Jude's Picks: Favorite Apps

Last week I shared some of Jude's favorite books and movies and this week I thought it would be fun to share some of the apps he's been enjoying. Crazy that a toddler would have favorite apps, I know! But it's a brave new world! I appreciate these apps for their educational qualities, he's pretty eager to learn when he has that ipad in his hands.

The peeps at Toca Boca make some of our favorite apps, but Toca Doctor is probably the top choice these days (bug squishing! Burping! Farting! and all kinds of other hilarity). This app actually helped me convince Jude that brushing his teeth is cool and fun and not simply a horrific exercise in torture - I stand behind anything that can help me explain oral hygiene to a toddler!

Not that Jude would ever get the iPad right before bed (hello, cracked out temper tantrum), but this Nighty Night is darling (and in several different languages - it's always tricky to find great apps in French, so this is a big plus in my book). You turn out the light and say good night to each animal on the farm and watch them settle down for the night - the illustrations are adorable and it's full of amusing details.

Another beautifully designed app with great illustrations, Tam & Tao in Numberland is a very popular choice with Mr. Jude. Full of fun puzzles, coloring and counting games, and cool, dimensional animations.

As always let me know if you have any fun app suggestions for kids! I love hearing about new ones.

 

Jude's Picks: Reads, Tunes & Films

As a parent to a very active three year old I am always on the look out for great reads, apps, and music that will keep him entertained. I also love sharing what Jude is currently getting excited about. So here's the most recent installment of Jude's Picks...

Creature by Andrew Zuckerman is a great alphabet book filled with gorgeous rich photos. Jude is currently totally nuts for animals and this book from Chronicle is one of his latest faves.

One of my favorite books when I was a kid, Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever (Le Grand Livre des Mots is the French/English edition which you can get here ) is filled with all kinds of fantastic vocabulary words accompanied by Richard Scarry's classic animal characters. Be warned it includes a few questionable choices - I wonder, does the little pig really, really, dream of growing up to be a butcher?

Dancing around the kitchen with Dad is still a favorite activity - this month's top pick is anything by the Talking Heads.

French Songs for Children is a long standing favorite (when he was a baby, this album would instantly calm him even in the midst of a screaming fit, and thus has been a permanent fixture in the car for the last three years). Remarkably tolerable - Lucienne Vernay was a French singer in the 40's and 50's and the vintage quality remains charming even after having listened to it about 15 million times!

Rio is Jude's latest film of choice - it's actually not too bad (though, given my druthers, I'm definitely more of a Nemo, Cinderella, Robin Hood, Dumbo kind of gal - all recently tired of, alas) - Jamie Foxx and Will.i.am play a couple of amusing hip-hop-y birds and it is pretty hilarious when you realize your toddler is shaking his booty and singing "I like to party, I like to samba!" while you change his diaper!

Jude is also a huge fan of nature documentaries (again, nuts for animals - trucks, firemen? eh, whatevs, but a good wildebeest stampede really rocks his socks!) the BBC's Africa with David Attenborough has just recently dethroned the reigning champion, Planet Earth.

I'm always on the lookout for recommendations so please share what your kids are loving in the comments!