What makes pirates being afraid? - another Afrikaans app for the iPad

I found this cute adaptation of an Afrikaans book, "Waarvoor is seerowers bang?", as an application for the iPad.

Arrr! Everyone knows pirates aren’t afraid of anything! But when something on deck starts smelling worse than the breath of a hammerhead shark, Sanmarie suspects there might be one thing that makes her fearless pirate dad and his crew tremble in their dirty boots ... This hilarious, rip-roaring, rhyming pirate adventure by well-known children’s author Jaco Jacobs comes to life on your iPad – thanks to innovative animation, fun music and lots of interactive elements."

                                                                           - Waarvoor is seeerowers bang?

The story is written and narrated by Jaco Jacobs, with the illustrations by Chris Venter.
It was developed by Lapa and Full Circle cooperation.


There are three features available:

- Children can read the story by themselves.

- The story is read to them and they are able to interact with the animations on the screen. The animations include touch elements, flickering green arrows and an extra sidebar with extra character comments.

- There is also a puzzle game available.


This is definitely the small fee worth, especially since the hard copy is three times the price of the application.

I could not wait to hear what makes a pirate afraid!
Very cute!


Related post:

- An Afrikaans app on the iPad: Die Drie Varkies

The stories she tells

The conversations in the car on our way back home:

(Where does she get it?)

 

She sees a car that's been in an accident, and tells me that her car is also broken, but that they can't fix it in "the other world." They do not have glue or tape to fix cars in her world. She is having trouble now to get back to her house in that world.

The pink house that's in the clouds, and that is too far away!

 

Her dad and I won't be able to come and visit her now!

"I am very sorry, okay Mom! Okay?"

 

I have to write this down, because by tomorrow I would have forgotten it. One day I would like to remember how she stuck to this story of her pink house in the clouds. And that she threatens us with not being able to visit her when we have done a transgression towards her!

 

Very precious!

 

What stories are you being told?

Free Collins Big Cat apps

Collins Big Cat apps 

I was alerted to the Collins Big Cat apps via Dizzy C's Little Book Blog.

I have downloaded only two at this stage, but I will definitely download the rest as well.
They are very cute and interactive stories, which can be enjoyed by a toddler, as well as school-going children when they start reading by themselves.

I especially love the option to create your own stories with your own voice.
We are having fun already making our own story creations.

"Developed in partnership with Shoo Fly, all  8 apps are free to download until September 2013, and not only support a love of reading but the development of creative writing skills too. 

They feature:

• an animated, interactive version of the book
• a record your own narration feature
• a story creator tool - make your own book using characters, key vocabulary and 
  • backgrounds from the original story
• support for parents to get the most out of the book."

iPad screen print
In the Garden
(photo courtesy of Collins)

The titles are:

Around the world

The steam train

It was a cold, dark night

My bike ride

In the garden

At the dump

Playing story 

The farmer's lunch


The apps are here: Collins Big Cat apps

The best! They are free until September of this year!!

The pink house and the little sister

She has her own pink house which is far away. It is a light pink house. (Light pink is the favourite colour!)

Sometimes the house is as far away as London, and we will have to drive and drive and drive to get there...
Sometimes it is in the clouds, but she is adamant it is not like the "Up"-movie house with the balloons...

We are only allowed to come and visit when we are good! Mostly we are threatened that we won't be allowed!

She has a pink car as well, but it is too small for me to ride with her!

She has a little sister who is very small small. A tiny kind of small. She is younger, but it seems she knows stuff! The little sister stays in the pink house.

She has a number of dogs that stays at the house as well!

When she grows up to be in Grade R (the ultimate goal for a three-year old), she will be at University as well (where her sister is now).

Some of the stories that we are being told each day...


I hope her dreams only get bigger!

Threats from our toddler

37 months on Saturday and she knows how to make a threat!


“I am going to tell my sister!”
(The sister who is now at varsity.)

Then it gets more violent after that, because she tells us what her sister is going to do with us…

With guns and knives…

It’s funny, but also NOT!

Where does she get the language? Because it is not how we speak to her or each other…

A sad reflection of our society today?

Too much TV?

Bad TV?

Bad parenting?

We find that being a 3-year old is a very aggressive age!


The year is in full swing and its back to tiny gymnastics again! She missed the classes, and I could see the improvement from the previous year.

Tiny Tumbles

The Toddler met her new cousin, and we had a whole discussion about the family hierarchy.

“Sunet is my baby!”
Dad: “No, she is Elise & Karel’s baby! She is your cousin!”
“She is MY cousin, not yours!”
Dad: “Of course, because I am her uncle!”
“She is not Clarisse’s cousin!”
Dad: “No, she is Clarisse’s sister!” and so on...

She also did not want me to take the baby home!

Welcome, Sunet!

We had a very relaxing weekend with our toddler, and there was time to do some decorating in her room, thanks to Mr Price!

Pinocchio turned out to be a scary bed-time story, because she woke up screaming about the growing nose last night!
Back back in the shelve with Bambi...

Monday, and missing the little face her again!


How was your weekend?


Related post:
Some toddler stuff

Blue Mondays and a Goggatjie-break

Monday is Monday and it is Blue!


I looked at the photo of Mieka doing her little gymnastics (Tiny Tumbles) on Saturday, and thought it s an apt visualization of the week. Still in the beginning of the tunnel (the week) and a little lot of blue around the edges...

We are all beginning to feel the end-of-the-year endness! (Yes, I am sure it’s a word!)

I blame it on my use of a second language. Sorry!

Monday is blue!

So it helped tons when we got home tonight and Mieka was occupied for half an hour. We got Mieka the DVD of Goggatjie over the weekend. One of those DVDs that you swore before the time you would never buy your child... Such as Barney and Teletubbies! I thought I would not do it to myself again! Guess what we have in our DVD collection? All of those, and more! (Sheepish smile)

Goggatjie is a man dressed in an insect suit, and singing and dancing totally irritating Afrikaans songs with little children. But it is the most brilliant hit with our toddler. She does not move, except when jiggling or jumping with the songs!

Now it scores big time with me as well! I don’t mind the irritation at all! Because just looking at the toddler and her enjoyment is a reward in itself! And the best of all: we get some 30 minutes of free time.

Daddy had to sit a second time with the toddler through Goggatjie tonight. They watched it on the bed. She fell down backwards, with her feet up in the air. He had to do the same, but had to sit up again as well. Sorry, Daddy! No rest for you! (Wicked smile)

But I had a Goggatjie-break tonight! Twice! (Monday is not so blue after all!)