What we learned this week #66

Now that we’ve dusted down the cobwebs, washed away the fake blood and returned our children from diabetic comas, it’s time to look past Halloween (although we did learn a lot about it over the past seven days) and onwards ’til the next major holiday: no, after Bonfire Night. You know the one I mean. That, along with some (perhaps unseasonable) advice on getting gadgety kids to enjoy the great outdoors, is what we learned this week.

Get kids outside (with tech)!

It’s maybe not quite the weather for it now, but something to bear in mind for the new year is the way that those hypnotic, glowing screens can actually get your sprogs to spend more time doing those good old fashioned outdoorsy activities you always complained about doing as a child, too. Scott Collen appeals to the competitive streak in us all:

‘Get competitive and use Strava. Fastest to the tree and back must be a challenge on there.’

Which Sean Braacx seconds, whilst also going rogue and answering a different question to the one asked, that maverick renegade:

‘Before answering this question specifically, I would like to answer this more general question “Can an app encourage offline behaviour?” Definitely! I use the app Meetup to connect with other like-minded individuals. I also use Strava to encourage me to go for a run or a bike ride. There are many more examples, the question is not “can they”, but “do they”.’

All your Christmas pressies are belong to us!

Forgoing the chart-topping Calls of Duty (Call of Duties? Call ofs Duty?) and GTA V, Simon Munk ran us through a few family video game titles that would look good beneath the Christmas tree this December 25th:

‘If your kids are under seven, handing them a gamepad is going to be fairly frustrating for everyone. Stick to touchscreen devices and tried-and-tested games such as Angry Birds. Or use motion-sensing control – Just Dance 2014 (and Just Dance Kids 2014) is great on Wii.

‘Of course, videogames also has its own version of Lego – Minecraft. The game may have been out for a while, but if your kids haven’t yet tried its incredibly rewarding mix of construction and action, it’s well worth a look.’