I'm a full-time mummy

I came across this article which I must definitely share with you guys as I'm very interested to know your thoughts on this.

For your convenience, I have copied the excerpts from the article here:

"Parents should give their children iPads almost as soon as they are born, according to scientists. New research by the University of London says iPads provided more sensory stimulation for babies than books do.

Annette Karmiloff-Smith, who is leading the research, says tablets should be part of a baby’s world from birth, adding: “They learn so fast on tablets. It is shocking how fast they learn – even faster than adults – to do things like scroll up and down text.

“Books are static. When you observe babies with books, all they are interested in is the sound of the pages turning. Their visual system at that age is attracted by movement.

“That is why tablets, which have moving pictures and sound, are very good.”

Professor Karmiloff-Smith believes children who are given the computers will show better signs of development, even if it not in a ‘conventional sense’. She said: “They might put a corner in their mouth. They will then explore it physically, but then they will use it to do things.

“Everything we know about child development tells us that tablet computers should not be banned for babies and toddlers.”

Neurologist Baroness Susan Greenfield, however, has previously warned that children’s exposure to computer screens and games could ‘damage the brain’, causing a form of ‘temporary dementia’. She explained how connections in the brain can be ‘temporarily disabled’ by activities with a strong sensory content – literally ‘blowing the mind’."

I am fine with using iPad as an educational tool to teach children provided it is age appropriate, supervised and used with moderation, but to let children use iPads from birth? Whoa... I personally think that is a bit extreme. I have reviewed tons of iPad apps for years now and most of the time, I only accept apps which are educational and that I find useful to our family and/or children.

Now why I think giving children iPads from birth is a bit extreme? Well, I personally know of people who shared stories of their friend's kiddo being exposed to iPad at a very young age and too much exposure, so much so that the child does not know what to do when being given a physical copy of a book. The book lays in front of them and the child just stare at it, trying to swipe the surface, expecting something to animate out of the book's surface (like how an iPad app should behave when you swiped on the screen) Sad right?

So for this article, I really disagree with what the scientists said this time. Not from birth definitely!

Do share your thoughts on this!

** Note: I have disabled the commenting feature on my blog engine thanks to all the spammers who happily spam my blog every day. If you wish to ask me any questions, you can find me at my Facebook page (I'm there almost everyday) or just drop me an email if you wish to maintain some anonymity.

It's been a while since I did any iPad app review so when I saw this cool app coming up, I was excited to give it a try!

* Title: Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site
* Price: $3.99
* Category: Books
* Released: Nov 05, 2014
* Version: 2.7
* Size: 89.7 MB
* Language: English
* Seller: Oceanhouse Media, Inc.
* Rated: 4+ Made for Ages 5 and Under
* Requirements: Requires iOS 5.1 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

Description from the product page:

"As the sun sets behind the big construction site, all the hardworking trucks get ready to say goodnight. One by one, Crane Truck, Cement Mixer, Dump Truck, Bulldozer, and Excavator finish their work and lie down to rest— so they'll be ready for another day of rough and tough construction play! Explore animated pictures, learn new vocabulary, and personalize the story with your own narration. With irresistible artwork by best-selling illustrator Tom Lichtenheld and sweet, rhyming text, this book will have truck lovers of all ages begging for more." 

* This app is engaging and interactive and I love that we can also touch the objects in each page on the screen and the words pop out to tell you what it is!

* I used the opportunity from this app to also educate our 5.5 years old boy and 3 years old girl on how each type of construction site vehicles work, I'm very happy to see them engrossed with the animation of the construction site vehicles on how it works!

* There are options to go to other pages instead of going through one by one.

* I like that there is an option to use new narrator's voice (aka me!)

* Overall an educational and fun app for the kiddos while learning about construction site vehicles!

You can purchase the "Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site" app from the iTunes App Store.

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the promo code to redeem the application for free from iTunes Store in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine. And if you'd like to read my previous iPad Apps reviews, you can do so by reading this post of mine called "My iPad App Reviews"

We have some of the Berenstain Bears' story apps on my iPad and have previously reviewed "The Berenstain Bears Living Lights Collection #1", so when I saw the pitch release for this collection of the Berestain Bears stories, I decided we must review this app. Without further ado, here goes my feedback...

* Title: The Berenstain Bears Living Lights Collection #2
* Price: $19.99
* Category: Books
* Released: July 30, 2014
* Version: 2.6
* Size: 151 MB
* Language: English
* Seller: Oceanhouse Media, Inc.
* Rated: 4+ Made for Ages 6–8
* Requirements: Requires iOS 6.1 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

Description from the product page:

"Dive into 8 exciting Berenstain Bears Living Lights interactive storybook apps that help young readers learn how God wants them to live every day! Explore pictures, learn new vocabulary, and personalize the story with your own narration. Enjoy The Berenstain Bears and the Golden Rule, The Berenstain Bears Go to Sunday School, The Berenstain Bears Hurry to Help, The Berenstain Bears and a Job Well Done, The Berenstain Bears Learn to Share, The Berenstain Bears Love Their Neighbors, The Berenstain Bears Play a Good Game, and The Berenstain Bears Say Their Prayers, all in one convenient place."

* This app is engaging and interactive and I love that we can also touch the objects in each page on the screen and the words pop out to tell you what it is!

* I like that this collection of story apps is meant to teach our children how to live their life according to God's way, to be kind even though it is not easy, the benefits of going to Sunday schools, to be helpful, to focus on the job being assigned and more.

* I think that even though you are not a Christian, you can still be able to use this book as it instills good moral values in our kiddos.

* This app is fun to read and educational as well, I also like that it is relatable to our family of 5 as well.

You can purchase the "The Berenstain Bears Living Lights Collection #2" app from the iTunes App Store.

I received no monetary compensation for this review, I was provided with the promo code to redeem the application for free from iTunes Store in order to facilitate my review. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. Please do your own research when purchasing products, as your opinions may differ from mine. And if you'd like to read my previous iPad Apps reviews, you can do so by reading this post of mine called "My iPad App Reviews"