Carmen Sandiego meets Cooking Mama, in this cool cooking game for kids

by Kate Etue | Best Apps

News flash: our kids love video games. But they also love to help cook in the kitchen. So when we saw that the new Issa’s Edible Adventures app teaches them to cook virtually and IRL, we knew we had to try it out. It’s part Carmen Sandiego, traveling the...

A first look at Nintendo Labo: The new, rad cardboard accessories for the Nintendo Switch.

by Kristen Chase | Games + Gaming

We’ve been pretty happy with our Nintendo Switch investment going back to 2017  and now, it’s about to get even cooler with the launch of Nintendo Labo. It’s a series of fun cardboard accessories that can take game play to a whole new level. Launched...

The new Hot Wheels game for Osmo. Now for boys and girls. Well, officially, that is.

by Kate Etue | Tech Toys

Hot Wheels is getting a big tech upgrade, thanks to their newest partnership with a longtime Cool Mom Tech favorite, Osmo. You’ll be able to recapture your living room floors from miles of winding plastic track, but still let your kids have the fun of their race...

Stack app: The mesmerizing, beautiful free app game we can’t put down

by Kate Etue | Best Apps

I like to keep at least one totally mindless, just-for-fun app on my iPad for some winding-down entertainment at the end of the day. Of course, Candy Crush and 1010 have dominated recently, but I’ve just discovered the Stack app (iOS and Android). And now...

How to get started on Minecraft PE: One newbie parent’s intro into the square world

by Nicole Blades | Games + Gaming

Of course I’ve heard about Minecraft. How could I not? The crazy best-selling, square-loving video game is practically everywhere and has been for years now. I also knew the super skinny basics on Minecraft: It’s all about virtual, 3-D worlds engineered by...

5 great STEM toys for kids with a math focus. Because despite what you may remember, math is now fun.

by Christina Refford | Tech Toys

As we approach the final week of Christmas shopping, I plan spend a few minutes to make sure that I’m buying toys and games that will feed my kids’ brains as much as their need for play. And while “math toys” has never appeared on any of my...

Guitar Hero Live review: Cool updates put this classic back on top of the charts

by Nicole Blades | Games + Gaming

Honestly, haven’t we all rocked out to an air guitar at some point in our lives? (Or maybe this morning in the shower — ahem.) Pretending to be Lenny Kravitz or Joan Jett shredding the axe and professing our love for rock ‘n’ roll out loud got...

Cannybots: An exciting new tech toy that goes so far beyond car racing, you won’t believe it.

by Jeana | Tech Toys

While things we find on Kickstarter aren’t usually available in the immediate future, if you’ve already got holiday shopping on the brain (eek!) it’s worth taking a look at Cannybots, a Kickstarter campaign for a very cool new tech toy that taking...

Anki OVERDRIVE: It’s back, it’s better than ever, and it’s going to be the holiday tech toy of the year

by Liz Gumbinner | Tech Toys

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...

Osmo Numbers app: Man, where was this when we were learning basic math skills?

by Kate Etue | Best Apps, Educational Apps

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...