shirarocklin

We're taking a very long trip over the next few months. My six year old expressed the desire to keep a blog for her friends tomsee what she's doing while we are gone. I know how to use blogger. Are there any blogging options for kids? Apps to post from that are kid oriented? Specifically for non-readers? Ill write for her, or set up a program that writes as she dictates, and show her how to uploAd photos she takes, etc. but a program or app that gives her more independance my be fun for her too.

Thanks,
Shira

Meredith

"shirarocklin" <shirarocklin@...> wrote:
> Are there any blogging options for kids? Apps to post from that are kid oriented? Specifically for non-readers?
******************

Besides photos you mean? You can upload drawings from a program like Paint as easily as photos to a blog. Or sound files. Can you take short videos on your camera? That could be fun on a blog - even just your daughter saying something in front of some interesting scene or find.

I have a friend who has mastered the art of self-photography - he takes snapshots of himself as a kind of photo journal. It's amazing how much more interesting it is to look at pictures with a familiar face in them - even Walmarts are more interesting when you know the person standing in front of one.

---Meredith

Eva

--- Ill write for her, or set up a program that writes as she dictates, and show her how to uploAd photos she takes, etc. but a program or app that gives her more independance my be fun for her too. ---

As your daughter doesn't read yet, maybe don't write too much? Maybe just the time and place is enough? She will not be able to read all the things you write (or that she dictates) herself. Maybe not for many years to come.
She could use sound files or video to record things she wants on her blog. In that way it might be more fun for her to look at her own blog.

She could also take pictures of tickets, posters, her drawings etc. and post them on her blog.

Eva
Berend (7) & Fiene (5)
The Netherlands

Joyce Fetteroll

On Jun 8, 2012, at 10:01 AM, Eva wrote:

> As your daughter doesn't read yet, maybe don't write too much?

If she's asking for it to be written, then it's important to her that it be written whether she can read it or not. She'll know what she dictated. She'll be able to look at what she created. And recognize words. Or not.

Joyce

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Pam Sorooshian

Sue Patterson (who is on this list) has a son in the Peace Corps in
Nicaragua. He does a vlog (video blog). In his case, he has a video camera
in his computer, I think, and he just sits in front of it and talks about
his days - what he did, where he went, what he saw, and what he thought
about it all.

I'd create a youtube channel. That just means registering for an account -
the "channel" is really just your homepage. You can upload little videos to
youtube and they'll all be listed on your channel (homepage) and people can
subscribe to them so they'll be notified when there is a new one.

You can upload a video directly from a smartphone like an iphone, from some
cameras, or from a computer. It is surprisingly very very simple.

-pam


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Pam Sorooshian

On Fri, Jun 8, 2012 at 8:03 AM, Joyce Fetteroll <jfetteroll@...>wrote:

> > As your daughter doesn't read yet, maybe don't write too much?
>
> If she's asking for it to be written, then it's important to her that it
> be written whether she can read it or not. >>>
>

Or - she might be thinking it has to be written because she doesn't know
about other options.

All good things to consider.

-pam


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shirarocklin

I love the ideas about videos of her, drawings, ticket stubs, etc... I'll definitely offer those to her. She liked the idea of it being written - she's been more and more fascinated with reading, but still struggling with putting it together enough to pick up new words. She's got some sight words. I'll just make her a 'monkey platter' of options every time we sit down to blog and see what she wants to do. I think I'll buy her a cheap digital camera on craigslist, perhaps, to document as we go, however she feels.

Shira

Pam Sorooshian

Check out the Coby SNAPP mini camcorder - they are sometimes as low as $30
on Amazon and can upload directly to Youtube.

-pam


On Fri, Jun 8, 2012 at 11:13 AM, shirarocklin <shirarocklin@...> wrote:

> I think I'll buy her a cheap digital camera on craigslist, perhaps, to
> document as we go, however she feels.


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Jessica Strader

The COBY looks similar to the Flip Camcorder we have. We bought it, and
our 6-year-old loved it so much that we ended up giving it to him as one of
his birthday presents. It doesn't upload directly to Youtube, but he makes
videos on it all the time.





>
>


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shirarocklin

Hi,

Thanks for the camera suggestions Pam. Can you, or anyone else, suggest something similar for use with Macs? Can a camcorder be connected to our ibook in order to upload to youtube? Our ipad does take videos... but its really heavy and awkward to hold up to do that.

Thanks,
Shira

Rinelle

<<--Thanks for the camera suggestions Pam. Can you, or anyone else, suggest something similar for use with Macs? Can a camcorder be connected to our ibook in order to upload to youtube? Our ipad does take videos... but its really heavy and awkward to hold up to do that. –>>

The newest version of the iPod has a video function, and is much easier to hold up. :) I think it is nearly as good a quality as the ipad?
Tamara

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Sandra Dodd

Maybe you should take a video of her describing where she is and what she's doing and put it on a family blog. She could send links (or you could) to her friends and chosen relatives. The details of how to use a particular computer are beyond the purpose of this discussion.

If a child expresses the desire to do something that is technically beyond both her and her mom's knowledge and ability, it's okay to propose a lesser version with an eye to expanding that. If she wants to do something she's not yet ready and able to do, the frustration of failure might be worse than the joy of success in an easier version.

Even adults can "bite off more than they can chew," and doing one good blog post or video is a success. Deciding to do several, and then doing one, will seem small and insufficient. Maybe aim for one.

If one is good, do another one.

If those two are good, the decision to stop or do a third is a happy, good choice.

The decision to do a fourth should be based on the feelings one had about those that came before, not the feelings one has about the promise or intent to do more than four, which could make the fourth one feel like a drag, and an obligation, and a big "have to."

Sandra

shirarocklin

Sandra wrote:

> Even adults can "bite off more than they can chew," and doing one good blog post or video is a success. Deciding to do several, and then doing one, will seem small and insufficient. Maybe aim for one.
>
> If one is good, do another one.

-------------

I'm glad you wrote that. I was getting excited, at this 'project' with her. Its all back in perspective now. My husband pointed it out as well, and suggested using the video devices we already own, to start, even if they are less convenient (ipad and an older digital camera). I'm so happy to explore this, and especially happy that its back in perspective. And that I might like to make a few vlogs documenting our trip on my own as well. We'll take it one moment at a time.

Shira

shirarocklin

An Update:

We're getting ready for our trip, packing and organizing. Today I sat down to figure out how to upload to youtube and use our ipad to post to a blog, etc... and we set up my daughter a blog of her own (she didn't want to share mine), and we made a couple of videos and figured out how to post them (mostly me, while she played and sporadically checked in on my progress).

So, in case anyone wants to follow along on our trip (assuming anything more gets posted), here is her blog: www.temimasadventures.blogspot.com

And, this whole thing led her to ask me if we can find some other kid's blogs for her to look at. So, on a tangent, do anyone's young kids keep blogs and want to share an address so other kids can visit?

Thanks,
Shira