After a Major Scheduling Mishap, I Tried Fixing My Life With a Digital Display Calendar
This past Christmas, I gifted my partner front-row tickets to see his favorite vocalist. I bought them months in advance, and the show wasn't until May, a full five months after the holidays. Normally, big events like this go onto our shared calendar alongside appointments, work trips and everything else competing for our attention.
Somehow, the concert slipped through the cracks. When May rolled around, we were convinced the show was the last week of the month. Why didn't we just check the tickets on our phones? Well, I opted for physical tickets over e-tickets because, you know, they make for better gifting. In hindsight, that decision wasn't the best.
Still, the bigger mistake was not putting the concert on the calendar immediately. We didn't realize our error until the day after the show, when a friend texted to ask how the show was. That's when the horrifying math kicked in: We were off by a week. We had completely missed it. And there was nothing we could do about it.
After that, everything—and I mean everything —went on our shared calendar. I also started looking into digital display calendars. I'd considered the ultra-popular Skylight , but after some research, the Hearth Display seemed better suited to families juggling multiple schedules. Plus, the screen is huge, which means there's no excuse for missing something now (hopefully).
I bought the Hearth earlier this year, and after a couple of months of use, here's how it's been working for my family.
MARY HENN FOR TASTE OF HOME
I'm Obsessed
Hearth Display
A touchscreen digital display calendar that's perfect for families with young kids.
Hanging and Setting Up the Hearth
The Hearth arrived at my doorstep in a large box, and setting it up was quick and painless thanks to the included mounting hardware. After removing the screen, hardware, power cord and wall mount from the box, I centered the mount on my wall and used the built-in level to make sure it was straight. And after marking where to drill, I inserted the anchors and secured the mount using the included screws. I then routed the power cord through the mount before sliding the display into place, where it automatically connected and powered on.
From there, I scanned the QR code to begin setup, connected the Hearth to Wi-Fi and downloaded the companion app. The process was straightforward, though I was prompted to sign up for a Family Membership and enter payment information before completing setup. The subscription includes a one-month free trial, and you can cancel at any time. While you can use the calendar without a membership, the free version lacks many of the premium features.
One note regarding the physical setup of the touchscreen display: no cord cover is included. The mount has a holder you can wrap excess cord around, but it doesn't hide the rest of the cord between the display and the outlet. The Hearth also has a camera at the top of the screen, but it's not currently used for anything. I keep the lens covered with the included privacy shutter.
Bringing All Your Calendars Together
Within the app, I created an account and connected the Hearth to a Google account. Although it can import nearly any calendar using a public link, Hearth seems to work best with Google Calendar, which allows you to add, edit and manage events directly from both the Google Calendar app and the Hearth Display. Of course, you can add, edit and delete events using the Hearth app, too. Calendars connected through a public iCal link, by comparison, appear to be view-only.
I then invited my partner to join our family so he could access the shared calendar and add his own events. Hearth lets you create profiles for each family member with designated colors, names and photos, so it wasn't long before we replaced the default dinosaur avatars with hilarious selfies.
Once our profiles were set up, I started importing appointments and events from our existing calendars. Because my Google Calendar and Apple Calendar were already synced, events from both appeared seamlessly in Hearth. Connecting a Gmail account also automatically creates a dedicated Hearth Calendar that you can use to add new events. While you can add events directly on the display, I found the companion app to be the more convenient option most of the time, especially when you're adding to your schedule away from home.
More Than Just a Family Calendar
Once everything was imported, I explored large touchscreen calendar's five main features: Calendar, Meals, Lists, Routines and Rewards. The calendar can be viewed by day, week, month or agenda. You can create meal plans, build shared grocery lists and save recipes in the Recipe Vault. Shared to-do lists allow you to assign tasks to family members, while Routines and Rewards help build consistent habits through customizable chore charts and incentives.
From brushing teeth and taking baths to reading books and taking naps, you can create nearly unlimited recurring tasks. Tasks can be assigned to individual family members or left open for anyone to complete, encouraging teamwork around the house. Once someone finishes a task, they simply mark it complete to earn stars.
This is where it gets fun, especially for young kids. Each task can be assigned a custom star value, and family members can redeem the stars they earn for rewards that you define. Both the point values and rewards are fully customizable, making it easy to tailor the system to your family's routines, wants and interests (think movie night or ice cream).
You can even program kid-friendly visual cues to remind little ones to stay on track. When they click the "done" button under a task, confetti sprinkles across the screen. If you're looking for a smart display geared toward families with kids, this is certainly one of the draws.
Side note: I think it would be neat if you could connect with other voice assistants from smart home hubs like Google and Alexa. But if you have your Google calendar synced as I do, you can use existing voice command tech to add events to your Google Calendar, and they will appear on the Hearth.
Easy to Maintain
So far, the Hearth has required very little maintenance. Because it mounts to the wall, it stays relatively clean and is less likely to collect food debris or moisture than a countertop display. Software updates install automatically, so there's no need to keep the system up to date manually.
Like most smart calendar displays, the Hearth must remain plugged into an electrical outlet at all times. I do wish it included cord covers for a cleaner installation, but I was able to purchase those separately.
A Stylish Hub for the Whole Family
My original plan was to connect my Apple Calendar (iCal) to Hearth, so I was initially a little disappointed to discover that imported iCal calendars are view-only. I wouldn't be able to add, edit or delete events directly from the Hearth this way.
I quickly realized Google Calendar offered much deeper integration, so I synced my Apple Calendar with Google Calendar and connected my Gmail instead. Once I did that, all my calendars appeared in Hearth with full editing capabilities—a worthwhile, simple workaround.
I love the display's generous screen size (15.5 x 26.7 inches), along with its light wood frame and clean white matting, which give it the appearance of framed artwork rather than a typical smart screen display. The anti-glare screen does an excellent job of minimizing reflections, and I love that I can rotate up to 20 personal photos when the display is idle, which means it functions much like a digital photo frame in addition to a display calendar. This is nice when people are over, and you don't want them to see all your family's tasks, chores and events. Plus, I've genuinely been surprised by how vibrant and lifelike the images look in the frame.
The display also includes a subtle clock and date in the upper-right corner, along with a weather widget in the upper-left. At first, when I'd get up close to the screen, I'd notice the text wasn't quite as crisp as I expected and appeared slightly soft. Over time, I stopped noticing it, but I'm still not sure whether it's a result of the matte, anti-glare coating or the display itself.
Overall, I've really been enjoying the system, and I love having a hub that centralizes everyone's routines and responsibilities. It makes it incredibly easy to see everyone's schedules at a glance, assign and complete daily tasks, and keep the entire household organized. I haven't fully incorporated the meal-planning tools into our routine yet, but I can already see them becoming one of my favorite features, especially since I rely on visual grocery lists and saved recipes when planning meals.
Where to Buy
MARY HENN FOR TASTE OF HOME
I'm Obsessed
Hearth Display
A 27-inch digital display calendar with a built-in rewards system for families with kids.
If you've been considering a touchscreen digital calendar for your daily routine, it's worth comparing your options to find the best fit for your family.
We've been loving our Hearth Display , and while I was skeptical of the $699 price tag at first, it's quickly become something we use every day. I also love that when it's not in use, it doubles as a beautiful, high-quality framed display for our family photos.
If you want to shop the Hearth Display , you can find it directly through Hearth or on Amazon . Pro tip: you can almost always find it discounted when you shop directly from Hearth.
