Mommy Tested iPhone Case – Poquet by Reyneau Company

April 20, 2013 by Lucy Leave a Comment

The Poquet iPhone 5 case was given to Raul at SXSW Interactive by the Reyneau Company as a review sample. Although it is a free sample, the opinions expressed in this post are my own.

There is always a plus when Raul goes away to conferences especially ones like SXSW Interactive; the knowledge he shares with me about what is new, the folks he met up with, and the items he brings back for me to review. Last year it was the Runnur and I am still using it as my go to mini-back pack when we travel around the island.

Poquet iPhone Case

We have been using the Otterbox Defender for the iPhone 5 and our daughter has dropped it on many occasions without damaging the phone. When Raul showed me the Poquet for my iPhone 5, I was not convinced about using it. It did not have any protection covering the screen which worried me because in the hands of a toddler anything can slip and fall. I was hesitant about using the case and expressed this to Raul. But he told me to try it out and give it a chance. The phone fits in the case and it has a rubber holding it in place. It fits snug and can’t slip out as easily as I thought. It was an easy install and then the testing began.

The one I got was plain but you can put your company logo on the back. If I was a fancy mom and used lipstick, the mirror inside of the Poquet would be good for touching up my lipstick. There is a compartment behind the mirror for a credit card or two, business cards, and money. I thought it was a little heavier than what I am used to with other cases but according to the website it is made using recycled aircraft aluminum.

You can read more about the specifications on the site. I still put it in my Runnur and did not think it was durable enough for me or for when Daniela handles my phone to take pictures (our 2 year old.)

Mommy Proof

The first time I dropped the phone with the Poquet case, I freaked out. It fell right out of my Runnur from one of the pockets where I am to put a water bottle and it dented the area that has the least amount of aluminum (camera area).

I dropped it from at least a foot off the floor and onto the pavement. The phone did not slip out. Our daughter did drop it once but she was in her car seat. On another occasion I dropped it from more than a foot off the ground with the screen facing the floor. Raul and I both said, “Ouch!” But no cracked screen or losening of the phone due to the rubber gripping the phone.

In the weeks that I have been using the Poquet, I was hoping that Daniela did not toss it like a bean bag. I was the one dropping the phone; it is safe to say that it is Mommy Proof! The Poquet has hit concrete, tile, and plastic with some scratches to the case and none to the screen. Daniela liked the mirror and I think if we can get some rhinestones, I’ll let her decorate the back.

Poquet case is another option

I really had my doubts, but my phone has been safe from the multiple times it has hit the floor. Since we carry more cards like health insurance cards, ATM cards, license, and wholesale club cards, I still use my Runnur to carry what doesn’t fit in the Poquet. If Raul and I ever go out on a date, it might be an alternative to a clutch purse so I don’t have to carry too much with me. The Poquet has done it’s job; protect my phone from a mom who drops it all the time.

Have you used the Poquet as an alternative to other iPhone Cases? Let us know.

Thanks to Rachael P. Cox of Reyneau for the review sample.

Filed Under: Papá Heroes, Reviews Tagged With: Product Review

Runnur around Puerto Rico

April 27, 2012 by Lucy Leave a Comment

Runnur Around the Organic Market in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Some of the perks that Raul @RJ_C gets when he travels to conferences such as #SXSWi is that when he comes back, he tells me about all the neat things he has seen and his interaction with different people. This year he came home with something called a Runnur {Affiliate Link}. We both have an issue with stuffing things into pockets and not being able to find the important things like debit cards or keys if we have to go out of the house. He bought one for himself and was given one for me to test by the company.

The Bottomless Pit

I would show you a picture of my purse, but the camera might get lost in it with all the unneccessary items I’ve placed inside. So when Raul told me he bought me a Runnur, I was like okay cool (I had no idea what he was talking about.) All I knew was that it was one more thing I had to carry besides my purse, the baby, and her bag.

I am a short, petite, woman and I like small purses. But with a baby I found out that it was impossible to carry a small purse. So I carry a medium sized purse, the baby bag, and baby all on the same shoulder when we go out. If I am standing in line somewhere, I have to dig in my purse to get the credit cards and that could be a nightmare. Yes we have a a stroller and everything gets dumped underneath.

Runnur-around town

I tried the Runnur on for the first time, filled it with my important items such as health insurance cards, money, phone, gloss, pen, extra phone batteries, keys, and the baby’s water bottle. We went out and about and it really is a time saver when I have to get my money or debit card. It provides organization of my important items which is key when we travel about the island.

We have gone to the organic market, shopping, and even to the country side with the runnur. I put it around my body and it fits perfect. I don’t have to worry about putting my purse down and forgetting it somewhere. I have everything wrapped around my body and not hanging on my shoulder. We added an extra carabiner to the top so we can hang it in our closet. I know where it is all times and we just grab it and go.

My Recommendation

If you want something that is light weight, that you can wrap around your body, and keep your important things organized (okay maybe lipgloss is not a top priority for you) then this might be a solution for you. This is great for any parent who loves to hike, bike, and walk with the family anywhere.

You can get your Runnur here or follow them on Facebook.

(Disclosure: Runnur sent the mini back pack for me to try and write a product review. Although the product was complimentary, I don’t feel that has influenced my opinion about the product or writing of this post in any way. )

Thanks to @RJ_C for taking the picture of Daniela and I at the Organic Market to celebrate Earth Day in Puerto Rico.

Click here to visit order.gorunnur.com

Filed Under: Papá Heroes, Reviews Tagged With: Product Review, Runnur

Product Review: Doodle Cake Crayons by @AlexToys

March 24, 2012 by Rick Lipsett 1 Comment

This week, my daughter and I had the opportunity of reviewing one of Alex Toys’ products. They sent us their Doodle Cake Crayons. As soon as I opened the box, I said to myself: “Someone’s going to have fun here”!

I always feel excited when I open anything that comes through regular mail. It’s magical! I love to rip the tape off and slowly open each flap. Makes me feel loved! What can I say? It does. As I opened the box, I called on my daughter. She seemed a little upset! I guess it was because I opened the box without her, but as soon as she saw what was inside, her complexion changed to that of a very happy child. I had opened a box filled with happiness! Very cool indeed!

Inside the box, we found: crumbled wax in several colors, a plastic mold, plastic spoon, doily and, the most important thing of all – the instructions. Even though I wanted to start playing with it right away, I reached for the instructions first. Not my daughter, she grabbed the rest of the things. She wanted to start doing whatever it was that this toy was about. With the Doodle Cake Crayons we were going to make our own coloring crayons… in the shape of muffins!

Allow me to be more specific on how we played with the Doodle Cake Crayons. First, we could use every color included in the box. We could layer them, mix them… go crazy! This was my daughter’s favorite part. I invited my 2.5 year old son, but he kept on playing with his cars and airplanes. Apparently the box nailed it right with their 6+ notification. My daughter was perfect for the job!

Step 1: Open the wax bags.

As if we needed this instruction. Done!

Step2a: Fill each hole on the mold with colored wax.

The excitement was really building up by now.

Step2b: Mix or layer the colors.

Let’s just say that the spoon can be converted into a blender. At least on our hands.

Step3: With the help of an adult, pre-heat the oven to 325F (163C). Bake for 8 minutes.

We had a problem here! “With the help of an adult”? Well, Master Yaddle (my wife) wasn’t at home, so I saw no other way than to pretend I was the adult for a few minutes. (I was as excited as a kid with this project!)

Step4: When the wax starts bubbling, turn off the oven.

I don’t know if I was expecting to se bubbles worthy of Hermione Granger‘s mixing cauldron, but I never saw these. So I left the wax in the oven for about 40 minutes; 32 minutes more than what the instructions read. When those 40 minutes went by, I said to my daughter: “I can’t wait any longer! I’m taking it out now!”. She replied by saying: “I was going to tell you just that!”. The tone of her voice leads one to believe that she is more of an adult than her father. Her answers always impress me!

Step5: When the crayons cool off, pop them out of the mold.

After watching them tirelessly for a few minutes, the crayons were cool enough and we scooped them out. We played with them for a while pretending they were real muffins. Then she remembered and said: “Daddy, can we paint using these?” “But wouldn’t that ruin the muffins?”, I replied. After a few awkward looks from my little Princess, I got a sheet of paper and YES!, they can be used for painting!

After using them for a bit, I noticed it was rather hard to paint with our new muffins. Even though I pressed them against the sheet of paper the multi-colored paint would not apply on as easily as a regular crayons do. It was rather difficult to grab the muffin and paint at the same time. And no matter how hard we pressed them, the colors came out “washed”. Not intense like any other crayon. So we went back and pretended we were having a picnic.

To my surprise, my daughter did not care at all. When I asked her, she had not noticed they were hard to paint with. (I guess I had put on my adult clothes again.) My kid would not have seen this “flaw” if the boring adult would have kept his mouth shut. Lesson learned. I guess because I was supposed to write a review afterwards, I looked upon it with critical eyes. Good thing I had my Princess as back-up!

Recap:

The process of prepping the wax, mixing, cooking and waiting was an amazing time spent with my daughter. We had lots of fun imagining how the crayons would turn out. Choosing the colors we were going to use and making a mess in the kitchen without caring was great fun! Getting our muffins out of the oven, waiting for them to cool and popping them out of the mold was time well-spent with my kid. I loved every minute, and so did she. For this, I recommend this product! I look forward to creating even more Doodle Cake Crayons with my Princess. I know she’s going to want to share this experience with her friends, so next time I’ll probably be making a big production number on this new and very cool “toy”! Just keep in mind that coloring with the muffins can be somewhat tricky.

Have you had the opportunity to play with this? Have you done so with a similar toy? Share your experiences with us down on the comments section!

Disclosure: We where given a free box of Alex Toys’ Doodle Cake Crayons to review and write this article. Even though our new toy was given to us for free, we feel this has not influenced our opinion in any way.

www.AlexToys.com
Twitter: @AlexToys
Facebook: facebook.com/ALEXToys

Filed Under: Art, Crafts, Papá Heroes, Reviews Tagged With: Alex Toys, Doodle Cake Crayons, Product Review

Product Review: Tots Art Start by @AlexToys

March 24, 2012 by Lucy 3 Comments

Tots Art Start by @Alextoys

We were fortunate enough to catch a tweet by @AlexToys calling for parent bloggers to test out their products geared towards arts and crafts. Since I know art is right up our PapaHeroes co-founder, Rick’s alley, I reached out to the company so we could test out two products. Rick and his children will be testing out the Doodle Cake Crayons with his daughter who is six years old and his son who is two and a half years old.

Our Tots Art Start kit

Tots Art Start

The Tots Art Start kit is good for children ages 18 months and over. Although our daughter is only fourteen months, I did not see an issue using this kit. The kit brings six activity sheets, a tree, a giraffe, stickers, confetti, doilys, and three crayons all neatly packaged. The instructions on the packaging are in four languages; English, French, Spanish, and German.

Daniela handling the crayons

Our daughter was fascinated by the crayons that were in the shape of triangles. I thought she might like to draw but she was interested in the texture of the crayons. The size of the crayons and shape are good for her little fingers because they are not thin and break easily. They also have little grooves in the middle so they don’t easily slip out of the pincer grip. This leads to durability in the crayons as she gets interested in using them more during the coming months.

What Daniela Really liked

Daniela is into shredding paper and feeling different textures lately. She will put her hand in the dogfood, water bowl, dirt, sand, and likes picking up rocks. So I decided to do the collage with four removable sections that have adhesive underneath.

Loving the Confetti Paper

As you can see from the photos she took the shredded paper out of the bag and was entertained with throwing it around. I showed her what to do and then she started putting confetti pieces in each section. I did not remove all the sections at once that way the activity could last a little longer.

Easy Clean Up and Storage

What was great about this particular activity sheet was that I did not have to use glue, I could peel away each section as Daniela was done decorating, and the clean-up was easy. Everything fit back into the plastic pouches and we could put the activity sheets away for another day.

Placing the confetti pieces on the collage activity sheet

We did not use the stickers that were included in the packet just yet as I know Daniela would be interested in sticking something on our dog JuanGa instead of the paper. We did hang up the artwork in our living in our glass bookshelf. I will have her create something else for her room.

Positive Experience with Tots Art Start

Overall our experience with this particular @AlexToy craft was easy, simple, and fun. The use of all types of colors of the rainbow is great. As your child gets older, you can even have them put a specific color on the collage or just supervise them as they decorate the Giraffe or Tree activity sheet on their own.

Daniela's project finished

Since the activity sheets already have a decorated border, you can hang them up as is once your child finishes the activity. There isn’t a need to purchase a frame for the sheet. The sheets can also go into an artbook that you can compile of all activities you have done together. The price of the kit is $16.95 and it is pretty reasonable. If you were to buy stickers, crayons, confetti paper, tissue paper, and different activity sheets or construction paper, it will come out to more than $16.95.

Eventhough the age is 18 months plus on the package, I would recommend to use it with children even younger. The different textures of the paper are great for sensory, the overall use of bright colors on the activity sheets are attractive to the eye, and you can use the sheets to compliment a story you are reading with your child.

(Disclosure: Alex Toys sent the Tots Art Start kit to us for product review. Although the product was complimentary, I don’t feel that has influenced my opinion about the product or writing of this post in any way. )

www.AlexToys.com

Twitter: @AlexToys

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ALEXToys

Filed Under: Art, Crafts, Papá Heroes, Reviews Tagged With: Alex Toys, Arts and Crafts, Product Review, Tots Art Start

Are User-Generated Content Applications Safe for Children?

February 11, 2012 by Raúl Colón 1 Comment

A friend of ours had her daughter download an iPhone App on her iPod touch. The app is called Simsimi and it pretty much has a chat system where you can ask the app questions.

My friend was startled when she saw that the app was making racists comments when they asked the app about a certain nationality.

I went ahead and downloaded the App and it had the age requirement dialog box that people quickly click without reading (I tend to do the same when I am in a hurry).

Always Read the Disclaimer on Your Kids Apps

The warning explained how the application had user-generated content of users all over the world. Apparently the developers of the app are based in Korea and they do as much as possible to keep inappropriate content of their app (removing all negative content in various languages can become an impossible task.)

Imagine a few folks trying to control the content created by an app that clearly has gone global. I can’t imagine how many users have probably downloaded the app. The apps functionality, which is not useful to me, ends up being in the wrong hands and with people who don’t have much to do but feed the app inappropriate content.

What is a User Generated Content Application?

A user generated content application or website is one that depends heavily on what users input into the system. For this application to grow and survive, the most critical part is what created, shared, and published by its users. (This is my definition).

A good example is Facebook and other social platforms where its users create the majority of the content. We already know Facebook requires children to at least be 13 years old before they register.

One of the key factors for that age restriction is the that the User Generated content created might not be appropriate for children. We can pretty much say that the fact that the millions of users control the content makes it extremely difficult for Facebook to have safeguards in place to ensure the quality and safety of the content being published is appropriate for all users.

Moving on to the mobile apps. There are plenty of mobile apps that connect to a large database of content where users publish content freely and with very little moderation.

If the moderation is up to the users, you can rest assure that many things will be left on these platforms that might not be attractive for younger readers to consume.

How do you control what applications your children use on their devices?

What age would you consider appropriate for giving them freedom into using these apps?

Filed Under: Online Safety, Papá Heroes, Reviews, Technology Tagged With: iPhone Apps, Mobile Applications, User Generated Content. Safety

Baby Flash Cards – iPad (iOs app)

November 8, 2011 by Raúl Colón 1 Comment

To teach our young sidekicks the value of technology I believe it is critical to start with tools that help them learn at an early age.

At our house we have been using our iPad to have our daughter create images on it. She is very curious and I guess that since she sees us touching the screen she is replicating our behavior.

We recently bought an iOs App named Baby Flash Cards that brings up images of an animal and plays a sound when touched.

It helps the child understand at an early age cause and effect. If they touch the screen in one way they hear the sound that animal creates, if they swipe the screen the move to another animal.

I think the Baby Flash Cards App is very simple and easy to use.

However I think the app can be improved with my following suggestions.

By translating the app into multiple languages. Maybe have words of animals appear in other languages also. Or even have the kids click the word and see how the animal’s name is pronounced in each language.

The purpose of the application is for children to identify animals and I am sure it does a great job. For the younger children like my daughter the sounds are so realistic that it might startle them at the beggining. My daughter was scared at most of the sounds and would only tap the screen when the frog was on screen. I think that since she has other toys that sound like frogs and the Coqui’s nightly chant probably made it sound more familiar than the others.

Although my daughter is 10 months old I am trying to integrate her into technology as much as I can. I myself would have loved to have a computer in my house when I was a lot younger but we where not able to afford one. Thankfully my daughter lives in a world where computers will surround her.

Do you have any other cool iPad, iPhone, or mobile apps you would like to share where children can learn?

Filed Under: Papá Heroes, Reviews Tagged With: Application Reviews, Apps, Educational Apps, iPad, iPhone

La Vista Latin Grill and Vloggers in Paradise @SanJuanMarriott

September 1, 2011 by Ricsam Leave a Comment

In the last weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of participating in two activities sponsored by the San Juan Marriott and Stellaris Casino. The first activity was the La Vista Bloggers OutReach by invitation of my good friend Raul Colon (twitter username: @rj_c) for lunch at La Vista Grill. The second activity was the Vloggers in Paradise gathering, where video bloggers and travel enthusiast gathered to watch and comment on six presentations about Puerto Rico tourism spots and our host offerings.

La Vista Grill

One of the aspects I like about the San Juan Marriott and Stellaris Casino is the feeling of coziness and warmth of the hotel staff and facilities. The staff is very attentive and oriented to quality customer service. Our hosts, Cristina Román (Marketing Communications Manager) and Melissa Delgado (Marketing Coordinator), showed us the fabulous amenities the San Juan Marriott hotel has to offer.

La Vista Grill is an elegant restaurant with an excellent view to the beach and pool area. Along with Raúl and Lucy Feliciano (@lucymfel), bloggers from different avenues were invited to the activity. I met José “Pepé” Pesante (@joeprog) and Zuleyka Robles (@dr_zu) from www.vorticeonline.com, Nelson Bermejo (@nelsonbermejo) local radio dj and announcer, Bianca Estrada (@PayasaAgapita) from www.agapita.com, Ivelisse Arroyo (@IvelisseArroyo), our resident connoisseur on perfumes and fragances (http://www.creatupropiafragancia.com/), and Mark Ficek (@papchote), phtopgrapher extraordinaire at http://ficek.tumblr.com/. I can’t forget to mention Raúl and Lucy’s beautiful daughter Daniela who accompanied us and behaved above expectations.

The lunch menu selection was exceptional. First, let start with the salad alternatives. I tried the couscous, with freshly diced tomatoes, lettuce, and some vinaigrette salad. Also, for the gluten free option, they offered quinoa. On the entreé, the soup of the day was a plantain soup. I picked the yellow rice and pork loin with cappers and white sauce. The desert menu was the most complete I’ve ever seen. Local delicacies such as “tembleque” (coconut custard), “arroz con dulce”, “flan de queso” were available. I tried the chocolate cake and the guava cheesecake (excellent!). Veggie guests will feel well served, since they can tailor the menu to your requirements. Definitively, we want to extend our compliments to the La Vista Grill chef and their staff for a great tasting and varied buffet.

Vloggers in Paradise

I enjoyed very much coming back again to San Juan Marriott and Stellaris Casino to participate in the video presentations by professional travel bloggers in the Vloggers in Paradise activity. I joined Raúl Colón, Ivelisse Arroyo, Rick Lipsett (@ricklipsett) from papaheroes.com, and Gustavo Francechinni (@iTavoTweet) from http://www.theiospost.com/ to appreciate the beauty and scenery captured by these talented folks about our island.

A brief summary and links (if available) of each presentation:

Ryan Van Duzer (@duzer)

This video got the Best Video award for presenting fabulous scenery from Old San Juan (El Morrrrrrrrrrrrrrro!!), Loiza, and El Yunque. One of my favorites.

Cailin O’neil (@CailinONeil)

This video explores the western area of the island. She emphasized in Rincón, our own surfing capital (sorry Hawaii).

Matt Stabile (@TheExpeditioner)

Matt main theme was his famous bucket list, and the things he wants to do in Puerto Rico before kicking the bucket (long life, Matt!). The video shows great scenes from Culebra Flamingo Beach, a must for the casual tourist.

JD Andrews (@earthXplorer)

His video explores the Old San Juan historical sites of Castillo El Morro and San Cristóbal, beaches and folklore.

http://www.earthxplorer.com/videos/

Kelley Ferrero (@kelleyferrero)

Kelley was brave! She went to Jayuya (Puerto Rico tallest mountains) to explore how coffee is really made at Hacienda San José. Also, she went to La Bombonera in Old San Juan, for a taste of good puertorrican coffee.

Josh Johnson (@joshywashington)

His video main theme was about the memories and mementos we take from the places we visit. Great shots from El Yunque waterfalls.

http://matadornetwork.com/tv/memories-of-water-and-sand-in-puerto-rico/

Safe journey, guys!

Disclosure: The San Juan Marriott hired CIMA IT Solutions to assist with the coordination of this event. Even though our lunch was Complimentary on behalf of the La Vista Latin Grill and the San Juan Marriott, we don’t feel that this influenced the writing of this post in any way.

Filed Under: Papá Heroes, Reviews Tagged With: Bloggers Lunch, La Vista Latin Grill, San Juan Marriott and Stellaris Casino, Vloggers Event

iPad as an Educational Tool

June 22, 2011 by Gustavo 5 Comments

It’s no secret the iPad is a device that appeals to many people. If your young, games and social media, as well as the iPod will appeal to you. If your an adult, productivity and utility are mainly what you will look for. If your even older, then newspapers and books are for you. But what about the children? Some say games, coloring books, definitely right. But there is more.

For this post we observed a child that just passed his third birthday. I observed how he used iOS devices for a couple of months, using an iPhone and a newly received iPad. What I observed truly caught me by surprise. There is definitely a big improvement on how children behave when using technology starting at a very young age. What I saw was incredibly good.

The, then two year old child, spent some time handling the iPhone while at his house or when he went shopping and sitting in his baby carriage. You could say, what’s great about it? Well nothing, just that he could always find his way to his favorite songs whenever he wanted. Remember this is a two year old that still doesn’t know how to read.

Among other things observed; he could get into Facebook’s app and browse, he could at one time, set up a passcode and block the iPhone. Remember, in order to do this you have to input the same number twice to successfully set up a passcode. The only way to unlock it was restoring after putting it in recovery mode.

Of course he likes games such as Shrek and videos, where he is playing it on his iPad. But when presented with educational apps that really teaches him from a young age about colors, matching pictures and even recognizing animals and sounds, the iPad is the perfect companion to learn and help any kid to improve the development of his/her brain. Its the apps that require interaction that really help children develope, learn faster, and improve overall performance.

We separate these apps from those that they just are stuck there playing with a character killing zombies for whatever reason. Apps that help them recognize colors, animals, sounds and even the family members and parts of the house are the apps that benefit the children.

Yes the iPad is a content device, but it also can create it. Yes the iPad is for playing, but also for learning. There are apps out there that can help you maximize the potential of using it, not only to entertain. It also can help you in ways that are productive for any member of the family. I honestly say I’m not a big fan of giving a two-three year old a DVD player to just see dumb animated movies when they can have all these apps that will get your child moving, thinking, interacting, touching, singing. Why bother getting them netbooks where your child will end up having a Facebook account and just doing dumb things that really don’t help their development at all.

When I think of the generations that come after me, it is a scary thought. Kids and teenagers don’t give any kind of importance to education, to learning and parents are the ones responsible for this. If you teach them at a very young age and get them excited about learning new things, they will become professionals that will get far ahead in life.

Embedded here are some of the videos of the kid observed using his new gift, an iPad. Video is provided and approved by the family. Intro is from before The iOS Post became what it is today.

Here are some example of apps that can really help your child, not only to keep him/her occupied, but also keeping him/her thinking, while stimulating the brain.

The Monster at the End of This Book ($3.99)- Lively interactive animation that responds to your child’s touch, narration by lovable old Grover himself, engaging activities that empower readers to decide how and when to move the story forward-—plus encourage kids’ spatial development and listening skills, word highlighting to help build beginning reader skills and playful parent tips from the educational experts at Sesame Street .

My Very First App ($1.99) – The app contains 3 levels of game play: Easy (ages 1-3), Medium (ages 2 and up) and Hard (ages 3 and up). These gently increasing stages of difficulty can grow along with your child, and continue to challenge them throughout their early learning years. In Easy mode the screen is divided in half—just like the original books—and your child can swipe the lower and upper halves to find a match. The Medium and Hard modes are based on the game of Memory; players are presented with a set of cards face down and must find a pair by flipping over cards and identifying their matches or their related concepts.

Interactive Alphabet ($2.99)- Universal app for iPad/iPhone/iPod: You can use it at home or on the go! Buy it once, take it everywhere; fun original artwork, animations, music, and sound effects engage and capture your child’s curiosity. Memorable and unique interactivity keep your child coming back for more fun and upbeat Original Music — keeps you dancing, not wincing (parent friendly!). Our very own Alphabet/ABC song included!, Baby Mode option (Auto advances cards every 15 seconds), Phonic Sounds, Upper and Lower-case letters

These are just some of the titles but we will provide even more every week to complement all Papa Heroes’ powers.

Filed Under: Family, Papá Heroes, Reviews, Technology Tagged With: Apps, Children, iPad, iPhone, Technology

Use Your CommonSense.org

June 20, 2011 by Lucy 2 Comments

“Use your common sense Lucilla”, where famous words that my dad used to tell me if I was doing something wrong. I detested those words because he really made me think about what I was doing wrong and how to make it right.

So it is no surprise to me that someone somewhere decided to make a site dedicated to using common sense when it comes to gadgets, video games, movies, apps, music, and more. CommonSense.org is the name of the site that can help parents with a wide variety of topics with parent reviews.

CommonSense.org

They have you choose a topic and provide information for children in the age range you have chosen. When I worked at the McGivney Community Center in Bridgeport, I found myself needing to research the latest music and movies that were age appropriate for the kids.

I remember going on a trip and asking one of the adolescents about the music he was listening too. I put the headphones and heard music that had a lot of swearing in it. I asked him if his parent’s knew he was listening to this group and he stated that since his mother and father only spoke Spanish, they did not know understand the lyrics or the type of music he and his brother were listening too. They do offer some information in Spanish. I wish this would have been around for the parents I worked with at the center who only spoke Spanish.

Music with Reviews on CommonSense.org

The CommonSense.org site gives you a list of music that they deem clean and appropriate for your child at any age. Know I am not an extremist like Tipper Gore, but there is some music that we are careful to play around my nephews when they come to visit from Connecticut. Although it is up to their mom and dad to be strict, when they are with us, we try to limit the rap music we listen too.

I’d suggest giving the site a good look and see what video games are too violent and what movies this summer might have a swear word or two.

If you have an iPhone, you can download their app. Are your tweens dragging you to the movies to see Super 8? Find out if it is appropriate for them before you purchase those tickets by downloading their app.

Filed Under: Education, Family, Online Safety, Papá Heroes, Reviews Tagged With: CommonSense.org, Media site, Review, Safety