Not Your Typical Dog Books for Kids: Media That Matters

Mar. 23, 2015 "Dogs make the best teachers"...Today is National Puppy Day, time to give a big "paws up" to our friends at A Puppy's New Home, creating respect, social emotional learning, and diversity lessons embedded in this new book series preparing families in a 'what to know before you go' mindset on adopting animals into your home. Excellent message for this day, and … [Read more...]

Tumble Leaf: Outdoor Play and Discovery via Amazon Kids

Update May 11, 2015 While Tumble Leaf continues to rake in multiple awards including five daytime Emmys, Amazon Studios Greenlights Six New Pilots for Kids. (mostly ages 6-11, one PreK) Here's hoping their original kids' programming stays on a winning streak for quality, as they have some heavy hitters involved in the sphere of creative talent (from Muppets and Marvel ties to … [Read more...]

Life 360: Family Locator Apps-Mapping the Shades of Grey (Part 1)

Oct. 15, 2012  Teens call them ‘trackers,’ parents call them ‘tools,’ and the telecom industry refers to GPS and LBS (location based services) as sheer “growth” in a mobile market that’s booming with map-based apps that pinpoint the whereabouts of users. We need to uncork this whopper of a conversation beyond the micro (oooh, handy! or ewww creepy!) and into macro … [Read more...]

Spring Break Sanctuary: Away From Digital Dramas, Peer Reality Shows

Mar. 25, 2016 Just back from a 'spring break' social media hiatus reprising our unplugged trip to Catalina Island, albeit only day tripping vs a leisurely week away, as we tried to 'recreate' and rediscover the digital detox and slow pace of the beach bungalow backstory. In 'that was then this is now' mode, it was interesting to see how my now collegiate daughter longed for … [Read more...]