Android Tablet Designed Especially for Kids!

Tired of the kids grabbing your iPad, tablet or smart phone?  Do you wish you could afford to buy them their own device?  You are not alone!  In the very near future, you will be able to buy the new Nabi Tablet, the first, full-featured Android tablet designed especially for kids!

The Nabi has a Duo Core 1.1GHz processor and a high-resolution, 7-inch display that allows the kids to easily read books, watch movies and TV shows, listen to music, play games and otherwise have fun.  It comes pre-loaded with games, music, apps and books and will run over 500 applications and games catered to kids found in the Nabi App Store.   The tablet includes:

• Its a University: The award-winning Fooz Kids University is a Nabi exclusive with over 22,000 state standardized math skills covering grades Pre-K through 5th.
• Its a Design Studio: 30+ apps from drawing and painting to creating professional quality books allow for creative exploration that can be shared with friends and family.
• Its a Movie Theater: A 7-inch brilliant 1080p display lets children watch their favorite TV shows and movies at home or on-the-go.
• Its a Library: 30 pre-loaded e-Books make stories come to life and encourage children of all ages to read.
• It’s a Game Console: Tilt-sensor controls and a Multi-Touch display puts children in control of their favorite games such as Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, Fruit Ninja and Need for Speed.

A  Toys “R” Us exclusive, the Nabi is compact and lightweight, easy for small hands to hold.  It will be available on December 1, 2011, but you can pre-order one now!  Compared to the adult alternatives, it is very reasonably priced at $199.99.

Plus, it has a “Mommy Mode” which allows adults (Dad’s included) to tap a button, enter a password and you can enjoy a full-featured Android tablet to browse the Web and use favorite apps and games.  Now we might be grabbing our kid’s tablet!

Online Halloween Happenings for Kids

Looking for some online activities for the kids this Halloween.  Learn about pumpkin patches, make Halloween crafts, play some games with a Halloween twist, or create an eCard using pictures of the kids.  Check out a few of our favorites through the links below.

1. Learn about Pumpkins
2. Halloween Crafts
3. PBS Halloween Online Games
4. More Online Games and Activities
5. Create a Halloween eCard

Keep your children safe and let the kids have fun!

Websites to Visit with Your Child

Here are some more fun and educational websites for you to visit with your children.

http://funschool.kaboose.com/preschool The “Preschool” Arcade is full of fun games for kids.  Plus coloring pages to print.

www.learningplanet.com Wonderful education site helps children learn about numbers, colors, letters, clocks and more.

www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/tikkabilla/ We especially like the Emotion Theatre game that helps children identify emotions.

http://disney.go.com/disneyjunior A perennial favorite for parents and kids.  Enjoy your favorite Disney television characters while playing games, coloring, watching videos and listening to music.

www.abcya.com While the site is designed for elementary students, some preschoolers will enjoy the kindergarten games.

www.lil-fingers.com Lil’ Fingers is a storybook site for toddlers with educational games, storybooks and printable coloring pages.   Designed with bright colors & big buttons for little fingers.

Tell us your favorites!

Cool Websites for Children in Preschool

I was recently asked for some of my favorite websites for preschool age children.  What are your favorites?  Here is just the start of mine.  Check back soon for a list of more websites.

www.pbskids.org A perennial favorite for parents and kids.  Enjoy your favorite television characters while playing games, coloring, videos and music.

www.sesamestreet.org Learn fun facts about Big Bird, Elmo and all the Sesame Street characters.  Play games, watch videos, and find crafts to do with your child.

www.activitytv.com Lots of great ideas for crafts, family gifts, jewelry, puppets, cooking and so much more.  Videos and written directions make learning easy for kids and parents.  Plus, different skill levels to choose from.

www.starfall.com This is a great educational site that kids enjoy too.  Comes highly recommended by educators and parents.

www.seussville.com Enjoy the writing and illustrations from these classic favorites.  This site includes interactive games, contests, and information on Dr. Seuss and his works.

www.thekidzpage.com Explore free printable & online kids games, activities, puzzles, clip art, coloring pages and online coloring.

www.fisher-price.com Online games and activities for preschoolers, toddlers and infants.  Plus find an Age-by-Age Playtime Guide, Play Tips, Parenting Help, and of course, you can check out their toys.

www.kidsholidaycrafts.com Find fun and easy craft projects, puzzles, coloring pages, etc. for many holidays or seasons.

www.professorgarfield.org Listen to music, learn to draw Garfield, read a book or build a cartoon.

www.nickjr.com Games, activities, videos, recipes and printables with all your Nick Jr. friends.

We would love to hear from you about your favorite sites for young children.  Post a comment below.

Holiday Gift Ideas for Young Children

While their are many lists of “top” toys or “best” gift ideas lurking throughout the internet, a recent blog post by the National Association for the Education of Young Children caught my attention.  Unlike other sources, they do not mention specific toys or gift ideas.  Instead their focus is safety and age-appropriateness.

Certainly, safety is paramount.  It seems that many toys have been recalled lately for safety issues.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission has a list of toys that have been recalled.  Make sure to check the list to ensure children in your care are playing with safe toys.  Visit the Toy Hazard Recalls page for the listing of recalled toys.

Beyond safety, you need to find age-appropriate items for your children.  Some suggestions by age include:

Young Infants: Things to listen to—books with nursery rhymes and poems, and recordings of lullabies and simple songs.

Older Infants: Things to play pretend with—baby dolls, puppets, plastic and wood vehicles with wheels, and water toys.

1-Year Olds: Recordings with songs, rhymes, simple stories, and pictures.

2-Year Olds: CD and DVD players with a variety of music (of course, phonograph players and cassette recorders work too!)

3-6 Year Olds: If a child has access to a computer: programs that are interactive (the child can do something) and that children can understand (the software uses graphics and  spoken instruction, not just print), children can control the software’s pace and path, and children have opportunities to explore a variety of concepts on several  levels.

To check out all of their recommendations, visit the NAEYC blog.

We especially like their recommendation for 3-6 year olds.  To ensure developmentally appropriate computer use, CompuChild classes make a great gift for your child, grandchild or other special child in your life.  Check out the CompuChild website to find out if classes are offered near you.

 

Summer Vacation Fun for Tech Loving Families #1

Summer has officially begun.  Have you figured out where you and your family will be going on vacation this summer?  Make sure to include some fun educational stops along your trip.   Today, we will be highlighting a couple great locations for tech loving families.  Plus, we will have more great vacations spots in future blog posts.

While on a recent family trip to western Pennsylvania, we visited Pittsburgh.  Our main stops included The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Science Center.  Your kids will love both.  Unfortunately for us, we arrived two days before the new Curious George exhibit opened at the Children’s Museum.  We got a sneak peak and it looks like tons of fun.    For those interested in technology, you will need to check out their Animatering Exhibit.  Kids can create their own virtual puppet show on a large video screen using the museum’s puppet collection captured in a virtual world.  They can pick the puppets, the scenery, the music and how the puppet moves.  Then the kids direct the show using a joystick and buttons.  The waterplay area and studio art center are also big hits with the kids.

You will certainly need more time at the Carnegie Science Center.   Tech enthusiasts will discover many fun and education exhibits including RoboWorld, the world’s largest permanent robotics exhibition!  Learn how robots sense, think, and act by exploring dozens of interactive exhibit stations in this one-of-a-kind robotics experience.  While the main building has plenty of exhibits spread out over four stories, you will certainly want to check out the Highmark Sports Works and tour the USS Requin submarine.  Both are conveniently located next to the main science center building.  Plan to spend several hours at the Carnegie Science Center.  There is definitely something for everyone.  My favorite exhibit was the Miniature Railroad and Village.  The kids loved RoboWorld and the Kitchen Theater, where they learned the science behind fruit flambe.  The center also has an Omnimax theater featuring several different films.  For tech-loving families, the Carnegie Science Center is a must see.

We will be posting more great summer vacation destinations with some technology fun for families.  So be sure to subscribe to our blog or check back soon.

The Birth of the Internet

Early this afternoon, a younger (much younger) colleague of mine asked a simple question.  Did they have Blackboards when I was in college?   To which I responded “Yes and we even had chalk too.”  Now I know she was not referring to a traditional blackboard and I am familiar with interactive Blackboards.   It was just a poor attempt at a joke, and a great opportunity to take a trip down memory lane.

Today, it is hard to imagine a world without computers, cell phones, email and the Internet, yet many of us survived school, jobs and life without such conveniences.  For children and even young adults, understanding a world without such items is very difficult to imagine.  Helping our children and students understand the history of technology opens their eyes to the wonder and possibilities of where technology can take us.

For a historical look at the birth of the Internet, check out the National Science Foundation website. It will give us all greater perspective on technology and the world we share.

Six Tips for Creating Secure Passwords

We all know creating passwords is important for security.  Here are some tips from CompuChild for keeping you passwords more secure:

• Make your password long and complex, between 8 to 20 characters.
• Place numbers, punctuation marks or spaces randomly in your password.
• Create a password that is not in a dictionary.
• Do not use a password that you have used in the past.
• Do not create a password with any information about you like your phone number, house number, family name, pet or child’s name.
• Use both upper- and lower-case letters.