Elfishki and the Giant Cake by Applicable2U

  Elfishki and the Giant Cake

By kidsiphoneapps.net

There are a number of states in the US that have been following the Common Core Standards for a number of years, while others are just coming on board.  For those new to the Common Core Standards many are questioning what it might mean for how material is presented or how it compares to previous standards.  Common Core Standards are designed “to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young audience needs in order to be successful.”  This level of success can come in any format and Kids iPhone Apps is making that possible via your iPad device running iOS 4.3 or later.  Recently launched in February of this year is a wonderful interactive book called Elfishki and the Giant Cake.  Whether you are an educator in a school or home setting or you are a parent trying to teach your child(ren) conscious reading skills, then this needs to be your next educational app download!

What Applicable2U loves about this development company is that their goal is to create not only captivating stories, but to apply their stories and illustrations as teaching tools.  As an educator just delving into the Common Core and how technology fits in, this review could not have come at a more appropriate time.  In order for our children to fully participate in today’s global community, we need to keep in mind the 4 C’s of 21st century skills (Creativity, Critical Thinking, Collaboration and Communication).  Elfishki and the Giant Cake is designed for children ages 6-9 and is supporting those 21st century skills just mentioned, exposes children to a familiar genre; fairy tales, myths and legends, and it integrates several Common Core Standards for English Language Arts along the way.

Come journey to Rainbow Island which is in the middle of Sparkling Sea and meet the adorable fairy tale creatures called Elfishkis.  Hear a wonderful story of how our main creatures or characters, Elfizz and Maggie are able to put their two worlds together and become friends, regardless of their differences.  As you enter this interactive, educational book app users will immediately notice the brilliant and crisp colors which makes the story images pop off the screen.  This original story can be experienced in English or in Russian as it is either read to you by a professional narrator or is read by the reader themselves.  Regardless of which is chosen, some young readers may even feel like they are apart of the board game Candy Land, with its magical feel, scrumptious candy and food all around.  With one or more simple taps, certain parts of each page will come to life as an animation.  Not only will objects and characters move, but each page has the reader stop and answer three questions before moving on with the story.  By implementing this feature, educators and parents will have opportunities to build a variety of academic skills such as:  comprehension check-ins, predictions, vocabulary building, discussion of story elements, points of view and to recall prior knowledge related to the information and events in the text.  A note to the developers- might it be possible to also offer new and more fluent readers the option to highlight words as it is read.

Elfishki and the Giant Cake can be implemented in a number of ways.  At times, reading for some is a challenge and not seen as fun.  When reading is differentiated for all learners, children’s academic attitudes will miraculously change.  If chosen to use in a classroom or home school environment, connect your iPad device to a large screen or projector and experience the wonderful world of the Elfishkis as a whole group.   As you navigate through your fairy tale genre unit, use Elfishki and the Giant Cake to support and reinforce what makes up a fairy tale.  Along the way stop and discuss connections, while implementing each pages guiding questions.  To enhance a readers creativity, have children create drawings or visions of what might happen next in the story or even an alternative choice that our main creatures could have taken.  In addition, Elfishki and the Giant Cake could also be used individually or in small groups.  If you walk into any classroom, children are usually in reading groups based on one’s reading level.  Some groups are larger than others and some are much smaller, this interactive book would be a wonderful addition to the school’s library.  Use Elfishki and the Giant Cake to spark communication, critical thinking and collaboration as they answer guided questions provided by the application. As the apps questions are shared, students might find that they have their own questions to share as well.

Applicable2U is pleased to have this interactive book apart of our iPad library.  There are so many books out their in hardcover, softcover and now as an app for your mobile device.  To know that while reading Elfishki and the Giant Cake your child(ren) or students will be building their love of reading, incorporating a number of academic needs and celebrating each others differences is well worth the $2.99 download.  To learn more about this and the other books that Kids iPhone Apps has to offer, please visit their website here.  Which character will you gravitate more towards, Elfizz or Maggie?  Download Elfishki and the Giant Cake to find out by simply clicking here.

Reviewers website: www.applicable2u.wordpress.com

App of the Week: Scribble Press

This week on the MacReach Show, we checked out a great free iPad app: Scribble Press, an awesome way to easily make books on the iPad! Highly recommended for elementary school!

We brainstormed nine different ways to use the Scribble Press app with students in the classroom... but we need help with the tenth. How could you use this app in the classroom?

1. Create simple drawings. The drawing tools are worth the price.
2. Author simple storybooks using the themes and templates.
3. Make greeting card books for the holidays, or even to research the holidays.
4. Find books to read by other kids.
5. Study genres of books.
6. Peer edit before publishing.
7. Play BINGO!
8. Document a process or provide directions.
9. Create social stories, task analyses, or visual schedules.
10. IEAR community... what do YOU think about Scribble Press?

App of the Week: iBooks!

With Apple's recent update to the iBooks app, we are realizing how much you can really do with the iBooks app! On this week's MacReach podcast (Episode 37), we challenged ourselves to come up with 9 different ways to use the iBooks app with students in the classroom! iBooks can be so much MORE than just an e-Reader app! We'd love to hear what you do/could do with this free app!

1. grammar lessons: located parts of speech with different colored highlighters
2. analyze quotes using the notes
3. information scavenger hunt
4. discover a new author/topic/genre using the iBook Store
5. Copy PDFs of Maps, etc.
6. Free books on a large variety of topics (just search Google!)
7. Collections in the iBooks (add new collections) - learn how to organize digital organization
8. eBook publishing... individual pages from students merged together for a student created textbook
9. share student work! customized portfolio, customized yearbooks
10. IEAR community, we want to hear from you! What are your thoughts on using iBooks in the classroom?

Review of Bartleby's Book of Buttons Vol. 1 by Kathy Burdick

Name of App: Bartleby’s Book of Buttons Vol. 1: The Far Away Island

Free or Fee: Free when reviewed

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Bartleby’s Book of Buttons is an excellent interactive story. It is a story about a gentleman named Bartleby who travels and collects buttons to put into his book. Children can read the story silently, out loud or have it narrated for them. The story is cute, but what makes this book outstanding is the interactivity. Each page has buttons, levers, knobs and handles to move, push and slide. Each button causes something to happen in the story. Once you have the correct button combination selected a big button turns green allowing the page to be turned. It is fun figuring out what each button does, however, it can take some time to figure out if something should be pushed, moved or turned. There is no indication as to what needs to happen so it is all about exploring and could test the patience of some children. It is an excellent book to encourage children to explore and is sure to keep children engaged. It is a great way to help children learn to problem solve since each page is like solving a puzzle. Bartleby’s Book of Buttons Volume 2 is also available and looks to have even more bells and whistles! 

For more reviews visit Mobile iEducator!

Lumi's Book of Eyes by Applicable2U

 Lumi’s Book of Eyes
   by Zephyr Games

  Come play with Lumi as he goes on an “eye” spy adventure with a variety of animals.  Originally designed as a hardcover book by author Jr M.D. Robert Abel.  Lumi’s Book of Eyes was recently launched for your apple device at the end of June.  This educational app will provide your preschool to pre-kindergartner a few new ways to “look” at creatures that they may see in the sky, on land or just in books. Did you know that dragonflies have 30 thousand lenses in each eye? This is just one of the new facts your little one might share at the next family gathering. With new found facts also comes a wonderful message at the end for all children.

Easily navigated for the youngest of fingers, Lumi’s Book of Eyes offers both a storybook option and mini game. While reading the storybook, user options can be altered.  For example, in the top left hand corner is a blue speaker.  By simply tapping the speaker, users can scroll through three reading options.  By providing this option, readers of all levels can feel successful.  For the younger children, set it to speaker only.  The focus here is on Lumi and having the ability to interact with various parts of each page with a few taps here and there.  To extend a users independence, Applicable2U might suggest having the green triangle flash or even enlarge, indicating that it is time to turn the page.  For those just learning to read, set the reading option to speaker with text. Within this mode, a scroll box is added at the bottom of each page, allowing up and coming readers the ability to follow along. In a future update, it might be nice to see words being highlighted as Lumi is reading.  Finally, the third reading option is for the reader to read to Lumi.  This mode offers language development, reinforcement of sight words and the ability to be in the spotlight for those listening.  Regardless of which reading option your little one chooses, Lumi’s Book of Eyes exposes the user to animals as it relates the importance of their eyes and the connection between human eyes with a little twist.

Not interested in starting with the storybook, jump right into the mini game – Eye Spy.  Within a magnifying glass, Lumi will show a small object, your job is to decide if what you are looking at is an eye or not.  With very clear directions, users will be timed as they answer the question “is this an eye?” Simply tap the yes or no at the bottom of the screen.  With every right answer, additional time will be added to the clock. In terms of feedback, users will be provided both positive and negative feedback.  Lumi will verbally reward as well as correct answers will flash green and incorrect answers will flash red.  The only addition that we see being added to this mini game is naming each object as it expands outside of the magnifying glass.  It would be great to either hear what each object is and in addition even see the word somewhere on the screen.  This would encourage further language development skills of all types of readers.

Overall, Applicable2U is pleased with their recent download of Lumi’s Book of Eyes.  If you would like to learn more about Zephyr Games, please visit their website here.  As I am sure in the early elementary years, the study of the eye is a part of the science curriculum.  It might be interesting to begin this unit of study with this interactive book application and have children extend the book to additional animals of the world.  Set the challenge of researching a particular animal and their eye and present their findings to the class as an “added” page to this newly found book.  If you would like to begin downloading Lumi’s Book of Eyes to your iTunes library, simply click here.

Reviewers website: www.applicable2u.wordpress.com

Kiwi and Pear's World Adventure by Applicable2U

Kiwi and Pear’s World Adventure
  by  Zephyr Games

It’s summer time and for many, it is a time for traveling.  Adorable monkey friends, Kiwi and Pear will take children ages four and up on a world adventure that will explore “no place too far and no adventure too great.”  An educational app designed to teach youngsters of some of the wonders of the world with an added bonus of three interactive games. Initially Kiwi and Pear’s adventures were told via hardcover by author, Joyce Wan, but have been transitioned into the mobile app world for further enjoyment.  Easily accessible for the littlest of fingers, nicely narrated and artistically different from other preschool apps, Kiwi and Pear’s World Adventure has a great deal of potential.

Upon entering, users will have a choice to listen to the story book or to play some games.  For our review, we began with the story book option, visually and auditorily pleasing, the story begins with Kiwi and Pear flying through the air on an airplane.   Knowing the audience that this application is designed for, we were surprised to find that this story book had no written words that supported what the narrator was saying.  As an educator and also a parent, we would love to see the narrator’s words at the bottom of each page.  By adding this feature, users could have the option to turn highlighting on or off within an information window. For youngsters just learning to read, this would certainly be beneficial from an educational aspect.  Although it was not stated, we instinctually began tapping each page of the book for signs of animation.  We were pleasantly surprised to find many components would move such as Kiwi and Pear, the clouds, sun and many others.  Within the continent of North America, users will hear about such places as California, the White House, Statue of Liberty and even Fenway Park.  Then it’s time to travel a bit farther to such places as the Amazon River, Big Ben in London and sun bathing on the Mediterranean Sea.  No matter how far or where their world adventure should take them, Kiwi and Pear are the happiest when they are together.

An added feature that Zephyr Games has added is the ability to interactively play before, during or after the story has been told. Most interactive books do not extend past the story, Kiwi and Pear’s World Adventure however sets themselves apart by adding in the development of ones memory by playing a card game, going on a geography adventure and collecting fruit in the rain forest. Each activity is timed, offers both positive and negative reinforcement and stores a players score.  In speaking with the developers, we did mention that we would love to see a connection between the story book and the interactive games.

Overall, Applicable2U was pleased with the download and plans to share this early elementary application with other parents and educators.  If you would like to learn more about Zephyr Games, please visit their website here.  To learn more about the wonderful adventure and friendship that Kiwi and Pear have, please click here to begin downloading to your iTunes library.

Reviewers website: www.applicable2u.wordpress.com

My Word! Reader! - Are Bees Smart, or What? New Reading App for iPad

Are Bees Smart, or what? is the first ofMy Word! Reader series, a unique, innovative and educational reading appdesigned to raise literacy levels of elementary and secondary school students. The smart approach is ideal to encourage and stimulate children who struggle with reading with top features and high-interest subject.

A top reading app to help develop basic literacy skills and comprehension. For kids 7+

The iPad continues to bring innovation into our kids learning. Reading can be a struggle for some and today we are happy to let you know about Are Bees Smart, or What? A reading book app that caught all our attention for its innovation and unique concept.

What the kids at Fun Educational Apps really liked is the story and all what they learned about bees and the top features with what they call the “video dictionary” and the “word bag”. Within the text kids will find words highlighted in blue. Tap on these words and you will see a small animation that explains the meaning of the word, a type of visual dictionary. Each time you tap on a word, it goes into the word bad and at the end of the book kids can revisit all these words for review.

At any time, kids can have access to 6 learning games. Each learning activities complement reading and is designed to engage the reader and develop basic literacy skills and comprehension. Activities include Learning about the silent “K”, Initial consonant sounds, initial consonant blend, sight vocabulary scrambled words, initial consonant sounds and key words review.

Overall, Fun Educational Apps really liked the apps. The kids liked it and it supported their learning and reading in a fun, entertaining and interactive way. A definite fun educational app that can be personalised and customized based on the reading level of your kids.  Help is there and kids can decide when to use it. A top reading app that we are happy to recommend and we hope to see new stories coming soon. The only thing we would add is attach a definition to the words in the word bag. 

Cross Posted:  Fun Educational Apps