Kidney Stones In Kindergarten? Put Down the Sports Drink, Kiddo!

Today’s New York Times reports "A Rise in Kidney Stones Seen in U.S. Children," naming high sodium intake of processed foods as one of the culprits, sending wee ones into urology clinics (no pun intended). Ever since the multimillion dollar marketing blitz sanctifying sports drinks as a 'better for you' beverage I've watched kids chug down those colossal sized jugs of neon … [Read more...]

This Little Piggy Went to the Market: Free Range, Uncaged

I KNEW Free Range Studios HAD to be the animation movie team riffing on the tune ‘Superstition’ with dancing piggies and agribusiness villains to inspire voters to take action on industrial farm animal cruelty for HSUS. (playful video after the jump) For children, the animation in "Uncaged" is cute and clever enough to get the point across, (and for teens to … [Read more...]

Youth Riffs On HFCS Ads: Web 2.0 Satire Is Snowballing

What do ants and rubber tree plants have to do with syrupy HFCS ads and high hopes for the future of youth media mobilization? Stay with me after the jump to find out... Last week I wrote about my teen's incredulous response to the patronizing propaganda sugar-coating the airwaves about HFCS, high fructose corn syup… Then I followed up with the dietary … [Read more...]

Get Greens For Your School: Free Idea Hamster Here to Help

Free ideas for the asking, folks! It’s not every day you see me donating brain time for a grant tied in with corporate sponsorship, as I can smell a wellness PR ploy a mile away…but the Love Your Veggies grants are not exactly akin to "School Sit-ups Sponsored by Soda and Snacks" or McDonalds pushing apples and milk and clowns hawking fitness assemblies, (or as … [Read more...]

Get ‘Em Outside! Shaping Youth Heads for The Hills

May 17, 2016 Between this post about children's sensory atrophy and the positive practices of Vitamin N...nature, I feel compelled to send another shoutout on Twitter to "Get 'Em Outside!" (video embedded below) Kids faces beam with energy and fun making informal learning a 'vitamin E' for environment+ education...all in show-n-tell hands-on form. The excitement is … [Read more...]