Big Brother has been a bit poorly which means we’ve been spending lots of time snuggled up indoors trying to find things to do. Fortunately he likes playing games on the iPad and iPhone, in between episodes of Chuggington and coughing, so we’ve been trying out some new apps.
Based on the original books by renowned education expert Dr. Lin Day, Stagecoach Education: Project Christmas is the first of the series to be brought to the iPad.
Stagecoach was the first ever Educational Course developed for Under 5s and it has been helping to educate a global audience for over 20 years. With Stagecoach for the iPad the underlying principles remain the same: A firm and solid foundation built in the early years will enable more complex structures to be built in later life. Learning to read and write should be considered in the same way as games, toys and other activities and need involve no pressure or force, but should be considered as a fun and joyful occupation.
Key features include:
Draw and paint on over 30 Christmas-themed pages
Music and sound effects capture your child’s imagination
Learn numbers 1 to 20 and the alphabet with interactive pages
Verbal and written instructions help to guide your child
Save your work to the photo album, email or share via Twitter and Facebook
Automatic bookmarking and saving of your drawings
Feed the Monster is a fun and wacky iPhone app for the whole family. Geared to kids of all ages, players can create their own Monsters and interact with them. Over–feed them and they explode into 5 tiny Monsters that you have to catch and put into the Merging Machine. Feed the Monsters certain foods and there are some comical reactions. Engage your Monster in a challenging Food Fight, pitting him against another Monster. For anyone who’s ever wanted to have a food fight, here’s the chance to get into one without all the mess or trouble. These are Monsters any kid would like to invite over for dinner!
Feed the Monster highlights include:
Monster Creator
Feeding Frenzy
Merge Machine
Food Fight game
Food Catch game
Special Foods for special Monster reactions
I learn with transportation is a funny and exciting way to learn and explore your little one’s interest in cars, motorbikes, ships, rockets, and more. This app is a mix of book, animated illustration, and videogame for iPhone and iPad.
I learn with Transportation introduces the child to six knowledge areas: sounds, words, colors, shapes, numbers, and environments. And it is designed specifically to fulfill the developmental needs of children. In addition, the book offers a brand new experience every time it is launched. The combination of pages changes endlessly, bringing each read a new challenge and a new entertaining adventure.
Big Brother enjoyed all three apps but needed some help with using them. His favourite was I learn with Transportation as he’s a typical boy and loves anything which moves. The sounds are perfect to encourage him to differentiate between different vehicles. He also had lots of fun with Project Christmas. As it’s available on the iPad the larger screen is perfect for his chubby fingers to paint the Christmassy pictures.
All the apps are available from the App Store.
