So a week or so we refinanced our house (rock-bottom rates, student loans to pay off, yadda yadda) and due to a small resulting windfall, the Diller Academy of Higher Learning acquired one of these:
Yeah. An iPad. 
I'm not someone who likes to parade my possessions, and I'm not certainly NOT someone who tends to have the latest and greatest technothingamabob, but we had our reasons for why this particular purchase made sense for our family.
Just yesterday, we listened to Pandora while doing chores, looked up weevils in Wikipedia, played games to practice multiplication and addition facts (Ian and Eliza), listened to a message from the Book of Isaiah while doing dishes (me), played with "paper" dolls (Caroline), read a Chekhov short story (me), caught a 5-minute NPR news summary, played several rounds of Scramble (Ian and two friends), etc. Today we worked on learning states and capitals, among other things.
But now I'm asking you. If you have an iGadget of any kind, what are your (or your kids') favorite apps? Obviously I'm biased in favor of the educational ones, but the mind is open.
My kids' favorite apps: (free or cheap)
- Paper Town Friends
- Cut the Rope
- Mad Math
- Scramble
- Cupcakes!
- Some phonics game (ABC Lite, I think)
So, what are we missing???
Posts
8 comments:
OMG, don't get me started!
For a game with no educational value whatsoever, Angry Birds.
Parking Lot is an electronic version of Rush Hour, where you have to shift the cars around to get a trapped car out. Great for strategy and for spatial reasoning.
Doodle Jump has no redeeming value, but is really fun & non-violent.
Talking Carl is hilarious. A cartoony face that you can make talk.
Spelldown is perfect practice for spelling lists.
Dictionary.com app gives definitions and also pronounces the words aloud for you.
Crock-Pot and SparkRecipes for dinner. :)
AccuWeather for 15-day and hourly forecasts.
If you have the 3G version, the GPS Drive app is a really excellent GPS program. Highly recommended.
Facebook. :)
Starmap for a full, real-time overhead view of stars, planets, & constellations.
Everest Hidden Expedition is kind of an I-Spy inspired adventure game. Claire loves it.
I'll ask the kids and I'll be back with more. :)
Jackpot! Jenny, you rock my world!
Wow - cool new gadget!!
Kavya loves LetsTanz or something like that - it is a Tangram puzzle game.
Jenny's list is great, I an going to go and get those, if free.
Did ya know you can download Kindle ebooks to your iPad?
THIS is EXACTLY why i've been wanting to invest in an iPad! glad to know that the way i envision it benefitting us, is on par with how it has enhanced your lives!! playing with one officially made me uber-grateful for (& a bit smitten by) today's technology!
you beat me! Now I can covet yours and wish I had one - oh, that's redundant huh? Still nice to know that others think the way I do about modern technology - it's truly a love/hate/love thing.
Have fun!
I only have one app suggestion since I'm so not proficient but Jennifer Hansen recommends Math is Fun - low glam, simple math fact practice.
Also, my sister has a cool thing for traveling that puts all of your travel information in one place with a click of a button - you don't have to enter anything. Pretty cool if you're traveling - which I know your frequent trips to Boston, but you've likely got those down.
It's interesting that you are discussing this on the same day that my brother sent me this article that talks about how some parents have found the iPad to be a useful tool for speech therapy. I want one!!!
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748703440004575547971877769154-lMyQjAxMTAwMDIwMDEyNDAyWj.html
I have no apps suggestions but ... I love Pandora! So fantastic.
Wow, I am ashamed to discover that you've had your iPad since October!!! That's what I get for reading only Facebook posts and Twitter feeds. :(
Post a Comment