.

Pet Linky: Free Apps about PETS! & *$225 Giveaway*


I'm linking up with A Parade of Furry Friends hosted by the fabulous bloggers in the image above. Thank you Julie from A First for Everything for doing such an incredible job organizing this linky party!



I was always "that" teacher who worked morning and night, 7 days a week. I would be one of the first teachers to arrive at school and one of the last to leave yet always felt like there was more to do! It took me years to understand that ALL teachers feel this way and that you have to cut off your work life somewhere. So, a little less than four years ago I set out to get a puppy to make me come home at a decent hour and understand that "family" should always be a priority.



Riley, also known as Rye Man, Buddy, Ree, Little Bunny, Little Mongrel..., was my answer to ending those laborious hours in my classroom. After spending DAYS looking for the cutest little pup on the internet, I finally found HIM in Tennessee. So I drove south to pick him up from his owners who met me in a Walmart parking lot. It was sketchy alright but it was the BEST exchange I have ever made. This picture was taken as soon as he was handed over!





I just couldn't resist this little face!







Needless to say, this ball of fur became my buddy, my love, my best friend. I was told he would grow to be about 15 pounds, but the little shrimp has maxed out at a whopping 8 pounds. He also lost all of his marble colors and is now "that" little white dog. I wouldn't trade him for the world.


About two years after Riley and I united, I met my husband. Talk about two worlds colliding! The laid-back outdoors man and the high-energy princess fell in love.... His 90 pound Red-Bone Hound and my 8 pound Morkie became brothers.




I never in a million years thought I would own a BIG dog, let alone love a big dog with all of my heart. Well, Rusty did the trick. His long, silky ears and calm, sweet nature just won me over.







Riley had to learn several things quickly: #1: Sharing mama's attention. #2: Maneuvering in-between a big dog's legs with commendable speed and precision. #3: Eating his food as soon as it hits his dog bowl. #smalldogproblems Don't let this fool you. Little Rye Man RULES the roost in our household. Poor Rusty gets bones taken away right underneath of him, his big boy bed gets taken over by the little puff ball, and he has to sleep on the floor while King of the Castle sleeps in a nice, plush king bed. #bigdogproblems






Yes, the polar opposite pups are best buddies. Even though they act like nagging brothers all of the time sometimes, I don't know what they would do without each other. I don't know what I would do without them!








Like their matching dog bowls??



So, what does this post have to do with education? Nothing really. It was a chance for me to show off my four-legged friends. However, I was thinking about how much kids L-O-V-E cute, furry pals. Book Fairs always sell out of those sweet puppy/kitty posters, my students always circled the Scholastic items in the monthly flyers that had something to do with pets, my puppy stickers were always most popular, and children always want "that" teacher who has a class pet in their classroom...they are naturally drawn to cute animals! Therefore, since I am "The Techie Teacher", I wanted to share a few apps centered around PETS!





First up Puppy TapTap (Free). This is a puzzle game that you can select three different levels to solve. The pictures are ADORABLE!!









Next is Puppy Dog Sitter (Free). Students can dress up, feed, walk, care for and play with a new pup. The free app has just one pet while the paid version has several.







Talking Tom (Free) is a fun one! "Tom" becomes your pet cat who responds to your touch and repeats everything you say in a funny way!








Feed the Hamster (Free) is a physics based game that has 60 exciting levels to play!






My Virtual Hamster  (Free) is the perfect game for kids. It includes educational mini games with positive affirmation to develop their counting, memory, reflexes, coordination and motor skills.








Finally, make your pet come alive with a talking app like YakIt or Chatterpix. Take a picture of your pet, add a talking mouth and record what you think they would say if they could talk. This is a GREAT lesson for teaching "Voice". Check out an example I made using YakIt:


Untitled from Julie on Vimeo.

Do you teach your students tally marks? If so, be sure to download my Doggone Delicious Tallies Powerpoint that is FREE today only :) Thanks for following!


Be sure you enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below for your chance to win a gift card...we have $225.00 worth of gift cards to giveaway!!!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway