By Betty Galvan
I was so happy to do a couple of app reviews for Mommy Maestra this week! Both are educational, one is cute and funny, and the other a perfect game for Valentine's Day!
Name: My Book Full of Riddles: Multi-Language by Brave Tomatoes
Subject(s): reading, languages, figurative speech, problem solving
Brief Description: A funny and interactive book for kids with over 20 riddles in six different languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Russian).
Price: $2.99
Ages: 4+
What my kids like:I am not surprised that my six year-old loves the punchline page that comes after every riddle! Some answers are hilarious and he laughs aloud! He also loves the record button which is neat because it encourages him to read to me. He is very intrigued by the English, Spanish, and French options.
What I like:I kept expecting for the riddles to come to an end and start over. To my surprise, there are over 20 riddles, which means that my oldest might memorize a few answers but not all. After all, I would like him to stay interested in the app for a bit longer because of the price and because of our continuing work with bilingualism.
I loved that we are able to pick more than our two languages! I did notice that not everything translates perfectly, especially humor, but I believe only one of two riddles didn't translate well.
The option to read alone and record your voice was the big hit for me. I love that my oldest can hear himself read Spanish and he is so proud every time he plays back his recording! It is also a great benefit the babies in the house to hear more Spanish.
There are a few more apps by Brave Tomatoes and I really think I'll be checking them out. Riddles and puzzles seem to be their main focus and I love that they have added multi-languages to their books. Unfortunately, there are no free apps and they range between $1.99 to $2.99. In my opinion, the money is totally worth this Brave Tomatoes app.
Name: First Words Valentine by Learning Touch
Subject(s): Letter recognition, spelling, vocabulary, reading and matching.
Brief Description: An easy word-building game specifically for Valentine's Day.
Price: Free
Ages: 2 and up
What my kids like:My toddler loves to swipe the letters and match them to their designated boxes. He also likes the spinning images when he is correct; a celebration! My six year-old, although reading, is very familiar with Learning Touch apps and enjoys helping his little brother with the newest app as well.
What I like:I like that every letter is repeated when selected, reinforcing the alphabet over and over. I love that this Valentine's Day app has words and images appropriate for my little one.
We have a lot of Learning Touch apps. I appreciate the variety of free apps and that I have the option to upgrade for as low as $1.99. I am most impressed by the fact that Learning Touch has developed a Spanish app! They also have First Words in three other languages: Japanese, German and French! And although a bit on the pricier side ($4.99), they all have over 100 words in each app within different categories (animals, shapes, letters, etc). Learning Touch apps will be on my iPhone and iPad for a long time!
Disclosure: We were not compensated by the above companies for these reviews. All opinions expressed above are my own.
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Betty Galvan, is helping her readers "find the positive and seek the benefits" over at her blog, MyFriendBettySays.com.
She is the mother of three beautiful little boys and a teacher.
She is the mother of three beautiful little boys and a teacher.