The chocolate controversy

Media is starting to catch the frontline  buzz in schools about the new National Dairy Council campaign, “Raise your hand for chocolate milk.”  

Is flavored milk a better alternative to pop?  I wonder. 

Seems like we should be able to offer students additional healthy options.

Taste of fall

Cooler temperatures bring the desire for autumn comfort foods.  And while some of us yearn for a bowl of steaming chicken soup, if you belong to Gen Y, you might prefer Vietnamese pho (beef noodle soup.) 

After skimming fascinating research on culinary trend mapping (click link below for summary) I wondered how our little grandson’s comfort foods might differ from mine.  After all, he’s growing up with more diversity and higher quality foods than I did.

It shouldn’t be surprising, but it is, that generations are even defined by the foods we crave.

http://ccdsf.com/media/pr_8.10.2009.php

Quiet on the bus

I waited all last month to hear fallout or feedback about the shutdown of bus radio….but I’m still waiting, and wondering if this is a temporary situation.  Many parents disliked the targeted ads piped into their kids’ ears on the way to school.

http://www.stnonline.com/artman/publish/article_9915.shtml

“I love to read”

As an author, educator, mom and lover of books, I’ve been fascinated by the debate on encouraging students to read, as reported in various media this fall.

The new school year has triggered renewed interest in the debate between the “reading workshop” approach (in which students choose books to read) and using  lists of required titles. 

Results of  reading assessments will determine which method gains administrative support, but won’t record the number of students who say, “I love to read.”   To me, that’s what matters.

Kid e-books

Media reported extensively on the shift to e-books at the college level, but e-books are down-aging,  just in time for the holidays.

Check out the interactive Curious George Dictionary:

http://www.scrollmotion.com/

Ads worth skipping

If you run to the kitchen for munchies between innings of the World Series, take your kids, too:  you’ll shield them from inappropriate ads.

As a follow-up to their earlier study of NFL ad content, Common Sense Media recently released results of research on Major League Baseball ads.  Alcohol,  junk food and erectile dysfunction ads were frequently shown between innings.  The data summary (click link) includes some good parenting tips to cope with the inappropriate ad blitz.

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/inappropriate-ads-during-sports-no-win-kids

Eco-cafeterias

Tray-less dining has hit more colleges this fall. 

In an attempt to decrease water and energy use, plus reduce food waste, universities across the country have eliminated cafeteria trays. 

Will the tray-less trend stick?   I wonder…

Lolita at the door

I was looking through racks of Halloween costumes at the store- our 2 1/2 year old grandson is into firefighting – and Lolita-like outfits kept falling off hangers.  Of course, there wasn’t much to fall - a teeny tube top and miniskirt.

In my professional literature I often read about young children being exposed to the public culture of sex, but here it was staring me in the face.  Scary.

Online, but isolated

In a keynote presentation to a teachers conference earlier this month in Breckenridge, CO, I included some of the implications of e-learning.  Social isolation of students is one of those factors.  It will be interesting to see how  typical extra curricular activities like student government, sports and drama are re-shaped by virtual schools, especially at the high school level.

I c u

Earlier this month, You Tube reached a major milestone: the site gets more than a billion views a day.  That’s more than 11,000 views per second.  Unreal.

In my presentations, I often say “we are a visual society.” 

The proof is in our clip culture.

http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2009/10/y000000000utube.html