Apps for Girls

In honor of Girls' Club restarting at Sensi's school this month, here are a group of apps that are all things girly. All apps are the standard .99 to $4.99 unless otherwise noted. If noted as free, they were free at the date of publishing.

image via: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toca-tea-party/id424174500?mt=8

Toca Tea Party: A take anywhere tea party to play alone or with your friends.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toca-tea-party/

image via:http://www.wired.com/geekmom/2010/10/mathgirl-addition-house-iphone-app/

MathGirl Number Garden and Math Girl Addition House: For girls learning addition and multiplication. Count flowers, recognize patterns, earn stars to buy things for your garden and house.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mathgirl-number-garden
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mathgirl-addition-house

image via: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/adventure-7wonderlicious-girls/id413970752?mt=8

The Adventures of the 7Wonderlicious Girls: Role modeling short stories cards about intelligence, exploration and adventure.
 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/adventure-7wonderlicious-girls

image via: http://www.designmom.com/2010/09/paper-town-friends/

Paper Town Friends: A paper doll app that looks like actual paper. Many characters and outfits to choose from.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/paper-town-friends 

image via: http://us.dk.com/static/cs/us/11/features/apps/legominifigureapp/

Lego Minifigure Ultimate Sticker Book:  Okay, not really girly but it lets her play with her brother's toys without destroying them. Considering the real world version of this book is over $10 on Amazon, and that she can play with the stickers over and over, this is great.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lego-minifigure-ultimate-stickers

image via: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/princess-dress-up/id545920942?mt=8

Princess Dress-Up: Free, with in-app purchase for 1.99. Lovely graphics, but the princesses are limited to white skin and blond, red, brunette and black hair, and only 4 backgrounds.  That being said, choose options from 12 categories including dresses, hairstyles, pants, eyes and earrings. Finally a princess app that is not sickeningly sweet or Disney.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/princess-dress-up

image via: https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/my-nail-salon/id551016532?mt=8

My Nail Salon:  A game with customers to satisfy, but lots of cool nail art options to play around with. Plus no mess while they play.
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/my-nail-salon
Nail Salon Pro HD: a more grown up version, without the game play.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nail-salon-pro-hd 

image via: http://www.funeducationalapps.com/2012/02/butterfly-brunch-math-apps-promo-codes-give-away.html

Butterfly Brunch: a simple coordinate plotting game. Feed the butterfly at the coordinate and move the caterpillar to the top of the flower.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/butterfly-brunch 

image via: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toca-store/id442705759?mt=8

Toca Store: Play store on the go. Uses basic math and two player option good for teaching taking turns
 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toca-store


The last one is not so girly, but fun anyway. I must say that while researching this post I was saddened by the lack of science, math and engineering apps for girls. I would love to see a chemistry app to formulate your own cosmetics or a doll house building app. If they could figure out a way to have a self contained SciGirls app I know I would buy it. There is plenty of room for developers to grow in this area. Let me know what gems I may have missed. Have some great eplay with these.



resources: 
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/mobile-app-lists/apps-girls 
http://digitalmediadiet.com/?p=1714 

Taciturn Tuesday: Feeling Prickly

image via: http://www.janeprophet.com/gunnison/?p=8

Using Google Docs Slide Show: Social Stories

We have had a rash of destructive events in our household recently. I have been trying to convey to Sensi how hard it makes it for all of us when she destroys things.

I went to Google Docs intending to explore how to make a Halloween costume social story when it occurred to me that I could use the slide show to make a social story for Sensi's destructive impulses too. 


Here is the basics:
Go to Google Docs, click on  the presentation icon. 
This will give you an example of what one looks like. Click on get started. 
If you already have Google docs then go to My Drive.

image via: http://macdonaldtechforteachers.wikispaces.com/Google+Docs+-+Students

  Click on the Create icon
Then choose Presentation

image via: http://support.google.com/docs/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1705254

 A new window will open for you to choose your theme 
(this can be changed later.)
Write out your title page

image via: http://office.about.com/od/AltOfficeSuites/ss/Google-Docs-Image-Gallery_6.htm

Go to Insert if you want to add pictures or word art
When you are satisfied then click on Slide (next to the Insert drop down menu.)
Choose New Slide and that will be the next page in your social story. 
Repeat as needed.

This will give you a slide show. 
Now you just put the steps or message you want to convey to your child and add pictures if you would like.

When you are done, go to Files, you can send it as a pdf to teachers, print it out, or just save it to show your child from your computer.  I prefer to print mine, since I can then get Sensi's attention when we are reading them. Bring the story to her, in a way. That doesn't mean that she likes to read them, but at least I know I am giving her the message in something more than a verbal reprimand. 

The general details of a social story are: 
Use no more than one directive sentence and up to five or so descriptive sentences. Use positive language and refrain from using always, and use usually or sometimes instead. 
Have fun with your own social stories for your kids. 
Here is the one I made for Sensi: 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1mRmiDo1seZRtxAZwI2r2kWtbB_zoTuDalItlcqYfY18/present#slide=id.p


Resources: 
https://docs.google.com/document/d/10AP_p_CLzMhzd_lBsOWSlOVZWTQSe1Avki1yviPY4GQ/edit?hl=en 
 

Post AIT - Two Months

image via: http://storage.cloversites.com/duluthgospeltabernacle/site_images/page13_picture0.jpg

I was talking to Sensi's Occupational Therapist (OT) and we were discussing Sensi's presence in her surroundings. It has become apparent that she is "here" more often then checked out and in her head. She is paying more attention to what others are saying and responding to it. She was trying to fasten her shoe and someone said something about her having a hard time doing that, she replied "I'm learning..."  She also has been saving up things she wants to say to use at an appropriate time, and is finding those moments more and more. 

image via: http://jasonrenshaw.typepad.com/jason_renshaws_web_log/2010/05/without-reflection-we-may-be-planning-to-stand-still.html

One windy day we were outside waiting for the bus.  We agreed on blowing bubbles while we were waiting. The bubbles blew up and away, fast and furious. She came up to me, looked at me and the bubble bottle and said "Jeepers, that's a lot of fun!" The "Jeepers" comes from her Franny's Feet show, but she used it at the right time and gave it the right emphasis and meaning.  I also find it interesting that the day after her school teacher and I were discussing where her iPad cover could have gone, it appeared suddenly in her bedroom.  All these things could have happened on their own as part of her normal development, but it really does seem, even if it is because of expectations being met that she is continuing to make progress.
She has still been having some issues with toileting. She had been dry at night for the most part since this summer.  Now she is only dry about 50% of the time. I am not sure what is causing this, but it is something I have noticed. 

image via: http://1063thebuzz.com/april-fools-prank-video-contest/

Her other quirk that has had some odd results is she has been plugging her ears with her fingers to keep the noise out. Several weeks ago she added wetting her fingers in her mouth and then putting her fingers in her ears to keep the sound out. The sensitivity to noise is something I expected and accepted. The giving herself wet willies all the time, not so much. She has had one ear infection and I had to take her to Urgent Care last weekend for ear pain. She had a plug of wax the size of a pencil eraser blocking her ear canal. I talked with her OT about writing a social story for her to have at Theraplay, home and school about not sticking her fingers in her ears. 

image via: https://www.facebook.com/SaintPaulPublicSchools/photos_stream?ref=ts

She is still snubbing her lunch for the most part. But apparently she is three for three with the chicken drumstick meal. I have taken to keeping the big carton of goldfish and some breakfast bars in the car for after school snacks when I pick her up for her therapies. She is still 97% in height and 95% in weight, so I am not terribly concerned about her missing a few meals. She will eventually adjust to school lunch again and we will forget all about her snubbing her food at school.  She is doing better and better, and that is all I have been hoping for.

Tranquil Thursday: Insight timer

image via:  http://www.spotlightsix.com/iphone-meditation-timer/ 

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/insight-timer-meditation-timer/id337472899?mt=8