websites for kids

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 …

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…

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…

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…

My kids love writing and they love doing art, but sometimes they don't know what to do with that blank sheet of paper or the empty Procreate screen . (That's my manga-obsessed daughter's digital illustration iPad app of choice, by the wa…

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…

Yes, we went with the slightly sanitized version on the name, because this is a family show here. But that doesn't take away from how much we love the hilarious, crazy-popular FB page turned full-fledged blog, I F'ing Love Science , also…

One thing that's become abundantly clear to me after a year of following Black Lives Matter tweets and listening more closely to what people of color have to say about their own heroes and history without media spin, is that a lot of us …

We're big fans of Santa around here, as you might have guessed. What, us risk making the naughty list? Never!) So if you're looking for some fun Santa apps to help bring the big guy to life on your phone, tablet, or laptop and make belie…

While we always share the coolest advent calendars on Cool Mom Picks each year, though none might be quite so 21st century as the genius, photo-a-day Hubble Telescope Advent Calendar . Visit the Atlantic online each day for a new, remark…

We're always looking for cool educational videos for kids, whether they're the funniest videos on YouTube , or educational videos and YouTube channels that our own kids love. In fact, we've joked that we could just do that, full time, ev…

Often, when I see something that claims to be made "for kids, by kids," my suspicious brow goes up and I prepare myself to be underwhelmed. Not the case with #MetsKids , a new website that is -- ahem -- made for, with, and by real life k…

Seeing as how we live in an age where everything from Nutella to x has its own national day, I should not be surprised that today is National Moon Day. At least it celebrates something totally real and inspirational, and if it's marketin…

Trying to manage my three kids' time spent and content viewed on all of the various devices we have in this house is one of the most thankless, naggy job out there. They don't fully understand why I say "no" to the newest app, or why You…

I'm usually hesitant about buying a big, expensive LEGO kit because, after my kids put it together once, then what? Sometimes kids keep playing with it, sometimes it ends up dissembled with random bricks I discover all over the house mon…

Lately I've gotten sucked into a new website called If It Were My Home , which compares countries around the world to your own hometown, or any other location you designate in their search engine. You'll get a quick snapshot of all kinds…

My daughter came home from school last week, begging for a video chat with Santa. How very 21st century. But what was more surprising was that my ever-practical, Elf-on-the-Shelf-mocking, not-believing-in-Santa kid flip-flopped! And I ow…

If last week's Hour of Code got your kids fired up to learn more about computer science, then we've got an awesome gift recommendation for you. Bitsbox is a cool free website where kids can learn and practice code, and now they've launch…

Jack Frost nipping at your nose? Perfect time to gather 'round the fire and get merry, toasty and bright. No need to load on the logs, though. These flames are coming from your computer. Oh, yes. Yule Log 2.0 is back for a second season,…

I was once a struggling engineering student, so I have a special appreciation for the courage and creativity of kids who really want to know how stuff works and aren't afraid to jump in and figure it out. Now that one of my own kids is c…

Bullying is an issue that's getting so much attention these days--and yet, it's still a big problem. While we're glad to see schools, parents, and kids tackling bullying head on, it can still be pretty scary for kids to report incidents,…

Twitter isn't generally the best way to pitch us, but when we get a Tweet like this, well...how can we resist? @coolmompicks That's an awesome profile photo, and even better in #LEGO by https://t.co/LK9Hyuz4UG pic.twitter.com/cQoriCzIFn …