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Science + music = The Happy Song, to make babies happy (especially over the holidays!!)

“YES!!!!” You say. “I need this! JUST GIVE IT TO ME NOW!!!” Okay, okay! Here are the links to access the song: Amazon Music, iTunes, Google Music, and Spotify.

For those of you who are curious about the background of the song, while I was reading my Curiosity app (which I LOVE, by the way), I stumbled upon an article on “The Happy Song” that used science and music to create a song to make babies happy. If you are a parent of a baby, you know how valuable that is. When he/she decides to have a meltdown it’s like the ripple effect. The cries emanate 360 degrees from the epicenter and jolt everyone within the audible radius. Some people are understanding while others, not so much. 

At the request of C&G Baby Club, scientists Casper Addyman (lecturer in Developmental Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London) and Lauren Stewart (music psychologist) were tasked to create a song based on science that babies would like (from theconversation.com).

They found that not much is known about babies’ music preferences, so they started with what they knew the song should incorporate: it should be written in a major key, have a simple repetitive melody, should be upbeat, and have a mother’s sing-song voice. Imogen Heap, the composer who also has an 18 month-old, started with four tunes and decided on a melody that when tested on 26 babies, 20 seemed to enjoy.

The scientists then asked 2500 C&G Baby Club parents to vote on the sounds that made their babies happy. According to theconversation.com,

The top ten sounds included “boo!” (66%), raspberries (57%), sneezing (51%), animal sounds (23%) and baby laughter (28%). We also know babies respond better to “plosive” vocal sounds like “pa” and “ba” compared to “sonorant” sounds like “la”. Heap very cleverly worked many of these elements into the song.

Since happiness is a shared social emotion, the scientists needed something the parents would enjoy too. After some tweaks to the tempo, lyrics, and sound effects, they had their masterpiece. I rather like it. Especially the babies’ laughter.

Perhaps this is just the song you need before embarking on your holiday travels. This one may even make it onto your favorite playlist! Again, it is available on Amazon Music, iTunes, Google Music, and Spotify. Check out the Youtube link to the song (I love it!):

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Science + music = The Happy Song, to make babies happy (especially over the holidays!!) originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 23, 2017 at 8:00 am.

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Tinitell is a wearable phone for kids that gives peace of mind to parents

Keeping track of kids isn’t always easy and when children are too young to be responsible for a phone or parents would rather not have them distracted with all sorts of features and games, Tinitell may be the answer. It is a simple wrist wearable that allows the child to call up to 12 contacts that have been preprogrammed into the phone by the admin app on the parent’s smartphone, and it allows the parent to track the child via GPS plus make calls to them as well. It comes in charcoal, indigo, aqua, and coral and is dirt and water resistant so children can explore their world with some freedom and parents can breathe easy knowing exactly where their kids are at all times. It is available at the Tinitell website for $126.00, but if you’d like to get a pre-Black Friday deal, you can get the charcoal colored phone for only $109.00 right now!

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Tinitell is a wearable phone for kids that gives peace of mind to parents originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 20, 2017 at 8:41 am.

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eClip will prevent parents from forgetting their child in the backseat

As sad as it is to day, it’s not uncommon to hear about a parent accidentally leaving their baby in the back seat of their car. You know how the story usually ends when something like this happens. No one wants to be part of a story like that. One possible solution is a product like eClip from Elepho.

Elepho is an established health product company who used Kickstarter to get funding for the eClip. eClip is a battery powered Bluetooth device that clips to the baby’s seatbelt or clothing and pairs with the parent’s smartphone.

If the parent gets out of the car and forgets the baby, their phone will sound an alarm when the parent walks a few feet away. It’s sort of like a Bluetooth tracker for your gadgets, although a baby is infinitely more valuable than a gadget. But that does make me wonder if anyone has thought of using a Bluetooth tracker on a baby before? Maybe I just thought of a genius new use for those little tracker tiles.

In addition to alerting you that the child is still in the car, eClip will also alert you if the temperature is too warm or too cold.

And for parents that do not use a smartphone, eClip also works with a key fob with a built in speaker that sounds an alarm.

You can read more about eClip at www.elepho.com/eclip. It will be priced around $80, but can save $20 on the final price by pre-ordering now with shipping due in December.

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eClip will prevent parents from forgetting their child in the backseat originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 24, 2017 at 4:55 pm.

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PrimoToys Cubetto review

Before receiving Cubetto, the thought of teaching computer programming to our young boys, ages four and six, never crossed our minds. Even though I am an engineer, I had not yet considered how to give them some basic tools that would perk their interest in STEM subjects, specifically computers.  Our kids are as efficient as any out there on an iPad to navigate to their games or YouTube Kids, but actually learning computer logic wasn’t on our list of important things for them to be learning this summer…..until this little wooden cube named Cubetto from PrimoToys arrived. 

PrimoToys has come up with a very approachable platform for children to learn basic computer coding and logic, which my kids have taken to from the moment our new little friend was freed from his cardboard box. Being Montessori approved, Cubetto is every bit an educational toy but it is sly in its teaching through the use of stories and maps, which the children learn how to follow the story using coding to move the little robot across one of six large floor maps.

What’s in the box? Included in the package is Cubetto, a little wooden robot, the control board, a bag of coding tiles and six floor maps, each with its own story and adventure.  Each story starts you off on a designated square on the map and begins to lead you around the map.  Your child’s job is to use the four different tile types to accomplish these tasks.  Within minutes of unboxing Cubetto and selecting the first adventure, our six-year-old was navigating his new little friend all over the map with ease.  Both my wife and I were astounded at how quickly he picked it up and knew what he had to do to follow the direction of the story. 

Our four-year-old is a little more abstract so he liked to try to make his own adventure, not following the exact story but was able to navigate Cubetto nonetheless. PrimoToys says this is for children ages three and up.  This may be a little advanced for a three-year-old but I can see how they could still enjoy it with a little more help from a parent.  Both of our children are now able to come up with their own adventures and design their own codes to play out their own stories when they want to go off script.

Both of our children are enrolled in a Montessori school so this method of teaching fits right in with their school activities. Both of them have already said they want to bring it to school in the fall to show their friends and teachers the new skills they learned over the summer.

Summary

Pros: Easy for kids to pick up and start playing and learning right out of the box and a great family activity that introducing coding and logic skills.  A unique toy that teaches real life skills and builds a foundation for future education in computers.

Cons: One thing that I would recommend to Primo is to add more coding tiles to the set.  We often find ourselves running out of tiles before being finished with a task and having to break up Cubetto’s journey into multiple segments because of this limitation.  It is also on the expensive side for a children’s toy but there are a few packages left on the Kickstarter page that offer some savings.

Overall this has been a fantastic toy for our children, both as a family activity and something they can do on their own. I have already recommended it to friends for their children and will also recommend this product here.  I am thrilled that our children have enjoyed it so much and are learning skills that can help them be better prepared as they continue their education.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Primo. For more info visit their site and their Kickstarter campaign to order one.

 

Product Information

Price: $225
Manufacturer: Primotoys
Retailer: Kickstarter
Pros:
  • Easy for kids to pick up and start playing and learning right out of the box and a great family activity that introducing coding and logic skills.  A unique toy that teaches real life skills and builds a foundation for future education in computers.
Cons:
  • One thing that I would recommend to Primo is to add more coding tiles to the set.  We often find ourselves running out of tiles before being finished with a task and having to break up Cubetto’s journey into multiple segments because of this limitation.  It is also on the expensive side for a children’s toy but there are a few packages left on the Kickstarter page that offer some savings.

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PrimoToys Cubetto review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 19, 2017 at 8:00 am.

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Modarri car building sets review

If you think back to your favorite toys when you were a kid, were they video games or were they toys that let you use your imagination like construction sets and other building toys? I’m going to show my age here, but some of my favorite toys when I was a budding gadgeteerling were Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, and an Etch A Sketch. I spent hours playing with these toys because each time I built or drew something, it was new. You can still buy those classic toys today, but if you’re looking for a new toy for your kids that promotes creativity and open-ended play, check out Modarri. They call it the Ultimate Toy Car. Let’s see if that’s true. 

What is it?

Modarri are car building sets designed for kids and those who are still young at heart. Each car building set comes with at least one car and individual parts that you can mix and match to create different looks.

In the image above, you can see what is included in a single car set. The single car set includes 6 frame pieces, a set of wheels, and a hex screwdriver.

Although it’s not obvious, you can even mix and match tires and seats if you have more than one car.


The wheels feature real suspension and shock absorbers.

The Modarri car frame parts stack on top of each other and are held in place with two screws.

The hood goes on first.

Then the fenders.

And then the metal frame that has the screws which are retained in the frame so that they won’t fall out and get lost.

The whole idea of the Modarri car building system is that you can mix and match the parts to create new cars.

Three car sets like the one shown above contain extra parts like the traffic cones and additional screwdrivers. And of course, the more pieces you have, the more variations of cars you can build.







All of the car parts except the metal frame with the screws and some of the wheel mechanism are made of plastic. The parts feel rugged enough though, so they should be able to stand up to some rough play.

Building the cars isn’t the only fun kids can have. You can also “drive” the cars by putting your finger in the seat. Since the wheels have built-in suspension, you can actually steer the cars, which is fun.

Modarri also offers a carrying case so you (I mean your child) can keep the cars, parts and tools organized and tidy.

The case can hold a dozen cars and has a removable tray and a handle for easy transport.

Final thoughts

So is Modarri the ultimate toy car building set? Yes, it is. These cars are a lot of fun to assemble, disassemble and “drive”. The system is very LEGO-like, but the Modarri cars look a lot more like a real car than any LEGO car does.

If your child likes to build things and likes race cars, Modarri car building sets are sure to keep them (and you) entertained for hours.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Modarri. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order.

 

Product Information

Price: $19.99 and up
Manufacturer: Modarri
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Promotes creativity and imagination
  • Many possible design combinations
  • Easy to assemble and disassemble
  • Screws attached to frame
Cons:
  • Can get expensive if your kid wants to collect them 😉

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Modarri car building sets review originally appeared on on July 13, 2017 at 10:39 am.

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