Got waiting kids? IPhone apps to the rescue

— -- If you own an iPhone or an iPod Touch and you periodically find yourself in situations where your normally angelic kids are getting antsy, your cool, high-tech device can be your savior. For little or no money, you can download some amazing games that will keep your 2-year-old to teens entertained. While there are more than 15,000 applications in Apple's iTunes Store, here are some of the best.

For little kids

Preschool Adventure (best for ages 2 to 5; 4.5 stars out of 5): Designed for the under-5 crowd, this game offers six different games covering colors, numbers, shapes, body parts, matching, and animal sounds, all for 99 cents. For children new to playing on the touch surface of these devices, start with the colors game first. It has great cause-and-effect — when kids touch the splashes of color on the screen, cute animals appear. The numbers game is also quite good because it is a no-fail dot-to-dot that animates when completed.

Peekaboo Barn Lite (best for ages 2 and 3; 4 out of 5): With this free game, your child plays peekaboo with three barnyard animal friends. The screen shows a big red barn that is shaking and making a noise. When your child taps on the barn door, it opens to reveal one of three barn animals, which animates and makes its noise. A child's voice says its name as the name appears. If your child enjoys this game, you can upgrade to "Peekaboo Barn" for $1.99, which has more animals and gives the names in both English and Spanish.

Wheels on the Bus (best for ages 2 to 6; 5 out of 5): The classic children's song goes interactive with this charming game. As the song is sung, kids interact with the screen. They start the bus by moving their finger across the screen and make the wipers swish by tapping the screen. In new verses, kids even help a fish pop bubbles and a baker pass out cakes. This one has it all: great sound, art and interactivity.

Shape Builder Lite (best for ages 3 to 6; 4.5 out of 5): This game provides simple jigsaw puzzles with big pieces. Each piece is a different color and it will fit into an outlined shape without having to be turned. When kids slide a piece into place, it makes a satisfying click. The puzzle transforms when finished. This free version comes with 15 puzzles; and, if you like it, you can upgrade to "Shape Builder" which offers 120 puzzles for 99 cents.