It’s a selfie world, and we’re just living in it
Okay all ye mothers who felt guilty about not getting those baby books filled with photos representing every little milestone: You are no longer alone! Because now, you don't even have to have kids to feel the pressure of owning a photo album completed with requisite...
The Companion app keeps you safer when you’re walking home alone
As the days start to get shorter (sob) and we realize some of us will soon be heading home from work or walking around a college campus in the dark at just 5PM, it's nice to know that walking home alone just got a lot less nerve-wracking. Thanks to five University of...
Anki OVERDRIVE: It’s back, it’s better than ever, and it’s going to be the holiday tech toy of the year
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 of today, it's here! And this is...
Osmo Numbers app: Man, where was this when we were learning basic math skills?
Here I was, thinking I was so excited to have my kids back in school, but I totally forgot one thing: homework. Drilling your kids on their math facts is the most fun ever, right? Ugh. Well, if you have the amazingly inventive Osmo for iPad, your kids will be able to...
First camera recommendations for kids? Reader Q+A
My daughter is turning 6 and I'd like to get her a camera. We gave her an old Canon point-and-shoot for Christmas and she is so responsible with it - she's ready for a new one of her own. I love the Fujifilm Instax Mini (especially Hello Kitty), but I'm a little...
Sunshine Collective’s Up To Something Good: Kids’ music download of the week
After a rather rough news week, I think we could all use a little bright spot of musical sunshine in our day. And to provide it, we're turning to the very first band we ever featured here on Cool Mom Tech for our kids' music download of the week series: Sunshine...
Type geeks, your fabulous new font finder is here
I tend to browse lots of places looking for cool fonts that I may never use. (When it comes to typefaces I'm more of a collector than a designer; kind of like having lots of books at home you haven't yet opened. But I digress.) I've just stumbled across a seriously...
Animal Jam Play Wild app: A safe, fun, educational way to let your kids act like total animals
Warning: It's a jungle out there. No, really. There's a crazy, colorful jungle filled with wild animals and plants for kids to explore, and it's right there on your smart device. Since we always love the kinds of educational apps that kids can't put down, we're really...
The Metropolitan Museum of Art introduces #MetKids: A fun site made for kids, by kids (and cool enough for parents, too).
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 kids from all five boroughs in...
The innovative car charger that’s the solution to all your overconnected family woes.
I now have a couple of two-port USB chargers in the cigarette lighter socket, because the idea of running out of batteries in the middle of a Waze nav is terrifying. (And on a totally separate note, when are we going to stop calling them cigarette lighters and start...
Recently Magazine App turns your photos into a magazine…of your own life
Getting excited at a recent dentist visit to sit and read an actual magazine made me realize how little time I have to myself. (And perhaps that I need to find a hobby). People aside, turns out I found a magazine of sorts that I'll most definitely make time for every...
Free song download for Grandparents Day: Kids’ music download of the week
Your kids may say Nana or Grandpa or Oma or Nonno, but no matter what they call their grandparents, there's no doubt that the good ones are worth their weight in gold. So on today's Grandparents Day (don't forget to make a call or schedule a Facetime!) which is an...
Tech Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way) Easier
Be an organized parent and classroom volunteer with 9 helpful apps and websites
Ever since my kids started elementary school, I have always tried to volunteer and chaperone whenever possible, especially in these years that the kids still actually want me to be there. But with many different opportunities to help out in the classroom, school...
Last-minute donations made easy with tech
If you're like us, you're on a tech organization rampage right now, like backing up data, organizing digital photos, and getting rid of those cord tangles once and for all. Or at least until February. But before you close the curtain on 2013, might we suggest making a...
7 important tips for giving tech gifts, to make sure Christmas morning is more fun than frustrating
If you're giving a tech gift, here are 7 basic tips to add to your checklist, to make sure kids (and eager adults) can just rip open those packages and start playing. Not that we remember them ourselves all the time. Which is why we're making a list that you can check...
Even More Coolness. Enjoy!
How to talk to your kids about 9/11
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 out. You'll find a specific...
The big Apple announcement highlights you’ll actually care about: iPhone 6S, Apple TV, a keyboard, and whoa Siri!
The annual Apple announcement always marks the passage of yet another year for those of us in tech -- and is also a reminder of the new, shiny iOS features that my current iPhone now lacks. Each September, we come to expect a flurry of new products, features and...
Accessible playgrounds for kids, on demand. Thanks, internet!
Leave it to NPR and Internet technology to create something as simple and wonderful as Playgrounds for Everyone, a community edited guide helping kids who require handicapped-accessible facilities find them easily. Turns out there actually is no official database like...
21 of the best math apps for kids of all ages: Back to school tech guide
Rounding out our 2015 back to school tech guide: The best math apps. All year long we're on the lookout for the very best of the best math apps for kids of all ages, that we know that parents will appreciate too. (Especially since we're the ones paying for them,...
8 of the best reading apps for older kids: Back to School Tech Guide 2015
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. Whether you have an older...
The HeyBC spelling app makes learning very very cute
My kids have been back to school for a couple weeks now, and that means I'm reviewing spelling words with the big kids while I cook dinner every night. My preschooler doesn't want to be left out, so he's asking for "homework" too. That's where those educational apps...
Happy Birthday to You by Charlie Hope: Kids’ music download of the week
My third born is soon turning another year older, a fact that makes me feel both happy and wistful as he is the baby in the family. So though I may be holding back tears as he blows out his birthday candles, I also love that I've found another birthday song to play...
The Sphero BB-8 wins this #ForceFriday thing.
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 designed to sell a crapton of...
7 of the best YouTube channels to get kids excited about math
Even though our kids will be getting lots of STEM in school these days (at least, we hope so), we love the idea of encouraging their love of learning about science, math, and related subjects outside the classroom too. YouTube can actually be a fantastic resource for...
Code Master teaches online coding skills through a fun offline board game
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, sometimes I just don't want to give my...
10 of the best reading apps for young kids and early readers: Back to School Tech Guide 2015
Next up in our Back to School Tech Guide 2015, we're happy to share 10 of the best reading apps for little kids. Because as plenty of us parents know, getting kids hyped about reading isn't always an easy road. So when they're first starting out, we always welcome any...
Kids volume-limiting headphone smackdown: Comparing 6 pairs under $30 to help kids keep that awful YouTube parody song to themselves.
We have officially entered the "please turn that music off" stage of parenting. Yay. (Sarcasm.) We have been lucky to try various kids' headphones over the years, and I've compared some of the top affordable headphones for kids. They're all under $30 and worth...