ON THURSDAY’S I POST FROM THE VAULT. THIS POST IS FROM OCTOBER 2011.
Over the summer, HP asked if I would like to review their new TouchSmart desktop computer. My family quickly fell in love with it, and thanks to my refusal to send it back my enthusiasm about the product, HP let us keep it a little longer. I mentioned in my previous review that I’m a little bit Amish about kids and computers. Yep, I’m one of those moms who thinks that the next generation is having their brains sucked out by the video games. I’m not against technology in general, but I do try to limit most of my kids’ screen time to pursuits were there is at least some semblance of learning involved. I’ve been really blown away by how well the TouchSmart aligns with my value for education on the computer. 
Okay, we watch Ozomatli videos on it, too. What? We were going to a concert. Educational! A couple months in, and Starfall remains a favorite website for both me and my kids. I’ve really kept their choices paired down to sites that I feel maximize their learning potential, and I continue to be amazed at how well Starfall integrates with the TouchSmart. In this video you can see India using the TouchSmart to move around word puzzles. She could play this all day. Even though she is still in preschool, she is sounding out words and beginning to read, and I really do credit this combo.
