Take Charge of your Child's Screen Time with iParent.TV

As a mother I am very cautious about what Noah is exposed to. I am always worried that he is going to see or hear something that will scare him.  He likes to watch shows that aren’t on Disney Jr. or Nick Jr. sometimes and I often wonder if what he is watching is good for him. He likes to watch the Science Channel.  We are a Christian family, so I try and make sure he doesn’t believe that we evolved from monkeys or that the Big Bang really happened. It is easy just to have him watch those shows with me or to kind of tell what it is about by reading the description.  Noah also likes to have time on my tablet.  He loves downloading new apps to play.  I have noticed before that some of the apps he downloads don’t have nudity or violence, but some of them have questionable ads on them. My son doesn’t need to be exposed to dating sites. He has downloaded apps that have some violence. Those apps were removed. He doesn’t understand the dangers of those games. I don’t have parental controls on it. It is connected to the internet and even my Facebook account.  I need to know which apps are ok and which ones are not.  Thankfully there is iParent.TV.  It will help give parents a piece of mind when it comes to apps, smart tv or social networks.

I have had the internet since I was 12. I am 32 now. I was exposed to some pretty unsettling things in my 20 years online.  When I was first online, there were only message boards. Chat rooms didn’t even exist yet. I remember being ten years old and a guy asking me what my bra size was. I was a naïve kid and I had no clue about bra sizes. Even then there were dangers. Chat rooms don’t really exist anymore, now there is Facebook. Those creeps out there are still targeting children. They aren’t doing it in public anymore. They are sending messages to children and trying to groom them. I was a 13 year old girl and I knew what it felt like to just want to fit in. Noah will not have any social media until he is 16. I know that sounds crazy but it’s not a risk I want to take. Even then I will have the password. Unless Noah gives me a reason not to trust him, I will. I just don’t trust the creatures in the computer. 

Here is more information from iParent.TV:

What is iParent.TV? If kids are awake, they are probably on a smartphone, in front of a smart TV, downloading apps, or posting to social networks. And most likely parents have no idea what they are doing. Founded by author, pastor and father Craig Gross, iParent.TV is a yearly, subscription-based website for teaching and informing parents on all things tech, mobile, devices, websites and apps for kids. The site is currently in development and expected to launch in July 2014.

The Problem is most parents don’t have an inside track to tech or social media dangers, let alone how to safeguard their kids against them.

58 percent of 10- to 12-year-old kids believe they know how to hide their online activities from their parents.

46 percent of kids said they would change their online behavior if they knew their parents were paying attention.

iParent.TV is designed to keep parents ahead of the tech curve. It will help parents understand, get involved and safeguard their children in the ever-evolving tech world. iParent.TV educates parents with all the latest trends via websites, social media, apps and devices.

 It started with a group of dads who felt like their 9 year olds knew more about tech than they did. They were right. But their idea will help change that forever for all parents. Once launched, iParent.TV will have hundreds of videos and product reviews that are current, cutting edge and trending, keeping parents who subscribe ahead of the tech curve.

How it will work? iParent.TV will be a subscription-based site costing $49 per year for parents to access videos, reviews, how-tos, and live chat support. It will be the largest website on the Internet helping parents understand what’s safe and what’s not in the world of tech. The founders of iParent.TV are currently raising funds through Indiegogo, offering interested individuals the opportunity to become early adopters with special subscription rates through mid-March. The website is scheduled to officially launch in July 2014.

I consider myself to be very tech savvy but I can always learn something new or be reminded of something I may have forgot. So even if you think you know everything, consider iParent.TV as an investment to your child’s safety.

You can save on your iParent.TV subscription by becoming an early bird subscriber. The early bird price is $29. 

Order your subscription early  iParent on Indiegogo 

For more information visit the iParent.TV website 

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Check out iParent.TV's YouTube channel for great videos and information.

vukee Photo Book App Review

I received a camera for Christmas last year, while I love it, I don’t always bring it with me everywhere. I have my phone with me everywhere I go. I take more photos on my iPhone than with my camera. A camera is just another thing to lug around. You never know when you will have a great photo opp. Some of my favorite photos are ones that just happened. I have a photo of Noah in a tree, he just climbed up in it and looked like the king of the world. He was so proud that he did it all by himself. I would have missed that moment if I would have relied on bringing my camera. I have over 1,000 photos on my iPhone. I have some great shots but I don’t want to keep them on my phone for forever. I learned about an app called vukee. You can make beautiful photo books, postcards and calendars right from the app! You don’t even have to mess with getting online and dealing with your computer.  A photo book from vukee would be a great holiday gift for a loved one. It would be a very sweet way to show your family how your children have grown. You could also make a photo book for your vacation. What would be cooler than sitting at the airport, waiting for your flight home and already have your photo book made? Talk about easy. I am always sitting bored in airports after a fun trip. It only takes two minutes, so you can really make your photo book, calendar or postcards anywhere, even while waiting at the checkout.

You could make a special calendar for grandparents. One of my favorite gifts I received was a photo calendar of Noah. Skip the premade kittens and puppies calendars, make one that means something and isn’t just cute. Every month is a new photo. You can even order postcards. Personalized post cards would be great for holiday cards, birth announcements, Save the date reminders or just because cards. I love that they ship anywhere in the world. My dad lives in England and it would be a great gift for him to send a photo book of Noah. I send him some pictures through email but then he has to print them. I love that vukee takes care of shipping them out. I don’t like going to the post office, and our little post office doesn’t have the same services as the big one. The post office is usually a zoo anyways this time of year.  

I have ordered photo books in the past and it took weeks to be printed and then longer to ship. Did you know that vukee prints within 72 hours? That is really fast and off it goes to you or your loved one.  No more wondering and waiting for your photos to be printed. I love the free ePhotobook you get for every order. You can share it via email, Facebook and Twitter. What an easy way to share your photos with everyone without having to send them all a printed book.  I love looking at my friends photos on Facebook and Twitter.  All of the products are extremely affordable too! Photo books start at $7.99. If you were to order other places they are usually twenty five dollars.  There are over 8 different layouts to create your own custom design, from classic to modern. vukee is also offering users both a 100% money-back satisfaction guarantee, and up to 60% discount on their first photo book.

For more information please visit vukee’s website.

You can find the vukee app in iTunes.

It is also available in Google Play.

Be sure to like vukee on Facebook to stay up to date with sales, and other cool information.

Alife, Haathi and the Magic Bioscope App Review

Noah is interested in learning about other countries and cultures. I try and expose him to learning about them at a young age.  He must have received that from me genetically.  I loved when we would learn about other countries in school. I even did folk dancing where we did dances from many different countries. It is so interesting to learn about places and see how they are similar and different. I can sometimes find it challenging to teach Noah about different countries and cultures.  It needs to be age appropriate so he can understand. Unfortunately, I can’t afford to take him to each country and show him first hand. There are also places that have really interesting cultures that may not be the safest places to visit.  So, I have to rely on apps, stories and activities. I want to start making crafts and food from different places.  I want to make sure he understands just because they are different than us, they are just like him. I really embrace and teach him the fact that it is awesome to be different.  

 

One country we both find interesting is India.   There isn’t a ton of stuff out there about India so, when we found an app called Alife, Haathi and the Magic Bioscope. This app is an interactive story book.  He loves to read so, when it is educational and not about Lego Star Wars it is a good thing.   Noah loves to go on adventures when he reads. He likes to learn about animals too.  Noah really enjoys Alfie and Haathi and the Magic Bioscope. His favorite character is Haathi. He thinks it’s cool that Alfie is friends with a baby elephant.    I love that they include a great moral about friendship.  I think that is an important thing because it really reminds kids of the importance of being a friend.  It helps the child relate to the story.

Here is some information from the developer:

“Haathi and Alfie were the best of friends…”
Take your children on a journey of discovery with Alfie, a curious little boy from India, and his best friend, the baby elephant Haathi. Watch as your kids engage with the interactive storybook app, bringing animals, objects and Alfie to life in each scene.
As Alfie and Haathi discover the animal kingdom, your child will build their reading skills, comprehension skills and motor skills. With the rich background music and illustrations, your child will also get a glimpse into Indian culture.
When Alfie and Haathi discover a dusty old box, they can’t begin to imagine the adventures it’ll take them on! Alfie loses Haathi as they set off on their first adventure. Join Alfie in his search for Haathi, and along the way learn all about bioscopes, making new friends, and discover the meaning of true friendship!
Recommended ages: 2 to 6

Features:
- An interactive storytelling experience.
- “Read to me” option allows parents to turn off the voice-over and read the storybook to their children themselves.
- Page selector allows for easy navigation to a non-consecutive page.
- Professional audio narration.
- Custom background audio for each scene created by acclaimed Bollywood music producer Ram Sampath.
- Hints to guide parents and kids by highlighting all interactions in each scene.
- Objects, words and characters come to life with animations and/or interesting and educational factoids.
- This app is universal and has been optimised for Retina displays and the iPad.

Alfie, Haathi & the Magic Bioscope is available for free on iTunes.

https://itunes.apple.com/app/alfie-haathi-magic-bioscope/id699499278?mt=8

For more information about Alfie, Haathi & the Magic Bioscope and Growl Media, please visit:

Growl Media

 Be sure to Like Alfie and Haathi on Facebook