My Choice for a Tablet for Children

by Phoebe Farag Mikhail

Until April 4, 2015, my choice for a kid's tablet, the Kindle Fire HD Kid's Edition, is on sale at Amazon for $25 off. It's my choice for my two children, aged 3 and 5, and I'll tell you why:

1- Kindle FreeTime Unlimited. FreeTime is an app that you can only run on a Kindle Fire. On FreeTime, you can create a profile for each of your children, and you can control what content is available to them by adding the content to each child's profile. Once the Kindle Fire is in FreeTime mode, your child cannot get out of that mode unless you put in a password. You can also control how much time each child spends on the tablet on weekdays and on weekends, and even down to the type of use. For example, you can set it to allow 1 hour per day for apps, 45 minutes per day for videos, and 1 hour per day for ebooks. You can also set it so that your child cannot use the apps or video unless they have completed the ebook time first.

You can run FreeTime on any Kindle Fire, and you can also sign up for "FreeTime Unlimited." This is a monthly subscription that allows Amazon to curate children's content into your tablet appropriate to their age. This includes ebooks, apps, and videos that you would otherwise have to pay for each separately. The pricing for one child is $4.99 per month ($2.99 if you are a Prime member), and for a 'household' account of up to 4 children it is $9.99 ($6.99 if you are a Prime member).

I have been using FreeTime with my children for over a year and I have not seen Amazon curate anything inappropriate, although you do have the option to remove any content you don't want in your child's profile. Most of the content that Amazon provides comes from PBS Kids, Sesame Street, Disney, and Nickelodeon. Amazon also suggests content based on the activity on FreeTime. My son has repeatedly asked me to read him a new ebook he found on FreeTime about fire trucks and fire fighting because those are the videos and apps he has been gravitating towards.

So, why the Kindle Fire Kid's Edition if you can run FreeTime on any Kindle Fire? Well, a purchase of the Kid's edition gives you one year of FreeTime Unlimited for free. And:

2- The Kindle Fire HD Kid's Edition comes with external padding and a 2 year worry-free warranty against any damage to the tablet. We have already lost the use of an iPad due to several drops by the kids. My own Kindle Fire has withstood many drops and still functions well, so I find that overall this tablet is more sturdy than some of the others on the market. With the padding and the warranty, the kid's edition should last the kid's drops and spills. I also want my own Kindle Fire back so I can read my ebooks on it!

3- The price is right. Currently, Amazon is running a promotion until April 4, 2015 on the Kindle Fire HD Kids Edition. Its price starts at $124 right now (it usually starts at $149), and you can also choose to pay for it in five monthly interest-free installments. This price is significantly lower than most of the popular tablets on the market. I opted for the 7 inch screen and the 16GB memory, which brought the cost to $189. Below I will explain why I think you will need the memory.

Every tablet has its pros and cons. One of the cons of the Kindle Fire at its original 8GB memory is that the memory actually fills up quite quickly - once your child chooses an app to play with, it installs on the device, and too many apps will cause device to overload and stop working. You would then need to remove items from the device, and in some cases, people have had to soft reset the tablet. This is why I opted for the greater amount of memory, so that this would happen less often.

The other con with the Kindle Fire is that its app choices are not as wide as those on iOS or other Android based devices. I've read about very interesting children's apps and been disappointed that they are not available on Amazon's App store. The choices, however, are expanding, and I still find that FreeTime Unlimited offers enough choices for my kids to learn and play with in the few hours they are allowed to use the tablet per day.

And, to be honest, my kids get most of their learning through offline free play, reading books together, and doing outdoor activities and trips. No tablet can replace those!

Full disclosure: I am an Amazon affiliate, which means that if you make a purchase through the links on this page, I will get a small percentage of that purchase. I do not recommend any books, apps, or products on my blog that I do not use myself or have not read myself and would use with my own family. You are not obligated to use my links to make your purchase, but if you do, thank you!

How to Buy Books for Cheap

by Phoebe Farag Mikhail

The musty scent of the Strand used book store in New York City remains a happy childhood memory ingrained in my mind. Every week, my father and I would take the subway down to the Strand, where he would leave me to explore the children and youth section while he explored the religion section. We never came home empty handed, and for a few dollars, we brought home treasures.

The beauty of books is that their value lies not in their material worth, but in the words written inside.

As the holidays draw near, giving the gift of a book can be a treasured one. The right book can show how much you have thought you have put into the gift, regardless of its cost. One of my favorite bloggers, Glennon Doyle Melton, on Momastery, suggests the following method for gift giving that she uses for her children:

One Gift You Want
One Gift the World Needs
One Gift to Wear
One Gift to Read

Today I’m going to help you find that "gift to read" without breaking the bank, both online and at "brick and mortar" stores.

Online: There are now numerous online retailers of used books.  Books whose condition is marked “used-like new” or “very good” are often pretty much good as new. “Good” and even “acceptable condition” work well for both bibliophiles like me and for children, who care more about being held and read to than having a bright and shiny brand new book. For children, books are new if they are new to them, and it's extra exciting if they come in a package in the mail.

Thriftbooks is one of my favorite online used book sellers. Shipping is included in the price, books start at $2.99, there is a multi-book discount of $.50 on each additional book if you order more than one book from the same warehouse. If you subscribe to their email list, you will get occasional discount offers, like buy 4 books, get one free going on right now with the promo code HOHOHO (good till December 14). Thriftbooks also has a wish list option and you can get instant notifications if a book you want appears in any of their warehouses.

Amazon offers listings of used books from many different used book retailers, saving you the trouble of finding an online retailer of every single book you want. Just click “used offers” on the book you are considering. Books can start at 1 cent, but will include $3.99 shipping, so the lowest cost you would pay is $4. And if you can’t find the book used, Amazon generally has the lowest prices on new books online. From now till December 14th, if you enter promo code BOOKDEAL25, you will get 25% off of one book.

Brick and Mortar:

The Public Library. No, I am not talking about borrowing books. You can actually buy books from your library, VERY CHEAPLY. Once, and sometimes twice a year, your local public library will hold a library book sale. Some libraries have a book sale on an ongoing basis. The books on sale are often in great condition, and are donated books as well as cast-offs from the shelves. Every library has its own system. At mine, they hand out large shopping bags, which we can fill up and pay a total of $5 for all the books in the bag. I’ve filled up my bag with upwards of 20 books and paid only $5 for all of it, and all those books retail for $12-15 each.

Used Bookstores. Used bookstores abound in every town and city in the US. In England, many charity shops also have used book sections. Some Barnes & Noble branches contain used book sections. If you get a Barnes and Noble Membership, you get 10% off everything in the store, including used books, adding up to greater discounts.

Local Bookstores. Both big box and local bookstores have “bargain bins” where you can find great deals on new books. Sometimes bestsellers that are now out in paperback will be found in hardcover at the bargain section.

Enjoy shopping for your gift to read, and don’t forget to buy yourself one (or two, or three…)

(Note: The Thriftbooks and Amazon links above are affiliate links, which means that if you use those links to make your purchases, I will receive a small commission. I affiliate with retailers that I purchase things from and would recommend. You are not obligated to use those links, but if you do use them, thank you!)