Empowered by Play » TRUCE

Thankful for blankets!

Geralyn — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:18:45 +0000

All hail the humble blanket! It is perhaps one of the best, all time classic playthings. Besides being a welcomed, cozy comfort for children of all ages, a blanket can be played with about a gazillion different ways. It is such the perfect toy that this year it has been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame^® at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, NY. Yippee! I was thrilled to hear this news recently. It was a much-needed bit of sanity in the current not-so-sane world of children’s toys.

There are so many annoying toy lists out there – such as Yahoo’s Hot Holiday Toys for 2011 offering expensive and unnecessary gems like Sesame Street’s Let’s Rock Elmo ($60.00 for the Elmo doll, plus about 15 – 20 bucks each for his keyboard, drums and microphone! And I am guessing batteries are not included. ) Your toddler/preschooler will find many more things to do with a cozy blanket than with this single-purpose Elmo toy which they will soon grow bored of and will most assuredly grow out of. And then there is Common Sense Media’s 70+ Gift Ideas For Every Kid on Your List. This list is chock-full of electronic entertainment designed to keep our kids plugged-in. Apps, DVDs, websites to join – even the games they recommend are video games. There are no board games to help families play together without a screen involved. What happens when the power goes out ?! (And where I live, that’s been happening a lot lately.) Thankfully, Common Sense Media does recommend some actual books for children.

In the midst of all the schlock being marketed to families and kids this holiday season, three cheers and a big thank you to the Strong National Museum of Play for recognizing the blanket as a toy worthy of honor. As they so aptly describe:

“In imaginative play and make-believe, kids have discovered the many playful uses for the blanket. It fills in for a king’s robe, a bride’s veil, a superhero’s cape, a Roman soldier’s cloak, a princess’s flowing gown, and a wizard’s flying carpet. Thrown over a table, it forms a tent; draped around two chairs, it becomes a fort; on top of the carpet, it serves as a safe island surrounded by sea monsters. In puppet shows, the blanket substitutes for theater curtains; for a magician, the blanket conceals the secrets of the show. And in tug-of-war, the blanket gets top billing. It is also suitable for tossing toys in the air or for parachuting them back to earth.” (photo credit to the National Toy Hall of Fame website, also! )

As a child I used a blanket for just about all of those ideas listed above. I even remember using a blanket for impromptu winter picnics on the kitchen floor. What do you remember I wonder? Did you have imaginative adventures with your blanket? How do your children play with blankets today?

The blanket also joins the stick, inducted in 2008, and the cardboard box, inducted in 2005. Nice!

For more info on this season’s most terrible toys, check out Campaign for a Commerical-Free Childhood’s TOADY Awards.

“Each year, the Toy Industry Association gathers to present its TOTY (Toy Of The Year) Awards. In honor of the industry that has led the way in commercializing childhood, CCFC will present its TOADY (Toys Oppressive And Destructive to Young Children) Award for the worst toy of the year. From thousands of toys that promote violence and/or precocious sexuality to children and push branded entertainment at the expense of children’s play, CCFC has selected five exceptional finalists. “

Voting for the TOADY award is open until November 28th!

And if you are looking for toy buying advice, you may want to check out TRUCE’s Toys, Play & Young Children Action Guide or TRUCE’s Infant – Toddler Play, Toys and Media Action Guide.

For a related posts see:

A Real Toy Story

Good and Bad Toy Ideas

Doing More With Less This Holiday Season

Empowered by Play endorses Screen-Free Week!

Geralyn — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:56:19 +0000

How hard would it be for your family to forgo screen entertainment for one week? That includes video games, television, social media and texting – the whole kit-and-caboodle. Have you ever tried it? Maybe the electricity went out for a day or two from an ice-storm (that happened in our area last winter) and you and the kids didn’t have an inkling how to entertain yourselves. Or maybe you did. Maybe you dusted off the board games, read books together, or played cards. Chances are you talked to each other more than usual.

Going unplugged today is harder than ever for many of us. Consider these quotes from a recent article, Social Media: A Great Uncontrolled Experiment on Kids published by Internal Medicine News. The article quotes many experts in the field, including Dr. Rich, director of the center on media and child health at Children’s Hospital Boston; Dr. Shifrin, a Bellevue, WA–based pediatrician who served as the American Academy of Pediatrics’ consultant to Microsoft when it developed a family safety setting for Windows XP; Dr. Susan Greenfield, a neuroscientist who directs the Institute for the Future of the Mind at the Oxford Martin School, Oxford University in England; and Dr. Gwenn Schurgin O’Keeffe, a pediatrician and author of “CyberSafe: Protecting and Empowering Digital Kids in the World of Texting, Gaming, and Social Media“.

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According to a 2009 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, young people aged 8-18 years spend an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes each day with TV, video games, or computers, an increase of 1 hour and 17 minutes over the average in 2004. In addition, 66% of these youngsters own a cell phone (on which they text or talk for another 2 hours each day), 76% of them have an iPod or other media player, and 74% of kids in grades 7-12 say they have a profile on a social networking site such as Facebook.

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…social media eat into quality time together, said Dr. O’Keeffe, who has two teenage daughters and who authors a syndicated blog called “Dr. Gwenn Is In.”

“We’ve all been at restaurants where mom and dad are plugged into their Blackberries or iPhones and the kids have their game systems or their cell phones, and no one’s talking to one another,” she said. “We have a pretty strict rule at our house: no digital stuff or picking up the phone during family meals. When we go on vacation we lock the phones away. We go unplugged a few times a year. That teaches our kids that you can do it. Sometimes my 16-year-old will not turn on her computer for a few days in a row. I think you have to teach your kids when they’re young to resist the temptation. If they see you do it, they’ll do it.”

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Dr. Greenfield is concerned that children and adolescents who spend too much time on social media may be compromising the proper development of certain cognitive skills. “We know that people are getting good at processing information very quickly and efficiently – the kind of skills you have when you’re driving,” she said. “What we’re talking about is turning yourself into kind of a computer in a way: making efficient and fast responses as appropriate. This is very different from reading a book, which is very linear and slow. That’s what the brain needs to understand something usually; you don’t want to have it diluted and distracted, because the brain only has so much power. If it’s being employed in attending to lots of different things, it’s not going to be able to pursue a linear train of thought.”

The result, Dr. Greenfield offered, “could be an infantilizing of the brain, that we are going to create a generation of Peter Pans who live in a world that is a literal one, dominated by sensory content over cognitive significance, a world where what you see is what you get.”

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And here is my favorite, this quote is from Dr. O’Keefe:

Each generation that passes is going to be more digital. So while we still remember what an offline world is, if we can instill in the current teenagers and elementary school kids what it’s like to be unplugged, they’ll instill it in their kids, and it should pay forward.

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That idea of passing on the feeling of being unplugged to future generations is really an empowering idea for me. And it is what lead me to help organize a Turn-off Week at Mission Hill School where I worked in Boston. Now the event is called Screen-Free Week and it is being organized by our great friends at the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. We know the problems that a sedentary and screen-filled life can bring, and we know the benefits of getting outside; being creative; and playing and talking together. Since 1996 folks have been organizing screen-free weeks as a way to promote these ideas and to further the discussions about the choices for entertainment that we make as families and individuals.

Absolutely anyone can organize a Screen-Free week in their community: parents, teachers, librarians, clergy, activists, even kids. This year’s Screen-Free week is April 18 – 24th and for this event CCFC has created a new, improved Organizer’s Kit to walk you through the process; it includes suggestions for getting kids ready for the week by yours truly and my friend and TRUCE colleague Alexis Ladd, and all the activities and handouts you’ll need for a great Screen-Free Week—as well as 2 beautiful posters perfect for promoting. There are other materials you can purchase – such as t-shirts – and all of these purchases will help to spread the movement.

Time to turn off the screen and turn on the amazing world around us!

Good and Bad Toy Ideas

Geralyn — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:29:32 +0000

The other day a friend sent me the link to the Good Housekeeping Best Toy list for 2010. I checked out the list and thought,”Ugh!” So many of the toys on their list are EXACTLY the kinds of toys I steer parents away from. Today, I’ll offer some alternatives to the Good Housekeeping Best Toys for 3 to 5-year-olds.

Their first recommendation is the Leapster Explorer from Leapfrog priced at $70.00. This toy “has a touch screen and a stylus, so kids can turn eBook pages with the flick of a finger and write on the screen. Parents see what their child learns on a personalized Web page.” Here’s what I’m thinking: use the money instead to buy some great kids’ books to read with your child. You’ll see what your child learns by watching how he or she interacts with the book; the questions he or she asks; and the conversations you have about the storyline, pictures and words. You’ll learn more about your child this way, as opposed to going online to check a personalized Leapfrog Web page – I promise. Author Eric Carle has some wonderful titles for this age group, but you can ask your librarian for recommendations (or order from The Book Vine Catalog - every book they sell is wonderful!). Along with the books, you could get a little chalk board and some chalk for your child to draw, scribble and write. Perfect!

So instead of this, try something like this… or even a library card and weekly trips to the library. Good for your pocket book, the environment, your community and your child. Nice!

Another “Best Toy” this year according to Good Housekeeping is Fisher-Price’s Dance Star Mickey, priced at a cool $90. This one is a no-brainer. Instead of spending almost a $100 on a stuffed animal that does everything for you (and comes with a name and fully-developed character), opt for a much less expensive generic fluffy stuffed animal that can be cuddled, snuggled, fed, tossed and loved. A generic, non-battery operated stuffed animal can become anything your child needs or wants it to become. It will be able to say and do ANYTHING your child imagines – at a fraction of the price.

So, instead of this try something like this… (Truth be told, when my sons were born, they each received one of these monkeys - and they still love their monkeys like nobody’s business. Please know that I am not getting any money for promoting this toy or brand. It is just a good example of a generic stuffed animal. And it costs about 10 bucks.)

And here’s one more to think about: the Iron Man 2 Iron Trike for $40. Let me remind you that all of these toys are in the 3 to 5-year-old range. Iron Man 2 is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence and some adult language. So here we have one of the thousands of toys for preschoolers that are linked to a PG-13 movie. It is confusing for parents and for kids - and it is just plain wrong. Enough said.

If you are thinking about buying something like this…

you might consider something like this…

or this or maybe this…

I realize that Hanukkah is over, so many of you are done with gift buying for the season, but if you are looking for gifts for children, check out TRUCE’s Toy Action Guides. They’ll give you lots of good ideas for infants and toddlers and for young children. And if you want to take action against all the marketing of PG-13 movies to young children – check out this information from Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.

For a related post about gift giving, check out…Doing More with Less this Holiday Season.

Find us at NAEYC’s Annual Conference!

Geralyn — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:17:38 +0000

Today I am packing for Anaheim, CA, where I will be joining friends and colleagues at the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) Annual Conference. I’ll be there with other members of TRUCE (Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment) and we will be sharing our resources Media and Young Children Action Guide and Toy, Play & Young Children Action Guide, as well as our recently released Infant-Toddler Play, Toys & Media Action Guide. These fantastic guides help parents and teachers find ways to foster quality play, healthy development and positive relationships- all of which are threatened by companies who are more concerned about making money than about what is best for our children and families. This year, although I am looking forward to re-connecting with advocates for young children, I am not thrilled about the “Disneyfication” of the event. In the pre-conference mailing, I spy a session focused on Walt Disney’s contributions to early childhood education and an evening event to celebrate imagination at Disney’s California Adventure Park. What else will we encounter upon arrival? I am bracing myself.

As a young child I visited Disneyland and watched the Mickey Mouse Club on TV. These were fun times, no doubt. However, Disney has taken advantage of the trust that parents have in the Disney name. As an adult, I now worry about the vast influence that Disney has on our children and on us. Disney encourages young children to play online with websites such as Club Penguin and World of Cars. Disney confuses parents about how babies learn by selling Baby Einstein videos. Check out this list of companies owned by Disney, complied by Lisa Ray. (Her family is documenting their Year Without Disney!) Disney controls so much information – that just cannot be good. They also market heavily and directly to children – including the brilliant move to market all the Disney Princesses together in a way that has appealed to girls the world over. But what messages do the Disney Princesses send our girls? Check out this short video about the Princess Effect from the Empowering Girls to Fly High.

And check out what the updated TRUCE Action Guide says:

If you are one of the tens of thousands who will be attending the conference, please stop by and visit us in the exhibit hall. We will have copies of our free guides on hand and we’d love to talk to you. We’ll be sharing booth 1044 with TRUCE steering committee member Hugh Hanley and his Circle of Song!

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!

Empowered by the movement

Geralyn — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 11:47:07 +0000

Incredible. Inspiring. Energizing. Those are just a few words to describe the 7th Annual Consuming Kids Summit in Boston this weekend. Hosted by the unflagging Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (you may remember they were forced out of their home after taking on Disney and Baby Einstein), the success of this summit is testimony that CCFC is alive and kicking! They were not silenced; instead they were strengthened.

It will take weeks (maybe months or even years!) to reflect on all the powerful moments from the weekend. It was truly an honor to be among so many activists and advocates, some whom have been at this work for decades and are making a world-wide impact – and others who are new to the work and ready to dive in head first. I am somewhere in the middle. I have thought for many years about the issues of marketing to children, especially in how it impacts quality play. However, only after attending Diane Levin’s Media Madness Institute, and getting the information to back up my intuitions, did I turn into a true activist. When I joined CCFC and TRUCE (Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment) I was no longer alone in the struggle. I became part of a movement.

That is what this weekend was all about. I truly felt as though I was part of a great movement. My conversations with folks from California, Alabama, Illinois and even Sweden fueled my energy and reinforced the feeling that this is a national and global movement. A movement dedicated to protecting children from the onslaught of marketing. Disney, McDonald’s, Hasbro, Scholastic and Bus Radio are all corporations that have felt the power of this movement, and have made changes in their marketing campaigns as a result. The world is a better place for children because of the hard work of CCFC.

A standout moment was listening to Lenore Skenazy’s keynote, “Free Range Kids: Why Does an Old-Fashioned Childhood Sound So Radical?“ Lenore injected electrifying humor into a topic that can be paralyzingly depressing and added further energy to the conversation. Her keynote will be posted on You Tube, and I can not wait to listen again and send others the link.

Heading this movement are Dr. Alvin Poussaint, Susan Linn and Josh Golin – bearing the brunt of the corporate backlash. They know the rest of us – thousands of us – are behind them every step of the way. There is so much more to say about the summit – stories about integrity, voice, and change. For now, I will just say thanks to CCFC. Thanks for your vision. Thanks for staying strong in the face of adversity. And thanks for giving me a place to turn my anger, frustration and disappointment with corporations into positive change for children.

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!

Media Madness Institute at Wheelock College

Geralyn — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:27:00 +0000

A few years ago, I was distraught and overwhelmed with the negative effects of popular culture, electronic toys and media in general on children’s imaginations, play and general well-being. Then I met someone who quite literally changed my life: Diane Levin. Diane is one of the experts in our world on this topic. She has been a teacher of young children and is now a professor at Wheelock College in Boston. She is also a researcher and a writer. She has paid close attention to the evolution of violent and sexy toys in our culture, and has worked hard to inform parents, teachers and policymakers of the harmful effects of such toys.

Diane’s books include Remote Control Childhood?, Teaching Young Children in Violent Times: Building a Peaceable Classroom and most recently So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids, which she co-wrote with Jean Kilbourne. I have used Diane’s books in my work, and recommend them highly. She is also a founder of TRUCE (Teacher’s Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment) and CCFC (Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood).

Taking Diane’s Media Madness summer institute was transformative for me personally and professionally. It opened my eyes to the depth and breadth of all the experts and organizations who were noticing the same trends I was noticing, and were working to defend children and protect healthy development. She helped me understand how we got to where we are, and gave me inspiration and ideas for how to fight back. Diane will be teaching Media Madness: The Effects of Sex, Violence and Commercial Culture on Children & Society at Wheelock this summer on July 9th and 10th. It is open to educators, students, human service professionals, activists and parents, and it can be taken for graduate credit or no credit. Registration is open until the end of this month…click here for the link.

This is the second year that I’ll be presenting at the institute. I’ll be there Friday, July 10th and hope to see you there. Spread the word to others who might be able to attend! It promises to be an incredible two days.