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"Top 5 Kids Apps\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nABC Farm\n\nAges 3-8Overall rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars\nWhy we like it: Your retinal display sizzles with this collection of 210 (or so) clear open-source photos of farm life, and farm animals. Each is organized by it's starting letter (for example, R is for Rooster). New to this version -- the ability to toggle between Spanish or English. Many of the pictures also have simple letter related games or pre-screened YouTube videos. Check out a video preview here.\nNeed to know: You'll need an online connection in order to view the videos and the background music can drive you from the room, but it can be adjusted in the parent options. \nEase of use: 9/10Educational: 10/10Entertaining: 9/10\n$2.99\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMath vs. Zombies\n\nAges 6-12Overall rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars\nWhy we like it: Can you stop the zombies? Certainly. But only if you can successfully enter the answers to +, -, \u221A\u2211 and x math problems before they get to you. The better you do, the harder the problems. Check out a video preview here. \nNeed to know: If the zombie touches your hand, don't worry. But you'll need to do better if you want to get to a harder level, with faster zombies. Earlier versions of this game used a gun which has been replaced by a freezing ray.  Don't expect a lot of higher order thinking with this type of math game -- it's more about providing a little sugar to help the medicine go down.\nEase of use: 9/10Educational: 8/10Entertaining: 9/10\n$0.99\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSpacebook \n\nAges 7-upOverall rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars\nWhy we like it: This is the kind of app Carl Sagan would've most certainly had on his iPad if they were around when he was a boy. Like a customized browser for space photos, Spacebook contains over 5000 clear astronomy photos from NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day website.\nNeed to know: This app won't work unless your iPad is connected to the Internet. This app isn't flashy, but it certainly delivers on the content. \nEase of use: 9/10Educational: 9/10Entertaining: 7/10\n$2.99\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIBM Think\n\nAges 10-upOverall rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars\nWhy we like it: Turn your iPad into a custom hands-on museum for big powerful ideas -- things like maps, social change, inventions and cultural shifts. Using the ingenious  sunflower-like menu, you can zoom in or out by touching the petals. Content includes 5 interactive modules: seeing, mapping, discover, understanding, believing and acting. \nNeed to know: This is the kind of app that's nice to have in your library to increase the chance that your child might stumble into a big idea. \nEase of use: 8/10Educational: 10/10Entertaining: 9/10\nFree\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGoodnight ABC\n\nAges 2-upOverall rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars\nWhy we like it: Here's a playful way to discover each letter and its related sounds by way of 26 screens full of animated surprises. There are some clever twists. Each screen has a day and night mode, plus a coloring activity where you fill in the illustrations with your fingertip, and a labeling mode that associates words with objects. Check out a demo video here\nNeed to know: Once a child puts a scene to sleep, it won't wake up, unless you move to another scene which could cause some frustration. All in all, this is a fun, well designed pre-reading activity. \nEase of use: 7/10Educational: 9/10Entertaining: 9/10\n$1.99\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChris Crowell is a veteran kindergarten teacher and contributing editor to Children's Technology Review, a web-based archive of articles and reviews on apps, technology toys and video games.\nNothing grabs children's attention like the unknown, and this week's apps will pique your little one's interest with themes like zombies and space. Throw some math and science into the mix to stretch those young minds. Click through the gallery to see which apps to download this week.\nSEE ALSO: Maintain Your Memory With Brain Fitness Games\n \nChildren's Technology Review shared these five top apps for kids with us from their comprehensive monthly database of kid-tested reviews. The site covers everything from math and counting to reading and phonics. Download a free issue of CTR here.\nCheck back next week for more Top Kids Apps from Children's Technology Review.\nImage courtesy of Flickr, flickingerbrad"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/03/17/kids-apps-17/>