The YouTube Kids app, the first Google product built from the ground up with little ones in mind, is available for free on Google Play and in the App Store App Store in the U.S., starting today, February 23, 2015.
Families worldwide are already watching millions of videos on YouTube. The app makes it safer and easier for children to discover and explore videos on topics they are curious about with family-friendly features, including:
Playful, Fun Design: The YouTube Kids app is delightfully simple and packed with age-appropriate videos, channels and playlists with a focus on content for early literacy. With larger images, bold icons and more, it’s fast and simple for little thumbs to navigate. And there’s a voice search option so even if your children can’t spell or type, they can still find videos that pique their curiosity.
Parental Controls: The YouTube Kids App offers several options that help you control the experience for your kids.
Timer: Let the app be the bad guy with a built-in timer that limits kids’ screen time. The app alerts them when the session is over so you don’t have to.
Sound Settings: Parents have an option to turn off background music and sound effects, so your kids can keep watching quietly while you catch up on chores or simply take a break in peace.
Search Settings: If you’d rather limit your children to just the pre-selected videos available on the home screen, you can turn off the search feature.
Product feedback: The goal is to continuously improve YouTube Kids App, so there’s also a space for you to give YouTube your feedback.
Family-Focused Content: Rest easy! Videos in the YouTube Kids app only focus on kid-appropriate content. You can browse channels and playlists in four categories: Shows, Music, Learning and Explore. Search videos of particular interest to your family, like model volcanoes, math tutorials, the amazing (and endless) world of trains—and everything in between. Enjoy favorites including Jim Henson TV, Mother Goose Club, Talking Tom and Friends, National Geographic Kids, Reading Rainbow and Thomas the Tank Engine, and discover new videos coming soon from beloved YouTubers like the Vlogbrothers and Stampylonghead.
Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization providing education and advocacy to families to promote safe technology and media for children, said that the YouTube Kids app is:
“An exceptionally fun way for kids to browse online videos and for adults to guide their viewing.”
“A serious contender as a family’s go-to way for kids to watch videos online.”
“There’s something for everyone on YouTube Kids. Toddlers to big kids will be able to find a show, some music, or some educational content that fits their interests.”
Check out a video about the new YouTube Kids app here!
No matter where you’re from or where you’ve been, everyone is special – so join in! Elmo, Grover, Abby Cadabby, and their Sesame Street friends welcome Chamki, Grover’s friend from India, to Sesame Street. Together, they explore the universal fun of friendship and celebrate cultural similarities, from singing and dancing, to sharing cookies! Join the fun and make a memory with your friends and family!
WAYS TO PURCHASE: USE CODE: SAVE50 Visit: theateratmsg.com/save50 Go: MSG Box Office, 4 Penn Plaza (7th Ave. between 31st & 33d streets, NYC) Call: Ticketmaster at 866-858-0008
PBS KIDS and Sesame Street premiered Cookie Monster’s very first special “The Cookie Thief” on February 16. A cookie art museum has just opened on Sesame Street, but art suddenly disappears and Cookie Monster quickly becomes a suspect! Cookie Monster’s special is a nail-biting, cookie-munching thriller with guest stars including Rachel Dratch of Saturday Night Live fame.
PBS KIDS also announced NATURE CAT, a brand new series that will premiere this fall. NATURE CAT follows Fred, a house cat who dreams of exploring the great outdoors. In each episode, once his family leaves for the day, Fred transforms into Nature Cat, “backyard explorer extraordinaire.” NATURE CAT was created by brothers David Rudman (Cookie Monster on SESAME STREET, The Muppets) and Adam Rudman (Tom & Jerry, SESAME STREET, CYBERCHASE).
PBS KIDS and SESAME STREET premiered an all-new one-hour special on February 16, “The Cookie Thief.” During the special, a cookie art museum has just opened on Sesame Street. Cookie Monster and his friends feel as if they’re in a whole new world, but when art suddenly starts to disappear, Cookie Monster quickly becomes a suspect. Can Cookie Monster clear his name? Will they find the missing art in time or will Cookie Monster be banished from the museum forever? “The Cookie Thief” is a fun, action-packed special in which Cookie Monster explores self-regulation concepts – such as impulse control, following directions and managing emotions.
This fall, PBS KIDS will premiere NATURE CAT, a new animated series that encourages children to explore nature. NATURE CAT follows Fred, a house cat who dreams of exploring the great outdoors. Through NATURE CAT, co-creators and brothers David Rudman (SESAME STREET, The Muppets) and Adam Rudman (Tom & Jerry, SESAME STREET, CYBERCHASE) have teamed up to inspire viewers to get outdoors and develop connections with the natural world. Designed for kids ages 3-8, the multiplatform media property will encourage families to get active and go on their own outdoor adventures. The series will air daily following its premiere (check local listings).
As a Dad – our daily lives move at a pace that I’m at basketball, swimming or soccer practice – when I’m not in not in downtown Manhattan at work and spending lots of time commuting back and forth to Long Island.
I’ve recently received the Schick Hydro® 5 product. Since, I usually shave not only my beard, but also my head – I’m usually critical on the life of each blade. After 3 or 4 shaves, the lubricating strip would disintegrate therefore leaving the blade useless. Today was my 5th shave with the same blade and I am amazed that this shave is as close as the first! The Schick Hydro® blade is an absolutely amazing product.
Last weekend – the NBA All-Star game was held in New York City, talk about a buzz in our area. However, my family and friends were attending my daughter’s CYO All-Star basketball tournament. My daughter racked up 14points and 19 rebounds was named the Most Valuable Player. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a proud moment as a parent – and equally emotional. As you can see – some of these moments were captured, shared and using the Studio App.
We’re no different than any family – we’re spread throughout the east and west coast, but being able to design these pictures / moments were exciting and fun.
We can all agree that technology has transformed how we all monitor our children but I’ve never seen anything on the market today that offers amazing “services” until the new Evoz Smart Parenting Monitor. Created by “dad-preneur” Avishai Shoham who was searching for a better monitoring solution, he developed a monitor that allows parents to watch their child from anywhere along with a parenting toolbox that let’s parents track their child’s sleep habits, sends cry alerts, tracks the room temperature, and even downloads to sleep coaches for expert advice. Shoham is now ready to launch his innovative idea on Indiegogo on February 16thhttp://evozbaby.com/indiegogo and you really need to check this out.
“With significant demand for the Evoz Smart Parenting Monitor, we wanted to provide parents who love sleek technology with an early opportunity to place an order through our initiative with Indiegogo,” says Avishai Shoham, founder and CEO of Evoz. “We also plan to use this campaign to identify our Top 50 Club, parents who will not only receive discounted products and perks but also will have critical input to Evoz management as we continue to innovate with additional products and services,” he adds.
To get started, parents simply download the free Evoz app to turn their smartphone and tablet into a monitor. From there they can watch their child, capture precious moments through snapshots and recorded video, play soothing lullabies, control the nightlight and even talk to their baby. And it’s so easy; everything can be activated with just one touch of a button.
The Evoz Smart Parenting Toolbox provides a suite of services including baby data logging and tracking, parenting content and even allows for scrapbooking. Special “cry alerts” notify parents via push, text message or e-mail when baby is unsettled in the crib, while collecting important sleep data such as how long they have been awake and crying. This allows parents to quickly and effectively address sleep issues. Furthermore, the device automatically monitors the baby’s room temperature and alerts parents when it is outside experts’ recommended room temperature.
Getting your child into a sleep routine can be difficult for parents (trust me I understand) but Evoz addresses these questions directly with parents! This is made possible through a unique partnership with Kim West, a.k.a. ‘The Sleep Lady’ who is a practicing child and family therapist for twenty years and is the creator of the “Gentle Sleep” method. West and her team of sleep coaches will personally review the data and provide advice, insight and tips on how to sooth your baby and help promote healthy sleep habits. What monitor company offers this?
“Monitoring sleep habits is critically important for parents as they struggle to ensure a safe and secure sleep environment,” notes Kim West. “With the data gathered in the Evoz monitor, the videos and content available and our team of professional sleep experts, parents can get personalized insight, information and support to successfully improve their baby’s sleep.”
Evoz Smart Parenting Monitor will be available in April online at www.evozbaby.com as well as at leading online retailers. Consumers can, however, get one of the first units through Indiegogo (http://evozbaby.com/indiegogo) in February.
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Have you ever applied makeup in a dark room, and walked outside to find a line of bronzer down the side of your face? American women claim that the biggest challenge they face when applying make-up at home is not enough light – sounds like we found the problem! Swap out your bathroom lighting for Cree LED Bulbs, available at Home Depot, and see what you think of the difference.
But what is a Cree bulb anyway? Cree bulbs are “The Biggest Thing Since the Light Bulb,” LED bulbs that look and light like a classic light bulb, but provide all of the savings, energy efficiency, and product longevity that comes with being LED. To do this, Cree pioneered three different innovations: 4Flow Filament Design, LED Filament Tower Technology, and Spectral Notching Technology.
Cree‘s 4Flow Filament Design is to thank for the Cree Bulb’s similarity to a classic incandescent bulb in appearance and light. It combines cross-flow ventilation and clever optical design to recreate incandescent bulbs’ timeless appearance within a shatter-proof housing. It’s durable and affordable!
Cree LED Filament Tower Technology is designed to emulate the look and feel of an incandescent filament but provide all the benefits of LED technology, long life and efficiency. The design of the Cree LED Filament Tower provides a compact, and optically centered and balanced light source (like the tungsten filament in an incandescent bulb) to deliver the warm, all-around light you and your lamps and fixtures love. You can get cheaper, more durable and efficient LED light without having to sacrifice the warm lighting that’s a staple of incandescents!
In addition to being up to 79% more efficient and lasting 25 times longer than a typical incandescent, the Cree TW Series LED bulb produces true and natural light with a Color Rendering Index (CRI) of 93. To make this possible, Cree developed a new way to bring TrueWhite™ light to LED bulbs.Cree Spectral Notching Technology takes advantage of Neodymium glass and other optical innovations to produce light that makes colors look like they should. See the difference in the food you eat, the clothes you wear and the appearance of your skin.
Cree Bulbs are the perfect addition to your home– you’ll be surprised to see how much you save by switching over to Cree LED! Try them out in 2015 and find out for yourself!
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ all-new short FROZEN FEVER, which welcomes Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf back to the big screen, will open in theaters on March 13th, in front of Disney’s CINDERELLA, a live-action feature inspired by the classic fairy tale.
In “Frozen Fever,” it’s Anna’s birthday and Elsa and Kristoff are determined to give her the best celebration ever, but when Elsa catches a cold, her powers may put more than just the party at risk.
Get ready– the Wrestlemania 31 Reading Challenge has begun! Children ages 4-12 register and read a digital book (averaging 40-50 pages in length) to be entered into a sweepstakes to win WWE prizes. Young adults ages 13-18 register, read a book from a suggested reading list provided by WWE partner First Book (averaging 250-400 pages in length) and write an essay to be entered into a sweepstakes to win WWE prizes. One person from each age category will win a trip to WrestleMania 31 as grand-prize winners. Five people from each age category will win WWE Championship Titles as first-prize recipients. For more information, go to the challenge’s official site at WWEReadingSuperstar.com and choose a WWE superstar or diva to be your reading buddy for the Challenge. Become a Reading Superstar for a chance to attend WrestleMania 31!
Teen Titans fans can relive the latest adventures when Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) releases Teen Titans Go!: Appetite for Disruption Season 2 Part 1 on DVD April 14, 2015. The two-disc DVD set is priced to own for $19.97 ! Teen Titans GO!, which consistently ranked as the #1 show for kids 6-11 on Cartoon Network has been renewed for a third season of fun and mayhem.
In Season 2 Part 1, the Teen Titans return with a whole new bevy of baddies, beverages and adventures! Partner up withRobin, Cyborg, Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy to defend Jump City against slimy monsters, tyrannical villains and of course, crime fighting induced hunger pains. Every vote counts when the Teen Titans hold team leader elections, Beast Boy dials up the “man-factor” with his new robotic limbs, while Raven races to save the cotton candy bushes from the Gumdrop Goblin. It’s a titan red alert with 26 gut-punching, gut-busting adventures in this all-new collection.
“We are thrilled with the audience response to the youngest and funniest members of the DC Comics universe and even more excited to continue the fun with Teen Titans Go!: Appetite for Disruption Season 2 Part 1,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Vice President, Family & Animation Marketing. “With this release, fans both old and new will be able to continue to enjoy crime-fighting adventures featuring their favorite teenage super heroes.”
Here’s a list of the 11-minute-long episodes you’ll find on the DVD collection:
LEGOLAND® Hotel at LEGOLAND® Florida Resort is officially opening May 15, 2015! The announcement came today from General Manager of LEGOLAND Hotel, Kevin Carr, during a press event at the Hotel site, located just steps away from the theme park entrance. LEGOLAND Florida Resort General Manager Adrian Jones also announced Heartlake City, the newest land based on the popular LEGO® Friends line of toys, is opening this summer.
Both additions are expected to boost the local economy. Carr expects to hire 150 Model Citizens (employees) to support the Hotel. “LEGOLAND Hotel offers a unique experience unlike any other in Florida,” said Carr. “Imagine how excited children will be to wake up in a giant toy box full of LEGO bricks and to be the first to enter the theme park each day.” Jones also announced a Master Model Builder Workshop being offered exclusively to Hotel guests. “LEGOLAND Hotel is an extension of the theme park experience and the stars of our Park are our Master Model Builders,” said Jones. “We’re moving the Model Shop into our Hotel and guests will be able to learn and build with our Model Builders daily in the Master Model Builder Workshop.”
Today’s event at the Resort included a hard hat tour with a behind-the-scenes look at the Hotel. Media and VIP guests were taken to one of the fifth floor suites to experience the spectacular views of Lake Eloise, the theme park with its 50 rides, shows and attractions, and the site of the future expansion, Heartlake City.
“When it opens in summer of 2015, Heartlake City will be a colorful and vibrant new land offering adventures for all ages,” said Jones. “The centerpieces will include a fantastic horse-themed disc coaster called Mia’s Riding Adventure and an interactive show, ‘Friends to the Rescue’ as well as new shops inside Heartlake Mall. Between our constant expansion, the new LEGOLAND Hotel opening in May and the Water Park re-opening in March, LEGOLAND Florida Resort is definitely a multi-day attraction.”
Find furry friendship with 
Have you ever applied makeup in a dark room, and walked outside to find a line of bronzer down the side of your face? American women claim that the biggest challenge they face when applying make-up at home is not enough light – sounds like we found the problem! Swap out your bathroom lighting for 
LEGOLAND® Hotel at LEGOLAND® Florida Resort is officially opening