Twelve Days of Christmas Keeps on Giving

When we moved to Hong Kong two years ago, my daughter’s reading Engrish was as good as a Kpop star’s teleprompt.

Her teacher recommended Reading Eggs and she was reading with her peers in three months! Man, if we could only sponge learn like 2nd graders as adults, the world would be a better place! Reading Eggs breaks down the phonics, blends, digraph, and diphthongs. At each level the your kid will be motivated to hatch a egg with buck-tooth bunny wearing a rainbow unicorn suit. The right level of silly to keep them working through the dreaded sight words.

It makes me bonkers when kids don’t know Sam I Am. I mean, you made it to five, and never tried Green Eggs and Ham? The canon of Dr Seuss is tried and true as your Wocket in your Pocket! This app is classically orated with multitalented voiceovers, highlighted read-a-longs, and a library of dope rhymes from the nursery bard at your finger tips. Never will there be a boring car trip for your six year old, when she screams, “No sleep till Brooklyn!”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Let me know what you think of this app! Isn’t it sick til 6?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

A family milestone is not set in stone, unless there is a video to commemorate it! This app makes every little moment a keepsake, and it is so easy to use that you will think you are Scorsese at a click of a button! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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My husband thinks I have a Magisto problem, and I don’t care! My family LOVES the little videos that I make, and I love reliving the LOVE! Show me your Magisto! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

When our school librarian Kylie Horsfall told me to #getEpic, I OBEYED. Befitting of it’s name, it’s like swiping your library card to a water hose of books. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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You will unleash a reading demon in your child, and you will be happy you hexed them with the App. It costs some money, but you can always find a steal the deal discount code floating around the web-o-sphere. And no amount of money could tame the parent demon that unleashes when you can’t find that library book! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

I did not know what I didn’t know! I KNOW NOTHING, JON SNOW! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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When my self proclaimed Luddite friend recommended Storyline Online as the ONLY way to do “read to me” books, I had to check it out. My lovely friend still carries a paper dairy but she knows what page to find great dramatic readings to ignite the reader in anyone! Just hearing Rami Malek’s sexy voice and awkward grin hacking through an ancient Chinese folklore called “Empty Pot” will have you calling cyber security.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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What is your favourite reading by who?!?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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This app is pure magic. 🧙‍♂️🧙🧙‍♀️ Take a photo of the math problem and POOOF! 🌟⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The answer and method will magically appear. 👩‍🏫Obviously, if your child uses it to cheat, she is only cheating herself… But if you are a parent trying to help your kid with pre-algebra and you can’t remember the derivative of X, than cheating is about self-education. I’ve empowered my child to use this to see the method over the madness. (And when did they change math?)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Let me know what you think of this app! Do you think it promotes cheating or is it the path to enlightenment?

I can’t see the stars in Hong Kong, but that doesn’t stop me from feeling the celestial force. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Download Star Walk, and look to sky when the ground gets you down. It will have your kids wondering about life beyond, and make you hug them and say, “I want to believe.”

If video killed the radio star, then YouTube killed the the video star…
According to Pew Research, 81% of all parents with children age 11 or younger let their child watch videos on YouTube, with 34% indicating that they allow their child to do this regularly. Additionally, the survey shows that 61% of these parents say their child has encountered content on YouTube that they felt was unsuitable for children. Take some of the guess work out of YouTube watching by using YouTube Kids. While it’s not perfect (an Elsa impersonator can evade Google filters even in Times Square), it does give peace of mind when you are trying to chop broccoli and junior needs to sit still for a few minutes. It has an easy interface for kids to master, and with the right level of parental controls they won’t be clicking to the spiral of content death. The best rule, however, is to enjoy it together! You never know what you can learn while exploring with Junior… My 13 year old still uses YouTube Kids! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

“HEY MOM! Can I watch “IT,” the MOVIE!?” Are you being Pennywise and pound-foolish about your kid’s media decisions? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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If you are wondering if they are ready (nope, no clowns for me!) for any movie, TV show, game, or app, Common Sense Media has you back… It’s like your personal angel in screentime parenting. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Common Sense Media (CSM) is a non-profit organization that “provides education and advocacy to families to promote safe technology and media for children.” You can look up any content to see if it is appropriate for you or your kids to consume. There are reviews from professionals, parents, and kids with solid advice about what your kids are ready for.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Summon your arithmetic, kids! You math magic is strong in this realm! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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My primary school aged kids love this math game. It is a web and app based game that encourages math problem-solving by moving a character through a fantasy world of wizardry. I love the retro Final Fantasy game music which brings me back to my childhood. The character development can feel a little distracting to parents, but the kids won’t be bothered by it and will be whizzing through their multiplication table in no time. Fun math never felt so… well, fun.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

So Sal Kahn’s voice triggers my son into a state of PTSD, but there are a TON of resources here from basic counting to GMAT Study. If you are having trouble explaining a math concept, a time in history, or scientific method, Uncle Sal is here to help. My son would run to the wrath of Khan when he was stuck in his homework, and eventually he would get unstuck. He breaks it down with his multicoloured highlighter pen, and he can explain trig to even YOU! (because let’s face it, we never got it the first time!)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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