Go hands on with physics, draw monsters, create a yoodle, or simply find a good book. The 30th app report is packed with the latest news from the Moms With Apps network.

Parents, please take a moment to read the full app descriptions, and to screen the apps you download, to fully understand the features and elements in the app. If you find an app you like, please write a review. We appreciate it.

- Garry Froehlich | Jellybean Tunes

Apps for Little Ones

	Puzzleosaurus – Dinosaur Jigsaw Puzzles by EduGame UK: Puzzleosaurus is a Prehistoric Puzzle Game featuring 8 extinct creatures from over 250 million years ago. Designed to entertain and educate young dino fans it contains 8 beautifully illustrated puzzles that once complete reveal exciting facts about each creature. iPhone and iPad – $1.99
	Trucks in Town by Pet Project: Trucks spring to life with realistic sound and motion, and interact with other elements in the scene. Choose vehicles for your scene and then get busy putting out fires, picking up trash or collecting kids from school. iPad – $0.99
	Locomaster – Lucas’ crazy machine by Nerlaska Studio: Little Lucas has a fantastic machine: Locomaster. With it, your children will be able to transform Lucas into really strange animals like the Sillyphant, the Jokyfly or the Crazy Crocodile. They will enjoy playing with these strange creatures and going into Lucas neighbors’ houses. iPhone and iPad – $2.99

Books

	The Rooster Who Lost His Voice by iMagine machine LLC: A first for iMagine machine – an original travel tale that enables the entire family to sit together for a “theater experience”, and enjoy an interactive story with animations, unique illustrations and heart-warming characters that remind us of the values of friendship, esteem and generosity. iPhone and iPad – Free with $4.99 in-app purchase
	Bella’s Birthday Surprise by Author Solutions, Inc.: Bella is turning one, and excited about her first party. She is in for a big surprise when she opens her last present and finds something very special inside! iPhone and iPad – $1.99

Creative Play

Costume Chest by Yoomerang, Inc.: Yoodle Apps all start with a Yoodle — a Doodle of You. You can make a Yoodle by picking eyes, nose, hair, etc. And then the adventures begin. In the Costume Chest App you can dress up your Yoodle in oodles of costumes, and create a virtual scrapbook to capture all the fun. iPhone and iPad – $1.99

iLuv Drawing Monsters HD – Learn to draw 20 cute monsters! by MyVijan LLC: Learning to draw monsters will boost imagination, creativity and confidence in your budding artists! This step by step learn to draw application offers 20 different ways to create cute monsters. The app offers coloring, editing, decorating and sharing toolset to further customize their creations! (Watch Series Intro) iPad – $0.99

Geography

Learn North America Countries and Capitals by Granza Inc: Our Learn North America Countries and Capitals App is an easy-to-use tool for learning the names of 37 different countries of the North America continent along with their capital cities. The program features a Maps section, a Capitals Section, and a Quiz section. iPhone and iPad – $2.99

Literacy

	Animal Crosswords – English Crosswords for kids by OkiDokiApps: Animal Crosswords contains 56 professionally designed crosswords (multiple word intersections). Each crossword contains a new animal as the main theme and the app contains over 300 of the most common words children learn to spell in the beginning, but there are also some tricky words of course. iPhone and iPad – $1.99
	ABC Spy Phonics by Stealth Education: ABC Spy Phonics challenges children to create their own phonics experience by taking photos for 15 key letter sounds and combinations: take a photo, choose a frame, give it a name. Then make a movie of all your photos to share with friends and family. iPhone – $0.99, iPad – $1.99

Math

Math Multiplication Flash Cards For 2nd Grade by Granza Inc: Our Math Multiplication Flash Cards For 2nd Grade app includes 78 cards and provides an easy approach for building math multiplication skills. Each card displays a multiplication problem from 1×1 through 12×12. Tapping the card will flip the card to show the student the answer to the problem. iPhone and iPad – $0.99

Physics

Monster Physics by Dan Russell-Pinson: Monster Physics is a unique building app that lets you play with physics! Build and operate your own car, crane, rocket ship, plane, helicopter, tank and more! Players learn physics “hands on” through solving missions and building and refining their own inventions. In addition, a separate learn section introduces players to basic physics concepts such as friction, force, mass, acceleration and more. (Watch Video) iPhone and iPad – $0.99 (introductory price)

News and Reviews

Updates

Our guest post this week is written by Patrick Larsson of Happi Papi. This is the press release he and fellow developers announced regarding their app program for teachers. We are distributing it on Moms With Apps, knowing that there are quite a few teachers in our audience who might be interested. Thank you Patrick!

From PR Web

Recently six app developers from different parts of the world joined forces in an App Evaluation Program for Schools. The program will provide educators everywhere with free quality learning apps for the iPad platform. So far, nearly 300 teachers from four continents have taken the opportunity to sign up. Teachers who have not signed up yet, can do so here:http://happipapi.com/evaluation-program-for-schools

“The program is really a win win,” says Patrick Larson of Happi Papi, one of the companies behind the program. ”Teachers get to test great learning apps and the developers get the opportunity to put our apps in front a very important group of their target audience. Although, giving feedback isn’t mandatory for teachers in the program, we have already gotten a lot of great suggestions back for our app Happi 123 which was sent out through the program last month,” continues Patrick Larson.

Younie Chang from easy Chinese writing, who has an app with the same name, is excited to be a part of the program. “Our app is maybe not as broad in its appeal as some of the other apps given out through the program, but with so many teachers signed up for the program, and more coming in every day, we are sure to find an audience for our app as well.”

By joining forces in a program like this, the developers are recognizing the importance of creating alternative ways of reaching their audience. “The Apple App Store is getting more and more crowded every day,” says Pierre Abel from L’Escapadou. ”It is very hard nowadays to get noticed on the App Store for all but the largest companies and the biggest mainstream app hits. An evaluation program like the one we are part of here gives our spelling app Word Wizard an additional way to get exposure,” adds Pierre Abel.

Kristin Heitmann of app media points out that not only do all of the developers help each other to promote the evaluation program and by doing so create synergies otherwise not achievable but some have also started to become good friends and help each other in even more ways. “For example,” says Kristin Heitmann, “we are currently running a Facebook cross promotion for our preschool app My First App Vehicles together with another developer in the program.”

Each app distributed through the program is followed up with a questionnaire about two weeks later. Having the possibility to post very specific questions about an app to a highly motivated group is worth a lot according to Jean-Eudes Lepelletier who has developed the app Tapikeo HD. The feedback will help the developers to further improve their apps. “If we ask the right questions, we can even get a clue as to what types of apps will be sought after in the future,” explains Jean-Eudes Lepelletier.

All developers in the evaluation program promotes the program on their respective websites and social media channels. “Working together to build the program is great in itself but the fact that we come from different countries makes it even better,” says Pavel Mamaev of Elka Palka Production.

For a small developer, it is often hard or too expensive to reach an audience that speaks another language. Therefore all the developers have agreed to market the program in its respective home countries. By doing so the developers effectively help each other gather a diverse group of teachers to show the apps to, according to Pavel Mamaev. “For us that means that we now can put our app Elfishki and The Unwelcome Guest in front of, for example, 25 Danish teachers that we otherwise never would have reached.”

The program, which started as an idea in a forum post on the Moms with Apps board for developers of family friendly apps, has now grown to almost 300 teachers. The founders never thought it would become this popular. “If we had,” says Patrick Larson of Happi Papi, “we probably would have given it a cooler name than ‘App Evaluation Program for Schools.’ I wonder if we should change the name to ‘The Happi Teacher Program,’” laughs Patrick.

For further information, please contact Patrick Larson at (941) 928-1873 or info(at)happipapi(dot)com.

Participating developers (and list is growing!):

• happipapi.com
• lescapadou.com
• apppmedia.com
• iwritechinese.com
• elfishki.com
• tapikeo.com

Welcome to App Friday, our weekly link exchange of family-friendly apps. We have another long list, just in time for Mother’s Day. Joining us are Marcel with his new sight words app, Scott with just-released rhyming app, Evan with themed puzzle apps, Sudhakar with grade level apps, SmarTots with an educational app from China, and Emmy with phonics apps. There is an also an app for MOMS called the Woven Photo Viewer, with a sweepstakes for a pair of Barnes &  Noble Nooks. Are you on Android? No worries, I’ve split the post to reflect apps for Android in addition to Apple’s iOS. A first!

Marcel's latest app, Sight Words & Spelling with Pixopop

Participating iOS Apps:

Clicking the links below will take you to the app description, which has more information about each app. Promotional pricing lasts until 8pm US PST Friday, unless extended by the developer.

• Woven Photo Viewer (a photo viewing app for Mom & Dad) – FREE always
• Rhyme-N-Time – FREE
• Sight Words Hangman - FREE
• Sight Words & Spelling with Pixopop - $.99
• Dinosaur Jigsaw Puzzles – $.99
• Firefighter Puzzles – $.99
• Smart Kids First Grade – FREE
• Smart Kids Third Grade – $.99
• Smart Kids Third Grade HD – $1.99
• SmarTots ==> iCreate (from a developer in China who is part of the SmarTots platform) – $.99
• Phonics Word Family – $.99
• Phonics Make a Word – $.99
• Irregular Verbs – FREE

Participating Android Apps:

• iReward Chart featured on Amazon’s FREE App of the Day for May 11th
• Woven Photo Viewer for Kindle Fire
• Woven Photo Viewer for Android
• Woven Photo Viewer for Nook

News From Family-Friendly App Developers

• NEWSFLASH: Developers join together to offer FREE apps for education
• App gifting ideas for Mother’s Day
• Our apps head to Capitol Hill! Check out the latest from our community on Children’s Online Privacy.
• Check out Volume 29 of the Jellybean Tunes App Report for new, family-friendly apps.
• Evan Beland of Apps Kids Love takes the stage on the MWA Banner
• Siva and Melissa hosted an Appy Mother’s Day event on Thursday night. Stop by for the after-party.

Link Exchange

Add links to your favorite apps, blog posts, Facebook pages – or any link that covers family-friendly apps. Please include the app name (or page name) in the Link Title, your email, and a URL. Thanks for participating!

For the past year, Moms With Apps has been following the conversation about children’s online privacy, specifically in relation to mobile apps for kids. We have responded to government reports, kept current on proposed recommendations, forged new solutions, and engaged in dialog with everyone from parents to policymakers. Despite these measures, it continues to be challenging to navigate fluid laws in parallel with the rapid pace of innovation.

After two days of meetings in Washington DC with the White House, Federal Trade Commission, and Congressional representatives, we get the impression that efforts by parent app developers to “do the right thing” are appreciated and encouraged.  We value the attention from those who listened to our stories about why we create apps for kids, and how our ultimate hope is for these apps to provide educational benefits for families.

In this post I’ll give an overview of what we did, and will conclude with recommendations on where we can go from here…

What was the event? The ACT Flyin is an annual event where software developers have an opportunity to speak to their congressional representatives about issues related to innovation and technology.

Which developers attended? Moms With Apps’ attendees included Scott Weiner, Lynette Mattke, Ahmed Siddiqui, Jane Hoffer, Mindy Douglas, Cheryl Bregman, and Lorraine Akemann

MWA Apps on Capitol Hill

Who did we meet? Monday, several of the MWA developers attended a 30 person meeting at the White House. Tuesday we had sessions with Federal Trade Commission attorneys from COPPA proposed rules, Privacy & Identity, Mobile Technology, and the office of a Commissioner. We also met with the offices of our regional Representatives and Senators.

Ahmed, Jane, Scott and Mindy at the White House on Monday

Scott, Lynette, Lorraine, Ahmed, and Mindy at the first FTC meeting

What topics did we cover? The high level topics included spectrum, piracy, and privacy. But the majority of conversations with MWA developers focused on children’s online privacy, and the privacy icon project. At every meeting, I pulled out my marked up copies of the FTC Reports, distributed the privacy icons, and opened dialog about how we use data. Each developer shared stories about how their apps work, how they are marketed, and what type of analytics data is useful to app developers.

Representing family-friendly mobile app development

Impressions? I am grateful for the time we had with the FTC. Here are the people who are shaping the regulatory framework for children online, and we were able to connect in advance of the final COPPA rule-making. Although it’s tough to get specific answers from lawyers who are in the midst of writing regulation, it was not tough to see that they were interested in our progress.

Where do we go from here? A few ideas…

1. Design Products for Kids With Care – Everyone wants to keep kids safe from harm or exploitation – it’s a globally recognized goal. Laws are designed to uphold child safety, which is why online services for kids under 13 can have more restrictions than products designed for a general audience. When we develop apps for kids, features that involve targeted marketing or personal identity require parental permission by law. Even if your intention isn’t to market to a child, or to identify a child – it’s important to be clear on what could enable those things so as not to get caught in a sticky situation.

2. Understand How Your App Uses Data - Start thinking about your app in terms of how it uses data so that when COPPA is updated, you aren’t caught off guard.  In an exercise to try and classify data frameworks in apps, I came up with the following six categories:

Basic – An app that is completely self-contained, with no way to escape except for the home button.

Analytics – Apps plugged into a dashboard where developers can see anonymous, aggregated data with session length, number of users, types of devices, crash reports, and areas of the app people are using most.

Interconnected – What other online services can be instigated from within the app? Can you email, connect to a social network, make a purchase, or connect to the web?

Published Content – What content that I create with the app, can I publish and share from the app? For example, photographs, audio clips, artwork, or text created from within the app to be shared beyond the app.

Multi-User Profiles – Can I set up my own user profiles within my app? For example, can I set up student profiles and access their progress reports? If so, is that information stored centrally or only locally within the app?

Data Collection, Storage, and 3^rd Party Functionalities – Can the developer contact users based on what the users input into the app? Does the app query for personal registration from either the app developer or a 3^rd party SDK?

Note: My understanding is that only the last scenario, “data collection”, will trigger COPPA under current law. But the proposed rules use language like “requesting, prompting, or encouraging a child to submit personal information online”. So think about that, and evaluate where you fit.

3. Check your privacy policy. Does it describe how your mobile app uses data in a way that is clear to the reader?

Write a consumer-friendly statement about how the data in your app works, and link this to your full policy. If your app does not use any data, a statement to let people know this can build trust in your brand.

I recommend the Privacy Choice Mobile Policymaker, a tool to auto-generate a policy based on specific features in your app. It also has the “apps for kids” privacy icons (inspired by MWA developers) to inform parents about in-app features prior to download.

4. Privacy icons on your app OR website

Some developers are moving forward with privacy icons embedded in the screenshots of their app descriptions. However, I’m hearing from developers that the graphic design adjustments can time consuming, and the badge takes up valuable real-estate from the app. Another option is to embed the HTML code from the Privacy Choice icons on your website, to point to your company privacy policy.

Until the platform providers dedicate a section of the app store description to privacy, developers can show a good-faith effort by providing a privacy policy URL and brief disclosure statement in their app’s metadata. Given the California Attorney General’s position on privacy with the platform providers, it looks likely that privacy policies and/or iconic disclosures will become a standard part of the app store description.

5. Realize that “Playing Nice with Data” is a Team Effort

Keeping kids safe online is a team effort. Moms With Apps has taken the steps to stay informed, and to encourage developers to “do the right thing”. We also need parents to stay engaged with their children’s online activities and keep up with technological advances. In addition, we need platform providers, like the app stores, to give developers enough tools to describe, rate and classify their apps so parents can make informed decisions. And finally, we need policymakers to understand that for every “bad” story they hear in the media, there are plenty of “good” stories about how data is being used to improve and enhance our lives.

MWA Huddle at the ACT Dinner. Thank you for your hard work, everyone!

Duck Duck Moose, Alona Frankel and more are featured this week in the the 29th app report, which compiles the latest news and product announcements from the members of the Moms With Apps network.

Parents, please take a moment to read the full app descriptions, and to screen the apps you download, to fully understand the features and elements in the app. If you find an app you like, please write a review.

- Garry Froehlich | Jellybean Tunes

Apps for Little Ones

	Trucks HD by Duck Duck Moose: Trucks includes 5 different activities: Soap and rinse a car in a carwash, drive a garbage truck, tow a car with a tow truck and fix a flat tire, dump dirt with a dump truck, and play with a car and truck parade. You’ll see an ice cream truck, fire truck, cement truck, police car, mail truck, ambulance, and much more! (Watch Video) iPhone – $1.99, iPad – $1.99
	My First Colouring Book by Glitch Games: My First Colouring Book is a nicely presented colouring book that allows you and your child to colour in over 20 animals and view all your creations in the included gallery as well as post them to Facebook or save them to your devices camera album. iPhone and iPad – $0.99

Books

	Once Upon a Bird by Alona Frankel: from the beloved creator of the “Once Upon a Potty” classics, comes this new Joshua story of life and death ~ Joshua and his mother meet wonderful birds on their way, mostly alive, chirping, hopping and flying. But see what happens when Joshua discovers a dead bird ~ in a gentle tale with beautiful illustrations, Alona Frankel is empowered and inspired by the cycles of life, mixing sadness and happiness, memory and desire ~ a beautiful, timeless book for all ages, brought to you by child matters media. iBooks on iPad – $0.99
	Eggscapade – Free Storybook & Game for Kids by Mamanijo: Eggscapade is a story with an integrated game. Mr. Bunny’s Easter egg factory has been sabotaged and the reader is asked to save Easter by repainting the eggs. The interactive story about the Easter Bunny is charming but the integrated gameplay makes this Easter adventure unique. (Watch Video) iPad – Free
	Brush of Truth by Story Bayou, Inc.: In Brush of Truth, you and your sister find a crudely-crafted paintbrush on a beach and discover it has magical powers. You choose how the action unfolds in this interactive book app for kids 8-12. Brush of Truth, told in “your” voice, has 65 decision points and 20 possible endings. (Watch Video) iPhone – $1.99, iPad – $1.99, Google Play – $1.49, Amazon – $1.99, Windows Phone – $1.99
	Pup Stars by Touchoo: Bob made his way to the auditions of Pup Stars with only one thing in mind: “It only takes one day to change the rest of your life!” He wanted to be a pup star so badly… but could he possibly stand out from the crowd? Find out more about Bob the Pup Star and his friends in this wonderful, beautifully illustrated Storybook App created by Jill Newton, bestselling illustrator of “Please don’t chat to the bus driver” and “Where are my Chicks?” (Watch Video) iPhone and iPad – $2.99
	My dream job by digibo: My dream job is an interactive and imaginative children’s book designed for ages 3-9 years. Pick a picture from your library or take a picture of your child’s face with iPad camera and center it on the first page. The facial image will accompany each image as you scroll through the pages and discover new professions such as snowboarding pro, superhero and astronaut. iPad – $0.99
	My Mom’s the Best by Snappyant: My Mom’s the Best app is a simple, humorous depiction of baby animals celebrating what they love about their mums. Bruce Whatley’s illustrations are brought to life through interactive animations that children will love, while Rosie Smith’s story is enhanced with music, sounds of the wild and an amusing narration by Shawn Makris. iPad – $2.99 (on sale during May)

Games

Catch the Monkey by Mirthwerx: Curious little monkeys have overrun the farm. The elderly farmer needs YOU to distract the monkeys so he can safely catch and release them back into the jungle. Help the farmer, save the crop, save the farm! iPhone – $0.99 (half price), Lite Version – Free

Literacy

Learn To Read by Corvid Apps: An interactive ebook for children who are learning to sound out words. This kids app prompts the reader to touch the correct word on a screen of similar sounding words. The large type allows young readers to move their fingers along the words while they sound it out, while the alliterative and rhyming verse promote phonemic awareness. This app is optimized for tablet devices. Google Play – $1.57, Lite Version (Google Play) – Free

Special Needs

	Next Dollar Up by Limited Cue, LLC: Next Dollar Up is a widely utilized special education teaching strategy for those with special needs to develop independence in money management using a whole dollar amount concept. It involves looking at an item price and rounding up to the next dollar to make the purchase. iPad – $1.99
	QuickChoice by Happy Camper Apps: QuickChoice is an ideal app for allowing someone with a language delay or limited verbal communication skills to express themselves via a choice board. With QuickChoice you can easily create a set of visual choices for your special person by scrolling through your existing photo library. iPhone – $0.99 (sale price)

News and Reviews

Updates

Our guest post is written by Cheryl Bregman of Abilipad. Cheryl is a pediatric occupational therapist in Rockville, Maryland. Her interests include research and product development for students with developmental delays and learning disabilities. She founded Appy Therapy LLC and recently released her first app, Abilipad, which is constantly evolving, in pursuit of Universal Design.

In traditional learning environments, it is often difficult to design curriculum that addresses the needs of all learners. However, in the land of apps this is well within our reach.  The iPad, in particular, has many features which make it a fundamental learning tool for people with different learning styles as well as for people with physical, sensory and cognitive challenges.

The concept of creating a product that reaches the broadest range of users is known as Universal Design. This term was first applied in architecture where buildings and environments were designed to provide access to people with physical disabilities. While the benefits for people with disabilities are clear, they are less evident for those without disabilities.  But consider the access afforded to a mom pushing her stroller up a wheelchair ramp or to the cyclist using a curbside cut and of the advantages of an automatic door.

So, when one develops applications with accessibility in mind, it will in fact enrich the experience for all users.  For developers who adopt the Universal Design framework, it is preferable to incorporate these features from the outset; however one can also add them to an existing application.  The following three principles of Universal Design for Learning, developed by the Center for Applied Special Technology, can be used to guide the design of educational apps:

1. Present content in multiple and flexible formats.

Enable users to access and interact with your app in a variety of ways so as to optimize learning.  Consider that the text within an app may be inaccessible to young children or to people with learning disabilities; that visual information (images, movies, animations) may be inaccessible to users with visual deficits, and that information conveyed solely through sound may be inaccessible to people with hearing deficits and to users with processing or memory difficulties.

By providing users with multiple means of accessing information, they can select the modality which best suits their needs and learning style. Your app can be accessible to users who have reading difficulties by enabling the text to be read aloud via a text-to-speech option and by presenting information with illustrations or animations. For users who are deaf or hard of hearing, one can add closed captions, subtitles, visual equivalents for sound effects, or a sign language video. For users who are visually impaired, one can enable changes to the font, font size and color; as well as text to speech functionality and animation with narration .  Any application can also be made  VoiceOver compatible. This technology enables people who are blind or have low vision to independently control their iOS device. The VoiceOver reads what is written on the screen and is operated with simple gestures. It also offers support for Braille displays for those who are both blind and deaf.

2. Provide different ways for users to communicate their knowledge

Offer users multiple opportunities to demonstrate their understanding of the instructional content and to be successful. People can demonstrate what they know through writing, speaking, drawing, creating movies, solving puzzles, organizing information, manipulating letters and images, testing out scientific constructs using physics games, and so on! Provide flexible alternatives – be creative!

For people with speech impairments, modified keyboards with text and /or picture symbols that have speech output can provide a platform for users to communicate their experiences. And for those with severe physical disabilities it is possible to integrate speech to text transcription or switch-based scanning. With scanning, selected items are highlighted in   sequence and the user can select the desired item with a single tap.

3. Stimulate interest and motivation for learning.

Wherever possible, developers should provide the learner with choices regarding the content matter and the sequence for completing tasks. Involving users in these decisions increases the degree to which they will feel connected to the material.

Students will also work hard “just because” mastering a skill provides them with a sense of accomplishment. For some, mastery may require more practice and the iOS device serves as an ideal platform for such practice. Applications should provide examples that guide the user, and that carefully grade the amount of support provided. Consider incorporating calculators, spell checkers, word prediction, and text-to-speech. Setting different levels of mastery (e.g. Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced) also enables students to access developmentally appropriate materials that maintain their interest. Higher levels should have the user apply the skills they previously learned. Rewards also reinforce success, but should be used carefully to have value to the students.

When UDL principles are applied, apps are able to enhance instruction by individualizing lessons, motivating the learner and producing interactive learning activities. As members of Moms with Apps, we should lead the way in designing intuitive, creative and inclusive applications for all users irrespective of learning style or disability.

Welcome to App Friday, our weekly link exchange of family-friendly apps. We have another diverse list of apps, including Lynette’s first iBook called “The Scoop on Good Grammar”. Normally $9.99, this book is just $.99 for App Friday May 4th. Enjoy the deals, and if the apps are making a positive difference in your home or school, please take a moment to write a review. Thank you!

Participating Apps:

Clicking the links below will take you to the app description, which has more information about each app. Promotional pricing lasts until 8pm US PST Friday, unless extended by the developer.

• Middle School Confidential 1: Be Confident in Who You Are - FREE
• Are You My Friend (iBook) $.99
• 2BME Firefighter $.99
• JumpStart Preschool Magic of Learning $.99
• Math Blaster Hyperblast $.99
• A Little Book about Feelings iPhone FREE
• A Little Book about Feelings HD FREE
• A Royal Little Pest iPhone FREE
• A Royal Little Pest HD $.99
• The Scoop on Good Grammar iBook $.99 (from $9.99)
• iLuv Drawing People iPhone FREE
• Abilipad $9.99 – (from $19.99)

Facebook Schedule

Download parties are hosted on the App Friday Facebook page ==> http://www.facebook.com/AppFriday. These parties are an opportunity to interact directly with the developers who create the apps, while browsing app news and grabbing a few deals. Parties are hosted by developers in different parts of the world. Check out the http://www.timeanddate.com/ site for timezone conversions.

• 8:00 pm Sydney time [Kick Off Party hosted by Karen Robertson of Treasure Kai]
• 10:00 am San Francisco time  [Download Party hosted by Cheryl of Abilipad]

App & Tech News

• The iMums are promoting Better Speech and Hearing month with great app deals, check out their Event through May 8th.
• Kids & Beyond are celebrating their one year anniversary with a FUNFEST through May 15th – enjoy! Better yet, they’ve set an app to FREE for App Friday SimpleSort: Continents
• Choose My Food on Appbackr funded last week – Hooray! The developers are now starting to build the app for kids with food sensitivity issues.
• Check out Volume 28 of the Jellybean Tunes App Report for new, family-friendly apps.
• Jean-Eudes Lepelletier of Tapikeo, Dad With App, debuts on the MWA Banner

Link Exchange

Add links to your favorite apps, blog posts, Facebook pages – or any link that covers family-friendly apps. Please include the app name (or page name) in the Link Title, your email, and a URL. Thanks for participating!

Build cars, journey into space, and get the scoop on good grammar. The 28th app report brings you the latest news and product announcements from the members of the Moms With Apps network.

Parents, please take a moment to read the iTunes app descriptions, and to screen the apps you download, to fully understand the features and elements in the app. If you find an app you like, please write a review.

- Garry Froehlich | Jellybean Tunes

Apps for Little Ones

	Kids Preschool Puzzle & Words by Lemberg Solutions: A lot of wonderful pictures to assemble and 14 languages to master in one app! The challenge of this educational game is interesting and exciting: a child will move patterned pieces of paper to complete a picture. When the object is created, its name is spelled on the screen and you can hear the word pronunciation in any of 14 languages available! Pictures are grouped into 6 categories (Animals, Vehicles, Fruit, Veggies, Numbers, Shapes), so there are 60 wonderful pictures to assemble and learn. The free version comes with one category open (Animals) to try it out before you buy a full version of the game (through in-app purchase). Google Play – Free + In-App Purchase
	Space JigSaw Puzzles – Puzzle Fun for Kids with HD Video of Astronauts, Rockets and Shuttles from NASA’s Archives! by Apps Kids Love – LLC: These puzzles are alive! Space JigSaw Puzzles combines high quality HD video from NASAs archives with the classic JigSaw puzzles that kids love! After each puzzle is completed an HD video with fun facts about the space program plays. Rockets launch, men walk on the moon and rovers roll on to explore! Space Puzzles keeps your little one entertained while sharpening the mind and helping to improve coordination. iPhone and iPad – $0.99
	Build Cars with Edward and Arthur by PlayWithMotion: In this game your child can create thousands of unique, crazy and fantastical cars and then test-drive them on the race track. Nice 3d-rendered graphics and sound make the cars look and feel like real miniature cars and depending on what parts you use the car will behave different when driving. You’ll need better tires to splash through mud, bigger engine to go faster etc. While playing you’ll collects stars, that unlocks more car parts, and even additional race tracks! This game is awesome for kids 3-7 years old, and is available for iPad 2 and above and iPhone 4 and above. (Watch Video) iPhone and iPad – $1.99

Books

	Five Little Monkeys Collection #1 by Oceanhouse Media: Five Little Monkeys Collection #1 features five entertaining adventures of five clumsy but well-intentioned little monkeys who don’t always get things exactly right, but always have a good time! iPhone and iPad – $11.99
	The Champion Hare by InteractBooks LLC: When a young hare enters the Animal Sports Competition he soon finds himself racing a cheetah and competing in the long jump against a kangaroo! It’s not easy becoming a champion, but with help from a clever parrot and cheered on by a family of meerkats he eventually discovers that nothing beats a bit of perseverance. iPhone and iPad – $3.99

Literacy

	The Scoop on Good Grammar by Margie Blumberg (and PicPocket Books): The Scoop on Good Grammar was named a Gold Recipient by the Mom’s Choice Awards in the Educational Products category. As you’ll see, this grammar book is all about culture. For example, Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party will guide you through the definition of a noun, and cupcakes will help you learn about adjectives. In no time at all, choosing the correct pronoun (it’s between you and me-not, between you and I) and the appropriate modifying word (it’s really sweet-not, real sweet) will become second nature to you. iBooks – $9.99
	Word Craft EE by JANES Works Co.: Elementary Edition (EE) is the sequel to Word Craft DE. If you like word games and trivia, then you will love the Word Craft series of word games. Just like the original, Word Craft: EE is certain to test your word skills while helping to build your vocabulary and knowledge. Each word is broken up into word blocks. For example, “Altogether” could be broken up into the word blocks “AL”, “TOG”, “ETH”, “ER.” These correct word blocks are mixed together with other incorrect word blocks. Your job is to pick the right word pieces in the correct order to spell the word defined. Play alone or with a group of friends and family. In Word Craft EE, every word comes with a complete dictionary edition, including the etymology for most words. Thus, Word Craft EE will teach you things you didn’t know about both common and unusual words. iPhone and iPad – $0.99, Google Play – $0.99, Amazon – $0.99, Nook – $0.99
	Sight Words & Spelling with Pixopop by Marcel Widarto: Join Stitch Bunny and friends and learn Sight Words in a fun and engaging way. Sight Words and Spelling with Pixopop will help your child learn sight words through seeing, hearing and spelling. The three different game modes (Flash Card, Word Challenge and Spelling), will guide your child through the different stages of learning the sight words. Those stages are: seeing and hearing the word for the first time, recognizing the word and selecting the correct word in a multiple choice word challenge mode, and finally knowing how to spell the word in the spelling mode. iPad – $1.99

Math

Algebra Quiz & Challenge by iMathPractice: This is for students in High School/College learning algebra. IMathPractice Algebra has different sections like Tutorial, Practice Skills, Practice Test & Algebra Challenge. Teaches real and complex numbers, ratios, exponents, polynomials, linear and quadratic equations, and more. Under Practice Skills, You will be able to practice all the above learned skills with help. There are answer & steps to get the answer for each question. Under Practice Test, You will be able to practice all the skills in specified timed environment. Under Algebra Challenge You will be prepared to compete with others. It contains 100 questions & time allotted is 1 hours. We will display each month champions/winners selected from around the world of this challenge in our website imathpractice.com. Google Play – $0.99, Amazon – $0.99

News

Taken on my first outing with Instagram.

Your average mom blogger doesn’t have 17 days to ride from Minnesota to California on a motorcycle to assess the state of her life, but she does have a book that explains Robert Pirsig’s points of view. After plodding through his philosophical journey on the quest for Quality, I thought it would be fun to write a post substituting “motorcycle” for “mobile app”, just to play around. Could I produce a Quality message?

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Pirsig’s book was published in 1974, when technology looked like “TV, jets and freeways”. He talks about the classical understanding of life versus the romantic understanding of life. Do you approach your day with measured reason, or spontaneous creativity? Are you more rational, or emotional? Although motorcycle riding is romantic, motorcycle maintenance is purely classic. Getting stuck too far on either side may hinder problem solving, and higher quality outcomes can result from blending the two.

Forward to 2012 and now we have TV streaming to the palms of our hands.  Sharing is the new default. Individuals can connect through text, audio, and visual data from anywhere in the world. How is society processing these hyperlinked states of existence: classically, or romantically?

The government seems to be going for classical definitions. They are scrutinizing the data, questioning the business practices, and measuring the impact of society’s “loss” of privacy.

The teenagers seem to be rejoicing with a romantic world view. Talking and sharing is natural for them, and now they can interact 24/7 through any available cell phone or wifi connection.

The parents aren’t sure yet. They’re a little stuck.

The kids have no opinion, but they are keeping busy on mobile devices while their parents try to figure it out.

The mobile app developers get it. They have a classical understanding of how the technology works, and channel their creativity into apps that make a difference. They balance  constant connectivity with its potential, and are using both points of view to figure out how the heck to market their app.

As in the book when the professor decides not to distribute letter grades, but instead has students grade their own writing to assess the quality for themselves, we similarly lack traditional metrics for “success” in a hyperconnected society, and need to define what that will look like for ourselves. It might take more than balancing two schools of thought – but a true disconnect to achieve perspective. The app developers could be the first to pull this off, if they are brave enough to mingle with insanity.

This past weekend, 520 high school girls pitched over 100 mobile apps at the Technovation Challenge Pitch Competitions. When I walked into the lobby to preview their apps, I was stunned. Apps for improving our environment, sharpening our chemistry skills, taking care of our pets, expanding our political knowledge, and eating healthier were all displayed by these talented students. When I wonder what the world is coming to, I’ll think about these kids and their creative solutions!

This team created an app called "Healthy Bytes" to encourage healthy food substitutes in recipes.

This app helps students learn chemistry compounds, and their poster outlined the target market and reasons for "going mobile".

Here is the team pitching for an app called S.O.S.: Save Our Species. They opened with a slide show of endangered animals.

The toughest challenge was to pick a winner. I found that every app idea had real-world potential, and hope all teams have a chance to take their ideas to market.