During a recent visit with my seven-year-old grandson, I made him sign an agreement I wrote that outlines just how much time he’d be allowed to play with the tablet we’d recently bought him there are also many printable versions of internet family contracts available online. Once you have one of these agreements in place, it’s time to find some useful apps, beginning with these suggestions.
Run Salmon Run
Dive into the world of salmon as the lyrically written and beautifully illustrated Run Salmon Run children’s book is brought to life. Listen and learn about the important lifecycle of Pacific salmon as narrated by the award-winning children’s music duo Bobs & LoLo and enjoy vibrant visuals, musical storytelling and interactive elements on every page.
Designed to complement and enhance the interactive Run Salmon Run read-along story, the user activated “Learn Mode” helps expand a child’s knowledge of the amazing lifecycle of Pacific salmon with curriculum-based facts from the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans primary level educational programs. Visit bobsandlolo.com.
This Victoria-based app has a worldwide directory of more than 200,000 playgrounds in 170 countries and counting.The developers, and their supportive spouses, are all parents who understand the need to get kids outside to play so they’ve taken this on, on their own time, outside their regular jobs. They say the app was motivated by their own very energetic offspring so their goal is to make it easy for parents and caregivers to be active and have fun with kids outside. Playground Buddy is also a community resource that depends on users to keep it up to date with the best possible playground information.
* Want to know if there is a swing, slide or play structure before you visit — or even where to park? Playground Buddy will show you what a playground has before you visit.
* See a street view or photos of a playground before you visit (where available).
* Setting up a play date? Share playground details and locations with others, even to those without the app.
Visit playgroundbuddy.com.
This app was created by Christopher Gray who won $1.3 million in scholarships through grit, sweat and hustle. When Gray discovered just how time consuming the application process for scholarships was, he created Scholly to make things easier. Scholly helps scholarships find you. There is free money for college out there and, according to Gray, Scholly has helped students win more than $70 million in scholarship awards. Visit myscholly.com.
According to Khan Academy, anyone can learn anything — “For free. For everyone. Forever.”
Considered an educational resource, Khan Academy offers free lessons for learners, parents and teachers and it’s now available for iPad. With more than 150,000 exercises with step-by-step instructions and instant feedback, this free app is a huge homework help for any student — or any parent brushing up on their high-school math. Visit khanacademy.org.
@sthomas10
