You may have heard the rumors: Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort are no longer offering Fast Passes and we’re here to tell you: it’s true. But while the free service won’t be offered anymore, Disney is not leaving us hanging!

Coming this fall you’ll be able to access the new Disney Genie service! The digital service not only helps you create a fun-filled itinerary but it’s also complimentary (please, and thank you). Keep scrolling to find out all the details!

Disney’s video covered a ton of important details so let’s break it down. First, Disney Genie fits right into the My Disney Experience and Disneyland apps so you don’t need yet another app on your already cluttered phone. You’ll be able to indicate your must-ride attractions, fave food and interests that include your can’t miss character experiences.

Once you load in your deets, Disney Genie will help guide your day by suggesting ideal times to head to attractions, when to get on restaurant waiting lists and wait times. It will also adjust throughout the day as crowds ebb and flow. No more walking across the entire park to find out the princesses have gone on a lunch break!

photo: Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort

If you are still craving that front-of-the-line experience, guests will have the option to use the Disney Genie+ service and make up to two individual attraction selections to skip the line. Both of these are paid options.

Disney Genie+ service will be priced at $15 per ticket per day at Walt Disney World Resort and $20 per ticket per day at Disneyland Resort. This service gives you the chance to pick the next available time to arrive at certain attractions and experiences by using the Lightning Lane entrance. Like the old Max Pass, guests can only make one selection at a time, throughout the day. Additionally, you’ll also be able to access Disney parks-themed audio experiences and photo features like augmented reality lenses (Walt Disney World only) and unlimited Disney PhotoPass downloads from your day at Disneyland Resort.

For attractions not included in Disney Genie+ service, park goers will be able to schedule a time to arrive at up to two super popular = attractions each day using the Lightning Lane entrance. Depending on the park, attraction and day, the price will fluctuate for this service.

For more details on Disney Genie, visit DisneyWorld.com/DisneyGenie and Disneyland.com/DisneyGenie and stay tuned for the official launch date this fall.

––Karly Wood

Feature photo: Disney Parks Blog

 

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Mownika Chawla

Mownika Chawla was born in India, but shortly after her birth, her family relocated to Texas. She stayed connected to her Indian heritage while in TX, and after her first child was born, HAVA was created.

Growing up in Texas as an Indian-American wasn’t easy. I wasn’t surrounded by people that looked like me, that ate the foods we ate at our dining table and I didn’t see other moms that dressed like mine. I often found myself very self-conscious of being so different and ultimately, that feeling impacted the way I saw myself and the world around me. These were the experiences I reflected on when I became a mother. I wanted to make sure my kids were surrounded by the tools and resources that would help them embrace their unique identity as well as learn to appreciate the differences they saw in others.

The most rapid brain development occurs in the first five years of a child’s life, and especially in the first three. During this time, teaching children about cultures and communities other than their own, encourages curiosity and helps develop empathy. When we teach children to see themselves as citizens of the world, we are doing our part in raising a stronger generation with greater respect and openness towards one another with a hope that as they grow, they see themselves bound together as a global community.

Since it’s not always possible to take kids out into the world to experience every community first hand, we rely on tools to bring the world to them. Different cultures can be explored through the clothes we wear, the foods we eat, the books we read, the languages we speak and even by way of observing our own and new traditions. We are living in an unprecedented time of conscious parenting and because of that, there are more resources available than ever before to support our parenting to us in doing so.


1

Mila Dress - Indian Garden

Organic Cotton Dress

$39.95

Featuring a wrap silhouette, this timeless, pint-size Mila day to night dress is as versatile as it is adorable. This organic dress is bound to be a favorite for moms and their littles.

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2

Kai Vest - Jungle

Organic Cotton Vest

$39

Inspired by full-grown formal wear, scaled down for little Saturday adventures and family gatherings alike.This GOTS certified organic vest is a wonderful way to brighten up your child's wardrobe.

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3

Our Favorite Day of the Year

Book about holidays and traditions

$16.55

In this charming story of friendship and celebrating differences, young readers can discover how entering a new friendship with an open mind and sharing parts of yourself brings people together. And the calendar of holidays at the end of the book will delight children as they identify special events they can celebrate with friends throughout the year

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4

This is Our World

Discover the world

$14.26

This Is Our World, written by Tracey Turner, is a colorful celebration of our planet’s cultural and environmental diversity―an unforgettable journey that brings the people, customs, and wildlife of 20 places around the world vividly to life for young readers. Our guides are children who tell us about the animals, plants, and weather that they encounter; the feasts and festivals they enjoy; and the clothes they wear, the way they learn, the languages they speak, and the sports and games they play

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5

Sandwiches and Samosas

Food can bring us together

$19.95

Absolutely EVERYONE brings sandwiches for lunch. No matter how much they love their home-cooked Indian food, Neeva and Nimi couldn't possibly pack something different in their lunchboxes . . . or could they? In this yummy tale of food around the world, one group of friends finds out how delicious diverse food can be! Food is a fun way to introduce different cultures to your child. Check out @thechutneylife and @lovelaughmirch on Instagram for delicious recipes for the whole family!

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6

Habbi Habbi

Bilingual learning

$109

Hearing languages spoken by a native speaker is invaluable in creating a foundation for our littles. This starter set is the perfect entry into Habbi Habbi's world of bilingual learning, offering a mix of Word, Phrase and Sentence books from their collection. Every inch of their books is tappable, bringing each page to life with sound and music. Language learning has never been so playful and fun! We use the Spanish starter set with our 7-month-old and 3-year-old and they both love it!

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7

Eyes That Kiss in the Corners

Journey of self empowerment

$16.55

A young Asian girl notices that her eyes look different from her peers'. They have big, round eyes and long lashes. She realizes that her eyes are like her mother's, her grandmother's, and her little sister's. They have eyes that kiss in the corners and glow like warm tea, crinkle into crescent moons, and are filled with stories of the past and hope for the future. Drawing from the strength of these powerful women in her life, she recognizes her own beauty and discovers a path to self-love and empowerment. This powerful, poetic picture book will resonate with readers of all ages For more wonderful book and activity recommendations check out @shelvesofcolor on Instagram.

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8

Miniland Family Diversity Blocks

Explore different types of families

$35

Handling the game blocks facilitates the knowledge of the different family models that exist today. The game encourages respect for diversity through the verbalization of the different types of families.

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9

InKidz Australia Day Box

Learn about Australia Day

$49

Discover fun-filled games that Australians play on Australia Day with their family and friends. Explore a different dialect and learn new and unique words from Australia. Build early language skills, geographical awareness, and promote global understanding with these teaching tools in our box!

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10

Shifu Orboot

Explore the world

$54.99

Orboot Globe + app takes your child on an augmented reality based journey around the world. Fun. Interactive. Educational. Learn Geography, History, Environmental Science, and more. Theres so much to learn with this globe, you'll be learning along side your child!

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No one is more excited that theme parks are reopening than the Disney gang! In a fun new partnership, Snapchat is pairing up with the Disney PhotoPass Service to bring fans some amazing augmented reality experiences.

The next time you log into Snapchat, check out the new Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse Lenses! The mice will appear next to you, interact and even share a hug.

Snag the new lenses over on the Disney PhotoPass Snapchat profile, and enjoy at home until Jun. 3. After that, they’ll only be available in the Snapchat app while at Walt Disney World Resort.

 

Snapchat and Disney are also working on even more photo experiences surrounding the 50th anniversary of the the Walt Disney World Resort. Guest can use the My Disney Experience app to add their fave Disney PhotoPass image and add it to Cinderella’s Castle with augmented reality. When you look through your camera lens, you’ll be able to see tons of special moments shared by fellow parkgoers.

Check back on the Disney Parks B/log for more fun Snapchat news in the future!

––Karly Wood

Feature photo: Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog

 

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You made it through the school day, dinner, baths, and now it’s time…to brush! AHHHHHH! Getting kids to brush their teeth can be a nightmare, but it doesn’t have to be. While kids may not love brushing their teeth, there is no doubt they love games. That is why we love Colgate’s hum Kids toothbrush and its partner app that turns oral hygiene into an irresistible augmented reality game. Read on to learn more so your family can brush on while you keep calm.

 

For a limited time only, use code rthumkids for 20% off your hum Kids purchase!

What Is hum?

Designed for ages 5-10, hum Kids is a refillable manual toothbrush that, through the magic of its free partner app, turns the mundane routine of toothbrushing into cool games via creative and colorful augmented reality. Kids will be pumped to brush and play, defeating “cavity monsters” by brushing them away as they hop around teeth—now they’re hitting all the brushing zones that make for a healthy mouth! (And you’ll be pumped to see them excited about brushing their teeth.)

Good brushing habits mean collecting points and unlocking cool filters and masks that keep them coming back for more. Top secret: With the help of the app, your kid is actually learning how to be an excellent brusher (less money at the dentist for you!), and you can keep track of their progress in the parental dashboard—genius! It even tells you which spots they need to focus on and how to help them improve their brushing.

Everything about hum Kids was made to be kid-friendly, from the bright colors (it comes in yellow and coral) to the thumb grip made specifically for little hands!

For a limited time only, use code rthumkids for 20% off your hum Kids purchase!

What We Love About It

Technology like no other: Never before has brushing been educational through smart AI and fun! No more fights, no more dreaded bedtime struggle. Not only does hum Kids take that stress away, but you can also be confident that your kids are learning a crucial life skill that will keep them healthy throughout their lives—what toothbrush could ever say that before?! Utilizing interactive technology, accessed easily from your smartphone or tablet, your family can now enjoy “Fun Now. Better Brushing Forever.” We couldn’t have put it better ourselves!

 

For a limited time only, use code rthumkids for 20% off your hum purchase!

 

 

—Jamie Aderski

The last few weeks the world has been buzzing with excitement over the Mars landing. Now, National Geographic wants to take everyone on a trip to the red planet.

In collaboration with NASA, National Geographic has just launched an exclusive augmented reality (AR) experience on its @natgeo Instagram. The AR activation gives users an opportunity to be the Perseverance rover with its 360 degree look.

To access the new AR feature, head to Instagram and click on the link in NatGeo’s bio. Your stories will open up with the brand new filter as an option.

With the new activation, families can operate the rovers extremities and see Mars through its eyes. National Geographic collaborated with NASA on the Mars AR activation to ensure accuracy through the experience.

photo: Rawpixel

Can’t get enough of Mars? You’ll want to pick up National Geographic’s March issue, which explores the red planet as well as visit the immersive experience available online at the National Geographic space hub, natgeo.com/space

––Karly Wood

 

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You don’t have to venture outside your house to take a trip to the museum––turn your living room in a prehistoric playland!  With the new Museum Alive app, David Attenborough will take your family back in time using the latest Unity AR technology.

Now you can use your iPhone to do more than scroll through IG or post pics of your kiddos on Facebook. If you have an iPhone 8 or up and use iOS 13 or iOS 14, you can blast into the past.

The Museum Alive app is a continuation of Attenborough’s BAFTA-winning Museum Alive film. Using AR (augmented reality) and spatial audio technology, the app magically transports users into a prehistoric experience.

Choose one of three photorealistic fossils to explore: A 300 million-year-old five-eyed fish-like Opabinia, a flying Diamorphodon dinosaur or the sabre-toothed Smildon. Use your phone’s camera to see the world through the eyes of your chosen prehistoric creature and learn about prehistoric life.

Creative and Technical Lead at Museum Alive production studio Alchemy Immersive, Elliot Graves, said in a press release, “We’re so proud to launch an app that can genuinely contribute to educating and inspiring children using immersive technologies. At a time when so many children are disengaged with learning, we really hope the excitement of bringing fossils to life in the home will provide a novel experience that showcases the potential of immersive story-telling within education.”

Graves continued, “We are particularly proud of the app’s visual quality and our distinctive approach to 3D menu design. Above all, though, David Attenborough’s captivating stories bring an infectious liveliness to this immersive experience that instantly makes it cinematic. You just won’t forget what it’s like to have a Sabre-tooth tiger prowl across your floor before pouncing on its prey – and we can’t wait to share what it’s like.”

Of the original 3D Natural History Museum Alive film and experience, Attenborough said, “It’s really exciting to take these stories and bring them to a new young audience via a digital platform which allows you to explore these extraordinary extinct creatures in a way people have never been able to before. I hope that it will make people think about these extinct creatures differently.”

Find Alchemy Immersive’s Museum Alive app in the App Store here!

—Erica Loop

Photos courtesy of Alchemy Immersive

 

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It was only a month ago that The LEGO Group and Universal Music Group (UMG) announced an exciting new product: LEGO VIDIYO. Now, the brands are revealing even more details, including the first range of minifigs!

LEGO VIDIYO, a unique music video maker experience, is the perfect outlet for kids to express themselves creatively through music and play. The app uses a collection of BeatBoxes, Bandmates, BeatBits and augmented reality for endless combinations of kid-created music videos.

First in the lineup of products are BeatBoxes. To start, LEGO has launched six unique portable BeatBoxes that each hold a minifigure that coincides with a specific music genre, a scanning-stage, two special BeatBits and 14 random BeatBits.

Each BeatBox can hold up to 16 BeatBits and comes with a building plate that can be customized with LEGO tiles. The first six sets include:

  • 43102 ‘Candy Pop’ in the Candy Mermaid BeatBox (Pop)
  • 43103 ‘Pirate Punk’ in the Punk Pirate Beatbox (Punk)
  • 43104 ‘Alien DJ’ in the Extra Terrestrial Dance Music BeatBox (ETDM)
  • 43105 ‘Party Llama’ in the Party Llama BeatBox (Tropicon)
  • 43106 ‘Unicorn DJ’ in the Unicorn DJ BeatBox (K-pawp)
  • 43107 ‘Robot Break-dancer’ in the HipHop Robot BeatBox (HipHop)

You can also shop 12 Bandmates in a range of Mystery-Boxes! Each one comes with one special BeatBit and two random BeatBits. Bandmates can be added to your VIDIYO band and include:

  • 43101 Bandmates: Red Panda Dancer; Cotton Candy Cheerleader; Shark Singer; Bunny Dancer; Discowboy Singer; Genie Dancer; Samurapper; DJ Cheetah; Ice Cream Saxophonist; Alien Keytarist; Banshee Singer; Werewolf Drummer

So what are BeatBits? They are 2×2 tiles that resemble album covers and bring an endless combination of audio and visual effects to your video making experience. Amp up your music video by scanning the BeatBits and change up your dance movies, background, effects and more. For the first year, there will be 130 BeatBits to collect and use.

When it comes to adding the tunes to your experience, you will have around 30 songs to choose from UMG’s global artists. Select from chart toppers, classics and your fave dance numbers from within the app, then seamlessly add to your video. The best part? Each song has been programmed to work perfectly with all the BeatBits!

You’ll need the LEGO VIDIYO app to get started creating videos. Head to the LEGO website to access options for both Android and Apple, and download it for free.

Once kids are in the app, they can choose the music, scan their LEGO minifigs and BeatBits and then bring them to life. From clothing, band names and album covers, each step is fully customizable and can result in a 60 second video. With over 1,400 unlockable elements, there is no end to your kids creativity.

Last but not least UMG label, Astralwerks, announced the signing of a new artist: a live action, human version of the DJ Llama minifigure from the Tropicon BeatBox. L.L.A.M.A is not tied to any one type of music genre and his debut single “Shake” will be released on Fri. Feb. 19. It features three-time GRAMMY winner NE-YO and Carmen DeLeon.

LEGO VIDIYO products launch on Mar. 1 on lego.com and at LEGO retailers. BeatBoxes will retail for $19.99 and Collectible Bandmates for $4.99 each.

––Karly Wood

All photos: Courtesy of LEGO

 

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Forget about boring bushing! Colgate wants to make dental care fun. If your kiddos won’t brush or don’t know how to brush properly, the new hum kids by Colgate toothbrush combines dental health with augmented reality excitement.

The hum kids toothbrush syncs up to an app, turning it into an imaginative AR device. Every time your kiddo brushes, they can earn rewards, play games, and unlock new gaming levels—but that’s not all.

A colorful AR experience will guide your child through their brushing routine, using animated germs to help them care for their teeth correctly. The hum kids also comes with a parents-only dashboard. This means you can silently check-up on how often, how long, and how well your littles brush.

Bill Van de Graaf, Vice President, Marketing North America for Colgate, said, “We first introduced our hum by Colgate smart connected electric toothbrush for adults last summer that personalizes, coaches and rewards people every day when they brush their teeth.” Van de Graaf added, “hum kids also features smart connected technology that’s proven to build lifelong brushing habits, making better brushing with hum easy, fun and accessible for the whole family.”

The hum kids is a manual, replaceable smart brush that comes in yellow or coral. It features an ergonomic handle, extra-soft bristles, and a tongue cleaner. Pick up a starter kit for $14.99 at Target, Amazon, or from other retailers nationwide. After the kids wear the bristles down, you can replace the brush with a two-count pack ($3.99).

—Erica Loop

photos: Courtesy of PRNewswire

 

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Extra, extra––read all about it! The LEGO Group and Universal Music Group (UMG) have teamed up for their first collaboration and it’s bringing the brickmaker and global industry leader in music together in a special way.

Introducing LEGO VIDIYO, “a playful and innovative music video maker experience designed to celebrate and expand children’s creativity and passion for music.” The new app lets kids dream up, direct, produce, star and share their own music videos using tunes from UMG’s chart topping artists.

Perfect for kids ages seven to 10, LEGO VIDIYO offers a safe space for them to “travel” the world and experiment with music. The app brings new technology with the LEGO System in Play and pairs it with music from all over the world so kiddos can creatively express themselves.

LEGO VIDIYO requires verified parental consent and external moderation of all content shared to the App feed for ultimate parent confidence.

The new app is packed with music, augmented reality, minifigures and other iconic LEGO elements. Kids have tons of editing options which can be unlocked through “Beat Bits,” a special effect.

To get started, download the free app (which will be available for Android and Apple users starting Feb. 16) and then young creators will choose a song. Next, create a band from new minifigs which can be customized and brought to life using AR technology.

Let LEGO VIDIYO scan your location in just three seconds and you’ve got the perfect background. Next, get those “Beat Bits” going–– 2×2 square LEGO elements that unlock digital effects when scanned. Options for special effects include audio effects, confetti showers and even surfing on a shark!

Record up to a 60 second performance then trim down to your liking before uploading to the App feed. Kids videos will undergo moderation with the caveat that any content featuring personally-identifiable information won’t be approved for App feed upload. However, these videos can be stored in-App and shared with fam and friends.

To keep it fresh, LEGO VIDIYO will add new music, challenges, and inspirational content often. Keep an eye out––you can start getting your hands on the new products in most countries starting Mar. 1.

––Karly Wood

All photos: Courtesy of LEGO

 

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