The iPhone Mom

Baa Baa Black Sheep is the newest app from Duck Duck Moose. They have taken the song Baa Baa Black Sheep, combined it with Row Your Boat and created another winningly interactive app for toddlers and preschoolers. You begin playing with the app by dragging sheep into a rowboat. From there on you’ll row them across the water and explore scenes under the sea. Baa Baa Black Sheep asks you to look for missing puzzle pieces that are scattered throughout the different scenes. As you search for puzzle pieces and listen to the song you’ll find plenty of things to tap and drag on the screen. There are also many clever jokes hidden within the app. My favorite was the peanut butter sandwich that’s chasing a jellyfish. Once you reach the end of the song and the sheep has given his wool to the Master, the Dame and the Little Boy who lived down the lane the song will begin again. There will be new puzzle pieces to find and when you get to the end of the song you’ll discover that instead of a black sheep you’ve found one of another color.

I’m a big, big fan of Duck Duck Moose apps. The apps are obviously developed with children in mind and the developers have a good handle on their audience. The interactivity in their products just keeps better and better and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next.

Price when Reviewed: $1.99

See the app in iTunes

Seller: Duck Duck Moose

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this app for review purposes.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Preschool Storybook Piano is an adorable app that’s perfectly suited for the preschool crowd. The app combines the song Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with a piano that can be played. There are four different modes to explore in the app. In “Learn the Song” you can learn the notes to play Twinkle Twinkle. The music notes appear at the top of the screen and the keyboard keys light up as the notes are played. You can tap the keys as they light up and play along. In “Play & Sing Along” mode you can also play the song on the piano. This time there are no notes at the top of the screen, instead you’ll see illustrations of the song. The keyboard keys still light up so you can play along. “Karaoke Mode” also lets you play the notes on the keyboard but it also displays the words to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star at the top of the screen so you can sing along. Finally, in “Free Style Mode” there are no keys to follow, you get to make up your own music.

In each mode you can change the instrument that you hear when you play the keyboard. Choices include xylophone, piano, guitar, banjo, bells, flute, harp and (my favorite) farm animals. Each mode will let you record your playing and then listen to it back. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Preschool Piano is extremely well done and it’s a steal at $.99. I really enjoyed this app!

Price when Reviewed: $.99

Seller: Kiboomo

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this app for review purposes.

Toy Story 3 is the official app for the new Toy Story 3 movie. The app is free and comes with a few activities but to play the games you’re going to need to purchase them from within the app. Here’s a rundown on the features in Toy Story 3.

Woody’s Greetings - In Woody’s Greetings you can create a personalized message from Sheriff Woody. You select your name and then answer several questions. When you’re through you’ll hear a message from Woody that incorporates your answers. The message was fun but if your child has an unusual name there’s a chance you won’t find it on the list. This activity is free and is included in the app download.

Woody’s Wild Ride - This game has you riding like the wind with Bullseye. Woody is off to stop the evil Dr. Porkchop and you get to control Bullseye by tilting your iPhone and tapping buttons on the screen. I played the game on my iPhone 3G and it felt a bit slow and choppy to me but even with the slowness I still had a hard time steering Bullseye. This game costs $.99 and can be purchased through the Toy Story 3 app.

Trailers - You can view the various Toy Story 3 trailers that have been shown in theaters and on television.

Pins - You can unlock and download various achievement pins.

Light - There’s a light switch on the app’s home screen which you can flip on and off. When you turn the lights off you can hear the toys talking and bumping into each other.

Toy Story Mania - Toy Story Mania is a collection of arcade games inspired by Toy Story. The app costs $4.99 and you can buy it through the Toy Story 3 app or separately in the App Store. The game kept crashing on me until I restarted my iPhone then it worked perfectly. The games are quick and entertaining.

According to the App Store description additional games and activities will be available soon. As of right now I think the best part of the Toy Story 3 app is the Toy Story Mania purchase. The rest of the game feels like an advertisement but the Mania games are a lot of fun.

Price when Reviewed: Free

Seller: Disney

Disclosure: I received compensation for purchasing Woody’s Wild Ride and Toy Story Mania.

In the game Chocolate Attack you are charged with the task of keeping chocolate and sweets out of the hands of Missy. Missy and the chocolates bounce around the screen but by tilting the iPhone you can keep them out of her grasp. If Missy eats a chocolate she plumps up. The more she eats the more she plumps. How true. If you manage to keep the chocolates away from Missy she has a manic freakout. Again, how true! The app features three different levels – snack, meal and buffet. Each level becomes more difficult in the number of chocolates on the screen and the speed they move at. I think we operate at a buffet pace around here because the chocolate temptation comes fast and furious all the time at my house. It is constantly calling my name but unlike in the game there’s nobody around keeping it out of my grasp. Certainly not my self control either.

Chocolate Attack is a cute game but I wonder about it’s long term appeal for older children. Even with the more challenging levels I think mine might grow bored after playing it through several times. It’s a cute concept though and one I can completely relate to!

*I’ve been told that an update is coming this fall which will introduce mazes, lightening rounds and more difficulty. Sounds good!

**I’ve been given ten promo codes to give away for Chocolate Attack! Leave me a comment and I’ll email out codes to ten random winners on Friday night. (Promo codes only available in the US App Store.)

Price when Reviewed: $.99

Seller: Apologue Entertainment

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this app for review purposes.

If this website has done anything it has certainly documented the fact that I’m not great with math. I feel like I type a variation of that sentence every week. Math is my achilles heel in life and unfortunately my eldest daughter has the same issues. It’s hard to help a child who’s struggling with concepts that you struggle with yourself. Add to that the fact that math is now taught MUCH differently from when I was in school and you’ve got a recipe for frusturation. But I have to say thank goodness for all of the wonderful app developers out there who create tools for math skills practice. These are tools that are absolutely needed in the iPhone Mom’s house. And so much the better if the practice comes in the form of a game!

Last week I had the chance to try out the new app Name That Number. In this game you are given four random numbers and a “goal number”. You must use as many of those random numbers as you can to either add, subtract, multiply or divide your way to that goal number. Along the way you earn points for your solutions. I have to admit that I found this game to be TRICKY.

Name That Number does give you practice at those math skills and I like the way it combines addition, subtraction, multiplication and division into one problem. I would have liked to see a way to check my answers and also see the correct answer when I got the problem wrong. I think a “hint” option would also have been helpful. I don’t think this would be a good app for children who are truly struggling in math, I think it’s better for those who are confident in their skills but still need extra practice. They’ll get that practice along with a challenge from this game!

*Name That Number is a universal app developed for both iPhone and iPad. I tried it out on my iPhone.

Price when Reviewed: $1.99

Seller: Stacey Jett

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this app for review purposes.

Over the past week my family has fallen victim to an Angry Bird addiction. I bought the silly game and one by one we’ve been sucked in. Green pigs have stolen the birds eggs and they are angry and ready to wage battle. Using a slingshot you need to fling the birds against the pigs fortresses and try to destroy them. Different birds have different powers and you’ll need to think about physics, timing, flight patterns and more. It all sounds completely ridiculous and it is. But the game is virtually impossible for us to put down. There are 135 different levels and each one is unique and a challenge. A frustrating, twisted and addicting challenge.

The $.99 version of Angry Birds will work on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. We’ve been playing it on our iPhones and iPad. There is also an HD version that will only work on the iPad. That version costs $4.99. Unless you want the HD graphics I’d suggest buying the $.99 version and playing that on both devices.

Price when Reviewed: $.99

Seller: Chillingo Ltd.

It’s silly app day today at the iPhone Mom and here’s another app that made me smile. Something horrible is happening at the circus! Clowns are dropping from the top of the Big Top right and left. Lucky for the clowns there happen to be a pair of monkeys with a trampoline hanging around! It’s up to you to get those monkeys moving so they can catch the falling clowns. By tilting the iPhone you can get the monkeys to move back and forth across the screen. When you catch a clown he’ll bounce up and off your trampoline. But if you miss a clown he’ll suffer a much worse fate. You’re given a time limit to see how many clowns you can save and there are sticker rewards when the time is up.   

It’s easy to control the game and have success catching clowns but they do speed up as your time begins running out so you will get a challenge. The graphics are bright and fun and the sound effects capture the mood of the game very well. Monkeyin’ Around is a great game for preschoolers.

Monkeyin’ Around comes from the same team that is behind Faces iMake.

Price when Reviewed:

Seller: iMagine machine LLC

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this app for review purposes.

The iPhone app Color Me has been updated and turned into an HD app for the iPad. The basics are all there but I discovered one great improvement. On the iPad you can color in the picture with a thin paintbrush, a thick one or a paint bucket. The brushes let you paint free handed and the paint bucket will automatically fill in the chunk of the picture that you tap. It’s definitely easier to color in the pictures on the larger screen. This version only works on the iPad.

Price when Reviewed: $1.99

See the app in the App Store.

Seller: SID On

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this app for review purposes.

Animal Magic HD is the iPad version of the iPhone game with the same name – Animal Magic. It features the same three games, Animal Card Match, The Barn Game and Follow the Lion. You can read more about those games in my review of the original Animal Magic. The graphics have been updated for the iPad and they look nice and sharp.

I’ve been given five promo codes to give away for Animal Magic HD. If you own an iPad and you’d like a code please leave a comment. The first five comments will win. (Promo codes only valid in the US App Store.)

Price when Reviewed: $1.99

Click here to see the app in the App Store

Seller: Mobigames UK

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this app for review purposes.

Most of the matching/memory games that I come across are best for preschoolers and elementary aged kiddos. I just tried out Pairopix and I’m happy to report that this app is best suited for older kids and adults. It’s a tough one! Your goal is to match up different images that are hiding behind different circles. Tap a circle to reveal the hidden image but pay attention!! After they are revealed the images don’t stick around very long. You’ve got to have a quick eye and a quick tapping finger to keep up. When you play in level one mode once you’ve made a match those circles remain open. But when you play on level two matches that you have already made will randomly disappear and you’ll have to find them all over again. So far I’ve been unable to beat that level.

Pairopix comes with four sets of images and you can download up to 17 additional sets for free. OR you can create your own personalized set of images. I gave that a try and it made for a fun game. All you’ll have to do is tap a few buttons and either take a picture with your camera or choose one from your photo library or camera roll. You can move and scale the image to get it to the right size. When you’ve added enough images you’ll be able to play a game of Pairopix with your own pictures.

The complete name of this app is Pairopix-Awesomest matching game….ever. It’s definitely not your preschooler’s memory game and it’s nice to see a grown-up alternative!

I’ve got two promo codes to give away for Pairopix. Leave a comment and I’ll choose two random winners later tonight. (Codes only valid in the US app store.)

Price when Reviewed: $.99

Seller: Spinal Apps

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this app for review purposes.