Doodle | Magic Joy . . . an Awesome Free Android Drawing App for Any Age

I rarely blog about apps, but I always make an exception when I come across one that I find to be outstanding.  This free app (with ads) is called Doodle | Magic Joy and has me and my children hooked.

I first discovered this app by seeing an ad for it on a mobile game I was playing on my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.   Then I let my 9 year old daughter try it on my phone and she didn't want to give my phone back.  Luckily, I was able to put this app on both her and her twin brother's android tablets.  YAY for getting my phone back!  Not too long after that, our 12 year old son wanted this app for his Android phone too.

What's great about this app?

1. It's free!
2. After you've saved your drawing, you can click the play button and it will replay how your doodle was created from start to finish!
3. It's extremely user-friendly.  Just drag your finger across the screen to draw.  A 2 year old could use it, as well as someone who is 90 years old.
4. There's an 'undo' button that let's you go backwards as many steps as you would like.
5. There are 10 different background colors.
6. There are 6 different brushes.  You can change brushes anytime while drawing a picture.
7. There are 16 different repetition patterns, including one that does not repeat at all, so you can draw free hand.
8. The ink color changes whenever you lift your finger off the screen and start a new line.
9. No two drawings have ever come out the same for me and it's so much fun to experiment with different ways of dragging your finger around on the screen.
10. You can share your finished art on your social media channels, save it to your mobile device to use as a wallpaper, etc . . . 

I have to say that my 9 year old son does not usually enjoy drawing, but he very much enjoys this app.  It's a wonderful creative outlet for those who do not have a natural knack for drawing.  I can feel how proud my children are when they show me their finished works of art, which pleases me very much.

Have you discovered any amazing free apps recently?  Share them with us in a comment here!

The Pocket Scavenger . . . a Newly Released Children's App for iOS and Android Devices

Thank you to the Penguin Group for providing a complimentary product sample for us o base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own.

We are tech people here at my house, so almost any time we are offered an opportunity to try a fun, educational, or innovative app for our iOS devices, I am intrigued. The Pocket Scavenger is an app that meets all the above criteria. With The Pocket Scavenger, you are asked to search out and use your device’s camera to find a whole spectrum of oddball items, such as a part of your body, something small, a used envelope, and more. Once you find your assignment, you can choose an “alteration” to it or photograph it as is. The alterations are sometimes simple, but sometimes require a bit more creativity to accomplish. Once you have photographed the item, you can then add a story or interesting information, and then map it and share with Twitter or Facebook. Then you find a new assignment and start all over.

To say this app is fun is an understatement! It really got us up and moving and seeking out seemingly random items to add to and complete our list. It has tons of different ideas so you can constantly be playing and reusing the lists with new and different items. We have used this indoors and out and even made our own challenges like only searching in the living room or doing our entire scavenge from our seat. We’ve had a great time using this app and we will be using it even more in the future.

This app is based on The Pocket Scavenger book. You can find this app on the iTunes App Store for $4.99.

New Engaging and Educational iOS Apps for Children

Thank you to Super Duper Publications for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own.

Super Duper Publications has long been one of my favorite websites for educational children’s toys, games, and more, but now Super Duper is stepping into the technology age with their learning apps for iOS devices. We were given three of their newest apps to try out on our iPad and we have been very pleased with them.

Webber Photo Cards 60 Story Starters is a unique app that gives kids a picture and the first sentence of a story and then lets children’s imaginations run wild with ideas. It is simple to use and really helps get creative juices flowing in just one line. Quinn, who is 6 years old, had a little difficulty at first with making up his own stories with only a picture and a line to begin with, but he quickly had fun creating his own, fun plots…complete with twists and turns.

Quinn's only complaint with this app is that it gives no “feedback” when being used. There are red and green dots to “score” the stories, but there is no response on the app for the story that is given and that irked him a bit. Of course, I just give him the feedback myself and even prompt him when his story starts to lull. All in all, he’s had a lot of fun with this and I use it in our homeschool as well for creative writing for both of my kids. This app usually retails for $1.99 on the iTunes App Store but is currently $0.99.

Super Duper StoryMaker, a winner of The National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, is an amazingly fun app that gives kids free reign on their imaginations. This superb app gives kids the ability to use clipart, markers, text, and even pics from their camera roll to create interesting stories that they can save and even record their own voice to. This app is easy to use by touching, placing, and dragging all the elements and even pretty young children could use and have a blast with it. I cannot put into words how much Quinn loves this app. He is a creative kid anyway and this is like Photoshop that he actually can use and master. He loves creating nonsensical stories, non-fiction presentations, and even memory albums using photos on the iPad.

From the first time he opened it, Quinn has been obsessed with making stories to share with us. I love seeing him be creative and enjoy making stories with this app. This app has a free version that has limited features for trial purposes and the full version is usually $4.99 on the App Store but is currently marked down to $2.99.

Last, but certainly not least, is WH Questions Cards Pro, another TNPC Seal of Approval winner. This app teaches kids how to correctly ask and answer the 5 “W”s…who, what, when, where, and why. With fun games that engage and teach children, this app is a new favorite in my house and has taught Quinn so much about proper questions. This has 280 colorful illustrated picture cards with audio for non-readers along with many different play and even reveal options so it never gets boring. Quinn’s favorite is the matching game where it asks a question such as “Where do you wear your hat?” and you have to find the match (“On your head”) on the opposite side. It’s such a clever twist on traditional matching games – which Quinn loves – and it makes it all the more fun for him to play. I am really impressed with the genius of this app and am so glad it’s in our collection. Like StoryMaker, this app has a free version and the paid is $11.99 but is currently on sale for $7.99.

You can learn about all of Super Duper Publications apps on their website, www.superduperinc.com.

Review: Atari's "Putt Putt Saves the Zoo" App for iPhone, iPad, and iTouch

Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo is a fun app for kids for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod. Team up with Putt-Putt to save the Cartown Zoo at its grand opening. Help Putt-Putt and Pep gather all the animals, raise the food supply, and keep everyone happy. From playing ice hockey with a polar bear to dancing with penguins, and more, this game is sure to keep kids of all ages entertained.

My children loved this game! I had intended for it to be for my 4 year old, Quinn, but I think Avery, my 9 year old, liked it much more. It’s cute, fun, imaginative, and definitely keeps their attention. Avery loves the mini-games and Quinn loves the music videos and the interaction with nearly everything in the zoo. I like that it’s cute, features cameos by Freddie the Fish, and the touch-screen navigation makes it easy for even little ones to do, even if they don’t get the concepts. Overall, it’s a great game for kids and reasonably priced at $1.99.

You can purchase Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo for your iDevice on the iTunes store.


Thank you to Atari for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.