I know a lot of parents aren't into letting their kids play on the computer when they're younger, but I have to confess I believe using computers is an incredibly effective way to teach children everything from colors to calculus . For b…
I admit, I feel just a little bit cool when my little girls walk into a store or a friend's house, hear the radio, and immediately say, Hey! It's Bob Dylan ! So when I learned that one of his old tunes had been made into a brand new chil…
Let me give you 3 reasons why An Awesome Book by artist Dallas Clayton is indeed an awesome book: 1. For every book sold, The Awesome World Foundation will donate one book to schools, hospitals, camps, and shelters. 2. The artwork and st…
One of the most all-time hilarious family moments of ours was the time my mom (the awesome elementary educator ) got my kids (the hams) into handmade masks and acted out Little Rabbit Foo Foo for the whole brood. Let's just say a kid's c…
I've read to my kids since they were wee little things and have never felt like they were lacking in books. Especially since birthdays, holidays and frequent trips to the book store insure they always have new titles to enjoy . But, then…
It was a red-letter day in our household when each child was old enough to get his or her own library card. They love picking out books, handing their card over to the librarian and then skipping out with their new reads. What they don't…
I kind of love that my children love my iPhone, because their love of my iPhone means that I have one more tool for distracting them when we're traveling , or even just making a run to the grocery store, because, seriously, there are onl…
I run with a tough crowd of Type Nerds, the kind who can spend an hour discussing the joys of Helvetica, the horrors of Comic Sans, and play an iPhone game called "Cheese or Font" (yes, this really is a game). But even for those of us wh…
Everyone always asks where we find children's books , and the truth is, the best ones always come recommended by my mother. How lucky we are to have a teacher in the family! This past weekend, my four year-old grabbed Byrd Baylor's Every…
Even though I homeschool, I'm more than okay with farming out some subjects. Especially if my kids will do them happily on their own, instead of fighting with me for an hour. So, when Headsprout asked if my five year-old beginner reader …
I love books. Love them. And I love reading to my kids. But let's say they are going to spend the weekend at their grandparents' place. Or my husband and I decide a romantic getaway is in order (hey, it could happen). Then what would my …
The concepts of freedom from slavery, plagues, and a 40-year exodus through the desert, may be just a tad advanced for most little kids celebrating Passover next week . But the idea of pitching in and helping others in something I hope i…
As a former buyer of books for a chain of toy stores, it's pretty much redundant for me to tell you that my children have amassed quite the library. But when you're five (or, say, twenty-nine-and-a-half years older than five), you can so…
We don't own a lot of kids' DVDs in my house, primarily since it's so hard to know if we will get our money's worth or they will be watched twice before my daughter gets bored and just wants to throw the disk around. But one completely w…
I recently got a look at Alphabetica: Odes to the Alphabet , Diana Spieker and Krista Skehan's mind-blowing alphabet book filled with multisyllabic metaphors and modern, deep-inked illustrations. This book bursts with detail. Each page c…
I think personalized bookplates are just the coolest gift for kids . Grab a set of the beautiful modern bookplates from designer Avis Wampler and pair it with your favorite children's title, for a birthday present that won't end up in th…
Want to add an air of permanence to your child's library? And want to call that stack of chewed books in the corner of her room a library? Here's how: Bookplates. If you're a Cool Mom Picks newsletter subscriber, you were just introduced…