Speakaboos » andrew

Allowance? In this economy?

andrew — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 17:45:55 +0000

The Wall Street Journal this week ran a thoughtful article called “The 15 Money Rules Kids Should Learn.”

My favorite entry:

4. Good grades are expected and help around the house is simply the price of family life.

Nice to see the WSJ point out, in an article about money, that not everything should be about money. Check out the full list here–seems like a good refresher course for some adults too.

The Curious Case of… a jellyfish that becomes young again

andrew — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:19:28 +0000

So get this: there’s a species of jellyfish called turritopsis nutricula which is able to cycle backwards from its adult stage back into its first stage of life, and then grow back into an adult, over and over again–effectively making it immortal. Not a new discovery, but I just read about it over on Yahoo! Green and thought it was cool.

Air Traffic Control Child Phenom?

andrew — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:21:38 +0000

It’s always amusing when a kid is good at an activity usually reserved for grown-ups, such as shooting pool or trading stocks.

Well, maybe not always. Last month, air traffic controllers at JFK airport allowed a child to make transmissions to pilots. But what started as fun-and-games has quickly turned into a serious investigation. Click here for the AP story via Yahoo.

YouTube goes kid-friendly with “safety mode”

andrew — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:44:39 +0000

A new optional feature on YouTube allows parents to browse the site a little more comfortably–safety mode filters content, searches, and inappropriate language on comments. See how it works in this YouTube video:

Breakthrough in school scheduling – playtime before lunch?

andrew — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:20:27 +0000

Growing up, lunch was always the best part of the day, not because of the food, but because as soon as you finished eating you could go play on the playground!

Now, a new article in the Health section of the NY Times points out that scheduling playtime immediately before lunch (instead of after) might result in less food waste, less upset stomachs, and more focused students when they get back into class.

So simple it just might make sense?

Happy Holidays! New stories, songs and activities from Speakaboos

andrew — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:42:46 +0000

“A Christmas Carol” read by James Eckhouse

“The Story of Hanukkah” read by Peter Jacobson

“The Fir Tree” ready by Phil Brock

“Jingle Bells”

“Rock of Ages”

“Deck the Halls”

“The Dreidel Song”

and more holiday songs

Holiday e-cards

Arts and Crafts Activities

VIDEO: Childhood 2.0

andrew — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:28:48 +0000

Allison Louie-Garcia posted a video titled “The decade according to 9-year olds.” For these kids, born in the year 2000, Selena Gomez and the Jonas Brothers are bigger celebs than Britney Spears, and dial-up internet is a long-lost relic. Since Speakaboos is a children’s website, we’re definitely looking out for interesting insights about technology from these kids:

The decade according to 9-year-olds from allison louie-garcia on Vimeo.

Study: Toddlers more likely to eat food from pictures

andrew — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:58:20 +0000

A study from Reading University in the UK says that toddlers are more likely to try unfamiliar foods if they’ve seen pictures of them already. Definitely an interesting hypothesis–if you’re having trouble getting your kids to eat their veggies, picture books could be the solution. Has someone told the publishing companies about this yet?

For details on the study check out the story at Telegraph.co.uk

RECALL: Drop-side Cribs from Stork Craft and Fisher-Price

andrew — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:21:06 +0000

I hate to be a Debbie Downer and post two recall notices in a row–but this one is apparently one of the largest crib recalls of all time, and seems very important.

Drop-side cribs branded Stork Craft (sold Jan. 1993 – Oct. 2009) Fisher-Price (sold Oct. 1997 – Dec. 2004) have been voluntarily recalled due to the possibility of the drop-side become detached and the infant entrapped.

Please check the recall notice to see if your crib is affected (cribs with fixed sides are not included in the recall), and contact Stork Craft for a repair kit.

RECALL: Maclaren umbrella strollers

andrew — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:47:10 +0000

Just a quick reminder to keep little hands and fingers away from any folding product or hinge (doors, cabinets, playpens, etc.).

Maclaren is voluntarily recalling strollers after 12 reports of kids getting their fingers caught in the folding mechanism while the stroller is being unfolded. If you own a Maclaren, contact the company at their website here to obtain a free repair kit to fix the problem. See the full recall notice here.