Apps We Love
Story Kit is an app that allows a child to not only write their own book, but also draw their own pictures and record their own voice reading the book. The children enjoy drawing the most, but it is neat to be able to hear their voices tell the story they have created.
Doodlecast is an app that the children use to draw a story. A blank or pre-made template can be chosen to use. As the children draw, their voices are recorded, so they can tell the story as they draw. The children enjoy using the pre-made questions to make their own unique stories.
Toontastic provides children with different backgrounds and characters to create a puppet show. The children can choose music, record their voices, create or use pre-provided backgrounds and characters, and animate their play. The children love working together to create an exciting play filled with fairy tale characters or pirates from the sea.
Puppet Pals is an app that allows children to create a puppet show. Though the app is free, in order to have a wide variety of choices for backgrounds and characters, one must buy an extra package. This app is very easy to navigate, and the children enjoy creating different characters and voices for each character.
Pocket Zoo is an app that allows children to virtually visit a zoo. The front page shows a variety of animals that the child can choose from. Once an animal is chosen, a main page pops up with that animal. If the child presses the animal, it makes the actual sound that the animal would make. There are facts about the animal, educational YouTube videos, and live cameras of actual animals. The children have a great time using this app. It is educational and fun for children and adults. I very much recommend this app for anyone of all ages; it is well worth the cost.
Teach Me provides children with their own personal player slot directly in the app. Once their slot is selected, the child can choose from math addition or subtraction, spelling, or dolch site words. The children work through the different levels and problems. For each one they get right, the child gets a check mark. After three check marks, the child gets a coin. The coins add up to allow the children to buy a sticker chart or an aquarium. The children love this app because it rewards them for getting correct answers, and they can have their own underwater world.
EduCreations allows children to draw, type, and record their voices. The app saves the work to an online account. The account is free and easy to use. You can make work public or private, so student work can be kept confidential. The website allows viewers to be selected as well, so teachers can allow parents access to their child's work. The children enjoy this easy-to-use app, and it is great for teacher and parent access to saved material.
Smart Note Free has been a great addition to our first grade class. This app allows students to keep an on-going journal that they can return to each day to journal in different subjects. This allows students a place to write and draw in their own customized journal.