Go To Sleep - Planet Earth

For the last couple of days Nickelodeon has been pushing Sleepytime Lullabies via several blogs. I've sampled the album on Amazon and I'm sure it is very good, especially for younger kids. But it got me to thinking of the best media we have used to get Cole to take a nap, especially when he doesn't really want to take a nap in the first place. I use the word "media" because it is not actually a music album, it is a video series.



If you've never seen Planet Earth before it is a nature film series of superior quality. The cinematography is breathtaking sometimes, and at other times serenly beautiful. It is full of aerial photography of fantastic landscapes and animals in action. Cole is usually not willing to lay in bed and take a nap, but I can often talk him into watching television with me. Slide in an episode of Planet Earth to the DVD and get comfortable. This is one show that it is easy to sit down and watch with them. The smooth filmwork and calm narration are soothing and if you are a little bit sleepy it can push you over the edge into a relaxing sleep.
Warning: There are a few scenes that may be disturbing, usually scenes involving predators and prey. If you are like me you remember watching scenes like this on the Wild Kingdom when you were a kid. It is the real world and shouldn't necessarily be hidden from children, but it is probably not something you want to watch while trying to go to sleep. I suggest you keep your finger on the fast forward button or better yet screen the 11 episodes to find the ones that work best for you.

Planet Earth 5 DVD Set - Standard

Mommy Says No!

My favorite hometown swing/early jazz/rockabilly/something else band The Asylum Street Spankers cleaned their act up just long enough to make an awesome kids album. To make it even sweeter, it is completely listenable for parents too. It is full of great songs like "Be Like You" and "You Only Love Me For My Lunchbox" but Cole's favorite is "Boogers" of course. Follow the link to Amazon and listen to snippets of the entire album before you buy.

Mommy Says No!


related link:
NPR's Morning Edition reviews Mommy Says No!

Kidsave - teaching your kids about money part4

Kidnexions has a cool program designed specifically for kids to help them manage their money and savings. The unique aspects of the software is that it motivates your kids by helping them establish a personal financial plan, include parental involvement, and explore various "what if?" scenarios. The demo is free to try, free free free.

link

(via theopinionatedparent.com)

related posts:
Teaching your kids about money part 3
Teaching your kids about money part 2
Teaching your kids about money part 1

Seriously, I gotta have more cowbell!

I have had some time to think about the topic after writing my previous post on encouraging your kids to develop their musical talent and appreciation. I have also found a few other cool and inexpensive instruments for them to bang and/or play on.

I briefly mentioned that music is very mathematical and playing and learning music can have an effect on a child's intellect. I didn't reference any specific literature on this subject, but in case you are interested, there is a good roundup of relevant info here.

One bit of more practical advice is for the other non-musically inclined parents out there. While pounding on a drum or cymbal or guiro, etc... may keep your kid entertained briefly, it is not likely to keep them interested for long, and it is also not likely to develop into anything beyond noise making all by itself. My guitar teacher used to play a "jam track" sometimes while we practiced. A jam track is a song played by an ensemble/band, except one of the instruments has been removed. In our case it was the lead guitar part, so I could jam along and solo while the backup band kept the base of the song moving along. Commercial karaoke songs do essentially the same thing with the vocals removed. This is a valuable tool to use after you have mastered the basic mechanics of the instrument and allows you to understand how the music you create as an individual fits into the music created by a group. Since the basic mechanics of most percussion instruments are pretty simple (in most cases it involves hitting them with a stick - which our baby mastered at 6 months) a jam track can be used almost immediately for kids. I suggest playing one of their (or your) favorite songs on the stereo and playing along with it. Keeping a beat and having fun are the two most important goals here. Singing along and getting fancy are secondary, and add not only a level of complexity but make it even more fun.

For some extra music, I suggest getting some free kids mp3's at: freekidsmusic.com. Just in case you are looking for one, the first song in their catalog - The Pancake Song by Abby and the Pipsqueaks has a guiro part. Don't worry if you can't find a real jam track for a particular song, you are just playing along and trying to have fun.

There may come a point at which you are so impressed with your kids progress that you are ready to try another instrument. What instrument that is depends on a lot of factors, such as the age, size and personality of the child. If there is a piano in the house it may be good place to start training your child's "ear" for pitch. Beyond that, if you have a musical sponge or prodigy on your hands, I suggest you begin looking for a professional music teacher. Recommendations from friends, music stores, and schools are a good place to start. After you've gone through all of this, don't forget that they have to understand that to get better they have to practice!

If you made it this far you must be a true music lover, and someday your child will thank you sharing your love for music with them. In the meantime, get out the pots and pans (or buy one of the inexpensive instruments below) turn on the stereo, and start making some noise!

If you have something that you are particularly proud of, send me a recording! I'd like to hear it and if it's OK with you I might share it with everyone else too.

Single 5" High Cage Bell, Assorted Colors
Remo 1 x 8" Lollipop Drum
Basic Beat Egg Shaker
Plastic Finger-Size Castanet

Huge sale at Land of Nod

Land of Nod is having a sale, up to 80% off lots of merchandise. To go to the sale page click here:




My favorite is the doctor and nurse costume set:

Take a hike Ugly Dolls, CurlyQCuties are here

Hand-made (and home-made) in the US, CurlyQCuties are a unique alternative to the more and more commonplace Ugly Dolls. The cuties are made of soft fleece with a poly/cotton fill. They are the conception of an Austin designer who makes them out of her home. She can also do custom dolls, so if you want one with a different color, or extra spots, or a belly button you can have whatever you want. This is a good find and is the exact type of thing I like to put on this blog, unique toys with a pinch of weird mixed in. If only I got a commission from this one...

link

for other plush dolls click here

More Monty Python and the Holy Grail Plush Dolls

Ever since I posted about the Killer Rabbit plush, I can't stop finding more cool Monty Python plush dolls. I know I am getting dangerously close to committing myself as a "daddy blog" by doing this, but I had to post this, I hope you understand.


Hopefully, you recognize one of the Knights of Ni, The Black Beast of Arrrggghhh, and the Three Headed Giant. These are all great plush toys for your future Monty Python fan.

Knights of Ni Chibi Plush Officially Licensed from Monty Python and the Holy Grail at amazon.com
Mini Black Beast Of Arrrggghhh Plush at amazon.com
Holy Grail 3 Headed Giant Plush at amazon.com
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Special Edition DVD)

Ugly Dolls

The beeblebears reminding me of these Ugly Dolls for some reason, and before someone points out that I have not mentioned them before I figured I had better do so. Ugly Dolls come from the imagination of designers David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim. There are 20 of them in all each with individual names and personality (pictured above are Ox, Peaco, and Wage) It takes a special person to find the cuteness in these dolls, are you a special person?

UglyDoll Ox 12-Inchat amazon.com
UglyDoll Peaco 12-Inchat amazon.com
UglyDoll Wage 12-Inchat amazon.com

See more Ugly Dolls at Cole's amazon store!

Beeblebears

Douglas Adams fans will be happy to know that you can now get your kid their own beeblebear based on the part-time Galactic President Zaphod Beeblebrox from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. They come with two heads, five moveable limbs, and are available in all of the most flattering colors for a mutant.

link

(via boingboing.net)


related post: Giant Microbe plush toys

Work hard for the money

Bilz box is an alternative to the cash in the envelope (or the $12 check you get from grandma on your birthday) gift. It is a puzzle in which you can see, to your frustration, your reward the entire time... taunting you from within. Cash, check, tickets, or any paper can be slipped into the tray by the gift giver and then locked. The gift receiver must negotiate a ball through a two level maze to get the tray to open. An excellent gift holder that might be more memorable than the gift itself. The box can also be reused over and over, so someday you might get it back!

Green Bilz Box (pictured) at amazon.com

Note: it also comes in clear

Tri-ominos

We play a lot of tri-ominos (for kids). It might not be Cole's favorite game, but it is one his parents' favorite games. Sometimes my wife and I even get a quick game at night while Cole is brushing his teeth. The game uses triangle shaped pieces, something like dominoes. You have to play a piece only where the numbers (or animals in the kids version) in each corner match with the piece(s) you are placing it next to. There is some strategy involved in playing your pieces such that you can play more of your remaining pieces next turn. We also play with our pieces face up so it can get a little cutthroat at times trying to block the other players. Play time in the kids version takes only 5-10 minutes per game, and the pieces are small enough to put into a ziploc (there's no board to play on) and take with you to play a game to kill some time, like at the doctor's office, the airport, or waiting to claim your powerball winnings.

Tri-Ominos
Tri-Ominos for Kids

Lego Universe

Lego Universe is an MMO (massive multiplayer online) game that is still in development. Still about 2 years off, it will be targeted at 8-12 year olds, but they say there will be something for older kids (like me) as well. A trailer is available here (yes games have trailers now) and some concept art as well. Read the whole story here.

Feel like playing programmer?

Igor Kholodov developed a game called C-Jump to demonstrate to his son the basics of computer proramming. The object of the game is to get a skier down a mountain by rolling a die and finding the fastest path down the mountain. The paths are labeled with basic math and logic symbols, the working tools of computer programming. There are not many educational toys out there that fall into this category. It's worth looking at for that reason alone.

More details here including some good pictures of the game and more background.

10 ways to entertain young children for $1 or less (without the tv)

Good collection of free (or nearly free) toys and/or activities for young children. Some are obvious but forgotten in today's world.

These classic toys and activities can be created with stuff you probably already
have lying around your house. Plus, they will entertain your kids for hours and
when they are done, you can chuck 'em without feeling bad you spent your
Christmas bonus to get them. Plus, studies show a child will remember a toy you
both created far longer than a store bought toy.

link (via lifehacker.com)

Ultra Tangoes

"Based on the ancient Chinese Tangram puzzle, Tangoes is a learning tool
that combines artistic and mathematical elements to develop problem solving
skills, creative thinking capacity, and teamwork. Tangoes can be played by one,
two or in teams. Ultra Tangoes Green delivers all the exciting fundamentals as
Classic Tangoes, packed in a smooth vibrant green plastic case with contemporary
black rubber letters. This challenging game includes two sets of seven playing
pieces, in green and black - 27 cards with 54 puzzles and solutions. "

Ultra Tangoes - Green

Make your own toy (video roundup)

Toys don't have to be pretty and they don't have to be bought at the store, they just have to be fun to play with (and safe). Below are a few "make your own toy" videos.



Amazing Toy - video powered by Metacafe



Awesome Paper Toy .... - video powered by Metacafe


Making non-Newtonian Fluid is easier than it sounds


Not the best video, but here is a pdf version of the construction plans from howtoons.com: link

Science toys you can make with your kids

Sometimes the journey is as important as the destination, and sometimes making the toy is as fun as playing with it. Learning something along the way is just gravy

link

edit: Found another site with more science toys: link

Giant microbe plush toys

There's nothing nicer than getting home after a long day at work/school/daycare and cuddling up with a sweet cuddly lyme disease, or maybe tonight it will be Ebola. It's been awhile since you had E. coli too. Decisions, decisions.

Seriously, these are actually cute dolls and could be helpful to educate kids about illnesses and help deal with fear associated with illnesses.

Giantmicrobes® Plush Dolls

Free printable paper toys

one afternoon Cole and I printed and cut out a bunch of paper armies and re-created the battle of Thermopolae (the battle in the movie 300). Did you know that the battle was not just between the Greek forces (lead by the Spartans) and the Persians, but there were also several dinosaurs involved too. In fact the dinosaurs won the battle, at least in our version.

There are several interesting free printable toys online, here are few. They are a good way to kill off a rainy day or a boring car trip.

http://papertoys.com/
http://www.thetoymaker.com/2Toys.html
http://ravensblight.com/papertoys.html (halloween/spooky theme)
http://www.juniorgeneral.org/index.html (build your own Spartan army here)
http://www.papercritters.com/

Skyrail Suspension

Men, boys, and dogs all have a fascination with moving objects, especially balls. Quercetti Skyrail Suspension delivers in an interesting construction and motion toy that is pretty enough to be an art piece. The idea is to build a tower, suspend rails in a circular orbit, and launch marbles down the rails. Sometimes the simple things in life are best. There are a large number of pieces in the box (210), although there are only about 10 or so different shapes. Putting them together is mildly frustrating the first time you have to do it, but after that it is pretty easy. The parts are solid and lightweight, and the construction as a whole is solid enough that I can pick it up with one hand and move it around (sometimes the toys in our house have to go to “time out”). Quercetti has another similar game called Marble Run that is a similar concept but is made with cheaper plastic parts. We found that the parts in Marble Run stretch to a point that they no longer work very well. No worries on that front with the Skyrail. My son and I spent ½ an hour or so putting it together, then had a ball racing the balls down one of the four suggested layouts. The rails are supported by thin strings (provided) attached to the support posts (think Golden Gate Bridge), which are adjustable so that you can speed up or slow down the marbles that move along that piece of track. Quercetti also sells an expansion pack that has a marble elevator that will catch the marbles at the bottom and move them up to the top ad infinitum. I’m worried that if I add the elevator then this toy will turn into an art piece, requiring little involvement other than changing the batteries or wondering what that noise is. As is, it is a fun little toy that purportedly exposes your kid to the principles of inertia, momentum, and general physics.

Quercetti Small Skyrail Suspension- 210 pc set at Amazon.com

Skyrail Suspension at ebay.com