Parent Talk: There's An App For That

Just before school started my 6-year-old was gifted an iPod Touch and, while I initially didn't see much purpose for it besides music and a few games, he proved me wrong.

While he quickly fell in love with making videos that proved to be more than mindless electronic activity, I was also happy to find some apps thanks to the advice of friends, that were not only entertaining for him but also educational.

I was soon downloading apps for him to use to practice his spelling words [Spelling City]  or work on math facts [Rocket Math] or even just review basic letters and numbers. [123 Color]

I quickly learned that there is no limit when it comes to educational apps for our kids and that the learning apps can also be fun.

St. Michael Catholic School second-graders use iPod touches in the classroom and here are some of the app's they use and Technology Specialist Amy Huberty recommends:

• My Math Flash Cards
• Math Kingdom
• Basic Math
• Addition Coach
• Spelling City
• Kids Clock
• Counting Coins
• Everyday Math Apps

Technology continues to change leaps and bounds but I think if we do our homework, we can always find ways to use it to our advantage and help our kids use it in more than a "mindless" way.

Do you use certain websites or apps with your kids? What ones do you recommend or have you had a good experience with? Tell us in the comments.