11:00
Summer vacation is a glorious time for kids...until they have to spend 8 hours in the backseat of a minivan. This hour we'll learn about the latest kids' apps that will keep them entertained on road trips. We'll also learn about the epic battle in the world of online music streaming, and we'll get a wrap-up of Comic-Con as well as the latest in gadgetry.
Guests
- John McDuling, Corporate Reporter for Quartz
- Jinny Gudmundsen, the Editor of TechwithKids.com
- Russell Holly, tech blogger for geek.com
Road Trip Apps For Kids
With the explosion of smartphone and tablet apps for all ages, itâs easy to provide a learning environment kids with games while on the open road. Jinny Gudmundsen, the editor for techwithkids.com, shares some educational apps perfect for backseat travelers. State Bingo and Road Trip US ($2.99 for iPad) Split into two games. The first, State Bingo game, is conducted by the 50 states. The states will ask questions about themselves. Kids have to answer questions to earn a spot on the bingo board. A big map within the app provides help figuring out the answer if needed. The other game, Road Trip, challenges kids to map out a route across the country from pre-determined starting and ending states. Traveling state-to-state players have to answer a question about trivia or geography for each state. Both games have an adjustable difficulty level, easy, medium and hard, which makes the game appealing to ages 7-14-years old. Road-Trip-Bingo HD ($1.99 for iPhone and iPad) This app is a digital version of the classic in-car bingo game and will encourage kids to watch out the window to observe their surroundings. It features has wonderful artwork and is self-explanatory with a two-person mode available in the iPad version. Ages 4-years-old and up. ChatterPix Kids (Free for iPhone and iPad) A simple, easy to use photo app allows kids to take pictures, turn them into an animated puppet as well as record audio allowing the puppet to speak. Ages 4-12-years old. ChatterPix for teens and adults, which features social media sharing, is also available for free. Thatâs Baloney (Free for iPhone and iPad, 99 cents for Android devices) A trivia game for kids that focuses on food. Find out new facts about a variety of subjects. Based on the common core standard. Ages 7-12-years-old Finger Hoola ($2.99 for iPhone, iPad and Android) The perfect app for late afternoon when kids are feeling antsy after driving all-day. The puzzle game challenges children to spin virtual hoops around their fingers. It challenges kids to change the speed of their spinning to match a marker found on a musical meter. Ages 5-years-old and up. Paper Ocean ($2.99 for iPhone and iPad) An ocean-theme origami game will teach kids how to fold 20 animals in simple origami shapes. The animals come alive within the app and includes games like crab soccer and racing paper boats. Ages 4-8 years-old.