Five Best Ways to Reduce Your Children’s Online Time

Written by Olivia Jones 

The beauty of our kids growing up in the digital era lies in the amount of available information that simplifies and allows learning through many sources, and turns it into a fun, independent activity. Kids enjoy their freedom to explore a whole universe at their fingertips, shared in a visually appealing and verbally rich environment that is the World Wide Web.

But one of the downsides of this way of life is that kids tend to spend too much time sitting, looking at a computer screen, and missing out on all the wonderful activities that involve spending time offline. Here are a few tips on how you can encourage your kids to creatively spend their time doing different things without taking away their digital freedom!

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MamaBear Supports Safer Internet Day!

Be the change: Unite for a better internet #SID2017

Keeping the internet safe and making the world a better place using internet technology is an ongoing effort and a responsibility shared by all users. Safer Internet Day is an opportunity to “Be the change: Unite for a better internet!”

MamaBear is proud to support Safer Internet Day 2017, and we would like to share their key messages for the Safer Internet Day 2017 campaign with you. Please check out this worldwide effort and join the celebration on February 7th, 2017. A LIVE Webinar will be held and you are invited!
Click here: http://saferinternetday.us/livestream/

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Zach Marks Launches New Web Series

Zach Marks New Original Web Series

Watch the new “My Grom Life” web series produced by Grom Social creator Zach Marks on gromsocial.com and MyGromLife YouTube channel beginning January 17th!

Zach Marks was eleven years old when he first got the idea to create a totally unique, safe social networking site “By Kids For Kids”. At age twelve, Zach launched Gromsocial.com with the help of family and friends. The new website was met with an overwhelming worldwide response. Today, Grom Social is a thriving global business, and at sixteen, Zach invites you to take an intimate look into his life journey as chronicled in the new web series, “My Grom Life.”

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Top Toys & Gifts for Kids 2016

Are you done with your holiday shopping? With the season in full swing, we’ve made a short list of fun toys and gift ideas for your child. We have researched everything from the latest in board games and arts & crafts, to STEM, and tech toys. Happy shopping!

Most Popular Toys

These toys won’t stay on the shelves for long! Get them while you can.

Hatchimals

Ages: 5 and Up

Hatchimals

2016’s Most Popular Toy, Hatchimals are magical creatures that live inside of eggs. Who’s inside? It’s a surprise! Each egg contains one of two interactive Hatchimals. Love and care for yours inside the egg and its eyes will light up as it makes cute sounds, telling you how it’s feeling! Once you’ve played with it enough, you’ll see rainbow eyes—that means it’s time to hatch! Hatchimals can’t hatch on their own. Your touch encourages them to peck their way out of the egg! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Now you get to raise your furry Hatchimal through 3 stages, from baby to toddler, to kid. Your Hatchimal sings “Hatchy Birthday” each time it enters a new stage! Teach yours to walk, dance, play games and more! It will even repeat what you say in its own voice! Hatchimals — who will you hatch?

Exploding Kittens

Ages: 7 and Up

exploding-kittens

The most backed project in Kickstarter history, Exploding Kittens is a card game for people who are into kittens and explosions and laser beams and sometimes goats. In this highly-strategic, kitty-powered version of Russian Roulette, players draw cards until someone draws an Exploding Kitten, at which point they explode, they are dead, and they are out of the game — unless that player has a Defuse card, which can defuse the Kitten using things like laser pointers, belly rubs, and catnip sandwiches. All of the other cards in the deck are used to move, mitigate, or avoid the Exploding Kittens.

Watch Ya’ Mouth

Ages: 8 and up

WatchYaMouth

Watch Ya’ Mouth is the AUTHENTIC, Hilarious, Mouthguard Party Game. In this laughter-inducing, competitive card-based game, teams of players, hampered by cheek retractors, attempt to read and interpret/speak out phrases and…. Hilarity ensues! Good for Ages 8+, with virtually unlimited players (when played using our “Alternate” rule set), Watch Ya’ Mouth is a must for any gathering, party, game night, or family night. Be warned: Stomach-Cramping, Eye-Watering laughter is a very frequent occurrence. “One of the funniest party games there’s been” Learn it in seconds, play it for hours, and create lasting memories with your friends and family.

Top STEM Toys

These toys will engage your child in science, technology, engineering, and math so they learn while they play! 

Barbie Stem Kit

Toy Insider STEM 10 Award 2016

Ages: 4-8

Barbie Stem Kit

The Annual Animal Shelter Gala is just hours away! Help Barbie and Nikki prepare for the party as you learn important STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) skills. The Barbie STEM kit includes a full-color storybook manual guides your journey as you explore physics and engineering. Construct 7 different models, including a spinning closet rack, washing machine, and greenhouse-all compatible with the Barbie Dreamhouse (sold separately). Then, conduct experiments to learn how and why your designs work! Create three unique types of dresses for Barbie and Nikki—an optical illusion origami dress, chromatography dress, and leaf-print dress—while learning important lessons in biology and chemistry. Follow along with the story and discover ways to use science to solve problems!

Circuit Maze Board Game

Techlicious Best of Toy Fair 2016
Ages: 8 and Up

Circuit Maze

Your logic skills and sequential reasoning will light up with Circuit Maze! Your goal is to arrange tokens and create a real circuit to light up the Beacons. Circuit building while solving challenges provides a boost of brainpower and a fun education in electronics. With 60 challenges, ranging in difficulty, this logic game will provide budding electrical engineers with hours of electrifying fun and intense learning.

Crayola Air-Dry Clay

Ages:  6 and Up

crayola-air-dry-white-clay

Engage in creativity with your child and try Crayola Air-Dry Clay. Crayola Air-Dry Clay hardens without the use of a kiln or oven. Its smooth, pliable texture softens easily with water. This natural, white earth clay hardens within a few days and can be painted with watercolors, tempera or acrylic paints when dry. The generously sized, 5-pound bucket is ideal for classrooms and groups.

Top Tech Toys

Virtual Reality is the latest trend in technology … and toys!

View-Master Deluxe VR Viewer

Ages: 7 and Up

View Master VR

View-Master Deluxe VR Viewer that Works With Google Cardboard has been designed to give you a more immersive VR experience. It features a headphone connector for a more immersive audio experience, wider lenses for expanded field of view and a focus wheel to bring images to focus without your glasses! Immerse yourself in 360-degree interactive environments and explore amazing virtual worlds.

Flybrix LEGO Drone Kit

Ages: 14 and up

Flybrix LEGO

The Basic Make Your Own Drone Kit Using LEGO® Bricks gives you the full Flybrix build-and-fly experience. With this kit, you can build quad, hex, plus octo airframe designs and fly them with the Flybrix Bluetooth Flight Control App. The kit comes with the all the components including LEGO® bricks, design plans, and software you need to get flying out-of-the-box.  No extra tools or supplies needed.  If you decide that you want a different flying experience, the optional Flybrix R/C Expansion Pack can be added at anytime. 

PlayStation VR

Ages: 12 and Up

playstation-vr

Discover a new world of unexpected gaming experiences with PlayStation VR. Redefine your expectations of immersion in gaming with moments so intense your intuition takes over. Step into incredible virtual worlds and overcome new challenges in extraordinary ways. With gamers in mind, PlayStation delivers a new world of unexpected gaming experiences through PlayStation VR.