parenting
Fix
Make A Willow Whistle
7:00AM Jason Fitzpatrick | Whether you’re looking to indulge in old-timey fun or impress kids at a family picnic with your versatile maker skills, willow whistles are simple, noisy, and, of course, really cheap toy. Photo by Mirko Macari. More »
Work
KidsMenu Is A Kid-Friendly Interface For Windows
9:00AM Jason Fitzpatrick | Windows only: KidsMenu is a kid-friendly way to corral your kids towards pre-selected applications and keep them out of trouble when they are on your computer. Although KidsMenu can be run from within your Windows account to create a simple application launcher for your child, the real benefit of KidsMenu is when you use it as a full-on Windows shell replacement. Create a limited account for your child, and when you run KidsMenu for the first time in that account you can press ALT+CTRL+I to set KidsMenu as the default interface for Windows when logged into that account. From that point forward, instead of being presented with a overly complicated start menu and all the sub-menus they don’t need, your child will instead see something like the screenshot above—customised with your own background and programs of course. Note: the screenshot above is from the developer’s website. We download and test every item we write up here and this one is no exception, but I had no kid-friendly applications to populate the menus with beyond the basic Windows games, which made for a rather pathetic-looking screen shot. For other ways you can create a locked-down environment for kids on your computer—without having to log in and out of separate user accounts—makes sure to check out previously reviewed KidZui and KidRocket. KidsMenu is freeware, Windows only. KidsMenu More »
Turn Gmail in an Always-On Baby Book
6:30AM Kevin Purdy | Blogger Rafe Needleman uses Gmail to record memories of his young son’s life. With the hefty storage, easy accessibility and robust filter and search tools, it’s a neat way to be able to quickly pull up that time when your little one met Santa Claus—or yanked your laptop off the table. Of course, with stuff this precious, it’s always a good idea to back it up. Geek parent tip: Use Gmail as a baby book [Webware] More »
How Do You Teach Your Children About Money?
9:00AM Tamar Weinberg | The earlier you learn solid money management skills, the better off you’ll be. If you’re a parent and money is on your child’s mind, it’s best to teach them before they exhaust their savings. The PAYjr Education Center proposes that you start teaching your child about money as soon as they’re young enough to count. Give your child an allowance so that they can start making financial decisions that they can learn from. Provide them with opportunities to make money so that they can discover that their hard work pays off, but if they spend their earnings quickly, they’ll have to work harder for next time. You should also teach your child about budgeting, saving their money, and about credit as early as possible. Don’t shy away from family discussions, and teach by example. How do you educate your child about money management? Let us know in the comments. Lessons to Teach Kids about Money [PAYjr Education Center] More »
