Talking Duke App Review

If you are a mom with little kids they probably ask you for a puppy at least once a month. Now we already have a dog but of course they want a puppy. I let my 6 year old adopt Talking Duke on my iPhone today. She recorded about 40 versions of Duke repeating what she had to say. The voice recording playback was her favorite feature. Duke also loves mom.

Here are some screenshots from her adventure today:

The entertainment value and interaction made the app fun and engaging for my kids. I enjoyed the laughter and playtime today. They have adopted a virtual pet that can talk, dance, run to the bathroom and even ride a cat. The app is one of my new favorites. Get it here:

iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/talking-duke-dog-for-iphone/id453561850?mt=8&uo=4

Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cloudburst.games.android.duke1

Otto's Toy Chest Android App Review

Toy story is one of my all-time favorite kid movies. It shows the precious childhood playtime and interaction with toys. Toys have such personality and need to be fixed when broken. I was reminded of this when I was introduced to the Otto’s Toy Chest app. Otto’s Toy Chest is a super cute puzzle game where kids can fix broken toys such as Stick-eee the Frog and Bobo the bear. The app teaches puzzle placement using arms, legs, hats, tails etc. 

The app is great for playing at home or at school classroom puzzle activities. Here are some screenshots from the app:

More from the app:

“Otto's Toy Chest is a game everyone can play! Otto’s moved to a new house and the movers didn’t do a very good job!  Otto’s toys have fallen apart and you can help put Otto’s toys back together in a snap! You simply touch and drag the pieces of each toy together to bring them to life!  Each colorful and friendly toy has its own unique animations and multiple outfits and accessories!  There are twelve unique toys including, Poots the dog, Lily the cat, Stick-eee the frog, Flip the horse, Gigi the monkey, Bobo the bear, Carter the centipede, Babe the rag doll, Debug the Robot, Tweeder the bird, Gill the octopus, and Splint the spider!  There are over 40 variations of toys to make - enough to keep you busy for a while! 

Otto's Toy Chest is a non-violent game that is kid safe and is great for early learning development. A productive use of time, it teaches basic problem solving skills and helps to develop motor skills.”

Get the highly recommended Otto’s Toy Chest Android app here:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=xdebugx.OTCL

Pot Smash App Review

I cringe when I hear dishes break in the kitchen as this happens at least once a week in my house with 4 kids. At the same time there is a certain joy that is derived from smashing dishes and hearing the cracking sound and seeing the glass fly. The Pot Smash app gives you the benefit of smashing dishes with no cleanup. The cool part about it is the app is for kids and teaches kids various lessons such as selecting matching pots. 

You have to act quickly because with the different challenges there is a timer ticking across the top of the screen that goes to zero if you do not see the matches quickly enough.

The app has 8 unique game modes:

Teapot Match-up - Smash 3 of a kind
Smash Typing - Type to smash
3 Letter Words - Find and smash 3 letter words
Smash 11 - Smash numbers that add to 11
Quick Smash - Smash pots in numerical order
4 Letter Words - Find and smash 4 letter words
Memory Smash - Memorize and recall
Zen Smash - Endless smashing

Here are some screenshots from my pot smashing adventure:

Enjoy this joyful pot smashing experience and get the app here:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pot-smash/id453173164?mt=8

Aliens Need Burgers App Review

This is one of the cutest and funnest gaming story apps I have seen. The aliens have tragically run out of hamburgers on their planet and you and only you can save the precious hamburger supply from the invading aliens. I have to include the full story because it is so fun:

"On a distant planet, gelatinous alien blobs happily feast away on their very favorite food: Hamburgers!

Tragically, the hamburger planning department at Blobbinting DC failed to calculate the correct formula for the rate of hamburger consumption, and alas their hamburger supply has run out.
The blobs have discovered that the planet Earth is too wealthy in hamburgers and hamburger supplies. All of that hamburger wealth must be liberated, by any means necessary, to hamburger starved planets. Namely, them!

The blobs use their social media sites Blobbook(tm) and Blitter(tm) to spread the word and organize a flash blobmob attack of planet Earth on Tuesday at 1:30pm (we will be wearing green).
Meanwhile, on the space defense station orbiting Earth, it is business as usual. Suddenly the UFO proximity alarm sounds! Shocked and caught off guard, the astronauts leap into action. One astronaut grabs the Interplanetary Space Station Defense Remote Control that operates the main station's laser defense system. Another astronaut races to the window to see what is going on! In the chaos and confusion they run smack into each other. The remote shoots from the astronaut's grasp and tumbles out of the space station window, plummeting to Earth.

Blissfully unaware of the impending attack above, you happily stroll through your neighborhood for a refreshing afternoon walk while enjoying a tasty hamburger. All of a sudden, a small handheld device rockets into the ground in front of you, seemingly out of nowhere. Curious as to what it is, you pick it up and examine it. On the screen you can see the satellite imagery of the Earth's space defense station and the army of alien crafts hurtling towards it. Immediately you realize that you and YOU ALONE can save the planet and all of its precious hamburger resources from the marauding space aliens. You must figure out how to use the Interplanetary Space Station Defense Remote Control to defend the Earth from total hamburger annihilation. GOOD LUCK!"

Here are some screenshots from the app:

Just make sure to shoot only the aliens and not your satellites or space shuttles.The app is completely kid friendly and will be come an instant favorite. You can see the adorable 4 year old of the app creator playing the game here:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200669934814928&set=vb.1357511933&type=2&theater

Download my favorite alien gaming app here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/aliens-need-burgers/id586854337?mt=8

Cards Match Free App Review

Concentration is a card game I play with my kids in which all of the cards are laid face down on a surface and two cards are flipped face up over each turn. The object of the game is to turn over pairs of matching cards. With 4 kids the concentration only lasts for a couple short games but the game is classic and is fun for adults and children. It sharpens your memory and is great for competition and education. We have candy prizes for the winner at our house.

The Cards Match Free app is a well-designed version of concentration. The options include cards with letters, numbers, animals and also different languages. Your youngest kids can understand the game concept and will love playing on your phone alongside your teenagers. It’s a game app that I recommend keeping on your phone at all times.

Here are some screenshots from the app:

Get this fun family game app here in iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cards-match-free/id592226917

Get the app here in Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.xtdstudios.games.MemoryCards

Pretty Pets App Review

My girls love cute little stuffed animals. I admit I still love them. Having 3 girls I find their collection of stuffed animals carefully arranged on their beds. We have fairies, dragons, Pokemon and even a cute rattlesnake stuffed animal. The Pretty Pets app is a cute app where you can customize and dress up your pet and earn more coins for gifts or dress up options. The games include memory games such as matching cards and sounds and a bouncy sky jumper game. You can earn coins by completing the games or purchase them in app.

You can take pics of your “Pretty Pet” and upload to Facebook and Twitter. Here are some screenshots from the app:

The app is completely kid friendly, cute and fun for little girls. Get the app here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pretty-pets/id575179823?mt=8

Party Bingo App Review

You probably learned how to play bingo as a kid like me. I remember the excitement of being the first one to yell "Bingo!” I haven’t actually played the game in years. We have 3 iPhones and 1 iPad in our home and we tried out the Easy Party Bingo app.  With today’s technology trend my kids will probably never experience the game with traditional paper cards and keeping track on the numbers. Easy Party Bingo makes the game fast, fair, easy and most important to me…no clean-up work.

Many believe the key to winning at bingo lies in luck, while others believe the secret to winning is found in advanced bingo strategies and "playing the odds." I loved how my kids were rooting for a certain number to appear. It’s a fun family game or party game.

Here are some screenshots from the app:

You can get this fun party app here:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/easy-partybingo/id452507234?mt=8

Popping Birds App Review

I love well designed and fun kids games. Popping Birds meets those criteria. On iPad the Popping Birds app is a puzzle of popping birds that you must strategically pop to get to the bottom. The birds are varied with a high quality graphic design and cute background noises and animations for successful pops. The design is completely kid friendly and teaches logical thinking and organization to complete the task.

I found myself playing with 2 of my kids reaching over my shoulder finding groups of birds to pop. Yes we were fighting for time alone popping birds. If you would of said that to me 5 years ago I would not of believed you. The iPad and the excellent & easy game design makes Popping birds fun and engaging for any kid or parent!

Here are some screenshots from my popping bird adventure and yes that is me on level 5;)

Get this addicting Popping Birds app here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/popping-birds/id543629244?mt=8

Kids Animal Piano App Review

I have a 5 year old and 1 year old girl. They are fascinated with animals and animal sounds at this age. The Kids Animal Piano app is designed as a piano with the different color coded piano keys to play animal sounds for all the major animals. I sat down with my 2 girls and experimented with all the different animal sounds and ranges. The app also plays the following songs:

• BINGO
• Black Sheep
• Brother John
• Happy Birthday
• This Old Man
• Itsy Bitsy Spider *
• Twinkle Twinkle Little Star *
• 5 Little Monkeys *
• Hush Little Baby *
• Alphabet Song *
( * available in Kids Animal Piano PRO version)

The itsy bitsy spider and twinkle twinkle little star songs were our favorites. The app is available for both iPhone and iPad. My girls kept asking me to play throughout the day. Kids Animal Piano is well designed, easy to use and will create interactive and fun app memories with your little ones.

Get the Kids Animal Piano app here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/kids-animal-piano/id541458791?mt=8

Lucky Mon Luck Test App review

Why are we all attracted to the concept of luck? I once heard the definition of luck is “Opportunity with preparedness”. I actually like that definition that favors the prepared. On the other hand, I have to admit that I will take luck any way or any how I come across it. Are you lucky? How lucky are you? I can’t answer those questions but you may be able to find the answers in the Lucky Mon App! 

Take the Luck Test to find out how lucky you really are. Could you be the luckiest of all players around the world today or did you have more luck yesterday? Compare your luck over days or weeks and with others in the Game Center. Participate in global happiness and luck assessment. Become the best seven-dot ladybug seeker, the fastest four-leaf clover seeker, or the smartest goldfish catcher...you will need good eyes, quick fingers and a bit of luck. 

- Really fun 10-step Luck Test measures how lucky you are
- Try the 3 Seeker games - all levels now enabled!!
- Real Luck Monitor - compare your luck and watch daily changes
- Be a part of global happiness and luck assessment
- Utilizes Game Center and Luckmon.com for comparison



Test your luck with this fun and interactive App:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/luck-monitor/id405618091?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Learning to Write With Smart Balloons App Review

Let me know if this sounds familiar…. “It’s time to put down the iPad and do your homework!” With the Learning to Write with Smart Balloons By Jan Friml you can now say, “It’s time to pick up the iPad and practice writing”. You kids will love to practice the basics and techniques of writing with the Smart Balloons app.

The app starts with basic finger strokes across the screen and increases in difficulty, direction and shape with each increasing level completed. When the stroke is not correct the app will gently prompt you and repeats the drill so you can get it right. When you successfully complete a level you get to pump and pop the balloon which my 5 year old absolutely loves!

Here is some more detail and screenshots about the app:
Writing is one of the basic activities which children learn after entering school. In their exercise books and under the teacher's supervision, they train lines, arcs, loops and many other graphomotor elements.

Although the iPad cannot teach your child the correct pencil grip or body posture, it can be a very good tool for training the shapes used in learning to write. By "finger writing", the brain activates the same centers the child uses when writing with a pencil.

You can get my favorite new child writing app here:

https://itunes.apple.com/app/learning-to-write-smart-balloons/id582926119?mt=8

Candy Tale Game App review

It is no mystery that I have a sweet tooth. I post a lot of recipes that  I made up and most of them are desserts. They just inspire me and I can always take a great picture that makes me salivate with my camera. This App is calorie and sugar free but makes me very happy. The kids love It and who doesn't dream of a world made of candy?

The story of CANDY TALE consists of exciting logic games intended for children over 4 years of age. A short fairy tale is linked to each exercise. Every game included in this story has been created with the thought of developing certain aspects of a child’s logical and creative thinking, perception of colors and shapes, and memory training.

This is the first iPhone/iPad game in which the participant has the opportunity to affect the visual appearance and contents of the next round of play. Hundreds of possible game and story combinations will allow children to play the fairy tale games over and over again.

THE BEST FEATURES OF “CANDY TALE”:
• Develops logical thinking and accuracy;
• Teaches to recognize colors, shapes, and patterns;
• Trains attention/concentration and memory;
• Incorporates many popular board games;
• Allows the player to influence the appearance and contents of future games.

Grab this delicious App here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/candy-tale/id518349223?mt=8

Nada Clue Crosswords puzzles App review

In the evenings when I put baby to sleep, I have to stay in bed. Yes I spoil my baby and she sleeps with me in bed. If you didn't already know, this was the real reason iPads were invented for mommies killing time in bed with baby. I am no crossword puzzle pro, but Nada Clue is so much fun and the music is so relaxing!

Crosswords experience is not required, just a love of word games, in this spin on traditional crossword puzzles. Finding the correct word for down and across is where the similarity in game play ends, clues are replaced with words and free letters. 

Start with free letters and select the correct words to match the spot on the crossword grid and complete your Crossword.

Nada Clue will provide you with hours of engaging game enjoyment.

With hundreds of unique puzzles available, your mind will be enlightened and you're sure to find time flying by! The interface is well designed and easy to navigate with great images and visuals.

Additional Features:

Multiple player profiles
Great training for early English speakers
Play your own music
Game Center Integration (profiles and achievements)

You can get the App here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nada-clue/id430952812?mt=8

Animal Puzzle Toddlers, Kids iTunes Review

I really like wood puzzles and the kiddos do too although they are a little heavy to carry around at church in my bag or in a trip and I lose the pieces easily, even in the house. I stopped buying them because I would spend my time looking for the pieces in my home. I am always tempted in the store because I know how much kids love them but never grab one! 

The animal puzzle App on iTunes for your iPad or iPhone is a good substitute in our Apple driven world and it won’t leave you frustrated with lost pieces. It has a variety of puzzles to keep the kids interested with cute animals like a dog, cat, Lion and bird. It has shape puzzles and square ones too that get progressively harder at each stage to keep the kids engaged.

The music is cute and cheerful and your child gets a cheer and balloons floating for finishing the puzzles on the screen. My 5 year old really likes the balloons and celebrates at the completion of each puzzle and I am sure your child will like it too.

Get this adorable and entertaining App for your child here:
https://itunes.apple.com/nz/app/animal-puzzle-for-toddlers/id547734410?mt=8

Afrycanimal App for iPad review

At the house lately we have had few discussions about animals in Africa. The small ones want to know which animals are carnivores or herbivores. Mimi is extremely interested since she wants to work with animals, especially Zoo animals. The zoo is one of our favorite places to visit and I think working there would be a dream job. Don’t you think? I think it is important to give to your children “smart” material in the area they enjoy and kids just love African animals!
Afrycanimal is a fun and educational puzzle game with African animals and I highly recommend it!

On Planet Afryca they celebrate the wild animals of the African bush: the circle of life in Africa in all of its full colour, 3D glory. 

The Afrycanimals app has 12 animals, each one with 5 jigsaws of different levels and a quiz. There's also a gallery where you can view each of the twelve animals in full screen, close up detail. 

The monkey comes free, and each of the other animals can be purchased one by one

Go wild and get this App for iPad here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/afrycanimals/id576389462?mt=8

The US History Game App Review

I am originally from Paris France but I am so proud to have become a US citizen a couple of years ago now and have the rights and freedoms of this country. I also love to learn US history. The US History Game by Rob Rienow is an exceptional app! The app allows you to read US history facts and drag and drop them into a timeline. There are different games such as speed rounds and sudden death. And there are both single player and multiplayer formats so you can compete and flex your history muscles. Rarely is an educational game really this fun and something you can enjoy with your kids.

I have a daughter taking history in Junior High and we can connect and laugh over this game. What you don’t realize is with over 300 years of high action history how timelines can mesh together. It’s a fun party game and educational game. I fully recommend this to any and all users. One of my all-time favorites!

You can get the US History Game game here:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-us-history-game/id568284393?mt=8