Great App to Filter the Crap from YouTube - tinyTube

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Don't you hate it when your child is watching his/her favorite video via YouTube on your iPhone or iPad, and you accidentally select a video that some loser has decided to edit themselves by inserting curse words or adding snippets of their own immature animation? Since when did Dora get such a potty mouth? Then you frantically snatch your phone from your child (usually resulting in a cry of frustration), and shut off the video. I've been there a few times, but thankfully, here is a great app to keep this from happening again - the tinyTube app.

The tinyTube app works like this: first use your existing YouTube account or create a new one to be used just for your kids' videos. Then, on your account, save the kid-friendly videos to your favorites. Next, select the tinyTube app on your device, and press refresh at the top. The app automatically takes the videos from your favorites list, and displays them in the app. Now all your child needs to do is learn to select the tinyTube app icon instead of YouTube (I moved this app icon right next to the YouTube app to help). Voila, no stressing about Calliou suddenly becoming violent or your child's favorite character coming upon an unfortunate death.

The app is only $.99 and I feel well worth it.

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Build a Bug Workshop?... Create Cute Bugs With Your Toddler

Bug Builder App
$1.99




If you're like me, bugs make you a little squeamish...but with this cute app for your iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad,  bugs are adorable and...creative.

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The Bug Builder app by Tickle Tap Apps is full of bright colors, charming music, and fun sound effects. It is a very simple concept; in fact when I purchased the app, I was thinking that you could choose what kind of eyes the bug would have, antenna, legs, etc., and was a little disappointed at just how simple it really was.

I later showed the app to my two year old daughter however, and realized that this simplicity is perfect for toddlers (which we all know have shorter attention spans). Toddlers love creating things, but don't want to be patient and go through a lot of steps and details to get to their final product. Duh mom! The app developers recommend this app for children ages 3-5, though I'd say some two year olds can grasp this app also.

Let me explain this simple concept: first you choose from 4 different designs for the body of your bug. Then you choose from several different colors to draw on your bug. Next you tap the smiley bug face in the top right-hand corner, and your design is placed in an "egg". Now it is your job to hatch it! You tap on the egg six times, and voila, your bug creation is hatched with a face, wings, antenna, legs, and whatever else they may have. Then you can click on the camera image in the top right-hand corner, and take a picture of your bug, which is saved in your photos section on your device. Goodness, I probably have at least 20 bugs in my phone! What can I say, my daughter loves this app! She laughs so hard when her bug hatches and she sees what crazy creation she's made.

What's also great is that there are many different bug features the app adds onto your  bug, so you're sure to have a different-looking bug each time!

The app is $1.99.

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