Texting for Toy Safety: ‘Moms Rising’ Taps Into ‘HealthyToys’

Mobile moms will love this handy new alliance between consumer action orgs HealthyToys & MomsRising which lets you find out whether the toy you’re about to plop in that cart is toxic for your tot...Excellent use of new media technology to create a value-add for toy consumers, as this 2-min. CNN video on the issue reveals.Here's how it works: Text healthytoys [toy name] to … [Read more...]

Digital Media: Light Scoop Invention from Prof. Ken Kobre

Ever so slight departure from exclusively kids' media (this appeals to ALL snap happy photo buffs): Photojournalist/author and SFSU professor Ken Kobre, partner of my dear friend and fellow writer pal, Betsy Brill of Hand Up Congo, has hit the big time with his invention of the light scoop to take out the 'white flash' factor in digital camera … [Read more...]

Winter Break Ideas to Keep Kids “Consumed”

To continue our series on Shaping Youth’s ways to "market mindfulness," I’ll first shine the spotlight on Ms. Freddi Zeiler, who at age 14, decided to make a difference in the world and set out to find where that enthusiasm should be funneled. Voilà ! A Kid’s Guide to Giving! It’s my Shaping Youth tween/teen book pick for our advisors this … [Read more...]

Shaping Youth Through Philanthropic Fun

Update: 2013 Along these lines, check out StartEmpathy.org with clever little videos by "Empathy Explorer" Ed Stockham; a visual media depiction of our peer to peer "in her shoes" exercise in this 2007 post below. My media ‘avatar’ is more Murphy Brown than Mother Teresa, so I need to redirect those of you who envision me as idyllically sealing organic preserves, leading the … [Read more...]

Media, Kids & Grief: Different Ages & Stages of Loss

Beloved Billabong (immediate left) died in my arms yesterday, leaving behind his littermate sister who is a canine basket case, as much as I am a human one. Can dogs die of a broken heart?As my remaining 9 year old (dog) and 12 year old (daughter) curl up in Bill’s spot to be near his scent, whimpering intermittently with woe, I realize life lessons usually take the form of … [Read more...]