tweens + big kids

Our Back to School tech guide continues with a bevy of the best math apps for kids of all ages. There are so many fantastic options these days -- almost too many to count (ha) -- so we've done the digging for you to uncover lots of the b…

This is a syndicated post from Reviewed.com, who we trust for rigorously tested, objective reviews on gadgets + gear Great news! If you only have $200 to spend on a laptop, your options are far better than they used to be. While these ma…

I'm all for getting a jump on back to school shopping even though my kids don't start back for another month or so. And with one kid entering middle school (eep!), I'm thinking a laptop backpack might be the way to go. We're big fans of …

When it's time to unplug the devices and hit the pool, lake, or ocean to cool off, I know my kids love stretching out and relaxing on a comfy pool float or raft while they talk to their friends. And, whoa, they would go nuts for any of t…

We're huge fans of STEM at Cool Mom Tech (no surprise, there), and in fact we started this site in part to help give parents more resources and opportunities to get their kids excited about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Howe…

I sometimes think I have the sense of humor of a ten-year-old, which comes in handy since I do have a tweenage son who thinks things like talking cupcakes and singing basketballs are pretty hilarious. What's even more hilarious is when w…

Coding is certainly one of the new buzzwords in education, along with STEM, STEAM, and now, believe it or not, STREAM. And while a lot of learn-to-code apps toys, and games, like Robot School, Dash Robot, and Code Master , are targeted p…

As I was searching for a cool new unicorn iPhone case for my tween this week, wouldn't you know it --all over the news, a story about an actual siberian unicorn fossil that was discovered. Not that it looks anything like the magical crea…

In this week's Spawned podcast, our editor Liz's Cool Pick of the Week is Brain Pop, a website I have turned to for years with my homeschooled kids to find smart, kid-friendly videos about topics as diverse as William Shakespeare, the Ci…

We went crazy for the incredibly cool 3Doodler 3D-printing pen when we first saw it back in 2013, but it wasn't really a toy that our younger kids could safely use on their own. Until now. With the upcoming launch of 3Doodler Start , our…

We're continuing our series about kids and cell phones on behalf of our sponsor, the premium authorized Verizon retailer, Cellular Sales , because wow, do parents need help with this! And by parents, we mean, ourselves too! Because we kn…

This is a sponsored message from Wonder Workshop With so many parents looking for STEM toys for their kids this holiday, it's worth checking out Wonder Workshop, makers of the awesome Dot and Dash robots that teach kids some fantastic sk…

We're seeing drones at the top of a lot of tween and teen holiday wish lists this year. And really, we're not surprised. It's pretty amazing what you can do with these super cool gadgets. Let's just say these are not the remote control p…

It's clearly an emoji world out there, which is why we were so glad when the diverse emoji hit our smart phones. And now, some love for our curly-haired friends from the smart folks at Dove. Available free on iTunes and Google Play, the …

One thing we've always loved about littleBits' magnetic electronic building blocks is that kids can snap them together in any way they want, while learning about circuitry and electronics in an open-ended and fun way. More ambitious kids…

If your kids are having a hard time waiting for Halloween to hurry up and get here, we've got a fun treat to share with you that will keep them busy and challenged this week. Developed by Kano , whose DIY computer kit wowed us earlier in…

It's not like my kids need any additional reasons to get excited about Halloween -- the costumes and candy and thoughts of staying up extra extra late do that for them -- but still, it's nice that there are so many fun Halloween apps for…

With four kids in the house ranging in age from five up to 11, it's no small feat to find a tech toy that they can all play with, especially when it's something educational. Darn those age limits. But as I recently learned, that's not th…

Last year we fell in love with the Anki Drive app-controlled racers, calling it one of our top tech toys of 2014 . Earlier this year at Toy Fair, we got a look (and a very fun if brief test drive) of the brand new Anki OVERDRIVE and as o…

Every year when our kids ask us about 9/11, we turn to BrainPop to help us tackle this challenging topic. This year, we're adding another helpful resource that we discovered on the 9/11 Memorial website that we think you'll want to check…

It may sound a tad hokey, but reading really is fundamental to school and life in general, which is why we've worked hard to put together 8 of the very best reading apps for older kids as part of our Back to School Tech Guide 2015. Wheth…

We're as geeked out about Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens as anyone else, but let's all step back for a minute and take a moment of reflection for today's #ForceFriday national day that's really a giant unboxing and marketing event desi…

There seems to be no shortage of websites or online games that will help teach our kids coding so they can be ready to head out into this increasingly technical world. And as much as I love that there are so many online options, sometime…

I have a kid who really wants to be creative, but usually needs a good push before he'll dive into a project, and now we've found an app that delivers on that so beautifully. The brand new WonderBox app hails from Duck Duck Moose , one o…