January 21st, 2010 | posted by: Lynette

Are our kids spending too much time consuming digital media?

Are you concerned about kids spending too much time “plugged in” and not getting enough good old-fashioned unstructured, creative playtime? As a mom who works in the field of digital media for kids publishing children’s picture books to the iPhone and iPod touch, I have thought a lot about balance in my kids’ media diet. One of the reasons I developed PicPocket Books for the iPhone was to give parents and their kids an educational, kid friendly alternative to video games and movies on the mobile devices. Reading a story book on a screen is a very different experience from playing a repetitive video game on the same screen. It has the same educational, mind-opening benefits as reading a traditional print book: it increases vocabulary, improves concentration and focus, and expands horizons.

Creative play

Everyone loves a snow day!

Unstructured outdoor playtime

I also encourage year ’round outdoor play time for my kids.

They ride bikes, start pick-up soccer games, make forts in the neighborhood and engage in elaborate make-believe games with their neighborhood friends.

We do not allow them to watch TV or movies during the school week. That is just a hard and fast family rule and the kids don’t even ask for media time during the week – although election night is an exception – and maybe the upcoming winter Olympics, too!

January 11th, 2010 | posted by: Lynette

Age Appropriate and Educational Screen Time for Kids

Some people complain that their kids already get lots of screen time. What is PicPocket Books’ stand on this issue?

Why do kids get a lot of screen time? Because they are really drawn to this kind of media. The technologies that are new to us are very intuitive to them and will be a significant part of their lives for years to come. I don’t see PicPocket Books as replacements for print books or the valuable time parents can spend reading to their children, but as educational and culturally valuable alternatives to video games or movies, especially for families on-the-go.

Many families are short on time and e-books can be read any time, any place. I believe that if reading picture books on the iPhone means that more families are reading together and more kids have more exposure to storybooks, then they are a great option for tech-savvy families of today.

November 5th, 2009 | posted by: Eva

How the Brain Handles Screen-Reading

Amazon Kindle

Have you ever wondered how our brains deal with digital reading?

Think about it: for years, centuries, we humans have been reading primarily from paper. Now, reading from a screen is becoming as popular, if not more popular, than reading print! Many of us read the news, magazines, blogs, and of course our mail on our computers or mobile devices. E-Books are becoming widely available too.

How do our brains handle this new medium? The New York Times Opinion article Does the Brain like E-Books? has a couple of explanations. In the article, experts address such issues as the balance between focal and peripheral attention (which, incidentally, is disrupted in reading whether from a screen or from traditional print). Do you think people read faster on screen or paper? How is comprehension affected?

Jonah Lehrer, in his article, Reading, E-Books and the Brain, reminds us that the brain is extremely adaptable and that “we excel at developing new habits.” He speculates that “before long, digital ink will feel just as easy as actual ink.”

Check it out! It’s pretty interesting to think about reading from the perspective of your brain.

September 28th, 2009 | posted by: ela

A PicPocket Book in Action!

How can you keep a child busy and occupied while running errands, waiting in the doctor’s office, or just driving in the car?  I found my answer in Cucumber Soup, one of PicPocket Book’s newest editions for reading-on-the go.

"I like this story!"

"I like this story!"

One of the things that makes Cucumber Soup so entertaining for young children is that they can recognize all of the insects that appear on the digital pages.  Spiders, ants, and bumblebees  flutter and crawl across each page as the message of teamwork and persistence is taught to the young reader.
As I gave my iPod Touch to the young boy I was babysitting, I could hear him shout “bumblebees!” and “ladybugs!” as he enthusiastically identified the bugs and listened as the story progressed. I could tell by his excited squeals that Cucumber Soup would entertain him for the entire duration of our trip to the grocery store.

Do you have any suggestions for keep children busy and occupied during boring car rides and errands?  Do you believe children would enjoy being read to on an iPod Touch or iPhone rather than watching a DVD in the car?  Let us know what educational tools you try to provide for your children!

September 23rd, 2009 | posted by: Lynette

Wordless Wednesday

September 8th, 2009 | posted by: Lynette

Review by Tech Talk for Moms

Picture 1

PicPocket Books reviewed by Tech Talk For Moms today:

Looking for a different way to expose your child to reading? Try downloading a PicPocket Books iPhone app. Your child can enjoy books right on your iPhone or iPod touch. Each book is narrated with the words highlighted in a different color as each word is read. The books are attractively illustrated to keep your child’s attention. I downloaded the book, My Friend Isabelle, a book which teaches children about appreciating differences in people. My daughter read the book several times and thought it was great that she was able to read a book right on Mom’s phone! Check out the PicPocketBooks website, to choose from a variety of well written children’s picture books.

Visit her site at Tech Talk for Moms.

Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter

Featured Titles