Articles and whimsical thoughts about the hardest job in the world with the greatest of benefits.
I cannot stress enough how important reading is! If you can get your little geeks interested in reading early, you will be doing them a tremendous favor. Their reading skills will be ahead of their class, their motivation to learn will increase, and their confidence will be off the scale. Comics are a great way to get your little geeks interested in reading and explore new and interesting stories with dynamic characters and interesting plots!
I am, and most likely always will be, a huge fan of gamification. The concept of building dynamic game mechanics into every day activities is a wonderful idea. A new web-based company is hoping to bring gamification to your household and teach your little geeks math in the guise of video games and prizes. Not a bad idea!
Fantasy is the new western. The guys in the black hats have been replaced by the army with black clouds overhead. But is all this fantasy stuff really good for kids? I will state emphatically that it is! Just as I learned from westerns a thing or two about honor and fighting for your beliefs against seemingly insurmountable odds, my son has learned the same from fantasy.
As a self-professed geek, my three sons might as well have been born with dice in one hand and a video game controller in the other. From a very early age, they were playing all sorts of board games and video games. They are very comfortable with the geek gaming culture and all three still embrace it. However, I also wanted to make sure they were exposed to other experiences besides gaming in order to help them be well-rounded individuals.
“Augmented Reality” (AR) is a concept described as an extension of Virtual Reality that blends both real-world and computer generated images. In this way, a user can interface with computer generated objects through the use of real-world objects coded so a computer can recognize and enable the interaction. My son had a blast with a new and free AR game! Based on his enthusiasm to play, I hope we see more educational games using this sort of technology.
I’ve been changing diapers for years and years, it seems. My wife and I have tried them all and have worked our diaper changing tactics to near Ninja like perfection. One aspect of the dirty diaper we have never really been able to conquer is the lingering odor. When I was given a chance to try a new air freshener, I couldn’t pass on the opportunity. Have I finally found my odor blocking champion or will I remain forever at the mercy of the linger stink?
Smartphones and tablet PCs with the ability to download apps are becoming more and more common. Letting our children play with our smartphones or tablets while in a waiting room, or the car, is becoming more and more common, too. Here is an in-depth look at Google’s new rating system and how it can best be used to shield your children from inappropriate content.
Integrating a baby monitor with the iPhone is brilliant. Adding a soothing voice to calm the child and recording features so catch coughs and sneezes is genius! Most apps keep you fixed to your smart phone. The iPhone Baby Monitor and Alarm is the first application I have ever downloaded that made it possible and enjoyable to be away from the iPhone itself. I wonder if Apple is completely aware of this…
At our household, we wage epic battles against germs, bacteria, and all the other nastiness that comes from living our lives to the fullest. As a father, I do all I can to protect, educate, and love my children. As a geek, I try to find better and more entertaining ways to do all three. When you find that special something that allows you to do so, you run with it and never look back!
Sharing is hard and a difficult lesson to teach little geeks. But what happens when big geeks forget the very lessons they are trying to teach? Am I just a big kid or do I have legit beef and my feelings are justifiable? According to my wife, “kinda”. Clearly, there is an issue to solve here, including my own. Luckily, for every issue there is a solution, and in regards to my iPhone, I found one.