21 Uses for a Digital Voice Recorder

 I remember recording songs on my clunky cassette recorder as they came on the radio so many years ago. Digital voice recorders are today's version of a retro cassette recorder. Thin and portable, these little gadgets provide a lot of creative options: 

1. A parent can record a bed-time story to be replayed when they are out of town
2. Record children's laughter, voices, creative language, their poetry, their stories
3. Together with your child, write, practice and record a "radio" commercial
4. Make instructions for pre-readers, such as home school lessons or recipes
5. Conduct interviews for school, your blog, etc
6. WIth your kids, interview people doing interesting jobs (i.e. vet, pastry maker, painter)
7. Capture your dreams before you open your eyes and they drift away
8. Record an older family member recounting family history or an event
9. An older child can record a book or song for a younger child
10. Practice a speech or description of something complex
11. Brainstorm without typing or writing
12. Record sounds from your travels ~ waves, waterfalls, ferry boat announcers, bus doors opening, subway trains, birds, roller coasters, coins dropping into machines, people speaking other languages
13. Record the sounds of every day life
14. Record your kids' description of their own artwork
15. Describe step-by-step instructions, and ask your kids to do it "exactly" as you said (i.e. make a peanut butter & jam sandwich). Especially fun when you forget a step!
16. Make a basic podcast
17. Record books for sites like Librivox or Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic
18. Upload and organize voice files (no more fast forwarding and rewinding to desperately find a section)
19. Add voice files to your digital scrapbook pages, or include voice files on CD in a scrapbook pocket
20. If you create stories for your children, document your ideas for plot twists and keep track of characters
21. Record stories as you invent them; enjoy them again or type and print at sites like lulu.com

Of course, check out the legality of your recording endeavors, so you don't wind up in any trouble.