I’ve looked at dozens and dozens and dozens of kids’ apps in recent months.
Many? Kinda cool.
A handful? Pretty rough around the edges.
Some? Pretty darn fabulous and really, really well done.
Most recently, I’ve checked out a really fab app–one worth your time and your kids’ precious screen time.ย It’s a free app but within the app is a store where you purchase pieces or pick up some freebies or features.
It’s called BelugaBloo, and though the name is a little crazy (pronounce it just as you’d think, silly!), the interactive books, music, and games are well done, and I’m thrilled to let you on board.
Also pretty darn fabulous and really, really cool is that the great people of BelugaBloo have offered to give away one iPad mini with a handful of BelugaBloo books and games to one lucky teachmama.com reader.ย ย Believe it!
the BelugaBloo bookshelf
They want you to be able to have these fabulous and really, really well done interactive books, music, and games at your fingertips. Woot.
Here’s the skinny. . .
- Fab Kids’ App–Interactive Books, Music, & More (& iPad mini giveaway!):ย BelugaBloo has over 60 years experience in the children’s book industry, and their focus with their apps is to make children’s reading fun and enlightening.
They work with a large network of publishers, choose the best texts, and then create an instructive and engaging platform for kiddos to read, learn, and enjoy the reading process, and what I love most about their products is the wide range of rich story choices and the absolutely gorgeous visuals.
We had a chance to try out several of their many interactive books, music, and games.ย Ranked in our top faves were:
A is for Apple: before the swipe. . .
. . . and after.
- A is for Apple: Very cute, brightly-illustrated alphabetical slider book. A is for Apple will teach children to recognize their ABC’s with bright pictures, fun shiny sliding cards and the anticipation of what is hiding behind the panels. Lots of focus on letters, words, and picture recognition. Though Cora’s on the older side for it, I think it’d be great for tinier ones.
ย
Loved. This. One.
- The Groovy Story of the Tortoise and the Hare: An updated version of the childrenโs classic, this modern take features a hip and happy hare and a cool country tortoise. Kids will love to move and groove with this dynamic duo as they hop and pop towards the finish line in this silly retelling of the classic tale. Rich illustrations and fun rhyming text with strong morals remaining at the heart of the story make this a great read for kids.
Really very cute–clear and so fun.
- Lullaby Piano: Lullaby Piano is totally Cora’s fave.ย It’s interactive and lets parents–or caregivers–sing along with their kids while kids learn how to play their favorite baby songs on a digital keyboard. Seriously cute animated characters combined with high quality sounds make this a really incredible piece. Simple but not too simple; complex enough to keep kids engaged and challenged.
Drip Drops before the colors. . .
. . . and after.
- The Drip Drops Coloring Party: Maddy listened to this over and over and then she declared that she wanted to speak with an English accent like the girl reading the story.ย This is considered one of the mostย interactive and unique coloring apps that BelugaBloo offers.ย The Drip Drops Coloring Party focus is simply the colors of the rainbow, and it’s more than just a story–kiddos put together puzzles, match colors, create tunes on a keyboard, connect dots in number sequence, and much, much more! Cool.
- The Crossing of the Red Sea & The Creation story: Both are re-tellings of the classic Bible tales, and they’re absolutely gorgeous.ย They’re both beautifully illustrated and include interactive features that allow kids to read with a narrator and play interactive games that relate to the story. A great and easy way to introduce your children to one of the worldโs most timeless tales.ย I’m always a fan of Bible stories for kids–the more places they can get these important lessons, the better.ย And awesome when it’s an app.
- Discovery Channelโข Extreme World: Created in association with Discovery Channelโข, this book (and the whole series, I imagine) is packed with facts, fabulous graphics, and really engaging text.ย Though some of it can be a little gory (Maddy and Owen love it!) it is a favorite.ย I’m hoping that the others will be available for download shortly.
We liked really all that we tried, but these were our favorites.
Definitely worth checking out, as the literacy focus is clear here. A few things I liked, in general, about the BelugaBloo apps:
- the app is available on both Google Play and iTunes store;
- the ‘Read by Myself’ / ‘Read to Me’ / ‘Autoplay’ options for nearly all books;
- the app is available in Spanish and Chinese!;
- the clear fonts, large and easy-to-read for texts directed at younger readers;
- the interactive nature of all texts;
- the reading voices–fluent, clear, and easy to listen to;
- the colors–bright, vivid, and eye-catching;
- the specific level-based differences–early readers were more simple; more advanced text were more complex;
- books are being added each day–so the choices will continue to grow and evolve.
Now, enough from me.
Let’s get to how YOU can bring all of this fun home to your young readers!
โโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโโ
GIVEAWAY: your OWN iPad mini & BelugaBloo bundle of 5 books & games!
Do you want to win your OWN iPad mini & BelugaBloo bundle of 5 books & games?! Ummm. . . of COURSE you do!
Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to throw your name in the hat:
By entering this super-fab giveaway, you are demonstrating your understanding of and compliance with the Official Sweepstakes Rules.
This giveaway ends Friday, March 15, 2013 at midnight ET. Winner will be chosen by โRafflecopterโ and will be notified on or around 3/15/13.ย Winner must respond within three (3) days of notification or forfeit the prize, in which case an alternate winner will be selected.ย All Official Sweepstakes Rules apply.
fyi: I was compensated for my time, effort, energy, and expert opinion in regard to the above products.
As always, my opinions are all my own, influenced only by my experience as a parent and educator–and, of course, my three little digital kids and their iPad-happy hands.
alphabet and reading on the road
Oops- I’m supposed to say which app would be my fav to try out- the Discovery Extreme World looks perfect for my kids. I will check it out!
I like the Lullaby Piano! That looks like lots of fun!
Oh my kids would love these apps if we had an ipad:-) love the drip drop coloring app the most but all of them would be fun
Would love to try the A is for Apple app!
I love that it seems to have a large selection of books available to read, you can never had enough books no matter how you read them!
The Tower of Babel looks good.
My kids would love Discovery Channel’s Extreme World.
The A is for Apple seems just like what I’ve been looking for!
I can not wait to try the Lullaby Piano with my little guy. Thanks for telling us about these new items.
Discovery Channel Extreme World
Oh boy – I would love to win this from my class!!
0y preschooler would love the a is for apple one!
They all look fabulous! My girls would have fun with Extreme World.
I am really interested to check out the The Crossing of the Red Sea & The Creation story with my kids
Feed-โEm Fred
The Busy Farm looks like something my youngest son would LOVE!
Most excited about the Discovery Channel’s Extreme World. Thanks for the chance!
I’d love to try out “A is for Apple” with my Pre-K kiddos. Love the bright colors! It looks like it would keep their interest too.
My girls would LOVE the Lullaby Piano game — the colors are adorable!
I would love the “A for Apple” app for my 3 year old!:)
Thanks for creating such a wonderful resource. I would try A is for Apple. Kristi
There are several I would like to check out, but I think the most interesting would be Lullaby Piano! I think it would be a favourite here!
I think the lullaby piano looks cool!
The Tortoise and the Hare looks great!!!
The Discovery Channel’s Extreme World would grab the attention of my older 2 boys.
We would love this deal. We love finding good apps.
Lullaby Piano looks great! My daughter would love it!
I think the ‘A is for Apple’ for my 3 yr old!
Discovery Channelโข Extreme World is the app we would like to try. Very cool. My girls would LOVE this!
The story of creation. Many look good.
They all look fantastic, but I’d especially like to check out the “Drip Drops Coloring Party.”
They all look fabulous, but I think my son would really love Extreme World. This is such a fantastic giveaway! Thank you!
The Tortoise and the Hare! My kids would love this!
We will definitely look into the lullaby piano.
The Tower of Babel looks good.
the lullaby piano looks awesome
Excited to check this app out.
We like Lullaby Piano
The Creation Story and A is for Apple ๐
We’d probably love the Discovery Channel Extreme World around here.
That Extreme World app looks like something my kids would absolutely love!
Discovery Channel Extreme World looks like a great app!
The lullaby piano app sounds great!
Lullaby Piano is adorable! My daughter would love it!
I’m excited to try Drip Drops Coloring Party! Always looking for fun new ways for my preschoolers to learn and experience colors.
Wow!! Lullaby Piano sounds awesome!!
Lullaby Piano
A is for apple is my fave.
The kids at school would love the Discovery Channel Extreme World app. Can’t wait to check it out!!
I think Discovery Channelโข Extreme World sounds awesome!
A is for Apple looks great for my 3 year old!
The Lullaby Piano! So cool
I am excited to try out the abc book with my little one!
I’d love to explore the Discovery Channelโข Extreme World part of the app!
Tortoise and the Hare, thought hte Bible ones are also tempting.
So great! Always love new ideas for the ipad for my toddler.
My boys would love Extreme World, but they all look cool!
A for apple ๐
The Tortoise & the Hare looks super cute!
The Discovery Channel one sounds super cool!!
I would love to check the Lullaby Piano out, and am super excited about the interactive books!
Lullaby Piano looks neat and something my kids would enjoy!
Extreme World looks exciting and full of infomation to satisfy insatiable curiosity.
I would love the songs app–I am a teacher and I know my students would love this tool in the classroom!
My son would love Lullaby Piano.
Discovery World Extreme! Looks amazing and one I’ll be sure to check out!
This is awesome. I love the garden of eden and Bible Story interactive books!
My girls would love the lullaby piano!
My little artist would love Dip Drop Coloring Party!
Since we don’t have an ipad, my kids would love all of them! But, I think the Discovery Channel Extreme World would become a favorite.
I would like to try the belugaboo app ๐
Lullaby piano sounds great!
I love the Pancake Pandemonium app!
A is for apple
I’d love to check out the Discovery Channel Extreme World app/ book and the others look great too!
The Discovery Channel Extreme World app looks absolutely awesome. But all the apps look great. I think my youngest would enjoy Lullaby Piano the most. Thanks for the great giveaway!
Lullaby piano would be so fun for us.
I’d love to try out all of them! But I think my kids favorite one would be Lullaby Piano as my girls are always trying to get me to teach them songs on their toy piano. They would be able to learn on the iPad mini and then take it to there and do duets!
the tower of babel
fun app for my seven grandkids
We would love the 100 Facts World Wonders! Thank you ๐
Discovery channel looks good!
I would love to use the read by myself with my son who is just beginning to read!!! Great app!
My students and my own girls at home would love this. They are so into books and when they come to life on a personal device, they are hooked! I am eager to have them try out all of the books!
Discovery world books look great especially for teaching common core
I would love one of my autistic students to try out lullaby piano! Not to mention all the great books!
Lullaby piano looks nice for my music loving toddler
Love the piano and the bible stories!
Lullaby Piano looks like a fun app to try since my kid loves her music!
I took piano lessons for 8 years as a child so Lullaby Piano would be awesome!
I think my children would enjoy the bible story books or the Discovery Channel Extreme World the most, so I would have to choose those.
Feed-‘Em Fred!
*Mum’s Cronky Car* looks cute to me!
h4schaffer at gmail dot com
Can I say that’s like most of them? I think the A is for Apple is a great idea. Having young children learn the alphabet is critical for learning to read.
Would LOVE this!!!!!
The painting one, drip drops coloring party looks like it would be right up my dd’s alley! Thanks for the review!
I’d love to use the A is for Apple app with my almost 3 year old… and later with baby #2 due in June! ๐
Lullaby Piano sounds like so much fun. My son is desperate to learn the piano and this would be a great way of saving the piano keys till he is older.
My son *loves* animals, so we would love to check out “Let’s go to the zoo.”
My girls would love the Lullaby Piano app!
The lullaby piano looks like it could be our fave!!
My kids would love all of those. They adore interactive books, but I can see my littlest really falling in love with Lullaby Piano!
My daughter is learning the alphabet, so the A is for Apple app would be perfect!
My kids would love this! The lullaby piano would be fun for my little girl!
A is for Apple would be perfect for my letter loving 2 year old!
I really appreciate such an indepth review of a potential app for my child. I have found it very helpful and am very excited for her to experience it.
Mom’s Cronky Car sounds great!!
Discovery Channel: Discover the Awesome World
I think my grandson would really enjoy ‘The Groovy Story of the Tortoise and the Hare’
Lullaby Piano
My kids would love the Discovery Channel apps, especially Extreme World!
Would love to win this! Love all the interactive books especially the Bible stories.
I would love the Creation Story.
I’m most excited about the Discovery Channel’s Extreme World; I think my kids would LOVE it.
Love the idea of the Creation Story on an app!
Discovery Channel Extreme World sounds perfect for my little guy. He’d love it!
REALLY want to win an ipad as a birthday present surprise for my girls! 10 Fingers and 10 toes crossed!!!!
I think the Tortoise and the Hare app looks adorable!
Love the Groovy Story of the Tortoise and the Hare!
We are very into music here so we would definitely love to check out the lullaby piano :).
I have the Farm App and the Drip Drops one for my son, he loves them. I also want to get A is for Apple!
Love the lullaby piano!
The tortoise and the hare is one of my all time favorites. I’ve gotta check it out.
Lullaby piano and A is for Apple!
drip drops looks COOL!
Pancake Pandemonium
I love the drip drop coloring app!
Drip Drops Coloring Party looks fun ๐
They all look great!! My kids love puzzle apps the best.
Love this! The Creation story looks great to me b/c that’s what we’re studying here at home right now.
We’re learning the alphabet and ‘A is for Apples’ is perfect for us!!
I like Let’s Go to the Zoo app!
Discovery channel.
A is for Apple!
You’ve found some great book. Tortoise and the Hare is a fav at this house.
The Tortoise and the Hare looks great!
Discovery Channelโs Extreme World
They are all pretty cool…Discovery Channels Real World!
A is for apple
Loving Drip Drops!
Lullaby piano! Awesome!
Oh the Lullaby Piano looks so fun!
I can’t wait to have my son use the A is for Apple. He is currently attending speech therapy twice a week and this will totally help me when we are on the go. I have checked out many apps and they are all boring, don’t work or have accents (which can cause a problem lol) My daughter is excited about the Lullaby Piano.
This is interesting! What do you get? DO you buy stuff. What does this teach you. how about if you do not have anything like that? What the do we do?
The Groovy Story of the tortise and the Hare how cute!
the story of Drip Drops looks cute1
A is for Apple because my son will be n kindergarten next year and it would help him get prepared.
Lullaby piano would be fun!!
Drip Drops Coloring Party!
I love LULLABY PIANO for game!
I look forward to checking out A is For Apple. It looks like it would be good to use with the 2 older orphans we are adopting from Latvia as we try to teach them English/reading. Thanks!
A is for Apple!
My kids would love Discovery Channel Extreme World!
A is for Apple would be perfect for my very young children!
Looks great, like to try it.
I would love for my boys (7,5,3) to have an mini!!Maybe I could get my iPhone back!! My 7 year old would love the Discovery Channel, My 5 year old would love the Drip Drops and I think my 3 year old would love the Lullaby Piano. This is such a fantastic giveaway! Thank you!
A is for Apple will be great app for my son especially that he has speech delay and everyone recommended iPad applications to help him.
Anything that has to do with music would be loved in our family! LULLABY PIANO looks fantastic! Thank you!
Can’t wait to try the Lullaby Piano!
Discovery Channel Extreme World
I would love to have the Discovery Channel Extreme World app! My daughter would love it! Thanks for this great giveaway!
The tortoise and the hare was a fave childhood story!
I’m trying to teach my four year old the ABC’s by sight so, the A is for apple sounds perfect!
I’ve been searching for some great educational apps, so nice to find this and save me from searching! Thanks!
They all look fun, but I think my girls would most enjoy the Tortoise and the Hare story. It looks very funny and entertaining!
My kid will love the Discovery Channel Extreme World ๐
My daughter would be sooo excited by the Discovery Channel Extreme.
What wonderful apps! My favorite was Extreme World – such vivid images !!!!!
She would love the drip drops coloring activity app!
Lullaby Piano
Drip Drop Coloring looks fun!!
The zoo one that will be coming soon would be a hit with my kids. I love the “drip” colors one as well. ๐
A is for Apple. We have an 18month old and she is learning so fast. Having a tech toy/tool to help assist her learning would be fantastic!
Lalaboo Piano looks darling! I’m sure the girls would love any of these on their own mini!
The Tortoise and the Hare game looks super fun! ๐
I am so excited to check out the A is for Apple section. My 9 year old has reading difficulties and i am always looking for fun ways to help!
A is for Apple would be a big hit with my daughter right now.
The Crossing of the Red Sea & The Creation story
A is for Apple.
A is for apple looks neat. I think my daughter would love it.
The BeBee Shape sorting is something my daughter would love …also the Counting Numbers App! (I think she is going to like Math! ๐
My google+ share link
https://plus.google.com/106880099783011885659/posts/NNvJMKWSBfw
The Creation Story looks like something my children would enjoy!
I am interested in the Lullaby Piano.