tweens + big kids

We all know by now that a lot of video on demand services leave a lot to be desired in the "current releases" genre. One time that doesn't matter a lick: Halloween! The holiday where the best scary, creepy, or funny-creepy movies never r…

A lot of readers ask us about great math apps for kids. (Cut The Rope only counts sort of) I've found a great one that's equal parts science lesson and math course with a sprinkling of cool graphics thrown in for good measure. My kids ar…

If there's a designer who has this tech thing down, it has to be Marc Jacobs, whose Marc by Marc Jacobs tech accessories are at the top of my list. This season, he's launched an adorable line of animal iPhone cases that are sure to make …

If you're like me, if you're plunking down cash for an app, you really want it to be worth it. So an app with four games in one has my name all over it. And when all four games are educational for the kids, my heart swoons. Smash Party i…

Every year, there is one kid who comes to the door in the most unbelievable Halloween costume, one that I know either took a month to make by hand, or cost a small fortune to purchase. But, I'm pretty sure that with this one little devic…

With SiriusXM satellite radios in our cars, and Spotify on my computer, I can't tell you the last time I listened to the actual radio. But since this sweet little gadget arrived at my house a few weeks ago, I've been making up for lost t…

As a mom of a child with a learning disability in reading, technology has been a huge help. But most of the reading apps out there are geared toward young children who are learning to read, not 9 year olds. I just stumbled across the Whi…

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about many different ways to connect kids with their grandparents . While I covered the big ones like Skype, Facetime, Google+ and others, I just discovered a new one that is solely designed for connecting you…

There have been a lot of exciting news and updates for Apple loyalists out there recently--namely the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 . But we also know about the growing legions of Android users, and we're excited to see that Android has really uppe…

I must admit, at first I was a bit confused by the Aliens Abducted app . Is it an alien arcade style game? Is it a geography lesson as promised? Then I watched my boys play around with it, and I realized that it was both--and the kids du…

If you're like me and have a bunch of really outdated MP3 players and iPods laying around your house, not to mention USB flash drives stuffed in drawers, then go round them up! I have some ideas to help you turn them into fabulous gifts …

Those AT&T commercials that feature kids who have suffered from car accidents as a result of texting while driving literally bring me to tears. I know I'm not alone. To think that one single split second or word in this case can change e…

I shudder when I think about my kids running around as teenagers. I can only imagine the kind of technology that will be available to them and how they and their peers will be using it. I don't envision ever "tracking" my kids via GPS lo…

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…

Based on how well she takes care of her Nintendo DS, my tween's future electronics are going to need to grow some thick skins if they are going to survive living with her. So if you have a kid who has been handed a precious iPad for her …

With so many of our big kids using tech gadgets on a daily basis, it seems only natural that they'd use them school. So for our final installment in our Back to School Tech series, we've rounded up some of the best educational apps for b…

We've dabbled in the electric toothbrush world (or battery-operated, more aptly) but with kids who still have small mouths and small hands, most of them were a little too much to handle. And I promise that wasn't just an excuse not to br…

Our tweens and teens heading back to school aren't satisfied with cute erasers and personalized pencils anymore. They want tech! Aside from all those tablets and phones and laptops they've got 400 good reasons they need, here are a few l…

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…

With the back to school season here (surely you've heard by now), over the next couple weeks we'll be putting together these mini guides on back to school tech to help you out with a few must-haves, helpful apps, and cool ideas. Starting…

Kids and cell phones is a combo that strikes fear into even the most laid-back parents. As my oldest daughter inches closer to cell phone age, I've decided to do my research early so I'm ready when she's ready. And while it's tough to kn…

I am all about tools that transform math problems into games that keep you engaged and thinking. So I am digging this new math app, Go Sum, because it is just perfect for kids that may be a bit math-phobic, while still keeping it interes…

Okay, so he's not an 80s hair band, and he doesn't have a one-armed drummer. But this leopard is the first iPhone case we've seen with ears--and he helps real, actual endangered leopards. Which means he does, in fact, rock. The super swe…

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…