Friday, January 20, 2012

Preschool Apps


Technology is amazing.  One of the new things we have added this year to our classroom is an IPAD.  It is still amazing to me how quickly the children are drawn to the activities and how quickly they learn to use the interface.  As you can see, it is a very popular center -- it's sooooo hard for them to wait for their turn.  But, ironically, they have almost as much fun watching each other as they do working on it themselves.  We have many favorite preschool apps, but if you are interested, a couple of our favorites are "I Write Words" by gdiplus and "Letter of the Day" by Lakeshore.

iPhone Screenshot 4 "I Write Words" is a great app for developing handwriting skills. I personally think it is one of the best choices for preschool writing that I have tried. It is fun and appealing to 4 year olds. It really teaches and helps the kids develop eye/hand coordination while learning correct letter formation. The settings also allow you to make it more challenging as the child's abilities progress. You can practice individual letters and numbers, or practice writing simple words. The children especially love tilting the ipad to get the letter blocks to go into the "vortex" when they have successfully completed each letter or word. There is also a free "lite" version to try it out first.
iPhone Screenshot 1We use the "Letter of the Day" in circle time to briefly reinforce the alphabet letters we are learning. It is a simple and straightforward reinforcement. It has increased their enthusiasm and added another dimension to our learning.

December

Quick glimpse into our December days.  Busy little Christmas elves.

Christmas chains



Decorating gingerbread men