Empowered by Play » toys

Fun for All Ages

Geralyn — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 12:32:27 +0000

“Fun for all ages” is a wonderful concept. When thinking about imaginative play, and life in general, you know you have a hit when a wide range of ages can be equally engaged. Last week, our family held the second annual “Cousin’s Camp” for our upcoming generation. We had 15 campers ranging in age from 4 – 13. Ahh, there lies the challenge – how do you keep such a wide range of kids engaged for hours (and days?!) at a time?

For one thing, you have have a flexible structure for them to work within. Setting the parameters, and giving choices within them, goes a long way in keeping everyone actively engaged. Second, you find materials and experiences that are open-ended and usually quite simple. Think natural materials such as water, sand and wooden blocks; and art materials such as finger paints, paper, crayons, markers and clay. Nothing fancy or gimmicky here, and definitely no batteries required. Of course, what a 4 year-old and 13 year-old chose to do with blocks, sand, clay or finger paints will vary. Their methods, attention span and ability to coordinate their play with others will look very different, but isn’t that the beauty of open-ended materials? In these instances, the child is in charge of deciding the how and the what; the grown ups are there just to provide the materials, the time and the space.

“Quiet Time” in the afternoons gave us all a chance to relax, take a deep breath and entertain ourselves individually. Within the “Quiet Time” framework older campers read novels and wrote in their journals; younger campers read or looked at books and drew pictures; and our youngest campers took their afternoon nap. And singing was something we did daily together – with lots of songs that have become family favorites – including call and response songs which everyone (including the youngest non-readers) can enjoy. Our oldest camper even taught the rest of us a new song – now a favorite – which we will add to our growing songbook.

But there is one more crucial ingredient – interesting adults. This year, we had a rotating list of aunts and uncle who came and shared their interests, time and talents with the kids. One of my brothers, a former art teacher, made paper with the campers. Another brother is a talented musician, and he joined us with his guitar for some of our singing sessions. My sister came one day and shared her talents in the kitchen to help our campers make lunch and snack for that day. Launching rockets, starting a campfire, pitching a tent, telling a funny story, performing a skit…so many interesting grown ups spending time with the campers…sharing laughter and love and making memories.

So, how do you keep kids engaged? Open-ended and simple materials. Flexible structure. Quality time spent with interesting and caring adults. These make for a fantastic summer camp experience. And you know what…pretty great for school, too. I remember times in my second and third grade classroom at Mission Hill School – when things were feeling stressful and unproductive, and our insightful principal Deb Meier would say to me, “What about making the classroom feel more like summer camp?” That question would help me tweak my routine, materials and attitude in a way that could get us back on track – and making it fun for all ages.

See a related post: KEVA planks – creating fun for everyone

A Real Toy Story

Geralyn — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 12:40:22 +0000

The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that the best toys are not toys at all. Fuzzy blankets and empty boxes rule when you are inside; wild flowers, sticks and rocks for when you are outside. A blanket becomes a cape or a tent and a box becomes just about anything. This is the stuff that makes for rich imaginative play. It is the season of garage sales where I live, and I’ve been checking them out lately. Holy cow, there is a whole lot of plastic junk out there. At least folks who have a garage sale (or who shop there) are trying to reuse these toys and extend their use a bit still… yikes!

I’ve also been reading the Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession With Stuff is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health – and a Vision For Change by Annie Leonard. It is a real wake-up call. I try to be environmentally conscious – but by reading this book I’ve realized there is so much more we as a country can – and should – be doing. Leonard reveals, “We have a problem with Stuff. With just 5 percent of the world’s population, we’re consuming 30 percent of the world’s resources and creating 30 percent of the world’s waste. If everyone consumed at U.S. rates, we would need three to five planets!” My only hope is that this horrifying oil disaster will be the rude awakening our country needs.

(It’s not a spill, by the way. A spill is what my son does with his glass of orange juice. It’s a pain to clean up the spill, but we can do it in a few minutes. What is happening in the Gulf of Mexico is a man-made disaster. Definitely not a spill.)

Do the world a favor and forgo all the thousands of Toy Story 3 plastic junk, and all the other aggressively marketed single-purpose toys, and opt for good old fashioned imagination-inducing fabric scraps, empty containers of any type, art supplies, pebbles and the like. Its not easy to break the habit of consumption – believe me, the LEGO situation in my own house is admittedly out of control. We are working on it, though, and my husband has finally agreed that there is such a thing as “too many LEGOs”. Check out this fantastic article Children, Commercialism, and Environmental Sustainability by Tim Kasser, Tom Crompton, and Susan Linn.

Reduce, Reuse and Re-imagine!

Empowered by Play’s Toy of the Year Award: Nature!

When Did Sesame Street Become $esame $treet?

Way Too Many Toys

Announcing TRUCE’s Infant-Toddler Toys, Play & Media Action Guide!

Scholastic, once again, finds a way to get to our school children

Geralyn — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:44:04 +0000

This week the New York Times ran an article about Admongo.gov, a media literacy campaign aimed at 4th through 6th graders (In a World of Ads, Teaching the Young How to Read Them, April 27th). After reading the article, and checking out the website, I was moved to write the following letter to the editor of the NY Times:

To the Editor,
As a parent and former classroom teacher, I am not impressed with the new media literacy program aimed at 4th – 6th graders (In a World of Ads, Teaching the Young How to Read Them, April 27th). I am all for children learning about advertising and becoming critical consumers, however, Scholastic isn’t the right company to be co-sponsoring such a curriculum. Scholastic has already taken advantage of the trust of parents and schools by marketing more and more “junk” to our children. Take a look at current Scholastic book clubs and book fairs, and you will see they are filled with media-linked books, lipsticks, jewelry and toy tie-ins that add to our consuming culture and seduce children away from good literature. Only under pressure from the Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood did Scholastic take the highly-sexualized Bratz doll products out of their book clubs and book fairs. Now, Scholastic has managed another way to get to our children – under the dangerous ruse of being part of the solution.

—

Meanwhile, there are other problems as well. For example, the fake advertisements are pretty tame. The curriculum does not dive into issues such as violence and over-sexualization, which are a huge part of marketing towards children. There are some useful tools, such as materials aimed at helping families deconstruct ads and have conversations at home, but whatever might be good, comes at the cost of giving Scholastic more space to advertise in our schools. I feel strongly that schools should be free of advertisements, so for me, the poster above – which will be popping up in schools all over – is actually just a big promotion for Scholastic – a for profit company.

Reduce, Reuse, Re-imagine!*

Geralyn — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:10:41 +0000

With Earth day events happening this week and this weekend, it is the perfect time to plug open-ended, imaginative play. For children, the simplest toys are the best toys. Usually, this translates into being good for the environment as well. With just a little imagination, empty yogurt containers become musical instruments, toilet paper rolls become binoculars and an empty cardboard box becomes almost anything. Better still, nature provides an incredible supply of props for play. When I was little, we raked leaves in a way that created the floor plan for our imagined houses – with low walls defining our own precious spaces. Each day, we could recreate and improve on the previous day’s ideas. In the spring, blowing dandelion flowers and curling their stems in water made for great fun. In these instance, we didn’t use “toys” but improvised props from found objects. No money spent, no batteries needed, no plastic for the landfill. For a fact sheet on the commercialism of toys and play, check out this link to Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.

Earlier this month, at the Consuming Kids Summit in Boston, I had the pleasure of meeting Annie Leonard, who you may know from the Internet sensation, The Story of Stuff . If you haven’t seen this powerful film, I urge you to check it out on YouTube. You may want to watch it with your own children (depending on how old they are) and begin a whole family conversation about consumption and our planet. She also has a book version with a title that just about says it all – The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health – and a Vision for Change. (By the way, the United States is at the forefront of this – trashing more than just our own country – check out the film and see just what’s up!)

So, as we celebrate Earth Day (Earth Week? Earth Year? Earth Lifetime?) and as you reduce, reuse and recycle, it is a great time to also re-imagine. What can you and your family do for fun without purchasing products? I bet you can make a whole list!

*I have to give a shout out to a new acquaintance, Julia Chen of The Playstore in Palo Alto, CA. I also met Julia at the Consuming Kids Summit, and she came up with the little saying I used for the title here. Thanks, Julia…I love it!

Doing More with Less this Holiday Season

Geralyn — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:01:00 +0000

As we enter the gift-giving season, the stress of what to buy and how to pay for it begins to mount. Take heart… Here are ideas to delight and inspire your family. The good news is, these smart choices for your family are not budget-busters.

Above all, keep in mind that the most valuable gift you can give your family is time spent together playing, laughing and talking. Instead of focusing on your “presents,” find ways to focus on your “presence.” Make a gift-certificate for a low-cost family outing – such as sledding, and an after-sledding hot-chocolate party at home. Sharing the experience and then talking together will create memories that can last forever. If the weather is too bad to go outside, check out your local library for free passes to area museums. (Or, if you live in warmer climates, spend a family day at the beach or have a picnic in a park.)

If you have a big extended family (or group of friends) that usually swap gifts, opt for a “Cookie and Book Swap” party instead. Last December our family hosted our cousins, who brought gently used books and homemade cookies to share. Grown-ups and kids had a great time. All the children went home with a few “new” books for their own libraries, and the books left over were donated to a worthy cause. And, with each family contributing a batch of cookies, the party did not cost much money at all.

When you do decide to shop for gifts, remember this rule: The best toys for kids are the simplest ones. Research supports this, and many experts agree. Wooden blocks are a great example. This classic toy will become a different toy every time your child plays with them. Children will learn about cause and effect, balance, stability and more. They can play alone or with friends and siblings to develop problem-solving skills. If blocks are a new investment in your home, take a few minutes to get down on the floor and build yourself. You’ll be glad you did! Your kids will see you having fun and will cherish the time building with you. The blocks will “grow” with your child, and never go out of fashion.

Consider going “unplugged”. Toys that need electricity or batteries are initially seductive, but quickly become boring. Discarded and forgotten, they clutter up closets and corners. Opt for toys that encourage your kids to act, do, create and imagine. A basket of dress-up clothes (gather some from your own grown-up closet) with scarves and fabric can lead to hours of inspired play. (A wonderful bonus: research has shown role-playing is an excellent tool for helping kids to develop self-regulating skills which help in school and life.) Steering clear of electronic gadgets is good for your wallet, good for the earth, and great for your kids.

Look for gender-neutral toys that appeal to a wide range of kids and grown-ups. For example, the tumbling tower game Jenga is fun for all ages to play together, especially in the original form. However, the Jenga Pink Girl Talk will have limited appeal. Keep gender-neutral in mind when shopping for balls, scooters and other equipment that can be shared with friends, passed on or resold when your kids grow out of them.

Be wary of branded toys that lead to consumerism and turn great toys into commercials for TV shows or movies. For example, a kit from the LEGO 3-in-1 Creator series is more flexible than a specific movie or TV inspired Lego kit – which is limited in what it can be. Basic LEGO bricks, wheels and other generic pieces encourage kids to design their own inventions. And a simple doll or puppet that is not a specific character, can say, do and become whatever your child imagines.

Finally, marketers will try to trick you into buying electronic gadgets that promise to “make your kids smart“. Be smart yourself! Don’t fall for this marketing ploy. A better option is buying (or borrowing) books to read with your child. Whatever your child’s age (this includes babies and toddlers), time spent reading together is invaluable. If you are not a strong reader yourself, or need a break, borrow audio books from the library and listen together. Reading as a family will help support the healthy academic and social/emotional development of your child for now and for their future. What better gift is there?

For more information and free downloadable toy and media guides, see www.truceteachers.org.

Empowered by Play’s Toy of the Year Award: Nature

Geralyn — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:39:00 +0000

Yesterday the Toy Industry Association announced its nominees for the Toys of The Year Award for 2009. It is the tenth year of these awards. From their press release: “The TOTY Awards celebrate the creativity and innovation of the toy industry and the products on the ballot represent this year’s ‘best of the best’ as selected by those in the know – members of the industry itself.”

Given the horrid quality of toys currently produced and marketed by the toy industry, I hope that parents will steer clear of the advice of the Toy Industry Association. It is riddled with violent toys for boys; sexy dolls for girls; and plugged-in toys for everyone. People will spend a whole lot of money on these terrible toys, too. The average price for the toys in the Most Innovative category is about $48.00.

Take a look at one of the nominees for Most Innovative Toy of the Year: Nerf N-Strike Raider Rapid Fire CS 35 Blaster by Hasbro (MSRP $29.99). ” ‘Round’ out your N-STRIKE arsenal with this awesome RAIDER RAPID FIRE CS-35 blaster! Giving it the highest dart capacity yet, the drum magazine holds 35 darts and features a clear window to let you know when your ammo’s getting low. A pump-action handle lets you control your rate of fire and choose your blasting mode! Add to that its adjustable stock, tactical rail and totally awesome design, this blaster is definitely the ultimate choice for any battle!”

The Girl Toy of the Year includes nominations for two doll lines I’ve written unfavorably about in the past, Liv Dolls and Moxie Girlz .

You can view all the nominated toys at www.ToyAwards.org.

My nomination for the Most Innovative Toy of the Year is nature. This morning, while

waiting for the school bus, my sons started making a structure from found natural objects. Within a few moments, they had created a “pyramid with a flag”. I am sure that over the next few mornings, they will continue to change the structure, and it will evolve as they innovate. Cost to me: nothing. Zero. No money spent. Benefit to my sons: creative innovation, self-expression and nature-appreciation.

If you want to know what the real experts think, give the Toy Industry Association a pass, and check out the new CCFC Guide to Commercial-Free Holidays 2009 and TRUCE’s Toy Action Guides. These folks celebrate the creativity and innovation of children, not industry.

Announcing TRUCE’s Infant & Toddler Play, Toys & Media ACTION GUIDE!

Geralyn — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:50:00 +0000

Wonderful news today! TRUCE’s Infant & Toddler Play, Toys & Media Action Guide is now available FREE online. We have been working incredibly hard on this important resource and I am proud of the results. (TRUCE stands for “Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment”.)

In the words of founding TRUCE member, Diane Levin, Ph.D., “We created this guide because we are very concerned about the rapid escalation in marketing high tech toys and media to infants and toddlers. We want to help parents understand the problem and help them to promote quality play for their very young children.”

The guide is available for anyone to copy and distribute – in part or in whole. The TRUCE Steering Committee has also updated our TRUCE Toy Action Guide for 2009-2010. We always aim to get it out in time to help parents and teachers deal thoughtfully with the December holiday toy/gift-buying season.

Please share these helpful resources with any and all parents and professionals who may be interested. Soon, our TRUCE website will be updated, as well, and you will be able to share stories of how and where you are using the guides. Stay tuned for more information about that!

When did Sesame Street become $esame $treet?

Geralyn — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:55:00 +0000

The love-fest for Sesame Street is all-encompassing this week, as the show marks it’s 40th anniversary. Pardon me if I sit this one out. I was a toddler when the show began; and watched it on and off as a young child; then later as an older sibling (suffering through, pretending not to like it); later as a babysitter; and eventually as a mother.

As a child I enjoyed the light-hearted skits, especially the songs, but as a mom I am utterly disappointed in the company. My sons inherited a few Sesame Street videos and they watched them occasionally as three and four-year-olds: Elmo at the Fire Station was a favorite of theirs, I’ll admit. And just a year ago I discovered a cassette tape of Sesame Street alphabet songs that my sons and I listened to over and over again for about a week last winter, enjoying the energy the songs injected into our day.

However, I truly believe that Sesame Street has completely taken advantage of parents whose trust they have earned over the decades. Sesame Street has perfected the art of cradle-to-grave marketing. Their characters adorn countless products. A Google search for “Elmo toys” alone resulted in over 1,500,000 matches. Many of these are ridiculous, expensive and unnecessary toys, such as “Elmo’s Tickle Hands – Press Elmo’s nose for tickle or dance modes”, on sale at Walmart for $27. The Sesame Street characters sell anything you can possibly imagine, from pajamas to fruit snacks, and add to our culture of consumption. I’ve come to expect it from Nickelodeon, but from Sesame Street? Come on. Enough’s enough.

What really gets me worked up, however, is the line of baby videos and DVDs under the “Sesame Street Beginnings” name, which was launched in 2006. These videos, marketed for babies (ages 6 months and up), are an underhanded way of indoctrinating our youngest citizens into Sesame Street nation. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen-time for children under two years old. There is just not enough information yet about the potential harmful effects of screen-viewing on developing brains. These videos are for parents and babies to view together, but I wonder how many people actually watch with their babies. Why couldn’t Sesame Street stick to audio tapes and CDs for families to listen to together? Why promote screen-time? It just doesn’t make sense – unless Sesame Street is actually just trying to establish a viewing habit in the upcoming generation.

Ugh. I hate to be a party-pooper, especially since Sesame Street has done some good things. I love seeing the star clips (my favorite might be James Taylor singing “Jelly-Man Kelly”) and kids of all shapes, sizes, colors and abilities. I just wish Sesame Street hadn’t cashed in on their trust in such a shameless and harmful way.

Way Too Many Toys

Geralyn — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:01:00 +0000

If you’re a parent, you probably feel your kids have WAY TOO MANY toys. You’re not alone. Despite my best efforts, we have (in my opinion) too many toys in our house. My husband, however, disagrees. Since our boys were born, we have had an ongoing discussion about this.

Growing up, I had many siblings to play with. We had enough toys – with a few new ones each birthday and at Christmas. And we had a great guiding rule: “If a toy is advertised on TV, we can’t get it.” Much of our time was spent setting up elaborate imaginary games. Many kids play “house”, though when we were growing up we had so many kids, we played “town”. No kidding. We would spend an entire Saturday morning setting up the town, with each kid deciding what business they would run. We made pretend money and even sent mail to each other. Mostly we used scrap paper, cardboard boxes, and other found objects as props. Very fun and incredibly engaging.

These days, many kids get new toys all through the year. My sons have (thus far) only had birthday parties where the invitation stated “no presents, just your presence”. That has helped to a large degree. Somehow, however, the toys manage to find their way in. The funny thing is, my husband doesn’t always agree with me about this. He does not think the boys have too many toys, and has often reminded me that he (as a toy consumer) is showing a great deal of restraint. And the extra toys he does bring home – sometimes warning me first; sometimes not – are usually geared to engage and inspire our boys. (Lego sets and Hot Wheels vehicles tend to be the rule.) I appreciate his restraint when I talk to friends who are overwhelmed with their kids’ toys – basements, closets, playrooms, bedrooms and garages filled with toy clutter – and realize that for us, the problem could be much worse.

Having too many toys actually can make it hard for kids to play. They can be overwhelmed with choices and have a hard time organizing themselves, their ideas and their toys. Too many toys limits creativity, resourcefulness and imagination. They clutter the mind, the house and ultimately, the landfill. This is why I truly love the picture book Too Many Toys by David Shannon. Told and illustrated with his unique brand of humor, Shannon hits the issue square on the head. If you are struggling with this problem at your house, this is a great story for your family to read together. I won’t spoil the wonderful ending – but just know that it truly speaks to the heart of the matter. (And as always, this is an unpaid, endorsement!)

Healthy Media Choices: follow-up, reflection and new directions

Geralyn — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:49:00 +0000

Thanks to all of you who tuned in on Tuesday to the Healthy Media Choices Hour radio show. It was great fun for me, and talking with Mary Rothschild was a perfect opportunity to cross-pollinate and share ideas. Look on her site for a link to Mary’s blog, too.

We talked about so much, but of course afterwards there was even more that I thought about. Luckily the on-going blog gives me the chance to continue the conversation. One great resource, which I am honored to have contributed to, is the book So Sexy So Soon by Diane Levin and Jean Kilbourne. The book is now available in paperback it is an invaluable resource for all parents (toddlers through teens). I know that Jean has been on The Healthy Media Choices Hour talking about the book, and this is a shout out about the new paperback edition and the newly launched blog!

In the interview did I make clear that good teaching is a craft? That one reason why good teachers are leaving the field due to No Child Left Behind. They are too smart and too creative to be fulfilled in a job of scripted curriculum. Good teachers are good thinkers and need to be in places that are interesting and stimulating. Losing skilled teachers is part of the fallout from NCLB. As I’ve said in the past, Debbie Meier is an expert at starting schools that are interesting places for students and for teachers. It is not only possible – it is essential.

I also loved the question one listener emailed, about me getting money from companies I endorse. As I stated on the show, my endorsements are free. I simply believe that people who are doing good work on behalf of kids deserve to be recognized. Parents and kids are constantly marketed to by companies more concerned about growing cradle-to-grave consumers than they are about growing thinkers and doers. I also aim to celebrate great toys simply because the current world is saturated with absolutely terrible toys.

Finally, I recently added a link on my blog for folks who are looking to host workshops for parents and teachers on the topics presented in the blog. I have been presenting for years at schools and conferences across the country, and now that my sons are starting school, I will have more time for presenting again. Thanks, again to everyone – we’ll see where the new (school) year brings us…