It’s “App” Time!

I am not a “tech savvy” kind of momma. In fact, if I am totally honest, I despise all this technology. Screen time is very limited in my house. My husband on the other hand, really enjoys video games and movies and all the latest and greatest gadgets. Can I say, too, he is AMAZING at finding super deals on this stuff because we definitely do need to be wise with what we have. Needless to say we have an iPad, a Kindle Fire, we have android phones ~ since our kids enjoy time on them, I had to make it “worth it” (thats the geek momma in me!)  And here are some of what we think are the most awesome, and fun for learning apps, that are out there.

 

 

My youngest son is 6 and he loves math and science. So we are always looking for fun games that he can play (while he is learning, unbeknownst to him Lol)  More often than not he can be found using one of these: The Foos: Probably his favorite one for coding; the characters are cute. He can make his own games, play them, play other games made by kids…It encourages creativity and thinking while also being just plain fun! Hopscotch is another great game for kids who want to learn how to create and code. Here you can make your own games, create pixel art, or make up your own thing. You can publish your creations too for others to see and play! Have a math lover? Sushi Monster is a really fun way to practice your math facts. Both of my boys enjoy this; my younger son who is learning his math facts and my older son who does not like math at all but really enjoys this game. Its fun and yet challenging at the same time. BrainPOP and BrainPOPJr are enjoyed by all of my kids! We love the movies; short and simple enough for my kids to understand and enjoy. My boys love the robot and my daughter is so happy the girl is “in charge?” on this app. I love that they can watch the video and then complete a quiz to reinforce what they learned. And the Movie of the Week is something my kids always look forward to. You never know what it might be. Do your kids like to build? My younger son and my older both enjoy creating new designs and Monster Physics is a wonderful tool for doing just that. Both of my boys are able to create and save whatever they happen to build.  My younger son plays this one A LOT – He loves to design plans and helicopters on here. If he was allowed I think he would pass most of his days just designing things and testing them out to see how they fly, if they fly, and how far and high they can go!  This one really is a TON of fun!  There is also Off the Rails for the roller coaster lovers in your family. This one is a bit tricky until you get the hang of it. You are building and creating rollercoasters, by tilting the screen. I had a really hard time with this; truthfully I still don’t get it, but my boys both do. And again, this is another one they can play all day long. Drive your rollercoaster all over – just be careful not to crash into anything! My kids always thought learning about the states was SO boring. And then we tried out Stack the States.  This is very addictive (I cant stop playing this sometimes!) and a really fun way, to not just learn your states but learn about them.  Whose flag is this? What state’s flower is this? What state is Paris in? As you play the game, additional games are unlocked as well so it definitely keeps challenging you. Can you get all the states in their place on the map? Who doesn’t find aliens interesting? My kids have been curious about the and I admit to being more than interested myself when I was younger. Now add our Presidents. You have Presidents versus Aliens.  What a great way to learn all about those men who have been leaders of this country through the years. From George Washington through our current President Barack Obama. Very educational and again, a really fun way to learn something my kids otherwise found to be quite boring! It IS Rocket Science! You can launch your own NASA spacecraft with NASA’s Rocket Science 101 (RS101)! Select your favorite NASA mission and build a rocket to send the spacecraft into orbit. Since my younger son loves to blast off rocket ships and balloons and whatever else he can find and make GO – this was a great find! This even shows how the various components work; what does this do and how does it work the way it does? SO these are our all time favorites when it comes to math and science learning! Without a doubt this makes a HUGE difference in how my boys are learning. Its a blessing to see them be able to be engaged while also learning so many amazing skills. So while I still do not like all of the screens in our home; we are learning to use them in a way that my kids can enjoy and I can feel good about as a momma!

Happy “APP” learning to you!