Presidents vs. Aliens

Price: 99 cents (free Lite version)
Grade Recommendation: 3rd and up
Subject: Social Studies
Specific Skill: U. S. Presidents
Levels: Multiple
Players: 1
For iPad, iPod, or Both: Both

This app's developer also brought us the apps 'Stack the States' and 'Stack the Countries'. It's one of my favorite kinds because it mixes a fun and addictive game format with learning.

Those unfamiliar (or who need a refresher) with our country's 44 Presidents can first 'study' the included flash cards. Each gives the following information about each President: number, name, dates in office, political party, Vice President, nickname, events, quotes, and facts.

There are plenty of customization options and the app stores information for up to six players. Users can choose which types of questions they are asked from the following choices: Identify President, Political Party, Before and After, Historical Events, Nicknames, Quotes, and Facts.

After correctly answering a question, the user gets to fling a President towards a group of aliens. The goal is to remove all aliens from the screen. Correctly answering 3 questions in a row allows the user to power up to a new level.

Moving to higher levels also unlocks two bonus games - Head of State and Executive Order.

Some adults may find the premise (flinging Presidents at aliens!) kind of lame/juvenile. However, any app that 'sneaks' in learning is an app I recommend! Students will love it and will benefit from the information they are learning.

The Presidents

Price: $3.99
Grade Recommendation: 2nd and up
Subject: Social Studies
Specific Skill: U. S. History
Levels: N/A
Players: N/A
For iPad, iPod, or Both: iPad

This app is a must-have for any classroom that studies even a small portion of United States history! An aesthetically-pleasing timeline runs across the bottom of the app when you open it. The timeline begins in 1789 with The American Constitution and ends with the presidency of Barack Obama (listed as 2009 - 2013).

The title is quite misleading. It certainly covers all 44 U. S. Presidents. But it also covers many major events in our country's and the world's history - from the ratification of the Bill of Rights to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The app also includes relevant territory maps (Thirteen Colonies, Civil War, etc.) and documents (Declaration of Independence, U. S. Constitution, and speeches by Presidents).

Students can also take quizzes on the 5 major time periods - Early Republic, Secession, Gilded Age, Early Twentieth, and Late Twentieth.

Some events are simply listed on the timeline while others link to a pageful of information and sometimes even outside links. Perhaps this app's developers will continue to add information about each and every event listed. But even now, this app is worth the price tag.