homeschooling

I know it's important to introduce science to your children in a really fun and hands-on way. (Let's call it a parent's antidote to the rote equation memorization called for by current state testing.) If you set the groundwork that scien…

Back in the day, kids used to keep themselves busy with old-fashioned things like wooden abacuses, blocks and felt boards. Now, they basically own our tablets (you know it's true), and can do everything from smash pigs to trace the entir…

With our long drives to and from school every morning, I've been meaning to grab some audiobooks for us to enjoy. Well lucky for me, just yesterday I scored over 20 popular classics as e-books and audio books on both my Kindle and my iPh…

Listening to compelling audio books has been my #1 way to prevent backseat squabbles between the kids as we do everything from a six-hour drive to Maine, to a 15-minute jaunt to gymnastics practice. And one of the best ways to get our ha…

My kids have used their fingers and toes to help them understand numbers and counting from the days of 10 Little Monkeys Jumping on a Bed through basic addition. And now there is a new app that uses technology to help reinforce these con…

My subpar geography skills are one of my husband's favorite things to tease me about. Could I fill in that blank map of the 50 states we had to do in 6th grade? Note to self: 2013 resolution! But I still find our planet completely fascin…

When we go on long car rides, I like to pack a bag of activities of things that keep the kids occupied for as long as possible before they resort to the eventual "are we therrrrrre yet?" One of the things I always throw in is our set of …

I decided to buy an iPad 2 for my eight-year-old to use in our homeschooling lessons. That's right -- it's for educational purposes, kid. And no, Angry Birds Space does not count as a physics lesson. So I've spent the past few days scour…

My kids are now at the age where the questions are getting harder than simply, "what's that?" The fun part is that when they ask about evolution or the number of stars or the life cycle of a butterfly, we get to explore the answers toget…

Believe it or not, summer brain drain is a real phenomenon. Bill Nye the Science Guy even said so recently on Kids Place Live (yes, the de facto radio station on in my car) and he mentioned that math and science are the first subjects to…

It's time for those lazy days of summer, when our kids just want to swim, eat ice cream, and make sand castles. . .and not spend one moment thinking about math facts. But, when there are a couple of apps that sneak math practice into a r…

Missing ear. Posthumously famous. Misunderstood misanthrope. Obviously I'm talking about Vincent van Gogh (and hopefully no one you actually know). If you want to bring the brilliant painter to life (you know, again) I've found a wonderf…

My girls are too young to remember the Girlhood Journeys series of historical fiction that was published years ago. But, given how much they've gobbled up the American Girl books, I knew this newly reissued series might be right up their…

My kids, like many, fall into the "Quasimodo trance" as I call it when they are alone with my iPad and play mindless games. They sit, hunched over and when asked a question, simply respond with grunts and indiscernible noises. Not so whe…

If you want to know the best of Hollywood, you watch the Academy Awards. If you want to know the best of the Internet, you follow the Webby Awards . These accolades recognize the best websites, interactive ads, online film and videos, an…

Even though I managed to pull a strong B+ in my college Art Appreciation class, my art history is a little rusty all these years later. And Van Gogh? Beyond the usual "ear incident" and the iconic sunflowers and starry night, my wealth o…

I'm a big fan of technology that gives people an opportunity to learn things they wouldn't normally have access to. We've previously raved about the universally beloved Khan Academy , and now I'm thrilled that they've just released a mob…

The other night, I dragged my kids outside in their pajamas to show them Jupiter and Venus and felt so smart, considering that the only thing I can reliably find on my own in the cosmos is the moon. But thanks to one cool app, I already …

If you like the idea of your kids playing with iPhone or iPad apps in the back seat to keep them occupied, but feel better when the apps are educational instead of--oh, say, Angry Birds, we completely feel you. Whether you've got day tri…

Even with all their toys, my kids have always been fascinated by the no-frills blue-and-green globe they can spin around and look at countries with hard-to-say names like Azerbaijan. So you can imagine how neat they are finding a brand n…

My sister makes this little laugh/cry sound every time her first grader brings her another one of his books. It's so awesome that he loves to write stories, and yet the amount of paper he goes through each week makes her consider plantin…

Memory games are a great idea--in theory. Those brightly colored cards with rounded edges that fit snugly in grabby little palms are supposed to develop memory, recognition and visual identification skills, so what's not to like? At leas…

Have a kid who loves odd little factoids about everything and anything? National Geographic has been putting out "Weird But True" compilations in book form for years, but now they're bringing the wackiness to the iPhone, and it's more fu…

I can't be the only person who didn't know there are twelve verses to the Hickory Dickory Dock rhyme-- I never got any further than one, and honestly am not sure I'd ever want to keep the song going 11 more times. But, as an app, I'm mig…