The best apps to give and get

So we’ve been hard at work testing apps and have found some wonderful ones for kids of all ages. Save this list for guidance just in case you get an iTunes gift card over the holidays. You can thank us later.

â€" Margaret Webb Pressler

PLAY TIME

Where’s My Water?

iPad, iPhone and iPod touch,
99 cents: Swampy the underground alligator can’t get any water for his shower, so you have to remove dirt to make a path for the water to get to his pipes. But to do that, you have to know how water will behave as it falls through various obstacles. And make sure you avoid the sludge! The really cute and colorful graphics make this challenging game fun to try over and over.

Tiny Tower

iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, free: Some free apps are fun only when you make purchases within the game, but you don’t need to buy anything to have fun with this game. There is no real goal, except maybe world domination: You build your tower one floor at a time, and the floors become homes or businesses for the “bitizens” that live in the tower. The businesses earn money so you can build more floors. Our first resident was Clayton Grant, and we read on his “BitBook” account that he didn’t much like the job we gave him in the pizza parlor on the second floor!

Go Car Go

iPad, iPhone and iPod touch,
99 cents: The scribbled-in-your-notebook look of this app is fresh and different. You get a box, you get wheels, you put them together and see if your vehicle can make it through the course. It takes real thought as the courses get harder and the vehicles more complicated.

THINKING TIME

Rocket Math

iPad, iPhone and iPod touch,
99 cents: We know practicing your math facts isn’t fun, but there are lots of smart people trying to design apps that will at least make you think it’s fun. This app clearly succeeds: You build a funky rocket, launch it, then pop the right answers to math questions to make the rocket fly. It’s rewarding and entertaining, and it can be set to differen t levels and types of math.

Stack the States

iPad, iPhone and iPod touch,
99 cents: There may not be a more fun way to learn your state capitals. When you get the answer right, you drag the state in question to a crate at the bottom and drop it there. You win when you get enough right answers that your stack of states reaches the bar on the screen. You can also play with state facts, geography, abbreviations and more.

Bobo Explores Light

iPad only, $4.99: This in­cred­ibly rich e-book not only is fabulous to browse through, thanks to terrific technology, graphics and design, but it’s also full of amazing information about light in all its forms. Did you know that the sun has enough gas to burn for 4 billion more years? We didn’t (but we’re glad). Bobo the robot, who guides you through this book, does all kinds of cool things and is adorable.

FlipCards

iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, free: Sometimes you have to memorize facts, and when you do, nothing beats flashcards. This app offers an exciting, easy and helpful way to make flashcards â€" about anything â€" on your screen of choice. Includes free access to an educational flashcard database to share your creations or use those made by others.

ANYTIME

“Millie & the Lost Key”

iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, $1.99: This full-length e-book is more than just a good story. It is the sequel to “Millie Was Here,” a short, adorable and free mini-book that introduces this cute and heroic canine. Follow Millie on her adventures as unpredictable things happen on each “page,” thanks to interactive features including pop-up videos of Millie doing silly things. You can read the book yourself and play with the feature or listen to the narrator. You can even turn off the extra features and read it like a regular book.

Strip Designer

iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, $2.99: Everyone knows that drawing mustaches on photographs is fun. But who prints out photos anymore? Enter Strip Designer, which lets you turn one or more of your saved photos into hilarious cartoons with added symbols, bubble text or exclamations of your own creation. When you’re done, you can share your final product with friends and family â€" mustaches and all.

Faces iMake

iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, $1.99: This artmaking app makes you realize why collages are so much fun. Once you choose a base (mostly faces), you add pictures of food, candy, toys or other symbols to create features. It’s simple to use, but the possibilities are endless. This is an artmaking app for everyone, even those who aren’t so good at art.

source: www.washingtonpost.com