Eva and I received the new Disney Learning App: Learn Chinese: Toy Story 3. A few years ago I was interested in learning Chinese. I bought books and started a blog and did a few things to start learning the language. That did not last long. I couldn’t find a balance to help me learn. We started using this app and I think that if I keep up with it I may have a chance at learning the language. It is really innovative and cool.
What I really like about the app is that you can learn from it progressively. You start by reading the story in English, then you can switch to 75% English and 25% Chinese. This means that a few of the words are in Chinese and the rest in English. The story is read by a narrator or you can read it yourself and when you get to Chinese Word you can drag it to the bottom of the screen to hear it spoken. The story is simple and has many repeated words which helps you to learn. Since Eva is at the age where she is interested in learning to read it is a perfect time for us to explore this app together. Continue reading Learn Chinese: Toy Story 3 iPad App Review→
Eva and I received a copy of the new PBS Kids iPad App: Dinosaur Train All Aboard. This is an app that let’s kids put dinosaurs of different sizes into train cars. Kids need to estimate the sizes of the dinosaurs against the train cars. I like this app because it helps kids learn about spatial relations. I personally have always been good about putting things together in the best way possible. For example, when I clean up the play area I find the best way to fit everything in its proper place. I can visualize how to do this easily. An app like this can help kids think about how things fit into place and take that skill outside of the game.
Eva was very happy to play this game. I left her to her own devices with the iPad and she played this game over and over even after I stopped playing. The game does have a two player mode so that I can play with her as well. There are a few levels and the game gets progressively more complex with dinosaurs that may or may not be of equal size and kids need to think more critically about what they are seeing. Eva did really well playing this game and we enjoyed playing it together.
In the All Aboard the Dinosaur Train! App (pictured), the Dinosaur Train is getting ready to leave and needs passengers! The problem is that dinosaurs come in different sizes, so children need to match the passengers with the right train cars, challenging them to problem-solve by estimating dinosaur sizes and comparing them with the train cars’ capacity. The PBS KIDS app was developed in partnership with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as part of the Ready To Learn Initiative.
