The Launch of YouTube Kids - a safer place for kids to watch online videos #YouTubeKids

Yesterday, we spent the day at London Zoo to celebrate the recent UK and Ireland launch of the new YouTube Kids app. We had been trying out the YouTube Kids app for a few days beforehand with 6 year old Freddy, and were excited to spend the day with the YouTube team along with some favourite TV characters and some real life animals from the zoo.

The YouTube Kids app is a bright and colourful, kid-friendly version of YouTube for tablets and smart phones, available for free from Google Play or the App Store. With access to videos featuring nursery rhymes and songs, educational videos on topics such as maths, science and space as well as TV favourites such as Peppa Pig, Morph, Talking Tom, Postman Pat, Thomas and the Octonauts, there are countless hours of quality videos available. With large images and bold icons it is easy for little ones to navigate, allowing them to safely search and explore exciting content to entertain and educate them. An impressive voice search feature allows children to search for their favourite characters and shows, allowing independence and giving them access to a world of possibilities.

Content is listed in four categories: Shows, Music, Learning and Explore, bringing a host of family-friendly entertainment into an easy to browse format. Children can browse channels and playlists or search for something of particular interest to them.

Freddy loves being able to access his favourite videos and search for things that interest him such as Minecraft, Annoying Orange and Battle for Dream Island! He even did a search on London Zoo, the night before we attended the event, so he knew what to expect. As a parent, I am confident that he won't accidentally stumble across anything inappropriate (such as the 18 rated, expletive ridden, dubbed episode of Dora the Explorer we found him watching at age 3!) The platform is safe, age appropriate and, as it doesn't need the child to have an account, allows them to have a logged out experience free from the dangers of interacting with strangers online.

The YouTube Kids app has built in parental controls allowing the grown-ups to take charge of their child's experience by controlling broader search settings or using a built in timer to limit a child's screen time. As no platform can be guaranteed 100% perfect, there is an option to flag up anything that may concern you, making YouTube Kids safer for everyone. YouTube Kids can also be viewed on the TV using a Chromecast, Apple TV, games console or a smart TV, so the whole family can watch together.

The event at London Zoo was every bit as bright, bold, colourful, interactive and entertaining as the app itself!  Ian and I, along with Freddy, Megan and Kezia arrived at the zoo early and spent a lovely hour wandering around the Bug House and the Penguins before checking in to the event itself. The venue had been transformed into a child-friendly wonderland with a wild animal theme, which was so inviting and exciting for the little ones. We were spoiled with some delicious food, given marvelous animal make-up and kept well and truly entertained.

Freddy absolutely loved taking part in all the activities. He met reindeer, a llama, meerkats, an armadillo and an owl in up close animal encounters. He met and hugged Postman Pat, Talking Tom & Ginger and Captain Barnacles. He had his face painted with an incredible tiger design and dressed up in a tiger costume. He played in an Octanauts themed ball pond, challenged his dad to a game of Hungry Hippos, played with some great cuddly toy animals, sat in the musical singing bus, enjoyed some really fabulous food and of course played on the YouTube Kids app on the special iPads. It was a brilliant family friendly event!

The YouTube Kids app is designed for children between 3 and 8 years old, providing a safe online experience with rich content especially for younger viewers. It is fun to use and easy to navigate. I am really impressed with the app and love that Freddy can explore video content independently online, discovering new shows, learning new things and accessing videos on topics that interest him safely. It is great for when we are out and about, visiting grandparents or away for the night, guaranteeing that he has something fun to watch to keep him entertained whenever needed. I applaud YouTube for creating such an exciting and interactive app that kids will not only love using, but will also help keep them safer online, protecting them from viewing inappropriate content.

BBC launches CBeebies Playtime app

The BBC today launched CBeebies Playtime, a mobile app for the BBC’s youngest audience and their parents, available for free on Android, iOS and Kindle Fire devices in the UK. The app features four fun games based on some of the most-loved CBeebies shows, all designed to aid child development in a safe and secure offline environment.

Yesterday, we were lucky enough to visit the CBeebies HQ at Media City in Salford, to be among the first people to have a go at using the new app!   CBeebies presenter Cat joined the kids as they played with the app on various devices.  My Tiny Tester Freddy loved the new app instantly and was able to play straight away, setting up his profile and playing on all the games.  The app is very user friendly for little people and bags of fun!

CBeebies Playtime is the perfect companion for young children, allowing them to play along with favourite characters whenever and wherever they want, including the Alphablocks, Octonauts, Tree Fu Tom and Something Special’s Mr Tumble. Parents can also join in the fun through the dedicated ‘Grown-ups’ area. Here they can record special messages for their little ones, find out about each game’s learning benefits, and access useful tips to help their children get the most from the app.

Profiles can be created for up to four children, allowing them to collect CBeebies bugs as rewards for their progress, and listen to messages left by their parents. Each profile features a hot air balloon that children can personalise, which transports them into the CBeebies Playtime world where they can choose to play one of four games.  The balloon can be made into a variety of shapes and decorated in a variety of patterns.  You can even take a 'selfie' and use the photograph to decorate the balloon!

Alphablocks Word Magic

Alphablocks Word Magic helps young children develop confidence in reading and writing by learning how to spell a range of words. They simply tap on a picture of an everyday object and spell it out by choosing the right Alphablocks, in the correct order. The words get progressively more difficult as the game goes on.  It is a great game for early readers and writers and will be perfect to help Freddy as he starts school in September.

  

Octonauts Cadet Training

Little ones get to help the Octonauts in a variety of missions to rescue sea creatures who have gotten themselves into trouble. Shaking the device to remove rubble and calling out to lost Orcas are just some of the ways children can help them out. It develops listening skills and teamwork, as the Octonauts guide players through a series of underwater adventures, as well as finding out more about the world around them. It also gives kids a host of fun facts about the underwater animals they help which is a nice feature.

Something Special Paint Pop

Play along with Mr Tumble and his friends, who need some help decorating their clothes and accessories. Children can colour them in by tapping the screen to pop paint bubbles as they pass over the items. This game is suitable for all children, including those with special needs, allowing them to have fun and develop confidence.  Freddy had some fun with this game and enjoyed decorating bow ties and welly boots with the paint bubbles!

Tree Fu Tom Chuckleberry Chase

It's harvest festival day after the Mushas have stolen all of the chuckleberries. Children can cast the super speed spell with Tree Fu Tom and help him race through Treetopolis to catch the Mushas and save the day. The game allows children to practice fine motor skills as they tilt the device to catch the berries and avoid obstacles in their path.  It is a quick paced, action packed game for little Tree Fu Tom fans.

Freddy loved the app.  It had the right balance of educational content and fun gaming action to keep him enthralled and entertained.  The app has the same quality and visual appeal of the TV shows that little ones love and even the youngest CBeebies fan will recognise the characters.

I love that the app doesn't need the internet to play it, which means it will be brilliant on car journeys or when out shopping.  I know it is completely safe and as it is absolutely free we can put it onto all our devices without the fear of running up any unexpected bills.

I think this app is a brilliant new addition to the CBeebies brand joining the TV shows, the radio station and the website to entertain our little ones!

Harper Collins Books for Christmas

Lovely new books always find their way under our tree at Christmas.  Giving books to the children encourages a love of reading that will hopefully last a lifetime.  My older girls are avid readers and I hope my younger children will follow suit.

This year Harper Collins have some gorgeous new titles and I have been lucky enough to receive three lovely books to review.

Diary of a Christmas Wombat

Mothball the wombat is a beautifully illustrated character that we have fallen in love with.  The slow and simple animal seems to have one thing on its mind....carrots!  This means that Santa's reindeer have a fight on their hands if they want to enjoy the carrots that have been left out for them by children on Christmas Eve. 

The wombat's eye view is such a quirky way of conveying the story.  The text is really simple and the pictures add so much to the storytelling that even the youngest children will enjoy following Mothball's Christmas adventure.

RRP £6.99 paperback

Hello Kitty Annual 2013

Christmas isn't Christmas without an annual or two to enjoy.  Packed full of fun, activities and games they make a fabulous Christmas gift.  This official Hello Kitty Annual features Kitty's advice on all kinds of topics: your superstar style, making perfect cupcakes, growing pretty flowers, creative colour matching, making perfume and more.  It's a perfect companion for girls.  The pages are colourful and busy, filled with hello Kitty fun on every page.

RRP £7.99 hardback (but keep an eye out for bargains on annuals!)

The Octonauts

Fans of the hit TV show The Octonauts will be thrilled to bits to find this big, gorgeous book under the tree on Christmas Day.  The crew of eight cute animals love to explore the big blue ocean from their underwater base, the Octopod.  There is always fun and excitement on their adventures.

The Octonauts are researching underwater habits around the world when Tunip the Vegimal starts to wonder where he came from.  So the Octonauts go on an underwater adventure on a quest to find Tunip's true home.  The nautical adventure will delight fans and the glow in the dark pages will add a real element of fun to a bedtime story.  Inspiring a whole new generation of marine biologists, this is a lovely book full of intricately detailed illustrations that little Octonauts fans will love.

RRP £12.99 hardback

Find these titles in all good children's books stockists.

Octonauts Puzzle from Ravensburger

Here is another Ravensburger Puzzle that will delight the older pre-school fans of the CBeebies show The Octonauts.  Featuring three scenes, the graded puzzles have 25, 36 and 49 pieces respectively.  Your child can progress, tackling more difficult puzzles as their skills develop.

Doing puzzles aids children's concentration and patience, developing observational skills.  Communication skills can grow as children discuss the pictures.  Having scenes from The Octonauts will really help fire up their imagination.  

Made to the high quality standards of Ravensburger, the steel cut pieces are printed onto sturdy recycled  card.  The pictures are colourful and bright starring all the characters from the show that children love.  The linen finish stops glare and the pieces interlock with a perfect fit.

This Octonauts three puzzle set is £6.75 on Amazon.

Check out Ravensburger.com for other fabulous puzzles for all ages and abilities.