Julianne Moore Talks Apps and Hiking in Los Angeles

Freckleface Strawberry 'Dreamtime Playtime' app

When actress Julianne Moore isn't starring in movies like the upcoming Mockingjay in The Hunger Games franchise, she's creating an entertaining and ultra kid-friendly world with her Freckleface Strawberry book and app series.

CC has read each of the three Freckleface Strawberry books countless times with us and with my mother-in-law, and she went crazy making monsters with Moore's first monster-making app. (Let's just say the voices are amazing!)

Well, Ms. Moore—who's also mom to 11-year-old Liv and 16-year-old Caleb—has a new app that's available for kiddos—Dreamtime Playtime, which really focuses on basic math skills for kids. Yes, the monster is still there, but this time he's helping little ones sort, count, all while having fun at the same time.

Moore chatted with me about her new app, which hit iTunes this month. She also gave me the lowdown on her favorite places to visit in Los Angeles, when she's here. And her favorite memory from when her own kiddos were 7 (like Freckleface Strawberry—and CC, too)? Read on to find out!

Congrats on the new app! This one is a lot more learning-focused. What inspired that decision after your first Freckleface Strawberry monster-making app?

I wanted [Freckleface Strawberry] to be a regular girl and very relatable and educational too—not sort of “hit you over the head” educational, because that can be grim for kids, but something that’s just fun.

The voices are so fun, especially the noises the monster makes when he eats the coins.

Those noises are me! I recorded those. My daughter is the voice of Freckleface Strawberry, and I do the monster.

There's a big push these days to encourage girls to stick with math. Your app really touches on that. Is that something that’s important to you, especially since you have a daughter?

I just think education is important in general, and I think for girls. Anything you can do to encourage them—all kids, honestly. That’s why I wanted to fold in an educational component into these apps. And they’re in the stories, as well.

You've just secured a five-book deal with Random House. Where will Freckleface Strawberry go from here?

We’re bringing her into early readers, which is really exciting for me, because those are the books where you’re reaching kids directly because often they’re in the classroom. There will be a lot more stories about her and her experience at school and her friends. There will be more picture books, too.

Where do you like to take your kids in L.A.? Is there a meaningful spot here for you and your family?

I love to hike—that’s one of my favorite things to do in L.A. The fact that you can have these amazing hiking experiences in an urban environment is amazing. So I would go to Temescal, if we’re staying on the Westside. And if we’re in Hollywood, I go to (Fryman Canyon). My kids love Santa Monica, too, and they love to go to the Pier, even though it’s not my favorite place. They love it. We like to go to Venice and get fake tattoos. My kids think L.A. is paradise.

Freckleface Strawberry is 7 and reflects you as a kid. Do you have a favorite memory from when your kids were 7?

It might be all the tooth-losing. My kids, they both lost their front teeth when they were 7. It’s when they start to leave babyhood in an interesting way. They start leaning out and stuff. I have an 11-year-old and a 16-year-old, so I’m like, 'What happened at 7?' It’s all good. All of it is just great.

(Photo credit: The Hunger Games wiki)