Campfire Apps

Our 360iDev Pals – Ray & Vicki Wenderlich and Brandon Trebitowski

On Sepetember 8th, the Campfire Apps team jumped on a plane and headed to Denver! We were there from the 8th through the 13th for the 360iDev conference. This conference is a place where iOS developers from all over the United States (& World) can come together for one week to learn new things, meet new people, and have a great time. We did a lot throughout the week, we even took a trip to the top of  the mountain, Pikes Peak, which is over 14,000 feet high.

Steph, Shawn, & Courtney – The Campfire Apps Team – at the top of Pike’s Peak

On Tuesday night, we participated in the 360iDev Game Jam. This was an awesome event hosted by some of the attendees of the conference. During the day on Tuesday we received a theme for the Game Jam – “Growth” – and after dinner settled in for an evening of programming, design, and all around fun. The Game Jam started around 7:00 pm and participants had until 9:00 am Wednesday to create at least a prototype of a game to share with the group Wednesday afternoon.

Our Game Jam table: Brandon, Shawn, & Courtney

Our game was (tentatively) called “Present Drop” and the goal of the game is to ‘grow’ a tower of gifts as tall as possible without knocking it over or losing too many gifts along the way. As you might have guessed, our game is also holiday-themed, which was a lot of fun. Here is a peek at what the title screen looks like for our game:

360iDev is an awesome opportunity for iOS developers to get together, talk shop and experience this amazing community. We have really been impressed the last two years that we have attended and have made a lot of new friends through this conference. We left the conference with so much inspiration, and so many new ideas! The Campfire Apps team has been brainstorming, so be on the look out for new goodies soon!

The Campfire Apps team has been working diligently for the past 5 hours on an app for the Game Jam at the 360iDev conference in Denver. Our game for the game jam is “Present Drop” and it’s Christmas themed! Shawn has been working on the coding, while Stephanie has been designing the artwork for the game. Our goal is to finish the game tonight; or at least get it to be functional. Keep an eye out for more updates about the game, because it’s one that we hope to be releasing this winter.

Summer is almost over, but there are still a few weeks of vacation left! For anyone who still has trips planned, don’t forget to take along our summertime apps! This summer we released two apps that are just perfect for this warm and sunny season, and the vacations you have planned.

Caddy2Go is our miniature golf scoring app, perfect for keeping score during your family’s mini golf adventures and adding to the fun you are already having. Available for iPhone and iPod Touch in the iTunes App Store.

Henry’s Summer Headlamp is our summer-themed hidden objects game for preschoolers and kindergartners. Take this app along to keep the young children in your family entertained during long car trips, flights, or while waiting for dinner to be served. Available for iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad in the iTunes App Store. Also available for the NOOK Family of Devices by Barnes & Noble.

Henry’s Summer Headlamp is ready for release, just in time for the end of summer!

This is the fourth app in our Henry series, and we’re very excited to finally be able to share it with you!

Henry’s Summer Headlamp is the perfect app for your kids during the summer months, it features all summer themed artwork and prizes. Your kids are sure to enjoy this app to help pass the time during long road trips, plane rides, and those rainy summer days.

To celebrate the release of our fourth Henry app, we’re hosting a Virtual Launch Party! The event will take place on our Facebook page this Saturday, August 4th. All you have to do to participate is become a fan of our Facebook page (just visit our page and click the LIKE button!) and then visit the page throughout the day on Saturday for all of the fun! We will be sharing some very exciting news, lots of great artwork from the game, videos, contests, and giveaways. This is an event that you won’t want to miss! And if you haven’t already, be sure to check out our other Henry’s Headlamp apps that are already available in the app store.

And don’t worry, if you’re more of a Twitter person. We will also be sharing all of the fun on our Twitter. Again, if you’re not already following us on Twitter, you might want to do that before Saturday so that you won’t miss a minute of the fun!

We hope that you’ll be able to join us!

Although we’re a technology company, we strongly encourage you to take some time away from your devices and enjoy an old-fashioned table top game with the family from time to time. Here are some of our personal favorites, and some games that we think you and your family might enjoy.

Apples to Apples Junior
Apples to Apples Junior is “The Game of Hilarious Comparisons!” This is the family friendly version of the original Apples to Apples. It includes cards that your child is more likely to know and understand. Even if it’s the junior edition, this game is enjoyable for every member of the family!

Jungle Speed
Jungle Speed is the lightening fast game of quick thinking and quick reflexes. Stay concentrated and you’re sure to win, if you can stop laughing long enough. Whether you’re playing with a room full of adults, or trying to occupy a room full of kids, Jungle Speed is sure to keep everyone laughing and having a blast, game after game.

Skip-Bo
Skip-Bo is a timeless game, that’s great for families! This is one of our personal favorite card games, and we can’t get enough of it. The object of the game is fairly simple, you just have play all of your cards in numerical sequence to win, but watch out for your opponents who are trying to block you. This game is sure to provide endless hours of fun for you and your family.

Mexican Train Domino Game
The Mexican Train Domino Game is another one of our favorites! This game is like a tradition in our family. This is a easy to learn game, that’s great for families. This game can be played with at least 3 players, and up to 8 at the most. This is a great game for larger groups, but beware, it can get very competitive!

Rack-O
Rack-O is a classic family game, for 2-4 players.  Players randomly put 10 cards on their rack. The race then begins to draw and discard until one player positions 10 cards into numerical sequence. It’s quite simple, but you’ll need skillful play, concentration, and a little luck to win. This game is sure to provide you and your family with hours of  fun!

Let us know some of your favorite board games! We’d love to check them out!

ETA: We are not receiving compensation from any of these companies to share their games, these are just a few of the games our family enjoys playing together! 

Here’s a few summer themed games/apps that would be great for your kids this summer!

Ice Cream Matching Game Lite

This free game is great for kids of all ages to play all summer long! This basic matching game includes three difficulty levels (easy, medium, and hard), and it also allows you to challenge other players using Game Center. The Lite version is just a basic sample of the game, for more fun you can buy the full version for .99 cents in the App Store.

Tie Dye Doodle

This  game is available for .99 cents in the App Store and is fun for all! It gives you the chance to make your own tie dye shirt, complete with many different designs, shirts, colors, and decorations. The reviews for this game are great, and it seems to get a lot of attention. Check this out for some summer fun for you and your kids!

Color Me !!! Summer

This free app is available for both iPhone and iPad, and it’s great for kids! It supplies endless hours of fun with multiple pictures that kids can choose from. They can color it however they want, and then shake the device to erase it when they’re finished. This app would be great to help pass time while spending a hot day in the house with your kids.

Are there anymore apps or games that your kids like to play in the summer months? Let us know in the comments!

Here’s a few apps that you may want to look into if you and your family are traveling this summer.

National Parks by National Geographic

This free app is available on both iPhone and iPad. This app would be great for vacationing families who plan to visit any of the National Parks. Within this app you can get info about the park, including maps, guides, the current weather, photos, and more! You can also earn collectible stamps for visiting each park.

Ocean City Mobile

This app is available for free in the App Store. With this app you can find local deals, places near you for food, entertainment, etc., the calendar of events, and much more. This app is great for new visitors, and people who’ve been to Ocean City before. If you’re not in the Maryland area, you can search for apps like this closer to you and your destinations.

Zapd

Zapd is an app that allows you to make your own website within 60 seconds from your iPhone. All you have to do is select a theme, add photos/text/links, and you’re done! This app would be perfect for summer day trips to share your photos and thoughts about your trip. Once the page is complete you can directly share it through Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail to let your family and friends know how your day went.

RoadTripBingo HD

RoadTripBingo HD is a great app for both kids and adults. This app is available for purchase for both iPhone and iPad. It’s a great way to pass time in the car looking for various objects such as hotels, state capitals, fast food restaurants, animals, cars, and more. There are hundreds of objects to find, and many different bingo cards to play with. This app is sure to help make your road trip fly by.

Are there any apps that you’ve come across that you would suggest to our readers? If so, leave them in the comments.

Well with our spooky holiday just days away, I thought it would be a great time to sneak in a few last minute suggestions for apps that you and your family may enjoy this Halloween. While we are certainly not the first site to create a list of favorite apps for the Halloween season, we still would like to give our readers a few ideas in case you might have missed any of the other lists.

1. The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin

As a former teacher, my students LOVED to hear this story this time of year as much as I loved to read it to them, so I was quite pleased to find this in the Halloween apps. This interactive book is available for both the iPhone and the iPad, although I prefer the iPad version, as it give you a much bigger screen to interact with. There are three options for the story, Auto-Play, Read it Myself, and Read to Me. All are great options and cater to different age groups, making this an app that will appeal to a whole range of children (and adults). The interactive book features pleasing illustrations and fun interactions when you tap on the pictures. The best thing about books is that while they may be intended for a specific time of year, children really love to read them all year long so for a mere $0.99 you have a wonderful story that your children will love to hear over and over for a long time to come.

Details:  Price: $0.99 Devices: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

2. Carve-a-Pumpkin

This app from Parents Magazine is great for kids! First, you get to choose your pumpkin to carve from 5 different types of pumpkins. Then you can choose to “Cut” or “Decorate” your pumpkin. The “Cut” option allows you to carve the pumpkin with your finger or choose from a library of already created eyes, noses, mouths, or faces. The “Decorate” option allows you to decorate your pumpkin with designs similar to stickers. When you have finished your pumpkin, it automatically adds a glowing candlelight inside and gives you quite a few backgrounds upon which to place your pumpkin. Then you are able to save it as a photo or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or email it to someone. I think this app would be great for the time leading up to Halloween as a way to practice some of your pumpkin carving designs first, before the big night. I also think this would be great for younger kids who have a hard time letting the holidays go, since they would be able to “carve” pumpkins long after Halloween is gone and the real pumpkins have all been bought.

Details: Price: FREE Devices: iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch

3. Wood Puzzle Halloween HD

This app is a wonderful app for toddlers and preschoolers. It’s a puzzle app featuring 15 different Halloween themed wooden-type puzzles. First you can choose your puzzle, then you “shake” to scatter the pieces. As you correctly place the puzzle pieces back into the frame, there is a clicking sound to let you know it’s in the correct spot. The graphics on this app are so adorable and kid friendly, you definitely have to check out the screenshots for this app. Again, this is one of those types of apps that while it is Halloween themed, kids who enjoy puzzles will love this all year long. Seriously, check out the screenshots in the app store, SO CUTE!

Details: Price: $0.99 Devices: iPad only

4. Tap-a-Lot HD: Halloween Special Edition

This game is addictive and fun! This would be a great game for nearly all members of your family, no matter what age. The purpose of the game is to tap and “Pop” as many bubbles as possible to earn as many points as possible. Various bubbles contain different objects such as numbers of coins, treats, and bugs. But beware, the bugs will end your game instantly! This game features kid-friendly “spooky” graphics and easy game play. Beware, however, this game does include some in-app purchase options so make sure to review your guidelines for such things with your child before they play.

Details: Price: FREE (does contain optional in-app purchases) Devices: iPad only

5. Facinate – Halloween

This app is so much fun! I can see this being a big hit with the pre-teen crowd. The app allows you to import a photo or take a new photo of someone and then add a bunch of objects to the photo to make a silly or spooky Halloween picture. You can add all sorts of objects: eyes, noses, mouths, accessories and then add a frame to finish off your picture. Then you can save it to your photo album, email it to someone, or upload it to Facebook. I find that apps similar to this can provide hours of non-stop laughter and hilarity from the fun combinations you can create. Definitely a good recommendation for lots of age groups. Younger kids love to see themselves in photos, and I can imagine that this would be pretty funny to them.

I just HAD to try this out, so I figured I would share my creation with you. Enjoy!

Details: Price: $0.99 Devices: iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch

BONUS: Henry’s Spooky Headlamp

Campfire Apps is pleased that our first app was released just in time for the Halloween season, if you haven’t checked it out yet, now is the perfect time! It is a great seek and find game for preschoolers available for FREE on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. You can find it here on our website, on the Henry’s Spooky Headlamp page or in the App Store.

So there you have it, 6 great recommendations for Halloween (and beyond) to help extend the holiday fun for you and your family. If you have other great suggestions for the masses that you would like to share, please do so in the comments. If you try one of these out, leave a comment and let us know what you think.