21
Ruckus Media Group iPhone/iPad Apps for Children – Review and Giveaway!
If you’re a regular reader of AYMB, then you already know how much I appreciate kid-friendly iPhone apps for my toddler. The use of educational yet entertaining iPhone applications for children can be such a fantastic teaching tool and I strongly believe in their value. It goes without saying that I’m always on the lookout for great new apps, which is why I was very excited when Ruckus Media Group contacted me about reviewing a few of their new story apps for children.
Ruckus Media Group, a global mobile family entertainment company, has just released it’s first animated children’s story applications for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. These classic stories include:
Tom Thumb and the Knights of the Round Table, told by John Cleese, illustrated by Tim Gabor, music by Elvis Costello
The Velveteen Rabbit, told by Meryl Streep, illustrated by Dave Jorgenson, music by George Winston
The Velveteen Rabbit (image courtesy of Ruckus Media Group)
Johnny Appleseed, told by Garrison Keillor, illustrated by Stan Olson, music by Mark O’Connor
Pecos Bill, told by Robin Williams, illustrated by Tim Raglin, music by Ry Cooder
John Henry, told by Denzel Washington, illustrated by Barry Jackson, music by B.B. King
Pecos Bill (image courtesy of Ruckus Media Group)
I was given the opportunity to sample The Velveteen Rabbit, as told by Meryl Streep, and Pecos Bill, as told by Robin Williams. With all five story apps, you have the option to watch the video narrated by the actors, read the story yourself, or even read and record the story.
The Velveteen Rabbit
Meryl Streep is one of my favorite actresses and to hear her dramatization of The Velveteen Rabbit story was an absolute pleasure. In a lilting British accent, Ms. Streep brings a wonderful tone to this classic story. The images, drawn by Dave Jorgensen, were visually stunning and rich and the music by George Winston was soothingly gorgeous. The story is the perfect way to end a day and calm a child for sleep. It’s also the perfect story app to have in time for the upcoming holiday season. (continues…)
06
Donald Duck Has a Gun!
(photo from ferretpress.com)
In preparation for an upcoming trip to Disneyland, I sat down with the Monkey to watch some classic Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck cartoons on YouTube. I haven’t watched any of these cartoons in at least 25 years, but I remember especially loving Donald Duck. Who didn’t love Donald?!? These cartoons are classics!
Now, before I let the Monkey watch anything, especially on YouTube, I watch it first to make sure it passes the mom-test. But this was Donald Duck, one of Disney’s most beloved characters. Of course it’s safe for a toddler to watch!
Uh, NO.
We watched a few cartoons that were absolutely enjoyable and fun. Donald playing with sea lions, Donald flirting with Daisy Duck…and then the Monkey pointed to a small clip titled “Toy Tinkers”.
*click*
Here is my thought process as my two year old and I watched the clip together:
Look at those cute little squirrels! And there’s Donald Duck in his house, getting ready for Christmas. Oh look, the squirrels see all the nuts Donald has laying around and are now breaking into his house. Those pesky squirrels! Now Donald sees them and decides to have fun with them. Ha! They’re playing a game with Donald as they each steal back the nuts from one another. Oh, how clever of Donald, he comes down the chimney dressed as Santa and hands one squirrel a small nut and the other squirrel a much bigger nut. Oh, now they’re fighting over it and…uh…they just smacked each other over the bigger nut. Hmmmm, I’m not so sure about this….wait, wha….WTF!!!!!….a squirrel just opened a nut to find a gun aimed in his face! Donald is holding the gun directly at the squirrels and marching them away!!!
Oh.My.God.
*click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
I’ve never turned my computer off faster.
After I settled my toddler back into the very safe world of Elmo and Abby, I started to click around for more old Disney cartoons. I was shocked by what I came across - WWII propaganda cartoons featuring Donald Duck and Nazis, Daisy Duck contemplating suicide, Donald and Mickey deliberately getting electrocuted by little mice, and Donald mistreating his three nephews very badly. Very, very badly.
Say what! (continues…)
01
Bringing Sexy Back (After Kids) – A TBwaP Guest Feature
I’m featured again over at the fabulous Tight Bod with a Pod (TBwaP) website today! You’re already subscribed to it, right?!? It’s a must-read website for moms and moms-to-be (dads, too!) for helpful information ranging from having a healthy pregnancy and getting your body back after baby to delicious and healthy recipes for kids and other helpful parenting tips.
In my 3rd article, I discuss tips on how to bring romance back to a relationship after kids come into the picture. As any parent can attest, it ain’t easy to find the time or energy for intimacy. But what is easy is losing a connection with your partner when children become the main focus and priority. This article is about making the time to prioritize your relationship, especially when it seems like there is no time to spare.
Read the article in full on the TBwaP website or scroll down to read more: (continues…)
29
A Toddler and his iPhone
My Monkey with his two favorite things - his iPhone and his monkey. A pic taken with my iPhone, of course.
My two year old has his own iPhone.
Now, before you think I am absolutely insane to buy an expensive phone for my toddler, let me assure you that I did not run out and drop $300 on a new phone for him. No way. However, being the ultimate tech-geek that he is, the Dude did run out a few months ago to get himself the new iPhone 4G. This meant that we had his old iPhone available to be donated to a good cause. We quickly realized that the best cause was our little Monkey.
The Monkey has been playing with our iPhones since around his 2nd birthday, nearly one year ago. When I discovered how toddler-friendly certain iPhone apps could be for him, I researched the most educational and creative apps and loaded them up on our iPhones. I was so impressed with certain apps, that I wrote a post back in April about my favorite iPhone apps for toddlers. With thousands of hits, that post quickly became my most popular blog post. Either there are a ton of other parents out there letting their toddlers play with their iPhone and iPads or people are simply curious to learn more about it.
It does seem that more and more people are discovering that it’s smart to let your kids play with smart phones. An iPhone or other smart phone can, with proper guidance and supervision, be used as a valuable teaching tool for children. The interactive content on an iPhone can help developing brains learn how to problem-solve and figure things out quickly and, when exposed to educational apps, a toddler’s learning process can actually be enhanced. Consider apps to be a valuable supplement to the teaching process already going on in your home or in preschool.
There are pros and cons to letting a toddler use an iPhone, so here are my helpful ideas on safe iPhone play: (continues…)
13
Mental Monday: Anxiety, times 30.
I recently read somewhere that people in their 30′s tend to have the most anxiety over any other age-group. I can’t recall where I read that or verify the research but, on a personal note, it makes sense to me.
As you settle into your 30′s, there’s a good chance that you’re no longer a professional student or floating from one dead-end job to another. You probably have a career or a career on hold while you’re raising children. Although more and more people are holding off on marriage and children well into their 30′s (or abandoning that lifestyle all together), there is a whole host of other responsibilities that people in their 30′s usually have accrued. Maybe you have a demanding career, a mortgage or high rent, and car payments. And school loans from college or for that MA degree from when you were 25 that you may or may not have actually needed. The 30′s are a time when we become more knowledgeable about who we are and what we need in life to make us happy. However, reaching that place of happiness and staying there can easily make the most calm and collected of us into anxious nervous-wrecks.
Societal and familial values, in addition to biological urges, have created a simple plan for us to follow – school, career, marriage, house, dog, children. Because of that, many people in their 20′s look at their 30′s as a time to get serious, settle down, and work even harder to get ahead. But then we arrive in our 30′s and get nervous when things don’t go as planned. (continues…)