E-Books bring Ease and Education to Amazon, Fujimini Island and more

E-books are quickly becoming one of the most popular forms of reading for not just adults, but now kids too. Like with television or video games, parents are finding themselves asking the same questions about the Kindle, like how much is too much or when is it appropriate and when is it not? 

To learn more about digital education, visit ONCEKids Publishing on Twitter, Facebook and our website. 

Access to the Internet is almost unlimited these days -- you can pull up your Internet browser on your phone, laptop, television- just about anywhere it seems! With the right amount of supervision, the internet (and Kindle!) can provide a valuable tool for helping your child learn, as well as a great source of fun for them. 

The Kindle Fire includes several features to help ease parents' worries of Internet safety, including parental controls that allow you to choose what your child is allowed to access and view while using the Kindle. 

Click here to find ONCEKids Publishing and Fujimini Island's full collection of award-winning E-books.

One of parents' biggest concerns regarding this type of technology is that it will be a distraction to other things, such as homework or playing outside. The Kindle Fire provides a solution to those concerns by enabling parents to set a time limit for how long their child is able to read, play, or surf the Internet. 

The Kindle is perfect for long trips, learning, or just relaxing with a huge selection of apps and books for children. With apps ranging from Angry Birds to Dora the Explorer, children of all ages can enjoy this piece of technology. 

Parents want Safe Apps for Their Kids

Around the world kids are playing either on their own or on their parents' mobile devices.  Children of all ages use smartphones, iPods and iPads to play such games as "Angry Birds" and "Zombie Farm."   But parents are worried about the content.  How do we know what's safe for our children to be reading and playing?

There are thousands of parent-screened videos and games organized in kid-friendly age-appropriate playlists.  It's a great idea to sit down with your child and help them browse and find fun games to play together or games they can play alone later with your permission.  The iTunes app store best seller Weet Woo offers the following advice as a resource for us:

For children aged 3 to 5, parents should find nursery rhymes, phonics, spelling, and fairy tales.

For older children aged 6 to 8, there are fun educational videos such as the Science Kid, touring China, or seeing Gorillas at the San Diego Zoo

And for kids ages 9 and up, shows such as Bill Nye the Science Guy, learn about Thomas Edison, or go back in time with Dinosaurs!

ONCEKids' iPad app is a fun game for younger children called  Fuji Scene   The children's game has the user select one of six backgrounds to create a customized scene. The scenes will contain characters which can be dragged and dropped into the creation. The animal characters are colored pandas, bunnies, penguins, hamsters, and other sea animals. The user can then add favorite foods and toys and props to the scene. All the items are Asian inspired. The user can than use dialogue boxes to give the characters some text. The creation can have a banner heading and be e-mail, sent to photos or sent to the ONCEKids site to be highlighted in a gallery. The user can restart at any point.

If you'd like to read more about Fuji Scene, click here.

The Power of iPads!

iPads are making a splash in education in a big way. One school district in New York placed iPads in all their humanities classes. Students learn about history and the arts through interactive games, puzzles and books. Some people have questioned the value of using iPads in the classroom. Detractors have commented that there is very little statistical proof that computers in the classroom have improved learning. Additionally, detractors have commented that in our age of steep budget cuts iPads seem like an extravagance. But many educators are singing the praises of iPads and are distributing to kids starting in kindergarten. Some educators have indicated that there are thousands of uses for iPads and that iPads are undoubtedly beneficial in streamlining education regardless of the lack of studies.

ONCEKids recognizes the power of iPads. ONCEKids will be launching their Fujimini Island Adventure Series books on iBook. Young children will be able to enjoy the series digitally.

Stay tuned for the launch date!

For more information visit www.oncekids.com and explore Fujimini Island.