Serenity's Toca Boca iPad Apps Review

Handmade Leotard: Little Diva's 2
Princess Crown Iron-on Transfer: Daisy Creek Designs
Pettiskirt: Oopsy Daisy Baby
Shoes: Madie Jane

It's been awhile since the last time I've done a review of Serenity's favorite apps!

This time I decided to focus on the Toca Boca apps for the iPad, I'll do another post about a few more apps later.

Serenity has been hooked on the Toca Boca lately.

They are very entertaining - tons of activities in each app!

Her favorite is Paint My Wings (.99¢) - Paint 3 different butterfly's wings using 9 berry colors and 7 brushes.

It sorta mirror paints - so when Serenity paints on one side of the wings, the other side is painted too.

Still, it's a nice little app to help children express their creative side.

Toca Kitchen Monsters (FREE) and Toca Kitchen ($1.99) - Both are pretty much the same and fun to play.

The host selects some food and then prepares, cooks, seasons and feeds it to their guest. 

There are 2 guests in the Monsters app and 4 guests in the other app.

Toca Store ($1.99) - This is probably Serenity's least favorite of all the Toca Boca games, but she still insists she likes it.

Your child pretends to own a store and picks items to sell.

They can invite a friend over to buy the items, or play alone.

I like the concept since it introduces money and math.

Toca Robot Lab ($1.99) - Create a robot (lots of combinations), then fly through a maze hunting stars before getting picked up by a giant magnet!

Serenity enjoys putting together some pretty interesting robots, but she really likes finding all the stars.

Toca Hair Salon ($1.99) and THS Christmas Gift (FREE) - Cut, re-grow, comb, shave, color, wash, dry and add barrettes to 6 different character's hair.

In the Christmas Gift version your child gets to have Santa sit in the salon chair!

Serenity said this app is: "Great!" 

Toca Doctor ( .99¢ ) - Heal your sick patient by doing mazes, puzzles, dragging broken bones back together, destroying tiny virus monsters and more!

A lot to do in this inexpensive app.

Serenity gets a kick out of the funny sounds it makes when you've completed a task.

Toca House ($1.99) - This game is packed with activities!

Do loads of chores in a funny multi-level house.

Hang pictures, vacuum the floor, give a monster a bath, tend the garden, mail letters, cut the grass - and lots more!

Serenity thinks the monster in this game is very funny and silly!

These next two are on Serenity's favorite list, Birthday Party Playtime and Toca Tea Party (both $1.99) - These apps can be played with friends, plush pals, dolls or kids can play by themselves. 

Basically your child sets the table with a tablecloth, plates, drinks and goodies.

Their guests can "eat" and "drink" and then have their cups and plates refilled by their host.

If someone "spills" their drink, the host can wipe up the mess.

In the birthday app, your child selects a cake, plates, and a present to open - it also has party poppers for everyone.

All the dishes get cleaned up at the end.

I think the Tea Party app is somewhat better than the Birthday one, but Serenity likes them both.

I really like how all of the Toca Boca apps are set up for your child to play with friends or alone. 

Each app features a "for parents" in-app link with a "How to Play" and "What to Talk About" section.

These apps are creative and holds your child's attention far longer than a couple of minutes!

Serenity says, "I think the apps are for girls and boys everybody will have fun playing them!"

Dress: Flowers by Zoe
Sandals: Chooze 

Have Fun!

iPod Touch 4 Review, Apps and Cases

REVIEW:

First of all, everyone who reads my blog knows by now I love the iTouch and how much I believe it has helped to improve Serenity's reading, math and verbal skills. I should be an Apple rep because I tell everybody how awesome the iTouch is - but especially how great it is for kids! I think it's better than the Leapfrog and DS - which are totally outdated in my opinion. The future is data that be easily downloaded. It makes no sense to buy an educational $20 game cartridge when you can download an educational game for less than $5 in most cases.

My niece gave Serenity an old DS and some game cartridges a few months ago, and the first thing she did was touch the screen to play and when nothing happened declared "Mommy it's not working"!! Too funny!

The newest iTouch will definitely blow you away. It's slimmer, holds more data, has two cameras, a microphone, better speakers, records video, allows you to FaceTime with friends, and can playback just about any type of media you can think of. If you can, I would suggest the 64GB model. You'll need that extra space if you intend to put movies and TV shows on it. You will use it!
A few of the things on the newest iTouch your 4-year old might not use. Like email, web browser, and the game center. But a there is much more on the newest iTouch they will use - FaceTime, music, photos, video, camera, etc. And once they get the hang of their iTouch (it won't take long believe me), you'll be amazed at what they will learn!
Serenity and her friend Hannah FaceTime all the time. I showed Serenity how to do it and she might not be able to read yet, but she knows that Hannah starts with a "H" and can find it in her contacts. I guess "Hannah" is one of Serenity's sight words! She can also pick out "Paige", "Lizzy", "Mommy", and "Daddy" with no problem. Paige is my sister and Serenity will FaceTime with her too, "Paige starts with a 'P' Mommy - I know that!". I'm constantly amazed how much she's learned how to do.

The camera is something else she picked up with no problem - of course. She's been practicing on my phone for months. She's always been a bit peeved that her iTouch didn't have a camera but my iPhone did! Brat!

Here's a few pictures I took with Serenity's iTouch (I haven't retouched these pictures at all, they are SOOTC):

This is Serenity and her friend Hannah with their Bamboletta dolls. I made the outfits the dolls are wearing!

And here's Serenity posing so pretty for me in her OOAK courtneycourtney halter dress and new Day Bloomers from Little Mave.




I really have nothing bad to say about the new iTouch. Battery life is great - better than the old one for sure. The LCD screen is beautiful - everything looks so crisp, clear and bright! The camera could be better - but I'm really not complaining - I'm very glad there is one (well, two actually)! So no complaints from me - grab one for your child and you too while you're at it!

Oh and I highly suggest getting the Apple AV cable for your car and home. It works with all the i-Devices. Cuts down on the amount of DVDs you'll haul around your car and I even use it to connect Serenity's iTouch to her TV so she can watch TV episodes and movies I bought through iTunes.


CASES:

The iTouch 4 is slimmer. That's a plus and a minus. Of course it looks great and it's lighter, but I've noticed cases that offer the best protection don't seem to fit it as well anymore. And like I've said before, you don't hand over a device this expensive to a child unless it's well protected - period.

For example, the Otterbox for the older iTouch is excellent - no complaints whatsoever. It's proven it's worth to me over and over. Serenity has dropped that thing so many times and never broke it! The Otterbox for the iTouch 4 ($39.95) however seems more flimsy. I'm afraid if Serenity dropped it her iPod would break. The silicone case is not form-fitting and it's thinner. I'm very disappointed in the newest Otterbox case. The side-by-side silicone plugs (there are two) over the charger and headphone ports are difficult to keep in place. They come undone all the time so they really aren't doing their job - which is to keep dust out of the ports. The thin film screen protector is fine, although Serenity has problems when she plays iWriteWords and Intro into Letters. Sometimes it's hard for her to trace the letters. The cases come in pretty colors though - the older case was only available in black, the new one is available in 6 different colors.

Before the Otterbox for the iTouch 4 was available, I tried two other cases. One was the Trident Aegis ($24.95). It's a silicone case covered with a hard polycarbonate shell. It fits pretty snug - including the port covers, and offers good protection. It has a very solid feel to it compared to the Otterbox case. It comes with a screen protector that I had no problem installing (but I rather the Zagg or Splash Masque). A thin film covers the camera and speaker openings. Because it may be a little difficult to insert some headphone jacks, the Aegis comes with an audio jack extender. Nice. I really don't have any complaints about this case, except for maybe the color. I bought pink for Serenity and it's sorta a dull and boring pink. Really just a cosmetic complaint rather than a functional one. I do believe this case will protect the iTouch from a serious fall - exactly as advertised.

The case I bought the same time I bought Serenity's iPod was the Griffin Flexgrip Action case (15.99). This silicone case is only available black. It offers a nice molded grip and a strap. It's a good case and sits comfortably in your hands, but I wouldn't trust it to protect your iTouch from serious falls. For that reason, I think it's okay for older children (8 & up), but not the younger ones. It doesn't offer a screen protector either. For that, I would recommend the Splash Masque (inexpensive and fairly easy to install) or a Zagg.

Okay if you don't know this already, the Zagg is extremely hard to install if you've never done it before. And really, where are you going to get practice for something like that? I've read the reviews - which are mostly bad because of the difficulties installing it and few of the reviews have anything to do with how well the screen performs.

This past weekend I bought a Zagg for my iPad and I didn't even bother installing it myself. Taking the advice of a friend, I brought it to Best Buy and let them install the Zagg. It cost me $14.99 - but so what? It went on perfect and it feels great. MUCH better than the screen protector that came with the iPad Otterbox (I'm not even going to go there right now) - and no more unresponsive issues. I'm not positive, but I bet it's less for Best Buy to install a Zagg for your iTouch.

Okay, so to sum it all up: I love the bright pretty colors of the Otterbox cases but don't completely trust them to protect the iTouch from a serious fall. I really like the solid feel of the Trident Aegis case but can't stand their dull colors!

One more case I'd like to talk about is the Woogie from Griffin Tech ($19.99). I definitely want to try this case - which isn't simply a case, more like a huggable friend! You put the iTouch (or iPhone) in the protective case on the Woogie, and then plug in the audio jack for the built-in speakers. You can mold Woogie into all kinds of comfortable positions for viewing and playing media on the iTouch. One thing you can't do is use the back camera while it's in the Woogie.

I would still like to try it. It's finally available again, so I'll probably order it. I'll post my review on the Woogie after Serenity tries it out.



It's been so hard to find a truly kid-friendly case for the iTouch 4 - I wonder why? My child isn't the only one that has one - more and more parents are seeing the benefits of buying them for their children too. Hopefully we'll see more case like the Woogie soon.

I would recommend a full coverage Zagg if you decide to purchase the Woogie, it'd be nice to have that extra protection against scratches.

Oh and Serenity has a bad habit of chewing on her headphones when she watches a movie on her iTouch. I've bought so many darn cute pairs and they are all in the trash now. No more! So I found these light headphones on Amazon and grabbed two pairs. They have a high rating, super cheap pricetag and FREE shipping w/Prime. Until my Darling Stinker stops her chewing, I'm sticking with the cheaps ones!



APPS (iTouch 4, iPhone or iPad only):

Adobe Photoshop Express - Serenity doesn't use this App, but I do! I've been using her iTouch to take pictures because it's better than my iPhone 3G. I have it on my iPhone and love using it - very quick and simple and produces pretty good results.
Smack Talk - Now that the iTouch has a microphone, Serenity can play with one of her favorite silly apps! And I can take this annoying app off my iPhone!!
Pandora - Who doesn't love Pandora? I've programmed it with all kiddie stations for Serenity!
Whistle Phone - Turn your child's iTouch into a phone using WiFi. Any WiFi - Serenity used it at Starbucks the other day. And yes it really works - for free. I've set it up for Serenity and she calls her friend Hannah and her Daddy when he's at work. You can call landlines and cell phones - all free but you'll have to listen to a 30 second advertisement first. If the person you're calling also has a Whistle number, then you don't hear the advertisement. This app along with Textie (or any free texting app) makes it pointless to buy kids cell phones and pay a big monthly bill!


MORE APPS (all iDevices):

Build a Word - This app is teaching Serenity sight words. It's based on the PBS show, WordWorld, and it's a highly educational, fun, kid-approved game.
BugMath - An educational game that will hold your child's attention while doing an excellent job of teaching them Math.
Monster Falls - Keep the monster from touching the sides as he falls to the bottom of the cave. Easy and fun for little kids to play!
Tumble Drop - A sweet challenging puzzle game for kids. Basically you try to keep your star from falling into the water - but not as easy as you'd think.
Strawberry Shortcake - Make fruit smoothie drinks in Strawberry Shortcake's cafe. Other characters like Orange Blossom, Blueberry Muffin, and Lemon Meringue pop in from time to time too! Fun game that becomes more and more of a challenge. Great for little kids.
Zoo Lasso - Catch the animals! Simple and fun - your kids might find it addicting!
Kosmo Spin - Save your breakfast from an alien in a flying saucer! Serenity laughed at me cause the alien captured me so quickly when I played. Very cute game and totally kid-approved.
Zoo Resuce - Simple and fun! Great game for little kids.
Tutti Fruity - A matching game. Get 3 or more fruits in a row until you clear the level.
Disney Princess Dress Up - Doesn't really matter what this game does - it's got Disney Princesses in it and that makes Serenity happy.
Corporal Cup's Food Camp - Highly addicting cooking game - one of Serenity's favorites. But she's come across a glitch and the game refuses to go to the next level. I can't figure it out and for her sake I hope they fix the problem soon.
My Very First App - Beautiful artwork and wonderful for kids. It's an educational matching game with illustrations from the author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Dino Train - This app is based on the PBS show Dino Train. Find and match dino eggs. Cute game, but sometimes it's hard to find the eggs. Serenity still likes it so I guess it's okay!
Jungle Time - Learn how to tell time. Very easy and it's teaching her how to tell time - for only 99 cents. Right now Serenity is learning how to tell just the hour - not the minutes - but that probably won't be much longer! I like how well this app teaches your child to tell the time.
Monkeyin' Around - Fun game. Keep the clowns from falling on the ground!
Park Math - Duck Duck Moose makes some of the best kid apps so anytime there is a new one I buy it - Serenity enjoys playing all of them.
Baa Baa Black Sheep - Another one from Duck Duck Moose. Cute songs, shapes, and numbers - and kid-approved.
Intro to Letters - Educational and it works. Serenity is learning how to write her letters. The only thing is if you have a screen protector make sure it's a good one - sometimes the screen isn't as responsive as I'd like - it gets a bit frustrating when she tries three or four times in a row to draw a letter and it doesn't work!
Intro to Math - Same as above - it's educational, it works, and Serenity likes it.
Zoo Spelling - Cute, but I find it kinda of boring. Serenity does seem to enjoy playing it though.
Preschool 123 - Nicely done little app. It's helping Serenity learn her numbers in a new way.


Here's one more picture taken with Serenity's iTouch:



Have fun!

Serenity's Top 20 Kid-Friendly iPad Apps

Serenity loves my iPad as much as I do - and probably uses more than me!

I've had it almost 5 months now, and tried lots of Apps - for both kids and adults.

In this post I'll focus on Serenity's favorite Top 20 (in random order) kid-friendly Apps for the iPad.

Apps:
Cake Doodle - this is the game Serenity is playing in the photo. She's always playing! She really likes it when they update the cakes and decorations. You can save a picture of the cakes you create too!

Cookie Doodle - Another favorite! And just like Cake Doodle you can save a picture of your cookies creations and they have updates all the time - right now you'll get a load of new Thanksgiving/Fall cookie cutters.

Netfix - To me, this is the one of the best Apps. For a low monthly fee, you can put it on all your devices (works with your PC and Wii too) and stream (using WiFi) as often and as many movies you want. You can even stream a different movie on the iPad, iPod and iPhone all at the same time! Serenity has learned to navigate the App and watches all her favorite kid shows and movies.

Soosiz HD - A fun, engaging, and kid-friendly adventure game. Very easy to learn. My husband showed Serenity how to play and she's totally gotten the hang of it!

Alice - Beautiful interactive book. There are two versions, Bedtime Edition and Classic Edition. Serenity enjoyed listening to the story and had fun trying all the cool interactive features.

My First Tagrams HD - Yes this is an educational puzzle game, but your child will enjoy playing too!

Park Math - I thought this one might be a little too advance for her, but it's really not. She's learning quickly and that's what I love about this App. It's fun, colorful and I see her clicking on this game over and over! It's not made just for the iPad since you have to click the "x2" button to make the App fill the screen and that makes the App become slightly out-of-focus. Hopefully they will release an update that will fix that problem. Even so, I think it should be included in this list!

I Want To Be a Pirate HD - Very sweet interactive book. Perfect for bedtimes!

Cut the Rope HD - This game is cute - and Serenity enjoys playing! It's a puzzle game and you're supposed to figure how to cut the rope and feed the little Mouth Monster candy. Good for her age, but the game does get harder.

Build a Word - Based on the PBS show, your child drags a letter that's floating around the screen to the letter's outline which is part of a word. Once all the letters of the word are in place, it becomes an animal from the show. Very easy and fun way to learn.

YummyBurgers HD - This is kind of like Stand O'Food but an easy version for little kids! Serenity likes playing it so it rates in the Top 20!

Interactive Alphabet - Click on a letter; Q is for Quill - and there is a quill that you can drag around the screen and write! I is for Igloo; Touch the Igloo and it falls apart! Click on it again and again and the penguin builds it back good as new! Engaging App that will hold your child's attention and teach them a fun way to learn their alphabet and sight words!

Beyond Ynth HD - Unique puzzle game that's absorbing and challenging. Very hard to put down for children and adults! The main character is a little bug that pushes around mazes in specific way to solve each puzzle. Cute but much more than a simple little game.

Create a Car - First you select a player, then you choose your ride (which is the shell of the automobile you like best), the next steps include selecting your wheels & things, engines & power, sky & water, power tools and an assortment of Fun Things to come up with a totally rad one-of-a-kind Ride! Fun game!

Disney's Digital Books - ALL of them are good. I hope they will have more soon. We have Winnie the Pooh's "What's a Bear to Do?", Princess and the Frog, and Toy Story.

Dr. Seuss Books - Another smart choice of books. We have a few including, The Cat in the Hat , Hop on Pop, Green Eggs and Ham, ABC, The Big Brag and they are all excellent!

Drawing Pad - tons of stickers, markers, crayons, paints, pencil colors, and stencils - and unlimited amount of creativity in this one inexpensive App! Save or post your masterpieces on Facebook or Twitter or email them to a friend! This App is a must-have for long trips!!

Kid Art - another creative art App. Inexpensive with great backgrounds and stickers.

Pickin' Time - Easy to learn and fun to play - but you gotta be fast! Pick a specific veggie as fast as you can - it'll show up on the screen surround by a bunch of other veggies and fruit. Excellent kid-friendly game.

iWriteWords - Now works beautifully on the iPad. It's originally a iPod favorite, but it's so much easier to use on the iPad!

All of Serenity's iPod Apps that I previously blogged about of course work perfectly with the iPad - but most haven't upgraded their Apps to make the work seamlessly with the iPad. Most of them you have to press the "x2" button to enlarge them and you lose a little clarity. Not a really a big deal, but it would be nice if the Apps had that upgrade. Some Apps want to charge you a lot more for that small improvement (without adding anything extra) - which I think is sort of unfair.

CASES:
As you can see in the photo of Serenity playing on the iPad, it's not in an Otterbox Defender case. While Serenity does get to play on it, she's not allowed to drag it all over the place like she does her iPod, so it's in a case that I like. It's called the ZooGue and it's very versatile without any hassles. It'll adjust to practically any angle I want and do it quickly without any other hardware getting in my way. The case is made of leather and my iPad stays fairly protected - but there is no cover over the screen. It will NOT be protected if I drop it. The Otterbox Defender series cases are the only cases that I know of that will perfectly protect any device from such extremes. I will probably invest in an Otterbox case for trips, but I really love the ZooGue case. I haven't find another one that is as maneuverable.

Hope all of this has been helpful!!


UPDATE:
Lisa mentioned that I don't have Monkey Preschool Lunchbox for the iPad on my list. There are actually a few I didn't mention that I've reviewed before for for the iPod and now they are available for the iPad:

Sneezies
Monkey Preschool Lunchbox
Fish School

But if you already have them on your iPod - you'll have to buy them again to get the iPad version. There is no difference between the iPod and iPad apps - except the clarity. The iPad version will of course look better on the iPad since the iPod version you'll have to press the "x2" button to get the games to fill your iPad screen.

Some Apps provide free iPad upgrades which I think is pretty nice. The apps above didn't make any major changes or add anything extra to the games - only visual changes, so I don't think it's worth paying again for the iPad app that will work only on the iPad!

One of my favorite features of the i-device apps is that most of them are interchangeable - you can use them on all your i-devices for one price! Not all apps are designed for the iPad and iPod (iPhone), but a lot more are adding the iPad upgrade for free now.

One game that includes the free iPad upgrade is SmackTalk. I've reviewed this one before and it is a favorite of Serenity's (she loved playing it on my iPhone) - I definitely should have added it to the list!


Have fun!

Kid-Tested & Approved iPod Apps

When apps for kids start off at FREE on up, it's kinda hard not to want to try one everyday! As I've blogged about before, I think the iTouch is a wonderful device for kids. The educational Apps that you can get are so incredibly cheap, and they will keep your child occupied and learning for hours!

Ideal for car trips, airplane rides, restaurants, grocery store, etc.

One thing I can't stress enough, is to make sure your child's iTouch is well protected. They will eventually drop it!

The new Otterbox Defender case is now available for only $29.95.

Get one - it works!

For $30 you're keeping a $200 investment well insulated from harm when it's being tossed around and dropped by your toddler/preschooler. Serenity has dropped her iTouch (while it was in the Defender case thank goodness) from shopping carts (several times now) and it's not the least bit damaged! You can't ask for better than that!

The only thing that I might have a small teeny tiny gripe with the Defender case, is that some headphone jacks won't fit with it on. Only jacks that are straight (like on the Kidz Gear and Fisher Price headphones), not the ones with bent jacks like the Caliphone headphones. I have used an adapter for Serenity's Panda Caliphones since they are so comfortable for her to use and it works fine.

Okay, now on to the new Apps Serenity has tested and approved of recently!

Miss Spider's Tea Party ($4.99) - This is one that she plays everyday since I've loaded it on her iTouch. So much to do with this App. There is a wonderful story about Miss Spider looking for a bug to have tea with her (they are scared of her 'cause she's a spider after all!), an interactive story that's lots of fun, and games like memory match, puzzles and painting. Definitely a good buy!

Olivia (2.99) - Another favorite of Serenity's. We got it when it was first introduced for only 99¢. Lots of fun painting, and then the paintings become animated. All right!

Super Why (2.99) - This one is a little advanced for Serenity, but that doesn't matter to her - she still thinks it's a blast to play. First you pick your Super Hero character, then you learn to spell (and write) in a interesting way. It teaches her to listen to a story and then find the correct answers. She's having fun with it, even if she doesn't get every one right.

Rosita's Jump Count (1.99) - This one is too funny. Learn to count in Spanish while playing jump rope. It's so cute to watch Serenity jump while playing this App!

K-Magic (FREE) - All of K-Magic's Apps are wonderful and FREE! Serenity likes playing them - and you just can't beat free!

iWash My Dogs Lite (FREE) - A silly little App. First you "wash" the dog, then you "rinse", "dry" and last you "brush" the dog until it's "all sparkly clean" like Serenity says! If you buy the App you'll get more dogs - but for toddlers and preschoolers I think the free App is just fine to keep them interested.

Kid's Maze (99¢) - A neat labyrinth game that helps them to count and teaches hand/eye coordination. It takes some concentration and it holds her attention.

BalloonMaker (99¢) - Cute, fun, and what kid can resist balloons? Touch the screen to blow up a balloon - touch the balloon to pop it. Turn the iTouch to watch the balloons "float" to the top too!

Bert's Bag ($2.99) - Use your finger to open the bag, shake the iTouch to make the bag dump the stuff inside, then touch the objects to count them. Kids have to learn to listen to directions, and it teaches them how to count. Another fun interactive educational game.

Fish School (99¢) - Tap the screen to get the fish to form different letters, then a woman's pleasant voice "sings" out each letter. Touch the letters in the left-hand corner and the narrator tells you what the letter stands for: J is for jellyfish. Cute game.

Make A Martian (FREE) - create your own Martian! Hundreds of options! Lots of FREE fun!

Count TV ($2.99) - Sesame Street's The Count goes through 9 different interactive Sesame Street videos (some from really old shows) and teaches your child to count up to nine. Very entertaining!

Alphabet Tracing (FREE) - Follow a tiny train with your finger to trace over each letter. Great little FREE program!

Glow Coloring (FREE) - So neat! Change neon colors, use stamps, use your own pictures, and more. You can pay 99¢ to remove the ads too. The ads aren't all that annoying - besides it's FREE!

Mega Jump (99¢) - Crazy, wacky game that you tilt side to side to move the little guy and collect coins so he can jump high. The more coins you collect the higher he jumps. Takes a little getting used to (for me not Serenity), but quickly becomes addicting.

Nick Jr.'s A to Z ($1.99) - Serenity loves everything Nick Jr. so this one was a no-brainer. I knew when I saw it she'd be hooked! Find hidden letters - big and small, plenty enough on this game to keep your preschooler playing for hours.

The Cat in the Hat ($2.99) - A classic book now available for the iTouch! Your child can have the book read to her and when she touches different things in the picture, words pop up and the narrator reads them to your child. A wonderful way to learn new sight words.

Team Umizoomi ($1.99) - Nick Jr.! Of course Serenity loves this one too. Learn patterns and shapes. Lots to do and lots of fun!


That's all this time. I'll probably have more posts like this one in the future since I love finding new Apps and so does Serenity!

UPDATE:
In response to one follower's question: Serenity's iPod usually has around 7 full pages of Apps, it'll hold 9 pages, but I tend to take off Apps she doesn't play often - after I've okayed it with her first! One page is full of Apps that came with the iTouch and you can't take them off (unless you jailbreak it).

Each page holds 16 Apps, and even if you subtract the 16 of Apps that come with the device, that's still 96 Apps! Apps won't take up all that much room on an iTouch so you could probably put 9 full pages and still have plenty of room for other stuff. Nine full pages of Apps is a whapping 144 Apps!

Serenity's iTouch is a 16GB (we actually switched with my MIL for the bigger iTouch when she got an iPhone), and I've put videos, music, movies, and TV shows on there too. It's packed!

Have fun!

iTouch: Cases & Games

Serenity's had her iTouch for a while now and loves playing on it. I listed a few of the games she's already tried in my An iTouch for a 3 year old? post, but I thought I'd give y'all an update and list a few more games she's tried (and likes), a new case, and the screen protector I think is the best value.


Games:

Itsy Bitsy Spider (99¢) - I've listed this one before, but it's worth repeating. This is a whole lotta game for only 99¢! Tons of interactive features and Serenity loves playing it over and over!

Sally's Spa ($2.99) - I got this for my iPhone and Serenity wanted it too. It didn't cost anything extra. She's able to do the easy levels pretty good and she's totally hooked.

Doodle Buddy (FREE) - Another free drawing app, but she likes this one better than Scribble Lite.

How To Train Your Dragon Mix & Match Book ($2.99) - She has lots of fun playing with this one. You mix and match the dragon parts to put a little twist to the story!

DizzyBee (FREE) - Very challenging and she likes how you have tilt the iTouch to get that fat little Bee to move!

Where's Gumbo? (FREE) - She plays along and shouts out when she finds Gumbo.

Cookie Doodle (99¢) - Another one I see her playing pretty often. She concentrates very hard too!

Weet Woo! ($3.99) - She's getting to be pretty good at scrolling through all the fun kid's videos with this program. It doesn't work without a WiFi connection so I put it on my iPhone too (no extra costs).

Five Little Monkeys (99¢) - What can I say? This one is addicting! She likes singing the song and the cool interactive features.

Bayou Beats (FREE) - It's free and it's about Princess Tiana - enough said!

Signing Time ($4.99) - I've had some of the Signing Time videos for a couple of years - she's always loved watching them. She's known the sign for "eat" since she was around 7 months old. She thinks it's really neat that it's on her iTouch now!

Dress Up With Angelina Ballerina (99¢) - Another one she's addicted to. Lots of fun to dress up Angelina - tons of clothing combinations!

Traffic Rush (FREE) - She saw me playing and had to have it too. Fun to play!

Colorama (99¢) - This coloring app has so many coloring pages (with the option to buy more "books" for 99¢) and plenty of colors. She likes this one a lot too!


Cases:

I mentioned the pink Speck PixelSkin case that I bought for Serenity's iTouch, but when I saw the iTouch Defender Series by Otterbox I can't wait until it's available! It's the perfect case for young children!

While looking around at the different Otterbox cases on Amazon, I came across the Otterbox Semi-Rugged Skin for the iTouch 2G. It must be discontinued because I didn't see in on the Otterbox website. The Semi-Rugged skin covers a lot more area than the Speck PixelSkin. I read on the reviews that it will fit an iTouch 3G too so I bought it.

It fits great! It's well-made, a little snugger than the PixelSkin and covers more area. I just wish I could've found it in more colors than white.

Both the PixelSkin and the Semi-Rugged Skin offer pretty good protection for the iTouch with a low and reasonable price-tag.


Screen Protectors:

Until I can get my hands on the iTouch Defender, Serenity's iTouch has to have a screen protector. I blogged before about the Belkin screen protectors and I have to say they did a good job, but they are expensive. I paid over $10 for a 3-pack at Target.

Serenity went through that small pack in no time. She scratched at them, touched them when her hands were dirty, and even scratched at a few bubbles I couldn't get out. She didn't damage the iTouch - so they certainly did their job protecting the screen.

Well after going through those so fast, I started hunting around for something cheaper. I found a 12-pack of screen protectors by Screen Guard on Amazon for only $4.28 and free shipping! That's an awesome deal so I bought 2 12-packs. Not bad - less than $9 for 24 screen protectors.

Oh! And I know it's listed for a 2G iTouch - but they will fit the 3G too.

The screen protectors were very easy to apply (I didn't have any bubbles!) and so far it's doing a good job protecting Serenity's iTouch from, well - Serenity!


I hope y'all found this helpful!

POST-IT-NOTE: I bought the Screen Guard protectors pretty cheap for my iPhone too!


Have fun!

Otterbox for the iTouch

This is the iTouch Otterbox Defender series case. Otterbox stopped making them, but people complained so they will be coming back soon. The site says Spring 2010 - which I guess means any day now! You can follow the link above to submit your email address, and they'll notify you when the new cases become available. I hope it comes in a lot of different colors - like pink!

The first I heard of this case was from my friend Kira. Then later on the same day, I found out my Brother-in-Law had one for his iTouch! The case adds a little bulk to your iTouch, but it keeps it safe. I doubt the extra bulk will matter to Serenity.

This case is very tough - and I know it'll hold up better than the case Serenity has on her iTouch now. Definitely worth the investment - especially if it's for your 3 year old! My BIL's case protects his screen, phone, and all the ports. That's perfect! I wouldn't have to worry about Serenity dropping her phone - she hasn't yet (nothing major), but it's certainly a big concern of mine.

I drop my phone occasionally, I would expect a 3 year old would too at some point. I have visions of her dropping it while sitting in a Target shopping buggy!

Then the next day, another friend had a similar case for her iPhone. Mel said while she was at the AT&T store getting her phone, they were throwing these cases on the floor over and over and the iPhone inside wasn't even damaged! That convinced her to buy one. But man, the more I looked at it, the more familiar it got. I think my husband got one for me when he bought my iPhone!

Sure enough, when I got home and checked - it was the Otterbox Defender case for the iPhone! When Terry first showed it to me - all I saw was how bulky it was and I didn't want it. So it's just been lying round now for over a month.

The first thing I did when I got home was pop my iPhone in the Otterbox. Yeah, it IS bulky, but it's not that bad and it's tough - probably the toughest case you'll find. Look, why pay $200 or more for the iPhone and iTouch and not get the best protection you can find for them? Doesn't make any sense.

Just like the iTouch Defender case, this one will protect your screen, phone, and all the ports. When you click on the Otterbox Defender case link, you'll see an instructional video that shows you how to put the case on your iPhone. The case pretty much works the same way for the iTouch too. You can get a better idea of how well the case protects the phone (and iTouch) by watching the video.

Otterbox does make a slimmer case for the iPhone, it's called the Commuter TL series. I ordered one to try it. These cases have a lot more colors to choose from - pink, green, black, blue, red, yellow and white. Besides the black, the colors are very pretty and bright!

I think once my husband gets an iPhone he could use the extra protection the Defender cases offers - since he uses his phone while working, hunting, fishing, and all that other boyie outdoorsy stuff guys do!

When the Commuter case arrives, and eventually the new case for the iTouch - I'll update and let y'all know how they worked out.

If you haven't already, don't forget to read my post HERE on why I think an iTouch is a GREAT buy for your 3 year old!
Have fun!

An iTouch for a 3 year old?

Yes! And I'll tell you why. You can load it with all kinds of different media that will hold a 3 year old's attention indefinitely! Actually the battery lasts around 6 hours of straight play time - but Serenity's iTouch is about a month old now and she's no where near bored with it. She plays games, music, music videos, movies, and her favorite TV shows on her iTouch. It's like having a Nintendo DS, MP3 player, and portable DVD player all-in-one!

After getting my iPhone a little over a month ago, I uploaded few games on it - of course! When Serenity saw what I was playing, she hijacked it and refused to give it back! I was amazed how fast she caught on how to use it too. She was having so much fun playing the few games I had, watching the videos, and listening to the music, that I really wanted to get her something similar of her own. Here she is playing SmackTalk! on my iPhone - sorry the video is so dark. This is one of her favorite apps (she loves the hamster), but you can't play it on an iTouch because it doesn't have a microphone.

UPDATE: The newer iTouch has a camera on the front and back, and a microphone so SmackTalk! will work just fine on it.

If you're worried that handing over an iTouch to your preschooler is nothing more than getting them hooked on horrible video games way too early, I have to disagree! The apps designed for young children are mostly educational - and they are either free or very cheap.

Serenity is learning her alphabet, numbers, colors, how to solve puzzles, draw, and it's been helping with her coordination too. Of course some of that she already knew but not all - besides, she has so much fun learning while playing with her iTouch that it's hard to find fault with it.

My husband and I bought Serenity the 8GB iTouch for around $180. The 8GB holds more than enough entertainment for a preschooler. When you consider I'd have to buy a Nintendo DS ($130) & games ($? LOTS!), MP3 player ($15 and up), and portable DVD player ($60 and up) to cover everything the iTouch offers, $180 doesn't sound too bad. Plus, that's an awful lot of hardware to pack up and keep track of every time you leave the house. Serenity's iTouch fits neatly in her little purse!

We also bought a few accessories for it too. A nice pink rubber case, some Belkin screen protectors, and a pair of Kidz Gear Headphones. I'm very satisfied with all of it. The case fits snug and the screen protector is pretty easy to apply. I also make sure she's only allowed to play with her iTouch around me, and I'm teaching her to be very careful with it. She's doing a good job - no major incidents so far (knock on wood!).

The headphones actually fit comfortably on Serenity's head, and with the built in volume-control I know the sounds won't be blaring in her ears.

Although, I think I'd like to see something like the Tadpole made for an iTouch! It looks durable and definitely kid-friendly.

Now to add movies you can either buy them in iTunes, or put movies you already own on it. Try using DVDShrink and Xilisoft Video Converter to put your movies on your computer, convert them, and then add them to the iTouch via iTunes. I know it's more time-consuming, but it's free!

I've done a little research to discover apps that would interest a 3 year old, but I also just surf around in the app store to find them too. Here's a list of some of Serenity's favorite apps:

Itsy Bitsy Spider (99¢),

Wood Puzzle (99¢),

Disney Fairies Fly Lite (FREE),

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox (99¢),

Monkey Preschool: When I Grow Up (99¢),

McPea Preschool (99¢),

Make Me a Princess Lite (FREE),

iWriteWords ($1.99),

Preschool Adventure (99¢),

Bubble Snap (FREE),

Sneezies (99¢),

Tozzle ($1.99),

Moo Shake (99¢),

Screen Cleaner (FREE),

Scribble Lite (FREE),

Old McDonald's Farm (99¢),

Shape Builder Lite (FREE), and

Plants vs. Zombies ($2.99).

Yeah - Plants vs. Zombies! Serenity saw me playing it on my iPhone and wanted me to put it on her iTouch (which didn't cost anything extra). She loves it! She's so funny too - when they make their way past her defenses, she says, "Oh no! The Zombies ate my Bwains"!

A few games offer a "lite" version. It a great way to try out a program for free to see if your child likes it. In some cases, like Disney Fairies Fly, the lite version is more than enough to keep Serenity interested.

We've been sick this past weekend, and instead of being bored and irritated because she had to lay down and rest, Serenity had fun playing on her iTouch. That's something I never even thought about when I bought it. Excellent!

I highly recommend it for your preschooler or young child. I have nothing but good to say about the iTouch. Serenity can watch all her favorite shows, movies, music videos, listen to her favorite music, and have tons of fun learning in an entertaining new way!

Here's a few more Apps for Kids Serenity likes and your child might too:

Preschool Arcade
Kids Four
Letters A to Z
MiniPiano
Word Magic
Scoops
Cupcakes
123 Animals Counting Lite
123 Tracer and More Lite
Sprout Player
BuddyApps: Kid Phone
Doddle Jump
Giraffe's Preschool Playground
Elmo's Monster Maker
Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom
Go, Diego, Go! Musical Missions
Kidzongs
Learn Sight Words
Toddler Teasers Quizzing

If your preschooler has a favorite please let me know! Maybe Serenity would like it too!

UPDATE:

I'd like to add that you don't have to pay a monthly fee to enjoy the features on an iTouch. It does have WiFi, but that's built in and it works on any network - like at home, McDonald's, Starbucks, hotels - anywhere you can pick up a signal. It has Bluetooth too. Both of these features can be turned off. Bluetooth so the iTouch battery will last longer, and WiFi so your child can't get online.

You can put pictures on it too - I have a few of family, friends and Serenity on her iTouch.

I also forgot to mention that the App Store offers wonderful interactive books at great prices for your preschooler:

Sleeping Beauty
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
The Little Red Hen
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
The Three Little Pigs
The Tortoise and the Hare
The Cat in the Hat

And plenty more!

Can you tell why I (and Serenity!) really, really, really like the iTouch?!

Have fun!