Online Games For a Range of Appetites

April 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment

It used to be that the whole family would gather around a board game on a Saturday night,
over a singular game that everyone would enjoy. As with many technological advances over
the last 20 years, games have not been untouched and with such a variety available online,
everyone now chooses their own games, styles and battles. If you are looking for new ways
to pass the time, play your games with friends or simply keep the kids entertained in the car,
then here are the best games available for every member of your family.

The Role Play Game – The College Students Heaven

There are so many RPG (role play games) available online I won’t cover them all here, but
there is one that has out lasted many others and stood the test of time; World of Warcraft
(WoW). World of Warcraft comes under the heading of an MMORPG – Massively Multiplayer
Online Role Play Game – which literally means, it’s huge, you can play with friends and you
control the outcomes of your game. A popular choice with young and old alike due to the
feeling of being actually in the game, this is one that couldn’t be missed off this list.

The general gist of the game is that you will develop your own character, send them
travelling across the landscape and take on quests, fight of dragons and interact with other
[Read more…]

Filed Under: technology Tagged With: , , , , ,

Apartment Hunting

March 25, 2013 by Leave a Comment

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of apartments.com for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

There are a few different ways to look at the American dream. Some see this dream as home ownership. A piece of land to call your own. But others believe owning land is an archaic thought. Why take up so much space and have to deal with property taxes and maintenance when it could be just as easily rent an apartment. Either way the true root of the American dream is happiness and celebration of differences. Of course the American dream has to take place in a great living space! Lets go on a quick apartment hunt with apartments.com .

photo Apts_PrfctFit_rgbjpg_zpsf00a594a.jpg

Apartments.com [Read more…]

Filed Under: technology Tagged With: , ,

StoryToys Children’s Book Apps Review

March 14, 2013 by 3 Comments

photo (4)

 

Reading books is one of our favorite family activities. Both of my children absolutely love reading books and picking them out. I was recently asked to review the StoryToys 3-D Interactive Pop-Up Books, and my children both absolutely love them.

About Story Toys:

StoryToys are interactive books that combine a great story, stunning illustration and beautiful design with the interactivity and engagement of games. They admit that while they do love games,
they also prefer that their kids are playing games that are going to leave them with something of value. Each StoryToys is designed to help children learn something, from reading, to sequencing to task coordination.

Also, StoryToys are made by parents, so all of their product have been tested by children ages 2-11. So you know that they really [Read more…]

Filed Under: electronics, gaming, kids, review, technology, toys, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

iLearn ‘N’ Play Adventure Explorer Review and Giveaway

February 18, 2013 by 12 Comments

DSCF2597

 

The big Christmas present in our house this year was an iPad for the family! I must admit that now that we have one, I can already tell that we need another one 🙂 Everyone wants to use it all the time, which is really testing the patience of my almost 3 year old (which is a good thing).

Being as my almost 3 year old really loves to play with the iPad, I work very hard trying to find “apps” and “games” that are educational for her as well as fun. I was very happy to try out the Adventure Explorer from iLearn ‘N’ Play & appStart Learning.

About AppStart Learning:

AppStart Learning joins 3+ toys and apps to make learning fun by making learning play! iLearn ‘N’ Play works with our young children to help them learn and understand some of the early learning concepts.

The company has offices throughout North America, as well as offices in London, Rome, Sydney, and Hong Kong.

Adventure Explorer

About Adventure Explorer:

For the Adventure Explorer, you can connect your iPad, iPad mini, iPhone, or iPod to the console.

The Adventure Explorer has a working on/off ignition switch, a steering wheel, a shifter, accelerator, forward/reverse control that works with the iLearn ‘N’ Play apps.

There [Read more…]

Filed Under: education, gaming, giveaway, kids, review, technology, toys Tagged With: ,

Focus on Educational Apps: Art ABC Outshines Competition

December 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Learning the alphabet with Art ABC is a perfect example of how young children can benefit from quality educational apps from the iTunes App Store. Art ABC offers both alphabet and fine arts introduction. Each of the app’s interactive “pages” introduces one letter and words associated with that letter, reinforced with clear narration emphasizing the phonics involved. Each letter is presented against its own unique background, each of which [Read more…]

Filed Under: technology Tagged With: , , , ,

Top 5 Tips for Introducing Technology to Kids

December 11, 2012 by 1 Comment

The modern age is a challenging time to raise your kids. It’s no use getting into one of those grumpy “back in the day” conversations, because we all know that despite all the difficulties 2012 is a pretty amazing time to be alive. Technology has brought a lot of value to our lives, and with computers becoming smaller and more portable and the internet used by more people than ever before, it’s plain to see that it is here to stay. That doesn’t mean children should be left to discover it on their own. There are so many distractions in our lives, and you have to make sure that your kids still have the chance to be kids. But it is possible to see that they experience all that used to be so great about the innocence of childhood, while also enjoying the nearly limitless knowledge that technology can bring. Here are five tips to help you introduce technology to your kids.

First of all, look for toys that get them thinking about technology while still using their creativity. Legos are great for this, and there are sizes that fit almost every age. Kids can build basically anything they can dream of, and newer Lego sets actually come with motors and various other high-tech gadgets that show your kids what’s possible with technology without leaving them to sit in front of the computer for hours on end. Choose Your Own Adventure books are another great option, once your kids are reading. While they don’t involve technology, they do show kids how decision-making can control a story. Your children will start to wonder how that works, and the ’cause and effect’ conversations you can have are a solid precursor to hands-on gadgets.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: kids, technology Tagged With: , ,

Double Dragon Neon for Xbox Live and PlayStation Network

September 21, 2012 by 11 Comments

Review by Ian.

Are you ready for some 80’s nostalgia? Bring yourself back to the days of dropping quarter after quarter into the arcades. Now kids arcades were dark rooms where people would go to play video games together in a public setting on arcade machines. These places were full of loud music and electronic sounds, flashing lights, and kids running around. For a kid with a pocket full of quarters, there was no better place to spend an afternoon.

In order to truly appreciate Double Dragon Neon, one needs to understand Double Dragon.
The first Double Dragon was released in 1987 and was a great side scrolling beat’em up game. You played the part of Billy or Jimmy Lee on their quest to save Marian, their common love interest. The music memorable and the game play now classic.

Neon takes the underlying concepts of the arcade Double Dragon and undated them with new graphics and soundtracks, while keeping the same feel of the original. The game play is the same, punch, kick, throw repeat. But now there are more special moves which make things a bit more interesting.

The game itself [Read more…]

Filed Under: review, technology Tagged With: , , , , ,