I understand the appeal of websites and apps that bring a child's favorite character to life, whether it's Seuss or Dora or Yo Gabba Gabba. But sometimes it's nice to find a world in which your kid can ascribe her own attributes and stor…
In my neck of the woods, all eyes are on the trees to see when the colors of fall start putting on their gorgeous show. Add that to two kids who are itching to learn Spanish this year, and I'm so pleased to have found a great song to get…
I have no idea what the Swedish word for "awesome" is, but if I did, Toca Boca would be hearing it from my kids (ok, and me) about every five seconds while playing around with their new digital toy. Released today, the Toca Band app give…
I know it's important to introduce science to your children in a really fun and hands-on way. (Let's call it a parent's antidote to the rote equation memorization called for by current state testing.) If you set the groundwork that scien…
With the plethora of app offerings these days, I had all but forgotten the trusty podcast; the non-streaming, no frills audio and video sessions that are there for you whenever the mood strikes; whether in the air, below ground or at you…
Today is my birthday. Which means for the last 10 years, it's the day I refuse to turn on any news media whatsoever and re-experience the hell that I did more than a decade ago on this date. But now that my kids are getting older and ask…
I remember an entire six years ago (whoa) when we discovered this set of Nerdy Baby alphabet flashcards . At the time, there was nothing like them. I mean, who thought of M as anything but Monkey or maybe, if the set was really inventive…
Preschoolers aren't usually very fond of monsters (Elmo not withstanding), what with them hiding under beds and in dark closets. But after your toddler gets a peek at a family of quirky monsters that help them learn numbers, colors and w…
Time for the four Rs: Reading, Writing, 'Rithmetic, and Really Cool Tech. Here are some of our favorite techy picks for Back to School, all in one handy place. 1. Coolest Laptop Bags for Big Kids - If your kid is taking a laptop or table…
When I was a kid, I loved Reading Rainbow . The show promoted reading, and was right up there on my list of faves with Mister Rogers and Sesame Street. If you're not old enough to recognize two out of those three titles, please don't tel…
With so many of our big kids using tech gadgets on a daily basis, it seems only natural that they'd use them school. So for our final installment in our Back to School Tech series, we've rounded up some of the best educational apps for b…
Our tweens and teens heading back to school aren't satisfied with cute erasers and personalized pencils anymore. They want tech! Aside from all those tablets and phones and laptops they've got 400 good reasons they need, here are a few l…
Listening to compelling audio books has been my #1 way to prevent backseat squabbles between the kids as we do everything from a six-hour drive to Maine, to a 15-minute jaunt to gymnastics practice. And one of the best ways to get our ha…
Whenever I take back my iPhone from my kids' sticky hands, I find loads of goofy pictures they've taken. Because if there is one thing my kids love about my iPhone, beyond playing games, it's being able to snap photos of everything they …
It's back to school time as you may have heard (ha) so over the next couple of weeks, we'll be serving up a few mini-guides to help get you ready, keep you organized, and get your kids excited. Today's picks: educational apps for the you…
Back to school time for parents means back to school tech . After all, it is time to get back into the organization zone. (Unless you're one of those rare people who stays super organized all the time. In which case...well, don't rub it …
With the back to school season here (surely you've heard by now), over the next couple weeks we'll be putting together these mini guides on back to school tech to help you out with a few must-haves, helpful apps, and cool ideas. Starting…
Who invented the alphabet? is my son's latest impossible-to-answer question. I've tried to placate him with some smart talk, but the creators of the much loved ebook The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore have come up with a much …
My kids have used their fingers and toes to help them understand numbers and counting from the days of 10 Little Monkeys Jumping on a Bed through basic addition. And now there is a new app that uses technology to help reinforce these con…
This past week, I was excited to have a chance to Skype chat with a teacher in Maine about the amazing things she's doing in her classroom thanks to technology. If you take a look at the Skype Education page , you'll be blown away by the…
My subpar geography skills are one of my husband's favorite things to tease me about. Could I fill in that blank map of the 50 states we had to do in 6th grade? Note to self: 2013 resolution! But I still find our planet completely fascin…
When we go on long car rides, I like to pack a bag of activities of things that keep the kids occupied for as long as possible before they resort to the eventual "are we therrrrrre yet?" One of the things I always throw in is our set of …
In a world where news arrives in 140 characters or less and we thank people for their birthday wishes by clicking the Like button, it can be all too easy to fly on autopilot when it comes to deeper thinking. But there's a beauty behind p…
I decided to buy an iPad 2 for my eight-year-old to use in our homeschooling lessons. That's right -- it's for educational purposes, kid. And no, Angry Birds Space does not count as a physics lesson. So I've spent the past few days scour…
Best Apps
