Thank Goodness for Learning Apps

No two days are the same when it comes to children.  I was blessed with a mostly compliant older child and a strong willed younger child.  I am always on my toes with the younger one! 

Egee (the first born) is very good about doing her school work.  Oh, there are a few days out of the month that she doesn't really want to do the work.  However, the majority of the days are carefree.  She listens to the history lesson and bible story, she dilligently works in her core subjects from the workbook, and she does anything else that is required. 

Little Man is another story.  He is stubborn!  It must be his idea.  One day he wants to do lessons on the computer (Time 4 Learning).  The next day, he hates the computer work and wants to do workbook.  The day after that, he feels he has put in enough school work for the week and needs a day off.  This is where we butt heads. 

Now, we are not complete unschoolers.  We are very laid back in schooling, but I require a four day a week schedule of basics (language arts, arithmetic, reading, spelling).  This takes Little Man about an hour and Egee around one to two hours.  The rest of the day is mostly theirs.  We do extras like science experiments, music lessons, sports, etc.  Normally, they decide.

Lately, Little Man has wanted nothing to do with the Time 4 Learning lessons.  I am not sure if it is due to the childness of the animation or just him being stubborn.  Last year, he did the same thing. (So, I know we will get through it.) 

He loves playing on his LeapPad and my Nook.  I decided it was time to buy a few more learning apps for the Nook.  New apps would at least get his attention and he would 'play' with them.

Math flash cards by Devfo

He loves the Math Flash Cards app.   I can set the level and the type of arithmetic.  I tell him that he has to get thirty correct.  He will and is so proud when he doesn't get many wrong.  He hates doing subtraction, but once he gets his thirty correct, he can do as many addition problems he wants. 

Phonics Write & Play - First Grade by BrainCounts

Another app he likes is the Phonics Write, Spell and Read.  He hates to write in his lesson book, but will spend time 'playing' and writing on the nook.  I'll take whatever I can.

Preschool Connect the Dotsby Murtha Design Inc.

For sequencing, we use the ABC and 123 Connect the Dots.  Although it is a preschool app (we have had this one for awhile), he still likes to play connect the dots and find the picture.  It is a good app for reinforcing alphabetic order and number sequence.

iStoryBooksby iMarvel

An app that I really love is the iStory app.  The books are great quality and the fact that the app reads the books aloud is a plus.  Every few weeks the iStory company releases another book for free.  The app cost around four dollars and the additional books are free.  This is a wonderful investment.  He loves the books on the Solar System, various presidents, animals, and traditional stories.

Kids Measurement Science by Infinut

The last app that he uses for school work is a measurement app.  He can weigh items, count money, tell time and measure length.  When he weighs items and counts money, he must add sums.  Some of the sums are in the hundreds place, so he has expanded his addition facts. 

Mathematical Mahjong Match by Flash Game Nexus

Egee will play around with the flash card app and the measurement app. She mainly finds apps on her iPod.  I did find a Mathmatical Majong app that I even enjoy.  You must match the equation to its answer to remove tiles.  Anything to keep the brain stimulate is always a keeper!

Thank goodness for technology!