By Kristen Chase.
My family is a big fan of the iPad, a gadget I purchased when it first came out for my work as co-publisher of Cool Mom Tech, but one that has now become a fixture in our household tech consumption, especially as homeschoolers.
So as you might guess, I get a lot of questions as to whether an iPad is a must-have for homeschooling families, especially now with so many other more affordable tablets on the market (like the NOOK Tablet and the Kindle Fire).
While I’d never say that it’s an essential tool for every homeschooling family, I will say that after having tested most of the tablets on the market, I find this one to be the most diverse in terms of use for a family with two working parents, two school-aged children, and two toddlers.
Of course, you might not have that exact make-up in your own household, however I’m hoping that by sharing how we actually use the iPad in our own household, you’ll be able to get a sense if it makes sense for your family to purchase one. And while I’ve definitely got my eye on the iPad 2 and the new iPad, which have more features (like the camera) than my first generation iPad (3G equipped, though I don’t use the data plan), I have to say that we won’t be upgrading anytime soon.
1. Educational Tool
Perhaps the most obvious use for an iPad in a homeschooling family is for educational purposes. There is no shortage of amazing apps, many of which are free, that can provide educational support for pretty much every single subject out there. Over on Cool Mom Tech, we put together a “Best of” list for kids’ apps by age, which I find super helpful. Also, the iPad is great for drawing, which my artist daughter (almost 8) can attest to. She’s a huge fan of Draw Something like the rest of the universe.
2. E-reader
Even though we still own a Kindle (and a Kindle Fire — hey, I told you we were heavy duty tech consumers!), I use the Kindle App on the iPad as well as iBooks for reading purposes. What I love is that even if my husband has the Kindle on a work trip, I can use the app on the iPad and read my own books while he’s gone. And I’ve been known to pull up my favorite recipes and use it as a cookbook in the kitchen.
3. Entertainment
I’d be remiss not to mention how much of an entertainment factor the iPad plays in our household, especially when we go on family trips. We load it up with the kids’ favorite shows, even rent movies, to help pass the time once they’ve exhausted their activity bags. And I use it to catch up on Downton Abbey since there never seems to be anything worth watching on television these days.
4. Incentive
As part of my kids’ chore charts, we allow them to earn iPad time, which is pretty coveted given the number of cool gaming apps out there. For my littler kids who don’t yet fully understand the value of money, utilizing technology as an incentive, specifically the iPad in this case, works wonders. We’ve done everything from earning play minutes to new apps, depending on their duties for the week and how they completed them.
5. Work on the Go
While I’m nowhere near as productive on the iPad as I am on my laptop, in a pinch, I do use it to check email, and catch up on Twitter and Facebook, all of which are part of what I do for a living. But there are plenty more amazing apps that you can utilize to help you do everything from create presentations and make diagrams, to connect with colleagues and clients (via Skype, for example). I don’t think it can replace a laptop, but it certainly functions quite well as a netbook, particularly if you use a bluetooth keyboard.
6. Space Saver
After cleaning up the Scrabble and Monopoly game for the 400th time after my littlest one would pillage the boxes on a daily basis, I realized that I could purchase the games on the iPad and give away our real board games. As much as I love actually playing the real board games, I’m shocked at how similar it is on the iPad to the real thing. Just without all the 10,000 pieces to clean up. My closets are happy. And so is back.
So iPad owners, tell me how your family uses the iPad. And if you have questions about it or the other popular tablets on the market (like the NOOK Tablet and the Kindle Fire) feel free to ask in the comments.
Kristen Chase is a mom of 4, writer, and co-publisher of Cool Mom Picks and Cool Mom Tech, a popular shopping and trendspotting blog for moms, as well as 4 Kids or More, an online resource for the modern larger family. She’s a 2nd generation homeschooler, having been taught middle and high school by her own mother back when people were still using quills and ink wells, and is now a very well-adjusted and socialized homeschool mom herself.