I love to incorporate technology into Sophia's daily "school time". We are presently doing the Letter of the Day curriculum and we often bring the iPad into our lessons. It's such a great learning tool, she can practice tracing with her fingers, since her little hands still have a hard time controlling a pencil perfectly, and the apps that are available for it seem almost endless!
We were recently sent a card system from Cypher Entertainment – Cypher Kids 3D Cards to be used with our iPad. They are also compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. Requires iOS 5.0 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5. I have an iPhone 3G, so we have been using the cards with the iPad. It's often easier for Sophia to use the iPad because the screen is larger and easier for her to manipulate with her fingers.
To begin, you simply download the app that corresponds with the Cypher Kids Club Reality Cards that you purchase {available at many Target locations!}. The apps are free, so the only purchase you have to make is the cards themselves.
We were sent 3 packages of Cypher Kids Club Reality Cards – Letters, Wild Animals, and Numbers. Sophia, very predictably, chooses to use the Wild Animal cards when I give her the option of the 3.
The Wild Animal Adventures package contains 18 cards – each with a a picture of the animal on the front and a code, similar to a QR code on the back. I read that it would be 3D, but I still wasn't exactly sure how it would work! Turns out, it's extremely simple – even a 2.5 year old can do it!
You choose the app to match the cards you want to use – Wild Animal Adventures. At the home screen in the app, you see all of the cards on a sliding system. You then choose the card on the iPad that matches the card you want to look at. This in itself was a great matching game for Sophia.
Once you choose the on-screen card, you lay your physical card on the table. I found it was easier to use them on the floor with Sophia since she's smaller.
It also proved a little hard for Sophia to hold the iPad above the card, at the right distance and without moving around, for longer than a few seconds – so, I held it while she interacted with the awesome 3D adventure!
The above picture is a screenshot from our iPad of the Orca Whale. These cards are so neat! When hubby came home from work, we showed him and he wanted to know "how does it do that"!? When the camera on your device picks up that special square code on the back of the cards, the 3D image pops up. Not only do you get to see the wild animal in their natural habitat, but you also learn really great facts about each animal. When the information is done, the voice prompts you to touch the animal to make it do special things. This is what makes Cypher Kids Club Reality Cards so interactive!
Here's Sophia making the "blue 2" jump around the Hopscotch Board. She really prefers the animal cards as it's something she's really never seen up close before. The Number and Letter cards are repetitive and might work really well with a child that is just learning their numbers.
I wanted to just see what would happen if I tried the cards with my iPhone, even though it's just a 3G. Since the apps automatically downloaded on my phone too, we tried the Numbers Cards.
We were still able to see the 3D images pop up in the app, but the formatting was off – which is obviously why they recommend an iPhone 3GS or higher! I do think that using the cards on an iPhone would be easier for younger children that might have a hard time holding the iPad because of it's weight.
The thing that sets the Cypher Kids Club Reality Cards apart from other Flash Card systems is the interactive apps and the way that they make learning fun and exciting for Sophia. She gets to incorporate technology and the 3D images make the Animals, Numbers, and Letters come alive!
I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Cypher Kids Club #CBias #SocialFabric
5 Days Left 
These look so fun and that picture of the Orca is awesome. I love how it even captures a shadow! So glad you were able to experience all 3 of the different cards.
Thank you for sharing!