Tag: school age

Sweet Shoes: cute and cool

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

If you’re into cute, yet edgy cool for the kid, I’d suggest checking out Sweet Shoes. Ok, so, nevermind that I just scored a pair of $5 lookalike slip on vans for the boy from H&M (seriously, check out their sale going on right now!), I love the look of Sweet Shoes. I spotted Sweet Shoes not too long ago while on the hunt for a pair of casual shoes. I love that all the little boy shoes all seem to be versatile for coordinating for day-to-day and playwear.
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The wave design in navy are perfect to pair with shorts, yet can be worn well with jeans in the cooler weather, too. Add the convenience of Velcro to a super cool design, Sweet Shoes are on our shoe-shopping list! What can I say, I love cool shoes!

Matthew Broderick guest stars in Cyberchase

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Matthew Broderick will guest star as the voice of Max in a special Father’s Day episode of Cyberchase, premiering June 19 on PBS KIDS GO!   In this episode, Hacker sets out to ruin Father’s Day while Max and the CyberSquad try to stop him.

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If you’re not familiar with Cyberchase, here’s this special episode’s description from PBS:

Cyberchase features a trio of smart, curious kids who outwit the dastardly villain Hacker (Christopher Lloyd) during his mad quest to rule Cyberspace.  With help of their bird pal Digit (Gilbert Gottfried), the CyberSquad uses math and brain power to foil Hacker’s evil schemes. This time, it’s the annual Father’s Day Parade in Tikiville, and Max (guest star Matthew Broderick) is this year’s Cyber Dad of the Year.  Max was once a schoolmate of Hacker’s – and continually bested Hacker in all of their endeavors.  Hacker has decided it’s time to get even. His dastardly scheme is to replace Max with a Max robot and make the robot do awful things during the parade. The CyberSquad must use number patterns to crack a series of coded messages sent by Hacker to save the day in Tikiville.  Matthew Broderick voices both the easy-going, likeable Max and the evil Max robot in this thrilling Father’s Day Cyberchase adventure.

Following the June 19 on-air premiere, the Father’s Day episode with Matthew Broderick will be available for streaming at Cyberchase Online and on the PBS KIDS GO! video player.

Wellness Wednesday: Yummi Bears giveaway

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

I’m bumping this post because I just added some pretty pictures and that they’ll be two winners! see below

yboboxbottleAs this blog continues to grow with leaps and bounds, I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you—my awesome readers, especially my frequent commenters.  All of you rock. And guess what, I’m not the only one who notices your frequent visits and comments on The Next Kid Thing, but so are many of the companies that I’ve been featuring.

I’m sure many of you remember the post from a few weeks ago about the Organic Yummi Bears vitamins by Hero Nutritionals. In case you don’t, let me refresh your memory:

Hero Nutritionals has recently added Yummi Bears Organics to their Yummi Bears Gummy Vitamins product line. The organic option is GMO-Free, as well as allergen, gluten and casein free.  The Yummi Bears Organics are manufactured with natural flavors and colors, too.  The organic product line is gelatin free and vegetarian approved, so parents, rest assured, there are no harmful pesticides, no insecticides, no growth hormones and no antibiotics added to the gummy vitamins.

Well, because today is Wellness Wednesday, I thought I’d announce another great giveaway!  Hero Nutritionals is generously offering a gift basket to one lucky Next Kid Thing reader.  Check out the goodies:

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  • Yummi Bears – Multi Vitamin+ Minerals
  • Yummi Bears – Wholefood (fruits & veggies)
  • Yummi Bears – Omega Fish Free
  • Slice of Life – Multi Vitamin + Lycopene Antioxidant
  • Slice of Life – Energy + B12
  • Slice of Life – Omega 3-6-9 Fish Free
  • With Yummi Bears Organics samples (which aren’t available until August)
  • Plus their mascot Oliver Bear

Seriously, what a great giveaway!

Want to win the giftbasket from Hero Nutritionals?

Visit Yummi Bears and tell me what product you’d like to try for your family.

For additional entries:

1. Tweet about this giveaway

2.  Share this post on any social networking site

3. Sign up to receive my updates via email.

4. Become a fan of NKT on Facebook

5. Tell me the name of the recently launched line of natural gummy vitamins for adults.

6.  Comment on another NKT post and get 2 more entries!

—>**New***Second winner!
Want to win 3 months worth of Yummi Bears?
Tell me your childhood vitamin memories. It can be funny, quirky, crazy…whatever! I’ll pick the second winner at random from the memory entries.

Want to know mine? Uh, when I didn’t like the flavor of my Flintsone Vitamin, I’d stash the uneaten vitamin behind the encyclopedias. (Sorry ’bout that, Mom!)

Please comment for each additional entry and good luck! This contest ends on June 24, 2009.

Want a chance to win a Spa Finder Giftcard or Hero Nutritionals goodies, among other things?  Be sure to sign up for their Sunshine Drawing!

And a big thanks to Hero Nutritionals!
************This contest is closed*************

<br /> The numbers generated by this widget come from RANDOM.ORG’s true random number generator.<br />

Kido’z: Kid-friendly media browser

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Parents, did you know that a few years ago, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution declaring June “National Internet Safety Month?”  Yeah, me neither, but it’s so good to know!

As a mom of a toddler, internet security and safety is already a blip on the radar.  But as this digital savvy generation becomes parents/aunts/uncles, it’s comforting to know that educators, community leaders and volunteers are doing their part to safeguard our kids.

Key parts of raising awareness of internet safety are great tools and resources, namely user-friendly, innovative software that keeps you and your kids ahead of the curve, such as Kido’z.  Kido’z is a plug-and-play application and web environment that’s specifically tailored for relevant, kid-friendly content.

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Basically, after you download Kido’z, safe content geared to kids from 3-7 is at your fingertips.  Just a few of the many Kido’z features include, a kid-friendly browser that’s easily personalized, a tv interface where Youtube videos among others can be viewed and a customizable, interactive game center. As parents should, there’s easy accessibility for monitoring usuage.  The Parental Control Account is a password protected area where you can manage your child’s account and content.

kidozHas anyone had a chance to try out Kido’z?  I have yet to try it out, but it definitely looks like a colorful and helpful application that we’ll be installing sooner than later.

*Thanks to Mike B. for recommending Kido’z!  Keep the suggestions coming–I love it!

Happy 90th Birthday, Richard Scarry!

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

June 5th marks what would have been the 90th birthday of beloved children’s author and illustrator, Richard Scarry. Scarry made continues to make an impact on generations of children by creating more than 300 books that have sold over 200 million copies worldwide and been translated into 30 languages.

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Today, in celebration of Richard Scarry’s birthday, Sterling Publishing Co. is holding a one-day contest. Just for today, they’re giving away 90 Richard Scarry books in honor of his 90th birthday. But the celebration doesn’t end there: for 90 days in June, July and August everyone is encouraged to celebrate Richard Scarry’s life and work by having “A Very Scarry Summer.” Check out their site for more giveaways and some downloadable Richard Scarry fun.

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This is one of those times that makes me nostalgic for my books from my childhood that were thrown away or sold at yard sales. I treasured several of Richard Scarry’s books, but especially The Great Big Schoolbook. I’d flip through the giant, oversized pages over and over, studying each illustration, hoping to discover a new character or detail I might have missed earlier.

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“I’m not interested in creating a book that is read once and then placed on the shelf and forgotten,” Richard Scarry once said. “I am very happy when people write that they have worn out my books, or that they are held together by Scotch tape. I consider that the ultimate compliment.”

Mr. Scarry, I am one of “those” readers. And clearly, I’m not alone.

Oh, and how fun is this?  Richard Scarry illustrations set to one of my favorite songs ever!

It’s Game On for Kai Lan

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

This holiday season, Ni Hao, Kai-lan will take on a new adventure as she joins the ranks as one of the latest video games for preschoolers. Available for the Wii, Nintendo DS and PlayStation2, like the popular Nickelodeon show, the Ni Hao, Kai-lan video game by 2K Play will infuse learning the Chinese language and culture, with a bit of action and adventure.

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I’m so excited about Kai Lan, simply because she’s a non-princess Asian cartoon character that our family identifies with–you know, because we tickle the sun and sing with tigers on a daily basis.  Hooray for Ni Hao, Kai Lan becoming such a hit.

Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 to hit full force

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Mattel announced several products to go along with the launch of the new series, Hot Wheels Battle Force 5, set to debut in August on the Cartoon Network.  The CGI-animated, Battle Force 5 is said to feature a team of drivers in super fast, super cool vehicles who must work together to save the Earth.

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The Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 line features a full range of toys including battle vehicles and figures, a vehicle assortment, a trackset and vehicle assortment two-packs with a DVD containing the first episode of the show. The full Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 line will be at stores in October 2009.  Activision Publishing will release a Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 videogame to Wii and Nintendo DS platforms this November.  Also be on the lookout for a litany of Hot Wheels Battle Force licensed products for boys including clothes, footwear, role play toys, graphic novels, skateboards, bikes dvds, watches and more.

How Zoo you like me now?

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Over the weekend, I spotted the super cute Zoo Packs by Skip Hop while we were at the Time Out New York Kids Fest.  This wasn’t the first time I eyed the animal-themed kiddie backpacks; I actually fell in love with them even before they came out!

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The Zoo Packs, which are now available, are the most recent addition to Skip Hop’s burgeoning line of great kid’s gear.  The BPA-Free, Phthalate-free and PVC Free kiddie backpacks come in dog, mouse and penguin themes and are roomy, yet small enough to accommodate the kiddie contingent.  At only $20, the Zoo Packs are functional, practical and Zoo cute.

Etsy find: Pirate Ship Playset

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Always on the lookout for great wooden toys, I found this amazing Pirate Ship Playset by Happy Squash Toys on Etsy.  From just the photos, you truly get a feel for the craftsmanship and attention to detail.  I don’t even think there’s a wooden pirate ship out on the market as cool and green as this.

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The pirate ship is made from poplar wood and painted with non-toxic paints and finishes.  It features wheels hidden underneath to allow it to glide across any smooth surface. The 4 pirates are removable and the cargo hatch opens to hide their treasure. The ship features an embroidered sail and cherry inlay windows. The pirate ship playset retails for $65 and can be purchased directly from Happy Squash Toy’s Etsy shop.

And if pirate ships aren’t your thing, check out this flower power car!

Up video game hits shelves today

by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

upgraphicThe video game, Up, based on the Disney-Pixar film of the same name, is hitting shelves today. Up, by THQ, follows the adventures of Carl and his young sidekick, Russell, as they embark on a journey through the  jungles of South America. The four main characters of the video game are the same from the movie — Carl, Russell, Dug the dog and Kevin the prehistoric bird. The characters must work together to navigate jungle terrain, combat animals and avoid being captured by a villain and his army of talking dogs.

Rated E for Everyone, the game is available for Wii, DS, Xbox 360, Playstation 2 and 3, PSP, Widows and Mac and retails for $39.99.  Here’s the trailer for the video game.

The game has already been taken for a spin by video game reviewers, and it sounds like it’ll be a big hit with kids.

I’ve got kids and they sat still and quiet while I was playing UP, so I know this game will do well with children, it’s bright and colorful and cute, all of the things a kids games should be.

said Kristofer Brozio of TestFreaks. For a thorough review, complete with screenshots, be sure to check the Testfreaks.com blog. For more information on the movie, Up, which hits screens on the 29th, head on over to the official site.