puzzles within the illustrations of each page.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Preschool, Primary School, Puzzle, Reading, Reviews, Toddlers