We love to see children smiling and laughing during the Halloween Season. This holiday provides an equalizer for everyone to express themselves through dressing in fun costumes and trick-treating with family and friends. We recommend a few of the below Halloween Apps to share with your children!
First Words Halloween by Learning Touch is a fun universal app aimed at preschoolers that includes 54 Halloween themed spelling words like hat, broom. Each word is illustrated and has sound effects as they are completed. A fun themed way to pass time and teach sight words.
Toca Mystery House by Toca Boca is a fun free haunted house app aimed at elementary school age children where various items you touch have different actions like the mystery noise from the basement or opening drawers to see what you find. This app is a mix of fun without being too scary!
Zoo Train by Busy Bee Studio includes various animals, trains, puzzles, music and alphabet practice. Kids can build trains, make short words and build tracks and even make music! This is a classic that is great for those quick distraction moments with kids and keeps them learning!
Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown by Loud Crow Interactive takes the Great Pumpkin move to new interactive heights. It reminds me of a paper cut book with pop out animation, music by Schroeder’s piano and interactive narration.
Teaching your child to read is most likely one of the hardest things I have done with my kids. As a Mom, I think it among the most rewarding. Reading opens up a whole world for kids. I remember when I was young, I struggled to learn to read when I was young but used a variety of strategies I worked to learn.
Teaching my now first grader to read, is different. There are apps to use versus physical workbooks. We also have leveled early readers and go to the library often to pick up new books. At the library, it is now through the curbside. I remember going to the library when I was little and I always loved to pick out new books. As a parent, a whole new world opens to your children as they read!
Independent Reading is More Fun with Bluebee Pals
My son enjoys sitting with Sammy the Bear and reading different books. Sometimes “reading” is looking at the photos and trying to figure out what the story might say. We have read a variety of different books including Poky the Little Puppy and reading along. He often hugs Sammy and reads to him. I asked him why he liked reading with Sammy – he said Sammy helps him to learn. He uses Sammy to help him “tap” out his letters using Fundations which help him determine if he has a “just right book”.
Reading Apps for Kids
Reading Egg– this app by Blake eLearning includes a test at the beginning so that you can determine your child’s reading level. Through interactive games you practice sight words, digital story books, learning lessons including rhyming and interactive reading. My son loves working for the Golden Eggs and pairs his iPad with his Bluebee Pal so the two of them can work on reading together!
Epic is a reading app that includes 40K books from 250 platforms. You can choose books that are read aloud or your child can read by themselves. The app includes picture books, different types of books including some of my son’s favorites community helpers like police and learning videos as well! I love that my son can choose his favorites – and practice reading at the same time. We also practice looking at pictures and trying to “decode words”.
FarFaria is one of the best reading apps for struggling readers because it is such a fun app! It has several “worlds” to explore, each one containing a certain genre of books that would be captivating for kids to read or be read to.There are thousands of stories and songs, with more added weekly. And they are the most popular books available. Also, there is a badge system so your child will be motivated by his/her achievements. Plus parents and teachers can monitor their students’ achievements by seeing which badges have been achieved.
Teaching your child to read is most likely one of the hardest things I have done with my
kids. As a Mom, I think it among the most rewarding. Reading opens up a whole world for kids. I remember when I was young, I struggled to learn to read when I was young but used a variety of strategies I worked to learn.
Teaching my now first grader to read, is different. There are apps to use versus physical workbooks. We also have leveled early readers and go to the library often to pick up new books. At the library, it is now through the curbside. I remember going to the library when I was little and I always loved to pick out new books. As a parent, a whole new world opens to your children as they read.
Independent reading is made more fun with Bluebee Pals.
My son enjoys sitting with Sammy the Bear and reading different books. Sometimes “reading” is looking at the photos and trying to figure out what the story might say. We have read a variety of different books including Poky the Little Puppy and reading along. He often hugs Sammy and reads to him. I asked him why he liked reading with Sammy – he said Sammy helps him to learn. He uses Sammy to help him “tap” out his letters using Fundations which help him determine if he has a “just right book”.
Reading Apps for Kids
Reading Egg – this app by Blake eLearning includes a test at the beginning so that you can determine your child’s reading level. Through interactive games you practice sight words, digital story books, learning lessons including rhyming and interactive reading. My son loves working for the Golden Eggs and pairs his iPad with his Bluebee Pal so the two of them can work on reading together!
Epic is a reading app that includes 40K books from 250 platforms. You can choose books that are read aloud or your child can read by themselves. The app includes picture books, different types of books including some of my son’s favorites community helpers like police and learning videos as well! I love that my son can choose his favorites – and practice reading at the same time. We also practice looking at pictures and trying to “decode words”.
FarFaria is one of the best reading apps for struggling readers because it is such a fun app! It has several “worlds” to explore, each one containing a certain genre of books that would be captivating for kids to read or be read to.There are thousands of stories and songs, with more added weekly. And they are the most popular books available. Also, there is a badge system so your child will be motivated by his/her achievements. Plus parents and teachers can monitor their students’ achievements by seeing which badges have been achieved.
Remote schooling using the virtual model is hard! My son is a first-grader and lost part of the last school year when schools closed due to COVID-19. He struggles with telling time, staying on task.
Timers: We have tried using Alexa to set timers. I also like the visual timer in Time Timer (iPhone, iPad, Android) because it provides both a visual and timer you can use out loud. Time Timer app is currently free as of the time of this post. It’s great because you can set it up in advance with timers, to make your child more independent. It also provides a visual cue with the red shrinking as time counts down to completion. I find this app especially helpful when it’s break time, lunch/recess time during remote learning to provide a visual for my son as he tries to figure out how much time he has left. In addition to the visual, it also displays the time. We also use this during independent reading (10 minutes) to make sure when my son takes his eyes off the screen, that he comes back to his virtual learning on time.
Bluebee Pal to Help During Schooling: He especially enjoys using Hudson the Puppy and Sammy the Bear. He can use it as a sensory item or we can Bluetooth it to his Chromebook or iPad to speak the words in the classroom. Other families have used a cardboard poster board or a box to help them set up a school “environment” for their children.
Schooling: Remote Learning Setup at Home One of the ways that we help to prepare for the day of remote learning is to create a schedule, provide reinforcers for completing tasks, and making sure we have everything all set for the day. We also organize items by subject to make it easier to find them when the class transitions to the next material. We try to use bookmarks in order to make it easier to open up in packets and workbooks the next day. Whenever possible and especially with my older son, we use Google Drive or scan items to keep electronic items rather than paper items. https://www.bluebeepals.com
Independent Reading Tech Style At independent reading time during remote schooling, my son will often use Bluebee Pal Leo the Lion to help us read aloud. This way, he can snuggle with Sammy and we can read aloud on the pages while tapping out words as needed. Our school uses Fundations which encourage kids to tap out words to determine if the book is hard or easy. Our library has curbside pickup during COVID-19, we can work with the librarian to get books that are “just right” and that interest my son. I also love trying audiobooks with my son so he can independently listen and then look at the words on the pages while finding sight words and items he recognizes. We also love bringing Hudson with us and listening to audiobooks in the car which I check out from our local library and then play via my phone and with our Bluebee Pal. Hudson provides a huggable stuffed animal who speaks the voice of the audiobook reader, support during reading, even someone for kids to talk to.https://www.bluebeepals.com/inclusive-curriculum/
iMums wanted to share some of our Christmas and holiday themed app favorites with you. Below is a short summary of each of the apps along with links to our reviews as they have been completed. We hope that you will enjoy these apps as much as we have with our families. Many of these are ones we load onto our devices year after year to enjoy – and some stay on all year round! In our family, we pick a new holiday themed book to read every night – these are some of our digital favorites among The Mums. Try connecting these apps with a Bluebee Pal.Reading with our kids is one of the favorite things to do with our iKids. https://www.bluebeepals.com/bluebee-pals-app/
Favorite Holiday Apps
The iMums Christmas apps #1 Charlie Brown Christmas by Loud Crow Interactive is a real taste of nostalgia – featuring both the pictures and audio from the classic Christmas movie, with the addition of narration by Peter Robbins, who was the original voice of Charlie Brown. You can switch the narration on or off and the text is highlighted as it is read. The original music from the movie plays in the background and a nice feature is that you can control the music volume independently of the narration. Version 2.0 of the app added the director’s cut as a free in-app purchase. I would recommend installing this before starting to use the app as it adds 4 scenes, 2 activities and an extra carol.
The iMums Christmas apps #2 The Bernstein Bears and The Nutcracker by OceanHouse Media has been released just in time for the holidays. In this story Brother, Sister, and Honey open their presents on
Christmas morning. Among their presents is a Nutcracker Bear which Papa reminds them is from The Nutcracker ballet they saw on TV. At first, the cubs weren’t too interested in it, choosing instead to play with their new toys. It didn’t take very long for the cubs to get bored. With plenty of time before dinner, Papa suggests they entertain themselves by using their imagination. The cubs think this is a splendid idea and soon find themselves lost in the world of The Nutcracker.
Merry Christmas Mom and Dad- Little Critter by Oceanhouse Media, Little Critter attempts to make Christmas special for his Mom and Dad. He tries different things such as making cookies, picking out a Christmas tree, and wrapping presents, but each time the results are not quite what he was hoping for. Even though Little Critter messes up at everything he tries, you can’t help but fall in love with him. He is charming and funny as he explains what he did and what happened when he did it. My kid and I really enjoyed this story.
The iMums Christmas apps #4 Tacky’s Christmas by OceanHouse Media is a seasonal offering in the popular Tacky the Penguin series of books written by Helen Lester and illustrated by Lynn Munsinger, and brought to the app store by Oceanhouse Media. The story tells the tale of Christmas in Nice Icy Land. The penguins are busy choosing and wrapping gifts. Sadly, in Nice Icy Land Santa doesn’t visit (you may need to explain to your children why Tacky is pretending to be Santa), so Tacky has volunteered to dress up as Santa. The friends are also busy making Christmas ornaments and singing carols when they realise there are no trees to hang their ornaments on. Tacky volunteers to help out by being both Santa and the tree (at the same time). As usual with Tacky, things don’t quite go to plan, but he ends up saving the day and everyone has a Happy Christmas. Tacky is an odd bird, but a nice bird to have around – especially at Christmas.
The iMums Christmas apps #5 Cookie Doodle by Shoe the Goose is a virtual cookie shop without the mess! Do you enjoy decorating cookies with your family? Cookie Doodle by Shoe the Goose is a universal app where children make a recipe, bake and then decorate a virtual cookie with none of the mess associated with baking at home. The app features 24 , over 200 cookie cutters, photo cookie dough, and 85 different toppings. You can practice recipes with tasks like naming the various objects in the recipe, sifting, rolling, mixing and using cookie cutters to shape the cookies. The recipes can be used in real life to make cookies and help your child practice naming items, measuring, sequencing and fine motor skills.
The iMums Christmas apps #6 Five Little Monkeys Christmas by Loeschware is a Christmas themed app featuring my favorite little Monkeys! The app features an an interactive counting game with a musical touch based upon the popular nursery rhyme. This app helps toddlers and preschoolers practice early literacy skills with word highlighting, repetition, addition and subtraction practicing early math skills and of course lots of fun. The app features three different musical scores including, “rock”, “country” and “pop”. This is perfect to work on counting, expressive and receptive language as well as a fun way to learn!
The Witch and the Christmas Spirit is by SlimCricket is a brand new app for iOS. The Witch is getting read for a Halloween adventure when her friend Peepo the Elf calls and says that a terrible illness has spread across the North Pole. He asks the Witch to come and help Save Christmas! Will they be able to? Enjoy this Free app with IAP that includes games, 3D pages and more! The Witch and the Christmas Spirit – SlimCricket
The iMums Christmas apps #8
Reading Train Christmas Books, Songs & Games by The Learning Station is a leveled reading app containing 30 different Christmas stories. I loved sharing these Christmas stories with my sons and helping them read at the same time! Reading Train Christmas Books, Songs & Games – The Learning Station, LLC
Bluebee Pals app is a fun educational app which encourages kids to practice daily routines, using words to narrate what they are doing, sight words and play
Summary
Overall, the Bluebee Pals app is a fantastic app which encourages kids to learn as well as have fun. I love seeing all the different ways that my kids interact with the app and try the various activities. The app is gender neutral and allows you to pick your favorite Bluebee Pal to play along OR choose your own Bluebee Pal.
Our Rating
Bluebee Pals app by Kayle Concepts LLC is a universal app for iOS and Android. As many of you know, I have been part of The iMums for a really long time!
I’m pleased to note, that I had a chance to help design this app. The app brings BlueBee Pals to life using an app which teaches life skills such as; bathing, tooth brushing, washing hands, bedtime routines, as well as a kitchen which encourages your child to feed Bluebee a variety of meals and snacks. The app uses scaffolded learning, the first mini game is generally easier and for younger children – if you tap the arrow at the bottom you are given a more complex game for example, lining up your ABC’s turns into sight words. In the ice cream mini game, first you find the Bluebee Pals and then you have to match them to the appropriate beach chairs. You can learn more about the app on the Bluebee Pals website.
Upon opening the app, you are able to select your favorite Bluebee Pal – or one that you already have. Then you can view an instructional video where you learn more about Bluebee Pals and how to connect them. From there you can enter your child’s name – and while there touch each of the Bluebees to have them say their name and wave! Choose your favorite color balloon, and a favorite activity. A screen is presented with a variety of things you can do with your Bluebee Pals – did you know that Bluebee works with any Bluetooth enabled device ranging from a smartphone, laptop, smart TV, to a tablet? After that you are brought to the hub of the app where you choose a room for your daily activity – which I will highlight below.
The Bluebee Pal App
The app features narration and a variety of fun games as well. Below I will highlight each – these can be accessed either from the house hub or via the Bluebee Pals library.
Kitchen – Enter and exit the kitchen to try a variety of meal options including: breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Be sure to enter and exit the kitchen multiple times so you can see each of the meal options. The recycle bin lets you recycle items as well! There are cups, plates, food and even a cake to put on the table.
Living Room – Enter the living room and tap on the various objects including the couch, iPad and laptop to hear their name
Bedroom – Enter the bedroom and see how Bluebee cleans his room and puts his sneakers away! He also uses an animated guitar, shoe typing sequence and then a bedtime routine. In this room you can also put Bluebee to bed, change the covers and then turn off the light. After the Bluebee goes to sleep, you can go back to his bedroom and tap on the objects in the room.
Bathroom – Enter the bathroom and give your Bluebee a shower. Turn on the water and then tap the sponge to wash Bluebee’s fur. After getting out of the tub Bluebee needs to be dried with a bathtowel or blow drier. Then, brush the fur so it’s soft and clean. After bathtime, it’s time to brush teeth – kids move around the toothbrush to clean their teeth. After 20 seconds, teeth are clean and it’s time to practice washing hands. Then kids can tap on the items in the bathroom to hear their names.
Playroom – This room has learning and fun! Kids can practice their ABC’s and sight words, drag Bluebee through the maze, find a Bluebee on the island and match them to chairs, move cars and trucks around the track and hear their horns. Other mini games include a six piece puzzle, voice recorder so kids can record their voice — or parents can record their voice and have the app say it back. There is also a robot game where you assemble robots, dress up and match fruits to the right color balloon.
Bluebee Pals Library – Using this library you can select a mini game for the playroom.
Bluebee Resource Section – this parental gated area requires a four digit date of birth where you can access resources including: voice recorder, activities along with app reviews, a letter from founder Laura Jiencke about Bluebee Pals. This parental gated area does contain external links.
My son loves this app – one of his favorite mini games is the cars and trucks around the track. He loves placing all the cars on the track at the same time and seeing them zoom around. As a parent, I love that the app has both an educational and fun component to it. My son will practice zooming cars, learning letters, practicing the names of foods and more! I really liked that we can show a bath routine sequence, and then follow through in real life. I also loved using the app with our Bluebee Pal Parker who speaks the narration and moves his head in time to the app. My son also loved reading with Bluebee – for a full list of items that you can try with Bluebee – look in the resource section accessed from the main hub of the house or try this link. The app contains a parental gated area with resources and external links. I find that my son is repeating words that he learned in the app – especially in the kitchen and I’ve even gotten him to ask for a few foods like banana as a result of seeing them in the app. Above, I have highlighted each of the individual areas and items within the app – my kids have spent hours discovering each section as well as practicing letters, puzzles, creative thinking to solve problems and more.
Overall, the Bluebee Pals app is a fantastic app which encourages kids to learn as well as have fun. I love seeing all the different ways that my kids interact with the app and try the various activities. The app is gender neutral and allows you to pick your favorite Bluebee Pal to play along OR choose your own Bluebee Pal.
First Words Halloween
Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Remote schooling using the virtual model is hard! My son is a first-grader and lost part of the last school year when schools closed due to COVID-19. He struggles with telling time, staying on task.
iMums wanted to share some of our Christmas and holiday themed app favorites with you. Below is a short summary of each of the apps along with links to our reviews as they have been completed. We hope that you will enjoy these apps as much as we have with our families. Many of these are ones we load onto our devices year after year to enjoy – and some stay on all year round! In our family, we pick a new holiday themed book to read every night – these are some of our digital favorites among The Mums.
Bluebee Pals App by Kayle Concepts LLC – Review
The app features narration and a variety of fun games as well. Below I will highlight each – these can be accessed either from the house hub or via the Bluebee Pals library.