The coolest way to teach kids the value of a dollar

by Christina Refford | Best Apps, Educational Apps

Those of you who are long-time readers of our sister site, Cool Mom Picks, may have heard us rave about Readeez DVDs, which introduce kids to phonics, reading and good music in a way that is fun, playful and effective. Now they have a new downloadable series focusing...

The new PBS website drives the Earth Day message home

by Christina Refford | Best Apps, Educational Apps

If I want my kids to celebrate Earth Day every day, it helps if they understand the little issues that all add up to make big changes. In other words: Why I screech when they forget to recycle a piece of paper. (I admit it. I screech.) That’s why I applaud PBS...

Leapfrog Tag Maps help kids make sense of a great big world

by Cool Mom Team | Best Apps, Educational Apps

There’s a lot going on in the world these days. Kids are hearing rumblings about so many countries, many of which are new to them. Depending on their ages, there are some good tools to help initiate conversations about friends and foes overseas, like the clever...

I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow on your iPad

by Cool Mom Team | Best Apps, Educational Apps

When my children discovered the Three Little Pigs storybook app on a friend’s iPad, I had absolutely zero doubt in my mind that we’d be running home to purchase it that very night. In a word, this app is masterful. Or to use more words, it’s...

The Eric Carle app: Your children’s very first books become their Very First app.

by Cool Mom Team | Best Apps, Educational Apps

My gadgets overflow with cool apps for my older kids, but when it comes to my toddler, it’s tough to find ones that are engaging and educational, but not overstimulating. So leave it to the talented folks at Night & Day Studios (makers of the...

The British are coming! And they’re here for your children.

by Betsy | Best Apps, Educational Apps

Today there are tons of toddler apps that not only keep kids entertained, but also teach basic concepts like, colors, shapes and counting in ways that are a lot more engaging than my method of repeating over and over: Green ball. Three Cheerios. Hey, that’s how...

The Sandra Boynton app that makes going to bed cuter, if not easier

by Julie | Best Apps, Educational Apps

Since I finally (finally!) got my beloved iPhone, I’ve been reluctant to share with my kiddos. It’s not like they don’t have umpteen other opportunities to get their allotted screen time. But when I got a peek at the new ebook app for Sandra...

3 ways to get kids books on the iPad

by Cool Mom Team | Best Apps, Educational Apps

We’re gearing up for our annual family vacation, and instead of loading down our bag with bunch of books for the plane ride and bedtime, I’ve been loading them up electronically on my iPad. But with so many different options out there, I decided to give...

Brain Pop Jr answers kids’ questions better than we can

by Christina Refford | Websites We Love

Though I’ve been homeschooling for five years, make no mistake: I am no great educator. I’m just good at finding help for subjects in which I’m a little rusty, like…all of them. Hey, it’s been a long time since I sat behind a classroom...

With a corncob pipe and a button nose and two eyes made out of LED-backlit pixels

by Cool Mom Team | Best Apps, Educational Apps

If you woke up to snowmageddon this morning like we did (or more like a typical winter snowfall with a new 24 hour news cycle-friendly, alarmist name), your kids are probably begging you to get out there with them as soon as humanly possible. If they haven’t...