Corvid Apps

Jackpot in Free MP3 Stories for Kids

2013-04-02T13:05:00.002-07:00

There is something quite satisfyingly old fashioned about listening to a story told by a talented storyteller. It gives me imagined nostalgia for the oral tradition and a time when bards traveled the country, sharing their stories, or a time when families gathered around their radios. Which is where the site Storynory comes into the picture. While it is more tech in its delivery than a bard or a radio, its essence is still the oral tradition.

I discovered Storynory quite a while ago and have been meaning to share it, but kept forgetting. I already shared Robert Munsch's free mp3 stories, but if you are looking for stories for a bit older group of kids Storynory.com is AMAZING! There are hundreds of stories including a huge selection of original stories which are surprisingly good. The majority of them better than most published children's books I read. It is harder than you would think to make stories that both adults and children like, but Storynory has nailed it.

Natasha is the storyteller. She has a wonderful British accent and does entertaining character voices. We have listened to most of the Bertie the Prince stories, Katie the Ordinary Witch, Tick Tock Turkey and all have been hits, especially with my five year old daughter.

We mostly listen to the stories in the car either burned onto an mp3 disc, or by plugging in a phone or ipod to our stereo. I also turn them on at night for my five year old in a pretty successful plot to keep her from coming out of the bedroom half a dozen times before she goes to sleep. Though one night I forgot to limit how many stories played, and she listened to them for 2 1/2 hours before she came out of her room at 11:30pm asking for more. Oops.

The easiest way to download the stories is to treat them like a podcast and get them via the RSS feed links provided on the Storynory site. For convenience I have provided some of the links below. Storynory does have a main podcast link that gives you a different story and different character for each episode, but I, and my children, prefer to be able to pick out which stories they want and listen to, and listen to multiple ones of the same character, thus I choose to subscribe to each feed separately.

If you are unfamiliar with podcasts they are typically mp3 recordings, focused on a topic, usually delivered somewhat regularly. Most often they are radio type shows, interviews, or in this case stories. (There are also video, pdf, and epub podcasts which deliver other types of digital content regularly). Usually you can download episodes individually via a website, or another, easier option is to use a podcast app. A podcast app will notify you when new episodes are available, and more efficiently download and play the files.

For your desktop computer or apple device you can use the podcast section in iTunes. Alternatively, for mobile devices, you can use the podcast app that comes on the iPhone, or download a dedicated podcast apps from Google Play. For Android, I use BeyondPod. Usually you can search for the podcast from an app, but some podcasts, like the individual feeds for each story series on Storynory will not show up through a search. For podcasts that cannot be found via search you have to copy and paste the link for the RSS feed into the app.

As far as I can tell Storynory gets money from a sponsorship from Audible.com as well as selling some ebooks via Amazon and apps via The App Store. If you like these stories, I encourage you to support their site through their products or by donation.

For convenience I have included the RSS Feed links for various subscriptions to Storynory.com below:
Right click on the link and select, "Copy link address" and then paste it in your podcast app. From storynory.com the links are at the bottom of each story series's description where it says "RSS feed for these stories." Enjoy!

Storynory - Katie the Ordinary Witch

Storynory - Bertie the Prince

Storynory - Tick Tock Turkey

Storynory - Astropup

Storynory - Waking Beauty

Storynory - Chix

Storynory - Wiked Uncle

Storynory - Zoo Stories

Storynory - Jack and the Pirate School

Storynory - Rockfords Rock Opera

Open Face Chinese Poker for Android and iOS

2013-03-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a little tangent from developing kids apps and am developing an app for adults. The game is Open Face Chinese Poker and right now there is no Android version, so I am trying to target that part of the market as soon as I can.

I put up a new site, openfacechinesepoker.corvidapps.com, to keep the two genre's separate.

Does the English Language Hinder Our Numeracy?

2013-02-27T11:58:00.000-08:00

What if the language you speak either helps or hinders your number sense? This thought occurred to me the other day after a series of events:

The first was my brother and I were watching our kids play. His son, who is 2.5 was counting: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16. He skipped 13. Young children are often stumbling and skipping over numbers through the teens. I commented that our numbers really don't make sense anyway. When counting in Japanese it is very simple. You say the words for one, two, three through ten, and then after that you say ten-one(11), ten-two(12), ten-three(13), ten-four(14), ten-five(15), ten-six(16), ten-seven(17), ten-eight(18), ten-nine(19), two-ten(20), two-ten-one(21), two-ten-two(22), etc. Even when they write out numbers as words the characters follow the same pattern. My point is, do Japanese speaking children stumble over the teens as much as English speaking children?

A couple weeks later my eldest daughter, who is in Kindergarten, was talking to her younger sister. The elder was talking about the number 28, the younger asked, "How much is 28?" The elder said two-tens and eight more. Then I remembered her showing me a 100's chart and counting how she learned at school. When she got to the larger numbers she would say two-tens-and-one (21), two-tens-and-two(22), two-tens-and-three(23), etc. Sound familiar?

100's Chart

Understanding place value is a foundational math skill. In the early elementary age children teachers strive to help the kids understand place value, so that when they starting adding multi-digit numbers they can understand WHY you need to carry. Teachers have students do exercises like the one my daughter did at school in analyzing 100's charts, finding the patterns, and counting the numbers like she was.

Unfortunately there are kids who do not get enough of this practice, and have a harder time making the connection that twenty is the same thing as two-tens. My sister, who was student-teaching third graders met a few such kids. The curriculum had moved beyond place value and onto addition and subtraction, but the kids who didn't understand place-value also didn't understand why you needed to carry numbers. She said that even when counting, one girl seemed surprised every time she switched from one set of tens to the next (ie from twenties to thirties). For these students the rest of their math experience will most likely result in attempting to memorizing the steps to solve a problem and will not understand the meaning behind the steps. They will probably have a harder time estimating and will be less able to look at a final answer and be able to tell if it is in the ballpark of the right answer.

But what if kids have spent their whole verbal life practicing place value? I would imagine their understanding of place value would come faster and easier. Multiplication by ten becomes trivial. What is two groups of ten or two times ten? Two-ten! Combine that with a metric measuring system (also base ten) and you have practical math skills that make logical sense being used from the moment a child is verbal. I would imagine such a language would make it easier for their speakers to understand the connections and relationships between numbers.

Japananese, Chinese and Korean languages all count this way, and have strong math scores in international standardized tests. Finland, Norway, Singapore, and Canada do not have languages that count this way and also have strong math scores. The Thai langauge counts in this way, yet have low math scores. Obviously there are many confounding variables, and the language one speaks isn't the silver bullet to being good at math, but it is an interesting idea nonetheless.

Must Have Educational Christmas Apps

2012-12-13T13:17:00.000-08:00

If you are looking for educational apps for the classroom and at home you should join the Facebook group iTeach.AppsfortheClassroom . All throughout the day sales and freebies for educational i Phone and iPad Apps are posted.

The iteachappsfortheclassrom blog also contains lots of great recommendations including this list of must have educational Christmas apps, in which Kids Christmas Pattern Game is included! Check them out.

Kids Christmas Pattern Game is Free

2012-12-07T22:53:00.004-08:00

I have decided to keep Kids Christmas Pattern Game free, at least for the time being. Enjoy!!!

Free and Discounted Kids Apps for iPhone and iPad

2012-12-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

Check out App Friday today! A lot of free and discounted kids apps for iPhone and iPad including my very own Kids Christmas Pattern Game. Download it today! :)

Kids Christmas Pattern Game

2012-12-04T14:05:00.002-08:00

Now on the App Store, Google Play, Nook Apps (TM), and Amazon Apps.

Solve sequence and pattern puzzles to help practice foundational math skills in this educational math game.

WHO: For kids ages 4 and up. Some of the harder patterns may even stump some adults.

WHAT: 30 beginner ABAB patterns (ages 4 - 7), 30 intermediate level sequence and pattern puzzles including counting puzzles (ages 5 - 8), 30 advanced sequences and patterns (10+)

WHERE: Santa is traveling all over the world--England, France, Italy, Egypt, India, Antartica, Russia, Mexico, USA and the North Pole. This app provides some exposure to world geography with flags and famous landmarks.

WHY: Recognizing, analyzing and solving pattern and sequence puzzles promotes foundational skills for math, literacy and science.

This app provides practice for children in:
-Recognizing patterns and sequences.
-Recognizing differences in color.
-Recognizing differences in size.
-Practice counting by 1's, 2's, 5's, and 10's.
-Exposure to world geography with country flags and landmarks.

Parental Disclosure:
- This app does not collect any personal identifiable information.
- There are links to the Corvid Apps website and to Corvid Apps products.
- There are no third party ads.
- There are no in-app purchases, the app is fully functional upon purchase.
- View our privacy policy at http://www.corvidapps.com/p/support.html for more information.

Other Apps in This Series:

Kids Pattern Recongition - Beginner (Preschool and Kindergarten) : Kids math game with ABAB and ABCABC patterns

Kids Sequences, Counting and Patterns (Kindergarten and First Grade): Kids math game to help practice 1's, 2's, 3's, 5's and 10's.

ChorePad Facebook Party

2012-11-25T01:04:00.001-08:00

ChorePad is hosting a Facebook party meaning free codes for apps from an assortment of developers will be appearing all day starting at 9:00AM EST.

I have two contests going on. See if you get lucky and can grab a free code right now for Sequences, Counting and Patterns, or at 9:30AM PST for Kids Pattern Recognition.

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Kids Sequences, Patterns and Counting Math App is Available

2012-11-22T10:28:00.000-08:00

Observing, comparing and categorizing are foundational skills for math, science and literacy. In this game kids practice counting by 1's, 2's, 3's, 5's and 10's as well as puzzling the solution to various patterns and sequences that change in size and shape.

On App Store (iPad, iPhone, iPod touch), Google Play, Nook Apps (TM), Amazon Apps and coming soon to Nabi.

What's going on

2012-11-13T19:23:00.002-08:00

We raised $29.30 for Hurricane Sandy. I wish it had been more, but thank you to everyone who bought apps during those two days.

In other news, Apple, suddenly and without warning, changed its policy and no longer allows me to use a DBA (doing-business-as) name in the App Store, so if you are looking for Corvid Apps in the App Store you will not find it. Search instead for Laura Bangerter. I'm not sure when, if ever, I will get around to converting my business from a sole proprietorship to a corporation. :S

Today and Tomorrow All Proceeds Will Go to Hurricane Sandy

2012-11-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

I have teamed up with a group of other indie app developers to fundraise money for Hurricane Sandy relief. All the proceeds from both my apps, on all platforms, sold on November 8th-9th, 2012 will go to the Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy. View the special Jellybean Tunes App Report for a list of all the other apps and developers participating in this fundraiser.

Learn To Read on Google Play

Kids Pattern Recognition on Google Play

Kids Pattern Recognition for iPhone, iPad, and iPad touch

Kids Sequences, Counting and Patterns - A Math App For Kids

2012-11-04T21:59:00.002-08:00

On App Store (iPad, iPhone, iPod touch), Google Play, Nook Apps (TM), Amazon and coming soon to Nabi.

This is a kid's math game. Complete the sequence puzzles to work through the levels to free the good monster aliens that were kidnapped by the bad monster aliens.

WHO: For kids ages 5-8.

WHAT: Help the hero complete the sequences or patterns to save the monsters that were kidnapped. This game has 126 puzzles. The game includes ACABC patterns, patterns for counting by 1's 2's, 3's, 5's, and 10's and puzzles puzzles to figure out which one is missing in a range of pictures that increase or decrease in size.

WHERE: In outer space.

WHY: Recognizing and analyzing patterns and sequences is a foundational skill for math, literacy and science.

This app provides practice for children in:
-Recognizing patterns and sequences.
-Recognizing differences in color.
-Recognizing differences in size.
-Practice in counting by 1's, 2's, 3's, 5's, and 10's.

Other Apps in This Series:
Kids Pattern Recongition - Beginner (Preschool and Kindergarten) : Kids math game with ABAB and ABCABC patterns

Watch the demo video

Overcoming my Cultural Biases Against Apple

2012-10-12T22:36:00.001-07:00

Seattle is a tech area. There are a plethora of developers. It is the home of big names like Microsoft, Amazon, and Nintendo. Google and Facebook have some offices here as well. But Apple is king of the app world and Apple doesn't have a presence in the area.

It isn't like people in Seattle don’t use Apple products, it is just that programmers in the area don’t use Apple products. I started to notice that I have a deep cultural bias that makes it hard for me to be an iOS app developer.

Windows has been fed to me since I was a small child. I received scholarships and free software from Microsoft as a college student. My boss at my first job was a Microsoft groomed developer and I received lots of training and knowledge from him. I don’t think of myself as a Microsoft devotee, but it is what I am used to.

Me as a young girl playing Tetris on a PC running M.S. DOS

I feel like I am late to the app game. When Apple first advertising, “There is an app for that,” I didn't really understand why you would want apps on a phone. I didn't have any curiosity about the app store because I dismissed it as an Apple thing.

When the iPad was released I decided it was a device I wanted. I wanted to be able to read ebooks and blogs from the couch. Yet I cringed at the price, and deep down I felt a bit traitorous in wanting one. I lucked out and Barnes and Noble came out with the Nook Color. It was cheaper than an iPad and it wasn't Apple.

Once I had a mobile device, apps started making sense, and I wrote my first Android app. Android is Google and Amazon. I could get on board with that.

The kid's app market is mature on iOS, but isn't on Android. Most of the kid's app developers I have met online sell only on iOS, they use a Mac for all of their development, they have an iPhone and an iPad, and they don’t live in Seattle. Not one.¹ It seemed so odd to me. Where were all the Seattle developers?²

The final wake up call, that Seattle isn't the place to be an iOS developer, and that there is a cultural bias at work, is when my friend was able to hook me up with a free Windows Phone. Perfect! I have a device to test on so I can release my apps in the Windows app store-- a market often mocked as desolate and thus pointless to target.

It is said that identifying the problem is the first step to resolving it. Maybe now that I recognize my aversion to Apple, I can get over it and embrace the platform… while I work on Android and Windows as well.

Further commentary:
After I wrote this, but before I posted I found this article on Geekwire confirming my suspicions that developers from Seattle are different than developers from the Silicon Valley. The infographic is kind of funny.

Alternatively they also report that Seattle is a great place to be an "app developer" in general.

1 I did find a group in Vancouver, CA so I guess that is kind of close, though in a different country.
2 There are plenty of Seattle Android developers, but since so few Android developers target kids I have yet to find any in the area.

Folio Academy Videos Teach You to Draw

2012-10-07T12:28:00.001-07:00

The cheapest way to get things done is to do it myself. Each app I make I have to weigh the costs and benefits of doing it myself, or finding someone else to help me out. There are many wonderful creators on the internet who provide free licensing of images and music through the Creative Commons License, or provide very reasonably priced assets. I have used vector graphics found at vectorstock.com and sounds from soundrangers.com.

Graphics are a struggle for me. They are arguably the most important aspect of an app, especially a children’s app. Beautiful graphics equal a great app. Unfortunately as a startup I don’t have a budget to hire a graphic artist. I can afford a small amount to purchase some vector art, but don’t have the funds to get real quality artwork. There is a bit of a chicken and egg problem here, because maybe I won’t sell as many apps due to poor artwork. If I was a hopeless artist I think I would be more willing to fork out some money, but I can passably reproduce some art. I recognize that I am not a professional artist, but I think to an uncritical eye what I make is passable.

Like everything, I feel like if I practiced and trained myself I could get better. That is where folioacademy.com comes in. I read Will Terry’s blog and enjoy his writing style, his drawings, and his willingness to share his knowledge. For writing this piece I will receive a free video lesson. I'm always intrigued about learning via the internet and this is a wonderful opportunity to see if I can get some quality instruction via a video.

Now if I can just create a time warp. I will have enough time to work on my drawing skills, writing skills, marketing skills, game design skill, and then the apps I create will be the most amazing ever!

Kids Educational Game Design

2012-10-04T16:38:00.000-07:00

Behind the Scenes and Thoughts on Game Play for Kids Pattern Recognition

Kids Pattern Recognition is a math game for kids where the objective is to find the missing element in a pattern. There are 120 ABAB and ABCABC patterns. The difficulty level is about right for most four and five year old children.

I decided on doing a pattern app because I believe that strong math skills later in life come from a really good foundation of practical number sense and logic. Recognizing, identifying and creating patterns are the basis of practically all learning, not just math. Human brains are always categorizing, and looking for similarities and differences in all we see and do. Recognizing patterns in unusual places is a large part of what drives innovation and creativity.

A book I read called The Talent Code, talks about how deliberate practice strengthens the connections in the brain. Mastery of a skill is developed by doing something over and over and over. In doing so your body creates a substance called myelin that line the pathways for the skill in your brain and makes the skill easier, faster, and remembered.

Drilling is a common teaching technique to obtain mastery, yet two aspects of repetitive practice are hard to overcome. The first being attention span, the second being efficiency. While drilling might be the best way to develop a skill it can become boring. It is easier to spend a little bit of time to get good enough, then a lot of time to master a skill. A computer game is ideal for drilling because you can provide the psychological challenge and reward system of a game to avoid boredom, along with a lot of problems in a short amount of time.

Every good game has a narrative. The story for Kids Pattern Recognition is that three bad aliens, a leader and two minions, kidnap a bunch of cute alien monsters. The hero takes his rocket ship into space to rescue the cute aliens and lock up the bad aliens. He travels to three galaxies that have approximately thirteen planets each. There are only kidnapped aliens on a few of the planets. Many educational games use an excessive amount of praise for rewards (ie “good job”, “you are smart”, etc). While it seems innocuous, many psychologists and educational experts say excessive praise can back fire and make the child feel less interested and less accomplished. In Kids Pattern Recognition the reward is moving to the next planet and getting closer to rescuing a cute alien. The kidnapped aliens are placed intermittently to avoid diluting the accomplishment of a rescue. At the end of each galaxy is where a bad guy is confronted. First you have to capture the minions, and in the final galaxy you get the leader. The game play changes slightly in these levels to add a twist to the challenge.

In the regular levels you must solve three patterns without making more than four mistakes. In the final level of each galaxy you have to solve an unknown number of patterns before the time runs out. By imposing limits in the game play, the child has to focus on the patterns and not just touch the screen randomly to get the correct answer.

I am new at game making, and was unsure if the techniques I was using were executed well enough. My daughter loved the game, but it was hard to tell if she liked it because I made it, or because she is just enthusiastic about everything. Beta testing also seemed favorable and now that the app is live feedback has been really positive. Kids in the target age group are engaged in the game and enjoy playing it repeatedly. Hopefully they are gaining good foundational experience in comparing, contrasting, and observing, as well.

What's Next:
There will be two or three more games of increasing difficulty added to this story line.

Purchase Kids Pattern Recognition from the following app markets:

Five free copies will be given away for iPhone/iPad in a giveaway contest for App Friday at 7:30am PST

Free Promo Code for iPhone/iPad Kids App

2012-09-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

Like my facebook page to snatch free copies of my apps. Promo codes will be posted randomly. Enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/CorvidApps

Discover Educational Android Apps For Kids

2012-09-10T20:01:00.002-07:00

Sometimes finding a wide variety of kids apps for Android devices can be hard. Many apps do not offer a whole lot, or are buggy and do not work well. Searching for them can be challenging when you have to wade through all the irrelevant choices. I've compiled some links here that can help parents find those hidden gems. Remember to rate any apps you like. Positive ratings are what drive sales, which keep the developers developing. :)

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Pinterest App List

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Kids love stories and there are a lot of story book apps for Android. A good list of reviewed story books for Android can be found at Digital Storytime

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Amazon has nice designated sections of kids apps organized into various categories. Developers choose the categories and amazon reviews those designations, so you can be fairly confident there aren't spam apps.

Kids

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Barnes & Noble recently redid their children's section and have good categorization as well. You can only access the Barnes & Noble app store from a Nook Color or Tablet, but it is likely that many of the apps can be found on Google Play as well. Searching for the developers name versus the app name will usually result in better results.

All Children

Developmental Skills

Foreign Languages
Language Arts

Math

Social Studies

Special Needs

Kids Pattern Recognition is Available!

2012-09-01T08:45:00.001-07:00

It is now available on On Nook Apps (TM), Amazon, Google Play and iOS (iPad, iPhone and iTouch).

If you like it please take the time to rate it. App ratings drive sales and are a huge marketing favor to me.

Kids Pattern Recognition - Beginner Has Been Submitted

2012-08-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

I submitted the app to Apple and Amazon a few days ago. Pending approval it should be available in the next week or so. It is already live on Nook and will be released on Google Play as soon as it is live on Apple and Amazon. Check out some screenshots to see what it is all about.

http://www.corvidapps.com/2012/08/kids-pattern-recognition-beginner.html

Kids Pattern Recognition - Beginner

2012-08-22T11:13:00.000-07:00

On App Store (iPad, iPhone, iPod touch), Nook Apps (TM), Amazon, Google Play and Nabi.

This is a kid's math game. Complete the pattern recognition puzzles to work through the levels to free the good monster aliens that were kidnapped by the bad monster aliens.

WHO: For kids ages 4-7.

WHAT: Help the hero complete the patterns and save the monsters that were kidnapped. This game has 120 ABAB and ABCABC patterns to solve in order to beat the game. Some patterns are picture based and some are number based. Patterns may alternate in color, size, shape, or value.

WHERE: In outer space.

WHY: Recognizing and analyzing patterns and sequences is a foundational skill for both math and literacy.

This app provides practice for children in:
-Recognizing patterns and sequences.
-Recognizing differences in color.
-Recognizing differences in size.
-Recognizing numbers.

Read about some of the thoughts that went into designing the game.

Watch the demo video

Android Devices for Kids Educational Use

2012-08-21T21:06:00.002-07:00

What is the best device to get for a child's use?

Tablet devices are a great technology for kids because the touch interface is less symbolic and takes a less dexterity to use. Very young children can use one, and navigate it proficiently. The problem is that the devices are expensive, and somewhat fragile.

iPad's have the largest screen size, and have a better app selection than their Android counterparts, but they are more expensive. It is hard for many parents to justify spending so much money on a device that will be used primarily by their child.

I read an interesting article that said 73% of Android users were male. I think this is one telling reason for there being less kids apps on Android. Mom's typically buy apps for kids, and very few mom's were using Android, so kids apps did not sell well. However now Android has many tablets available, and the percentages are changing because more women tend to buy Kindles and Nooks than men. I think this kind of device availability could change the market for kids apps.

Android could become dominant, or at least on a more even playing field in the kids app market, for two reasons. One they are cheaper, and two you can lock them down more easily. There are already a few apps you can download, usually for free, that allow you to create a safe "sandbox" where you can choose what apps your child is allowed to play. The sandbox app makes it so children cannot make purchases, it block advertisements, and block access to the web and app store. As far as I know Apple does not give developers the access to create apps with these capabilities.

Alternatively there are numerous Android tablets that are being released, designed specifically for kids. They even have their own markets available that are limited to only kid appropriate apps. On one hand these devices sound great, but as there is an already somewhat limited selection of kids apps on Android, these restricted markets could limit the selection even more.

Kindle Fires and Nooks are already being used by parents for kids. These two devices already have fairly robust markets, and have special designated kids categories for apps, which makes app discovery easier. I personally like the Nook for kids use, because they do not allow third party advertising in any of the apps they distribute. While this does mean less free apps for customers, it also means that there is no risk of your child being subjected to ads, appropriate or otherwise.

What do you think? Will more app developers migrate to Android, or will iOS remain where the money is?

Apps That Make Your Android Device Kid Safe
Kid Mode
Play Safe
Famigo
Note: I have only used Kid Mode myself and cannot guarantee the quality of these apps.

Android Devices Targeted Toward Kids
Nabi Tablet
Child Pad
Kurio Kids Tablet
Meep
Note: I have not used or seen any of these devices I just know that they are available or will soon be available.

These opinions are my own. The creators of these devices and/or apps have not contacted me. However if you click on the links to Amazon and buy something, I will receive a small commission from Amazon.

Learn To Read Has More Content

2012-08-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

I've added 7 more target words to Learn To Read for a total of sixteen target words in the full version. The target words are: Cat, Dog, Cow, Baby, Duck, Dino, Pig, Truck, Bug, Rose, Slug, Vase, Boat, Nail, Tree and Moon. Enjoy!

Get Learn To Read on Google Play
Get Learn To Read on Amazon Appstore
Get Learn To Read on Nook Apps (TM)

Support FAQ

2012-07-09T23:53:00.006-07:00

I can't hear the sound despite turning up the volume
If you can't hear the sound on the app despite turning up the volume, go to Settings -> Sounds and select Media Volume* and increase the volume from that screen. There are two different sound level controls, and sometimes the volume buttons do not change the one that is needed.

*These directions may not be specific to your device, but the general idea is to find the sound controls in your settings.

Learn To Read is discounted!

2012-06-21T23:05:00.000-07:00

Learn To Read is on sale for $.99 (USD) for the next week. A few weeks after that I am going to add a significant amount of new content.

What Happens When I Get to the End?

2012-05-29T22:50:00.002-07:00

My five year old daughter was giving the new game I'm working on a test run, but the game isn't done yet. I've got the puzzles working, but I haven't implemented the rewards. There are very few bells, whistles and animations to encourage and motivate her to advance through the levels. She was losing steam, but she was determined to get to the end.

"What will happen when I finish it?" she asks.

I answered, "Well, nothing. I haven't created that part yet."

Poor kid. I guess that's what happens when you play a game before it is done.