An Active App
With six kids between them, San Jose couple Keri Mackey and Isaac Gredinberg know well the parent-child struggle over phones. So they created GOYA-Move. Short for Get Off Your Apps and Move, this parental control app allows Mom or Dad to block kids’ screen use until a certain number of steps or chores is completed. Parents can also set blackout times for school, homework, bedtime and more. For iOs and Android. Subscriptions start at $1.99 per child per month; school time feature is free. goyamove.com.
Better Bedtime Stories
Tired of the same old bedtime stories? Try the Storied app from Marin County’s Integral App Studio, founded by a dad and dad-to-be. Durai Gurunathan and Jay Huffman have brought together authors and illustrators from throughout the world to create original, five-minute stories parents can read to their children. Topics range from mindfulness and honesty to comical and adventure. Hard copy books of some stories are also available. For iOs and Android. Unlimited stories for $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year. trystoried.com.
Coding Comics
Hansel Lynn and Wayne Teng, founders of Palo Alto-based theCoderSchool, have teamed up with artist Simon Basher on two new books that show kids how to think like coders and create real apps. Coding With Basher: Coding With Scratch and Coding with Basher: Code Your Own Website are easy to read with fun illustrations and also cover how the internet works, online safety and technology history. Kingfisher Books. $6.99. thecoderschool.com/basher.
How to Hack
Hack Key packs a lot of learning into a tiny USB drive package. Plug the drive into a computer with Windows 10 and above, and kids ages 10 and up can explore coding concepts, create and edit web pages, play games, make art and more. Hack Key isn’t compatible with Chromebooks and Macs, but the same experience can be had with the San Francisco company’s award-winning Linux laptop ($299) for young would-be coders. $39.99. hack-computer.com.
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