cool websites

Documentaries are hot right now. Whether you're watching President Obama narrate Our Great National Parks with your kids, baking in the schadenfreude of Bad Vegan , or learning about culture and history through movies like What Happened …

I originally stumbled on this incredible Native Land Map when it was shared in honor of Indigenous People's Day and -- wow. What a worthwhile educational site to explore today, especially if you sit down and do it with your kids. Particu…

This year is definitely the year of the Santa tracker app. After, all, even the biggest Santa fans among us know that while he is vaccinated (so don't worry kids) we want to keep him safe -- and him, us. So we're avoiding the mall and tu…

This week, a wonderfully human, poignant video from husband-wife team Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody went viral. Perhaps you've seen it? They used the platform to respond to a Princess Bride fan named Amanda Webb (@Alaska_Webb), a youn…

We're huge board game geeks in my family. Our stack of strategy games is up to the ceiling. And while we're always up for a new game, they're expensive. So my new solution has been playing board games online before I buy! I get the full …

Just yesterday, Google launched their 2020 Election Google Trends page, which allows you to see exactly what the rest of the country is searching for these days. And as a parent, I bet civically-minded kids would love to learn more about…

Every parent wants to know how to take better pictures, especially around Christmas. A few years ago I received the completely awesome gift of a DSLR camera, but I admit I haven't entirely learned how to use it properly. I've taken thous…

One of my very favorite movies this year was the Fred Rogers documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor? , which simultaneously shed new light on the TV personality I loved as a child and sparked a passion for me to show my kids every favorite…

When we first discovered Daymaker , we fell instantly in love with the organization's use of tech to easily allow good samaritans -- as in, you and your kids -- to anonymously fulfill the holiday gift wish lists of kids in need . Now the…

Warning: you're about to seriously waste some time reliving your childhood. We've found the motherlode of retro computer games thanks to Classic Reload. They've collected and preserved more than 5,000 classic video games for future gener…

Calling all homeschoolers, chemistry geeks, and STEM lovers ! You need to see this incredible free resource from TED-Ed. They've launched an interactive periodic table with a video and lesson for every single element. Whoa. Related: Cons…

Editor's note: Please scroll to the very bottom for some important updates on our Movie Pass experience. When I first heard about MoviePass on Facebook, I thought it sounded a little too good to be true. All the movies you could possibly…

We know lots of people who would appreciate a Hulu membership, or a subscription to Netflix over more stuff.

We love finding wonderful ways that we can give back and help kids who need it most, especially during the holiday season, which is why we were happy to discover Daymaker . By connecting foster children with people like us via their gift…

I admit, my decorating skills are limited, and I'm always worried about painting a room only to discover I really don't like it, so I was intrigued to hear about Modsy , a website that uses your input and photos to help transform a room …

Whatever the case may be, whether it's sick kids or new neighbors, giving meals goes a really long way. And, of course, tech helps. Seriously, how did our parents survive without it? Here, I'm sharing my 3 favorite go-to sites for coordi…

As a mom of four kids, my budget for designer shoes is...not as robust as some. But, I recently discovered a new site called Purcado , which is like Kayak for shoes, that might change that. You can enter the designer or brand you're look…

When Guy Raz, of NPR's TED Radio Hour and Wow in the World podcast fame, recommends a website for kids, you go, because, obvy. And no surprise, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation's Storyline Online is a fantastic resource for parents that you migh…

I was so thrilled to discover this resource guide from the Library of Congress that's full of a variety of primary source materials that document the U.S. Presidential Inaugurations through our country's history. It's such a fantastic we…

We've tried a lot of Christmas apps over the years (like, lots), and let's just say a good Santa app is hard to find. We've narrowed it down to these 5 fun Santa apps that we think your kids will love. You can track Santa's flight on Chr…

With four kids in school and various activities, you can just imagine the number of forms I have to fill out and sign, pretty much on a weekly (sometimes, daily) basis. I don't even want to think about how long printing them, filling the…

We recently shared tips for throwing a birthday party on a budget at Cool Mom Picks, and one of our favorite tricks is to use online invitations for the party. Not only does it save you a lot of money, but it makes tracking so much easie…

We know that as much as you rely on Cool Mom Tech (and Cool Mom Picks ) for product recommendations (right?), we pretty much all still check Amazon reviews before we make a purchase. But as you can probably guess, for many products, the …

My kids are obsessed with Aphmau , the hugely popular YouTuber, Vlogger, designer -- and mom, by the way -- who creates the Minecraft roleplay videos they devour like I used to watch, oh, Captain Caveman . I happened to click on the Aphm…