{App Review} Care for Our World – an amazing app for Earth Day (or any day)

Posted on April 22, 2017 by OMazing Kids

Be still my heart! Care for Our World, one of my favorite books and play sets, is now also available as an interactive app for the iPad. It’s perfect for Earth Day and any other day.

Here’s what I absolutely LOVE about this app:

Intuitive interface, options to toggle on/off several options separately (autoplay, narration, music, sounds and “learn words”), all interactive elements make sense and add to the story, the nature sound effects are amazing and relaxing, the voiceovers are very well done, text is highlighted as it is read, pages have forward and back arrows in the bottom corners making it very clear how pages are turned and the ability to jump to a particular page.
The beautiful rhyming words flow easily as you read or listen to it being read to you & inspire kids to think about all the gifts of nature and living creatures from forest, jungle, or sea that live in our world and a plea to take care of them.
The illustrations by Alexandra Ball are breathtaking! Really more works of art than just illustrations. This app brings them alive in an amazing way.
I love the gentleness of both the words & illustrations. Both evoke feelings of calmness & kindness. I love that the message of caring for the earth is done in a kid-friendly way.
Includes a coloring book activity section with “fill” and “draw” options, three brush size options in “draw” mode”, the ability to zoom in on a particular area of the picture to easily color small details, and the option to save to an art gallery and view it later.
Includes a virtual playset with 4 backgrounds, interactive characters and animals that can be added/removed, resized, flipped, layered and moved (wonderful to use to work on vocabulary, following directions, spatial concepts, adjectives, etc….) and the option to save to an art gallery and view it later. I hope they add an ocean background in a future update. It would also be nice to have the option to have the background nature sounds on while in this part of the app (the music could still play but the nature background sounds did not)
I liked that pictures from the coloring book and playset are all saved within the app rather than filling up your iPad’s Camera Roll.
Includes an Animal Encyclopedia area with kid-friendly facts, animal sound effects and real photos. My only wishes in this area for a future update would be voiceovers so kids could tap and have the facts read to them.
The story and illustrations have lots of opportunities for kids yoga: mountain, ocean breath, fish (sign), crab, shark, frog, snake, flower, buzzing bee breath, sloth, apple picking stretch, forward fold picking veggies, raccoon (gyan mudra mask), sheep, bear, tree, bird, squirrel, owl, spider (partners pose), butterfly, ladybug (child’s pose + wings), cricket (palming w/ chirp), cat, upward facing dog, bunny breath, turtle, camel, elephant, giraffe, lion, monkey (chest thymus taps), gyan mudra looking binoculars, koala self hug, kangaroo, penguin egg (child’s pose), discuss ways to be kind to: myself, other people, animals & our planet Earth, coloring relaxation (using the calming nature sound effects from the app and free printable coloring pages below).

This app is an amazing bargain at only $2.99 and is highly recommended!

App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/care-for-our-world/id1097364668?mt=8, iPad-only

App Developer: https://www.facebook.com/SunbreakGames/

Publisher: https://www.facebook.com/liveinspiredeveryday/

Author: https://www.facebook.com/karen.robbins.589?fref=ufi&rc=p

Illustrator: https://www.facebook.com/AlexandraBallIllustration

Here is a free printable 6-page PDF coloring booklet to go with the book, playset and app: care for our world coloring sheets and peace pledges – OMazing Kids

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Facebook Messaging for OMazing Kids: http://m.me/OMazingKidsYoga
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
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Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
.
Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 27 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.

Earth Day Giveaway from Your True Nature

Posted on April 18, 2012 by OMazing Kids

Want some fun eco-friendly products to use in your kids yoga classes? Then check out Your True Nature!

Your True Nature has over 150 eco-friendly “Advice from Nature” gifts available on their website and in shops across the US.

Here is a “sneek peek” at a few of my favorite Your True Nature products…

My very favorite item is their Advice from Nature Mini-Cards Tin – you get a tin of 72 mini illustrated cards (1″ x 3″) each containing heart-tickling wisdom from nature. I have a set at my desk and pick a card each morning to get my “Advice from Nature” for that day. I also have a set to use in OMazing Kids yoga classes. We pick a card and do a yoga pose or activity inspired by the card 🙂

A few of my other favorite Your True Nature products:

Gotta love their fun bookmarks! They have bunches to choose from….. here a couple of my faves:

Love these great mini-books to use with older kids or teens……

Here is a free kids yoga lesson plan that I wrote for Your True Nature inspired by “Advice from a River” : kids yoga lesson plan inspired by advice from a river – your true nature (2 page PDF). It is also available on the Your True Nature website, along with other lesson plans, at: http://www.yourtruenature.com/yoga.

Website: http://www.yourtruenature.com/

Sign up for free materials at: http://www.yourtruenature.com/free-nature-materials

Free screensavers at: http://www.yourtruenature.com/downloadable-screensavers

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/YourTrueNature

Want to enter for a chance to win a $60.00 shopping spree on the True Nature website? ($50.00 of products + $10.00 to cover shipping).

How to enter the giveaway:

Enter via the “Giveaways” tab on the OMazing Kids FB page (http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga?v=app_197602066931325) & mention how you would be using the Your True Nature products with your child or the children you work with. (comments must be in English; must include full first & last name; 1 entry per Facebook account).
For one additional entry, leave a comment on this blog post. Must mention how you would be using the Your True Nature products with your child or the children you work with. (comments must be in English; 1 entry per person; must have a valid e-mail address)
Tips: You increase your odds of winning by entering via both methods. Entering via the “Giveaways” tab will save me the step of having to obtain your mailing address to confirm that you live in the USA – the info you complete on the tab comes directly to me via an e-mail.

Entry Deadline: Enter by any of the methods listed above by 11:59pm CST on April 20, 2012.

Rules of Participation:

Must be 18 years or older with a valid e-mail address.
Only USA entries are being allowed for this particular giveaway.
Employees or family members of OMazing Kids, LLC or the product’s company are not eligible.
No purchase required.
Comments submitted via the Enter Giveaways Here…. tab on Facebook may be copied & pasted into the blog post.
Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received.
One (1) winner will be chosen via a random drawing of valid entries on April 21, 2012.
The winner will get a discount code via e-mail for $60.00 from Your True Nature. The winner will be able to use the code to purchase ~$50.00 of products & ~10.00 of shipping on the Your True Nature website. Any questions about how to use the discount code will be answered by Your True Nature.
The winners will be notified via e-mail and will be posted on the blog post.
If a winner only entered via blog post, their mailing address will be obtained via e-mail.
In the event that a winner does not respond within 24 hours, a new winner will be selected via a random drawing.
The winner’s e-mail address will be forwarded to the company and they will be e-mailing the discount code directly to the winner.
Prize Value: retail price $60.00

Other Legal Stuff: I know it’s just eco-friendly nature-inspired products but just to be safe here is all the legal stuff…

This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You are providing your information to OMazing Kids, LLC and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for our internal purposes in relation to the administration of the giveaway. Your information will NOT be sold to any outside parties.

Indemnification/Hold Harmless: By participating, entrants agree: (a) to the decisions of OMazing Kids, LLC, which shall be final in all respects; (b) to release, discharge, and hold harmless OMazing Kids, LLC and its respective representatives and agents from all liability, injuries, losses or damages of any kind to persons or property resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the acceptance, possession, misuse or use of a prize, or from participation in and/or entry into the Contest or any Contest-related activity and for acceptance, delivery, or use of any prize; (c) that the foregoing parties have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation or guaranty, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, relating to any prize.