by
Mark Ollig
Years
ago, when yours truly attended grade school and needed to learn more about a
particular subject, I would seek out a book from the school library.
Remember
folks, this was before Google and YouTube – way before.
The
day my parents brought the World Book Encyclopedia set into our home, I was
around 10 years old.
Of
course, being an average 10-year-old at the time, found me persistently tagging
along with my two older brothers, in an effort to participate in the games
being played with the other kids in the neighborhood.
I
also recall helping to build a wooden fort nestled within a grove of trees,
located at the end of our street; right next to the creek.
Many
of us kids in the neighborhood used it as a clubhouse.
This
clubhouse became the “base of operations” when it was decided we needed to
build a raft, in order to explore the lake.
I
remember helping to build the raft using scraps of wood we found nearby.
Our
raft had a successful launching from the creek’s southern sandy banks, and onto
the calm waters of Winsted Lake.
This
adventure found the raft floating fairly-well for the most part; until too many
kids hopped onto it, and it began to sink.
No
worries; the raft was in shallow water, and we just ended up getting a little
wet.
Around
this same time, my dad had bought me a new bike from the local Coast to Coast
hardware store to replace the small, orange, Schwinn bicycle with the 13-inch
solid hard-rubber tires I had been riding.
Dad
had a huge smile on his face when he caught my “surprised expression” as he
removed the new bike (Coast King) from the trunk of his car, and placed it on
the driveway.
Now,
I could finally keep up with my older brothers while riding my new bike.
I
was able to follow closely behind their bikes as they speedily rode through the
downtown area side streets in their futile attempt to “lose me.”
It
was a fun bicycle to ride; thanks, dad.
But
I digress.
The
day the World Book Encyclopedia set arrived at our house, I was opened up to a
whole new world of discovery.
Yours
truly would spend hours browsing through the pages of information and
photographs contained inside the encyclopedia volumes.
I
clearly remember reading volume sections about astronomy, science, geography,
and the Mercury, Gemini, and early Apollo space missions.
Of
course, reading the section about the history of the telephone, was something I
wouldn’t forget.
The
encyclopedia set in my home was the source for much of the information used in
the two school science fairs I participated in.
Today,
young people are able to learn about the world by using Internet sources,
iPads, and watching YouTube videos.
Although
YouTube provides a variety of video content; some of it is just not suitable
for children.
Recently,
Google began offering a new “family-friendly” software app (application) for
children called YouTube Kids.
“The
official YouTube Kids app is designed for curious little minds to dive into a
world of discovery, learning, and entertainment,” said Google.
This
new app is designed to only show age-appropriate videos, channels, and
playlists suitable for children.
The
YouTube Kids app provides parents and guardians of younger children, peace of
mind, in knowing the content being viewed is age-appropriate.
Included
in the app is video content provided by teachers, filmmakers, and other content
creators.
The
YouTube Kids app has large display buttons for simple navigation, is easy to
scroll through, includes a voice search function, and starts-up in “instant full-screen” mode.
Children
videos and online favorites available with this app include:
•
Sesame Street;
•
Thomas & Friends.
•
Mother Goose Club.
•
TuTiTu TV.
•
DreamWorks TV.
•
Minecraft videos & activities.
•
Dinosaur Videos.
•
Puppy videos.
•
Solar system videos.
•
Train videos.
•
Preschool science experiments.
•
Super simple songs.
When
a youngster is browsing through the app’s home screen, they will be seeing
child-appropriate video channels and playlists.
In
addition to the videos, the app provides access to music, science, crafts, and
games that kids can explore in a child-friendly place.
The
app allows parents to control the content seen, and to set up a timer (like a
bedtime setting) to alert their child when it’s time to stop viewing. This
timer can also lock the app.
This
app works with today’s two most popular OS’s (operating systems), and can be
downloaded at no cost onto your Apple iOS or Android OS smart devices.
Download
the YouTube Kids app for your Android at: http://goo.gl/SsDTHh or for your iOS
device using: http://goo.gl/P0cikI.
A
short YouTube Spotlight channel video introducing the YouTube Kids app can be
seen at: http://tinyurl.com/kb5vsup.
A
screen-shot taken from the YouTube Kids app, can be seen here:
http://tinyurl.com/YTappkids.
