Tag: "Games – Kids"

Cake Doodle for iPad – First Look

By Cristi | August 12, 2010 | No comment yet

A couple of months ago I took a look at Cookie Doodle, a cookie making app for the iPad. I downloaded it for my third grade daughter and she has spent hours creating all sorts of cookie combinations. During a recent visit to the App Store, I noticed Cake Doodle, the newest “Doodle” application from Shoe the Goose. Needless to say, Cake Doodle was added to our collection of kids apps and has been a big hit in our house ever since.

Cake Doodle lets bakers select from eight different cake recipes, mix ingredients and then bake. There are 12 cake styles available and a variety of frosting colors, icing tips, cake decorations and candles. With so many options to choose from, Cake Doodle will keep your little baker busy for a while.

Don’t forget to share their creations with Grandma and Grandpa. They can email a cake by selecting the E-Mail option under Menu.

Remember the best part of baking is eating, so enjoy! No mess and zero calories, truly a great combination. Both Cookie Doodle and Cake Doodle are available in the App Store for $0.99.

Yummy cake creation after the break! >>

ABC – Magnetic Alphabet for iPad

By Cristi | August 5, 2010 | No comment yet

Share |

Remember the brightly colored letter magnets you had on your refrigerator as a kid? Nothing high tech but fun to play with nonetheless. Well, thanks to Italian developer Dot Next, the iPad version of those ABC magnets is now available in ABC – Magnetic Alphabet.

Just like the letters we all know and love, these new high tech “magnets” are colorful and fun to play with. Kids of all ages can use them to create messages, practice spelling or make funny pictures. A scroll at the bottom of the screen contains capital and lower case letters, numbers, punctuation/symbols and little pictures with each of the 95 different magnets available in six colors for a total of 570 pieces.

Spin the scroll, select your objects, drag them to the board and your message is done. Like most apps these days, you also have the option to share your creation on Facebook or save it to Photos.

By Cristi | July 21, 2010 | No comment yet

Share |

I love to read books with my kids and eBooks are something relatively new for us. Since the release of the iPad, we’ve read a number of books together and really enjoyed it. Maggie and the Trouble with Monkeys is an app we all had fun reading and playing.

This interactive children’s app has a cute story, fun fonts and colorful illustrations. Join Maggie, a bright and imaginative five and a half year old, in her latest adventure. She’s got a little monkey that makes her life extremely difficult and causes lots of trouble. He does everything from eat all the cookies in the cookie jar to get mud on her new dress. What will she do? Will Maggie learn to love a monkey after all? I don’t want to spoil the ending, so you’ll have to buy the app to find out.

Enjoy this 22 page (11 screen) book app with your kids today. Maggie and the Trouble with Monkeys is available in the App Store for $4.99.

Screen shots after the break >>

Bright Bright for iPad – App Review

By Cristi | July 2, 2010 | 2 comments

Share |

Go retro with the new iPad app from Arik Devens called Bright Bright – Draw with glowing light pegs. When I was a kid, I could spend hours punching little colorful pegs into the black holes on my Lite Brite and create all sorts of wonderful pictures. I must also admit, I’ve never purchased one for my own kids because the little pegs were just one more thing to add to the clutter of Polly Pockets, Barbie accessories and any mixture of small toy pieces. Enter Bright Bright , the easy-to-use digital version of colorful pegs and creative pictures I’m happy for my kids to use.

The Bright Bright screen includes a black “peg board” with a variety of tools laid out across the top. Users have access to 7 peg color choices, different picture stencils, a light switch and more. Kids can create pictures using pre-made stencils or design original pieces of art. Once their finished, flip the light switch on and watch the pictures glow. Add an interesting effect with the Color Wave feature and watch the colors of your work change before your eyes.

It’ll take a little while to complete a stencil but don’t worry if you’re not able to finish your project in one sitting, using the Save and Load features lets you go back to your work anytime. Then show off your favorite pictures by saving them to photos or emailing them to grandma.

By Cristi | June 5, 2010 | No comment yet

Share |

My kids love to bake but I don’t always have the time to make homemade cookies. Cookie Doodle for the iPad, by developer Shoe the Goose, kept by daughter busy baking for hours. This fun little app lets kids get creative in the kitchen without all the mess.

Start by picking from 20 different types of cookie dough and then use your rolling pin to roll it out. Next, select your favorite cookie cutter. With over 75 cookie cutters to choose from, it’ll take your kids a while to get through them all. Once you select your favorite design, tap the dough and your cookie is cut. Move on to baking by tapping the oven at the top of the screen.

The fun really begins when your cookie is finished and it’s time to decorate! Let your creativity shine by frosting, piping and decorating with sprinkles and candies. Once complete, tap the cookie jar and add your cookies to the batch. Ready to enjoy? Set the table by tapping plates and tablecloths, move your cookies onto the plate and press eat. Yummy!

At $0.99, Cookie Doodle is a creative and fun alternative to baking and the best part is, no mess and zero calories!

Dr. Seuss iPad Apps – First Look

By Cristi | June 4, 2010 | No comment yet

Share |

Keep your kids entertained this summer with two new Dr. Seuss apps released by Oceanhouse Media. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and Up with a Fish are two more wonderfully created apps worth adding to your collection.

Like other Dr. Seuss book apps released by Oceanhouse Media, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish combines education and entertainment into one complete package. There are three reading options which allow kids to interact and follow along with the story:

Read to Me – The story is read to you and you turn the pages when you are ready.
Read it Myself – Read the book yourself, tap the text if you want to hear it read to you and turn the page when you are ready to continue.
Auto Play – More like a movie mode, the story is read to you and advances automatically.

The use of Dr. Seuss’s original artwork and text delivers this classic children’s story with a modern twist. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish is currently in the New and Noteworthy section of the App Store.

Up with a Fish is a fun game sure to entertain both kids and parents. Catch and stack objects as they fall from the sky by tilting your iPad back and forth from left to right. The more items you catch, the higher your points. Pay attention to the fish bowls! They’ll help you increase your multiplier or end the game if you miss three. Stay away from Thing 1 and Thing 2! Your whole tower will tumble if they get in your way.

For $5.00, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish ($3.99) and Up with a Fish ($0.99) will provide hours of summertime fun for the kids. Money well spent, if you ask me!

Classic Games for the iPad

By Cristi | May 5, 2010 | 1 comment

Share |

I’m always looking for games to entertain my kids while we’re on the road and there’s nothing like the classics. Here are two fun games the whole family can enjoy.

Tic Tac Toe Free HD (Free)

Tic Tac Toe is a game everyone knows how to play. It’s easy rules and basic strategy make it a favorite when you’re on-the-go. All you need is paper and pencil and you’re set. I often play Tic Tac Toe with my kids when we’re out at dinner and waiting on food. The quick simplicity of Tic Tac Toe has kept us entertained on more than one occasion.

Tic Tac Toe Free HD, one of the iPad versions of Tic Tac Toe, takes this game to the next level. It’s a high tech version on steroids, and then some. It has great graphics, sound effects and features. Players are given the option of playing against the computer with one player, or challenging a friend to a two person game. The game keeps score and even gives you the option of tracking high scores over time. It also allows you to configure names and automatically saves when you exit in the middle of a game. It’s a fun easy way to pass the time.

By Cristi | May 4, 2010 | No comment yet

Share |

Looking for a fun little app to entertain your toddler? The brightly colored graphics and cute animals in Animal Hide & Seek Adventure HD are sure to entertain.

This fun little app lets your kids enjoy the all time favorite game of hide-and-seek right on your iPad. Animal Hide & Seek Adventure has three different adventures to choose from: kids can play in the jungle, at the circus or in the ocean.

Start the game and select your adventure. A playful scene appears with hidden animals and music. A list at the bottom of the screen shows your child which animals are hiding in the picture. Find an animal on the list, tap it and it performs for you along with sounds and music. Having trouble finding a particular animal? Look for it in the list at the bottom of the screen, tap it and watch it move in the picture above.

By Cristi | April 30, 2010 | No comment yet

Share |

As parents, we’re all concerned about the education of our children. On-Track Time, Money & Fractions from School Zone Publishing is a fun way for kids to learn these basic math skills. Developed for kids 6-7 years old, this app uses repetitive practice, intermixed with fun games, to help children perfect their skills with counting money, telling time and figuring fractions.

Move from screen to screen automatically as the game progresses, or jump from skill to skill by touching the horseshoes at the bottom of the screen. Each exercise prompts your child with instructions, marks their correct answers and then rewards them with a game or fun musical skit. If all the answers on a page are correct, you move along to the next page and your corresponding horseshoe turns green. If not, the horseshoe turns red. Move ahead or go back and try again by tapping on the red horseshoe. The more pages you answer correctly, the more green horseshoes you collect.

By Roberto | April 30, 2010 | No comment yet

Share |

If you have kids, there is nothing better for your children than when you spend time with them. One way I’ve always found very amusing is to spend time reading with them. This 3D Storybook app is a great way to do just that. You can read it yourself, have it read to them, or even view all the 3D illustrations using the funny 3D glasses!

Taking advantage of the iPad’s large high-resolution screen, this 3D Storybook app features detailed and humorous full-color painted illustrations, viewable in both 3D (with red/cyan 3D glasses) and standard 2D. The artwork selected for this app is very elegant, which allows the app to bring to life the upside-down story of a little boy who wakes up on the wrong side of the bed.

When I showed this app to my 5-year old daughter, the first thing she asked me was: “What happens when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?” I quickly proceeded to explain to her that all of us have our off days. By using the app, with the funny 3D glasses, she was able to see the world in a different light or, in little Mott Turner’s case, from the ceiling. Even my daughter could quickly relate to the feeling. So imagine how they can identify with little Mott, who wakes confused one morning, to find himself in one upside-down misadventure after another, until finally he is right side up and once again, level-headed. She enjoyed the book and the story line!

By Cristi | April 27, 2010 | 5 comments

Share |

Everyone loves the fun rhymes, silly text and timeless illustrations in the classic children’s books by Dr. Seuss! A collection of those books are now available for you and your kids to enjoy in the App Store.

I reviewed The Cat in the Hat and The Lorax and really enjoyed them. These well known stories combine education and entertainment into one complete app package and promise to keep your little ones busy for hours. Each book has three options for reading:

Read to Me – The story is read to you and you turn the pages when you’re ready to move on.
Read it Myself – Read the book yourself, tap the text if you want to hear it read to you and turn the page when you are ready to move to the next page.
Auto Play - More like a movie. The story is read to you and advances automatically.

By Cristi | April 13, 2010 | No comment yet

Share |

Miss Spider’s Tea Party is an all time favorite book at our house! We love the brightly colored illustrations, the characters and the lesson it teaches. Both the small cardboard condensed version and the regular size, full-story hardcover have been well used. I actually read our books so many times when my girls were toddlers, that I had them memorized.

Always on the lookout for “mom” and “kid” related apps to review, I went to the App Store recently and was thrilled to find Miss Spider’s Tea Party in the list of top apps. Here’s my review of this wonderful children’s book app:

Read More »

The iPad – An Entertainment Device for Kids?

By Cristi | April 2, 2010 | No comment yet

Share |

I admit I don’t know any parents planning to go out and buy an iPad for their toddler, but I do know plenty that will probably use it to entertain their kids at one point or another. Here’s a great app from Triangle Studios for younger kids!

Magnetic Draw is an app that will be familiar to kids of all ages when it converts your iPad into a magnetic drawing board. It features a pen capable of different strokes and includes a variety of stamps for “artists” to use to create their very own masterpiece. When you are done, simply slide the large eraser-bar across the screen to erase your drawing and start over with a clean sheet. You’re even able to share your creations with others so now Mom and Dad can both have a copy!

In celebration of the release of the iPad and its new Magnetic Draw app, Triangle Studios will offer Magnetic Draw for $0.99 the first week, which is 50% off the regular price. I think this is a must have for anyone with kids!