Marcy's Top 10 Favorite Homeschool Apps for iPad 2012

Earlier, I shared Ben's Top 10 Favorite Homeschool Apps for iPad. Now it's my turn to share the apps I love and use most. All of these are used for homeschooling in one way or another, and they all help keep me organized, focused, and inspired. I hope you find something helpful! 

Homeschool Helper ($4.99) also available for Kindle Fire ($4.99) -- A few months ago, I  wrote a review about this app. If I could have just said, "BUY THIS APP!" and stopped there, I would have. But I didn't, so, I'll say it now -- if you have an iPad and wish to do most of your homeschool planning and record-keeping with it, then do buy this app. You can go read my review, if you need more convincing.  Watch their Facebook page for updates. They are great about keeping their customers in the loop. 

Dropbox --  (free) Dropbox is a cloud storage service and is an amazing tool for anyone, not just for homeschooling. But since we're talking about homeschooling, I tell you how we use it. We have quite a few ebooks and unit studies in PDF format. I have Dropbox downloaded on my laptop, Ben's desktop, and the iPad. I can drop our PDF file unit studies into the Dropbox on my computer, and it will then automatically be available on Ben's desktop and the iPad. My documents are also available online as well, so if we end up somewhere without any of our technology, we can log on from the library or the hotel business center and access our them. Very cool. 

ezPDF Reader --  ($1.99) Also available for Kindle Fire ($2.99) -- Those PDF unit studies I mentioned have clickable links and embedded videos. It took me a while to find a PDF Reader that allowed Ben to click on the links in his unit studies. ezPDF Reader does this for the lowest price I've found. It also supports annotations and PDF form filling. There are a few pages of the Schoolhouse Planners that I use a lot. This app allows me to fill in the interactive cells on the Planner!

Pocket (formerly Read It Later) -- (free) Also available for Kindle Fire -- I absolutely love this app. The basic premise is that you can save things you find online to Pocket and then view these things offline. Websites, videos, articles. I love that Ben can view and read things online without actually being online. For our upcoming Elections unit study, I've already saved several website articles and videos for him. And just like Dropbox, this app has a PC interface, so I can save something on my PC or  iPad and it will show up on Ben's Kindle Fire. This might be my favorite app for homeschooling so far. 

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine --  (free) Also availabe for Kindle Fire (free) Every homeschool mom needs a monthly dose of encouragement and inspiration! TOS Magazine is mine! Enjoy your digital edition of TOS on your iOS, Kindle Fire, or Android device. Congregate at TOS for home-school motivation galore—any time, any place! The Old Schoolhouse Magazine App serves up a banquet of interactive information for homeschoolers. Devour a steady diet of wisdom, curriculum recommendations and helpful ideas freshly prepared by experienced home educators. Nourish your mind and soul with ideas, resources, and motivation and make this your most satisfying home-school year ever.

Blue Letter Bible -- (free) Blue Letter Bible (BLB) allows you to access the Bible on your Apple mobile device wherever you go. There are over 30 available translations for free via download and online, complete with a variety of study tools to bring more life to your study of the Scriptures.  

Matthew Henry Concise Bible Commentary -- ($1.99) Also available for Kindle Fire ($0.99) Matthew Henry's Concise Bible Commentary features more than 1,000 Pages of in-depth commentary on the entire Holy Bible from Genesis to Revelation by a noted scholar. This app is a great addition to other Biblical apps.

Kindle --  (Free) A lot of people don't realize that you don't have to have an actual Kindle to download all of those wonderful books from amazon.com. There are many other options. Before we had a Kindle or iPad, I used Kindle for PC. Check out my huge list of free Kindle books for kids!

Webster's 1828 Dictionary (A-M and N-Z) --  ($1.98) NOTE: This app is purchased in 2 parts -- each $0.99. The most popular dictionary for the Christian market, Webster's 1828 Dictionary was produced when American society was based on Biblical and patriotic values. Noah Webster, the Father of American Christian education, wrote the first American dictionary and established a system of rules to govern spelling, grammar, and reading. This master linguist understood the power of words, their definitions, and the need for precise word usage in communication to maintain independence. Webster used the Bible as the foundation for his definitions thus making the 1828 Dictionary a work that contains more Biblical definitions than any other reference work.

This app is an essential tool for students of all ages and Webster's 1828 (both the hard copy book and app) is the only dictionary we use in our homeschool. 

Netflix (free with subscription) Love being able to stream TV shows and movies onto the iPad, especially in the car when we're traveling. Lots of great educational choices as well, so we often use Netflix (on the TV, streamed our Wii, and on the iPad). 

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