MotherofConfusion

Sneak Peek: New Season Of “WordGirl” (Video & Photos)

Genevieve Hinson — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:33:21 +0000

“WordGirl” fans get ready, the new season is about to start. If you already love, or haven’t yet met the mild-mannered fifth grader who, at the call of duty, transforms into WordGirl, tune in on Friday, December 16.

From the press release: This holiday season, WORDGIRL premieres a new It’s a Wonderful Life-inspired episode “A World Without WordGirl” on PBS KIDS GO!. Blowing out her birthday candles after one too many superhero interruptions, Becky wishes for a world without WordGirl. She realizes her wish has come true and Chuck has become a king who has imposed strange rules. Will Becky find the last piece of enchanted birthday cake so that she can wish for the return of WordGirl and make things go back to how they were before? Find out when “A World Without WordGirl” premieres on Friday, December 16.

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NEW MOON GIRLS: A Magazine By Girls For Girls

Genevieve Hinson — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:18:12 +0000

Girl Power! We’re used to hearing the term now, more than a decade after the Spice Girls made it popular, and are seeing more opportunities and support available for girls transitioning into womanhood. But what was available for girl empowerment before those words and ideology became an influence on society? Not much. Which is exactly what Nancy Gruver, mom to twin girls and founder of “New Moon Girls” magazine, discovered in the early 90s when she began searching for information.

Nancy Gruver, founder of "New Moon Girls" magazine.

“When my daughters were 9-years-old, I was thinking that my adolescence and my transition from girlhood into womanhood wasn’t a pretty memory. It was a lot of struggles and a lot of feelings like nobody understood,” Gruver said in an interview with MotherofConfusion.com. “I didn’t know what to try and do to make my daughters’ experience better than that. When I looked around in the early 90s, there was nothing there, no real resources, no research or discussion about these issues.”

The one piece of information Gruver did find was a book called “Meeting at the Crossroads: Women’s Psychology and Girls’ Development” by Lyn Mike Brown and Carol Gilligan. The writers asked the question: “What, on the way to womanhood, does a girl give up?” The answer came from interviews with 100 girls conducted over five years: The passage out of girlhood is a journey into silence and disconnection. At some point, girls will silence their inner voice and put others ahead of themselves.

When Gruver finished the book, she realized that’s what happened to her. She didn’t want that for her daughters. Then, in a flash, an idea was born. What about a magazine for junior girls where girls were in charge? It would be something young readers could connect with about the stages, emotions and physical aspects they may experience as they grow up. Girls could learn to listen to their inner voices, not ignore their needs and stop — or never start — always putting others first.

“I wanted to create a space where girls could be themselves, connect with other girls, be respected and challenged to do things and make the world a better place,” Gruver said.

She called a family meeting about her idea and everyone agreed to go for it – even though Gruver didn’t have journalism experience or know how to create a magazine. “New Moon Girls” was published for the first time on March 21, 1993. It focuses on helping girls discover and honor their true selves, build self-esteem and a positive body image.

Soon after the magazine launched, Gruver – and her editorial staff made up of girls — realized this was more than a magazine for girls by girls, it was a community. In recent years, the has magazine expanded to reflect that community online with their website and social networking platforms. Online, girls can share their poetry, artwork, videos, chat and learn together in a welcoming and safe environment. The site has over 70 trained volunteer moderators and a volunteer counselor. Also, another cool feature is the magazine and website are completely ad free.

“There’s so many ways that we (NewMoon.com) can give help and be supportive. I think of us as a safety net, but not as a way to prevent girls from doing things that might fail, or things that are risky — but as a place they can take a risk,” Gruver said. “And if it does fail, they have a safety net to catch them in the community, in the discussion forums, in their own creativity and it helps them grow and mature.”

Parents can use the magazine as a resource to find subjects as a conversation opener and visit a sister site, Daughters.com, for a parent-to-parent community and resources.

Almost twenty years after the magazine has launched, Gruver has seen great strides in women empowerment. The dream of growing up to be the first woman president is already a reality for some countries – and we see more and more women in positions of governance and decision making every day.

The one thing that Gruver would like any girl to gain from the magazine?

“Their voice, their thoughts, their perspective and contributions are important in the world and the world needs them.”

Subscription to the magazine and a membership to the site is $34.95 for 12 months. This includes 6 bimonthly issues and online community access.

“New Moon Girls” Extras!

- Friend Nancy Gruver with “New Moon Girls” on Twitter
- Read Nancy’s blog
- Parents: Become a fan of “New Moon Girls” on Facebook

The Children’s Book-A-Day Almanac: Anita Silvey’s daily love letter to a book

App: “Toy Story Showtime!”

Genevieve Hinson — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 02:39:55 +0000

Catch up with Woody, Buzz, and Jessie as they put on a talent show in the new app, “Toy Story Showtime!”

From the press release: This interactive storybook app, aimed at children ages 4-6, is Disney Publishing’s second Disney Learning app and is designed to help learners explore essential early reading concepts through engaging and interactive ways. “Toy Story Showtime!” features Buzz Lightyear as he sets out to impress Jessie the Cowgirl in a talent show; readers can assist him with his comedy and juggling acts while they discover new vocabulary words through context and story-based repetition.

The “Toy Story Showtime!” app is available for $4.99 from the App Store on iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch:

Toy Story Showtime! Featured Highlights:
·Age-appropriate sight word vocabulary is explored through storytelling and interactivity.

·Advanced vocabulary is introduced through context, supported by art and animation, and reinforced through repetition. Tapping vocabulary words provides age-appropriate definitions.

·Narration with word-by-word highlights supports the read-along experience.

·Special feature taps engage and surprise young readers. Find and tap the pea; tilt, trace, and shake to trigger Buzz’s moves; shake to toss roses on the stage, and much more!

·End of book activities provide extended practice with early-learning concepts.

·Info Page offers story extension activities for parents and caregivers.

Sneak Peek: Jake And The Neverland Pirate Band At “Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade”

Genevieve Hinson — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:41:01 +0000

Photos courtesy of Disney.

Check out The Never Land Pirate Band and Jake, from Disney Junior’s series “Jake and the Never Land Pirates,” taping their performance for the 28th Annual “Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade” TV special. The band will perform a pirate-themed holiday tune during the telecast, which airs nationwide December 25 on ABC-TV.

Also — Some of the other stars who are set to appear during the telecast, which was filmed at both Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World Resort in Florida are four-time GRAMMY® Award-winning singer Christina Aguilera and headliner/teen sensation Justin Bieber, as well as Academy® Award-winning actress and multi-platinum singer Jennifer Hudson, singer/songwriter and producer Cee Lo Green, platinum-record rockers OneRepublic, “American Idol” Season 10 winner and country crooner Scotty McCreery, Zendaya and Bella Thorne from Disney Channel’s hit series “Shake It Up” and the McClain Sisters, featuring China Ann McClain, star of Disney Channel’s “A.N.T. Farm.”

Photo courtesy of Disney.

PBS Kids Streams Fave Shows With Video App

Genevieve Hinson — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:26:52 +0000

PBS KIDS Video App load screen image. Courtesy of PBS KIDS. The PBS KIDS logo is a registered mark of PBS and is used with permission.

Keeping the kids occupied while trying to finish the holiday marathon has just gotten easier. Now while you’re out and about, doing that last minute shopping, PBS Kids has made their video app available for free on the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The app offers families streaming access to over 2,000 videos, including clips and full episodes. The shows are geared to kids and focus on educational content.

“We know that parents are seeking apps for their children that are both fun and educational, and the PBS KIDS Video App is an ideal combination of both, featuring characters from kids’ favorite PBS KIDS series, with clips and full episodes that are built to support core curricular areas like science and literacy,” said Lesli Rotenberg, Senior Vice President, Children’s Media, PBS.

“At PBS, our mission is to reach all children with the best educational content across all platforms. On television and online, there is no other media entity that offers as many educational programs as PBS KIDS. And now for the first time this content is available on the iPhone and iPod touch, which we know are incredibly popular with families, opening up worlds of possibilities for even more children.”

The app includes series favorites like “The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That,” “Dinosaur Train,” “Curious George,” “Super Why,” “Sesame Street,” “WordGirl” and “Wild Kratts.”

The PBS KIDS Video App also features helpful tools for parents such as:
·         Access to local PBS station TV schedules
·         Additional information about TV series, including intended age and learning goals
·         The ability to download related educational apps and TV episodes directly from the App Store and iTunes
·         Marking series as “favorites”
·         Sharing videos via email, Facebook and Twitter

Visit the App Store to download the free app for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad here.

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“Sid the Science Kid” Focuses on Tech and Engineering

Genevieve Hinson — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:59:08 +0000

Check out “Sid The Science Kid” this week (Dec. 5-9) as it premieres five new episodes geared to technology and engineering. Also, Actress America Ferrera guest stars as the voice of Dr. Rosalinda Cordova, a marine biologist, in the leading episode.

From the press release: SID THE SCIENCE KID is an educational and inspiring preschool series that has been a prominent source of fostering early childhood development while entertaining hundreds of thousands of 3-6 year olds since it premiered in 2008. The series mission is to introduce all kids to the joy of discovery, and the “Technology & Engineering week” has a special focus on inspiring young girls to take an interest in science. The five-episode arc begins with Sid and friends taking a trip to the Science Center where they learn more about real world scientists in their own lives including Gabriela’s mom, Dr. Rosalinda Cordova (Ferrera), and her exciting job as a marine biologist, as well as other science-related professions including a robotics engineer working on a 20-foot tall robot at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Along with Dr. Cordova, we learn that Sid’s mom is a computer engineer in “The Amazing Computer Science Tool!” episode as she teaches Sid’s class about computers. As always, Teacher Susie is at the forefront of each show taking the children on academic journeys and leading them to a better understanding of scientific concepts.

Throughout the week of December 5-9, new storylines will follow Sid and his friends as they explore the concepts of engineering, flight, research and computers.

“I Want to be a Scientist!”
Premieres Monday, December 5
In his backyard, Sid is intently observing squirrels and really wants to know why they make funny squeaking sounds. It makes him wonder, “What kind of scientist investigates animals?” Fortunately for Sid, today his class is going on a field trip to the Science Center, where a special guest greets them—it’s Gabriela’s Mom, Dr. Rosalinda Cordova (Ferrera). She is a marine biologist, and tells the kids about her exciting job SCUBA diving with whales. Completely enthralled, Sid wants to know if scientists investigate other kinds of animals, too.

Dr. Cordova uses a video connection so we can meet a real wildlife biologist studying pandas at the San Diego Zoo. This leads the rest of the kids to ask about science fields they’re interested in. We meet a robotic engineer working on a 20-foot tall robot at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a chemist investigating stretchy ice cream in a kitchen lab, and a marine biologist at The Scripps Institute helping to keep oceans healthy.

“The Amazing Computer Science Tool!”
Premieres Tuesday, December 6
Sid is thoroughly amused as he watches his parents. Every time their computers “ding” Mom and Dad run to check their computer, so Sid wants to know what all these computers do. Mom volunteers to show Sid’s class how a computer works, which helps Teacher Susie demonstrate the amazing way scientists use computers as a science tool, In a special Super Fab Lab, the kids make discoveries with their magnifying glasses, then use the computer to share their discoveries by sending information back home to their parents. They’re just like real scientists using a computer to share discoveries with other scientists!

“The Big Cheese!”
Premieres Wednesday, December 7
While surfing the Internet with his Mom, Sid finds a funny picture showing that the moon is made of green, glowing, cheese. Sid thinks this is amazing, and when he goes to school, he relays his newfound moon information to his friends, who are equally enthralled. When they tell Susie what they learned, Susie explains something very important—not everything you find on the computer is true. And someone who really understands that notion is visiting today, Gabriela’s Mom, Dr. Rosalinda Cordova (Ferrera), who also does lots of research on the computer, but it’s not the only thing she uses. She tells the kids that when she does research, she reads books at the library, makes observations, asks experts, and looks at websites with good information. Then she gives the kids their very own research project, where they break into two teams and investigate all the living things they can find around the school.

“Sid Wings It!”
Premieres Thursday, December 8
In his backyard, Sid shows off his homemade cardboard wings. He’s wearing them because he wants to fly, just like the bird he has been watching all morning. When his flight plans don’t work out, he heads to school to investigate. Susie announces that the class is going to visit the Science Center to check out a special exhibit about FLIGHT. Sid and his friends are thrilled to discover how people learned how to fly by observing birds in nature, just like Sid did. They explore a special exhibit showcasing gliders, flying contraptions, and jet planes. And in live action, we see kids investigating real flying machines at the world famous Smithsonian Air & Space Museum.

“Sid Engineers A Solution”
Premieres Friday, December 9
Sid has a big, big, big problem. He’s trying to grab a cereal box located way up high on the kitchen shelf, but he just can’t reach it. He tries using a stool, but he still can’t grab it. He wants to know, how is he ever going to grab that cereal box? At school, Sid and his friends encounter another problem. They need to get a ball down that got stuck in a tree. Susie has an idea. If they have a problem, it’s time to “engineer a solution.” The kids work as a team, brainstorm some ideas, draw pictures of their ideas, and then try building their ideas. And to make the day even more exciting, Dad visits school and volunteers to help the kids build a special “grabber” to get the ball down from the tree.

5 Tips for Kids Hand-Me-Down Tech Gifts

Video Preview: “Kick Buttowski- Suburban Daredevil”

Genevieve Hinson — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:33:45 +0000

“A Cousin Kyle Christmas” - Kick battles an ice storm and bizarre obstacles in order to find a last-minute Christmas gift for Cousin Kyle. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6 (8:00 – 8:30 p.m., ET/PT) ON DISNEY XD

Disney Gets Merry With “Disney Princess: A Royal Christmas!” App

Genevieve Hinson — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 03:58:05 +0000

The holidays are here and so is the “Disney Princess: A Royal Christmas!” app. While the world is wondering how Will and Kate are going to spend their first royal Christmas, kids can feel like they’re participating in royal celebrations with Disney’s latest app.

The little ones, and parents, can explore how three Disney princesses celebrate the holidays – from beach-side gatherings to New Orleans feasts. Cinderella’s holiday includes a merry mix-up when her Fairy Godmother adds a bit of magic. Ariel surprises family and friends with a treasure hunt, and then Tiana hosts a yuletide celebration that features a jolly, unplanned guest.

The app features:
·         Three original Disney Princess stories: “A Very Merry Mix-up,” “The Holiday Treasure Hunt,” and “A Magical Holiday Feast”
·         Beautiful full-color artwork and tap-and-play animation
·         Two reading modes—Follow Along and Read and Explore
·         New interactive reading format that allows children to read and explore seamlessly
·         Professional narration and original Disney Princess music and sound effects
·         Feature activity includes an app-wide ornament hunt and a tree decorating celebration!
·         Plus, charming surprises on every page!

The “Disney Princess: A Royal Christmas!” app is available for download for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch at the App Store for $4.99.

Stan Lee Narrates New Spider-Man Storybook App

Genevieve Hinson — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 17:02:08 +0000

Want to share the story of Spider-Man and have an Apple device? Now, with a swipe of your finger, your child can help Spider-Man fight crime and follow along the interactive storybook – narrated by comic book legend and Spider-Man co-creator, Stan Lee – with the “The Amazing Spider-Man: An Origin Story” app.

“The Amazing Spider-Man app is a terrific first introduction to the Spider-Man story for young readers,” Stan Lee said. “It’s exciting to be a part of the creation of this authentic, interactive reading experience for children.”

The storybook is a high-tech way to experience comic books and retells the story of Peter Parker’s transition from teen to Super Hero, and includes music and activities. It also features interactive artwork, three reading modes for different reading levels, sound effects and story-based activities. Kids can also help Spider-Man suit up in drawing exercises and hunt for secret “No-Prizes” in the app, which were originally implemented in 1964 by Lee when a Spider-Man fan found an error in a comic and wrote the publisher a letter.

To swing through the city and launch web shooters, download the app for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch at the App store for $6.99.

Spider-Man Extra!

Follow @DisneyReads on Twitter.

5 Tips for Kids Hand-Me-Down Tech Gifts

Genevieve Hinson — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:56:35 +0000

Gifting your old smartphone to a child this year? If so, you’re not alone. Recently, PBS Kids announced a study that found that almost a quarter of parents will pass along their tech devices either as a present or to use as entertainment during those long doctor visits, while traveling – or attempting to finish that lengthy restaurant meal.

Before handing over the technology, parents should prep the device and PBS Kids has provided these tips:

1. Sweep it: All devices should be cleaned of any content including personal files, credit card information, etc. before handing down to kids. Parents should swipe all their browser “cookies” and perform an application sweep.

2. Secure it: There are parental controls on most tech devices that can turn certain features on and off. Settings on the iPhone, for example, that can be restricted include explicit song titles, Internet browser, YouTube, iTunes and the camera.

3. Set limits: As with any new toy, parents should set expectations and limitations with their kids when the device is handed down, and should encourage other forms of learning and play beyond the screen.

4. Find the right apps for your child: A good app is the perfect combination of education and entertainment, and should be appropriate for your child’s age and stage of development.

5. Avoid apps that try to sell: Apps labeled “lite” or “free” often attempt to make money by trying to sell virtual items while a child is playing a game, or link to another related app that requires payment to download. Select apps from trusted, reliable sources, and make sure that they are not trying to market to your child.

Once the device is swept and clean, parents can go to a trusted source, PBS Kids mobile, for educational and age-appropriate apps.

PBS Kids Mobile Extras!

Looking for virtual stocking stuffers? Check out some of the recent apps on pbskids.org/mobile:

· FETCH Lunch Rush for iPhone/iPod Touch, Free (PBS KIDS First augmented reality app)

· SUPER WHY Alpha Boost for iPhone/iPod Touch, $2.99

· SID Science Fair for iPhone/iPod Touch, $2.99

· LITTLE PIM French and Spanish for iPad, $2.99