A cool new trick to help kids practice their reading this summer
Do you have a kid who needs some extra reading practice this summer? Then you'll definitely want to check out Sidekick, a new offering that's part of the Amazon Kids+ subscription (previously FreeTime) that's designed to help kids practice their reading skills. Or for...
Can you identify all 22 of the new Olympic-ready Apple Watch bands?
Just in time for this summer's long-awaited 2020 Tokyo Olympics -- yes, they're still calling it that -- leave it to Apple to create the accessory to match. They're out today with 22 new, limited-edition International Sport Loop Collection watch bands, each one...
4 clever tech solutions that turn handwriting into digital text
We recently had a mom reach out on our Out Tech Your Kids group on Facebook, asking for the best tech to help turn handwriting into text. Like so many kids today, her daughter is using her finger to write on a school issued iPad, and the messy handwriting is causing...
These noise-cancelling headphones are so good, I’ve waited a whole year for the Prime Day sale on them
Last Amazon Prime Day, my partner bought an outstanding pair of Sony Noise Cancelling headphones, which are by many accounts the best best noise-cancelling headphones of 2021. He has not stopped raving about them for an entire year, and for an avowed tech geek and...
A brilliant tech trick for when you can’t remember all those sort of important numbers
If you've ever searched and searched for your frequent flyer numbers (God help me) or insurance card numbers or the numbers that you need every now and then but don't really need to memorize, then I have the coolest tech trick for you. Related: A cool iPhone trick I...
Creative ways we’re using video to thank teachers after a year like no other
A few years ago, we asked teachers to name their #1 favorite end-of-year gift and the answer was not "cash and a massage" (ha). In fact, we were heartened to hear again and again a teacher's favorite gift from students is a personal message of thanks from them. After...
These smart tips and apps can help minimize distracted teen driving
We recently got a question in our Out Tech Your Kids group asking about apps that read texts out loud while you drive, which got me started thinking about some tips and apps to help minimize distracted driving for teens. As parents, we need to think bigger than just...
15 new iOS 15 features that parents will get (very!) excited about: FaceTime, ScreenShare, Focus, Health, and more
Each time there's a live streaming Apple Event to announce the new products and updates, we watch diligently to see what's new for parents and families, or which advances and improvements will actually make our lives a little easier, more organized or more fun. The...
The iPhone trick I can’t believe I hadn’t been using before now
I'm not sure about you, but even with an iPhone 12, which is not the biggest iPhone out there (hello, 12 Pro Max friends), I'm a two-handed keyboard user. I generally peck with my right pointer, and add a little left-hand thumb action now and then. And yes, I'm...
This service can make a special digital memory book from photos and videos for Father’s Day. Free!
I love giving the gift of photos, videos, and heartfelt messages for Father's Day (or any special day, really), but they're not exactly the easiest things to give long distance to say, a grandpa. Do you attach a video to an email? Send a sweet text? Print out a photo...
My favorite new iPhone trick to help me fall asleep — and stay asleep
Over the past year, I have been so grateful for the sleep stories on Calm and some of the Apple Music playlists to help me fall asleep. The one issue: I was sometimes waking up in the middle of the night, my AirPods still in my ears...my music still playing. Then, I...
Check out the Lasso closed-loop home recycling bin. One word: Wow.
My thirteen-year-old is keenly focused on our family being more environmentally conscious, which I'm all about. Currently, the recyclables in my kitchen are balancing precariously on a tall black kitchen trash can stuck in the corner of my kitchen. At least, I think...
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Tech Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way!) Easier.
Is my kid ready for a cell phone? 7 essential questions to ask yourself first
We love when parents ask us "how do I know if my kid is ready for a cell phone?" It means you're conscientious, caring, and involved -- and of course, want to make sure that you're raising a kid to make good choices, and not who isn't thrown into something they can't...
A very smart AirPods trick I learned from a very smart tween.
We've said this many times here that some of our best iPhone tricks come from the digital natives in our lives, which is exactly where I got this simple, but very smart AirPods trick. You may be thinking "Are there really AirPods tricks?" and well, I didn't really...
If your kids are gamers, here are 8 tips for raising kids to have good gaming etiquette
My teenage son and his friends are avid online gamers, so I recently broached the topic of good gaming etiquette for kids and teens with them. “What?” they asked, “You mean like when people tell you to go kill yourself when you mess up?” Ouch. I knew this kind of...
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How can I prevent a Facebook hack? Reader Q&A
This week in our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook group, we were asked how to prevent a Facebook hack, and specifically, if were any security measures to take that might help. And yes, yes there are! Here, a few really simple tips to help prevent a Facebook hack. They can...
The new Apple Watch Pride edition bands are out and they’re gorgeous!
Welcome to May, the month in which top brands lets everyone in the press in on all their new products supporting and celebrating June's Pride Month. Some of these products...well, it feels like pandering TBH, but in the case of Apple, they've been a strong supporter...
One brilliant tech tip for teens, before they start their college search.
This past week, we had a fantastic chat with college coach and essay consultant Betsy Cadel on the Spawned Parenting Podcast. She offered so many incredible tips on making the college search and application process easier and less stressful, but one tech tip really...
A socially-conscious, updated Oregon Trail game for 2021. Yes, please.
I'm part of the micro-generation Xennials, for whom there was no better reward in middle school computer class for finishing your typing drills and DOS coding worksheets early than getting to play a game of Oregon Trail. It's one of the classic 80s video games I also...
7 of the best news podcasts and programs for kids, from preschool to high school
In our Out Tech Your Kids group on Facebook, a parent recently asked for recommendations for great news podcasts for kids. Our readers replied with some really good suggestions, so we wanted to round them up for you...and add a few more we discovered too. These are...
Screen time saved us during the pandemic, so why are we bashing it?
If you do a quick Google of “kids and screen time,” you’ll find a myriad articles telling you how much they’ve had this past year and all the things it is doing to them, as if we haven’t been with our children almost 24 hours a day and know exactly what is going on?...
9 incredible high-tech beauty gifts for Mother’s Day
My favorite Mother's Day gifts usually involve a day to go recharge with some spa treatments, but I'm thinking this is the year to bring the spa home, right? I've been scouring reviews and reading up on the very best high-tech beauty gifts for Mother's Day, because...
How to report spam texts and phishing. Because sorry, Amazon is not giving you $130 in “freebies” out of blue.
Have you noticed lately there's been a huge uptick in text spam? So of course, I want to report it to...someone. Anyone! Turns out it's so much easier than I had expected. Now when I say text spam, I don't mean political candidates you've contributed to (or those who...
The vocabulary app my kids think is a game. Shhhhhh!
Do you have a struggling speller? As a homeschool mom, I know first-hand how hard it can be to try to explain spelling rules to a kid who doesn't quite get it, which is why I had to share the Wordcraft app that my kids have been playing lately. A vocabulary app my...
Here’s where to watch all the 2021 Oscars best picture nominees
In a typical Oscars year, I'm pretty much an expert on the (ahem) animated film category, but when it comes to the best picture or documentary feature film categories, I've maybe seen one or two movies. But 2020 was anything but typical, and one silver lining of the...
3 helpful gardening apps to turn your thumb green, finally.
Who else is thinking about gardening this spring? Along with our own Liz and Kristen who recently hosted the We Time Project and took a food gardening course (yay!), it seems like everyone is ready to put down the sourdough starter and get their hands really dirty....
Google and Headspace team up to help families practice mindfulness and find screen life balance | Sponsored Message
This is a sponsored message on behalf of Google For most parents, balancing screen time has always been a challenge. But over this last year, the struggle became even more real, with three in five parents allowing an increase in time spent on gadgets. And as Google...