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01
Sep

Time Shift Your TV

By Ann Oldenburg

As summer comes to a close, the routines and rigors of the school year affect everyone in the family. Reading and homework take over spare time. But for the television world, fall means new series are unveiled and new seasons of old favorites kick off. If you’ve got the time and inclination, there are a few shows you might want to be aware of, even if it means time shifting to watch on the weekend.

If Curious George is a favorite in your house, you’ll be happy to know the fifth   season of the show kicks off with new episodes on Sept. 6. For the premiere episode, we’ll meet George’s new friend, Marco, 8, who plays in his family’s band, Lobos de Plata. Throughout the new season, Marco will introduce George to Hispanic food, music and celebration. — Check your local listings for Curious George on PBS on Sept. 6.

For those who want to remember 9/11, the National Geographic Channel reconstructs the attack on Washington D.C. moment by moment through home video, news coverage, and fire, rescue and police footage as we get ready for the ninth anniversary of the attacks. Footage includes scenes from the Pentagon crash site taken shortly after impact, from inside Air Force Once, the Capitol and the White House. Watch as misinformation is rampant and citizens react to the horrible attacks that occurred that day. — Set your TiVo for Witness: DC on Monday, Sept. 6 at 10 p.m. on National Geographic.

Ready to rock? In the first annual Nickelodeon Mega Music Fest, kids and   parents can enjoy an hour-long prime-time concert special on Sept. 6 at 8 p.m. The show, hosted by actor/comedian John Leguizamo, with Sherri Shepherd as Stage Manager, features Justin Bieber, Dr. Phil, Colbie Caillat, Wyclef  Jean, The Roots, Dora the Explorer, Yo Gabba Gabba!, The Fresh Beat Band, The Laurie Berkner Band and more. Melding animation and the live singers, the concert was taped at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York before a live audience. Nickelodeon Mega Music Fest on Monday, Sept. 6 at 8 p.m.

| Posted in Television
27
Aug

For Less Than a Tank of Gas: Explore the World

By Parents' Choice

There are endless opportunities to explore the world around us through books, movies, educational toys and games, and websites. Extend summer travel into the beginning of the school year; learn more about places you would like to visit, places that have a special meaning to your family history, or places in the news.

The Adventure Begins with a Turn of the PageYouTube As a Field Trip (and As a Catalyst for Safer Video Searching)
Lisa Guernsey talks about taking a virtual field trip online — a mini excursion that lasted 15 minutes, cost nothing, and could be embarked upon as soon as curiosity struck.

Pack Your Passport
These award-winning products will provide a passport to helping your kids explore and discover the world around them.

Armchair Travel
From fairy tales to autobiography and from legends to history the books recommended here offer children a tour of countries real and imagined.

The Adventure Begins with a Turn of the Page
Even the shortest excursions can lead to big adventures for little ones.

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Posted in Books & Reading, Family Time, Reading Lists, Toys
26
Aug

License to Parent

By Laura Fries

Ever wish your kids came with an owner’s manual?  How about an instructional DVD? Sound ridiculous? A lot of parenting is instinctual, but a great deal is really trial-by-fire education. We don’t often think of  TV or movies as a tool to help us through the growing pains of parenting, but resources do exist if you know where to look.

The trick is selecting entertainment media carefully. To get perspective on how kids are portrayed on television and in movies, parents can check out The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. This organization keeps tabs on how much and how well both boys and girls are portrayed.  http://www.thegeenadavisinstitute.org/.

Still, all is not equal in the world of parenting as girls tend to have different challenges. The PBS DVD “A Girl’s Life” is a realistic and informative look at the challenges girls face today.  Delving further into the subject, filmmaker Rachel Simmons, co-founder of The Girls Leadership Institute, has articles and ideas for fostering healthy self-expression as well as all the skills to grow confident leaders here: http://www.girlsleadershipinstitute.org/

The flip side of the coin is PBS’ “Raising Cain” http://www.pbs.org/opb/raisingcain/. According to this documentary, boys are doing worse on average than their peers a mere decade ago. Still, documentary host child psychologist Michael Thompson offers realist ways to help foster emotional growth in an increasingly violent world. A helpful site that offers more tools for parents is Stand For Children. http://www.stand.org/Page.aspx?pid=2323. Here, grassroots efforts to improve everything from education to emotional development for today’s kids are broken down state by state.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to just have fun, and while the Wii certainly seems like the only link between parent and child these days, one online site offers up unique cooking, crafting and simply fun interactive ideas. Dad Can Do, http://www.dadcando.com/, developed by father of four Chris Barnardo, is a great resource for all parents with a special bent on remaining a fixture in a child’s life– no matter what age.

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Posted in Big Screen - Movies, Family Time, Small Screen - Video Games, Websites, Software & DVD, Television
25
Aug

Jerry Griswold’s Tall (and not-so-tall) Tales

By Parents' Choice

Jerry Griswold’s cherished book reviews are published in places esteemed and established.  Here, we provide an excerpt and a link to his most recent and wry for the New York Times.

Written especially for the vertically challenged, John Schwartz’s “Short: Walking Tall When You’re Not Tall at All” identifies a well-known coping strategy among those of us who were half-pints. In a world of alpha dogs (bullies at skating rinks, high school girls making slighting comments) we became the smart alecks, the sidekicks, the class clowns. Later in life, Schwartz observes, the related verbal skills can wonderfully pave the way to a career in, say, the upper echelons of journalism (Schwartz is the national legal correspondent for The New York Times and an occasional contributor to these pages). Given that logic, you may wonder whether the newspaper you are currently reading was prepared primarily by those known during their school days as “shrimp.”

To continue reading, and we think you should, please click here.

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Posted in Books & Reading, Reading Lists
24
Aug

Time Shift TV

By Ann Oldenburg

Hurricane Katrina formed over the Bahamas and crossed over Florida on August 23, 2005 before gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico and hitting New Orleans. Commemorating the fifth anniversary of the disaster, National Geographic Channel reconstructs what happened through the eyes of many who lived through it. Look for Witness: Katrina on Monday, Aug. 23 at 9 p.m. on National Geographic Channel.

Building on the 2006 documentary, Washing Away, this new PBS program follows six survivors as they show their successes and setbacks in the five years since Hurricane Katrina battered the Louisiana coast. Actress Patricia Clarkson, a native of New Orleans, narrates. Look for Washing Away: After the Storms, Wednesday, Aug. 25 on PBS.

This film may be too upsetting for the younger viewers in your house, but you shouldn’t miss the Academy Award winner for Best Documentary of 2009 called The Cove. It follows a team of activists as they go to a remote and hidden cove in Taiji, Japan, to uncover — and shine a light on — dolphin killing. The result is a mix of investigative journalism, eco-adventure and a powerful story. Look for The Cove on Planet Green on Aug. 30 at 9 p.m.

| Posted in Television
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