Afraid of fat

The Early Show report on Tuesday about “tweens starving for perfection,” has triggered a deluge of similar stories.  Scary stuff, but important for parents to stop and take note.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/06/30/earlyshow/health/main5124454.shtml

Summer slump potential?

 Have you watched more children riding bikes around the neighborhood?  Seen kids of all ages racing around in the local park?  Children in many areas are back on the streets this summer.

Due to budget shortages, school districts across the country have reduced or eliminated summer programs.

Although I love to watch kids destress and enjoy unstructured time, we might see more results of the seasonal slump (when children loose school year gain during summer months) in classrooms next fall.

Sad sign of the times

Both Nick and Nick Jr. magazines are scheduled to end publication by the end of the year.  Periodicals not only plug the gaps for reluctant readers who are hesitant to pick up a lengthy book, but offer an attractive alternative format for all young readers.  Of course, graphic novels are looking more like magazines all the time….

Flirt alert

Secret Flirts is scheduled to release for online sales tomorrow.   A game designed for girls using a Nintendo DS hand-held console, promises to “make everyone fall for you….with Secret Flirts, become irresistable.”

Parents, take a look before your daughter gets advice from the “Love Coach”:

www.secretflirts-thegame.com

Foodplay

According to a report from Reuters last week, a legal request was filed in Brazil to ban toys in fast food kid meals.  I’ve waited to see if that action generated any attention or action in the US, but so far, I’ve seen nothing.

What would happen to kid meal sales if toys were sold separately? 

If QSRs (quick serve restaurants) got out of the toy business, would parents and kids talk more or less during a meal?  

I wonder…

http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE55F07720090616

A “game changer”

Digital games have strong potential for education.

That’s only one of the summary statements from the report released yesterday by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. I continue to be impressed by the efforts of this group to push the envelope on the digital learning frontier.

If you’ve ever watched a child mesmerized by a game screen,  you know that if we could harness the benefits of digital learning, education would have a whole new playing field.

http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/pdf/GameChanger_ExecSum.pdf

A good cause

 The 2009 version of the Staples BTS (back to school) campaign has a social media core.  The program, which links causism and sales, should appeal to tech-savvy teens who want to demonstrate their care for others.  Staples, which partners with dosomething.org, launches a sweepstakes component of the program early next month.

A crowded site

The newly launched Pulse It site, where teens ”read books online for free” has been so popular, today on the home page the site begs for patience during the new member approval process. 

Within a book world, Simon & Schuster has combined elements that teens love – visibility, the opportunity to be heard, community, preview opportunities, etc.  Neat idea.  We’ll see if this has long-term traction, but definitely worth checking out. 

http://www.simonandschuster.com/specials/pulseit/index.html

Next gen fun

The cross-pollination continues between real time and digital life: traditional playground games will be converted into Nintendo Wii style computer games. 

At times like these, I get nostalgic, thinking back to when a child could simply run outside to skip rope and play catch…

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/nintendo/5486864/Playground-games-to-be-converted-into-Nintendo-Wii-type-computer-games.html

Beyond the bully

What an excellent short piece on bullying. (below)  After reading this, I’m even more interesting in seeing the new policy statement on youth violence prevention from the American Academy of Pediatrics.  It’s due out next month – I’ll keep you posted.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/09/health/09klas.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss