Kids Apps Mobi

Sparky the Shark – A Frighteningly Funny Adventure

admin — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:54:15 +0000

Sparky and his penguin friend Dax lived in the waters of Magneto Island all their lives.

But while they were kings of the ocean, they weren’t allowed to play on the beach anymore.

People were the kings of the beach now and the sharks were not allowed there… not even when Sparky was displaying his best smile.

The problem is that Saturday there’s a Sand Sculpture Competition that Sparky wants to attend and people’s reaction is making him reconsider his plan.

I must say he’s quite blue because of it. Not because he’s going to miss all the fun, but because he cannot understand why people are afraid of him.

He’s a nice guy. He’s friendly. He only wants to to go the competition, that’s all.

Luckily he has a friend that’s willing to think about fixing things. And he starts with Sparky’s teeth (shark teeth are a bit scary, let’s face it).

Now, with new teeth things will be better. Do you like them?

Next thing on the list: the fin. Sharks’ fins are scary, something has to be done. A new one maybe?

How about a full disguise? What do you think about these outfits?

It’s not working, is it? Do you have a better idea? What do you think Sparky will do? How’s the competition going to be?

My leaps are sealed. Read the book

KidsMag Christmas Special Edition

admin — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:45:24 +0000

download from Appstore

Santa came earlier for me this year and brought 15 beautiful activities wrapped up in an iPad app: KidsMag Christmas Special Edition.

Not a very original punch line, I know, but the app is a perfect Christmas gift for kids and you, their parents, and this is what really matters. Now, screenshots please.

We start by decorating the tree, I’m sure you’ll do a far better job than I did:

… and by changing Santa’s style: this year he will wear pink! Of course, you can decide otherwise.

You cannot have a KidsMag without a story and this edition is no exception: here’s a 2 pages interactive story about Christmas. Tap the illustrations to read or listen to it.

And now a short list of the remaining activities: 2 involve coloring…

… 2 need you to spot the differences…

… 2 involve the reindeer team …

… and I’ll let you discover the others on your own! See you soon!

Big Kid Life Fire Fighter

admin — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 11:27:15 +0000

download from Appstore

For the weekend, a free iPhone app for preschoolers who dream about becoming a firefighter! Girls or boys, doesn’t matter cause everybody can be a hero, am I right?

Let me show you the game (don’t be put off by the word game, children learn more when everything is presented as a game).

This is your first day as a firefighter, you will learn the basics in an introductory level and then you’re good to go! Meanwhile, a lot of challenges might arise that need you to recognize colors, shapes, count to 100 and many other small tasks.

You cannot be a hero if you don’t know the basics, my dear!

As I said, at first you’ll receive special firefighter training. How to put off fires, how to climb ladders, save cats and exit the building successfully.

First levels are easy and you’ll learn warp speed!

From time to time a red box shows up and you cannot continue your mission till you solve the challenge inside. Here’s how challenges look like:

When you become more experienced, levels get a bit more complicated and challenges show up more often.

Don’t be scared, it means you’ll become better and better.

I’m going to stop here and let you discover more features on your own (like the messaging system that allow parents and children stay in touch, or the news that parents can receive, informing them about the child’s performance).

I’m gonna shut up now, see you next week!

Louwse the Mouse

admin — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 22:33:07 +0000

download from AppstoreLouwse is not the kind of mouse you would like to have as a guest…a pet, I mean.

You can see he’s a bit mischievous just by looking at his face, he doesn’t look like a nice mouse, does he? Compared with him, Miko is a saint!

Why am I complaining about this mouse so much? Do you think I’m overreacting? Do you???

Fine! I’m going to show you some images with him!

And you’ve seen nothing yet. The problems start when he sees mom’s cake:

Do you think he’s going away unpunished? What would you do to teach Louwse a lesson? Give him more cake????

About this ebook

This story for iPhone and iPad is a little interactive. I say a little cause although the illustrations respond to touch you will not see something revolutionary, simple movements and audio feedback. Which is ok, it’s supposed to be a book not a game, so let’s concentrate on the book-features (the app is similar to the ones released by Oceanhouse Media, in case you are familiar with them).

You can read the book by yourself, have it read to you by a professional narrator and, my favorite choice, hear the “narrator” singing it to you. Which is a feature that I simply love cause the song is so funny and addictive that I find myself singing it sometimes. So if you’re at work having a fight with your boss, don’t be surprised if what you’ll hear is this:

“Louwse the mouse get out of my house
Louwse the mouse get out of my house!”

Which is not that bad, sometimes

KidsMag Issue 03

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:35:26 +0000

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KidsMag 3 was just released and here I am, ready to spoil the surprise and show you some screenshots.

I hope you already played with KidsMag 1 and KidsMag 2 and that you love magazines for children (these are for iPad only) – that will warn you that a big article is coming.

This issue deals with pirates, trains, numbers and shapes, it’s teaching us about the sea, some Spanish nouns and adjectives and it’s entertaining us with a few stories and games.

The app transforms educational activities into simple games that your child will love!

Meet some pirates

The magazine’s first pages are all about pirates: matching games, puzzles and other games are here to keep your child busy for a while.

Teo & Bianca go to the beach

Yes, this is the current’s issue main story, tap on each illustration to hear and read it. As usual, there are associated activities that you should complete too

Learning about the sea

Teo and Bianca will show you the wonders of the sea. Touch the illustrations to learn about the sea animals, play pattern games or underwater peekaboo.

Trains, everywhere

Learn about trains by touching each illustration, learn their story, their past and their future. Build your own train if you like. My favorite activity is the one that needed me to repair the train tracks, it glued me to the screen

Aprende Español

If you already played with KidsMag 1 and KidsMag 2 you know the last pages of the magazine are for Spanish vocabulary and grammar. This issue follows the same pattern so prepare yourself for some vocabulary and adjectives activities. Magnifico!

Is that all?

Of course I haven’t told you everything about the app, if I tell you about all the surprises inside what’s left for you to discover? Some shapes and numbers activities? Some singing birds maybe? A coloring book? My lips are sealed

Another Monster at the End of This Book…Starring Grover & Elmo!

admin — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 09:42:33 +0000

download from Appstore

This article is really really difficult to write. Why? Because it’s impossible to transfer to you the experience of this book and to make you “feel” the beautiful sensation that it’s leaving behind.

There are few apps that make me want to repeat the experience or be really annoying in trying to convince you that you should buy it, not only for your child but also for you. This one is one of those few. Because you need a laugh more than anything.

I’m going to add some screenshots to show you some of the pages, but the book being so highly interactive I am afraid you’re going to be missing all the fun. At least I’m trying.

The app starts with a small intro that will teach you about its features. You can jump to the books inner pages and so on, but what I love most is the advice that you will find about how to approach this story with your children and how to maximize its effect. I’m not going to say more, just take your time and read this section if you want, it’s valuable.

The first page is introducing you to the core problem of Grover and Elmo. Serious problem.

Then the entire book is dedicated to Grover’s attempts to stop Elmo from reaching the last page. Elmo and you, because you are here to help. And I must say Grover has a lot of imagination. First he tries with a few paperclips, but you can handle them easily.

Page by page he comes up with bigger, meaner and heavier “ideas”. How about this one?

Do you think it will work? Is there a monster at the end of the book? I’m not going to say another word, I am sooooooo terrified!!!

If you liked this book you might want to read The Monster at the End of This Book…starring Grover! or the other books released by Sesame Street or Callaway Digital Arts.

Smart Speller English HD

admin — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 18:17:01 +0000

download from Appstore

Today I’m going to show you a funny and colorful app that’s teaching children how to spell common words.

I played with it on an iPad but there is also an iPhone version.

This is the English version but those of you interested in other languages can search for French,Italian, Russian, Spanish, German, Polish and Ukrainian. I’m sure more languages will be adopted in the future, so keep an eye on it

Enough talking, let me show you some images. The app has a story: the Sun lost his rainbow and children must help him find it. Each color of the rainbow is having an associated category in the game. Look:

Red is for numbers, orange is for vegetables, yellow is for vehicles, green is for fruits, blue is for animals, indigo is for shapes and violet is for body parts. Beautiful!

Touching a category will show the objects inside.

Puzzles look like this:

Each solved puzzle will add a colored drop to each jar containing the rainbow and little by little the category list will change into this (and it gets filled).

How is the sun going to feel when the rainbow is coming back? You’ll have to find out! (you’ll also have to discover the other features I did not mention in my post…)

Miko “It was me, Mom!”

admin — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:39:23 +0000

download from Appstore
Miko is not alowed to play ball in the house but he’s so curious to find out if his new rubber is able to reach the ceiling…

Only that the ball, instead of hitting the ceiling, hits mom’s favorite flower vase.

It’s ok, right? Miko can clean up the mess and replace the vase, right?

Mom will notice the missing vase and will ask about it. How can Miko explain that?

I don’t think it will work. Miko needs a new approach. Will he find it? Will he confess? How will mom react? Oh dear… you’ll have to finish the book in my place, I don’t have the courage to find out…

Book’s special features

You can read or listen to this book, you can tap on the illustrations to learn new words but what I love most about it is the fact that you can record your own child’s voice and then listen to it instead of the narrator’s.

And even more, you can re-write the book and listen to your own version of the story.

You can edit each page of the book and then record your own version of the story. Or you can simply record the original story.

You can then choose what do you want to read or listen: the original story or your own.

Use your imagination and help Miko find the explanation that won’t bring him a punishment! We can do it!

There’s No Place Like Space!: All About Our Solar System

admin — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 09:42:45 +0000

download from Appstore

The cat in the hat comes back, this time in an interactive journey planned by Oceanhouse Media and Tish Rabe.
This first book is part of a series of educational books that will be launched under the name The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library.

Yes, it’s the famous Dr. Seuss cat but this time the purpose is to teach children about our solar system.

The cat, Thing 1, Thing 2, Sally and Dick embark on a journey that will take them from the Sun to the last planet of our solar system, Neptune.

Children can tap the illustrations to learn new words, the bold words to learn new things about each planet and can also tap Thing 1 and 2 to find out about constellations and our home planet.

Actually, feel free to tap everything, the app is interactive and the illustrations can be moved around the screen.

I’m going to let you discover each planet with your child and I will only add here one screeshot with my favorite planet: Uranus.

Those of you familiar with Oceanhouse Media iPhone and iPad books will be surprised to find this is a more complex and animated book than usual.

You still can read it or listen to it but you can also interact with the illustrations and play one fun game about the constellations.

Watch the short movie below.

For bigger and more curious children

Since you also love Uranus I wanted to tell you about more apps that will teach you wonderful things about our Solar system.

One of them is NASA (the iPad version is NASA HD), it’s free, and will show you info about the Universe, the International Space Station, tweets, images, videos and Nasa TV. A jewel!

My favorite is Solar Walk – 3D Solar System model for both iPhone and iPad, an app that will allow you to explore the solar system, discover the planets and their moons, compare their size, learn about their internal structure and much much more.

The app is really complex (but easy to use, don’t be scared by the word complex) and since it’s impossible for me to tell you everything about it (you’ll have to discover its features on your own) I’m just showing you a fragment about the info regarding Uranus.

Exactly, my favorite planet!

Oh, by the way, the app is 3D, buy a pair of red-blue glasses! (but the app can only be used without them, the 3D feature can be turned off)

What is your favorite planet? And your favorite science app?

MIKO “Mom, Wake up and Play!”

admin — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:33:19 +0000

download from Appstore
Today Miko woke up early. I mean early, even before his mom woke. Even before the clock rang.

He was getting bored and went to his mom’s bedroom to wake her up.

But she was so tired she couldn’t wake up and asked Miko to let her sleep till the clock rang.

Miko understood her but he had to find something to do till then. Time stays still when a child has to wait.

He then starts to make plans for the day: he’ll read books with his mom when she’ll wake up.

But time continues to stay still. Miko is hungry, will he wake his mom up?

Not this time, but for how long can he remain patient?

Meanwhile he has a great idea! He will make his mom a surprise! He realizes he has to hurry because the clock is about to ring and he starts working on his surprise.

He then goes to her bedroom, puts the surprise next to her bed and waits…it’s about to happen.

And here’s where I stop telling you about the book and I let you discover it on your own

Book’s special features

And even more, you can re-write the book and listen to your own version of the story.

You can edit each page of the book and then record your own version of the story. Or you can simply record the original story.

You can then choose what do you want to read or listen: the original story or your own. Use your imagination and help Miko spend his time while his mom wakes up!

What are you waiting for?

Kids Apps Mobi

Sparky the Shark – A Frighteningly Funny Adventure

KidsMag Christmas Special Edition

Big Kid Life Fire Fighter

Louwse the Mouse

About this ebook

More stories like this?

KidsMag Issue 03

Meet some pirates

Teo & Bianca go to the beach

Learning about the sea

Trains, everywhere

Aprende Español

Is that all?

Another Monster at the End of This Book…Starring Grover & Elmo!

Smart Speller English HD

Miko “It was me, Mom!”

Book’s special features

There’s No Place Like Space!: All About Our Solar System

For bigger and more curious children

MIKO “Mom, Wake up and Play!”

Book’s special features