Strollerderby : creativity

Slip Into Something Comfy With Franny's Feet

JeanneSager — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:01:00 GMT

Her feet were made for walking right out of the TV screen and into kid's hearts. Now Franny's Feet's on DVD, a celebration of the first season of the PBS Kids show here in America.

Babble gives you a look-see at which episodes made the Franny's Feet DVD cut and why it's worth walking over to the store to pick them up for your kids:

Taking the phrase "take a walk in his shoes" literally, Franny's Feet sends chubby-cheeked Franny on an adventure around the globe every time she slips her tootsies in the latest pair of shoes dropped at her grandfather's cobbler shop. Suspend the ick factor of actually wearing someone else's shoes (which, not surprisingly, doesn't seem to bother kids on iota), and you've got the makings of an imagination generator for off-screen too.

The show itself is short - episodes are broken into eleven-minute-long segments to contend with the attention span of the four-to-seven-year-old target range. Creators make up for it with content. On the new Princess Franny! DVD, six episodes from the season integrate learning about a new part of the world with lessons on shapes, manners and other kid necessities. In that sense, it's your basic PBS fare - heavy on the values and ultra kid-friendly. Franny has an inordinately large head and strange body, but if that's the worst of her faults, I can take it.

The question is - where are your kids' feet going to take them today?

Image: Amazon

This Guy Says the Credit Crunch is Good For Families

JeanneSager — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:30:00 GMT

If you're one of those "there's always a silver lining" people, this story's for you.

The author of a new parenting book says the credit crunch is a GOOD thing for families.

Idle Parent author Tom Hodgkinson told the Daily Telegraph that as two hard-working parents has become the norm, family playtime has gone out the window - and with it, creativity. With the credit crunch, parents losing jobs and parents cutting back on the "extras," Hodgkinson said they have a chance to re-examine their lives and become creative again.

"If you can reduce your outgoings, you reduce your dependence on your wages, you don't need to work so hard. And you start to become creative. It happened in my own life – we had our own economic collapse at home a few years ago, and it was actually quite joyful and fun. We spent more time at home and less time working," Hodgkinson told the Telegraph.

Bless his socialist heart, I'd like to agree with him. After all, playtime IS good for kids. So is downtime. And we all know money can't buy happiness.

But economic collapse = joyful and fun? Er, no. Just no.

Spending more time at home with the kids when there is money to pay the mortgage can be quite joyful. Spending more time at home with the kids because you've lost your job and you have no idea whether you'll be able to buy milk and bread this week is not fun. It's stressful. It's disheartening. It's bad for families.

I agree parents need to step back and prioritize essentials versus wants - even in good economic times. The idea that kids need seventeen different Elmo dolls is ludicrous. That's where families should take a good, long and hard look at creativity and what playtime means for their family.

The trouble with Hodgkinson's statements is that they criticize parents not so much for material overload but for working. For getting out of the house. For taking a step forward. He's taking the argument lobbed at working mothers for years and throwing it at both parents. You work, so therefore you neglect your children's needs.

I'm sorry, maybe some families are enjoying their forced days off because it gives them more time to dream up architectural plans for their cardboard dwellings with the kids. I'm just glad to have a job.

Image: Telegraph

Ten-Year-Old Graffiti Artist Captures London Art Scene

JeanneSager — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:31:00 GMT

This story made me feel really old. Not because the graffiti artist wowing London art critics is only ten (OK, that's part of it).

I feel old because I got that stern mommy frown until I saw the spots where the British tween is spray-painting on streets are all perfectly legal.

Drawing comparisons to Banksy, the world's most famous - and anonymous - graffiti artist, Solveig sat for photos and a quick interview with the London Daily Telegraph. The resulting picture gallery is amazing - the only sign this might be a little girl's work are the markings at the edge of each piece denoting "Sol's" age when she painted them. Like the best graffiti artists, she's mastered huge canvasses (if you've never tried painting, trust me, bigger is not always better - it's just harder), and she's not afraid to use bold colors and tell a story.

Besides her artistic talents, the little girl has a precocious sense of humor - beside a giant rendering of breakfast, featuring the letters S-O-L as eggs, bacon and toast, she scrawled "bite me." Shocked? She was nine when she made that piece. Nine.

Who else is feeling old?

Image: Telegraph - click here for more pictures from them, here for pictures from Solveig herself

Will Toy Tie-Ins Destroy Sid the Science Kid?

JeanneSager — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:03:00 GMT

I'm not sure how to take the announcement that HASBRO has gotten the contract to start filling the shelves with Sid the Science Kid toys.

Happy my little scientist can cuddle her own bouncing blue-haired, sweet snub-nosed kid? Or sad that I have to be that much more careful opening the Sunday paper, lest she get hold of the circulars and find an advertisement for the latest Sid the Science Kid toy?

It would be hypocritical to say I'm above the toy tie-in tug. Heavens knows how many Sesame Street balls, cars and stuffed friends are bouncing around this house. Not to mention the Dora pajamas the Yertle the Turtle puzzle, the Bob the Builder coloring books. The latter two are even inherently educational - giving me a bit of moral high ground on the issue - but I'm still not going to claim to have stood my ground on the commercialization of childhood.

Still, I groan everytime my daughter learns there's a toy tie-in to one of her favorite shows. She'd been watching Handy Manny for two solid years without every requesting anything Manny . . . until someone (my brother maybe?) gave her the toy book from the Thanksgiving paper. She literally ran from family member to family member as fast as three year old legs could carry her, shouting, "Handy Manny, what I always wanted. Handy Manny!" She didn't care WHAT Handy Manny toy she got, as long as she found Handy Manny under the Christmas tree. Bless my in-laws, they found one packed with all his tools so we could at least put her through her paces on learning the difference between a wrench, a hammer and a saw.

We don't buy every toy that hits the market, and we wouldn't even if we could afford to. But so many of those that infiltrate our house - gifts usually - come in because of that tie-in to a beloved character, and they sorely disappoint. What's the use of celebrating Dora if the doll speaks only English?

That's where the toy tie-in announcements bum me out as a parent. Are we going to be stuck with another hunk of junk that someone ends up gifting our kid's way, just because it has Sid/Dora/Pooh Bear/Uniqua/Cookie Monster. . . on it? Come on toy makers, do you have to do this to us?

With the promise that Sid the Science Kid has shown in getting my little scientist to think up big answers for his big question, I hold out hope that when they get the toys rolling, at least they respect the promise the show has made to parents. Their plucky little kindergarten provides entertainment that keeps kids thinking, and it's not half bad for parents either. It's not mind-numbing nonsense, so the toys should be more of the same.

Keep crossing your fingers - the first array of games and toys from HASBRO is expected to hit shelves this fall. The big question? Will we be stocking them under the tree come winter?

Image: PBS

Can Your Kid Doodle the Google Doodle?

JeanneSager — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 17:31:00 GMT

They've got down Noggin's doodle of the day, so can they doodle the Google doodle? And can you say that three times fast?

Google (yes, THE Google) opened up its second annual kids art contest this week to find the American school kid who will draw the logo rendition seen on the site's homepage.

With more than one hundred million daily site views, that means your kid could become an artist whose talents are appreciated by, well, one hundred million folks in one day.

The Doodle 4 Google contest is open to kids in kindergarten through twelfth grade (ages five through eighteen), and it's as open as their imaginations. The basic theme is "What I Wish for the World," which seems just right for a kid's contest - after all, their wishes are tomorrow's future (cue the cheesy music).

Last year's winner was Grace Moon, a middle schooler from Castro Valley, Calif. "My doodle, "Up in the Clouds," expresses a world in the sky," she told the judges. "This new world is clean and fresh, and people are social and enlightened. Every person here is treated as family no matter who they are. The bright sun heats this ideal place with warmth, love, and brightens everyone's day"

She earned the day's prime spot on the Doodle site plus a scholarship. This year, the national winner walks away with $15,000 for college, a trip Google's New York offices, a laptop and a t-shirt with their doodle. The kid's school will earn a $25,000 technology grant to be used in the school computer lab.

Another three national finalists will get the Google New York trip and laptop, plus their doodle on a Google tee, while the thirty-six regional winners get the tee and the trip (sorry, no computer). The company has added a District Quality Participation Prize of $10,000 for a school district that encourages "high quality participation." Also geared toward improving the school's technology, the grant must be used on the computer lab.

So whether your kid's a pint-sized Picasso or your school district just really, really needs the help, check out last year's winners (by age group) for some inspiration, then tell your kids to get doodling (registration is required by March 17, and the doodles have to be in by March 31).

Image: Google

Recess One Step Closer to NJ Lawbooks

JeanneSager — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:02:00 GMT

Remember when your parents’ friends peppered you with questions about school and you’d just had enough? When they asked what your favorite subject was, you finally shot them the smart-aleck answer, “recess.” Turn to 2008, and the No Child Left Untested Behind Act has slowly gotten its hooks into every kid’s favorite time of the school day. Recess is disappearing, but a set of New Jersey parents are fighting back.

Residents of Howell, N.J., have convinced the state’s assembly to put together a task force that will study whether a law is in order to protect a twenty-minute recess period in the school day. Their research shows only eight states have a mandate that kids get a free period at some point during the day; although New Jersey’s education department says it’s more common for schools to have recess than not - even without the mandate.

In light of Sunny’s post earlier this week about educators worried that the loss of playtime for kids is stealing their imaginations (and with it their ability to create and be innovative), shouldn’t states be more willing to make recess mandatory? ’ve heard arguments from teachers that there just isn’t enough time in the day for teaching, and they’d know better than I. But there is a point where kids brains become saturated, and they need a little time to relax. Lunchtime, with the regimented march to the cafeteria, the line-up to pay for hot lunch and the monitor watching their every bite and chew, doesn’t give a kid time to shake their sillies out. Some kids come back from recess rambunctious, but I’d bet it’s nothing compared to the sheer energy level zipping around their little bodies BEFORE the recess bell rings.

And what of the playground politics? The rites of passage? Even the bullying and cliques that - as parents - we’d like to see disappear are learning tools for our kids on their path to adulthood. I applaud the parents of Howell and the Trenton legislators for agreeing to take a look-see at protecting Red Rover, Red Rover and hopscotch.

Maybe they can all get together to celebrate with a game of kickball.

Image: Amazon

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Stuff Parents Dream About: Life Without Play-Doh

JeanneSager — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:39:00 GMT

It's sacreligious, I know, but sometimes I dream about life without Play-Doh. Yes, I know it's good for promoting their little creative minds. I know it's good for a half hour of keeping them out of your hair.

It still sucks.

I dream of the day I won't find a dried-out hunk of pink stuff wedged between the pillow and the cushion on the couch. I dream of flipping open the newest issue of New York and not finding the pages gooed together by an orange wad that - after carefully prying it from the pages without tearing them - will leave an oily stain behind that reminds me of the Victoria's Secret's smuggled into my kid brother's room.

Yes, like MLK, I too have a dream. It centers heavily on sweeping out the space beneath the dining room table and not having to crawl in with a putty knife to scrape hardened-on chunks of colored dough off of the floor. It's no great manifesto for the rights of all mankind, but I'm willing to start small.

I'll liberate the nursery school moms from the time spent swapping recipes for the homemade version. Not only do we buy the stuff, but to save absolutely no money and waste a lot of time, the masses huddle in suburban kitchens mixing and kneading and dyeing. And to thank us for our efforts, our kids mash our glorious creations into the heating register in the bathroom and fashion a hat for that cat that will require clippers to remove.

Excuse me, I just heard the timer. The glop's done boiling. Time to dye it bright pink for the princess.

More stuff parents dream about to come . . .

Image: Amazon

Part I: Why Parents of Girls Have it Better

Five Ways to Spot a Stalker Mom - So You Can Run

When They Can Curse in Context

Five Nonsense Kids Character Names Explained

How to Annoy Your Sister: Advertise on Craigslist

Mom Takes her Potty Mouth to Work

Awesome Photos Draw From Kid Art

Kelly Mills — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 22:03:00 GMT

One of my favorite things about the internet, aside from the easy availability of porn, is seeing how amazingly creative people are out there in the big wide world. I've found some of my favorite art ever this side of the Louvre by browsing through people's sites. And currently I'm very enamoured with Yeeondo Jung, who takes inspiration from children's drawings.

Jung stages photographs based on kid art, and the results are clever and wonderful. Bright colors and a faithful recreation of the shapes and textures in the original drawings make these pictures cartoonish and sweet and strangely touching. Check out my favorites, like "Modern Wedding" and "Rabbit Family Hopping Around". Good times!

What Your Kids Can Make From Legos

Karen Murphy — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 20:41:00 GMT

I remember being so excited when my first-born was old enough finally to play with Legos, because it meant that I was going to get to play too! My kids now are into Legos, but with them it's more the Star Wars variety with those annoying little mini-figs and the light sabers that keep getting lost or stepped on. You know what I'm talking about.

So running across this little tidbit about an 8-foot Lego man being found bobbing about at the Dutch seaside made me wonder what else has been made from Legos. You know, to give my kids some motivation. It turns out, quite a few interesting things:

A full-sized Volvo XC90 (I would have made a different car choice, but hey, Legos and Volvos are both Swedish).
A working harpsichord.
A functional knitting machine.
An air conditioner! That works!
A working pinball machine (too bad the ball couldn't be made from Legos too).

As Kelly pointed out recently, a simple search can reveal LOTS of, uh, interesting stuff made from Legos. So get your kids to work and see what they can build (Pictured is Han Solo encased in carbonite along with the guy who spent months to create it. See what you can do with a little time on your hands?)

Kids SHOULD Be Bored, and So Should You

Karen Murphy — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 16:09:00 GMT

Recently I took a vacation of my very own. First time without kids. Ever. So there I am with my love, sitting in a tiny condo in Whistler, B.C. We've hiked all the trails, went canoeing on the lake, went bike riding in a light rain. What else is there to do?

Er, besides the obvious, there was...nothing. I found myself looking out the window, just looking at the trees, the view, letting my thoughts simply wander where they may. There was nothing to do, yet at the same time, there was no need TO do anything. It was wonderful! I remember the same thing from childhood, long summer afternoons watching the clouds slowly morph in shapes, watching an ant crawl up a grass blade over and over.

Geek Dads thinks kids should still have days like that. And you, too. Creativity is found through boredom, they say. I agree with that; my time up at Whistler was one of the most creative I've had.

So don't be tempted to try to fill up your kid's days. Let them be bored; they'll soon enough find something to do, and if it doesn't involve setting the cat on fire or shaving each others' heads, why not let them? (actually, the head-shaving thing would be okay)

Oh, and this also absolves you of any obligation whatsoever to entertain your kids. If you needed permission, that is. So go stare out the window awhile; I promise it'll do you some good!

Strollerderby : creativity

Slip Into Something Comfy With Franny's Feet

It's a Circus Out There for The Wonder Pets

Meet Your Kids' New Superhero: Ladybug Girl

This Guy Says the Credit Crunch is Good For Families

Family of Five Brings in Seven Boarders to Weather Economic Storm

What a Typical Family Will Get From the Stimulus Package

Family of Four's Living on $1,500 for a YEAR

What Octo-Mom Is Spending The Money On

Ten-Year-Old Graffiti Artist Captures London Art Scene

Microsoft Says Computer's So Easy a Kid Can Do It

They Say: Girls Made of Sugar and Grit

Four Children's Books That Almost Weren't

Will Toy Tie-Ins Destroy Sid the Science Kid?

Will Toy Tie-Ins Destroy Sid the Science Kid?

Smackdown: Party On Baby!

Review: My Wubbzy Little Valentine

Doggie 101: How to Hug a Baby

Cough Cover: Because We Can't Possibly Make Them Use a Tissue

Can Your Kid Doodle the Google Doodle?

Kindergartner Gets Best Birthday Present EVER

"Free" Lunches Cost School 200 Grand

Kids Around the Globe Weigh in on Obama

Recess One Step Closer to NJ Lawbooks

Alllllvin! Everyone's Favorite Chipmunk is Fifty

Baby Dies After a Game of Airplane

Tub Toys As Climate Change Fighting Tool?

Loss of Playtime the Next Global Warming?

Will Libraries Go the Way of Video Stores?

Stuff Parents Dream About: Life Without Play-Doh

Awesome Photos Draw From Kid Art

What Your Kids Can Make From Legos

Kids SHOULD Be Bored, and So Should You