Learning
Do phonics apps actually teach kids to read?
A new university study tested 309 reading apps against what actually teaches phonics. Here's what held up, what didn't, and how to tell the difference.
Learning
Learning examines the teaching that happens inside entertainment: history embedded in a game map, arithmetic in a strategy layer, reading practice from subtitles, vocabulary from fan communities. Claims get checked against research, and marketing dressed as pedagogy is named. Useful to teachers building lessons and parents assessing an educational label.
Where entertainment teaches something real, such as history in a map or math in a strategy layer, and where the educational claim is only marketing.
Learning
How child-influencer earnings laws actually work
Learning
What does research say about educational TV for preschoolers?
Half a century of evidence, from Sesame Street studies to today's co-viewing research, shows content quality and adult company matter more than the hour count.
Learning
How do you teach kids to read art? Visual literacy basics
Children can learn to decode images the way they decode text — through questions, vocabulary, and slow looking, long before they can name a single artist.
Learning
How does cooking together turn your kitchen into a math classroom?
Halving recipes, counting cups, and estimating portions give children math practice with immediate, edible feedback — no workbook required.
Learning
How does historical fiction teach kids real history?
Stories carry children into the past in a way textbooks can't — and the gaps between story and record become the history lesson itself.
Learning
What does your public library offer kids beyond books?
Free tutoring, STEM kits, summer reading programs, museum passes, and librarians whose entire job is helping your child — most families never ask.
Learning
What does research actually say about video games and problem-solving?
The evidence on games and problem-solving is more interesting than both the panic and the hype: some genres show real cognitive gains, and context decides a lot.
Learning
How are teachers using kids' podcasts in the classroom?
Audio is having a quiet second act in schools: teachers use kids' podcasts for transitions, listening skills, and topics they can't field-trip to.
Learning
Which board games quietly build reading and vocabulary?
Word games, card-driven adventures, and even rulebooks themselves give children reading practice that feels like play instead of work.