Welcome to Jo Booth – Occupational Therapy and Educational App Reviews
Jo Booth is a working Occupational Therapist who enjoys using Bluebee in her Classrooms. Jo Booth has been an Occupational Therapist for over 35 years, and currently practices at EasterSeals of SEPA, Montgomery County Division mainly focusing in Early Intervention. It is an APS (Approved Private School) and home outreach based setting.
Stuffed Animals Positivity on Social Emotional Learning
One of the most endearing traits of early childhood is that magical line between reality and make-believe. It is the space where anything can happen, and THAT is how beloved stuffed pets or dollies come to life. Attachment to stuffed animals can begin as early as...
Dressing: Teaching Kids Life Skills with Bluebee Pals
Focus: Dressing Teaching early dressing skills require patience and plenty of practice for little ones. To be successful, kids require a sense of body awareness, the needed motor skills – both gross motor and fine motor, and the ability to sequence steps. Kids begin...
Introducing Mindfulness in Early Childhood
Mindfulness is an essential skill for kids to be successful learners. But what exactly is mindfulness and why is there such a fuss in teaching mindfulness to young children? Mindfulness is simply paying attention to the present moment and allowing all thoughts and...
Teaching Kids Life Skills with Bluebee Pals
Focus: Dressing Teaching early dressing skills require patience and plenty of practice for little ones. To be successful, kids require a sense of body awareness, the needed motor skills – both gross motor and fine motor, and the ability to sequence steps. Kids...
Halloween 5 Apps for Preschoolers
Bluebee loves Halloween with all its fun activities. Dressing up and trying out new roles for pretend play gives kids a chance to take on another’s perspective. Young children often have a blurred line between reality and make-believe, so putting on that princess’s...
StoryToys Hungry Caterpillar Play School
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle is one of the most beloved stories for preschoolers. It portrays the ability to transform or change who we are and what we can become. StoryToys Entertainment Limited has retained the magic of the book by empowering children...
Mindfulness Beginning Training with Bluebee Pals
Mindfulness is an essential skill for kids to be successful learners. But what exactly is mindfulness and why is there such a fuss in teaching mindfulness to young children? Mindfulness is simply paying attention to the present moment and allowing all thoughts and...
The Town Musicians of Bremen – a Tale of Respect and Dignity
The Town Musicians of Bremenis based on the illustrated storybook by Lev Kaplan. Originally a Grimm’s Fairy Tale, the author and illustrator pay tribute to the classic tale of four outcast and older animals seeking a new life as musicians. After traveling for a...
Bee – 123 Kids Fun is an Eco Friendly App
Bee - 123 Kids Fun by RosMedia is a delightful eco-friendly app that takes a look at the life of bees and other pollinators. With the onset of Spring, it’s perfect for displaying the interconnection of all living things. Also, carefully placed within the narrative are...
Keeping Curiosity Alive During the Summer
Last week we learned about preventing summer slide – that inevitable decline of retaining skills when not in use. Now that summer has firmly set in, how do you continue to keep that sense of curiosity alive and open to discovering new experiences? How do we make what...
Avoiding Summer Slide with Bluebee Pals
Now that your kids have had a few weeks to enjoy the onset of summer, it’s time to tap into learning activities to prevent the dreaded “Summer Slide”. The phenomenon known as “Summer Slide” where kids lose skills over prolonged breaks is not an urban myth, but...
The Magic of Reading with Bluebee Pals
One of the best features of the Bluebee Pal is its ability to suspend reality and bring the written word alive in a book. We all know that reading is one of the best ways to engage our children in interactive play and it also gives them an edge up on learning. Current...
Bluebee Pals to Establish Bedtime Routines Part 2
Transitions are difficult for all of us. Kids especially become more tense and apprehensive when needing to shift gears. Why? Because transitions disrupt the status quo and are an unknown factor of what to expect and what to do. Many children become rigid with a need...
Bedtime Routine and Bluebee Pals to Establish Part 1
Are you having difficulty with getting your children to settle at bedtime? Are they restless or looking for “one more” reason to get out of bed after lights off? Using Bluebee as part of your child’s bedtime routine can set up invaluable habits for good sleep hygiene....
The Three Little Pigs by Nosy Crow’s Stories Aloud Series
Nosy Crow makes some of the best interactive storybooks and apps in the industry. Always innovative, smart, and fun to read stories for both parents and tots, they also offer audio recordings of their published books. Their Stories Aloud series can be obtained for iOS...
The Fabulous All New Bluebee Pal 4.0
The new Bluebee Pal has had a make-over from top to bottom with impressive features that make you want to stand-up and cheer! These features not only improve how the Bluebee Pal functions, but also thought has been given to how a child relates and benefits from...
Bluebee Pals with the Bluebee App
Is your child just starting to connect with technology or are you new to Bluebee Pals? Let the Bluebee Pals App help both you and your child learn about Bluebee Pals and the appropriate use of technology together. The app is free whether you own a Bluebee Pal or not....
Potty Training and help with Bluebee Pals
Potty training is often an arduous task as children are often hesitant to rock the status quo of their predictable routines versus the desire to be independent. Knowing if your child is ready is key to success. Some of the common signs to show a child is ready are:...
Demystifying In-App Purchases (IAPs)
In-App Purchases (IAPs) can be quite confusing. Some programs allow you to purchase extra features, some sell the program as a subscription and still others that remove ads or other inappropriate components for children. Making an app can be quite expensive. Most app...
Anxiety Over Screen Time – Use of Screens for Kids
There is no doubt that use of screens has dramatically risen over the past few years. We now have prompts that direct us to a website for making appointments, paying bills, or gathering more information on a topic. But what about children? The issue over screen use...
Choosing Apps for your Child’s Tablet (Part Two)
In Part One, we learned about the preliminaries for introducing a Tablet into play. Without these two skills in place, time is wasted on trying to recover ground and what is being taught doesn’t always stick. Many children have these skills in place at two, but...
Where to Begin Choosing Apps for your iPad? (Part One)
So, you just bought an iPad and want to begin to introduce your children to technology. How do you begin? You want something educational, but what are the best apps for education? As with the development of all skills, most children follow through a developmental...
Why Stuffed Animals are Still Important
One of the most endearing traits of early childhood is that magical line between reality and make-believe. It is the space where anything can happen, and THAT is how beloved stuffed pets or dollies come to life. Attachment to stuffed animals can begin as early as...
Personalized Storytelling Apps to use with Bluebee Pals
Storytelling engages memory, sequencing, and the ability to impart social and emotional sensibilities. It’s through stories that we learn to not only begin to see ourselves as capable but also to take on the perspective of others. When we fall upon hard times or...
Using Book Creator for Making Stories
Book Creator by Red Jumper Ltd. is a must have app for all parents, teachers, and clinicians. This versatile app can promote and model language and the sequence of events through storytelling. In addition, it can also be used to create keepsakes of special events as...
Tips For Making Stories to Ease Transitions
Use Bluebee in a Story to ease transitions! Often, holidays are times when kids experience an overwhelming amount of sensory input. They are taken out of their usual routines and melt-downs can easily be triggered. Going to see Santa is a source of distress for many...
Lily’s Wish List for a Happy Holiday
After a play date with Hudson, where he showed her his wish list for the holidays, Lily thought it would be a great idea to make a list herself. She decided too, to ask mommy, daddy, and her sisters what was on their lists. “This will be the best holiday ever,” she...
Hudson Makes a Wish List
Hudson, that silly puppy, is being smart this year with a list already for Mommy to send out. What does he have on his list? Some books, some learning apps that are challenging, and of course some apps and toys for fun. Here are a few of his top picks: Oceanhouse...
Strategies for Transitions on the “Big Day!” Part 2
The Big Day is here! You’ve prepped by practicing certain aspects of the day’s celebrations – reading stories, decorating and trying or discussing new foods – but then the unexpected happens. Whatever are you going to do? Employ Bluebee to the rescue of course!...
Helping Your Child with the Changes in Routines during the Holidays Using Bluebee – Part 1
Holidays are hectic. There is always a mad dash to get things done, new routines and foods to eat, objects to “not touch” placed about the house, and not to mention well-intentioned relatives invading personal space. This time of year is a great opportunity to provide...
PreSchool Halloween Fun with Bluebee
Preschoolers who have an idea of the spoils of Halloween are always excited about its celebration and are eager to play games, activities and listen to stories that feed that curiosity. Here are a few more apps that are well paired with Bluebee for preschoolers in the...
Halloween Apps to be used with Early Learners
Bluebee loves Halloween with all its festivities. Dressing up and trying out new roles and rules for pretend play gives kids a chance to take on another’s perspective. Young children often have a blurred line between reality and make-believe, so putting on that...
Learning about Routines with Heppi’s Bo’s School Day
Bo’s School Day by Heppi is a delightful storybook app detailing the routines of going to school. Kids lead Bo, the giraffe, throughout the day and help him ready for school by packing his lunch and backpack, playing with friends at school, and finally going home with...
All Aboard! Dinosaur Train Classic in the Jurassic, Jr. by PBS Kids
Dinosaur Train Classic in the Jurassic, Jr. by PBS KIDS is a bilingual (Spanish/English) app that teaches spatial relationship skills of matching/sorting, comparing, and measuring. These skills are the foundation for future math skills and scientific inquiry. Dinosaur...
The Curious Critters Club Interactive Storybooks by YooZoo
The Curious Critters Club began in New Zealand to impart the love of science and the discovery and care of all life. They currently have 2 interactive storybook apps in the series available. These apps are free and created by Yoozoo and La boîte à pitons. The apps...
Get Busy with Busy Shapes and Colors!
Busy Shapes and Colors from Edoki blends shape recognition and color awareness. By adding attributes, whether beginning with colors or shapes, the app naturally expands vocabulary by defining objects in more detail through the development of spatial discrimination and...
Apps for Calming after a Busy Day
Self-Calming is an art that is taught. In our over-stimulating world, kids can get quite overloaded with the constant bombardment of sensory input. When in this state of over-arousal, the body goes into a state of stress called fight or flight. The fight or flight...
Ring Ring…It’s Elmo or Cookie Monster Calling
Sesame Street Workshop continually produces apps that quickly become classics, and are in every therapist’s toolbox. Two standard apps are Cookie Monster Calls and Elmo Calls. Whenever I am trying to engage an emergent learner in reciprocal play, I have used these two...
Sesame Street – the App
Sesame Street by Sesame Street gives kids unlimited access to video clips and mini-games with all your favorite characters. Bluebee couldn’t have more fun with your child than this! The two together can explore hundreds of videos and games covering everything a...
Billy’s Coin Visits the Zoo App
Billy’s Coin Visits the Zoo by Spinlight Studios is an interactive storybook that has become a preschool standard. All the features that we love in storybook apps are present…original story and creative design, professional narration with highlighted text, and the...
Have Fun Creating with Cubic Frogs’ iMake Ice Pops
What could be better on a hot summer’s day than making ice pops? In Cubic Frogs’ iMake Ice Pops kids get to try their hand at creating all sorts of yummy treats for everyone in the family. The app allows for complete autonomy for little ones to experiment with colors...
3 Apps for Creating Fireworks for the Fourth!
Fireworks Lab by Cowly Owl is a sure-fire winner for little creators. Gameplay is straightforward and easy to use. On opening the screen the app displays a number of place markers for making a safe firework display, and by tapping on a drop pin, the fun begins! Kids...
Have a Hearty Sing-Out with Wee Sing America!
Wee Sing America by Wee Sing is the perfect way to gear kids up for the 4th of July. It’s fun to learn a bit about American history through songs and quotes. Most of the songs are traditional standards, simple to learn, and are ripe for movement and play ideas. Our...
Learn about Sound with Musical Me!
Musical Me! by Duck Duck Moose is the just right app for helping little ones to begin to discriminate sound and serves as an enhancement to language acquisition. In Musical Me, kids learn about the nuances of rhythm and pitch and have the opportunity to practice their...
Busy Shapes is Puzzling Fun for Early Learners
Busy Shapes by Edoki is a fantastic early learning app. Based on Piaget’s research on cognitive development, this app begins with cause and effect play and evolves into an exercise in problem-solving and tool use. It bridges the gap between a child being reactive to...
Let’s get Planting with WGBH’s Wonder Farm and Plants Journal
Nic & Nor's Wonder Farm and its companion app the Plants Journal is a treasure for spring and summertime time play. It was created by First 8 Studios at WGBH whose commitment to early education is exemplary. They know from decades of producing children’s...
The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland and We Are Wheelbarrow
The Very Cranky Bear by We Are Wheelbarrow PTY Ltd is based on the fabulous and favorite book by Nick Bland. Illustrations in the app are true to the book with added animation features that add to the story’s appeal rather than distract from the moral of the story....
Learning to Write Fun with Writing Wizard App
I use Writing Wizard App by L’Escapadou every day, largely because of the settings that allow the app to be tailored to the needs of a specific child and it's highly reinforcing content that keeps kids engaged. Writing In the App On opening, select where to begin –...
Read My Mom’s the Best for Mother’s Day Fun!
My Mom’s the Best by Snappyant is based on the Australian book by Rosie Smith and Bruce Whatley (My Mum’s the Best). It is one of the most charming books written from a child’s viewpoint and dedicated to Mom’s everywhere. Read with Bluebee and your little one, it...
Learn about Getting Healthy with Green Riding Hood!
Green Riding Hood, an Organic Fairy Tale by Bobaka is not your average twist on a tale. It is chocked full of additional educational tools and activities that set your child up for a lifetime of healthy habits. Grandma is not your typical invalid that is awaiting...
Step into Learning with the Mother Goose Club!
Mother Goose Club by StoryToys is a subscription-based all-inclusive app that includes familiar games, puzzles, and stories for beginning learners. The variety and appeal of the activities are amazing, and sure to be a hit! StoryToys will be continuing to update the...
An App for Earth Day: Care for Our World
Care for Our World by Sunbreak Games is a beautifully illustrated interactive storybook which seems more like a beloved poem from a time when you were very young. Based on the award-winning book by Karen Robbins and illustrated by Alexandra Ball, it takes kids to...
Teach Social-Emotional Skills with Daniel Tigers Grr-ific-Feelings
Daniel Tiger’s Grr-ific Feelings by PBS Kids is awesome when paired with Bluebee Pals. The app is centered on emotional well-being and helps kids learn to identify feelings, a chance to practice and express emotions in a safe environment, and provides coping skills to...
Flying High with AlphaTots by Spinlight Studios
AlphaTots by Spinlight is one of my go-to apps for letter recognition and beginning awareness of phonemes. This app not only teaches but has the child be an active participant in learning. The layout of the app makes it simple to navigate, but in addition, teaches...
How to Choose a IOS or Android Tablet for your Child
Choosing a tablet for your child can be a challenging experience. Do you go with iOS or an Android tablet? What about a case and a screen saver? Here are a few tips and pointers to consider when selecting a tablet that will grow with your child. Apple’s iPad, an...
I Love You Too – Ziggy Marley by Oceanhouse Media
I love you-Ziggy Marley by Oceanhouse Media is a marvelous book for all preschoolers. The story and the accompanied song speaks of the depth of love within a family. Choices are Autoplay, Read to Me, Read to Myself, or Sing-a-long. Bluebee can read this upbeat and...
Let’s have Tea with Toca Tea Party!
Who hasn’t experienced having a Tea Party with their favorite friends? Using Toca Tea Party by Toca Boca AB it’s as simple as ABC! Toca Tea Party is a classic app that presents plenty of opportunities for open-ended play based on practical life skills. The beauty of...
Bizzy Bear on the Farm App by Nosy Crow
Bizzy Bear on the Farm by Nosy Crow is an original offering based on the popular series of board books. The app is based on the routines performed on a farm, and kids just love helping Bizzy Bear with his chores for the day as he visits the farm. Every child wants to...
An Irish Folktale App-Oisín in Tír na nÓg,
“Oisín in Tír na nÓg” is a beautiful retelling of an Irish folktale by Celtana. This interactive storybook app is currently on GooglePlay and is not available in the American iOS store. Hopefully, it will return there soon as these stories need not only to be told but...
Using YouTube Kids with your Bluebee Pal
Sometimes in the busy day of a toddler, you need to take a break from all the many events over the course of a day. YouTube Kids by Google, Inc. is a great medium to keep the sense of discovery fresh while giving a child a chance to just chill. It's an invaluable...
Bluebee Pals & Bo’s Dinnertime by Heppi App
Bo’s Dinnertime by Heppi Apps is the perfect antidote for picky eaters or kids needing to establish a mealtime routine. Skills include: following direction, improving visual-motor skills, and learning about the customs and rituals of mealtimes. In the app, we follow...
One Giggly Gorilla App and Bluebee Pals
One Giggly Gorilla produced by Wasabi and written by Graham Nunn, is an absolute delight! Follow these primates in the sequel to Ten Giggly Gorillas which was also recommended for use with Bluebee Pals. Gameplay revolves around helping the gorillas (by counting 1-10)...
Bluebee Pal reads Elmo Loves You
Elmo Loves You! by StoryToys Jr. is one sweet treat for Valentine’s Day. Based on one of Sesame Street’s most popular books, this 3D storybook is written and read to YOU by everyone’s favorite little monster, Elmo. Of course, parents or children have the option to...
Lipa Bear & Bluebee Pals
Lipa Bear by Lipa Learning is an endearing early learning app for 2-3-year-olds who are in the midst of a language burst and want to learn about EVERYTHING and learn it NOW! This little app gives them the opportunity to strut their stuff and show you all that they...
Green Eggs and Ham-Read & Learn-Dr. Seuss
Green Eggs and Ham-Read & Learn – Dr. Seuss by Oceanhouse Media includes interactive learning pages to this classic tale of refusal. This is a relevant topic to all preschoolers as they are beginning to learn and discover their own sense of things they like and...
Into the Snow We Go: A Stella and Sam Adventure by zinc Roe
Into the Snow: A Stella and Sam Adventure, is part of an exceptional series by zinc Roe. It’s based on the adventures of a brother and sister, along with their dog Fred. The series covers a variety of topics that directly relate to a preschoolers' world of...
123 Kids Fun Make a Snowman App
RosMedia has a suite of apps that are a wonderful addition to any preschooler’s tablet for fun and learning. Apps vary from an introduction to music or other creative arts to auditory discrimination and the ability to follow directions. Included in their suite are a...
Speakaboos Reading App: Stories and Songs for Kids
Speakaboos is a wonderful collection of books and music for your 2-6 year old and when paired with Bluebee – it’s an unstoppable force in instilling the love of stories and facilitating pre-reading skills such as attention, comprehension, and learning new vocabulary....
Domi Domi Listen and Guess
Domi Domi Listen and Guess by Yellow Dot is an awesome app for building vocabulary and pairing listening skills with making choices and taking action. On opening, kids can choose to listen to different sounds or play a game identifying sounds. The selection is clearly...
Using Spotify and other Music Services with Bluebee
Music streaming devices with Bluebee Pals! There are many to choose from: iTunes, Amazon Music, Google Play Music, and Spotify. If you currently have any of these, they are well worth a closer look if your child...
Grandma’s Great Gourd by Literary Safari
Grandma’s Great Gourd by Literary Safari is an enchanting story about courage and the ability to stay calm when the world spins out of control around you. We first meet Grandma in a little village in Bengal with her two dogs. She has a happy life there and has the...
Ten Giggly Gorillas by Wasabi Productions
Ten Giggly Gorillas by Wasabipro and written by Graham Nunn, is more fun than a barrelful of monkeys – although in this case, it’s gorillas hanging from a tree. This storybook app opens to a tree filled with colorfully outfitted gorillas, and it is YOUR job to find...
Cubic Frog’s Preschool EduKitty
Cubic Frog’s Preschool EduKitty is a fun app for learning to listen and then follow directions. It teaches kids how to not only to look to others for information but also based on their ability to process and recall, follow through with sequencing directives and then...
Bluebee Pals with Lipa Pirates and Lipa Race!
Avast ye maties, I think there’s some coffer for the wee ones in Lipa Pirates and their companion game app, Lipa Race. Lipa Pirates reinforces and rehearses spatial orientation concepts brought forth in a variety of games and activities. Having a variety of challenges...
Zoo Animals ~ Touch, Look Listen
Zoo Animals ~ Touch, Look, Listen, by one of my favorite developers, StoryToys Entertainment Limited, is a winner for using with a Bluebee Pal. This early-learning pop-up picture book allows kids to explore at their own pace either alone, or with an adult or sibling...
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine meets Bluebee!
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has 2 books to help your children develop healthier sleep habits. I See the Animals Sleeping – A Bedtime Story and The Animals Sleep-A Bedtime Book of Biomes. Both are rich in portraying the sleep habits of the Wild Kingdom, and...
The Monster at the End of this Book…starring Grover!
The Monster at the End of this Book…starring Grover! by Sesame Street is an absolutely fabulous book for immersing your child in sequential activity. With each reading, kids begin to anticipate what comes next with all the squeals and giggles included in the best of a...
The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin
The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin by OceanHouse Media is about a little pumpkin that just doesn’t quite fit in with the other “rounder” pumpkins. He is taunted and teased and left out of many of the pumpkin games because he couldn’t roll like the others. But...
StartDOT Handwriting
StartDOT Handwriting by TrishCO LLC is the perfect app for kids needing both visual and auditory cues to reinforce proper letter formation. So many kids that we see in the clinic, have learned maladaptive patterns for letter formation. Visual, fine motor skills, and...
A Parcel of Courage
Moona Apps' A Parcel of Courage by Mariya Stavinskayais an uplifting interactive storybook about empathy and demonstrates how to give others the love and support they need to overcome obstacles. A family separated over many miles from their beloved Granny wish to help...
Moonlight Hide and Seek
Weily Apps' Moonlight Hide and Seek by Betsy Franco and illustrated by Tom Franco is a rare find in the app store. Combining Early Learning Math Concepts within a storybook, this book gives way to endless possibilities for choice making. AND that translates to repeat...
How I Became a Pirate
How I Became a Pirate, the award-winning book by Melinda Long and David Hannon, and brought to life by OceanHouse Media is a must have for the swashbuckling set! In this interactive storybook, Jeremy Jacobs - a young boy with time on his hands boards Captain Braid...
The Little Gym Sing and Move-Along Series
The Little Gym has 2 musical collections available on both iOS and Android platforms. 20 Sing-Along Fun Songs and 20 Move-Along Fun Songs are a fantastic way to build up listening and motor skills. All the songs are filled with action or dancing moves that help...
Vincent the Anteater’s Space Voyage by El Pudu
Vincent the Anteater’s Space Voyage by El Pudu Studios is an enchanting and gentle story that sends a positive message to kids to care for our planet’s resources and to trust in their own inherent abilities. In the story, Vincent, who is a very curious anteater,...
12 Huia Birds
12 Huia Birds by Yoozoo Limited is an amazing interactive storybook that centers on the Huia Bird and its gradual extinction from New Zealand. It is rich in the culture and history of the land of New Zealand, and can even be listened to in the lyrical Maori native...
Get your 1st Bluebee Pal with a free app