Recently, a friend of mine, Janet, told me about this great website she’d found on the Internet to teach her daughter about our 50 states. Janet’s daughter is entering 5th grade and she wanted to give her a head start on some of the things she’ll be learning this year in school.
The website is a free educational website produced by Sheppard Software. They profess to have “hundreds of educational games, activities, quizzes, articles and more for kids and everyone to use online – and free!” There is so much to look at, I’d probably need to write a 10 post series on all of the resources! At first glance, the website with all its vibrant colors appears simplistic. To me, it didn’t appear to have a lot of “depth,” meaning it didn’t look like it would be very engaging. But, looks can be deceiving!
On the US Geography Names page, you can learn about Capitals, States, and Landscape (rivers, oceans, and lakes). For each of these three sections, there is a tutorial to explain where the Capital, State, or Landscape item is located.
First you start with the Tutorial, which tells your child the name of every state s/he clicks on. There is a drop down list to the right, I recommend you help your child to learn by regions first (ie, Southern States, Great Lake States, Pacific States, etc.)
Now you’re ready for States 1. In this level, the game says the name of a state and wants you to click on the outlined state within a region in which is belongs. If you get it wrong, you get two more chances before it shows you the right location.
Once you’ve mastered States 1, you’re ready for States 2. In this level, you drag the picture of each state into the correct spot. The game works region by region so placement is easier. However, the are no states lines, so it is still a challenge. This is where you begin to see how rivers tend to divide state lines.
The fun continues until you reach States 9 where you are to drag, rotate it, and size each state onto the map. Talk about difficult! Perhaps at this level, it stops being fun! LOL!
I spent two hours with my 7 year old daughter playing the States game. We started with the Tutorial and worked ourselves up to Level 4. She couldn’t wait for her daddy to get home. After dinner, she took him into our office and showed him the game. He was overjoyed to see how much she knew about the location of the states. UNTIL….she turned the tables on him and asked him to place the states on the map without boundaries! He squirmed a bit and then asked her to help him place them. She was delighted to help.
When my friend first told me about the game, I was intrigued, but not moved enough to go find the website. After all, aren’t we all too busy these days? But once you see how the game works, you get hooked, and it was a great bonding time for my daughter and I. So, for those of you who don’t want to take the time right now to check it out, I have prepared a video you can watch that shows the US States game in action — at Level 2. Take a look………….
A Mom’s Perspective
I had a great time re-learning our country’s geography along with my daughter. Earlier in the day, my daughter asked me if I would play Mr. Potato Head with her (again!). I told her I had something special planned. She sat on my lap as we took turns strategically placing each state on the US map. After we were done, my daughter ran to her room to get her US States Map Book she received for Christmas. She now has renewed interest in it. In fact, she’s eager to learn our 50 capitals now!
In reflecting upon my US Geography learning experience with my daughter, there are three points important for moms to know:
1.) Learning needs to be interactive – educational games like this one engage children and make it fun to learn. I think back to when I was a 5th grader – I came up with picture words to remember the US capitals. It was tortuous trying to remember all 50 of them. With today’s free interactive games, learning is fun and competitive.
2.)There are plenty of interactive educational games online to supplement your child’s schooling. Sheppard Software is a great resource, but there are plenty of other free resources. Search Google and YouTube on the topic you want to learn about. You’ll be amazed at the resources available – right at your fingertips!
3.) Use online learning as a bonding time with your child. My daughter has enjoyed spending a lot of time on Disney.com learning all sorts of things. I have been very impressed with all the things she has self-learned. But spending time with her on the US States game really hit home for me the fact that 1.) I can easily direct her learning to more relevant educational topics and 2.) learning together on the computer is a great bonding time and that’s priceless!
I have posted my last post in the LosetheLaptop.com contest I have been participating in. I am competing for votes against 9 other great bloggers as we write about our experiences with the HTC Tilt2 smartphone. Please go to the LosetheLaptop.com site and vote for me – both you and I could win $5,000! The more you vote, the more your chances (and mine!) of winning. Thanks for your support!
I have some friends who love texting Google. Often times, they have texted Google at 466453 to get information or find an address. I never tried it because I found it antiquated. Who wants to text if you have a great smartphone with a data plan? Besides, I knew I’d never remember 466453. (I just learned in writing this article that 466453 spells Google on your keypad!)
Last weekend, we took a roadtrip with these same friends to Las Vegas. I was enjoying the long trip as a backseat driver since I was using my Tilt2 phone with BING navigation – which told me exactly how many minutes it would be until we arrived. As we neared Las Vegas, we decided to visit the most famous pawn shop in the world – the one the show, Pawn Stars, made famous on the History Channel. Only, we didn’t know where it was located or what it was called.
I opened up my mobile browser to begin searching. My friend stopped me and suggested I try using Google text instead. Curious, I obliged, and she gave me the number. I texted 466453 with this message:
me: where is pawn stars las vegas
6 seconds later I received:
Google:
Local Listings:
Gold & Silver Pawn Shop
713 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas
702-385-7912
Wow! Google translated pawn stars into the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop and it gave me an address and clickable phone number to boot!
Now, I could enter the address into my Bing Navigation, but I already was using it to get to the hotel. So instead I texted Google:
me: map 713 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas
Google:
10 seconds later I received a URL. Clicking on the URL I saw a map overview and an opportunity to receive driving directions. I also saw a sentence that read “Selected business at this address: Gold and Silver Pawn Shop.” Clicking on this link I received detailed information on the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, such as its location, store hours, credit cards it accepts, it’s website, etc. There were also 154 reviews.
More Great SMS Uses
Google SMS doesn’t stop with directions. You can use it for all sorts of information, such as
Local info
Weather
Glossary – dictionary
Sports scores
Movie times
Stock quotes
Zip Codes
Flight status
Area Codes
Products
Q&A
Translation
Calculator
Currency Conversion
Airports
Local Time
…and more
Visit the Google Mobile SMS page to learn more on how to enter your questions more clearly to receive better Google results. I was fascinated by the fact that you could check your flight status so I texted Google:
Now that’s just plain cool! No browser to open, minimum typing, and you get results within seconds! Try it out for yourself – remember 46653 spells out Google on your phone’s touchpad. It’s really addictive – kinda like those Magic 8 balls where you ask a question, shake it, and wait for an answer. Have fun!
A Favor To Ask of You
Can you please click on the big Orange “LOSE THE LAPTOP VOTE FOR ME AND WIN” button above and vote for me on the LosetheLaptop.com site? Every vote you give increases my chances of winning the final prize, $5,000. And what’s even better than that? Every vote you give also gives you for a chance to win $5,000 too! We could both win! Be sure to leave a comment on how you would use the Tilt2 to lose your laptop too to officially enter. Enter daily until the end of day, July 31st. Thanks for your support!
There are less than 10 days left in the LosetheLaptop.com contest I have been participating in. I am competing for votes against 9 other great bloggers as we write about our experiences with the HTC Tilt2 smartphone. Please go to the LosetheLaptop.com site and vote for me – both you and I could win $5,000! The more you vote, the more your chances (and mine!) of winning. Thanks for your support!
Today I had several appointments – one right after another. I left my house this morning on my way to the first appointment–I was halfway there when I realized I had forgotten my phone at home. Drat! I have two cellphones – my Tilt2 and the older phone I was using before the LosetheLaptop.com contest. Luckily, I had my Tilt2 with me but I left my other phone at home which had the details and the phone number of the person I was going to meet with.
Hmmmm, I wondered, how am I going to manage this one. If neither one of us were late to the meeting or got lost on the way there, forgetting my phone wouldn’t be a problem. But reality ranch is, the day I forget my phone would be the day I needed it the most.
Fortunately, two weeks ago I received an invitation (after signing up for it 3 months before) from Google Voice to activate an account. I remember how excited I was to finally be able to check it out. Google Voice is a great free service that acts as your voice-mail system and transcribes every message you receive into text and sends the message to you via e-mail and/or text. It’s like having your own personal transcription service! The transcription is not perfect – but you get the gist of what the caller was saying. You can also record personalized messages for specific callers who call you. Pretty slick! Google Voice can be attached to any phone number.
However, to take full advantage of the Google Voice features, I recommend you sign up for Google Voice with a Google number. I chose this option. You can create a new phone number within your area code or any other area code across America. What I liked about this process is that you can choose a customized vanity number. For example, I chose a phone number that ends in CNCT which works well with WellConnectedMom.com and theWellConnectedHome.com.
Even better, if you choose the Google number option, you can hook up all of your phones to Google Voice so when a caller calls your Google Voice phone number, all of your phones will ring. I have my home phone and my two cellphones hooked up to Google voice. So, any voicemail I receive is transcribed and texted to my both my cellphones and my e-mail account. To learn more about the two versions of Google Voiceand many other great features, watch these Google Voice features videos.
So, getting back to my day. Guess what happened? The person I was meeting with was running late and he called me using my Google Voice number. I, unfortunately, was in a relatively new area of town with limited cellphone coverage, so I did not receive his call. But thanks to my Tilt2 with data coverage and Google Voice, I received a text message with his message and phone number transcribed. I walked out of the building I was in and gave him a call to let him know I would wait for him. Phew! My reputation was saved – I could still live up to my name as The Well Connected Mom, despite leaving my cellphone at home!
I have great news for you! Google Voice just opened to the public – so you no longer need to receive an invitation to join! Visit Google Voice soon to snatch up your vanity Google phone number and become “well connected” today!
Have you seen those new cameras that have a display on the front of the camera so you can take better self-portraits? I recently was given the opportunity to review the Samsung TL210 camera, it’s a dual view camera with a 1.5″ LCD screen on the front of the camera as well as a 3″ LCD on the back for viewing. I liked the camera so much, I placed it on my list of Dads, Grads, & Cool Do-Dads in June.
I haven’t bought a new digital camera in a while (other than my Sanyo Xacti mini camcorder/camera last December). I was intrigued to learn what new features are available on cameras nowadays. To my delight, I found a bunch of new features on the Samsung TL210 camera.
Some of the Features Include:
12.4 megapixals camera
5x optical zoom
27 mm wide lens
Auto red-eye
MPEG-4 high comparison video – can record up to 20 minutes in length
Multi-functioning cable – connects to computer via USB and uses same USB to connect to power supply
Smart Auto for still and movies
Smart face recognition
Self-timer – the countdown timer appears on the front LCD
Couple shot – automatically shoots when heads are close together
Children mode – engaging funny clown with funny voices to get a baby’s attention
Automatic shutter when it detects a smiling face while using the Children mode
You can ad a voice memo to any photo – up to 10 seconds
The video has a pause button which allows you to record video, pause it, record some more on same video clip
Smart Scene Auto detection mode to identify and change camera settings according to what’s being recorded – recording of landscapes, sunsets, if it’s cloudy or sunny, etc.
Using the Samsung TL210 Camera
If you’re like me, reading the directions is the last thing I want to do when I get a new gadget. I want to figure out the gadget as I go. For the most part, this works well for me. However, I learned a lot by reading the TL210′s manual, which came packaged as a CD to review on the computer.
I took a number of pictures of my kids and friends. The camera is easy to use and fun. One night, however, I took pictures of my kid’s programs at night and was disappointed because the SAMSUNG camera took pics similarly to my current older camera – the pictures ended up dark and it was hard to identify my kids. For years I have been frustrated with photos I have taken during my kids performances. Why do they turn out dark? Why are they blurry? Why does it take so long for the shutter to close to take the picture? My child has moved onto picking his nose by the time my camera finally takes the shot. Darn! Another great photo opportunity missed. Had I read the instructions, I would have learned about the Night mode and adjusting the exposure for a longer shutter time. Perhaps that would have helped me.
Samsung incorporated some nice features for shots taking in daylight. Sometimes it is not convenient to move people just because the sun is shining behind them, which results in a dark picture. Reading the User Guide I learned about the Backlight and the FlashFill features which help pictures turn out better in these situations.
There’s even a Beauty Shot mode you can use to hide facial imperfections. If only all cameras had that feature when pictures are taken of me!
Analysis of the Samsung TL210
Here are my top comments in evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of the camera:
Advantages
a front LCD – pure brilliance! Works well not only for self-portraits, but also for kids so they can see the picture you’re taking of them — they’re more likely to smile this way!
what a convenience to have the self-timer appear on the front screen, so you know exactly how much time you have before the camera takes a shot.
the pause button is very handy when recording children’s events. You can shoot video of the beginning of your kids’ class performance, then press the pause button until your kids appears in the show, then pause again until your kid appears again. This way you have one video of your fave parts of the show instead of a bunch of recorded bits of the show. I love this feature!
mini SD card – as much memory as you’d like – I used a 4GB mini SD – slides right into the drive
the camera’s design incorporates a tilt-body feature so that when placed on the camera, instead of lying flat, it tilts up slightly, making self-portraits easier.
Disadvantages
the instruction manual on the CD is inconvenient. It would be easier to have a printed manual to take with the camera so as you’re using the camera you can look up certain features to learn about the camera better.
5x zoom is just not enough – a more powerful zoom is needed especially when zooming in on your kids during a recognition assembly or performance.
even with adjustments, pictures taken inside at night didn’t come out well – especially when taken from farther away. I needed to get up from my seat and get close to the stage where my son’s class was performing to get a descent shot.
A Mom’s Perspective
Let me tell you, the Samsung TL210 is a fun camera. I’ll tell you something else, if you have a daughter, watch out! You may never see it again. No matter what her age, she will be fascinated with taking self-portraits. I was talking with a friend of mine who has a regular digital camera and her 9-year old daughter is constantly taking self-portraits. I remember our 17-year old foreign exchange student we hosted from Germany and she too was always taking pics of herself. My own 7-year old daughter had a field day with the Samsung TL210. When I downloaded the pics, most of them were of her! So my simple calculations on self-portrait cameras equate to: DAUGHTER + CAMERA = THE PARENT ASKING “WHERE IS THE CAMERA?????” Be advised, if you buy this camera, lock it up or hide it really well!!!
Overall, I was very impressed with the camera. It has an amazing number of features – more than I’ve seen on any other camera I’ve used. I loved the smart face recognition feature which can recognize up to 20 faces. So when you’re taking a picture of the kids from your son’s birthday party, the camera will recognize your son (because you’ve likely already taken endless pics of him before with this camera) and it will focus and adjust the exposure based on his face.
I really liked the children mode too where a clown made funny noises and threw balls so the baby I was taking a picture of would look up. You can even download new children videos to your camera so your baby/child won’t get bored or used to the cartoon playing while you’re trying to snap their pic.
And how many times have you tried to take a picture of your baby or young child and you take umpteen pics and still never seem to snap a pic when your child or children are smiling? The auto smile recognition feature is a dream – it will automatically take the picture for you once it detects a smile. Perfect! I needed this camera when my kids were younger – I’d have a lot more great pics now if I did! Even better, the TL210 includes a smart album that can help you sort your pictures by face! You can even search by face! What a great ay to show your daughter all the pics with her face in them – it provides endless entertainment! LOL!
My biggest disappointments were the optical zoom and light exposure at night. It’s not just the Samsung that has a problem with these issues though. Any digital camera I’ve owned had these issues. Perhaps if I knew more about exposures and shutter speed, I would have had better pictures. But the truth is, I’m a mom – as most of you are - who has time to learn about such things? When your kid does something special – you want to take the picture right then and not fuss with adjusting the camera. That’s why we buy automatic cameras, right?
It’s amazing to think back to the days when we would take pictures and have to wait a while before we developed them to see how they came out (if we even remembered to develop them!). Today, we definitely have a culture of instant gratification and our digital cameras deliver. We can’t blame our daughters for all of their self-portraits. Had we not had to wait so long for our pictures to be developed when we were young, I venture to bet we’d be doing the same thing!
The Samsung TL210 retails for $229.99. But as always, go to my favorite place, Amazon, to buy it for $209, plus a great accessory kit that includes a 4 GB mini SD card, a camera pouch, a flexible mini tripod, a package of LCD protectors, a deluxe cleaning and care kit, and a coupon for 25 free photos. Nice!
Samsung contacted me to review the TL-210. After the review period I returned their camera. As with all of my reviews, I was not compensated in any way for my honest review.
Recently, a friend of mine, Janet, told me about this great website she’d found on the Internet to teach her daughter about our 50 states. Janet’s daughter is entering 5th grade and she wanted to give her a head start on some of the things she’ll be learning this year in school.
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