KidCrunch

Want to help your kids become better spellers?  There’s an app for that.

I just discovered KidWords, an iPhone application that helps kids learn how to spell.  Check out this video from KidWords’ developer 3lb Games to see how it works.  A few things I like about KidWords:

• It helps teach kids to sound out words.  When my daughter plays KidWords, she automatically “sounds out” each letter sound, without prompting.
• The spinning letter wheels reinforce alphabetical order.  You will appreciate this if your kids need to sing the alphabet song to put words into ABC order.  The wheels are a little frustrating for adults (who could find letters faster on a keyboard) but are really effective as a drill for kids.
• You can easily adjust the number of letters (3, 4, 5 or 6) and degree of difficulty (easy, medium or hard) so that all kids can play.
• It’s competitive, thanks to the scoring system, ticking clock and high score boards.  The potential to beat your high score (or your brother’s) makes it a bit addictive.

KidWords Version 2.0 is available for $1.99 from the App Store on iTunes.  For an educational time killer, that’s a bargain.

Earlier this week, my daughter and I embarked on a trip around the world (and back in time) with Jack and his sister Annie from Mary Pope Osborne’s book series The Magic Tree House.  This is one of the best book series for kids who are just starting to read chapter books.

In The Magic Tree House series, eight year old Jack and seven year old Annie discover a book-filled tree house near their home in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania.  By pointing to a book and making a wish, Jack and Annie are magically transported by the tree house to the setting of the book.

Young readers pick up tidbits of knowledge with each adventure - as they cross the Delaware with George Washington, help a baby kangaroo escape an Australian wildfire or watch the Olympic Games with Plato.  In addition, there are Research Guides that provide background information on many of the adventures.

The true value of the series is not the knowledge gained from each book.  Instead, it is the love of reading that many kids first experience when introduced to The Magic Tree House books.  Like so many young readers, my kids read one Magic Tree House book after another until they finished the series. 

To help your kids on this journey, the books in this popular series are listed in order below.

1. Dinosaurs Before Dark
2. The Knight at Dawn
3. Mummies in the Morning
4. Pirates Past Noon
5. Night of the Ninjas
6. Afternoon on the Amazon
7. Sunset of the Sabertooth
8. Midnight on the Moon
9. Dolphins at Daybreak
10. Ghost Town at Sundown
11. Lions at Lunchtime
12. Polar Bears Past Bedtime
13. Vacation Under the Volcano
14. Day of the Dragon King
15. Viking Ships at Sunrise
16. Hour of the Olympics
17. Tonight on the Titanic
18. Buffalo Before Breakfast
19. Tigers at Twilight
20. Dingoes at Dinnertime
21. Civil War on Sunday
22. Revolutionary War on Wednesday
23. Twister on Tuesday
24. Earthquake in the Early Morning
25. Stage Fright on a Summer Night
26. Good Morning, Gorillas
27. Thanksgiving on Thursday
28. High Tide in Hawaii
29. Christmas in Camelot
30. Haunted Castle on Hallow’s Eve
31. Summer of the Sea Serpent
32. Winter of the Ice Wizard
33. Carnival at Candlelight
34. Season of the Sandstorms
35. Night of the New Magicians
36. Blizzard of the Blue Moon
37. Dragon of the Red Dawn
38. Monday with a Mad Genius
39. Dark Day in the Deep Sea
40. Eve of the Emperor Penguin
41. Moonlight on the Magic Flute

The challenge for parents will come when their kids finish The Magic Tree House series.  My oldest son had a hard time finding books that he enjoyed as much (until he found The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner.)  He is ten now, but I suspect he still sneaks a copy of the latest Magic Tree House books from his little sister for a quick, familiar read.

Shop for The Magic Tree House books and other popular kids book series at the KidCrunch Store.