In yesterday’s post, I offered some ideas for free apps to add to children’s iPads for creating. Today I am giving a few recommendations for paid apps in that same category that are, in my opinion, well worth the money.
As I mentioned yesterday, I think that it’s essential that these apps are accompanied by some adult guidance. Of course, children will need to explore and create on their own. However, they will also become much more engaged with some suggested ideas and encouragement. That is why I am adding a few resources with each app that I list so parents/caregivers/teachers will have examples and recommended activities to which they can refer.
Here are some of the paid apps that are great for creating:
Green Screen by Do Ink ($2.99): This is the easiest green screen app I’ve ever used. If you record someone or something in front of a green screen, you can easily insert whatever still picture or video you would like to replace the screen. Now, most families don’t have a green screen at home. But there are plenty of DIY suggestions on the web for making them out of various materials such as poster board or pizza boxes. (You can also find some for less than $20 on Amazon.) Teachers who have interactive white boards can try this idea for making a quick green screen. Here is some help from Do Ink on using the app, but their video tutorial (included in the app) is very useful, too. Here is an entire Pinterest Board of Green Screen production ideas.
TypeDrawing ($1.99): The TypeDrawing app does exactly what its name implies; it allows you to draw with words. This can be anything from adding words to a picture or creating an entire landscape out of words. My students love this app, and always amaze me with the variety of products that come from using it. Here is one neat idea for doing a portrait. You can find some other examples of its use here. One project my students did with TypeDrawing was to add their character traits to a photo that symbolized them in some way. This app really lends itself to app-smashing, too (using it in combination with other apps to create). For example, create something in TypeDrawing, and then use it as a background in the Green Screen app.
Book Creator ($4.99 on iOS, $2.49 on Google Play): I am going to admit that I have not used this one in the classroom yet. However, I have read an extraordinary amount of positive reviews of this app on education blogs. If your child has any aspirations to become an author and/or illustrator, this may be the one app worth buying. Users can create e-books, PDF’s, and even videos. Imagine the fun of seeing a book published by you on your iBooks shelf. Scrapbooks, fiction, how-to manuals, and whatever your imagination dreams up can be produced with this app. Here is a Pinterest Board full of ideas just in case you don’t know where to start.
If you are looking for more apps for kids, along with reviews, you may want to head on over to Graphite, which has an extensive list and allows you to filter your search using several criteria.
I have used Book Creator a tonne. It is awesome. If you change the language on your iPad, it changes the language in Book Creator too – which has been great for our German teachers who want the kids to make books in German. It is super easy to use and the app developers are really, really interested in how teachers are using it so if you ever have any questions etc, they are only too happy to respond.
I am glad that you have had a good experience with it – and that is fascinating to learn that it changes languages, too! What a great tool!