Dr. Mary Manz Simon's Blog

Reality TV or real life?

drmary2 — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:51:42 +0000

As an early childhood educator, I tell parents that young children can’t draw a line between where a TV ad ends and programming begins. As a result, kids often think that ad content is as legitimate as a television show.

Today, as I clicked past yet another reality show, I was reminded of research released last fall that indicated differentiating between fact and fiction is a challenge even for tweens and teens, who watch reality TV. All participants in a national study, conducted by the Girl Scout Research Institute, agreed that “reality shows promote bad behavior.”

If your teen or tween likes reality TV, this is must-see data for you: http://www.girlscouts.org/research/pdf/real_to_me_factsheet.pdf

http://www.girlscouts.org/research/pdf/real_to_me_factsheet.pdf

Moms at night

drmary2 — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:53:59 +0000

Coming to your television later this year: mom-targeted programs.

Before you dismiss this as old news, here’s the point: Nickelodeon will air the shows in a late night block. The sister blog is already up and running: http://www.parentsconnect.com/

Buy a book

drmary2 — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:42:40 +0000

Last month, holiday ads included children’s books. Newspapers, websites and apps spotlighted children’s books. However, I didn’t see a single mention of this fact: book ownership correlates to a child’s reading ability.

I believe that finding the “right” book for a child is more important than finding the right toy, anytime during the year.

Instant burgers?

drmary2 — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:51:23 +0000

Evidently, it’s true: we are an instant gratification society.

The latest proof: Burger King is testing home delivery.

I guess this was an inevitable follow-up to the home delivery of fresh-cut trees offered by Sears and Target during the holidays.

I think trees travel better, though, than fries.

And the winners are….

drmary2 — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:20:46 +0000

Tomorrow is a big day, at least for those in the world of children’s books.

In Dallas, at 7:45 am, CT, the American Library Association (ALA) will announce winning books in their children and young adult award program. The books, authors and illustrators who are honored, including those earning Caldecott and Newbery Medals, will catapult to a new level of fame.

During the past several years, there has been a loud conversation about the dark side emerging in young adult literature. I wonder, though, if all the talk has missed the point that not only are teens reading books, but these titles, often with an overlay of adult themes, offer an ideal opportunity to discuss important issues with kids.

Perhaps we’ve been too busy shaking our heads, missing a major opportunity for conversations of significance.

Counting the cost

drmary2 — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 19:48:34 +0000

If you’re still totaling up holiday bills, I’m afraid this number won’t make you feel better. A government report says that is costs $226,920 to raise a child from birth to 17. (Note: that doesn’t include college!)

A teachable moment

drmary2 — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:06:40 +0000

Teens were affected by the recession.

That’s a fact verified by the Teens & Money Survey, reflecting data on 16-18 year olds, which was released last month by Charles Schwab & Co.

There were some positives under that umbrella fact: teens are more grateful for what they have; they know the importance of having emergency savings; they learn how to manage money from their parents.

But 80% of these teens want to know more about money management. Do you see the teachable moment here for parents? Ask yourself: Does my teen know how to write a check? balance a checkbook? understand how a credit card works?

Click for specific data: http://www.schwabmoneywise.com/cms/P-4192268.0/110526-SCHWAB-TEENSMONEY.pdf?cmsid=P-4192268&cv1

A word of encouragement

drmary2 — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:43:12 +0000

Norton’s Online Family Report, released mid-November, didn’t get the airtime it deserved.

The subhead ,”rising availability of technology is giving children everywhere new ways to misbehave,” hints at emerging issues. But the report also emphasized that parents who have rules for Internet behavior can prevent negative online experiences.

So here’s a word of affirmation: if you set and enforce appropriate boundaries, while you personally model good online behavior, you can make a difference.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/norton-online-family-report-identifies-080100692.html

An ambitious goal

drmary2 — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:01:28 +0000

As noted in previous blog posts, the growing popularity of online learning has generated legitimate questions about accountability, accreditation and certification of online schools.

We clearly lag behind South Korea, where the proposed “Smart Education” program would provide wireless networks in all schools for anytime/anywhere learning through a completely digital curriculum by 2015. I wonder how meeting this ambitious goal will impact the student population, which historically ranks far above students in the US.

National Princess Week

drmary2 — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:48:05 +0000

“Princess” was the top-ranked children’s costume, according to polls on Halloween weekend. But if you didn’t see enough tiaras in October, just wait: Target and Disney are teaming up to create the first national Princess Week. The April 22 kick-off will be anchored by Julie Andrews. This date just happens(!) to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the movie, The Princess Diaries, in which she appeared.