Dec. 21, 2014 Every year my teen prefers experiential "go-see-do" gifts to anything I can wrap up and put under the tree, (other than a GoPro which was a 'save up' winner for a milestone birthday) and … [Read more...]
Hollywood Climate Change: Warming to Sheroes or Still in Denial?
January 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Jan. 7, 2014 2014 is the year of Redefining Girly. Not just Redefining Girly, the new book on gender stereotypes and sexualization of kids by parent actionist Melissa Wardy, but redefining girly in … [Read more...]
The Nature Principle: Experience the Earth Beyond Instagram
April 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment
April 22, 2015 Update Recycling my resource roundup of eco-literacy quizzes on greenwashing, nature apps in a wired world, and games for good like TiltWorld that build on green media themes of kids' … [Read more...]
Talking to Kids About Headline News; The Positive Social Media Lens
April 15, 2013 by 2 Comments
Talking with Kids About Ukraine: Resource Roundup March 10, 2022 Update-Russia's Invasion of Ukraine As parents and educators grapple with urgent headlines, grisly visuals and untenable war crimes … [Read more...]
Youth Aids Day: First Gen Who’ve Never Known a World Without HIV
April 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Nov. 25, 2015 Update World Aids Day is coming up Dec. 1st, and Durex is promoting the creation of a "condom emoji" to be used via social media to shorthand safety messages for public health. April … [Read more...]
ACEs Wild: Flip the Brain Script on Adverse Childhood Experiences
March 19, 2013 by 1 Comment
1-8-18 Update: Important new data on public health problems emerging with kids in this damaging era of immigration anxiety. I see this every week when I tutor at Americorps/Reading Partners and … [Read more...]
Media Netiquette + Some Great Nature Apps In A Totally Wired World
March 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment
July 26, 2015 Update: Adding Washington Parent's list: Nature Apps, Life Beyond the Screen and DailyTekk.com's iPhone app specific picks for enjoying the outdoors, plus Mother Nature Network's "7 Apps … [Read more...]
Circle of 6 Campus Safety App: What It is And What it Isn’t
February 27, 2013 by 1 Comment
Update: March 7, 2013 It's official! The President Signed VAWA! Feb. 28, 2013 Finally! The Violence Against Women Act has passed both the House and the Senate and is moving on for final signing by … [Read more...]
Victim Blaming, “Asking For It” and Baiting Outrage-On the Radio
February 19, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Sept. 2, 2016 Update Today's early release of Stanford student/campus rapist Brock Turner (3 months off an already lenient 6 month sentence) prompted this pithy video indictment by Elizabeth Plank on … [Read more...]
Ground Hog Day: Super Bowl Sexism Keeps Popping Up
February 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Feb 2, 2013 It's Ground Hog Day and as reliable as Punxsutawney Phil, parents and pundits await to see what shadows will be cast on kids from the Super Bowl media hype blaring at surround sound … [Read more...]
Digital Detox, Blog Hiatus, and Fresh New Focus for 2013
January 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Jan. 2013-Shaping Youth has taken a first ever, full month long blog hiatus until Feb. 1, 2013. You can follow our posts on Twitter in the interim while we unplug the blog to repower the system … [Read more...]
Media Messages and Binge Drinking Influence On Teens
December 31, 2012 by 1 Comment
Dec. 31, 2012 Prequel to New Year's Eve... Long gone are the days when I could host a “New Year's at Noon Bubble Wrap Stomp” and watch little kids gleefully squirt silly string at each other in … [Read more...]
When We Were Free To Be: Revisiting A Classic w/Deesha Philyaw
December 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Dec. 18, 2012 This year marks not only the 40th Anniversary of Title IX changing women’s sports forever, it’s also the 40th Anniversary of the cycle-breaking, movement-making pop culture childrens' … [Read more...]
Sandy Hook Shooting Silence: Floundering in Social Media Darkness
December 17, 2012 by 3 Comments
Update June 10, 2014 (6-10-14 update: This graphic is a map of the 74 school shootings since Sandy Hook, compiled by Mark Gongloff of Everytown.org, Original Sandy Hook article at the end)Just since … [Read more...]
A Mighty Girl: Healthier Media Messaging, One Click Convenience
December 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment
April 11, 2013 Update: Check out A Mighty Girl pics for Environmental Books and movies for green kidlit and Earth Day 2013! Dec. 10, 2012 What to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature … [Read more...]
CCFC: A Positive Pick, Even When Calling Out Negative TOADY Toys
December 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Dec. 4, 2012 No question I continue to land hard on watchdogs that aren’t woofin’ when it comes to media and marketing’s impact on kids, but nobody does it better than Campaign for a Commercial Free … [Read more...]
Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building Through The Power of Play
November 29, 2012 by 2 Comments
Nov. 29, 2012 Kuala Lumpur’s famous Petronas twin towers will now always look like ‘stacking cups’ to me, the Guggenheim Museum in New York upside down stacking rings, and Tokyo’s Yoyogi National … [Read more...]
Year Round Media That Matters: Positive Picks for Kids
November 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Nov. 26, 2012 With all the coinage and consumption swirling around Black Friday and Cyber Monday for people hunting “deals” I think it’s fitting to honor the organizations that deliver positive media … [Read more...]
Toward The Stars: New Online Marketplace of Goods for Girls to Soar
November 19, 2012 by 5 Comments
Nov. 20, 2012 “To the moon!” was once an iconic working class phrase that 50s TV star Jackie Gleason made famous in mock-threat to his sitcom wife Alice in The Honeymooners. He'd shake his fist, “why, … [Read more...]
Toy Joy or Consumption Junction? Critical Thinking for Holiday Fun
November 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Dec. 7, 2016 Update Why not turn holiday gifting into a media literacy opportunity? Tomorrow I'll be signing up once again for Samaritan House sorting and stocking for kids less fortunate and I … [Read more...]
