history Archives | Cool Mom Tech

Outschool: Real-time, teacher-led courses for kids…from home.

by Kate Etue | Educational Apps For Kids, Websites Worth a Bookmark

As a homeschool mom, there’s something I’ve realized about myself over the past couple years: I’m not great at everything. There are some subjects I definitely teach better than others (hello, writing!), and some that I have no business attempting to...

50 must-listen podcasts from podcast-addicted parents who know

by Caroline Siegrist | Entertainment

We recently asked the members of our Out Tech Your Kids Facebook Group to share their choices for best podcasts for parents — that don’t have to be about parenting at all — and wow, we scored big. And well, so did you. If you’re looking for new...

Find your own town on this amazing, interactive Native Land map

by Liz Gumbinner | Educational Apps For Kids, Websites Worth a Bookmark

I just stumbled on this incredible Native Land Map shared in honor of Indigenous People’s Day and — wow. What a worthwhile educational site to explore today, especially if you sit down and do it with your kids. The map covers North America, as well as...

What work of art do you most look like? The silly app everyone is playing with

by Liz Gumbinner | Fun Apps

My timeline started blowing up with bizarre side-by-side photos of selfies and museum portraits. I tracked it down as a feature of the new Google Arts & Culture app (iOS and Android) which is free, fun, and possibly has some educational value in it too. Scroll...

9 of the best educational YouTube channels for teens and tweens to help keep brains sharp this summer

by Liz Gumbinner | Educational Apps For Kids

There are so many cool educational channels on YouTube for tweens and teens, but I don’t think that a lot of parents think to open our YouTube app when we look for educational resources for our kids. But we should. Let’s put it this way: when I ask my kids...

A cool online resource for teaching kids about the U.S. Presidential Inaugurations

by Kristen Chase | Websites Worth a Bookmark

I was so thrilled to discover this resource guide from the Library of Congress that’s full of a variety of primary source materials that document the U.S. Presidential Inaugurations through our country’s history. It’s such a fantastic wealth of...

The holiday gift for grandparents that’s a keepsake the whole family will love

by Kristen Chase | Helpful Services

I am fortunate that my grandmother was a writer, so she took it upon herself to write all her amazing life story down for us before she passed away. Even so, I would have loved to have had StoryWorth, a service that helps you capture your loved ones’ stories and...

Presidents vs. Aliens Lite: Free app of the week is also great for President’s Day

by Christina Refford | Educational Apps For Kids

My kids get really excited about President’s Day because it means a day off from school. But I’d like to make sure that they spend a little bit of time reflecting on our former presidents too, so I love an app that helps with just that. Presidents vs....

CuriosityStream lets you turn your binge-watching habit to fantastic documentaries.

by Kate Etue | Entertainment

Documentaries are hot right now. The whole earth seems to be obsessed with Making a Murderer, and movies like What Happened Miss Simone?, Man on Wire and Jiro Dreams of Sushi have been big hits in the last few years too. I’m not surprised, considering I’m...

A must see: Dr. King’s legacy, in his own writing

by Liz Gumbinner | Websites Worth a Bookmark

One thing that’s become abundantly clear to me after a year of following Black Lives Matter tweets and listening more closely to what people of color have to say about their own heroes and history without media spin, is that a lot of us have only grasped a very...

NEW: The podcast that helps you be a savvier digital parent in under 15 minutes a week

Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz

Kristen Chase + Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks

We started Cool Mom Tech in 2010 to help make our increasingly digital lives easier, more organized, more meaningful, and more fun, however old your kids may be.

We love that it's grown to become the go-to source for millions of parents who want commonsense info about tech delivered with a smile.

We even have the privilege of sharing our tips + tricks with The TODAY Show, CNN, HLN, GMA, Nightline, newspapers and magazines around the country, and our favorite -- regular parents who stop us at PTA meetings and ask us how old kids need to be to get a smartphone, and whether they really need to panic about Snapchat.

(Answer: It's complicated.)

We're so glad you're here! And we hope we can help you too.