Five Fun Apps for kids for the Holidays

Flying or long road trips with kids can be rough when they get bored. A tablet loaded with your kids’ favourite apps can help keep them entertained. We asked our community what some of their kids’ favourite apps are. Below, we list five of those apps. Note: some apps are free with in-app purchases or pop-up ads, and some offer a paid version.

Knowledge Kids

Perfect for ages two to eight, Knowledge Kids is commercial free shows your children will recognize from television. Knowledge Kids offers hundreds of episodes of various popular kids shows including, Paw Patrol, Wild Kratts, Kate and Mim-Mim, Zerby Derby, Mister Maker, Astroblast, Ruff-Ruff, Tweet and Dave, Annedroids and more. It’s all kid-friendly and episodes are refreshed weekly.

Libby App

Forget packing all your kids books with you when you travel! Download the Ottawa Public Library App and the Libby App and download your kids’ favourite audio books and e-books! Libby, by OverDrive allows you to instantly borrow and download hundreds of titles for all ages! Works on your cell phone or tablet.

Subway Surfers

Dash through the holiday themed tracks and collect coins and points. Fun for the entire family.

This app is fun and action packed.

Toca Life: World

Toca Life: World is where users can create their own world and play out any story you like. This mega-app brings all of the Toca Life apps (City, Vacation, Office, Hospital and more) together in the same space. That’s right. Appeals to kids of all ages and interests.

Santa Tracker and Status Check

Stay up to date this Christmas, and see where is Santa Claus and what he is up to! Kids can track Santa's location on the map - the Santa Tracker shows you Santa's real-time location and the distance to your home. Follow Santa's sleigh while he delivers gifts around the world on December 24th! There is also a Christmas Countdown - how many sleeps until Christmas? See the countdown happen in real-time. You can also check what Santa is up to - how many cookies did he eat? How much milk?

Do you have any app suggestions that your kids love? Leave a comment and let us know.

Watch our CTV Ottawa Morning Live Segment that explains more about these apps.

Looking for holiday activities the entire family can enjoy? Check out: The Holidays in Ottawa: 25 things to do under $25.

Back To School Apps That Make Life Easier

It’s that time of year again where parents struggle to keep their schedules organized, make sure everyone is eating healthy, and that homework is being done! We asked our Kids in the Capital Facebook Community for their favourite back to school apps that make life easier, and we received many great suggestions. Here are a few:

Google Calendar

Available across devices, with Google Calendar you can share schedules, appointments and colour code everything for each individual in your family. When you create a family on Google, you also get a family calendar. Anyone in your family can use this calendar to create events that all the family members can see.

Doodle

KITC fan, Carolyn Reid, regularly uses Doodle! She said, “Doodle is a quick and simple way for everyone involved in an activity (sports practices, music rehearsals, play dates, etc.) to choose the date that works best for the majority of the group. Great when organizing family dinners and Holiday gatherings too!”

Google Translate

If you have a student in full French or French Immersion (or learning another language) and you struggle to read the notes home from school or help them with their homework, Google Translate is a must have. You can use your camera for instant translation or translate between 103 languages by typing.

Evernote

Evernote is a great way to make lists, store pictures and take notes. You can find information faster, share ideas between family members, take and save notes, web pages, projects, and to-do lists. This app is like a memory base for all the things you need to save and have handy, but don’t know what to do with.

OurPact

OurPact can turn off most of the apps on kids iPods, iPads etc., so they don't have access all the time. It’s an easy-to-use screen time management app, which is important for kids to balance the pressures of social life versus school and home life!

Flipp

Make grocery shopping, finding the best deals on food and making a grocery list effortless with Flipp. This handy app delivers digital ads from more than 1000 retailers (not just grocery stores!) so you can find the best deals.

CanImmunize

If you’re a parent who’s received the “letter” (you know the letter - a warning that your child will be suspended if their immunization records are not updated!!) then you’ll love this easy app for tracking your family’s immunization records. No more lost yellow booklets!

Lara went on CTV Ottawa Morning Live to discuss some of these apps. Check out her segment!

Do you have an app you use everyday that helps you stay organized or makes your life easier? Leave a comment and let us know!

Best Apps for Kids –Alexandre Minard

by Kari If you read my earlier post, Best Apps for Kids - Toddlers, there were several great suggestions for toddlers and more from fellow Kids In the Capital readers.  One in particular caught my eye, FW Deluxe.  Within a month of our iPad purchase, I was told at a BBQ that I *had* to get First Words.  No problem.  Um, which one?  I downloaded a smattering of lite or sampler versions, including FirstWords Sampler, First Words Lite, and then I fell in love with Alexandre Minard.

As I love free, I initially downloaded the Alexandre Minard’s My First Words Animals lite – the English, French, Spanish, and Italian versions.  Eventually, I laid down my $1.99 for the entire My First Words collection.  Yes, I did the same for the Mes Premiers Mots and Mis Primeras Palabras.  The graphics are fun, the sound effects cute, and the clincher - there are three difficulty levels.  My toddler can play on the simplest level, my five year-old the second level, and my older nieces and nephews use it on the hardest level.

Once I discovered my love for Alexandre, I had to see more.  My next purchase would be Animal Matching for Kids, a worthwhile purchase at $1.99.  In an effort to curb my spending, I downloaded the lite version of My First Puzzles and My First Puzzles:  Circus.  I lasted a week before I caved and bought the full versions!

At this point, developers began to build In-App Purchase capabilities in their apps.  Alexandre Minard is no exception; you may download almost all their apps for free but you will only get a subset of the functionality.  In the My First Puzzles line, it appears standard to get two of the puzzles unlocked.  As a word of caution, it may be best for all involved to disable In-App purchases under Settings -> General -> Restrictions.  If you want to upgrade, it only requires a few taps, your password, and a minimum of $1.99.  Four months post-download, my children continue to happily play the limited versions of My First Puzzles Numbers, Alphabet, Dinosaurs, and Snakes!

Do you have a favourite Developer or Series? Let us know.

Kari is the mom of two girls, a 5 year old and a 1 year old.  She can be found frequenting free activities throughout the city in hopes it’ll tire them out enough to sleep through the night.

Best Apps for Kids - Toddlers

By Kari If you’ve been overwhelmed Apple Store’s Apps for Moms & Dads offerings, you are most likely not alone.  There are literally thousands of iPhone and iPad applications for children available, why would you want to purchase them?  And which ones are the best…or atleast recommended by one Kids In the Capital Mom?

The iPhone or iPad can save your sanity; it is the ice cream bribe without the mess.  It can make long haul flights or car trips a piece of cake, our daughter was a dream during 30 hours of transit to South Africa and I give credit to the iPad. When your favorite restaurant has dropped the ball, and your dinner out is approaching two hours, the iPhone will save you.  And when waiting at emergency at CHEO, it can be the distraction your child needs.  I’m not advocating the purchase of an iPhone or iPad for your children, merely encouraging you to leverage your iPhone or iPad in your bag of tricks with the download or purchase of a few apps. Best Apps for Toddlers (1 & Up)

• Wheels on the Bus is an interactive representation of the classic song; With the flick, slide, or tap of a finger, you can open the doors, swish the wipers, or cause a bit of mischief on the bus.  Price:  $.99 and worth every penny.
• Old MacDonald is another interactive representation of a classic song by developers Duck Duck Moose.  Cows are abducted, pigs can paint, and the ducks have gone wild.  Price:  $1.99, but sadly not as good as its predecessor.
• Little Bella’s – I Close My Eyes is a whimsical interactive book about Bella & her imagination.  It also comes in a Lite version so you can try a scaled-down version prior to purchasing the full version.  Extremely cute and engaging graphics are used to convey Little Bella’s thoughts; my personal favourite is the very hungry monster.  He empties the fridge, and then swallows it.  Oh yes, my toddler likes it too.  Price:  $.99 and worth every penny.
• Giraffe’s PreSchool Playground falls in the realm of educational games; it encourages toddlers and preschoolers to identify their numbers, letters, and of course, Giraffe’s Safari Animal friends.  Price:  $.99 and worth every penny.
• Talking Tom Cat (and other offerings by its developers Outfit7) is the Angry Birds of the toddler world; Tom is your pet cat, he repeats what you say in a silly voice, he purrs when rubbed, and – much to your toddler’s delight – can be knocked out by your repeated taps.  Price:  Free, I love free.   And who couldn’t love this kitty?

What apps does your toddler love?  Share with us below.

Kari is the mom of two girls, a 5 year old and a 1 year old.  She can be found frequenting free activities throughout the city in hopes it’ll tire them out enough to sleep through the night.