by Lori Cunningham

I recently spent two days at the Digital Kids Conference in Pasadena, CA.  Last year, I attended this conference when it was called Engage and attached to the Toy Fair in New York.  I was happy to see I didn’t have to travel so far to attend this time.

Although the conference focuses more on business to business (B2B), it’s always a good place to identify emerging upstarts that could really be interesting in the digital kids space.  I talked to the founders of several of these companies and although there is not a lot of public information about some of them yet, they are worth mentioning.  I also found a few new apps that my kids have been thoroughly enjoying this past week and wanted to share them with you.

Emerging Websites

KidzVuz.com - KidzVuz.com is a video review and sharing site for kids aged 7-12.  Tweens visit KidzVuz to watch and leave video reviews of books, movies, TV shows, toys, technology, travel, fashion and more.  In a safe, COPPA-compliant space, kids create community, content, and connections with other kids and build authentic bonds with a nationwide tween audience.

What kid wouldn’t want to see themselves on video and gather a following?  KidzVuz.com just launched in October and they personally review every uploaded video to ensure a child does not say their real name, city, or school to ensure privacy.  It’s a great site for kids to have a voice and share what they have to say.  Kids earn badges by commenting on other videos, uploading different categories of videos, and more.  KidzVuz.com is an excellent place for kids to grow in poise and confidence as they become better speakers and reporters on their favorite subjects.

ToonGoggles.com (& App for iPad/iPhone & Android) – ToonGoggles is a parent-friendly kids portal that aggregates hundreds of animated children’s’ shows from around the world, many of which have never been viewed in America. All shows have been professionally produced.  Their cartoons are geared for kids ages 4-12.

Have your kids ever wanted to watch TV but there were no good kids programs on, due to the time of day?  The Disney Channel is great until the older kid shows start coming on.  Now, you have a safe place to send them, and better yet, they can “change” the channel all they want without needing you.  My kids have watched YouTube cartoons before, but have been uncomfortable sitting at the desk.  With the tablet version of ToonGoggles they can be more comfortable and discover a whole new world of cartoons out there just for them.  Phew, we avoided Cartoon Network, I’m happy.

There are two types of Apps available:  Free with Child Appropriate Advertising and Paid Subscription without Advertising (though this model will not be available until late Summer).  There are over 500 hours of cartoons to choose from, from Preschool to Girls, Boys, Action, Comedy, and Educational.  One of the cartoon series, called Adventurers Masters of Time, takes the characters back in time to historical moments like Pompeii, Paul Revere’s Heroic Ride, The Pharaoh’s Return, and more.  Love it.

PixyKids.com - PixyKids.com is an emerging social platform for kids ages 6-12 that combines the best features of social media sites communicating with friends, sharing personalized content, and playing with engaging apps.  Kids can upload photos and videos, create their own content through interactive tools and apps, connect and share with family and friends, and build and publish a curated digital portfolio, all within a safe COPPA-compliant environment.

Though PixyKids is not yet available, I had the opportunity to see the “world” PixyKids is creating…kids are going to love it.  They start by creating their own 3D Avatar and customizing their own space.  They can then make friends and invite family members into their community.  PixyKids offers a safe environment for kids to video chat and send e-mails with other friends within the community or even grandparents, aunts, etc., within their safe environment.  There are some great apps available within PixyKids that allow them to create and publish pictures and content.  PixyKids.com launches in July.

Play-Werks.com - This is another online community with interactive media and entertainment built for kids to connect and “have their own space,” on the Internet in a safe manner.  The founder of this community started as a teacher, than began working for Mattel in research in their Girls Division.  Later she worked for MGA Entertainment as a brand manager for their Bratz girls line.  Play-Werks.com is in development and not yet available, however you can visit Play-Werks.com to sign up with your interest.

KickinKitchen.TV -  KickinKitchen.TV, an innovative live-action comedy that takes the format of a sitcom, the utility of a cooking show, and the connectivity of digital and social media, and smashes it together into a groundbreaking show that entertains and engages tweenagers and their families. Viewers communicate with the characters on the show and with each other by uploading videos, entering national contests, playing games, exchanging recipes, engaging in social media, and downloading mobile apps. The website features tween-friendly recipes and nutrition facts, all designed to empower tweens to become proactively involved in their own food choices and health.

KickinKitchen.TV is a great educational series that teaches kids how to cook, know more about nutrition, and interact with the series via uploading pictures, videos, and comments.  It’s energetic, fun, and has a great dance element to some of the shows that makes them very entertaining.  My kids, ages 6 & 9, have recently begun cooking in the kitchen, they made some great fruit and green salads last night for dinner…all on their own.  They have been inspired by the Iron Chef series.  KickinKitchen.TV is a great way for them to learn about nutrition, safety, and cooking to further inspire their new skills.

Fun New Apps

Where’s My Water?  (website/iPad/iPhone App) – This is our new fave game.  Where’s My Water really makes you put your thinking cap on!  Swampy the Alligator lives in the sewers under the city.  He is a little different from the other alligators - he’s curious, friendly, and loves taking a shower after a hard day at work.  The other alligators have damaged his plumbing and disrupted the water flow.  Your job is to guide the water to his shower.

There are many free levels in the free game, but there are 140 in the paid game, which is only $.99.  The game is also available for free online.  Where’s My Water teaches kids cause and effect and the importance of planning ahead to ensure the water gets through to Swampy.  Trust me, you’re gonna want to play this game too, it’s a fun one!

The LORAX Truffula Shuffula - help The Lorax create colorful clusters of 3 or more matching objects. The more clusters you create, the more points you earn!  It’s similar to other games, but this version is kid oriented.  My kids took to this game really fast and have enjoyed playing it.  Truffula Shuffula is free from the Apple iTunes Store.  It also features the movie trailer from The Lorax.  My kids are eager to see the movie now.

Definitely try out KidzVuz.com , ToonGoggles.com, KickinKitchen.TV, Where’s My Water?, and Truffula Shuffula now, as they are all available and all FREE.  PixyKids.com  and Play-Werks.com will be available later this year.  Kids entertainment continues to explode on the Internet, in Apps, on TV, in video games, and in toys.  As a parent, it is hard to keep up with it all.  Nonetheless, be engaged and look for the types of games and apps work well with your family and share them with your kids.  This way you can lead them to parent approved entertainment that you know is safe and fun to play with as a family.  Enjoy!

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By Jennifer Comet Wagner

Parents have many things to worry about. It comes with the job. However, one of the things that many

parents worry about needlessly is playing video games. As you will see, gaming conveys many benefits

Why don’t you know about these benefits? The newspapers love to write stories about violence in video
games because it sells. However there have been hundreds of studies during the last decade on video
games benefits and some that also show that violent video games do not create violent kids. The fact
that parents were only hearing one side of the story was the reason that I decided to write The Gamer
Generation: Reaping The Benefits of Video Games.

Here is a list of the various benefits discussed the in the ebook:
In my book, The Gamer Generation, I share many resources – articles, books, websites, videos, etc.

1. Socialization – For most teens, gaming is a social activity and a major component of their overall
social experience.
2. Physical and Health Benefits – With all the new motion controllers, kids don’t sit still while
playing anymore. Video games are being created to help with a number of medical conditions.
3. Violence in Video Games: The Studies You Don’t See – “Video games are bad for you? That’s
what they said about Rock ‘n Roll.” There are a number of studies that disprove the theory that
violent video games make gamers violent.
4. Cognitive and Creative Benefits – Today’s video games are so complex that gamers become
experts at multitasking with improved cognitive processing.
5. Video Games in Education – Kids enjoy learning when they are having fun. And games are
perfect for education with the game design of clear goals, leveling up, ability to risk take and
rewards.
6. Educational Value of Video Game Creation – “It is paradoxical that many educators and parents
still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital
connection between them.”

Author Jennifer Comet Wagner with a character from Pop Cap's Plants Vs. Zombies.

7. Business and Careers – In Massively multiplayer online role-playing games, players develop the
ability to multitask, think creatively, work in teams, and become leaders.
8. Serious Games – “Serious games are games with purpose beyond just providing entertainment.”
Serious games are being created in many areas that are impacting the world with charitable and
other endeavors.
9. Family Connections – Video games can bring families together. There are so many family
friendly games that families can spend hours having fun together.

A recent article that I’d like to recommend is Are Video Games Good for Girls?  This is another excellent
article that brings out many of the benefits of video games.

As long as your kids play age-appropriate games, and don’t play every waking moment, gaming is not

something to worry about at all. It can actually be a very good thing. Give it a try so that you too might
reap the benefits of video games.

To find out more, you can find Jennifer Comet Wagner’s ebook,  The Gamer Generation: Reaping the Benefits of Video Games at Amazon.com.

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By Jamie Wiersma

Our family recently downloaded Oceanhouse Media’s omBook “Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping” by Eileen Christelow on our iPad2 (available for most devices). Mama takes her five little monkeys shopping the day before school. While they are in the store the monkeys keep wandering off. Will Mama ever have all of her monkeys together again?  If you are familiar with the Five Little Monkeys series, you already know that these are great books. But, the digital version is even more enjoyable for little kids because it is very interactive through fun monkey noises and words that zoom up and are spoken when pictures are touched.

There are three ways that this omBook can be read – Read to Me (listen to the narrated story with words highlighted as they are read), Read it Myself (read the book in its traditional form), and Auto Play (plays like a movie, automatically reading and turning pages.) The “Read to Me” version is great for my 5-year old.  He is able to follow along as the words are highlighted while the story is being read.

Things That Make this Digital Book Great:

• It incorporates early math by adding and subtracting the monkeys when they run off and then come back to Mama.
• The audio is great – the monkey noises and other surrounding sounds are very cute and add a lot to the story.
• The book encourages early reading through picture/word association. The words zoom up and are spoken when pictures are touched. Early readers can also follow along with the highlighted words while the book is being read.
• The pictures are bright and colorful.

 A Few Cons:

• It is not so great for my almost two-year old who likes to swipe at the iPad. His little fingers have figured out how to interrupt the story which then requires you to answer a prompt asking you if you want to continue or not. Then it starts that same page again. It’s probably an iPad thing, but it does get annoying. Especially on Auto Play it would be nice if the pages stayed locked.
• I think it could be even better if there was more touch interaction on the math side of things.

A Mom’s Perspective 

Overall, both my almost 2-year old and my 5-year old really enjoy “Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping.” The book is probably best suited for ages 3 – 6. I would definitely recommend the book to any parent that is looking for cute books to download for your child that also encourage additional learning skills in math and reading. The app is available at iTunes for $2.99. If you enjoy this book, Oceanhouse Media has a ton of other children’s digital books available such as Dr. Seuss, The Berenstain Bears, more Five Little Monkey books as well as many others.

* I was given a code to download “Five Little Monkeys Go Shopping” for my honest opinion. All opinions are my own.

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