Tag: websites

Axlscloset.com Features Cool Threads for Cool Kids

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

While most of you are updating and/or breaking out your summer wardrobes, our family continues to pack for our move. Between us, there’s nothing I’d love more than to chuck all of our clothes and start over so we can be done packing already!  But that would be too easy.

With all of these summer clothes posts lately, it couldn’t be more timely to introduce you to a rather sweet shopping site for cool kid gear. Alxscloset.com is a site that features trendy kids clothing from the outdoor, surf, and snowsports markets. The clothes reflect that slightly edgy surfer/skate aesthetic that I mentioned that I adore, especially for boys.

Growing up in Virginia Beach, and even to this day, we’ve always worn skate and surf brands, and this site caters to like-minded shoppers and parents.

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The site features brands like Patagonia, Volcom, Roxy, Billabong, DC, Quicksilver, just to name a few, that I know my tween nieces and nephews would appreciate. Among the cool logo t-shirts, shorts, pants, jackets, dresses and more, there’s also a few vintage-inspired tees I wouldn’t mind for myself!  How about that adorable summer dress from Roxy!

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Give Your Heart a Valentine

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

The PBS Kids web property, Fizzy’s Lunch Lab, has launched a fun music video, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

“Give Your Heart a Valentine” is an ode to your actual heart, as in the organ that thumps in your chest. Just like all the interesting concepts that come from Fizzy’s Lunch Lab, the music video combines education and a little bit of fun. This new music video provokes kids to learn the significance of the heart and the benefit of healthy eating decisions.

In addition to all the sweet and lovey fun this week for Valentine’s Day, be sure to check out this video and give a little love to your heart!

PBS Kids Go Launches Fizzy’s Lunch Lab

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

With all this talk about eating healthy and reforming the nutrition standard of school lunches, PBSKidsGo.org has impeccable timing with the upcoming launch of Fizzy’s Lunch Lab.

Fizzy’s Lunch Lab is a fun new website (and more) geared to early elementary school kids that addresses smart food choices and living healthy. Through the silly animated adventures of Professor Fizzy and pals, kids can learn about the good, bad and not so yummy foods.

PBS said that the site will feature animated and live-action shorts, interactive recipes, food facts and games that are all geared to engage kids to make smarter food choices.


From the event I sat in on the other day, I learned that some kids really have no idea how to eat healthy. They know what they’re taught; and just like most things, the kids learn from example. I love the idea behind Fizzy’s Lunch Lab and how PBS leverages the web, humor and the quirky Professor Fizzy to engage and motivate kids. The graphics and dialogue are pretty impressive. Well, then again, it is PBS, so there’s no surprise there!

The site doesn’t officially launch for a few more weeks, but you can check out the site and see the above preview and also to get a feel for Professor Fizzy’s antics.
If you’re on Twitter, you can follow Fizzy’s Lunch Lab here, and where I just learned that they will be making an iPhone app as well!

Color Outside the Box with Lights, Camera, Color

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Crayola had all kinds of fun goodies at the Holiday Showcase, but one simple and clever innovation in particular shows just why this company is associated with generations of creativity. With a new web application called Lights, Camera, Color, Crayola is once again thinking outside of the box—literally.

After uploading photos, the Lights, Camera, Color application gives kids a chance to print, color and customize their creations. Whether they’re photos from family gatherings, vacations, fun outings, field trips, birthday parties—you name it—kids can create their very own coloring pages.

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Follow history on We Choose the Moon

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

History and humanity was forever changed on July 20, 1969: today marks the 40th anniversary of the first landing on the moon.  In honor of the anniversary of when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped out of Lunar Module 5 (known as Eagle) onto the moon’s surface, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum launched the interactive website, WeChooseTheMoon.org.

moonWeChooseTheMoon.org, which went live on July 16, 2009 at 8:02 a.m. and took off at 9:32 a.m. – exactly 40 years to the minute after the historic launch is recreating the Apollo 11’s lunar mission, using archival audio, video, photos and real-time transmissions on the site and via Twitter.

Twitter Feeds to Follow
Apollo 11 to Houston = AP11_Spacecraft
Houston to Apollo 11= AP11_Capcom
Eagle to Houston & Columbia = AP11_Eagle

In honor of the 40th anniversary, be sure to check out the cool interactive site that’s powered by AOL and commemorates that “giant leap for mankind.” It’s a great educational resource for big kids, especially since it incorporates history and current technology.  I’ve been on it all morning, and the graphics are transmission feed is incredible!

New video site Kideos.com launches

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

kideosAre you ever in need of something new, something fresh, something FREE to entertain the kids for a few minutes at a time? Thank goodness for videos, or shall I say, Kideos? Kideos, a web property of Earlier Media, is a recently-launched site for kids to safely watch videos online. Kideos features kid’s videos, from Yo Gabba Gabba to Dora, with a kid-friendly interface.

What’s interesting about Kideos is that unlike similar sites, they tout a Video Advisory Council, which is a group of parents and educators who screen content before it appears on the site. The site also gives parents their own personalization tools to limit videos shown to their children by selecting the appropriate age-based category.

Kideos has a colorful interface that will have kids navigating through videos on their own, just after a few tries.  New content, which includes tv shows, movies, educational shows, music videos and more, is added to the site daily after it is reviewed by the Council.

What I like about this site is that the videos are categorized into age groups—up to age 10. It has a simplistic interface with no frills, no ads and it’s free!

Bargain Bin: Tea Collection Swimming Fish Shirt

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Some of the best things about summer—well, besides fun in the sun and vacations—are the killer sales!  I’ve been known to stock up on jeans and sweatshirts when the weather is scorching, but all for good reason.  Who can pass up $5 jeans and $10 coats?

As July 4th approaches, it seems more and more sales and clearances are announced.  I got wind of a great sale going on over at Pokkadots; they have a great variety of super cute dresses, shorts and shirts.  With vacation on our mind, I adore the touristy button down shirt.  Better yet, I love finding bargain shirts, so how’s this for size:

tea

This Swimming Fish Button Up shirt from Tea Collection is 100% cotton.  I love the classic, but modern designs from Tea Collection, but I always wait for things to go on sale.  The shirt, which originally retailed for $23.00, is on sale over at Pokkadots for $5.95 and comes in sizes 6-12 months and 12-18 months.  So, snatch it up while you can!

Kido’z: Kid-friendly media browser

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Parents, did you know that a few years ago, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution declaring June “National Internet Safety Month?”  Yeah, me neither, but it’s so good to know!

As a mom of a toddler, internet security and safety is already a blip on the radar.  But as this digital savvy generation becomes parents/aunts/uncles, it’s comforting to know that educators, community leaders and volunteers are doing their part to safeguard our kids.

Key parts of raising awareness of internet safety are great tools and resources, namely user-friendly, innovative software that keeps you and your kids ahead of the curve, such as Kido’z.  Kido’z is a plug-and-play application and web environment that’s specifically tailored for relevant, kid-friendly content.

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Basically, after you download Kido’z, safe content geared to kids from 3-7 is at your fingertips.  Just a few of the many Kido’z features include, a kid-friendly browser that’s easily personalized, a tv interface where Youtube videos among others can be viewed and a customizable, interactive game center. As parents should, there’s easy accessibility for monitoring usuage.  The Parental Control Account is a password protected area where you can manage your child’s account and content.

kidozHas anyone had a chance to try out Kido’z?  I have yet to try it out, but it definitely looks like a colorful and helpful application that we’ll be installing sooner than later.

*Thanks to Mike B. for recommending Kido’z!  Keep the suggestions coming–I love it!

Google Doodle: What I Wish for the World

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

The fun folks at Google have done it again. This time, they’re tugging at my heart strings with their latest Google Doodle competition. This year’s theme, What I Wish for the World, encouraged students in K-12 to mesh their doodled ideas with Google’s logo. As a company that dreams big and thinks big, it’s no surprise that the finalists’ entries are nothing short of amazing—as is the national winner’s prize!

The National Winner will win a $15,000 college scholarship to be used at the school of their choice, a trip to the Google New York Office, a laptop computer, and a t-shirt printed with their doodle. Google will also award the winner’s school a $25,000 technology grant towards the establishment/improvement of a computer lab.

It’s so hard to choose, but I think this is my favorite:

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The artist is 5 year old Miriam Elizabeth Lowery from Austin Peay Elementary in TN. She says her wish for the world is that everyone would get along and treat one another in a nice and loving way. We could all be friends!

I second that, Miriam!

You can check out all Google Doodle finalists and vote for your favorite until the end of the week.