child is allowed just thirty minutes of screen time on weekdays, and that covers television, computer, and iPod. On the weekends, her maximum time to be on-screen is two hours per day. Like many parents, Julie worries about how hard it will be to keep these limits as her daughter ages.
Choosing for Interactivity
In a Wall Street Journal column titled “Baby’s First App Store Download,” technology reporter Michael Hsu wrote about checking out some Montessori-themed iPhone apps. He says he didn’t like them as much as some simple apps that inspired his three-year-old daughter to explore the world by taking simple photos with the phone’s camera. He said they also liked to view family photos together that are stored on his phone and talk about the people. And, she loves a free Apple app called Voice Memos that allows her to record her own voice and then play it back. Michael says he plans to restrict his children’s use of the devices but admits it’s hard to strictly ration cell phone use when kids see their parents with the devices constantly.
Discriminating among the endless offerings available is very important, especially for really young children.
Finding the Right Software
The tech tools we have today are just the baby steps in a revolution, and they are drastically changing how children learn and interact with the world and other people. There is no denying that among a vast amount of commercial dreck, there are some compelling and very educational games and apps coming out constantly. Find some local resources and gatekeepers to help you sort the good from the bad, including tech-savvy local librarians and teachers at your children’s school.
To name just a few outstanding examples, iPad games like Monkey Preschool Lunchbox teach kids their colors and numbers by counting out fruit and other items for a monkey’s lunch. A software firm launched by parents in 2010 called Montessorium is creating groundbreaking math and reading apps based on lauded Montessori educational principles.
Another very popular app helps families to play a game called “Geocaching,” a global treasure hunt that encourages kids to be both physically active and curious about the real world. Hidden containers called geocaches can be found by following clues to outdoor locations: Once a container is found, the person who discovered it takes out the tiny prize inside and places another token item inside for the next person, perpetuating the game. To find out more about the sport of geocaching and the app, go to www.geocaching.com .
Some Tech Tools for Creating New Family Traditions
By necessity, this can only scratch the surface and the technology keeps changing, but the idea is to bend these devices to your family’s needs and values.
Family Blogs
A family blog can become a virtual scrapbook that is also a source of creativity and fun for the whole tribe, getting your kids more involved in contributing text, photos, and videos as they age. It’s a great and not expensive way to keep your far-flung family and friends on top of your news.
Before starting a blog, browse around online and look at other family blogs to get an idea how varied they can be. There is a difference between a blog that is someone’s home-based business (Soulemama.typepad .com), and a blog that’s meant to be a virtual bulletin board for extended family, like the Crumley Family Blog, “a blog for the whole fam damily” ( crumleyblog.com ). A blog whose purpose is to generate income requires a different focus, high-quality photos, constant postings, and negotiation of business relationships, whereas a blog that is for simple family enjoyment and memory preservation can be extremely simple and casual.
Crumley Family Fun Blog
As the Crumley family of four from Chattanooga, Tennessee, explains on the blog, “Our intent in keeping this blog is to keep family and friends up to date on our lives.” The postings, mostly by Alli Crumley, the mother, consist
Choosing for Interactivity
In a Wall Street Journal column titled “Baby’s First App Store Download,” technology reporter Michael Hsu wrote about checking out some Montessori-themed iPhone apps. He says he didn’t like them as much as some simple apps that inspired his three-year-old daughter to explore the world by taking simple photos with the phone’s camera. He said they also liked to view family photos together that are stored on his phone and talk about the people. And, she loves a free Apple app called Voice Memos that allows her to record her own voice and then play it back. Michael says he plans to restrict his children’s use of the devices but admits it’s hard to strictly ration cell phone use when kids see their parents with the devices constantly.
Discriminating among the endless offerings available is very important, especially for really young children.
Finding the Right Software
The tech tools we have today are just the baby steps in a revolution, and they are drastically changing how children learn and interact with the world and other people. There is no denying that among a vast amount of commercial dreck, there are some compelling and very educational games and apps coming out constantly. Find some local resources and gatekeepers to help you sort the good from the bad, including tech-savvy local librarians and teachers at your children’s school.
To name just a few outstanding examples, iPad games like Monkey Preschool Lunchbox teach kids their colors and numbers by counting out fruit and other items for a monkey’s lunch. A software firm launched by parents in 2010 called Montessorium is creating groundbreaking math and reading apps based on lauded Montessori educational principles.
Another very popular app helps families to play a game called “Geocaching,” a global treasure hunt that encourages kids to be both physically active and curious about the real world. Hidden containers called geocaches can be found by following clues to outdoor locations: Once a container is found, the person who discovered it takes out the tiny prize inside and places another token item inside for the next person, perpetuating the game. To find out more about the sport of geocaching and the app, go to www.geocaching.com .
Some Tech Tools for Creating New Family Traditions
By necessity, this can only scratch the surface and the technology keeps changing, but the idea is to bend these devices to your family’s needs and values.
Family Blogs
A family blog can become a virtual scrapbook that is also a source of creativity and fun for the whole tribe, getting your kids more involved in contributing text, photos, and videos as they age. It’s a great and not expensive way to keep your far-flung family and friends on top of your news.
Before starting a blog, browse around online and look at other family blogs to get an idea how varied they can be. There is a difference between a blog that is someone’s home-based business (Soulemama.typepad .com), and a blog that’s meant to be a virtual bulletin board for extended family, like the Crumley Family Blog, “a blog for the whole fam damily” ( crumleyblog.com ). A blog whose purpose is to generate income requires a different focus, high-quality photos, constant postings, and negotiation of business relationships, whereas a blog that is for simple family enjoyment and memory preservation can be extremely simple and casual.
Crumley Family Fun Blog
As the Crumley family of four from Chattanooga, Tennessee, explains on the blog, “Our intent in keeping this blog is to keep family and friends up to date on our lives.” The postings, mostly by Alli Crumley, the mother, consist
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