Not a snowflake in sight.
Reflecting on this strange, new "winter/summer" experience, I feel a little bit like some of my immigrant students back home in Canada must, when they rush to the windows of my classroom in late November to marvel at the first snowfall of their lives.
Here in Buenos Aires, the boys are eager for the traditions of Christmas to begin, snow or no snow! And so, I went searching for some holiday sheet music on the iPad, preferably some app that includes -- in addition to the secular favourites -- some carols that underscore the "reason for the season", so that we could incorporate them into our morning Bible study time as we approach Christ's celebrated birth date.
One app that looked promising was Christmas Karaoke - 12 Carols by Popcorn Grenade, a small, Toronto-based company inspired by their own child to make fun and educational apps for children in general.
Although only 12 carols are included for the 99 cents you pay for this app, I would argue that less is more in this case. The app has a clean, streamlined feel, and the 12 carol icons fit neatly on the page and offer easy selection without having to scroll through endless options. The variety includes both secular favourites like Jingle Bells and Rudolph as well as classic carols like Joy to the World and Silent Night.
The boys enjoyed changing the backgrounds (there are four colour themes, just for a little variety and to suit personal preference while reading the lyrics), and soon discovered the "voice optional" button, which turns the app into a true "Karaoke" experience!
Christmas Karaoke 12 Carols delivers a fun, attractive, easy-to-use app for all ages, and includes the basics without extranous bells and whistles.