educational

I'll be honest, I've always had a secret wish to write a children's book. But for now, I'll have to settle for simply living vicariously through the stories my children are creating on this cool new book-making app. With hardly any learn…

It never failed when I was an elementary school teacher, that I dropped my whole first paycheck on classroom supplies. Not only was the classroom budget never quite enough, but it was often necessary to lean on the wallets of parents to …

H i Cool Mom Tech! Any suggestions for websites that have a good selection of free online games for kids (3rd grade/elementary school level) that are educational, but also FUN for them...so they won't realize that they're actually learni…

My heart is heavy this morning as I prepare to talk to my children about the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and what it means to so many of us. My younger two are easily satisfied with my very honest, but guarded, explanation, but my ten-year…

We know the one thing integral to keeping your sanity during back to school time is organization. Whether you volunteered to be the classroom mom and need to help wrangling 26 families or you're just trying to keep track of your own, we'…

My iPhone and iPad have a few games to keep my little kids entertained, but as it turns out, they're often more enthralled with the educational apps I've got loaded up. And really, what better way to help reinforce their learning with co…

Getting my kids to do a few math or grammar workbook pages is not easy. But getting them to play an educational app on my iPad? Piece of cake. But not all educational apps are equal. And some are just so great, we sifted through a bunch …

Our readers are often the source of the coolest finds, like this one -- a fantastic little self-funded website that allows young children to create, imagine, and play without the help of a single TV character. Click around the whimsical …

I'm a card-carrying member of the Google frequent searchers club, whether it's odd cold symptoms or Ryan Reynolds photos. (Heh.). But little did I know that Google can do a whole lot more than just random searches. Here are four cool Goo…

I get such a kick out of watching my girls get creative--putting on plays, making up songs, doing puppet shows. (Shades of my own childhood!) And now there's an absolutely inventive, wonderful app that let's them do that very thing right…

One of my kids' favorite things to do with the iPad is draw. Actually, one of their favorite things to do anywhere is draw. So I am always looking for fun coloring apps that can keep the artistry flowing, and that I find easier to justif…

During these long, unscheduled, fun-in-the-sun summer months, I've been on the lookout for some smart apps that keep my kids' brains thinking and not turning into soft serve. That's a big reason why I am so excited about this math app wh…

Most of us know that George Washington was the first president and Al Gore was never one, but there are a whole lot of years in the middle there that are not my strong suit. That's why I love a new app that helps my kids and me brush up …

Ever since he was a little guy, my six year old has been obsessed with maps, so it was a no-brainer that I'd look for fun apps that capitalize (ha, get it?) on his obsession. What I didn't expect was to find an app that I'd want to play …

This is a sponsored message from DK Publishing It's an amazing feeling to watch your child develop a love of reading and learning, especially if you've always been a bookworm yourself. But if your son or daughter needs a little more coax…

Oh Appy Day! gives you the scoop on the coolest apps from some of the coolest people anywhere. This week, Jessica Seinfeld shares her fave. One of my kids is in a deep obsession with space right now. I didn't have all the answers, so I f…

Thankfully, my kids are out of the Caillou stage, but I remember at one point, bracing myself, hoping they wouldn't ask to watch that show. (What a whiner!) Commercial-free kids TV for the most part is great, but I'm so glad to have anot…

Those of you who are long-time readers of our sister site, Cool Mom Picks , may have heard us rave about Readeez DVDs , which introduce kids to phonics, reading and good music in a way that is fun, playful and effective. Now they have a …

If I want my kids to celebrate Earth Day every day, it helps if they understand the little issues that all add up to make big changes. In other words: Why I screech when they forget to recycle a piece of paper. (I admit it. I screech.) T…

There's a lot going on in the world these days. Kids are hearing rumblings about so many countries, many of which are new to them. Depending on their ages, there are some good tools to help initiate conversations about friends and foes o…

As a writer, there are several tools I have at my disposal to create good content--my computer, my AP Style Guide, and my Roget's Thesaurus. When I recently came across a software solution aimed at helping writers create more eloquent co…

Having never learned a foreign language myself, I'm determined to make sure my kids are fluent in something other than "whine." Too bad that doesn't count towards college credit. So in my search for cool language programs for kids, I was…

When I brought home the first generation iPad, I admit that I actually knew very little about its capabilities. But as a co-founder of a tech site being bombarded day after day with new iPad apps , I knew that I needed to take the plunge…

My kids love to doodle. Pen, pencil, crayon, whatever the writing implement and whatever the paper surface (yes, even mortgage statements). If they were just a tad older, I'd put that doodling talent to good use for the annual doodle con…