Posts Tagged ‘learning’

Help Us Spread the the Literacy Love

Posted by ruckusholly on March 15th, 2012

Children Discovering ReadingDo you know any elementary, preschool or reading teachers? Or moms with great practical ideas for helping kids love to read? Or do you, yourself, have awesome tips to share – certain times of the day when you get your kids reading or strategies to inspire their love of reading?  We want to feature your tips with our fans!

We’re sure that  you (or people you know) have some tricks up your sleeve to help kids and families fall in love with reading — or practice reading basics without making it feel like work (or homework!).  Tips can be for emerging, beginning or independent readers — or feel free to send suggestions for all three!  They should be short and sweet (100-300) words and the more practical, the better.

Here are a few examples of the kinds of tips we’re looking for:

Introduce children to reading by showing them words that are important to them, such as their names. Encourage them to find the letters in their names whenever they encounter print—on a sign, in a book, and so on. After your kids are familiar with their own names, introduce the names of other members of your family.

Encourage tactile learners by having children practice writing letters in shaving cream on the table. Or try writing in sand, rice, or pasta. Get creative! What do you have around the house that your child could write in?

Help your child practice rhyming by inviting them to make up new verses to nursery rhymes or their favorite songs.  This could also help kids learn to match syllables to fit within the rhythm of a well-known song.

Even if your child cannot yet read, encourage them to become an active participant in the reading process by looking at the pictures and telling the story based upon what they see.  While your child is telling the story, ask questions to gauge understanding of key details in the story.

Email your creative reading tip and photograph to TeacherTips@RuckusMediaGroup.com or ParentTips@RuckusMediaGroup.com (whichever is applicable), if selected, we will credit the submission with your name and image, and post a link directly to your site or school if you’d like. Plus, you’ll also be eligible to receive a $10 iTunes gift card to select your choice of stories from the Ruckus library.  All the rules are featured here.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to get exposure, an iTunes gift card and to share your love of reading with us and our community.

An Award for My Little Pony: Twilight Sparkle, Teacher for a Day

Posted by ruckusholly on March 8th, 2012

Mom's Choice Award

My Little Pony: Twilight Sparkle, Teacher for a Day continues to surprise and amaze us.

Last month we were thrilled to learn that it achieved a huge milestone when it reached one million user sessions. That means that one million of you, or your child, have opened up the My Little Pony: Twilight Sparkle, Teacher for a Day app, produced with our partner, Hasbro.

And now we are proud to announce that our very own My Little Pony: Twilight Sparkle, Teacher for a Day has won a Gold Mom’s Choice Award® for Best In Family-Friendly Products (or Services)!  It joins three of our other apps in receiving this prestigious award – Chuck & Friends: Friend for the Long Haul, A Present for Milo and Spot the Dot.

The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) is an awards program that recognizes authors, inventors, companies, parents and others for their efforts in creating quality family-friendly media, products and services.  Parents, educators, librarians and retailers rely on MCA evaluations when selecting quality materials forchildren and families.  The Mom’s Choice Awards® seal helps families and educators navigate the vast array of products and services and make informed decisions.

We knew that we had a terrific app with My Little Pony, but it’s nice to know that everyone else agrees. Available for any I.O.S device, a child can learn and play at the same time while enjoying a brand they know and love.  They can tap and tilt the screen in fun activities that move the action forward—learning new words, playing activities and watching videos.  The app is an engaging way to learn to read, packed full with rich, educational entertainment for beginning readers.

So, head over to the iTunes store to pick up a copy of our award-winning My Little Pony: Twilight Sparkle, Teacher for a Day and wish everyone included in its creation and development a heart felt congratulations in the comments below.

A Celebration of Reading

Posted by ruckusholly on February 29th, 2012

There are two celebrations of reading worth mentioning, and honoring, this week.

In the UK and Ireland on March 1st, it’s WORLD BOOK DAY, and people will come together from around the world to celebrate the importance of reading and literacy.  It’s a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and (most importantly) it’s a celebration of reading. It’s actually the biggest celebration of its kind, designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world.

NEA’s READ ACROSS AMERICA is an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2nd.  The program also provides NEA members, parents, caregivers, and children the resources and activities they need to keep reading on the calendar 365 days a year.

So, what are we doing here at Ruckus to celebrate?  We will be giving away apps on our Facebook page over the next two days.  Just head over to our page throughout the day to answer questions and you might win an app of your choice from our library.

We are also calling all teachers, reading specialists and literacy professional to provide reading tips to stimulate children’s love of reading, both inside and outside the classroom. Who better to write those tips than you, our expert advisers? We’re sure that  you have some tricks up your sleeve to help kids and families fall in love with reading — or practice reading basics without making it feel like work (or homework!).  Tips can be for emerging, beginning or independent readers — or feel free to send suggestions for all three!

Email your creative reading tip and photograph to TeacherTips@RuckusMediaGroup.com  or ParentTips@RuckusMediaGroup.com (whichever is applicable), if selected, we will credit the submission with your name and image, and post a link directly to your site or school if you’d like. Plus, you’ll also be eligible to receive a $10 iTunes gift card to select your choice of stories from the Ruckus library.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to get exposure, an iTunes gift card and to share your love of reading with us and our community.

 

 

Buy an App, Help Save Lives

Posted by ruckusholly on November 15th, 2011

A few years ago, our CEO, Rick Richter, worked on a book at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers with Marlo Thomas titled Thanks and Giving.  It was a collection of stories, poems, and written music about helping others and appreciating what we have. He never forgot this project, and it gives our current partnership even more meaning.

We are working with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, the hospital that Marlo Thomas’ father founded, this holiday season on the St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign, a holiday program that asks shoppers to “Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not,” while shopping this holiday season.

Between now and December 31, we will donate 100% ($1.39) of the net proceeds of our classic Read-Play-and-Record Along Rabbit Ears interactive storybooks to the St. Jude cause. Buying an app will give you, the consumer, a dual purpose. For example, when you pick up a copy of The Velveteen Rabbit told by Meryl Streep, not only will you be providing quality story-telling to your child, but you will also be supporting the lifesaving work of finding cures and saving children with deadly diseases. Plus, for a limited time, all of our Rabbit Ears apps will be priced at $1.99.  Not only are our apps on sale, but you can feel good about making a donation to this important charity, knowing that $1.39 of each download goes to help save a child’s life.

The apps that are on sale include: Pecos Bill told by Robin Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit  and The Night Before Christmas told by Meryl Streep, John Henry told by Denzel Washington, Tom Thumb told by John Cleese, Goldilocks told by Meg Ryan, Johnny Appleseed told by Garrison Keillor, The Steadfast Tin Soldier told by Jeremy Irons and Three Little Bears told by Holly Hunter.  In addition we are releasing two NEW stories during this time period, as well, both launching today: Thumbelina told by Kelly McGillis and Paul Bunyan told by Jonathan Winters.

We are so honored to be amongst a prestigious group of partners teaming up with St. Jude during this fabulous, important campaign (check out the list here), and we hope that you head to  iTunes today to purchase our interactive storybooks.  To learn more about the St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign or to make a donation, go to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital web site.

 

CNET Gotham and Cool Mom Tech: A Live Holiday Guide

Posted by ruckusholly on November 14th, 2011

Cool Mom TechLast week we were fortunate to be invited as special guests to a special event in NYC co-hosted by Cool Mom Tech. It was an interactive pop-up called CNET Gotham: A Live Holiday Guide. Held in NYC’s Nolita neighborhood, the five-day pop-up showcased favorite products of the tech media website’s editorial staff. The topic was holiday recommendations for families, with suggestions made by CNET TV Executive Editor Molly Wood and CNET Reviews Editor-in-Chief Lindsey Turrentine, as well as Kristen Chase and Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Tech.  You couldn’t ask for a better list of the season’s most trendy and useful gadgets to jump-start any holiday shopping list.

If you’re looking for family-friendly gadgets to get for your loved ones this season, you’ve come to the right place. Here are some of the hot tech recommendations made by these extremely smart women.  The complete list will be published today by Cool Mom Tech, so look out for it.

Best camera (recommended by Cool Mom Tech):  Sony Cybershot

Best camera (recommended by CNET): Canon Rebel T3i

www.apple.com/ipad

Source: www.apple.com

Best tablet: iPad 2

Best iPad & iPhone case: CECCEC

Best nook tablet: Kindle Fire

Best streaming media box: Roku

Best wireless router: Belkin

Best laptop: MacBook Air

Best kid’s iPad: Leap Frog

Best kid’s video game for the iPad: Atari Arcade Duo

Best phone: Droid Razor

Disclosure: We were proud contributors to the new gift bags for the CNET Gotham event.

A MY LITTLE PONY Party

Posted by allyson on November 7th, 2011
photo credit: Tonya Sanders

This past weekend, our friend Tonia Sanders from The Chatty Momma hosted a MY LITTLE PONY app party. She invited fellow bloggers, moms and pony fans of all ages. They played Pin the Rainbow on the Pony, Pass the Pony, and like every great party, there was dancing. And cake.  The bloggers included Monica Sakala from WiredMomma.com, Eva Smith from SocaMom.com, Thien-Kim Lam from ImNotTheNanny.com and Kim Baqqui from ConfessionsofaHomeSchoolingMom.com.

Ruckus happily sponsored the party and we’ve loved the positive feedback we’ve received from everyone’s readers, tweeters and supporters. Everyone at the party received a certificate for more Ruckus apps and each child received a Twilight Sparkle pony gift to take home.

Great photos of the event have been posted to Tonia’s flickr stream.

Check out Tonia’s post today!

Check out  her video below:

Tonia from The Chatty Momma

For more information on how you can host your own App party, contact us today!

Ruckus Joins the Android Revolution with Chuck & Friends

Posted by ruckusholly on November 4th, 2011

chuck & friendsWe are delighted to announce the release of  Chuck and Friends: The Long Haul storybook application for download on Android Market.  As you know, this is the first of our story book apps to be available on the android.  If you or your child are fans of the Hasbro Chuck & Friends line and The HUB TV Network show, you can now enjoy the app on Galaxy and Xoom 2.2 and higher tablet devices.

And we have more great news!  Chuck and Friends: The Long Haul is now available for a limited time at a special introductory price for $1.99 through Android Market and on iTunes for Apple’s iPad, iPhone and iTouch as well as a free lite version.

Chuck and Friends: The Long Haul includes more than 70 screens of story, video and activities designed to keep attention of young children as they are taught basic learning skills such as letter recognition, picture/word association, word recognition and basic problem solving.  The app takes young readers on a ride with their favorite CHUCK THE DUMP TRUCK character and the gang as they learn about honesty, friendship and teamwork.

Get your copy now and let us know how you like it in the comment section below.

 

 

 

Calling All Bronies! My Little Pony Tee Shirt Giveaway

Posted by ruckusholly on November 3rd, 2011

Bronies shirtTo continue our celebration of the launch of My Little Pony: Twilight Sparkle, Teacher for a Day, we have two official Bronies tee-shirts to give away.  We have a ”Friendship Is Magic” tee-shirt with a shout to Bronies – it’s a size medium and is tight-fitting.  We also have the tee-shirt pictured on the left of this post in a size medium that is more loosely fitted and reads “This Shirt Just Got 20 Percent Cooler”.

To enter, comment in the comment section below, Friend us on Facebook  and let us know which shirt you want. Open to everyone everywhere, who enter by Thursday, November 10th at 11:59 AM EST.  Winners will have 24 hours to claim their prize, or we will have to offer it to the runner-up.  There will be two winners, one for each shirt.

BONUS ENTRIES: Earn a bonus entry for each of the following that you do or have done. Leave a separate comment for each-

  • Subscribe to Ruckus Media Group feed in a reader or by email, leave a comment telling us which way you subscribed.
  • Stumble the post, submit to Digg, delicious, Mixx, Reddit, Propellor, or other social bookmarking sites. Leave the URL in your comment.
  • Blog about the giveaway with a link back to this post. Leave a comment with the URL.
  • Follow The Ruckus Media on Twitter  and tweet this link: Win a Bronies Tee-Shirt from @RuckusMedia http://bit.ly/vJm4xc #giveaway

Good luck and happy entering!

 

 

Join Our Twitter Party to Discuss the App Divide/Screen Time Use By Our Kids on November 17th at 9pm EST

Posted by ruckusholly on November 1st, 2011

App DivideLike many of you, we read the NY Times piece, amongst many others, titled “Screen Time Higher Than Ever for Children Study Finds”, with great interest last week. It talked about the results of a study conducted by Common Sense Media that came up with new findings regarding children and their use of screen time including:

- Children under 8 are spending more time than ever in front of screens

- For the first time, there is an emerging “app gap” in which affluent children are likely to use mobile educational games while those in low-income families are the most likely to have televisions in their bedrooms.

- Almost half the families with incomes above $75,000 had downloaded apps specifically for their young children, compared with one in eight of the families earning less than $30,000. More than a third of those low-income parents said they did not know what an “app” — short for application — was.

- Half of children in the study under 8 had access to a mobile device like a smartphone, a video iPod, or an iPad or other tablet.

- The report found that despite more than a decade of warnings from the American Academy of Pediatrics that screen time offers no benefits for children under 2.

As an app developer and lover of books, Ruckus Media has definite opinions about some of these results and we are sure you do, too, so we thought we’d spend this month’s Twitter Party discussing the results and sharing our thoughts with each other.

Come hang out with us on Thursday, November 17th from 9-10pm EST at hashtag #RuckusAppDivide on Twitter (or on TweetGrid, TweetDeck or TweetChat, whichever platform you prefer.  @momtodanielle, thechattymomma, @davidbfox and @huppiemama will be on board to moderate the discussion, and as usual, we’ll great giveaways including plenty of Ruckus apps.  You must RSVP on Twitvite to be in the running for the prizes.

If you’re not already following us, we’re on Twitter at @RuckusMedia.  RSVP for the Twitter party here and while you are at it, please join us on Facebook  for the latest and greatest on Ruckus. Be sure to check out our videos on You Tube, sign up for our RSS feed and pick up our apps on iTunes.

Halloween Staff Picks (Traditional and Digital)

Posted by ruckusholly on October 31st, 2011

We can’t let Halloween go by without sharing some of our favorite spooky stories, both books and apps.  The following are recommendations from members of the Ruckus Media staff.

APPS

spookley the square pumpkinOne of our staff members with very young children said they watched the film The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin with her young kids last week on Disney and said they now love the the app.

Sammy Squirrel and the Haunted Numbers by Ensenasoft teaches that learning to count doesn’t have to be scary, and we love an app with an educational premise.

For the slightly older set, kids can create their own monsters with the Monsterpieces app by Aerfish and then save their images in a photo gallery.  We discovered in a marvelous round up on Cool Mom Picks.

 

BOOKS

Olivia and the Haunted Hotel features Olivia and her friends in this story, who decide to play “hotel” which just might be haunted, so of course they have to find out.  We love Olivia and her escapades, and so do little kids.

Mouse’s First Halloween is another Simon & Schuster title that’s ideal for pre-schoolers who are finding out about Halloween for the first time.  This was also recommended by another staff members with very young children.

VVampiresBoysampire Boy’s Good Night is published by Harper Collins.  We love the way this book is written, and it’s accompanied by a great web site, downloadables, videos and more. This was recommended by our very knowledgeable publicist who knows children’s books inside out.

We’d love to hear some of your own Halloween finds, or old time spooky favorites, so please let us know what they are in the comment section and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!