The MeeGenius Blog
Fostering a Love of Reading
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MeeGenius 4.0.1 is Here!
May 25, 2012
I’m a father of three lovely girls who adore MeeGenius, which is part of the reason I came to work here as the Chief Technology Officer in March of this year. MeeGenius is the only kids’ e-book app that my kids love and use consistently. As avid readers, and, like most kids these days, unrelenting techies who have little tolerance for slow user interfaces, the older version of MeeGenius was starting discourage them. It was a great app, but often, when launching the app and trying to sync large libraries, the interface would bog down. As they would pull up their favorite bedtime story each night, the older version would invariably start to slow and sometimes become unresponsive. Thinking they were to blame, my girls would often ask me, “Daddy, did I do something wrong?”
We have all experienced frustration with technology. It can drive you to stop using that device or software all together, or just generally make a stressful day even more stressful. And if your kids become discouraged or anxious (while using the older version of MeeGenius, for example) when you are trying to share some quality time with them, then you will share their frustration and that piece of tech is not going to be around your house much longer. That’s why this new version of MeeGenius isn’t just an update, it’s an upgrade*. We want MeeGenius to make your life with your kids better. We want the technology to fade into the background so it’s just you and your children being whisked effortlessly away to whatever world they chose to visit that day.
With the old version of MeeGenius we were victims of our own success. Our inventory of books got so large that the app couldn’t keep up. To improve MeeGenius, we started by fully utilizing the device’s capability and the set of tools provided by Apple—without getting too technical, let’s just say that we brought in really geeky people. MeeGenius Version 4.0.1 is a complete rewrite of the old application, which was a tough task. But, that said, my priority is not all about the technology—it’s about making kids have fun and learn at the same time. I’m proud of this new version because my kids are happier and I addressed their No. 1 complaint. Since they’ve been playing with the new version, I see nothing but the smiles on their faces.
* A reminder: When you do upgrade your MeeGenius experience; be sure to sync your device with your MeeGenius user account so that we receive the purchases that are on your device. We can then provide you with the same content across all of your devices, which will protect your account from damage to your device that may prevent MeeGenius from opening. If you just purchase books on your device via Apple’s in-app purchases, we have no way of identifying you as our customer. Apple does not provide that information to us, so please remember to sync with your MeeGenius user account to fully enjoy the hard work and love that went in to MeeGenius version 4.0.1!
An Interview with a MeeGenius Mom!
May 12, 2012
For Mother’s Day we spoke with stay-at-home mom and MeeGenius fan Kristi Sessions from Pa
lm Bay, Florida. She has a jam-packed schedule homeschooling and taking care of her twin 4-year-old boys, Sebastian and Maximilian, but uses MeeGenius to painlessly squeeze quality reading time in during the day. Kristi and her husband, Chad, a computer scientist, met at the University of Alabama over 16 years ago and she gives back to her community as the president of a local Mothers of Multiples group.
What is your favorite thing about MeeGenius?
I really like that it’s one app and all of the books are within in one app. There are two or three book apps out there and you have to buy each book separately—one book is one app. The MeeGenius interface is so easy to use. I like that it reads too them and highlights the words as they are reading.
How has the MeeGenius format helped your sons’ reading skills?
It’s nice to have it so they can hear the books, see the words highlighted as it’s being read, turns the pages for them. They can sight read about 20 words right now—they are early, early readers.
What are their favorite MeeGenius titles?
They like the fairytales—they read those so much. One of the first books we got was Rapunzel and now we have about 16 MeeGenius books. We have Pinocchio, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and The Little Red Hen. One of the things I’ve noticed is how much the stories get incorporated into their lives. After they read a story, they often reenact it on the playground. The other day they were climbing on the playground and one of them ended up on the high part and the one on the ground yelled up, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!”
We just downloaded Green Goo for free this weekend and they now seem to have a ritual every time we get a new book—they each read it at least three times and giggle a lot and then go back and reread all of the other books.
What are some of your kids’ favorite books?
They read almost any that they can get ahold of, but they read a lot of Dr. Seuss—they call them the “cat” books because of the picture of the Cat in the Hat. They also love anything about space. They like reading just about the planets. We’ve got two or three that are just naming the planets. Dinosaur books are big—they like the Dinosaur stereobook by Dennis Schatz. It’s has all kinds of noises—what the dinosaurs might’ve sounded like—that I can play back while I read it to them.
Any special plans for Mother’s Day?
Our families are in different states, so we’ll end up at a friend of mine’s house to celebrate with her and her mom. She has twin girls that are 4; that worked out well! We’ll fix dinner and have some cake—there will be a lot of eating!
In France, Parenting Patience is a Virtue
February 12, 2012 — 2 Comments
Guest Post by MeeGenius CEO, Wandy Hoh
I found some great parenting advice the other day in the Wall Street Journal on a rare Sunday morning where I actually snuck in some reading time instead of the usual running around to activities with my kids. Pamela Druckerman, whose new book Bringing up Bebé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting came out last week, wrote an informative article comparing the different child-rearing approaches of French and American parents.
While living in France, Druckerman found that every time she and her husband took their new toddler out to a restaurant she became apprehensive and anxious. Within minutes of placing her 18-month-old daughter in the high chair, the carnage would start. Saltshakers would be spilled, sugar packets torn up; general chaos would reign. Druckerman’s main goal was to get in and out of there quickly and without causing any major trauma—to the wait staff or the patrons.
After many harried outings, she noticed that most of French children just sat contentedly in their seats—there was no shrieking, no foodstuffs flying, no carnage or chaos. She also realized that they weren’t just being good while sitting in the high chair at a restaurant. All around her, French kids were usually calm and perfectly fine to play alone or sit by themselves without raising a ruckus.
Though my husband and I are acutely aware of trying to avoid the trap of over-parenting, Druckerman’s observation that French children could play by themselves really made me think about my own daughter’s behavior. She is always, as she says, “bored.” She always needs one of us to do something with her. It became apparent that as our oldest child, she had the benefit of being our only child for a period of time—we were always all over her, giving attention to her demands and catering to her whims. Finally, we realized that she wasn’t capable of figuring out how to be happy by herself. We needed to remind ourselves that we didn’t have to be constantly servicing her and we needed to teach her the simple skill of waiting.
Druckerman reports that in France, babies aren’t picked up the minute they start crying in their crib, they are allowed to learn how to fall back asleep by themselves. When a child clamors for candy at the checkout line, they will buy them a piece but they don’t give it to them right away; they wait a few hours until a scheduled snack time each day and then let them eat it. If a child interrupts adults while they are talking, they will politely and firmly tell the child to wait until the adults’ conversation is over. French parents try to teach their kids to develop patience and the ability to amuse themselves.
With our daughter, we’ve started slowly. We encourage her to do more activities on her own a little at a time—drawing, puzzles, crafts, etc. She is becoming more capable of being independent and is more often happy with all that is around her. Eventually, with firmer pressure and more time, she will learn to sit and play and enjoy stories on her own—being “bored” will be something she reads about in a book.
Who knows, maybe I’ll start spending more Sunday mornings reading while my kids play nicely on their own.
Five Finger Rule!
September 28, 2011 — 1 Comment
Find a “just right” book with the Five Finger Rule!
I went to my sons’ meet the faculty night last night and had a chance to listen to my sons’ first grade teachers talk about what they’re learning in class every day. Just an amazing time!
They had this great rule to help your child find the right book called the FIVE FINGER RULE. It’s so easy to follow.
- Choose a book and read the first page or two.
- Put one finger up for every word you don’t know.
- If five of your fingers go up while reading, choose another book.
- If only two or three fingers go up, you’ve found a “just right” book.
Happy Reading!
“Science Rocks” with MeeGenius!
August 28, 2011
With Hurricane Irene making her way up the East Coast, what better time than now to introduce ABDO’s “Science Rocks!” series. This series “provides a simplified look at earth Science. Dynamic illustrations pop off the page. Science has never been this groovy, and introducing the subject to the next generation of scientists has never been this fun!”- ABDO publishing. Check out the series below!
Science Rocks!
Awesome Air
Crazy About Clouds
Groovy Gravity
Wild Water Cycle
Radical Rocks
To download our newest releases on your device, log into your MeeGenius app and check out the featured books section!
Five new titles added to the MeeGenius library!
August 21, 2011
Summer’s coming to a close- time to help your kids put their thinking caps back on, and what better way to start than with ABDO’s “Our Nation’s Pride” series. In this series, children are taught to respect the symbols of America. The “Our Nation’s Pride” series provides children with easy-to-read picture books explaining the creation, history, and meaning of the icons that represent our nation’s identity. Check them out below!
Our Nation’s Pride
To download our newest releases on your device, log into your MeeGenius app and check out the featured books section!
For more of MeeGenius’ most recent releases on the web go here for our new and noteworthy books!
Remember- if you login and purchase the book on the web, when you login into MeeGenius on your device, it will appear on your bookshelf, and vice versa!
Paint it Black Monday!
November 28, 2010
As soon as you were done digesting your food while reading Sarah’s Thanksgiving and A Thanksgiving Story you realized it was time for the shopping season to begin. But did you avoid the stampedes of “Black Friday” and decide to wait for the calm of your home on “Cyber Monday?” Well we are ready for you! “Cyber Monday” is the best time to take advantage of some of the greatest deals of the year from big (and small) retailers across this great country. In honor of “Cyber Monday,” we’ll be giving away our app for free. Visit iTunes for more details and let everyone know that this “Black Monday” is the best day to take advantage of all that MeeGenius has to offer.
Welcome to the MeeGenius Blog!
November 17, 2010 — 1 Comment
At MeeGenius, we strive to create the most fun, engaging, entertaining and educational e-books for your children. With this blog, we hope to do the same thing but for you. We will be tackling some of the big issues that parents and educators face, from food to toys to technology to literacy, we hope to not only teach your children their ABC’s but to tackle all that is in between. If you have any ideas or thoughts, please consider this an open forum where a discussion can happen. We can’t wait to hear from readers and see what their thoughts are and what you want to read.
With that being said, this blog will also showcase some of the best of what MeeGenius has to offer. (Did you think we weren’t going to?) This week we are releasing our newest book, The Legend of Gelert. Every week, look forward to great books for your kids, or anyone who loves reading.
Looking forward to beginning this great blogging adventure. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
