There are many times when I feel like I’ve been sucking in fresh air too much, being distracted by too many adventures, with my nose stuffed in a book and apparently living under a rock.
When did apps for kids become so awesome?!
First a little history on my disconnecting insanity…
I’m very vocal about how I keep my kids and I pretty disconnected: No TV on School Nights and Video Games/Using Mommy’s precious iPod Touch are earned activities.
I know, I’m mean. Those rules are harsh and most kids are thankful that I am not their Mom because of this. (kidding! Well, kind of.)
I’d rather my kids play, exercise, be creative or read than become digital zombies. I was raised in a home with too many TVs that were always on and every game console. I just didn’t like the idea of raising my kids the same way and we get sucked in so easily. I found that by disconnecting them made us all be more productive, creative, in tune and happier all around with our little family.
But, being a full-time single Mom who works from home and constantly crams too much on my todo list… it would be nice to have some extra guilt free minutes in the day without compromising my rules and ethics. Plus, I want them to have fun and not be completely deprived of geeky goodness.
I have audio books for the kids for the nights when I honestly just can’t sit and read with them for an hour. Seriously an hour. They love books! I even recorded myself reading some of their favorite stories for those nights but it doesn’t replace me wanting to read to them and watch them fall asleep but it is an option.
Having audio books on the go is a better option for us than having them play games that aren’t enriching. Sometimes reading in the car isn’t a great option and traveling with one device is easier than packing our usual two backpacks of books!
Now knowing where I stand on all of that… I was apprehensive when Ruckus Media Group contacted me asking if I was interested in doing a review and hosting a giveaway. I’m very supportive of video games that get kids moving… but apps for the kids are really limited and I cannot stand by a product that I don’t love with a passion. Most of the apps that we have downloaded are far from enriching and usually just great short distractions.
Um, to be perfectly honest… I mostly download ninja related games on my iPod Touch… for myself… because ninjas kick booty. Ha!
So, I checked out what apps Ruckus Media Group had to offer and I was floored. This is where my living under a rock intro comes into play… I had no idea there were such amazing apps out there! Not only do they have fantastic audio book apps but they are also interactive. This is like app freaking heaven for me!
We tried out two apps Chuck and Friends: Friends for the Long Haul as well as Andrew Answers. I loved how educational these apps are so I felt it would be a perfect addition to our camping trip to Bishop. Camping can be tiring with lots of work and traveling with kids isn’t an easy task! I loved that the kids and I would read our usual stories and then they would play these apps quietly in our tent before going to bed. That gave me an additional chunk of time to clean up and decompress. Plus, it was a brilliant option to have on the go or when their patience was being tested while fishing!
Chuck and Friends is a great story. I love that the kids (and I) can go through the story in different ways: Read To Me, Read the Story, Record Your Story. Both of the kids love this app! My 4 year old son picks the Read To Me setting and my daughter will Read the Story to him. The interactive aspect of this app helps kids learn words.
Andrew Answers made me laugh out loud and taught my kids some great words. There are some interactive features where you help Andrew get to his destination or help his parents park their car. For some reason I had the hardest time with the car parking game… the kids laughed at me. A lot. They said that’s because I don’t know how to drive!
Ruckus Media Group has a variety of apps available for your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch and they are generously giving away five apps to my readers! If you have kids you will want these apps and this is a great chance to try them out before you buy up the whole lot of them!
It is easy to enter the giveaway!
Visit Ruckus Media Group and leave a comment below telling me what app you like the best!
First you must do this first step above in order to enter! If you have not completed the first step then you will not be able to win.
Additional Entries:
Like Ruckus Media Group on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did so.
Follow Ruckus Media Group on Twitter and leave a comment saying you did and your twitter handle.
Tweet about this contest for one extra entry per day. Leave a comment with the link to the tweet.
This contest closes on Friday September 16th, 2011 at 8PM Pacific! I will use the plugin “And The Winner Is…” to choose the winners. The winners have 48 hours to respond to my email to claim their prize. If winners have not confirmed then new winners will be selected.
Good luck all! Keep the geekery going and check them out!
Ruckus Media Group provided two apps for my family to review. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions are my own.
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