preschool

The Berenstain Bears Legacy Lives On Through Sons Mike and Leo

February 27, 2012 by Amy Jussel 1 Comment

Feb. 27, 2012 Upon hearing of Berenstain Bears’ co-founder Jan Berenstain’s passing at 88 this past Friday, I’d like to send deepest condolences to the family, especially sons Mike (illustrator) and Leo (business) who continue to uphold the stories and standards of their parents’ gentle parables after 50 years and over 300 books of "kidlit" entertainment. To honor Jan’s … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Media Literacy, People Shaping Youth, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Shaping Youth Tagged With: Amy-Jussel, Berenstain Bears, Berenstain Bears Too Much TV, cartoon art, cartoons, family values, Jan Berenstain, kidlit, kids reading, licensed-characters, Mike Berenstain, Mister Rogers, nature-kids, old-fashioned, Parables, parenting, positive media, preschool, read aloud, reading, Scholastic, Sensible Sippers, simpler times, Stan Berenstain, storybooks, storytelling, Strong National Museum of Play, teaching morals

Sesame Street Takes On Bullying in Shows, Talking Points

October 18, 2011 by Amy Jussel 3 Comments

Oct. 18, 2011 “Look at those feet!” Big Bird is told. “They’re ridiculous!” --“They are?”As he tries to get accepted into the “Good Bird Club,” he shifts from “happy to be me” to hanging his feathered beak with insecurity and scuffling his giant orange clompers in ‘not good enough’ mode…Before you roll your eyes at Sesame Street's bullying prevention program as yet another … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Mobile Media, Apps & Gaming, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Product Placement, Shaping Youth Tagged With: anti-bullying, Big Bird, bullying, Bullying Prevention, Bystanders, children, Cyberbullying, digital citizenship, education, Good Bird Club, kid lit, Kids TV, kids-media, Love is not abuse, Love is respect, mean girls, media meanness, media-literacy, Muppets, national bullying prevention month, PBS Kids, preschool, Rachel Simmons, Rosalind Wiseman, school climate, Sesame Street, Sesame Workshop, special needs, Stop Bullying Now, tattling, teaching moments, Trudy Ludwig, verbal abuse, Word Girl

Noah! Welcome to the Digital World, Baby! (PBS Early Learning)

June 16, 2010 by Amy Jussel 5 Comments

June 16, 2010 Personal post today to welcome (in over 325 languages) Shaping Youth advisory board member Dr. Robyn Silverman’s new son into the world of global digital citizenship. Born: Mr. Noah Stone Silverman today at 8:25am - 7lbs 4oz. – 19” already making his premiere on Facebook, Twitter and Shaping Youth! What does this have to do with media and marketing’s impact … [Read more...]

Filed Under: EcoKids-Environment, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Mobile Media, Apps & Gaming, Nutrition & Wellness, People Shaping Youth, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Shaping Youth Tagged With: achievement gap, Between the Lions, Brain Science, children, Digital, digital citizens, Dr. Robyn, Dr.-Robyn-Silverman, Early Learning, education, Education Nation, educators, Edutopia, emerging-technology, GLEF, John Boland, Kids Island, kindergarten, KQED, media-literacy, Noah Stone Silverman, parenting, PBS Education Network, PBS Kids, PBS Teachers, preschool, Raising Readers, ready at five, SEL, Sesame Street, Sid Science Kid, socio-emotional learning, SRI, STEM, SuperWhy, Symposium, teaching, tech, technology and youth, Tim Olson, zero to five

Dora The Explorer: Discover the World, Not the Mall

February 26, 2009 by Amy Jussel 24 Comments

Feb. 26, 2009 Oh fer cripes sakes. Say it ain’t so. Is Dora the Explorer getting a makeover and turning tween TOO?! Leave her alone! This "age-compression" bit is putting a new dent in my TMJ-clenched jaw as we once again see marketers "vy for the buy" with zero regard for the integrity of the message being delivered. Just LOOK at the cues being sent to ‘tween girls’ as … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Product Placement, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth, Stereotypes & Diversity, Vapid Values Tagged With: age compression, APA sexualization study, bilingual, Boots the monkey, cartoon characters, cartoons, Dora the Explorer, Early-Sexualization, Facelifts, female superheroes, Hardy Girls Healthy Women, Kids, Lyn Mikel-Brown, makeovers, Manga, Mattel, Packaging-Girlhood, Parent Dish, preschool, Sharon Lamb, Silk Spectre, Strawberry-Shortcake, tweens, Viacom, Watchmen