Is the new Spotify Kids app worth the extra money?
When I first heard about the new Spotify Kids app, I was pretty excited. Would this be the app that would wean my son from the Moana soundtrack and expand his musical horizons? Is this the app for kids who are ready for their own music, but not everything that the...
SchoolClosures.org offers free resources for families affected by school closures
Both Liz and I got word this week that our kids will be out of school for the rest of the school year, which means we'll be doing this isolation schooling for another couple of months. Thankfully, resources like SchoolClosures.org have been popping up to help parents...
The Together app helps families and friends stay connected during quarantine, and beyond | Sponsored Message
This is a sponsored message for Together app As so many families and friends are struggling to stay connected during this Coronavirus quarantine, they've turned to technology to help them stay in touch. But with the Together app, your kids can video chat, while play...
Zoom alternatives for schools: 7 video conferencing options until Zoom fixes…some stuff
With the news last week that Zoom had some big security concerns to patch up, educators of all kinds started seeking out Zoom alternatives for schools and other kinds of remote learning. Especially after the NYC DOE took the big step of forbidding NYC public schools...
Play Cards Against Humanity online with your friends, thanks to Playingcards.io
We're all doing our best practicing social distancing and stay connected during this Coronavirus lockdown, and we've seen lots of creative ideas, from Facebook Live dance parties, to Zoom cocktail parties, even online singalongs like the one Kristen is hosting this...
How to practice safe socializing using tech during the Coronavirus outbreak
It's ironic that I chose the word "connect" as my 2020 word, just to find myself practicing "social distancing" three months into the year. Suddenly, instead of looking forward to coffee shop meetups, long chummy walks, and dinners with friends, my calendar is wide...
15 awesome podcasts for kids that you’ll enjoy too, parents.
We've been busy rounding up everything from helpful homeschooling resources to online learning apps and websites for the quarantine, but we realize kids can't live on educational materials alone. So we asked our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook Group members for their...
A comparison of 5 of the best audiobook apps. Get more reading time in!
Anyone else the escape of audiobooks while we find moments to ourselves? These audiobook apps proved to be the perfect literary lifeline for me while I was stuck at home with my young children during the quarantine, and are keeping me going even now. Because no...
8 reality shows you can mindlessly binge-watch because your brain needs a little break
Oh hi there, fellow anxious, friends. How are you holding up? It's been quite a stressful week, and I don't see it letting up anytime soon, so I'm doing my best to give my brain a little break, and one way that I do that is binge-watching completely mindless (and yes,...
8 fantastic educational resources for online learning, just in case you need them, parents.
Last week, our school district cancelled school on Friday due to possible COVID-19 exposure. And this week on Tuesday, my youngest daughter had off school. Whether or not we will see more cancellations in the future is unknown at this time (sorry, no crystal ball,...
Here’s how to clean and disinfect your AirPods, because ew, David.
We've already told you how dirty your phone probably is right now. So now, we're going to gross you out a little more by telling you that your AirPods are probably pretty dirty too. If you're on a bit of a disinfecting tear, we suggest adding your AirPods into your...
Calling all young scientists: There’s a $25,000 prize up for grabs and entering is super easy!
We're always amazed and impressed by the imaginative ideas kids can come up with when you give them a simple problem to solve. Just think of how many times your smartypants kids have gotten their siblings to do their chores. Or, figured out how to circumvent your...
Tech Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way) Easier
Big Twitter news: Here’s the deets on Fleets.
If you've been hoping that Twitter would launch something to make it feel like Snapchat and Instagram Stories, then you're in luck with the launch of their new feature, Fleets. Admittedly, I looked at the calendar to see if we had somehow fast forwarded to April 1,...
The best tutorials to help you customize your iOS 14 home screen
If you haven't heard by now, the customization features on the new iOS home screen are alllll kinds of extra (i.e. you can turn your home screen into a Harry Potter tribute, Microsoft Paint throw-back, or neon color study). It's pretty insane. And intense. Just ask...
Our favorite tutorials to help you use G-suite tools for online learning
Since my son started remote learning, I've been looking for great G-suite tutorials to help me hone my skills, and I know I'm not alone. We're hearing from a lot of parents whose kids are using G-suite tools for their own online learning programs. While G-suite...
Even More Coolness. Enjoy!
JIF vs GIF: How the peanut butter is trying to end the pronunciation debate for once and for all.
There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who pronounce GIF with a hard "G" as in GRAPHIC...and those who are wrong. (And yes, I know that GIF creator Steve Wilhite pronounces it with a soft J, but unless the acronym now stands for Jurrasic Interchange Format,...
These Baby Yoda beanies from Love Your Melon are the cutest thing you’ll see today.
If you and your family are as obsessed with The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda as we are, then you're all going to flip your helmet over these new Baby Yoda beanies from Love Your Melon. And the best part is that 50% of the net profits go to charity. Related: Our first 24...
Dear Reader is the addictive wordplay game for fans of Jane Austen and Edgar Allen Poe. Yes, really.
When you think "voracious reader of the classics" you don't generally think at the same time "..and big game, toor!" And yet, that's how I feel every time I open up Dear Reader. Free with Apple Arcade, this fun, quippy, clever, and fairly challenging iOS game of...
Here’s my beef with Snapchat for kids. And it might surprise you.
Over the years, we've shared our concerns with kids on Snapchat, which aren't really that surprising. We all know that it's terribly difficult to monitor. And we've seen our kids deal with the difficult issues that arise with Snap Maps. But honestly, I'm also...
6 unexpected rom-coms on Netflix that you can watch with the family on Valentine’s Day
What you do after the kids are in bed on Valentine's Day -- that's your business. What you do while the kids are still up and wanting to hang out with you though? Well, we can help with that. As the resident cinephile, I've put together some surprising picks for...
A fun family Valentine’s Day playlist that’s all about celebrating love
As you might have heard on our recent Spawned podcast, Valentine's Day after kids (at least for us, anyway), has become quite a family affair. Whether it's lunchbox notes and a special school lunch, little gifts when they wake up, or a family movie (or game night),...
How to hide your Instagram Story from users. Psst: If you can do it, your kids can do it too.
A few months ago, we shared how to set up the Close Friends feature on Instagram, just in case you’ve got your kids (and their friends) following you and wanted to share something that they couldn’t see. Of course, whenever you do that, then you can pretty much assume...
NBD Google just shared some private videos in Google Photos to strangers.
In what feels like a game of "Which Site Will Violate Our Privacy More This Week?," Google remains consistent in their issues with user privacy and released an inconspicuous email to users to let them know that some Google Photos users might have had their private...
Here’s how Facebook is stalking you. And what you can do about it.
If you're like me, you've had a few instances where you know you didn't search for a particular product or service on your phone or your computer, but suddenly you're getting ads for it in your Facebook feed. Is Facebook listening into your conversations? Well, sort...
The 20-20-20 rule, and why you (and your eyes) need to know about it
Every now and then I'll spot a fantastic article shared by one of my Facebook friends, only to discover it was written a few years ago. Womp, womp. But in a few cases, like this Vice article about what screens are doing to our eyes (and our kids' eyes), there's still...
Bandolier goes pro. AirPods Pro, that is.
If you were lucky enough to snag a pair of AirPods Pro this holiday season (or you played Santa for yourself), then you've got the perfect excuse to get one of the new Bandolier AirPods Pro pouches. Even though we were initially a little skeptical about the Bandolier...
Instagram trick: How to find all those cool Instagram Story filters everyone else seems to have.
We used to say "photos or it didn't happen," but it feels like 2020 is all about "filters or it isn't Instagram." You may have noticed folks you follow using wacky filters -- or oddly flattering filters that bathe them in a beautifully hazy rose gold glow. If you you...