There is no denying that this technology has revolutionized the way educators and parents can teach many topics to school children. In my day if we wanted to look something up for a school project, we would have to go the library or hope our household Encyclopedia would have the information we needed. It is pretty fascinating to think about how easily it is to learn a new language, musical instrument, or improve reading skills all at the touch of our fingers. But how is a parent to discern through all of the apps available?

With over 500,000 apps available in the iTunes Store, it has become increasingly more difficult to know which ones are worth the download—even the free ones, as they take up space on our devices! As a mom and author of a storybook app, Penelope the Purple Pirate, I wanted to help busy parents navigate through the endless number of apps available on the market, so I started to review apps this past year. Following are two apps that we really enjoy in our house:

Education and Learning: Walt Disney’s Peter Pan Storybook App

When the crew at Mom It Forward asked me to review Walt Disney’s Peter Pan storybook app, I was so excited as we are big fans of Peter Pan in this household. What is not to like about lost treasure, Tinker Bell, Peter Pan and The Lost Boys? The first page of the story starts off with the ability to insert a photo of your child (or yourself if you are so inclined) and to type in your name. We are shown a map and reminded of all of the wonderful places in the book such as Pirates’ Cove, Mermaid Lagoon, Skull Rock, Indian Camp and Crocodile Creek. In fact, when you touch the screen, the names are repeated and the text is flashed across the screen, making a good educational tool for pre- and early readers!

Another nice feature is the highlighted words as they are read. There are simple animations such as the boys playing with wooden pirate swords before bedtime and Nana (the dog) watching over them blinking her eyes at their mischievous behavior.  And if want to take a break, in the upper right hand corner on most pages, you will find various activities, such as the page with a paint brush. When you touch it, it takes you to blank illustrations from the story that you can paint, save, and even send to someone. They also have a fun feature that allows you to play the wooden pipes, either by yourself or listen and learn.  There are many added educational features that we really enjoyed.

The illustrations stay true to the original story, which I loved. It was a wonderful trip down memory lane for me and a new experience for my kindergartner. She enjoyed the sounds of the forest while John, Michael and the Lost Boys went looking for their Indian friends. Parents won’t be disappointed with this Disney classic with all of the added educational activities and fun animations throughout. I am so happy they stayed true to the original story, kept it simple, as the good stories usually are, and made it quite educational!  This is a winner in my book!

Healthy Eating: D.W.’s Unicorn Adventure App

Another app we really enjoy is by PBS Kids. Arthur and Martha Speaks are just some of the great programs we have enjoyed in our household. They have come out with a fun and educational game called D.W.’s Unicorn Adventure. Arthur and D.W. are from the popular PBS KIDS TV series ARTHUR and have to help a lost unicorn return to her home in Unicornia through three worlds. There are twelve levels of increasing difficulty.

We are told by Arthur that we need to eat healthy foods in rainbow colors such as strawberries, carrots, oranges and apples to gain energy and to avoid the bad foods such as potato chips, candy bars, cookies, and soda, as these will make us lose energy.  Then we see Martha riding the back of the unicorn. When we touch the screen, she will jump up and catch the various healthy foods hanging in the woods so she can continue riding. If we touch too many bad foods we are told to eat more of the foods from the rainbow.

This is a fun game that teaches little ones the importance of eating healthy foods. I really liked how they explain that the bad foods, such as potato chips and soda will drain your energy, which IS what they do. But it is told in such a way that is easy for children to understand. My daughter enjoyed the various levels. It was tricky as there are cliffs to jump over and we have to be wary of the bad foods hanging around on the ground ready to drain your energy. So you have to be quick and jump over these foods. It is cute when you jump up and grab the healthy foods as they yell out things like “orange boost” and “strawberry power,” which is a nice way of explaining that these foods will give you powers and keep you healthy!

We really enjoyed playing this game and I like that they teach little ones the importance of eating healthy foods from the rainbow!

Both apps are quite enjoyable and a good addition to your children’s app library!

What are your favorite educational children’s apps?

Featured image courtesy of Flickr.

Reference: Why the iPad won’t transform education just yet by Sarah Kessler, Mashable.  Posted January 20, 2012 at www.cnn.com.

Melissa Northway recently completed the Masters Program in Nutrition at the University of Bridgeport.  She is a writer and the author of Penelope the Purple Pirate, a Top 25 iTunes book app.  Her little tomboy was the inspiration to write about a spunky redhead who likes to have adventures with her friends and at the same time teach the importance of treating others with kindness and respect.  Penelope’s next adventure, Penelope the Purple Pardner, takes her to the Wild West and will be available this summer.  She can be reached at: mcube@sbcglobal.net and www.melissanorthway.com.  You can follow her piratey antics at:  @melissanorthway and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Penelope-the-Purple-Pirate/184530521575620

Check out Melissa’s app mall here: http://melissa.appymall.com

The realization that we are slipping as a nation, not just financially but scientifically and mathematically, is something we’ve been experiencing over the past few years. The realization that we really need to do something about that is just now kicking in, if statistics recently released by PBS Kids is any indication.

“Years ago, we identified a gap in children’s media – there was very little content available for kids to build critical literacy and STEM skills – especially on TV,” said Lesli Rotenberg, senior vice president, Children’s Media, PBS.  “We saw this as an opportunity to develop great narratives grounded in core curricular areas. Since then, we’ve worked with the best producers in children’s programming to develop a lineup of preschool series that meet this need. And we’re seeing great results – it’s clear from our ratings that kids are responding to this content.”

As well they should. It is obvious from this data that parents have realized the need for the improvement of their children’s STEM education, beginning at an earlier age, and esteem PBS as a reliable source of that for their preschoolers. Experts do in fact state that “strong elementary math skills are important if students hope to succeed in later grades and beyond—and because a mastery of each new math concept relies on an understanding of prior concepts, success must start at an early age (ital. added).”

Of course, these parents are focusing on STEM education for their kids so that they can help them build better futures for themselves. But President Obama himself has also focused on it lately as well, saying that “it is of the utmost importance to all students and critical to U.S. competitiveness,” at an April 2011 town hall event at Facebook’s Palo Alto, California campus. Perhaps he has recognized that improving STEM education nationwide is not only a way out of our current recession, but also a possible means of improving America’s math and science literacy, past 24th or 28th place, to first.

If we want to insure a better future for our children and our country, the experts say it is STEM education, beginning at an early age, that is the key. PBS Kids is a proven way to start.

Why do you think STEM education is important? How are you helping your children improve and/or enhance their STEM education?

Prizes

Three winners will receive a PBS Kids prize pack, valued at $100 each.

Entry Requirements

Please do the following two things to enter for a chance to win and leave a separate comment for each:

1. Visit http://www.pbs.org/parents/exploringscience/ and leave a comment here, sharing one game or activity or piece of information from the site you’d like to do or share with your child or another child in your life to help them learn and love STEM.
   XXX
2. Follow @pbsparents AND @pbskids on Twitter.
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3. Post these messages on Twitter and leave comments here with a link to your tweets:

GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win a @pbsparents prize pack (3 winners/ARV $100 each) http://bit.ly/9YyZka #pbskids #gno PLS RT
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Check out awesome @pbskids site http://to.pbs.org/8NGWsp 4 gr8 kids’ STEM (science, tech, eng, math) activities PLS RT

Extra Entries

The following five entries are completely optional and will earn you one extra entry each. Leave a separate comment on this post for each completed entry.

1. Post a picture to the Mom It Forward Flickr pool of your kids doing a STEM activity.
2. Share tips in the comment section on this post for ways in which parents can help their kids learn and love STEM subjects.
3. Follow @momitforward on Twitter.
4. Become a Friend of Mom It Forward’s Google Friend Connect (see box in right sidebar).
5. Subscribe to the Mom It Forward RSS feed (click on orange heart at the top of the right sidebar).

Terms and Conditions

Items featured in image may differ from those included in the giveaway. No purchase necessary to enter. Giveaway ends at midnight ET Wednesday, March 3, 2010. No more than one entry per person via each of the methods listed in the Giveaway details. The odds of winning a Giveaway depend on the number of entries. Winners will be selected randomly by Mom It Forward. All decisions of Mom It Forward are final. Employees of Mom It Forward and the Giveaway sponsor are not eligible to participate. All entries received after the Giveaway closing date and time will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered. Winners will be notified via email and will have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the e-mail. If the winner does not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected. Open to participants who are residents of the US 18 years and older. Void in Maine. Void where prohibited. Taxes on Giveaways are solely the responsibility of the winner. Winner agrees to permit Mom It Forward and the Giveaway Sponsor to use her or his name, voice, photo, or likeness for reasonable promotional and marketing purposes for up to 90 days after the end of the Giveaway. Mom It Forward and Sponsor are not liable for late or misdirected entries, entry errors, or transmission problems. Mom It Forward reserves the right to terminate the Giveaway in the event of technical problems, or to correct typographical or technical errors, or to amend these rules. All participants should review the Mom It Forward disclosure and privacy policies. By entering, participants agree to release and hold harmless Mom It Forward, Sponsor, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, and agents from any and all liability or any injuries, loss, or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with a Giveaway. Mom It Forward will provide the name of the winner for any Giveaway, upon request, for 90 days after that Giveaway’s entry period ends. Unless otherwise provided by the Sponsor, no substitution, transfer, or assignment of prizes is permitted. Non-winning entries from one Giveaway are not carried forward to future Giveaways.

But today, the educational landscape has changed. STEM is taught in a much more hands-on, interactive way. As a parent, taking advantage of opportunities to help your child learn and love these subjects can be as simple as visiting a local children’s museum, taking your kids rock climbing, or talking about gravity when a spill occurs instead of hurrying to wipe it up.

Want to learn more tips for helping your kids get excited about STEM, then join the #gno gang along with PBS Kids this Tuesday, March 2 from 9-11 ET (8 CT, 7 MT, and 6 PT)!

• What: Girls’ Night Out (#gno) Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)
• When: Tuesday, March 2, 9-11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)
• Where: Click here to party with us on our very own Custom Tweetgrid! (Use hashtags #gno and #pbskids.)
• Topic: Helping Kids Learn and Love STEM
• Who: @hensoncompany @geekmommy @mommyniri @moneywisemoms @mrsmoNJ @pbsparents @simchabe @techmama @techsavvymama @thinkmaya @WGBH_Kids @WGBH_STEM @whymommy
• Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win this week’s giveaway. Deadline: 3/3
• RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF). If you would like to include your blog, please enter it next to your name. Make sure to include your twitter URL in the URL line. Please do not enter your blog URL there.

Note: Mom It Forward accepts paid sponsorships for most #gno Twitter parties. During the parties, brand sponsors provide tips, techniques, expert advice, and information on party topics. Mom It Forward is grateful for the giveaway prizes, coupons, and discounts that sponsors also provide to the Mom It Forward community in conjunction with #gno Twitter parties.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Fizzy’s Lunch Lab, the new PBS KIDS GO! web-only series launching Monday, November 16, helps get kids excited about healthy eating. It’s a great tool for parents too as it features more than 30 recipes and short instructional videos.

Join the #gno Twitter party Tuesday, November 17 with the creators of FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB and the PBS Parents team where we’ll be sharing tips, tricks, and techniques for healthy eating/cooking!

Also, join the #gno Whrrl story to share your healthy eating tips and techniques for cooking with children! Click here to join, contribute to, or view.

What: PBS KIDS is sponsoring this week’s #gno Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)

When: Tuesday, November 17, 9-11 p.m. EST

Where: Click here to party with us on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #pbskids.)

Topic: Healthy eating and cooking with children

Who: @fujimama @lunchlab @mommymomo @momspark @mommadethat @jylmomIF @pbsparents @pbssupersisters @savorthethyme @tjstaab @evo_conference

Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win a PBS KIDS gift pack.


RSVP: Please leave your Twitter ID in the comments to follow and be followed (on Twitter, of course!) by other #gno gals. The best format is as follows: http://twitter.com/jylmomIF.