Scholastic Interactive Apps

Scholastic have long been makers of much loved children’s books. Today we are looking at 2 new apps by Scholastic each of which is based on a classic line of educational fun. One The Magic School bus and the other I-Spy.

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The Magic School Bus: Field Trip Frenzy takes players on adventurous multiplayer games where they take trips into the human body, the Amazon rainforest, and outer space to name a few fun locations. Each game features competitive play and is mean to be played on a 10inch or bigger All in One or Two in One devices. The game gets kids interested in science and exploration. The game is set up in a game show type format with bright colors and seamless gameplay, which is both fun and exciting for kids of all ages. If you have a big screen tablet or touchscreen device, you owe it to yourself to grab this game for your little ones. Magic School Bus: Field Trip Frenzy retails on the Windows App Store for $1.49 and is available now.
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Yuggler – The Family Friendly Vacation App

Finding things to do with kids can be difficult, especially if you are new to an area (or if you have been in an area for a while and seem to have done ‘everything’).  That is, unless you have a friend who knows all the great spots to go to.  There is a new app that acts as that ‘friend’, Yuggler.  Yuggler is a new way to share kid friendly activities in your area with other parents.  The beauty of the new app is its price, free.  With a smooth, easy to navigate interface, it couldn’t be easier to find the best classes, events, museums, playgrounds, and more!  There are also reviews and photos available for viewing written by other parents just like you.

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The first step to using Yuggler is to download the app, which is available for iPhones, iPads, and iPods.  The nest step is to set your location then find fun things to do.  I would suggest first checking out some local stuff to get a feel for the app and what to expect.  Then bring it with you wherever you go.  On vacation, in some free time it can be interesting to check out the museums of the area or just a fun kids spot in a different state or country.  5 stars is 5 stars, especially when corroborated by others.  No matter where you are, you are almost guaranteed to find a good time for your family.  You can even promote special activities like holiday decorating, fun runs, and the like, so this acts as both a local message board as well as a reviewing platform/location sharing technique.  The possibilities are only limited by your creativity, so get looking.  The most recent update included it ability to link Pinterest to Yuggler to further expand its sharing power.
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WIN Light in the Dark App

Disclosure- I received the below in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own and honest.
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Mobile gaming is a huge field right now and probably will continue to be one until cell phones are implantable, but that is another story completely. Today we are looking at a new game for iPhones, iPads, Android and Windows phones. This game is Light in the Dark, which was developed by Dreamgate Studios. Dreamgate is a relatively new company, formed in 2011, made up of industry veterans who wanted to bring AAA level games to the indie environment. Light in the Dark combines cartoon artwork with a light bending puzzle game which starts off easy enough for kids but ends up being mind twistingly difficult for kids and adults.

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Fun With Colors App

 

There are a ton of apps out there aimed at little ones and have a color theme.  Today we are looking at one with a unique look and creative flash that makes learning fun and easy.  This app is called Fun with Colors.

This app is geared toward pre-schoolers, and is great fun for little ones through any age because of its variety of content.  Based on “Weiß weiß Bescheid” by Paul Köntopp, a German book about color and painting, this app has a different look to it that must be seen and has a real world feel but still silly and cute.

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The book centers on the adventures of paint as does the app.  The app actually has the ebook included in it.  The app is broken up into three parts- ebook, paint, and play components, each of which is great on its own.  The ebook is a fun story of paint and its adventures.  The paint portion has the child learn how to mix well with others then enjoy the beauty of differences and how bringing them together can be a truly beautiful event.
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Chuggington Toys and App Giveaway

Disclosure: The below will be provided for me in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.

Christmas Sale on all StoryToys books & apps

chug patrol app

StoryToys, a leading publisher of interactive books and games for children, is delighted to announce the release of “Chug Patrol: Ready to Rescue,” a 3D interactive storybook for children produced in collaboration with Ludorum, the children’s entertainment specialist behind the hugely popular television show “Chuggington.” The show is a global sensation in 175 territories worldwide.

“Chuggington” is an action-packed, animated train series for children. It follows the adventures of three young trainees – Wilson, Brewster and Koko – as they take on exciting challenges that test their courage, speed and determination. The “Chug Patrol: Ready To Rescue” app is available starting September 5 in the Apple App Store, Google Play and Amazon Appstore for $4.99 on smartphones and tablets.

 StoryToys is launching a two week Christmas promotion that runs from December 19 – January 3.

StoryToys 3D interactive pop-up books are available in the Apple App Store, Google Play and Amazon.
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Portable North Pole – Fun App for Kids

Disclosure: I am a Portable North Pole Christmas Magic Ambassador. I received compensation and complementary Portable North Pole products in exchange for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The clock is ticking on Christmas and its time to brign it up a notch with Portable North Pole.  But instead of the full Portable North Pole site, we are looking at the portable versions of Christmas fun.  Portable North Pole have bucked the tradition this year and released not one but two Christmas themed apps this year.  PNP Santa Sprint and PNP Portable North Pole 2013.

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First we will look at PNP Santa Sprint.  This is a game where the player moves a young Elf around various North Pole themed settings to collect items and restore Santa’s workshop.  After each level the big man himself, Santa tells a video story. The game is optimized for iPod 5th gen, iPhone 4S, iPad 2 and all higher versions.  The game retails for $2.99 as is available now on iTunes.

The Portable North Pole 2013 app is the mobile gateway to all things Portable North Pole, for parents and for kids.  Parents are able to create personalized personal video messages from Santa, personal phone call from Santa, and access to their PNP account.  Kids on the other hand have access to a whole other side os the app.  This includes a digital Advent calender, acess to your child’s personal video, a Christmas sleep countdown to the big day, and Christmas Radar to show you where Santa’s village is located.  The app retails on iTunes for $3.99.
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Focus on Educational Apps: Art ABC Outshines Competition

Learning the alphabet with Art ABC is a perfect example of how young children can benefit from quality educational apps from the iTunes App Store. Art ABC offers both alphabet and fine arts introduction. Each of the app’s interactive “pages” introduces one letter and words associated with that letter, reinforced with clear narration emphasizing the phonics involved. Each letter is presented against its own unique background, each of which [Read more…]

Little Pim – Language Fun For Kids

With school starting up, parents and kids everywhere are looking for that slight edge to bring their kids from middle of the class to top of the class. It is a fact that children who learn foreign languages early in life have a much easier time learning new languages later on in life. With this in mind, we have Little Pim. This cute little panda helps kids learn languages like Chinese, Spanish, Italian, German, English, French, Japanese, Arabic, Russian, Hebrew, and Portuguese. Little Pim teaches children not by associated words with translations or drills, but with actions and sounds, so kids don’t have to translate to learn- they just learn.

This way, instead of memorizing one word, they memorize strings of actions, where the words are simply the building blocks to the underlying concepts. Pim is a blast for kids, it is so much fun Little Man actually asks to watch on a regular basis. If it is good enough to be requested instead of assigned, that is pretty good in our house, especially for something educational.

Little Pim is also the winner of 10 top consumer awards for his educational DVDs. Pimis now available as a digital download as well. So now Pim can be everywhere you are! Pim is even available as an app on the iPad and is the winner of the 2012 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval.

About Little Pim:

Little Pim is an award-winning foreign language learning program for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Between birth and the age of six, the human brain is hard-wired for language learning, and Little Pim helps families take advantage of this brief window, by making language learning easy, fun [Read more…]