big kids – Page 10 – The Next Kid Thing

Designing with DwellStudio at CMOM

January 28, 2011January 28, 2011 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

In the NYC area and looking for something fun to do with the kids tomorrow? Check out this fun Meet the Artist program at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. Kids 4 and older can enjoy an art lesson on Still Life by DwellStudio Founder/Creative Director, Christiane Lemieux. In the lesson, kids will explore shape and color through painting/drawing everyday objects in nature.

I can’t get enough of DwellStudio and I love nature, and I’m sure this fun program will be a hit with the kids!

Meet the Artist: Designing with DwellStudio will be held at 2pm, Saturday, January 29 at Children’s Museum of Manhattan, 212 West 83rd Street, New York, NY 10024.

Cooking Connections Launches Today

January 28, 2011 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

As you all know, food has become a significant part of my coverage on NKT. The foods we eat and cook and the eating habits we display, ultimately, help our kids to make healthier choices.

For me, cooking resources on the internet and tv help me to navigate in the kitchen. I’ve always been big on cooking, baking and eating, but online sites, magazines and shows underscore just how much I enjoy being in the kitchen. I could seriously watch Food Network for hours and daydream about these professional cooks and chefs coming to my house to cook for me! But good news, though these fantastic chefs can’t come to my house, but there are “real” parents who can—well, sort of!

TheMotherhood’s Cooking Connections, an awesome and innovative eight-week series of virtual cooking classes is launching today. In this series of virtual cooking classes, “real” moms and dads will lead us in their kitchens, to help us learn more about topics relevant to parents. The conversations, led by some of my favorite bloggers, will leverage social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and TheMotherhood.com.

Sponsored by ConAgra Foods, Cooking Connections is launching today, actually at 1:00 pm at the Blissdom Conference that’s going on right now in Nashville.

I love, love, love TheMotherhood and all the wonderful things that they’re doing around our community. Cooking Connections will, no doubt, be just as successful as their other projects. I’m excited to be participating in the cooking class that focuses on picky eaters. “Placating Picky Eaters” will take place in a few weeks, and I’ll be sure to share more about it soon. By the way, TheMotherhood, Emily McKhann and 77Kids by American Eagle got a nod in Forbes for the inspiring Do Good Day campaign that tapped bloggers around the country to pay it forward.

Join the conversation! Want to learn more about Cooking Connections and/or register to participate? Be sure to sign up here at TheMotherhood.

Check out Cooper and Emily’s announcement video for even more details!

Play Kitchens Promote Imagination and Creativity for Girls and Boys

January 19, 2011January 19, 2011 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

I was planning on writing about something completely different today, and then I saw this question posed on Twitter:

I was caught off guard since my boy, like I’m sure many of yours, enjoys play cooking. As we finish our remodel and completion of rooms, we’ve been on the hunt for a kitchen that’s “just right.” But the reason I was caught off guard was, since when did imagination and creativity become a gender thing, because isn’t that what role playing, such as kitchen play, promotes?

Maybe it’s because I choose to ignore such conversations, but I never realized that play kitchens were considered “girl toys.” Quite honestly, I wish it didn’t have to be that way. Ample research has revealed that exposing kids to the kitchen benefits them in the long run. Whether it’s a play kitchen or a real kitchen, let the kids explore, learn and be creative.

Ever go to a toy store where the demo play kitchen is set up? It never fails, the play kitchen, just like a real kitchen at family gatherings, has some sort of magnetic energy that lures people and kids.

While we’re at it, let’s talk kitchens. Here are just a few kitchens that are perfect for cooking up a good (pretend) feast:

The Educo Gourmet Kitchen is made of wood with completely non-toxic, child-friendly paints and finishes. I love that this kitchen features bright, bold and modern, a contrast from that gender-specific color palette.

The Deluxe Kitchen Play Centre from Melissa and Doug is the kitchen in question that always lures my kid in, whenever we visit our local toy boutique. It’s made mostly of wood, features a myriad of controls, buttons, shelves and accoutrements. Basically, like the marketing material implies, this kitchen has everything including the kitchen sink.

Another kitchen that’s made of wood that I love is the kid’s play kitchen from IKEA. Like their furniture, it boast straight lines, euro design and most importantly, the kids love its “realistic” features. Best aspect, though, is that its in the $100 range, with plenty of options to add personal touches.

Speaking of personal touches, what about DIY play kitchens? I can’t think of a more sustainable option that involves interaction from parent and kids than creating a play kitchen from repurposed furniture. This one, made by a set of grandparents, is probably my idea of the holy grail of DIY play kitchens.

Do you guys have any thoughts on kitchens? Any faves? Opposed or in favor of boys/girls playing in the kitchen?

KidFresh Frozen Meals: Convenient Deliciousness

January 14, 2011January 14, 2011 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

An advocate for helping kids make healthier choices, as you know, I’m always on the hunt for good eats. I’m not the biggest fan of “sneaking” veggies, making exclusive meals for kids, nor am I really a fan of overly processed food for kids. But in reality, if it works, it works—especially if you’ve got a picky eater.

Time is of the essence for all families, which is why it’s always great to have easy meal options or frozen food onhand. When you’re not feeling well, running late for that playdate or just don’t have the inspiration to cook, it’s nice to simplify life with a meal that takes little or no brainwork. The problem with many of those frozen foods, however, are the sodium and preservative levels.

And then, there’s KidFresh.

77kids Gives Back with Wish-4-Snow Charity Program

December 2, 2010December 9, 2010 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

The holidays are in full swing, and it’s certainly the time for giving. NKT fave, 77kids, is once again in the spotlight for their charitable initiatives. The retailer announced that they plan to keep their “Do Good” momentum flowing by giving back through a charitable initiative twice a year, once in the summer and once during the holiday season.

The Motherhood invited the kid and I, along with several of my NYC/NJ blogger friends, back to 77kid’s NYC design studios a few weeks ago to discuss their current holiday charity. The execs from 77kids shared a lot of great details about their holiday line, plus gave us a sneak peek of upcoming lines. But more importantly, we were on hand to learn about what matters most about the holiday season: giving back. 77kids has kicked off their holiday season with their Wish-4-Snow charity program that benefits children’s hospitals.

Want to know why I love working with 77kids? It’s not just because I genuinely adore their kid’s clothes and their “Do Good” mantra, but also because they enlist bloggers to spread their word. As Betsy Schumacher, chief merchandising officer of 77kids mentioned, their grassroots approach to marketing involves moms and word of mouth. And to me, that accounts for a lot; reaching out to the key demographic who makes the buying decisions and involving bloggers in their social media campaigns speaks volumes. But better yet, this company continues to underscore the importance of charity, and I like that even more.

For 77kids’ Wish-4-Snow program, there’s a variety of easy ways you can get involved to make a big impact:

In stores

– Customers can donate 77 cents (or more) to benefit their local children’s hospital!

– Customers/kids will receive a snowflake to write their name and wish on, and then they can place the snowflake on the “blizzard wall” in the store for all to see!

– In addition to the snowflake, the customer will get a ‘you done good’ bumper sticker to take with them!

Online

– Visit 77kids’ Wish-4-Snow microsite, featuring a fun “catch the snowflake” game and giving visitors the opportunity to design their own snowflake to help 77kids reach their children’s hospital donation goal!

– Help 77kids reach their goal to make a total of 100,000 snowflakes.

– If that goal is hit, 77kids will make an additional $25,000 donation to the children’s hospitals on top of the customer donations each store collects during the month!

– You can make as many snowflakes as you want – not just one! You’re asked to submit your contact information only after the first snowflake.

– Creating a snowflake makes you eligible to win a $77 gift card from 77kids (one gift card given away daily!) and enters you to win the ultimate grand prize: an awesome block party for you and 77 pals!!

Local benefiting hospitals include:

– Children’s Health and Wellness Center at Danbury Hospital

– Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota

– Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh

– Children’s Regional Hospital at Cooper

– University Hospital (Cherry Hill/Philadelphia)

– Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital (Syracuse)

– WakeMed Children’s Hospital (Raleigh)

– Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (Hartford)

– Children’s Memorial Hospital (Chicago)

So, log on and help 77kids give back by making a snowflake or three!

Giveaway

And because it’s the season for giving, 77kids would like to give one NKT reader a $50 giftcard! All you have to do is, you guessed it, make a snowflake! Do you know of someone that needs a warm coat or a new outfit? Nominate them for the giveaway! ‘Tis the season. After you make your snowflake, just leave a comment below.

Would you like extra entries?

Become a fan of 77kids on Facebook

Tweet about this giveaway and be sure to include @jenrab and @77kids

Become a fan of NKT

Please comment below for all entries. This will giveaway will end at midnight on December 6, so enter away! Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be notified via email, so be sure to include a valid email address. Good luck and have fun!

Full disclosure: I am being compensated for my participation in this campaign, but as always, all opinions on NKT are my own.

Toy Story 3 Features Hidden Easter Eggs

November 4, 2010November 4, 2010 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

The highest grossing animated film of all time and one of our family’s favorite movies of the year (and maybe yours too?), Toy Story 3, was released on DVD and Blu-Ray earlier this week. We, of course, were first in line to grab our copies.

Since picking up our copy of TS3, it’s no surprise that we’ve watched it no less than four times already. Each time, I’ve found myself searching for even more quirky surprises that I missed before. Pixar is well known for hiding easter eggs in their films, so I thought I’d repost the link to a great site that shares many of those hidden gems of Woody, Buzz and the gang.

Slash Film did a great job dissecting some of the most important scenes in the film that were chock full of interesting tidbits, many of which reference other Pixar films and characters, with quite a few nods to next year’s Cars 2. One easter egg that I found interesting was the significance of the number of A113 found in several other Pixar flicks, just like TS3.

It’s Election Day: Lead by Example

November 2, 2010 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

It’s Election Day, and the world around us is abuzz about how important it is to vote in the Midterm Elections. Politics and elections can be a trivial time for some adults, nevermind explaining the significance of it all to smaller kids. But, perhaps, the best way to teach kids about the importance of voting and being heard is by leading by example.

Judging by all the activity on Facebook and Foursquare, it sounds like many of you have already done your civic duty. Hooray!

Looking for a learning resource to engage the kids in the election? Scholastic has a variety of non-fiction books that overview the voting process. Skimming over the content, I think Let’s Vote on It! by Janice Behrens is a great primer for preschoolers and younger grade schoolers to learn more about the voting process.

The book introduces terms that are relevant to elections and voting within the classroom. It also touches up on the topic of how adults vote, which is timely for Election Day.

Regardless of when and how you do it, go vote and lead by example!

Check it

I love the way social networks have created a dialogue for civic participation. There’s no ignoring this election if you’re on Twitter, Facebook or read any sort of website. If you haven’t already, don’t forget to show off that you voted on Facebook, grab your I Voted Badge on Foursquare (check in at your polling location and shout #Ivoted) or tweet #Ivoted.

Toys ‘R’ Us Great Big Christmas Book: There’s an App for That

November 1, 2010 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Halloween’s over and you know what that means? That’s right, the Holiday shopping season cranks up a notch. While the shelves might have been touting dancing Santas and singing reindeers for a few weeks now, marketers and retailers have been working overtime for months in preparation for the upcoming Holiday season.

As mentioned before, many of us bloggers were attending holiday previews way back in May, so, be prepared to see an influx of holiday coverage on blogs this year, NKT included.

We can’t cover holiday shopping without highlighting the thrill of the hunt—for kids, that is! While many of us plan to scour the malls, websites and shops for the best deals, in many cases, it all starts with that carefully-crafted Christmas list. And guess what?

Of course, there’s an app for that.

Time for Kids Releases Two New Titles for Curious Kids

October 25, 2010October 25, 2010 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

While strolling Costco this weekend, my three-year old looked up at me and innocently asked, “Do donkeys go to church?”

And before I could answer the first question, he then asked, “What do donkeys do?”

The past few weeks, the kid has done his best to stump us with his curiosity and long list of questions, impossible questions included. We do our best to answer them, but sometimes, truly, I have no answer because I really don’t know! As every parent knows, kids are innately curious and they love to ask questions, which why I totally appreciate these new releases from Time for Kids.

Just in time for Halloween, the editors of Time for Kids released two new books for our inquisitive and answer-starved kid: That’s Awesome and The BIG Book of Why.

Geared to school-aged kids to read on their own, Time for Kid’s new books aim to answer many questions that even the littler ones might ask.

The Big Book of Why features 1,001 facts, including the science or history to further explain the answer in a straightforward and kid-friendly way.

And with Halloween in mind, here are some fun excerpts from The Big Book of Why:

Snack Nation: Package Your Own Healthy Snacks

October 22, 2010October 22, 2010 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

In case you haven’t heard, apparently, we’re raising a generation of constant snackers.

As Wendy Sachs recently wrote in the Huffington Post, “From cleverly packaged organic cookies to crisp 100 Calorie chips, we offer snacks as distraction and entertainment.”

Those prepackaged snacks are so easy to grab and just throw in a bag when you’re on the go…or to alleviate meltdowns. I’m guilty of it, too. No judgments here! But on a different note, just because it’s organic doesn’t necessarily mean it’s that great of a snack for the kid, especially if they’re having tons of it, all day long.

A lot of kids are devouring those prepackaged snack foods, which are high in calories and low in nutrients, as pointed out in a MayoClinic.com article.

So, why don’t we nip these bad habits in the bud, and go for a healthier, old-fashioned route: snacks that we package ourselves?

Instead of grabbing for cutesy prepackaged and highly processed “fruit” snacks, why not put together fresh fruit and add a little protein like low-fat cheddar cheese?