The Lorax

by Lara This March break we've been up to all kinds of things, one of which was an outing with Kiernan and I, my sister-in-law and her three boys to see the Lorax.

I will start by saying I haven't read the book recently enough to have any real recollection of the story, so if the movie was WAY off base from the book, well...

The movie was fun, beautiful, had great and catchy songs and was under an hour and a half long which meant none of the kids (the oldest being 8) started getting bored or antsy.

I think the message about taking care of the environment was clear and simple enough for even my five year old to get, which I liked.  I could see the twins, who aren't quite yet three, enjoying the movie once it's out on dvd (or netflix ;) but they still aren't ready for a movie theatre I don't think.

Have you seen the Lorax? Did you and/or the kids like it?

Lara is mom to five year old Kiernan and two and a half year old boy/girl twins Quinn and Juliette.  Between the kids and her social media consulting business, she spends most of her time running frazzled.

Keeping the kids entertained on the long drives

by Eric Once the twins were old enough for front-facing car seats, we put them on the back bench seat of the van and removed one of the middle seats, for easier access to all three kids. When the time came for long road trips to cottages to begin, we realized we needed to distract them from the driving tedium.

CDs were becoming an issue - arguments arose over which CD to play, and then screeches of disagreement over which songs were not the right songs followed. We needed a DVD player.

The problem with our new back seat arrangement was that if a screen was hanging on the driver's side seat, Quinn and Juliette could see, but Kiernan would be constantly craning his neck. If the player was on the passenger-side seat, Quinn and Kiernan are good to go, but Juliette's view would be blocked. Sucks, really, for anyone but Quinn. The third option of hanging anything between the seats would prove disastrous with the trio of climbing monkeys we regularly courier around.

Enter the Philips dual portable LCD DVD player. With one 9" screen on the back of each of the front seats, all kids have a view (Quinn doubly so - that kid just can't lose). The straps are adjustable and sturdy, and  the cables connecting the two monitors, as well as the car adapter, are long enough to snake out of the way of grabbing hands. The player is top-loading into one of the screens, and the buttons are easily accessable from the passenger seat - the only wish we would have would be for a remote to be able to hit Play when there's no one  but the driver there to respond to the angry wails of "It's stuck on the menuuuuu!!".

Of course, had we endured our children's groaning for one more year, we could have bought the new Dual DVD system which can play two separate DVDs at a time, or with a flick of a switch share a single view. I'm pretty sure Quinn would go into ferret-shock with that kind of heaven, so perhaps it's for the best.

Eric is dad to 5.5 year old Kiernan and old and 2.833334 year old twins Quinn and Juliette.

Social Media Mondays: 5 keys to parenting in a digital age

by Karen

Parents who are bringing up children right now - you, me and every other one out there - are living in a time where things change so fast that some barely even find out about one innovation before something new comes along to replace it.

So, how do we raise responsible children in this age of connectedness and sharing?

I have a few ideas:

1. Moderation - I'm not a big fan of the word balance. I think it looks too different from one person to another, but moderation is easier to grasp. Having an active life online can be a hobby and/or a job and/or an obsession. Maintaining interests outside of the online world helps keep you grounded and prevents obsession. We need to teach our children how to use these tools in a healthy manner.
2. Education - Parents need to learn what's happening online and know how to use the tools. It's not uncommon for parents to be uninterested but for their kids to be heavily active. That worries me. It leaves what can be (or become) a major facet of a child's life untouched by the guidance of a parent.
3. Exposure - <rant>It bugs me that social sites have been forced by law to institute age limits - 13 and older only. As a parent, it is my job to decide what sites, when and how much my child is online.</rant> My point in that little rant is that early exposure is actually good. Let's teach children from a young age how to incorporate online tools into their lives safely and develop healthy use habits.
4. Privacy - On this subject, I could go on and on and on. If you are typing words into a device that saves or transmits data in any way, you have no guarantee of privacy. Screen captures, hard drive recoveries, ISP data - these are just some of the places where that data can be obtained. Children need to understand that what they say on any device - connected or not - matters. Choose words wisely!
5. Kindness - Also, empathy and compassion. It's far too easy to let loose online without regard for the person on the other end, but the point is that there is a person on the other end and words do hurt. The written word is a powerful thing. We need to teach our children that bullying, judgmental attitudes and meanness are not okay - online or off.

It blows my mind that my son will never know what it's like not to have some sort of computing device readily available in his life. I remember what those days were like. I remember going to the library to look up everything I needed to know to write a paper. The analog age was time-consuming, wasn't it? Personally, I don't have any desire to go back to that, though I understand why some do.

We need to embrace these changes that technology and the Internet have brought to our lives so that we can teach our kids to use the tools at their disposal properly.

What is your biggest concern for your children growing up during this time?

*****

Karen Wilson is a wife to Matt and mom to Brandon (3), who blogs about her life at Karen’s Chronicles. Most recently, she can be found at Wellman Wilson, helping business use social media more effectively.

Kids Create! March Craft Carnival {GREEN}

by Alicia March 2011 Theme – GREEN

Spring in the air! I think. Let's celebrate March by crafting with our children not only using the colour green (I'm thinking luscious green grass, new green leaves on the trees and St. Patrick' day shamrocks!), but also "going green" by choosing eco-friendly crafts.  I personally like to choose our crafts using recyclables around the house (toilet paper rolls, egg cartons, cardboard boxes) and I always love finding a way to use nature (sticks, leaves, vegetables) in our crafts. How will you craft with the colour green? What does a green theme mean to you?

What is the Kids Create! Craft Carnival? A carnival is a blog article that contains links to other articles covering a specific topic. Think of it as a craft party, where everyone has to show up with a craft based on the same topic. Use this carnival to encourage your family to create crafts and memories together!

Who can participate? All KITC readers! Whether you have a blog or not, we have a way you can participate!

When? Throughout the month you are encouraged to make a craft with your children based on the monthly theme and post your finished project to share with others. Make and share as many crafts as you want according to the theme before the end of the month deadline. Crafts you have made in the past are also welcome, but new crafts are encouraged. Once the deadline has passed we will showcase the crafts and announce the following month’s theme.

Where and how do we post our crafts? There is a link-up widget at the bottom of this post. If you are blogger, post about your craft on your blog and link below to your post. If you do not have a blog, use the KITC Flickr group to upload a picture of your craft (make sure to include your name and a written description of your craft). Read more information here on how to use Flickr and how to join the KITC Flickr Group.

Deadline to submit: Saturday, March 31st

What will your family create?

Thank you to those who participated in last month’s craft carnival! February’s theme was LOVE and KINDESS and we had a few really creative submissions. Check them out!

Alicia is mother to E (2 ¾) and blogs at I Found My Feet.

Welcome to our new sponsor: Ottawa's leaders in science summer camps

We love working with Ottawa museums and three are grouped together to tell us about their exciting summer camps! Canada Agriculture Museum

Bringing the country to kids in the city A unique day camp adventure awaits you! Discover the fascinating world of farm animals with this fresh-air experience that will awaken your senses through nature studies, crafts, games and more.

Canada Aviation and Space Museum

Kids, clouds, and cosmos Develop a passion for aviation, a love of history, and a sense of pride in this great country. Each camp features awesome games, historical tales of aviation adventures, fantastic crafts, amazing scientific experiments, and of course, a breathtaking flight over the Nation’s Capital!
Canada Science and Technology Museum Sciensational adventures

Kids who love adventure, discovery and hands-on experiments won’t want to be anywhere else this summer. The popular Canada Science and Technology Museum summer camps offer something for curious campers of all ages and interests.

Have you started signing your kids up for summer camp yet? Have they ever attended one of these?