Tag: #app

Learning Social & Emotions Skills – Q Wunder

Getting ready for school

Checklists typically look like the following: ABC’s, numbers, spelling their own name…

But wait, isn’t there something missing from this list?

 

Social and Emotional skills are often overlooked when preparing our children.  We strive to teach them to sing their ABC’s. How to count numbers….but what about dealing with being interrupted?  What manners are and how to use them? How to look someone in the eye and pay attention? Have your children started to grasp and master these critical social cues?

Q Wunder, the new and amazing app (available on Android and Apple devices), allows you to help your children discover and unlock all the tools they need to being ready for school and life success.

Q Wunder helps teach:

  • Emotions
  • Manners
  • Motivation
  • Self Awareness
  • Problem Solving
  • Grit
  • Focus
  • Flexability
  • Responsibility
  • Friendship
  • Helping

 

 

Using custom designed videos and games, your children will discover real life situations and how to appropriately handle them.  The children can navigate through the app by clicking on the word of the category they wish to learn and play with.

Kids love to watch videos! TV shows, YouTube Videos, Music Videos, Singalongs….this is a very attention getting form of media for children, which is why Q Wunder ran with the video aspect.  Showing kids, through example and song, allows them to remain interested and engaged.

 

There are 3 main aspects of the app: videos, games and “do” actions

Videos: watch dozens of videos for examples of situations and how to handle them

Games: games that help them work on things like emotions, patience, manners, helping, flexibility

“DO” Cards: Practice facial expressions and other physically activities (like balancing on one foot / crab walking / lunge steps)

 

Parents Section

 

Keep an eye on what parts of the app your child is playing in. Look at the Training breakdown section for a graph and percentage chart to help you see where you child has been in the app. If they are playing heavily in once area ask them why. Try encouraging them to watch a new video in a new section with you. This will help them become not only more opened to new things but they will enjoy that you are sitting with them, also watching along. This “shoulder time” is important to small kids. It shows them that you, their parent, care about what they are doing and that you enjoy being with them.

 

Q Time Board Game – Race to the Top

The Fox kids love to play Race to the Top, the board game by Q Wunder. Using small Q monkey game pieces, move along the board to the top of the tree house. Each roll, as you land on a color square, it will determine which type of card you pull.  “DO” card have you preform physical acts to improve coordination and balance. “Q” Cards help with manners and social skills. “YOU” card help boost emotional intelligence skills with fun questions about you.

 

 

Q Time Buddy

Q, the stuffed animal, is a weighted doll for extra calming comfort. “Q-Time” with Q goes like this:

  1. Lie down and place the “Q Time Buddy” on your belly.
  2. Count 1, 2, 3 in your head as you breathe in and watch Q go up.
  3. Count 3, 2, 1 in your head as you breathe out and watch Q do down.
  4. Block out distracting noises and thoughts be bringing your focus back to this simple breathing exercise.

 

Having been playing out game for a few weeks, the Fox kids love Q and think he is a fun stuffy to bring along on their daily adventures.

 

 

Q’s Race to the Top On-The-Go-Pack

When you are on the run, at a restaurant, have a long car trip or plane ride, bring along the travel version of Q’s Race to the Top.

This set comes with the same questions that are found in the game, but in a convenient little travel tin to store them neatly.

 

 

Connect with Q Wunder

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How to UnGlue Your Kids From Screen Time

Let’s face it, technology is not only the way of the future but it is also the future for our children.

They are growing up in a society where cell phones and tablets are like an extension of their body. They are going to be in a society that heavily depends on the use of these types of technology for their careers and lifestyles. They need to be assured that they are secure when using their cellphones no matter what so showing them phone security statistics and discussing with them ways in which they can protect themselves is very important.

Teaching your children to use a cell phone and a tablet is really a very important part of growing up today. However, we do know that too much screen time is not a good thing. We need them to be able to walk away from the phone or tablet and get back to real life, face to face interactions. Playing with toys, talking to people, running around at the park. Taking nature hikes with hiking sticks and exploring the world around them.

I love letting my kids have screen time, I mean I need a break too! I need to finish mopping the floors, cook dinner and maybe check my own Facebook page. But like all things, there is a time and place for everything. Look into internet access guide for kids and parents.

The most helpful new app, and my new obsession, is unGlue. This new app is what all parents have been wanting and it’s finally here!

With unGlue, you can turn the internet on and off of your child’s devise through an app! Plus there is so much more it offers.

Available on Android and iPhone devices

I have an android for my cell phone, and my children both have their own iPads. I was able to quickly and easily set up the app on my phone and their devices and link them together in under 10 minutes. I was so impressed with the easy flow of set up, I honestly expected it to be a little more involved.

Once on my cell phone and on their tablets, the little app icon is available for you to click on. On the parents device you can see the different accounts you have connected, one for my sons iPad and another line for my daughters iPad.

I use the Premium plan, but you can try it out for free for 14 days before purchasing. With the Premium plan I am able to set up daily limits on internet time. I set my kids up for 90 minutes of internet Monday through Friday, and on the weekends I allow them 3 hours per day.

If my kids are not listening to me, and need to stop watching YouTube and come to the table, I can instantly shut off the internet from my device. This is such a handy tool for the stubborn days when they just cannot peel their eyes away from the latest blind bag video they discovered, or you could look into services like unrankedlolaccounts.com if your son can’t take his hands away from the keyboard trying to level up his character.

unGlue – How to add more screen time

I can also access reports, showing me how things like how long he watched YouTube this week or even this month.

unGlue – see reports

If you want, you have the opportunity to allow your kids to earn more screen time. They can go into the app through their device and request the opportunity to earn more screen time by completing chores like reading a book, empty the dishwasher, set the dinner table, walk the dog, and you can even add custom options too!

Time: Earn it. Spend it. Save it.

Screen time may be the most precious commodity in your home. unGlue lets your kids treat it like cash – a minute saved is a minute earned. Teach them to spend it wisely. You can put put limits on how much earned time your child can use in a day too – so that they cannot veg out for 8 straight hours on the internet.

unGlue – How to use the chores option

Once the time is out for the day the app or website will no longer work. They can click over to their unGlue app and see that they are out of time and ponder whether they want to ear more time, use the time they earned or switch to a non internet, education game which you have already place on their device.

The unGlue app will quickly become the most important app you have every used. It will change how you manage screen time. It will help motivate your children to do their chores. It will bring your family closer together. Try it out for free today and see why MamathteFox is so excited about unGlue

Connect with unGlue

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CDN – Kitchen Thermometer and Timer

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Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner, and with the CDN kitchen measurement tools you can easily cook a feast to feed your family. Created in 1984, CDN is a family owned company that develops accurate, unique, and innovative thermometers and timers. Offering tools for the grill, oven, refrigerator, freezer, and deep fryer; you can find many uses for the thermometer. Made from stainless steel, the thermometer is durable and made to last.

 

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The CDN duel thermometer gets its name because it has two probes that allow you to check temperature in multiple spots of the food. The probes are waterproof too, so that makes for a quick, easy clean up. I love that the thermometer has a magnet on the back so I can keep it on my fridge. It’s one less thing in my kitchen drawers!

 

The bluetooth capabilities with the thermometer are really awesome. After downloading their app – CDN-BT482 – just sync your phone to your thermometer and start cookin! The app is very easy to use; and I like how large the temperature is shown on the screen. While using the CDN app you can even pre-program the thermometer to cook your food according to what you’re making; that way when your steak [or whatever you’re cooking] gets to the correct temperature, you’ll know!

Use the Bluetooth Duel Probe Thermometer & Timer in your kitchen and cook your food to just the right temperature. This family owned and operated company takes care of their customers and creates products that are made to last. Give it as a gift or use it in your own home; this is a kitchen tool that you’re sure to use and love!

 

Smarty Preschool Adventure App Giveaway


All kids love technology. It is alluring and memorizing. They want that screen time. They literally scream for the screen!

I limit what I let my children play with and watch on the TV, iPad and all types of devices. I try to find the best educational apps for my kids to use when I do allow them those minutes on the tablet. If they are going to be on there they will at least bear fruit in the process.

I was able to review the game Smarty Preschool Adventure and it was such a pleasure. I thoroughly enjoyed the app and more importantly, so did my 2 year old. She loves playing with it and has gotten much much better at recognizing all types of colors and shapes. It’s a very good part of her Incremental Games collection for her age, and hopefully she’ll be enjoying it for a time to come. To find out more about the game please read the full review here.

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Smarty Preschool Adventure is for children ages 2 to 6. It teaches colors, shapes, counting and matching. When registered it is also available in the following languages: Spanish, Italian, Russian, French, German, Portuguese, Greek, Hungarian, Serbian, Croatian, Polish, Bulgarian, Czech, Slovak, Slovenian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Chinese.

Check them out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/smartykids

For your chance to win a free download of this awesome educational game please see the form below (may take a moment to load, please have patience).

 

3 mama

Smarty Preschool Adventure App Giveaway

Smarty Preschool Adventure – A Review

4 mama

Raising a child in society today its hard to not be bombarded by technology. Television, DVRs, blue-ray players, cell phones, iPads, tablets, cell phones, iPods, and who knows what is next. We try to limit our children’s screen time so that they can use their imagination and be exposed to people and nature. Reality is we also need to have our children exposed to technology because it will be an integral part of their education and future in general.

When I brought home my second child I saw the value that could be seen in an iPad/tablet. When I needed to sit with my newborn and nurse (which as all mothers know can be ALL day sometimes), I needed to have my toddler distracted and entertained; otherwise she will want to crawl and be on my lap too, which can be quite the balancing act. I now still exclusively breast feed my youngest and still need those 20 minutes to side track my daughter. Finding a good, quality and educational app for your child is not as easy as one would think. Some are full of advertisements which can lead your child into the internet (which is not appropriate for young children), some are full of glitches which freeze and turn off that game. That is horrible when a kid cannot play something they started due to a app error. Some are non sense and will not provide any value or gain in the play time.

When I was given the app from Anna, the creator/owner/developer I was excited but hesitant. You just never know what it is you are installing onto your tablet. I let my daughter be the first to open the game. She easily was able to independently open the game and get it started. She likes being able to figure the buttons out on her own.  The main menu is the games main character, “Smarty” cat, juggling different shapes of multiple colors as well as fruit. The user touches an item being juggled to choose the game they wish to play. This is a fun concept but too hard for my 2 year old to fully understand. She want to play the “match the color game” but is unable to know which item to touch for that game to appear. This can causes stress for my daughter and me. I tried to figure out what shape or fruit goes with which game and I cannot find any association between them. It’s almost as if its random. If only the items being juggled would more easily identify with the wanted game then my daughter, and other users, would have an easier time navigating.  A few times she has turned the game off because she cannot figure out how to get into the game she wants. When she is on a roll, however, she will play this app for a solid 20 to 30 minutes.  We also get a screen where you can tell it is showing you how many levels you have unlocked with stars and numbers. I cannot figure out exactly what it is trying to tell me.

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Colors:

My daughter has never been very good at her colors. She could count to 20 by 2 year but colors allude her. No interest in learning them either, until this game! She loves matching the colors to the thought bubble with the lead color! I was thrilled to see her repeating the correct colors! Saying them out loud with the game. Then later recalling those colors correctly. Happy mama here.

1 mama

Shapes:

There will be multiple shapes to drag to the matching shape bubble. If there are 2 hexagons then it will count as you drop them in the bubble. She loves numbers, so this feature is great. Another shape game is when you get to physically shake the tablet back and forth to make the shapes fall from a cloud. This is a great interaction my daughter loves. She like to drag them back like puzzle pieces.

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Join the Points:

This is my daughters most captivating and most frustrating game on the app. In this game you take your finger and touch a small flower. Then dragging your finger you create a line which you move to another flower. You do this to make different shapes such as a line, triangle, hexagon, etc… My daughter wants to play this game all the time, but being only 2 years old, her fine motor skills are not fully developed. The screen is very sensitive and you have to have your finger exactly on the center of a very tiny flower for it to recognize your touch and make the line for you to be able to connect. I would suggest that the screen allows a larger area for a finger to be able to start the line, or to make the flowers a bit larger. This would help the younger children. I really love this feature because it is using their fine motor skills. It allows the user to pick a color that they want the line to be. The most fun part is when you finish connecting the lines a tiny bee goes around the shape showing you that you did it correctly. Sometimes my daughter will get confused on which flowers are supposed to connect. I would also suggest that when a line is being held for a few seconds and has not connected with the correct flower yet that the flower you are looking for starts to change color or gets slightly larger. So the child playing can recognize where they need to drag their finger to.

3 mama

Paint the Shape:

This is a great color learning game. You will see a large shape in the center of the screen. Then at the top of the page you will find the name of a color, in that color (the word red and the writing is in red). On the sides of the screen you can see all of the color options. Here the child touches the color they are looking for then touches to shape. The shape fills up with the correct color and you get a new shape and color to play again.  My daughter forgets to look at the word at the top to see what color she is looking for. I would suggest making that word larger and maybe make it enlarge if the child guesses wrong, so they can see what their reference point is again.

Encouraging:

When a user completes a task correctly they are encouraged with a celebration and congratulation. A bunch of stars or confetti shapes will fall down and you will hear a phrase like “Magnificent” or “Great you are”! I am not familiar with the phrase “great you are” but this game is available across the globe in many languages so it must fall in a non American English phrase category. My daughter loves the praise of a job well done when she completes the level.

2 mama

Overview:

This app is a lot of fun. Its very educational and fairy easy to use. My 2 year old really likes it and has opened it daily since it was downloaded. I would recommend this app to others who have children within the 2 to 6 year age range.

I would suggest purchasing this app. It is by Kendal Investments Ltd and currently costs $2.99. I will be running a giveaway shortly for a chance for a free download of the game! If you don’t win a copy that is okay, you wont regret paying $2.99 for this fun fill game.

Also, please visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/smartykids

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.