Tag Archive for Education

Free Apps for Kids!

**(When I downloaded these apps they were free, I cannot guarantee if they started charging a fee.) **

Personally, I’m over the Angry Birds frenzy.  How about you?  For the next few weeks I’m going show you 3 apps that my daughter (she’s 3) and I enjoy.  Most of these apps are directed toward the little ones, but there are a few along the way that your older kids might like as well.

Like most free games on iTunes, they are not the entire version.  They want to get you hooked so you’ll buy it.  So, far that hasn’t affected our home and we are happy with what we got. 

The first one is called ABC Animal Puzzle Free.  This game is compatible with an iPhone and iPad.  This is not a complete version.  However, still very playable for your younger ones.  It’s a puzzle game.  There are 5-9 piece puzzles.  Besides the puzzle you are learning animals names, for example there is an elephant puzzle and it says ELEPHANT when you are completing it.  Also, on this app is a Memory Game. (Click the bubbles on the bottom right corner to activate the menu). There is a stickers & score card section that let’s you know which puzzles you’ve completed and how long it took. 

   Baby DJ – this one can get a little annoying after a while, but is still cute!  This app is currently available for the iPhone and iPad.   Got a little musician in your house?  Here’s the app for you.  There are 10 options on this one.  Anywhere from a lion to an octopus.  Even Santa Claus makes his way onto this app.  Once you choose an animal, the next screen opens to 9 ”records” (like the good ol’ black vinyl records).  You touch a record and it spin and start a beat.  Then as you continue pressing the records, they sync up.  Then press them again and that record turns off.  Each animal has different beats. 

The last one for this week is Glow Draw!  Again, this one is available for the iPhone and iPad.  All kids love to draw and this app is kind of like etch a sketch.  You draw and then shake your device to erase it.  On the lower left you can change colors,make your line wider, put a background of your pictures loaded on your device and save or email you pictures!

Fun FREE apps for kids! Now it’s your turn to share you favorite apps!

Little Ace and The Ten Commandments App Review & T-Shirt Giveaway

How cute is this little guy! 

It’s never to early to have your children learning about the Ten Commandments, in a fun way! This little cartoon chick goes on a journey to find “the God”.  While in this travels he learns about the Ten Commandments through other cartoon animals. 

The narrator of this story has a soothing voice, talks smoothly and slowly. With this iPad app you can turn the narrator on or off, so you or your child can read this e-book.  You can also control to turn the pages or have the “story” turn the pages when it’s time.  In addition, there are interactive opportunities for your child to help the animals with tasks, for example to find the goat’s glasses and put then on the goat. This app is available on iTunes for only $2.99.

Here are a few screen shots.

My Review -

This is a MUST HAVE e-book in my house.  My daughter and I loved it.  I let the narrator read to her (he does the animals voices much better than I).  The app says it good for children 4 and over, however my daughter is 3 and LOVED it.  What I like is it’s a book that will grow with your children.  Once they are at reading age, they can read to you.  The learning experience is also wonderful in a fun way.  My daughter loved the cartoon chick.  The graphics are not fancy or overwhelming.  Just very simple with a lot of impact on the story.  My recommendation is to download it now.  You won’t regret this one!

Here’s the download site – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/little-ace-ten-commandments/id481298715?mt=8

Here’s Liitle Ace’s Website – http://www.acethechick.com/

And he’s on Facebook!  Go ahead and “like” him!  It’s hard not to!

Like this t-shirt?  You can win it!!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

REVIEW ~ Little Lion AND Little Lamb Bibles

Little Lamb’s Bible and/ or Little Lion Bible is a soft, cuddly Bible that children ages 2 to 5 can call his or her own. Throughout this plush-covered book, children learn that they are loved and cared for by God as they hear about God’s faithfulness in ten stories from the Bible (both Old and New Testaments). With sweet, rhyming text and colorful illustrations, this soft and cuddly character storybook Bible is sure to become a classic with preschoolers!

OUR REVIEW:

We received both the Little Lamb bible AND the Little Lion Bible! They are both very beautifully made and constructed! We loved the fact that they had a plush outside and were a board book inside. This construction is unique and was very attractive to my children. My 3-year-old daughter loved the Lamb and my 5-year-old son loved the lion. I honestly thought that the bible would be too young for my fiver year old… but it was not. It had just enough content to hold his attention and the animal exterior tickled his fancy!

The content is great! Just enough text to hold the attention of little ones! The illustrations are wonderful! My children loved the vibrant pictures that accompanied the stories! The illustrations really captivated them and made the book a hit!

This is a wonderful product! I cannot say enough about the products that Zondervan puts out…they have not disappointed us yet!

Look for this product in stores on January 16, 2012. I think this would make a great gift…especially a wonderful gift for Easter! What a supplement to any bookshelf!

The book retails at $15.99…, which may seem high but remember it is a board book with a beautiful plush exterior and it is very high quality and should last for years!

Thank you ZONDERKIDZ for another great product!

To find The Little Lamb Bible AND The Little Lamb Bible or peruse other collections and items available from Zonderkidz please visit: www.Zondervan.com

You can even visit the product specific page here http://browseinside.zondervan.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780310725510

and see a detailed view of the book and get an inside peek at the illustrations!

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.

MLK Day – January 16

In just a week it will be Martin Luther King Day – Monday, January 16th.  There is valuable information on this site not only about MLK, but how others can volunteer or serve those in need.

 http://mlkday.gov/plan/library/communications/posters.php

Take your children on an educational tour about a man who made a difference and encourage them to change the world by making a difference too.

Homeschooling and Astronauts

For awhile my kids were really into space and astronauts. This was when they were much younger, but even today my husband and children love to watch the stars and one night this winter they even stayed out in the freezing air waiting for a comet that never appeared. Think we got the wrong time or missed it completely. :-(

Since they were so interested space I decided to put together a unit study for them. Even today my kids have fond memories of doing that unit study! (It was my older daughter’s idea to do this post!) We went to the library and checked out tons of books on space and then we all sat around and read them throughout the course of a few weeks.  We watched a couple movies on space, did complimenting projects and assignments. The children really enjoyed that unit study.

Of course, we couldn’t do a unit study without the food! And since astronauts eat foods for survival, I purchased a couple freeze dried meals for my kids to try. They liked them a lot and thought that it was the funniest thing that you could put ice cream in a bag and eat it without a spoon! ;-)

I still have the pink folder with my children’s book reports in it that they did on several of our favorite books on space. In the past couple years the folder has started to fall apart, but we still have the packaging to the astronaut food and the memories are still in my four older children’s minds and hearts of the time that we did a study on space.

Considering the fact that it’s been almost six or seven years since we did that unit study I should really do it again for the sake of my four younger kids. And I’ll have to BuyEmergencyFoods to show my younger kids what astronauts eat so they can experience the fun too!

Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon When You Take the North “Poll”

Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North “Poll!” You’ll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!

HSLDA Survey for a Chance to Win a $500 Visa Gift Card.

HSLDA needs your input to help them better serve you and the homeschooling community! Follow the link below to their short, six-question survey and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a $500 Visa gift card.

http://www.hslda.org/Survey/mvt/Default.aspx?rid=27494

Survey and drawing entries must be submitted by October 9. Winner will be drawn on Tuesday, October 11, 2011, and will be contacted by email. If we do not receive a response within 72 hours, a new winning name will be drawn. Must be age 18 or older to participate. By entering this contest, you agree to have your email address added to HSLDA’s email list. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Fire Sale at LightHome Publications!

We have reviewed and purchased items for our homeschool from LightHome Publications. Now thru Wednesday, September 28th, for just $5 you may purchase any of LightHome Publications products or for just $10 for a magazine subscription (quarterly). This sale ends Wednesday, September 28th at midnight so take advantage of it before it’s too late. It is a great way to support a homeschooling family in need too! These products make wonderful gift ideas too. Buy now!

Connect with LightHome Publications on Facebook.

Recap of Tween Academy

This past Tuesday I had the privilege to co-host Teen Academy with five other bloggers (Connie, Brain Foggles , Jo-Lynne, Musings of a Housewife , Stephanie, And Twins make 5! , Liz, Thoughts of a Mommy and Jennifer, Mom Spotted, as we joined The Motherhood and host Rosalind Wiseman, who is a parenting expert and author of a New York Times bestselling book, Queen Bees and Wannabes (which the movie Mean Girls was based on)!

We discussed issues tweens face today, what our struggles were as mothers of tweens heading back to school (sweaty, stinky tween boys was one!) and each participant offered their sage advice, empathy and commaradie. Rosalind had some wise advice as to how to handle specific issues.

Overall there was a general sense of appreciation for  the hour we spent together online and we look forward to this coming week’s  Tween Academy on TheMotherhood, sponsored by Unilever.

Be sure to join us on Tuesday, September 27th at Noon EST at The Motherhood or the direct link http://www.themotherhood.com/talk/show/id/62264

Also, Rosalind has some guest appearances coming up on TV that you may want to tune into - She will be appearing with Anderson Cooper and Dr. Phil at 8 p.m. ET on Oct. 9 and 14 (check local listings for channels).  Here is her recent blog post about the appearances: http://rosalindwiseman.com/2011/09/19/stop-bullying-speak-up-campaign-can-change-lives/

Disclosure: I am being compensated for my time by Unilever and The Motherhood, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

 

You Can Count On Monsters

You Can Count on Monsters is a fun new educational book for children that is designed to teach children math.

My children really liked this book. They enjoyed the fun illustrations and they liked the concept of finding the monsters. Inside this book the author gives the number for the monster and then children have to look for that monster in the pictures. I found the pictures confusing, but perhaps that is because I’m not used to abstract art.

The math that is taught in this book is basic multiplication and the building blocks of numbers. Children will be taught prime numbers and fractions in a fun, yet educational way that all parents can appreciate.

All in all my children like this little book and it’s a great way to teach your children math.

You can find this book online at- amazon.com

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.