Free Sago Mini Forest Flyer Winter App

One of our favorite app makers, Sago Sago, has a released a winterized version of their Mini Forest Flyer app and it's FREE until Dec.31st.

Download from the App Store here.

Screenshot from Sago Mini Forest Flyer Winter app

Toca Hair Salon Me - Toca Boca App Review

We at the One Quarter Family LOVE Toca Boca apps! You can read our reviews of some of their other apps HERE and HERE.

They've been busy lately focusing on their sister company, Sago Sago, it seems, but they are coming out with a new Hair Salon app TODAY and I'm super excited! (Is it wrong that I get excited about apps marketed for kids?)

Check out the preview video:

    

I'm really excited, because I know the Little Man will be excited. If you remember, it was me searching for a hair cutting app for him in the first place that got us started on our Toca Boca addiction. Their original Toca Hair Salon was their first app we downloaded. This new app takes it to a whole other level and it looks like fun. Can't wait to download it!

Also check out our other iPad app reviews.

Special Needs Apps

If you have an iPad/iPhone and a special needs child, it can be hard to know which apps to download (or pay big bucks for!) You want to make sure you're getting quality. Well, the Friendship Circle created a site to help everyone out!

The Friendship Circle is a non-profit organization that helps support people with special needs. Developers can submit their apps for review and volunteers check them out (that must be fun!).

It was actually Autisable that turned me on to this site:The Friendship Circle App Review

You can search for apps for particular issues you want to focus on, like communication or life skills. You can also subscribe to their email list where they'll send you a weekly digest of the newest apps.

Some of the apps are even free (yay!).

App Review: Toca Boca

Late last year we discovered a Swedish children's app making company called Toca Boca. They have loveable characters, interesting scenarios and fun sounds and music. The lively colours are really appealing and remind me of my first solo trip to Sweden, back before my motherhood days. Awwww.

Really, these apps are fun and encourage creativity. I even had them loaded on my iPad mini and got my co-workers into them over our lunch hour. These games transcend language and age barriers - which also makes them perfect for kids with special needs. They are fun, but not frustrating, encouraging imagination and not goal-based perfection or scoring points.

The first app we picked up by Toca Boca was Toca Hair Salon because I noticed my son liked pretending to cut hair. Luckily, we never leave him alone with scissors! I decided I would let him indulge that fantasy by finding an app for that and there was one!

 

They also had a Christmas edition. My son chopped Santa's hair, blew dry it to oblivion and then snapped this pic of it!

Hilarious!

Santa is such a good sport!










In the regular version, he loves cutting off everyone's hair. The characters make little scared noises (can you blame them?) as he shaves them down to the scalp. Then he dresses them up with bows and hats (it's all about the accessories!)

Many of their apps allow you to take pictures of your creations, but you can also take a pic of yourself with the characters. Look at this one he took while in the car during our Florida vacation:

That one was Toca Tailor, which lets you dress up characters. They also have apps for you (let's be honest now, they are so much fun!) or your child to play doctor, or DJ (with Toca Band) or even chef (with Toca Kitchen). Just a head's up, the Christmas version and the Kitchen Monster version are currently FREE, so jump on the deal if you want to try them.

The regular price of all their apps is $2.99.

We have almost all of their apps and the Little Man plays with at least one of them each evening during his limited iPad time. Not sure there's a better endorsement than that!



Disclaimer: we were not compensated in any way for this review. We just like them!

App Review: The Wonkidos

We've been working on potty training. There are lots of pictures and posts by people using the iPad and their kid's addiction to it to help make training go smoother. I am not against this. It looks silly, but I'm all for anything that WORKS. 

Enter Evan and the Wonkidos! I downloaded their Going Potty app and showed it to the Little Man. He likes it! He watches it over and over again! Oh, thank goodness!
The app was created by a mom of an autistic boy, so she knows what she's doing!

I downloaded all the others also: Getting Dressed, What To Do If You Are Lost - all excellent topics.

The fact is, he likes them and responds to them, and I think we're making progress. I liked them so much, I contacted the creator and she was kind enough to allow me to download the Visual Organizer.

Anyone with a child who craves routines knows that letting them know what will happen next in their day gives them a sense of security and control. Sometimes, they just need to be reminded what is expected of them. Having the day laid out as a visual, and not just words, means it can be used from a very young age.

There are also separate logins for adults (parents, educators) and the child, so you can communicate with each other using the same device. It's super handy.

It comes with default pictures for many activities, but you can also personalize it with your own. Overall, I found the organizer easy to use and versatile enough for many situations.

You can check out the Visual Organizer and other Brighter Futures for Beautiful Minds apps here.

Thanks so much again to Tricia, first of all for creating these apps, but also for giving me the organizer for free. We really appreciate it!

Want iPad!

The Little Man with his addiction

I wasn't a big fan of the iPad when it first came out. I went for the cheaper Blackberry Playbook first. I liked it and aside from some hardware issues (had to return 3 before I got one that worked!) it is compact and durable - great for little destructive hands.




I did find a few decent apps, but started to learn there were many more educational apps, many specifically for autism, made for the iPad. By now I had more disposable income and decided, silly me, that I would get an iPad to share with the Little Man. I bought it and filled it with educational apps. Some stuff for me, but mostly stuff for him. Oh how naive I was!

Turns out the iPad quickly became his and frankly, I wasn't a fan of its size. When the iPad mini came out, I decided to buy myself one just for ME.
Now I guess we're both addicted.

Speaking of addicted, I tried to cut his usage down, so on Sunday morning he got bored and started saying, "want iPad, want iPad, want iPad, mama, want iPad, iPad READY!, want iPad, want iPad...." over and over again. Hey, at least he's talking!

I said, "no, Little Man, you are addicted!"

He got really angry at me and said, "not dicted!" and pointed to himself, "Little Man," he corrected me. He thought I had changed his name to Addicted and was VERY upset by this.
Omg, I have the cutest kid.

In the coming weeks, I'll be sharing reviews of our most addictive and helpful apps so I can get you hooked, too :)

DisAbility - There Must Be An App For That

The Little Man got approved for the Disability Tax Credit, much to both my surprise and joy. He qualifies until 2027. This also means we can open a Registered Disability Savings Plan. We're also allowed to claim as of 2010, so we'd have to resubmit our taxes.

Still haven't heard from QC (not surprised) to see if we are entitled to the Disability Supplement. It would be weird if Canada approved and QC did not, but weirder things have been known to happen. Anyway, it should help because therapy is stupid expensive. It's just weird that the CLSC didn't deem him disabled enough for free services, but the government does. Everyone is reading the SAME report! But whatever. I can't complain. Just have to keep truckin'.

Anyway, I got a 3rd call from an "autism company" - for lack of a better term - these people who like trying to make money off of worried/stressed out/desperate parents. They create these special "programs" off the top of their heads and then try to tell you they're the best. My fault for the initial inquiry I made, but now she keeps calling me. If I wanted her services, I would have called back, no? She was actually still in the running until this last call where she clarified that a speech therapist does NOT in fact work with the child, an "interventionist" does. This interventionist of hers has a degree in Social Science. She does not have a degree in Speech Language Pathology. I was told this was an advantage because it "saves you money!" No, it's not. I explained that I'm happy to save money by buying cheap socks, but speech therapy is not something I want to skimp on. Really lady? And what the fuck does a social science major know about autism?
Next!

I'm like 99% sure he's got apraxia. I got an iPad and downloaded like, 3 million free "autism apps" and he's having fun with them. Visual focus is not an issue for him, but active listening can be. Although, I should compare him with neurotypical 3 year olds for that; he's probably not out of the ordinary. He understands everything. It really only seems to be a production issue. I'm gonna look and see if there's an app for that! LOL

He's a week away from his 3rd birthday, which blows my mind. Time flies! It feels like just yesterday his little bald head lay next to me in bed in a puddle of my milk.
He's so lovely. He's like, magical or something. I can't explain it. He just speaks to my soul.