SFM Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 So, I finally broke down and got an iPad. So far, we are really digging even though I am usually very reluctant to technology. We also got the regular Kindle reader and are really enjoying that as well, I am starting to see that technology in moderation might be quite nice. We live in Japan and have been able to FaceTime with family back in the States and it just seems more user friendly than Skype. So, what are some good games and apps? My children are DS8, DD almost 5 and DD3. My kids were shocked that we actually did it....here we go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Congrats! I love my ipad. For educational games and apps, we love Math Bingo, Monster Physics, Word Wizard, Sudoku School, Flag Master, Hungry Fish, Flow Free, TanZen Lite, 7 words, BrainPop Jr Games just for fun: Angry Birds, Doodle Jump, Spider, Ninja Fishing, Flight Control, Lazoo Let's Color, Lazoo Squiggles, Cut the Rope Apps I use frequently: Kindle, YellowPages, Flipboard, Star Walk, National Geographic Atlas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamzanne Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 I was unsure about having one as well. Our charter school paid for ours and we love it! I think all of the following are free or were at the time of purchase. I highlighted our favorites. My daughter is 7. For mom: Evernote, Netflix, google, Dragon Dictation (love this because I hate typing on the IPad), YouVersion (Bible) Educational: Free Books, 3D Sun, GoSkyWatch, Khan Academy, BrainPOP, JellyCar 3 lite, Mad Libs, One Minute Reader, Teach Me 2nd Grade (other grade levels, too) Geography: Stack the States, Stack the Countries, US Puzzle Math: Wings, Hungry Fish, Zoom, Rocket Math, Sushi Monster, Mathtopia Physics Games (loosely): Sprinkle Free, Monster Physics, Cut the Rope Thinking games: BigSeed, KickBox, Unblock Me, BrainGames, Chocolate Fix (free) For fun: Temple Run, Harbor Master, Lux Touch (like Risk), Air Hockey, Monster Hunt, Angry Birds, Flow Free, Chirp Chirp, Creationary Paid and totally worth it, but very addictive: Granny Smith (only 99 cents!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 I just got an iPad mini the other day and I didn't realize how incomplete my life was without it. ;) I positively adore it. I had loads of games on my iPhone that I put on my iPad as well. We like Temple Run, Where's My Water?, Where's Perry?, Chuzzle, and Sodoku. I'm looking at learning apps, but I haven't downloaded any yet as I'm having too much fun playing with it right now. In fact, I'm typing on it to reply! It's so much easier to lug around than my MacBook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 I just got an iPad mini the other day and I didn't realize how incomplete my life was without it. ;) I positively adore it. I had loads of games on my iPhone that I put on my iPad as well. We like Temple Run, Where's My Water?, Where's Perry?, Chuzzle, and Sodoku. I'm looking at learning apps, but I haven't downloaded any yet as I'm having too much fun playing with it right now. In fact, I'm typing on it to reply! It's so much easier to lug around than my MacBook. I just got my mini, too, and I love it as well. Wow! It's so nice for reading books and magazines. I haven't used it for much else, but I will. :-) I'm also saving my Swagbucks to get the basic Kindle e-reader. That will be something I'll share with the kids. (I don't like sharing my mini, LOL!) I realize the basic Kindle is just for reading, but an e-reader will be nice for the kids when we travel, and supposedly the battery lasts a long time with the basic Kindle, without the backlighting. I'm definitely a convert. Reading one book on the mini has changed my opinion about electronic readers dramatically! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 I just got my mini, too, and I love it as well. Wow! It's so nice for reading books and magazines. I haven't used it for much else, but I will. :-) I'm also saving my Swagbucks to get the basic Kindle e-reader. That will be something I'll share with the kids. (I don't like sharing my mini, LOL!) I realize the basic Kindle is just for reading, but an e-reader will be nice for the kids when we travel, and supposedly the battery lasts a long time with the basic Kindle, without the backlighting. I'm definitely a convert. Reading one book on the mini has changed my opinion about electronic readers dramatically! I have a Kindle and honestly, I like it better for reading books than the iPad, because it doesn't make my eyes as tired. I have the Kindle app on both my iPad and my iPhone, but I still prefer to read on the Kindle. My Kindle is roughly the same size as the mini, though the case is thicker, so I can easily carry them both. You're right about battery life too. My Kindle can go weeks without running out of battery and I use it all the time. I'm going to let Indy start reading books on the Kindle, because we can change the size of the font and it's easier for him to read the larger print. He doesn't have an eyesight issue, it's his dyslexia. His eyes tend to roam, and with the larger font, he doesn't do that as much. James Bond is also dyslexic and has the same roaming eye issue. He puts his Kindle on the largest font possible, and there are usually less than 10 words on the screen at any given time. I laugh and tell him astronauts can read his books from space. It helps him, but all that page flipping would make me nuts. I looked to my right and realized that as I type on my macbook, my iPad and my iPhone are sitting next to me and I'm running my wireless through the Apple Airport. I have been indoctrinated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 I have a Kindle and honestly, I like it better for reading books than the iPad, because it doesn't make my eyes as tired. I have the Kindle app on both my iPad and my iPhone, but I still prefer to read on the Kindle. My Kindle is roughly the same size as the mini, though the case is thicker, so I can easily carry them both. You're right about battery life too. My Kindle can go weeks without running out of battery and I use it all the time. I'm going to let Indy start reading books on the Kindle, because we can change the size of the font and it's easier for him to read the larger print. He doesn't have an eyesight issue, it's his dyslexia. His eyes tend to roam, and with the larger font, he doesn't do that as much. James Bond is also dyslexic and has the same roaming eye issue. He puts his Kindle on the largest font possible, and there are usually less than 10 words on the screen at any given time. I laugh and tell him astronauts can read his books from space. It helps him, but all that page flipping would make me nuts. I looked to my right and realized that as I type on my macbook, my iPad and my iPhone are sitting next to me and I'm running my wireless through the Apple Airport. I have been indoctrinated! It sounds like you have the basic Kindle, which is what I'm thinking of getting. I just wanted to ask how the lighting is? I'm assuming it's fine since you said you liked it better than the mini for reading. I've been debating whether to get the basic kindle or the one with backlighting, but I really like the idea of the basic for that longer battery life. Oh, and thanks for sharing about your kids. My younger son is dyslexic, and lately he's been complaining that he gets a headache when he reads a lot. I'm wondering if the larger print would maybe help him, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T'smom Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Someone recommended numbers league on here the other day and we have loved that! It's fun and great math practice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 We just got iPads for Christmas. We like Stack the States. The boys love Fruit Ninja. And now they know more trivia about fruit than anyone else I know! We also have the kindle app an I can transfer a few books there for the boys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Not educational in the least...but Plants vs Zombies, HD is free until the 28th of this month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 I love my iPad so much! I use Notability for sooooo many things and love love love it. Also, there's an app that will do spreadsheets and word processing -- QuickOffice HD, and it's nice too. Both are, IMO, worth the few dollars for them. If you don't have a printer that will print straight from the iPad, get Dropbox too. I love the Kindle app, and the ibooks app is nice for non-Kindle books. I have the Chrome app. I have tried the apps for gmail and Facebook but prefer just to use them through the Chrome app instead. I do like the Weather Channel's app. I use the NBC and ABC apps some too. I also like the allrecipes app and Kitchen Buddy (for storing recipes). My kids like Angry Birds, Draw Stars, Ant Smasher, Presidents vs. Aliens, and the Lightning McQueen appmates app (you can buy a special car to go with it, but my 4yo just drives the picture of McQueen with his finger). DH downloaded an animals picture/sounds app from Alligator Apps, and although I'm not big into babies playing with the iPad, it provides a pleasant distraction for my toddler on occasion. For a while, I got the emails from one of the free apps for kids things and got a lot of free educational apps that way, but we haven't tried most of them out yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 OOOOOO!! So you can read Kindle books on an iPad mini?? I have a Kindle app on my laptop, but am on the go a lot this year. I would love to be able to check emails, forum, weather, and read Kindle books while out and about. The laptop is so big to lug around! So I can?? (Is the Kindle app free for iPad?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 OOOOOO!! So you can read Kindle books on an iPad mini?? I have a Kindle app on my laptop, but am on the go a lot this year. I would love to be able to check emails, forum, weather, and read Kindle books while out and about. The laptop is so big to lug around! So I can?? (Is the Kindle app free for iPad?) Yep, it's free for the iPad; I assume it's also free for the iPad mini. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 A new favorite app for dd and I is Mindsnacks SAT vocabulary. They also have foreign language apps but she loves the vocabulary games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDays Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 I looked to my right and realized that as I type on my macbook, my iPad and my iPhone are sitting next to me and I'm running my wireless through the Apple Airport. I have been indoctrinated! LOL... yes, I recently got an ipad, and its like the world has opened up. :) We now have iPhones and an iPod as well... We apparently have received the same indoctrination. ;) Thanks everyone for the great app suggestions. Always looking for more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 It sounds like you have the basic Kindle, which is what I'm thinking of getting. I just wanted to ask how the lighting is? I'm assuming it's fine since you said you liked it better than the mini for reading. I've been debating whether to get the basic kindle or the one with backlighting, but I really like the idea of the basic for that longer battery life. Oh, and thanks for sharing about your kids. My younger son is dyslexic, and lately he's been complaining that he gets a headache when he reads a lot. I'm wondering if the larger print would maybe help him, too. I have the second gen Kindle Keyboard. I am actually thinking of getting one of the top lit paper white versions as you don't need a separate light for reading at night. It's not that big of a deal, but I could get a slimmer, lighter case which would be more convenient for me. And totally not because I just like to have the newest technology . I would see if the larger print would work better for your son. Indy reads so much quicker when a book has larger print. Using the Kindle, he can make the print several different sizes, from tiny to readable from outer space. The Kidle app is free for the mini, BTW, but you will still have the glare issues. There is no glare at all on my Kindle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkd Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 For apps I agree with Dragon Dictate. I also like Netflix and Google Earth. It's not an app but I would suggest apple tv. It mirrors your ipad onto the tv wirelessly. This is great for showing educational clips. Then you don't have to be huddled around the ipad to watch. Also it is a good way to be more aware of what your dc is doing online. It is hard to see what dc has up on the screen but it becomes obvious when it is on the tv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 I have the second gen Kindle Keyboard. I am actually thinking of getting one of the top lit paper white versions as you don't need a separate light for reading at night. It's not that big of a deal, but I could get a slimmer, lighter case which would be more convenient for me. And totally not because I just like to have the newest technology . Thanks for this. If one is not reading in the dark (which I don't really want to encourage in my kids, ahem!) is the basic kindle easy enough to read, just with the regular ol' house lights? Even in a somewhat poorly lit room? Mostly I want the non-lighted Kindle because of the long battery life, but if it's hard to read, then it wouldn't be worth it. I tend to need a lot of light to read, but I have the mini for that. The Kindle would largely be for my kids. I would see if the larger print would work better for your son. Indy reads so much quicker when a book has larger print. Using the Kindle, he can make the print several different sizes, from tiny to readable from outer space. I'm going to suggest this to my son, when I finally get one. The Kidle app is free for the mini, BTW, but you will still have the glare issues. There is no glare at all on my Kindle. Good to know there is no glare on the Kindle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Thanks for this. If one is not reading in the dark (which I don't really want to encourage in my kids, ahem!) is the basic kindle easy enough to read, just with the regular ol' house lights? Even in a somewhat poorly lit room? Mostly I want the non-lighted Kindle because of the long battery life, but if it's hard to read, then it wouldn't be worth it. I tend to need a lot of light to read, but I have the mini for that. The Kindle would largely be for my kids. Oh yeah, the basic Kindle is fine for reading in regular lighting and even low lighting. I read a lot at night, so the built in light would be ideal for me. I have a Kindle light that fits in my case and works fine, but I would prefer a lighter, slimmer case. My bag is running out of room having to hold my Kindle, my iPad and my iPhone! :) BTW, the paper white Kindle has an 8 week battery life, while the regular Kindle (not the Keyboard 3G, which is what I have) only has a 4 week battery life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 For your younger ones, I recommend Bugs and Buttons. It's not free, but it's one of the best apps I've seen - graphics, music, and preschool games are all first rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Oh yeah, the basic Kindle is fine for reading in regular lighting and even low lighting. I read a lot at night, so the built in light would be ideal for me. I have a Kindle light that fits in my case and works fine, but I would prefer a lighter, slimmer case. My bag is running out of room having to hold my Kindle, my iPad and my iPhone! :) BTW, the paper white Kindle has an 8 week battery life, while the regular Kindle (not the Keyboard 3G, which is what I have) only has a 4 week battery life. Thank you so much. This has been very helpful. And wow, on the battery life for the Paperwhite Kindle. I thought I read somewhere that it wasn't good, which is one of the main reasons I wanted the basic Kindle. That, and the cost, LOL. Maybe I should just save a little longer and get the Paperwhite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.Balaban Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 I finally broke down and got an IPad too! Next on my debate is the iPhone. :D Thanks for the app suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bocky Posted February 27, 2013 Share Posted February 27, 2013 I have a Kindle Fire, and it's fine for reading at night with the lights out. My favorite educational app is the math game Dragonbox Plus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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