As an intern at Speakaboos, one of my many job requirements is helping find new ways to manage the website’s social media and networking accounts, many of which I personally use for sharing information with friends or followers. Growing up during the MySpace age, I can tell you my mom was nervous that I’d get myself into some trouble and after having seen a couple bad news stories, asked me to delete the account. I protested that it was the only way I could stay in touch with my friends. At 13, that was my main concern.
Recent studies now question just how Facebook, MySpace, and other competing social networking sites can benefit – not harm – your teen’s development. (Read more…)
I remember my parents taking me to many different events as a kid. We weren’t a museum-going family, but my parents really enjoyed going to outdoor, cultural events and festivals. Since spring is in full effect – especially here in New York – and summer is on the way, here are some ideas for some cool events (or types of events) to check out in the Metropolitan area.
- Summer concert and book reading series at the Bronx Zoo (free with admission): http://ow.ly/1zsku
- My Garden Pets exhibit at the New York Botanical Garden: http://ow.ly/1zsn7
- Family Spring events at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (most are free after admission): http://ow.ly/1zsso
- Diabetes: A Deeper Look at the Liberty Science Center (Jersey City, NJ): http://ow.ly/1zswb
What are your favorite spring/summer field trips or family day trips?
If there is anything cuter than a bunch of kids singing together, it’s probably only a bunch of kids singing one of my current favorite songs, “Lisztomania,” by the French band Phoenix. Or, maybe even cuter than that is a bunch of kids in an auditorium singing “The Eye of the Tiger.” The kids of PS 22 are getting a lot of media attention and celebrity support. This past March, the PS 22 Chorus was invited to perform for the NY Rangers and they were featured on ABC Nightline last July. I think the concept is brilliant and hopefully more schools will take a shot at the “modern” glee club idea.
Census Day is slowly creeping up on us. On April 1, the government wants to have as many questionnaires filled out as possible and this year, they hope to get kids involved as well, with work sheets and interactive games on the Census website.
Consider tying the Census into your lesson plans in the upcoming weeks. It’s a good way to start teaching kids about the government and its roles in our society. At the very least, it could be instrumental in counting exercises.
Find out more info here: http://www.census.gov/schools/
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.
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:
This story is great not only because a mystery was solved by a teen-aged CSI-fan, but also because there is a very CSI-like twist at the end:
Tiana Rapp, 17, and her friend had lost over $200 from repeated thefts from her locker, while the school pretty much said there was nothing they could do about it–despite employing an adult hall monitor. So Tiana and her friend took matters into their own hands, and set up a secret video camera that revealed the criminal was none other than the hall monitor herself, who had been using a master key to get into students’ lockers. It all makes so much sense in the end!
So what’s the deal with the ridiculously low expectations on kid dancing videos? Every kid can dance, but this little guy shows the rest how it’s really done:
Miles also tore it up on the Ellen DeGeneres Show earlier this week, and is fast on his way to becoming an internet sensation. Glad to see a kid and parent taking serious pride in his talent, putting some real work into the production of this video, and raising the bar for home videotapers everywhere.
Seven-year-old Lucas Murray is blind, but has learned to sense his surroundings by making a clicking noise with his tongue and observing how it sounds. Based on what he hears, Lucas can determine the distance, shape, and even movement of surrounding objects. This technique, known as “echolation,” is similar to sonar used by bats and dolphins.
Echolation is not a new story, but Lucas, who was taught the technique by Californian Daniel Kish, founder of the World Access for the Blind charity, is believed to be the first person in Britain to learn it. For a video of Lucas using echolation to shoot a basketball and navigate his surroundings, visit The Sun’s website.
This story sounds a little like a big Lego marketing ploy, but it is too good to not share: 7-year old Quaid Guarino of Maine has a “new way of playing with Legos” that is so interesting, Quaid’s parents helped him contact Lego headquarters–and Lego wants to buy it.
So what’s the idea?
Well, nobody knows yet. Quaid has signed a release form that keeps him from telling anybody else about it. I’ll let you guys know more as soon as I do. This idea better be good, kid!
For the full story in the Portland Press Herald, click here.
