FLASHBACK 1970

  
"this is halloween...everybody scream!!! in our town of halloween..."
i am counting down the days 'til halloween. trick~or~treat is so much fun in oxnard. halloween specials are important, too. its the great pumpkin, charlie brown is my favorite (still is)...but there is also scooby~doo and garfield. at halloween parties, we play "pin the tail on the donkey" and "bob for apples". our costumes are homemade or are a vinyl cover~up with a plastic mask, held on your head with a flimsy piece of elastic stapled to it. yep....i said it was stapled together.
FLASH FORWARD today
gone are most of the halloween specials...kids do still get charlie brown (sorry, i don't count ANYTHING that comes on nickelodeon or the disney channel as a SPECIAL)...and the costumes, though some are still homemade (my preference), are somewhat better quality. no more staples and made of cloth...if you're careful with it, it can last you for years.
but the games! oh the games!! with the invention of the iphone, and other smart phones and tablets, kids have access to a lot of cool halloween games and apps. there are countdowns, coloring books, talking skeletons, and zombie creators...too much fun. here is my review of just a few of these apps (all free and available at itunes):

#1~halloween by schatzisoft games: this app has a simple countdown...no programming necessary. just open the app and it tells you how many days until halloween. it also offers spooky sounds, ringtones, backgrounds for your phone, and halloween trivia. one very cool feature? a costume finder for all ages and genders. want an idea for your 10 year old daughter? just go to the finder. it will give you a list of ideas AND...after you've chosen the best idea...it will take you to google to see where you can purchase, if you don't want to make it yourself...
#2~talking skeleton by sixits, inc: just like the talking cat everyone loves, this skeleton will repeat what you say. you can punch him for no reason (not sure i understand that one), play games with him, and paint his face to your liking. you can even take pictures with him...he is a lot of stupid fun, however...he's a little slow. it takes a minute to navigate thru all his features, and he doesn't open to the talking feature. one thing that is kind of cool, when in talking mode, he puts his hand up to his ear and "listens" to you talk before repeating it. 
#3~halloween coloring book by peep software: for your little ones. this app has tons of halloween pages for your child to color. they can color with their finger...CAREFUL! don't go outside the lines!...or paint (changing the color in one click). it has a zoom feature making it easier to get those tiny images...and tons of colors to choose from. trust me, this keeps toddler and preschoolers busy...
#4~zombiematic camera by second fiddle apps: okay...this app has a few bugs. it doesn't always read the face and shuts down on occasion. but be patient...it's still a lot of fun. you can use pics in your photo library, or take one with the app. the app then detects the face and you can size it to fit exactly...tap infect and the person in the pic turns into a zombie!! ack!!! the only flaw i found is that it seems to only affect the eyes...no zombie mouth or rotting skin. but we have a had a ton of laughs with this app.
#5~pumpkin creations by libii: this app is another one that will keep your little ones entertained. you can change the color of your pumpkin...then you pick eyes, nose, mouth, and accessories. you can even choose a background and candle. it's simple and fun. 
#6~zombie builder by appinthesky.com: i mention this app for one reason...it doesn't seem to work and i don't want you to mistake it for zombiematic. i tried 3 times...taking pics of the bk with the app...and that's as far as i got. i hit "use" and the app froze in the "preview" feature. hopefully they get the bugs fixed soon because this one appears to give me the features zombiematic doesn't. however, i would rather have an app that works.
#7~ghost o meter by adrian 3: okay...okay...this app is really cool. it is simply a meter that detects ghosts. open the app...walk around the haunted place, wherever you may be...and the meter will spike if there is something paranormal around. even if you don't believe it's detecting ANYTHING, this app can entertain for hours in the dark. i know paranormal when i see it and, so far, i have not experienced anything in our new home but....i turned the app on and it stayed steady for about 15 minutes and suddenly started spiking when i got near an antique armoire...does that mean it works? i have no idea...but it's still fun!

keep in mind that, although free, some have features that are only available with an upgrade to the paid version (usually 99 cents).

old school games:

 







new school games:

                      

 

                      

 

fun with zombiematic: