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.

This morning I picked a bright orange hairband to pull back my daughter’s hair.  She asked why I picked orange.  I told her I thought it was a cool color.

My five year old corrected me.  “Orange is a warm color, Mom.”

She learned that from Blue’s Art Time Activities.  She used it a lot in preschool - and obviously learned from it - so I have to recommend it.

Shop for Blue’s Clues and other educational software at the KidCrunch Store.