Facebook, Can You Hear Me Now? Peepin’ Is Creepin’ Me Out!

When our Age of Conversation* co-authors rallied on Facebook to form a group for book sales to benefit Variety, the children’s charity, I joined in the fun, despite my initial hesitance of adding yet another social media profile into my daily media mix, especially one mining digital data for ads. Since Facebook is a huge draw for teens, I decided I'd better fully … [Read more...]

Game That Nourishes Kids’ Minds, Souls & Tummies!

Last fall I wrote about Food Force, an internet game you’d WANT your kids to play. Now, the same ingenious folks are at it again, this time with Free Rice, a new, quiz-style vocabulary builder that rewards correct answers with ten grains per bowl to feed hungry children, distributed by the U.N.’s World Food Programme. Beth Kanter’s blog listed it as one of … [Read more...]

Prelude to Parade Day From Shaping Youth’s Tween Reporter

Ever wonder what happens behind the scenes of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as thousands of volunteers and intricate plans peel off into preparation groups with exacting precision? Here’s how those giant balloons are made and how the floats are built, plus a sneak peek video of school kids visiting the prep studio in Hoboken, N.J., to preview some of the … [Read more...]

Green Scene Needs Digital Convergence for REAL “Power Shift!”

This month, green globetrotters trying to "do good things for the planet" have been leaving ‘carbon footprints’ all over the flippin' country flying to conferences hither and yon... Suggestion? Go virtual, folks. 5000 green teens descended on Washington D.C. for the national youth summit on climate change called Power Shift. (a project of Energy Action … [Read more...]

Hollywood Walk of Lame: Star for Victoria’s Secret Models? Why?

Update Dec. 12, 2014 With the (ugh, annual) Victoria's Secret Fashion show strutting the 'Angels' around in their skivvies again this week, and Taylor Swift and her bestie Karlie Kloss center stage on the runway this season as Taylor moves toward age 25 and new sights and sounds, one has to reflect upon the ongoing barrage of pop culture messages sent to young girls, as our … [Read more...]