Homeschooling: The Apps

We love the iPad for homeschooling.

The memory is always full.  Whenever we want a new app, we have to delete an old one to make room, because we use our iPad so much.



Here are some of the best apps that we are using for homeschooling right now:

1.  Epic!

This app is like Netflix, but instead of movies, there are books for children to choose from.  Connor got hooked on a chapter book series about a hockey team from Canada called the Timberwolves.  There are plenty of nonfiction titles that we have been reading for science.  It costs $9.99 a month, and I figure that if we are paying that for Netflix, we should be paying it for books, too.

2. ABC Mouse Early Learning Academy

We have been using this on the laptops since Connor started Kindergarten, but Lex prefers to complete his lessons on the iPad.

3.  Hooked on Phonics

This is great for Lex.  He is seriously interested in learning to read right now, and this app combines music videos and eBooks with games.

4.  Endless Reader

We loved the Endless Alphabet app.  This one is the next step, and it teaches spelling and phonics in a fun way.  It's seriously adorable.

5.  Kudo!

This one teaches Spanish vocabulary words in a fun and seriously adorable way.  I love that the little boy has red hair.  We need more episodes to be released soon, though, as we are done with all the ones that are available now.

6.  Science Heroes 1:  The Digestive System

The boys love this one.  It's mostly a video game that explains how the digestive system works.  There's a gross factor which greatly appeals to them.

7.  Reading Rainbow

At $60 a year, I think this one is a little bit pricey for the amount of use it gets.  The kids never use it unless I set it up for them, and I think that's because it takes forever to load new story books.  Unlike Epic, this app reads to you, so it's a better choice for Lex right now.  Once he reads to himself better, we will probably quit this one.  However, we do still use it and pay for it because it's an awesome resource. 

8.  All of the Math Heroes apps

This is another one that plays like a video game, but you have to answer math questions to win.  It's way more fun than a workbook, but practices the same thing.

9.  Montessori Math:  Multiplication

This app is a great visual tool for teaching multiplication.  It's very much like using math manipulatives in real life.

10.  Music for Little Mozarts

This is a preschool app that corresponds to the piano workbooks that Lex is using with his piano teacher.  You can use it independently to teach basic music skills, no piano teacher required.  Connor mastered it in about 20 minutes, but I still think he learned from it.  Lex uses it more frequently.