Tumble Leaf: Outdoor Play and Discovery via Amazon Kids

Update May 11, 2015 While Tumble Leaf continues to rake in multiple awards including five daytime Emmys, Amazon Studios Greenlights Six New Pilots for Kids. (mostly ages 6-11, one PreK) Here's hoping their original kids' programming stays on a winning streak for quality, as they have some heavy hitters involved in the sphere of creative talent (from Muppets and Marvel ties to … [Read more...]

Creative Galaxy: Inspiring Kids With Art In Everyday Life

Aug. 24, 2016 Update Glad to hear Creative Galaxy will be back for season two starting Sept. 16, 2016 as I keep reading more research about the tactile, artistic, creative benefits of hands-on art at every age and want to ensure that in this era of screen time experiences, we don't lose sight of the opportunity for OFF-line messy arts ed for growth, brain food and … [Read more...]

Amazon Kids Shows Segue Screen Time Into View + Do

June 30, 2014 “What’s a cookie cutter?” said one student as I passed out the tools to build a knock-off of a Lunchable as part of a health literacy ‘switch pitch’ teaching about ingredients.“What do you even DO with Playdough?” said another when I gave mini-tubs to kindergarten kids who poked at it curiously as if they’d never seen or played with it before.These are some of the … [Read more...]

CCFC: A Positive Pick, Even When Calling Out Negative TOADY Toys

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 Childhood (CCFC) with a solid lip curl and warning snarl before tearing the pants off of those without a corporate conscience focused on profiteering over public health…...So … [Read more...]

Unplug: On Summer Hiatus For Digital Detox (Again)

August 17, 2012 Long time readers know I'm a huge fan of 'digital detox' to give writing a break, focus fully on family at the end of summer, and regroup for the back to school scene... I've written about the daunting demands of an 'always on' culture and the need for a screen free exodus multiple times in posts like "Media Unplugged: Clamping the IV Digital Drip"... And … [Read more...]