Education Apps

We looked at many, many educational apps over the past month. There were lots of neat apps but most just didn't fit our needs. Many had the letters/numbers too small or too close together or where just too confusing for our differently abled kids.
Here is a list of the ones that worked best for Junior. I put a star by our favorites, most are free or have free versions to try.

Word Magic *(Junior did really well with this one)

First Words: Sampler

ABC Tracer Words *(this app has the child trace letters and words)

Teach Me Kindergarten *(this is an excellent app with various reading and math activities. It also keeps track of how the child is doing and what has been learned)

PreK Safari Lite

Words *(simple activities)

Smiley Sight Words *(this is for the child learning simple words)

Math Train ( I listed this because I like the idea, the numbers are too small for Junior)

LunchBox *(simple and fun educational game)

Animal Sound Chase *(Has the child match the animal to the sound it makes)



Here are a few links for read along book apps.

Toy Story ***(Junior watched this several times and it was perfect when we were out at the doctors appt. I sure wish the other books like this weren't so expensive)

The Cat In the Hat (not one we have tried, since Junior thinks it is too babyish, but thought I would list it)

How to Train Your Dragon (another that we haven't tried but I am sure Junior would love this one)

Jack and the Beanstock (not tested by us)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (not tested by us)

Alice in Wonderland Lite (free version of the book, we have not tried this one)


If you put Children't books in the search box at the app store there are many more available.
Has your child found a favorite book on the ipad?

I have lots of fun game apps and some misc. apps to share in my next post.























Please share your favorites. I am going to try to keep this updated as we find more. I will be placing a link on the sidebar so you can click directly to these posts with lists of ipad apps.

I-Pad Apps

I will postpone my planned posts for when my brain isn't completely fried. Our fabulous neuro is helping us work out the sleep issues Junior is having but for now we aren't getting much sleep at all.
So this week I thought I would share some of our favorite ipad apps. Junior's teacher's ipad test run ends today so Junior is so very sad to say goodbye to it. We aren't giving up though and are working to get it funded through the district as an educational & communication device.

These are for the most part cause and effect type apps. I put a star beside the ones that are favorites of Junior. Clicking the name should send you to the app, please let me know if any of the links don't work. Most of these are free or have free versions to try.

I-Beams Lite *

I-Love Fire Works *(this would have to be in Junior's top 10 favorites)

I-Glow Stick *(this is fun but does require the child to shake the ipad)

I-Horn *(very loud but who doesn't love playing with an air horn)

Sponge Bob Lite

Doodle Kids *(technically this might be considered an art app but Junior loves the multiple colors and shapes which you can draw with)

UP (you will need to get the right spot to start this one for your child but Junior really likes popping all the balloons)

Vocal Zoo *(another top ten for Junior)

ClickySticky *(This is technically an art app, it has a background and then you add stickers, many of the stickers move and make noise)

Fart Piano *(Junior's number 1 "just for fun" app, not sure what category it should go in)


I will be doing another post later this week with our favorite educational apps as well as a post with our favorite games and misc apps. There are so many apps out there, what are your childs favorites?

Foot Painting

Most kids love finger painting(Junior sure does) so we decided to try letting Junior "foot" paint.

We put something on the floor to protect it then put down a very large piece of paper. Added some paint and put Junior's feet on the paper. He had a blast and loved the feeling of squishing his toes in the paint. Works great for sensory input.
We had a second piece of paper for him to step on the make foot prints
Ahhh love the feel of paint between the toes.

Trouble Game

I know I haven't posted a game adaption in awhile but I do still have a few to share. I also have lots more arts and crafts projects to share if I can find the time to get them posted.

Trouble was one of the first games I adapted for Junior. Pushing the little dome to roll the dice was not something he could do so we cut the dice dome out of the game.
I found this adapted dice on Ebay and now wish I had bought a bunch of them since I have not been able to find them again. I am having trouble even finding this size electric dice that has not been adapted. If you are able to locate some of this type dice here is a site that shows you how to switch adapt them. You could also use the adapted game spinner which we use in many of our games.
I attached the adapted dice in the center of the game where the dice dome would be. I used a strip of duct tape across the back to hold it in place.
Strips of velcro were added to the back of the game board so it can be hung on the game easel or any other board with velcro(I have started using Junior's puzzle/felt board for many of his games).
A small strip of cloth/medical tape was wrapped around the base of each playing piece so that it fit snuggly into the spaces. Doing this allows the game to be on its side while on the game easel and not have the pieces fall out.
Now you are ready to play(in this pic the game is on his book easel).

not feeling well

Sorry for the lack of posts. Junior has been dealing with sinus issues(very bad headaches) and then the past couple days it has been his asthma. We saw the ped and he started Junior on something to help those plugged up sinuses which has helped a lot.
Now we are praying that this weather will stay warm so the asthma episodes will stop.
I hope to be able to get back to regular posts very soon. I am way behind on this blog as well as Junior's blog.

All Purpose Toy Bar

As Junior has gotten bigger we needed something to get his toys up at eye level for him. A way for his toys to be accessible to him in his wheel chair and other seating/standing devices.
I picked up a bunch of PVC and put a giant toy bar together for him. We made it very large so even his recliner and stander can fit.
This was something I made several years ago so I don't have step by step directions but will share lots of pics as well as the dimensions. The dimensions could easily be adjusted to fit your own child's needs.
The sides are 12 inches wide and the bottom has an extra 5 inch piece of pvc plus a 3 way joint on each side for added stability.
To add to stability as well as give more area for hanging items we added a cross piece approx 2 feet from the ground and then a second one a foot from the first.
The top has a corner joint on each side(the entire toy bar is approx 5 feet tall)
The top of the bar is basically the same as the sides. There is a cross bar one foot from each end. The middle space between the two sides is 3 feet.
We added giant pool noodles to the upper sides on Junior's toy bar. In the past he was having seizures that caused his arms to jerk to the sides or straight up and he could bruise his arms on the pvc. If you want to cover the pvc to make it look nicer you could use colored duct tape or some kind of "safe" paint for plastics. Also it would be best to add pvc cement(needs to be done outside a few days before your child uses it) to the joints so the toy bar doesn't loosen from movement. We did not do this with Junior's and regularly have to be sure the joints are pulled tight.
You could use many different things to hang toys from the bar. For ours I used wide elastic with velcro sewn to either end. I wanted to be able to safely hang his heavier "big kid" toys from the bar.
We use the toy bar to hang all types of toys as well as other things. At Christmas it gets decorated with Christmas ornaments and lights. We sometimes even hang his portable tv on it.
In this picture Junior is in his stander playing with his toy bar.
Here he is in his recliner under the toy bar.
Today Junior's toy bar was turned into his own personal planetarium.

I-Pad

I have been hearing a lot about the i-pad and how well it works for those who are differently abled.
I couldn't wait to try it for myself and last night Junior's teacher brought one over for us to test drive, all I can say is WOW. The screen is huge, large enough for Junior to be able to use his eye gaze. There are apps with every kind of educational program along with communication apps and of course lots of games. The screen is super sensitive to touch so it was easy to help Junior with the activities.
The kids goofing around with the games this morning.

Aside from stiffening his arms Junior has no ability to use his hands so no he can't manipulate things on the screen but it keeps his attention and brings education to him(it is also much easier to move and get up close to him then a regular computer). For a child who is stuck in the house many months out of the year that is very important. Reading is a struggle for him and it takes a lot of work to keep him interested and focused. Today on the ipad we were doing exactly the same activities we had been doing on his boards but there was no struggle to keep him on task. He was totally focused and didn't miss one question. Some of the words were ones we had never worked on before. Sometimes it is all about finding the right tools to help your child reach their potential. I am so excited to find this tool and now to figure out how to get one for Junior(regardless of how much it would effect his educational progress the district will not purchase one for him because of his lack of movement).

I would love to hear what others think of the ipad and for those who have tried it with their child, how did they respond? Also is your school district considering the ipad as a communication/learning tool for their special ed population?

Happy Easter