Cabin Fever

Snow days in Alabama are rare.  Unexpected snow days are even more rare.  Three snow days in a row are unheard of around these parts. So, what do you do with extra time on your hands when you are stuck in the house?  I looked for apps that cure my cabin fever.

1.                      Old Fart Booth: (I apologize for the title, but the app served the purpose for what I needed.) Tuesday morning, before the snow of 2014 hit Alabama, we celebrated the 100^th day of school.  Students took each other’s pictures in this app and mad themselves older…a lot older.  They were so funny looking at themselves.  They put their side-by-side pictures in picstitch.  Their pictures were printed and wrote about what they would be doing when they were 100.  Even though the writing was hurried, the content was hilarious.  One student wrote that when they were 100, they would be sitting in a rocking chair eating a banana.  Here is a sample of the two apps used that I did with my son. 

2.                      Card Creator:  This is a high tech version of Charades made for kids.  It is similar the game Heads Up that you may have seen being played while waiting in line everywhere. What’s unique about this free version is that you can add your own deck of cards for students to act out. It also videos the student who is acting out the words.  I have a deck for my science vocabulary ready for next week.  Students hold the iPad/ iPhone on their forehead.  The other students act out the word.  Get it correct, tilt it forward. Incorrect, tilt it backwards.  I can’t wait to teach this and get it center ready next week.

3.                      Waterlogue:  Here is where the boredom took over.  I was looking at the top paid and free apps.  I love photography apps.  When I saw this one in the top ten, I paid the $2.99 to check it out.  It takes your pictures and turns them into watercolor paintings.  It has several options for depth of color and turns ordinary photos into some pretty amazing pieces.  There was a lot of trial and error finding the best pictures to have painted.  

4.                      Flappy Bird:  This is the number one free app. It is addictive and a waste of time, but I can’t put it down.  Educationally, it is a stretch but it does involve some problem solving.  You could set a timer and have them take a screen shot of their best score.  This picture could be a writing prompt.  I will probably just put it in my Friday Reward app folder.

5.                      Don’t forget Digital learning day is February 5.  Have you taken the pledge?  Check out the digital learning website for tools, tips, and lessons.

Have a great, warm weekend!