Games to play with faraway friends and family over Zoom this holiday season | Out-Tech Your Kids Episode 19
With so many of us celebrating the holidays far away from our friends and family, we thought it would be helpful to put together some ideas on how to connect with them virtually this holiday season, which for us means: games! On this episode of Out-Tech Your Kids,...
All the HBO apps and services, explained. Because we’re confused too.
Anyone else confused about the HBO offerings? There's HBO Go, HBO Max, HBO Now, HBO Later (Okay, I just made that one up, but you get the idea). But the good news is that HBO has finally taken the hint from confused consumers and start consolidating into one service:...
Holiday Tech Guide 2020: 10 awesome Mandalorian gifts for Star Wars fans, young and old
Who else out there is still low key obsessed with the Mandalorian? Good news! We are too; in fact, our devotion may have gone beyond low key a while ago. So I've rounded up 10 Mandalorian gifts for the Star Wars nerd in your life, whether that person is a child, teen,...
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,...
12 must-have gadgets to get you through a winter of quarantining
Colder weather is starting to settle in for many of us, and we're kind of staring bleakly into a winter quarantining. I'm not thrilled about the idea, but I'm trying to prepare myself and my family so that we'll get through this season healthily and happily. Be sure...
9 awesome kitchen gadgets you’ll want on your holiday wish list
The pandemic has ushered in a whole new cooking renaissance for lots of us, so I've been on the lookout for new gadgets for all you budding gourmets out there. Or anyone who just wants these gadgets to make cooking thee meals a day, every day a little more automated....
A parent’s guide to Among Us: What you need to know before you let your kids play the “it” game of quarantine
While there has been a lot of gaming going on in our house since the start of the pandemic, no game has quite gripped my family like Among Us. This easy and free-to-download game, which launched in 2018, has became HUGE during this pandemic as more and more people...
Calling all aspiring bounty hunters! Mandalorian sneakers are here
What's the best Mandalorian accessory, aside from a jet pack? I'm going to go ahead and say these amazing Mandalorian sneakers from Adidas. They're gorgeous, and come in several different styles, so you (and your kids) can channel whichever Star Wars character is your...
Beyond Mavis Beacon: 5 typing games for kids who need some practice.
With our kids spending significantly more time on their computers now that for many kids, school is online from home, we've realized something: they can't type. I mean, 16 wpm isn't something to brag about, champ. So we thought we'd look for some typing games for kids...
Just in time for Halloween: Spooky podcasts for kids | Out-Tech Your Kids Episode 18
We're all finding clever, different ways to celebrate Halloween this year (thanks for the nudge, 2020), so we figured we'd share something we're doing with our kids: listening to some spooky podcasts. On this episode of Out-Tech Your Kids, we're sharing 6 of our...
20 must-know Alexa skills for homeschooling
As a homeschool mom, I'm often looking for ways to mix things up for my kids so it doesn't get boring. Our Amazon Echo is often playing music or keeping track of our grocery list for us from our homeschool room, but when I realized how many educational skills for...
Disney+ adds a watch party feature, just in time for The Mandalorian season 2
Since 2020 has precluded in-person watch parties, I was glad to see Disney step up their game with GroupWatch. Just like Netflix's watch party, GroupWatch lets you watch content from Disney+ with others who are far away -- and who also subscribe to Disney+, of course....
Tech Tips & Tricks to Make Life (Way!) Easier
44 cool things you can do with the Amazon Echo: From productive time-savers to just plain fun.
I received an Amazon Echo for Christmas a few years ago, and I have to admit at first I was a little skeptical. What is all the buzz about anyway and what can I actually do with an Amazon Echo? I wasn't sure it could really do more for me than Siri or my phone, but...
Clever ways to use Alexa to make your life easier | Out-Tech Your Kids Episode 22
We can all use ways to make our lives a little easier, which is why we’re talking about Alexa, which we know has helped our own staff, and maybe you too. That includes this episode’s sponsor Bamboo Learning, which offers fun ways for elementary-aged kids to learn and...
The top 10 most popular Cool Mom Tech posts of 2020
Every year, we share our top 10 most popular posts on Cool Mom Tech. From the best podcasts for kids to customizing your iPhone 14 home screen, here are the posts we wrote this year that resonated the most with our readers in 2020. Also check out: The top 10 Cool Mom...
What’s new at Apple that parents need to know about | Out-Tech Your Kids Episode 17
Over the last couple of months, Apple has launched some pretty awesome devices and features that are pretty pertinent to parents - from Family Set-Up to the new HomePod Mini - and a few other things in between. So, on this episode of Out-Tech Your Kids, we're talking...
6 scary podcasts for kids, just in time for Halloween
Gearing up for Halloween is looking a little different this year, but at my house we've been getting into the spooky spirit with these awesome scary podcasts for kids. They come at every level of fright, from pumpkin-caper to prepare-to-sleep-with-the-lights-on. For a...
Our favorite self-care apps to help you develop a self-care plan. Because winter is coming.
Let's talk about self-care apps! While I took a no-holds-bar approach at the very beginning of quarantine (It's the end of the world! Why not scroll all day?), I'm realizing that might not be the most sustainable solution for a pandemic that shows no signs of fully...
The new Duolingo ABC app is a totally free way to help kids with reading and writing
This is a sponsored message from Duolingo ABC You probably already know Duolingo as the most popular language-learning app around the world. But you may not have tried the brand new Duolingo ABC, which was designed to help all kids learn to read and write in English....
Here’s one simple way you can get your voice heard…with a text! | Out-Tech Your Kids Episode 16
With Election Day around the corner (though for many of us, it's now and tomorrow and every day until November 3), we wanted to share an app - or a service, really - that allows you to share your voice with your representatives, congresspeople, senators and more,...
We’ll be waiting at the mailbox for these USPS x CASETIFY phone accessories
We've been fan of CASETIFY's fun iPhone case mash-ups for a while now, and so I was so happy to see them announce their new collection with -- yep, you guessed it -- the United States Postal Service. This new USPS collection celebrates the folks who tirelessly deliver...
Fun games you can play on your phone to keep you from going crazy | Out-Tech Your Kids Ep 15
We think you can all agree that with everything going on, it's a smart idea to have a few little distractions to take your mind off things. For Liz, that's often a game on her phone. But for Kristen, well, let's just say she's a little out of practice with the gaming....
How to boost your home WiFi (for online learning and beyond) | Out-Tech Your Kids Ep 14
If you've got a bunch of people online in your house all day like we do, we've got some suggestions - tips and gadgets - that might help give you a much-needed signal boost. The last thing you need is to get kicked off your work Zoom call or have your kids miss their...
Spruce up your online learning with cool free Zoom backgrounds from National Geographic
Anyone else tired of broadcasting their messy house over Zoom every day? I definitely was, so I was stoked to discover these cool virtual Zoom backgrounds for online learning from National Geographic. [Insert bad dad joke here about how we're already living in a zoo...
Toniebox, the new screen-free entertainment center for little kids
My son's just at the age he can start listening to stories on his own, but I'm not in a hurry to hand over my iPhone to keep him entertained. So I was intrigued to read about Toniebox, a new screen-free content box for little kids. The Toniebox works with figurines --...
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...