The best math apps for kids: Back to School Tech Guide 2013
We're pretty diligent around here about making sure our kids understand math concepts, and math apps can be a helpful and even fun way to get them excited about it. Year after year, math just keeps building on itself, so it's super important for students to feel...
Are babies too young for apps? A discussion parents need to have.
Our regular readers may notice that we don't tend to feature apps for babies and toddlers on Cool Mom Tech. Last night, our editor-in-chief Liz Gumbinner explained why, as she joined a smart panel on HuffPost Live to talk about apps for babies, and the...
Break out the Fortress phone, all you parents who moonlight as international spies.
We always hear about devices getting hacked--PCs, smart phones, huge corporate networks--so it's no wonder someone has finally created the most secure phone possible. Your best bet for total phone security, should you be an international spy or Hollywood madam,...
Target is giving $5 million to schools. Here’s how your school can get some of that.
Like so many of you, I'm committed to supporting my kids' school. Whether it's volunteering my time in the classroom, designing yearbook pages, or just sending permission slips back on time, I'm happy to do what I can. And for the next few weeks, I can do even more...
5 creative ways to capture first day back-to-school photos.
Don't know about you, but we tend to be sticklers for capturing those first day back to school photos of our kids in their thoughtfully planned new outfits and shiny new backpacks. Of course they're often hastily captured as we race out the door, late for school (just...
Kids’ FREE music download of the week: Now Let’s Dance
When two of our favorite kindie artists come together to create new music, it's a reason to celebrate. And the first single off of Dan Zanes and Elizabeth Mitchell's August 27th release is so great, we're thrilled to be able to share it with you. {Keep reading to see...
Disconnect Kids: Online privacy for kids, made easy
My first instinct (and job) as a mom is to keep my kids safe, so when I found out how many thousands of bits of information about us were being sent to online marketers every time they play or learn on my iPad, I got pretty protective. For this mom, that has to stop...
Instagram photo jewelry is like the locket 2.0
With the world going Instagram crazy, why not take those fun, overfiltered little square photos and wear your favorites around your neck or on your fingers? Who knows--maybe you'll get some new followers out of it. That's the idea behind the colorful Instasparkle line...
Friendship bracelets? Try friendship iPhone cases
Besties are the new black, and with all sorts of variations on friendship bracelets and paired lockets, I'm not surprised to see the trend make its way to tech. I kind of love these Besties iPhone cases for iPhone 4/4S. Because presumably a real friend wouldn't...
Soleil Moon Frye moves from parenting author to parenting app developer. And it’s good.
While there are a ton of photo editing apps that we've recommended, there's a new one made just for families that we think you'll be particularly interested in. Not just because it was created by Soleil Moon Frye, who's reinvented herself as parenting expert and...
Best laptops for kids: Back to School Tech Guide 2013
Ah, homework. The bane of many parents' back-to-school existence. With more serious homework comes the requisite serious computer these days, so here are our picks for the best laptops for kids to consider for your student. -Jeana Recently, Kristen wrote a helpful...
How will that IKEA furniture look in your home? There’s an app for that now too.
Turns out the brand new 2014 IKEA catalog isn't just any old catalog. Not that it ever was of course, But now, it's got an interactive tech component with a companion augmented reality app that's pretty darn awesome. And yes, Android owners can have fun with it too....
Tech Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way) Easier
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Even More Coolness. Enjoy!
Hey girl, let Ryan Gosling brighten up your Facebook feed
Most of the time we love Facebook, but admittedly it can be lame when that one cousin floods your feed with kitten photos. Or a downer if your summer vacation consists of a hose in the backyard, while friends are posting pictures from Paris--along with every fabulous...
The coolest flash drives from Mimobot on sale, in time for storing all that homework.
When your kids are old enough to head back to school with a laptop or tablet in that backpack, a dandy new flash drive to go with it is a must. Especially when the coolest ones happen to be on sale. At Mimobot, their popular character flash drives are now 25%...
How to talk to teens and tweens about smart tech use and safety
Just about every day, I have a moment where I'm grateful social media wasn't around when I was a teen or pre-teen. Don't get me wrong; technology is a major positive in my life and in my kids' lives. But it's also kind of scary to think about the ways in which it can...
Dollarbird: An app to help track daily expenses, and keep your money from flying away
For the most part, I've got a good handle on my family's finances, but when it comes to the smaller details of where our money goes, I could use some help from this new iOS app. I'm finding it's really great for tracking your every day expenses, so you can become...
Simon is back. SIMON IS BACK. (Just making sure you understand how excited we are.)
I still remember spending hours on end playing Simon, that awesomely fun hand-held eletronic game which had you imitating the light patterns as they got increasingly hard. Get it: Simon Says? I cannot even believe it's back. I still credit my strong memory today to...
Kids’ music download of the week: Recess by Justin Roberts
If your kids are already groaning about early mornings at the bus stop and after-school homework--or getting ready to--it's time to remind them that, with the start of school, comes the fun of recess. And kindie favorite Justin Roberts has just the right song to get...
Keep your gadget cozy in the belly of a beast. Or a wizard. Or a Wookiee.
Don't worry about your e-reader, smartphone, or tablet: The narwhal will keep it safe. Or Harry Potter, Doctor Who, or a very fuzzy but territorial shark. The gadget cozies from Life Geekery on Etsy are made by a husband and wife team in Hawaii to further the wife's...
Netflix creates individual profiles on your account. This is a very very good thing.
I can't tell you how frustrating it used to be to check in on our family's communal Netflix account and see nothing but conspiracy theory documentaries and adult animation series. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But where were my rom-coms? Where were the...
Atlas Obscura: if this doesn’t make you want to travel the world, nothing will
When I'm in a new city, I want to see the good stuff. Monuments and museums can be interesting, but what really fascinates me are the sights that not everybody has seen. Or even knows about. Which is why this amazing website is my new tourist guidebook. Even if I go...
5 of our favorite techie Pinterest pins this week: Back to school edition
Obsessed with Pinterest as we are? Follow us! Then check out our five most popular pins from this week. 1. Keep these awesome educational channels for kids on YouTube bookmarked to help your kids get ready for back to school. 2. Here's a simple, free way to keep track...
Insta-dram: The best hipster party drinking game ever?
Every time someone takes a picture with his camera and tweets the Instagrammed masterpiece, take a sip. You'll be drunk in twenty minutes, but you'll look cool doing it! Note: possibly not the best game for first birthday parties. Also: We don't condone drunkenness....
Best quality Wi-Fi compact cameras for less than $400? Reader Q+A
My first child's photos were taken with an earlier version iPhone and I've decided that I need to start taking better quality ones moving forward. I don't want to lug around a huge DSLR or end up with a point-and-click that takes forever to focus, open, etc. Can you...