Maily:: A Kid's First Email

My friend, and fellow homeschoolin' mama, Emily introduced us to an iPad app called Maily.  Basically it's a kids first email program and it totally rocks!  

I set the girls accounts up last night and introduced them to it today. 

Needless to say, it as an instant hit!

They spent the day learning the ins and outs of Maily and emailing their friends. Such a great app! I love that it sends me copies of what comes in and what goes out. I love that it gives them a chance to connect with their friends in this way.  And I love that it even gives them the chance to work on their writing. It seems to me that this app is still relatively new and in our short period of time using it there are definitely some kinks we'd like to see ironed out, but all in all we're pretty happy with it so far (on this our first day of using it).

Unschooling Geography

So, recently the girls were playing with the Intro to Geography app that we have on the iPad.  Even though the app does show them where each of the countries is located they asked if they could use our big map to find them.  It was so fabulous to watch them work together to find all the countries on our map.  They would get so excited each time they located one and then they would work together to find where it belonged on the app.  I just love that they combined low tech and high making for a truly unique experience.  And it never ceases to amaze me what happens by simply keeping their world full of interesting things.  By leaving things out, with no expectations at all of the outcome, the most fabulous things are learned and created!  

Weekending

Baklava Sundae from the Greek Festival.

Grace's latest artwork.

Baklava: It wouldn't be Labor Day weekend without it.





Techno Girls

Earlier this month I posted on my Facebook page asking if anyone had any good websites, iPad apps or computer games to recommend that the girls might like.  And thanks to my super fabulous friends a list was quickly generated.  I spent that day downloading apps and bookmarking websites and we spent the next day checking them out. 

Checking out Starfall on the web and

on the iPad app!

Grace practices tracing letters on Montessorium's Into to Letters App.

The girls quickly fell in love with Starfall (both the app and the website) as well as the Intro to Letters app and the Intro to Numbers app (by Montessorium).  The Intro to Letters and Numbers apps are divine! Just what I was looking for for them!  The foundational skills that these apps work on are just what the girls need to become successful in the areas of reading and math.  It speaks volumes to how much they enjoy the apps that I will often find either one of the girls sitting quietly with the iPad working on one of them (as well as any of the others we have on there too).  Other apps that we have and love:  ABC Food, Ladybug's Bookshelf, Zane Bloser Handwriting (though I think Grace likes the Intro to Letters app better), and the OregonTrail.  

To learn more about how to use technology in your family (and homeschool) click here to head to the Three Thinking Mothers website!