Make a Care Package for the Less Fortunate and Enjoy a Happy Thanksgiving!

Sometimes families can get caught up with all the hoopla surrounding the holiday and lose sight of the true meaning of Thanksgiving.  Daily Candy reminds us of a way to stay on track in their video.   In this article they expounded on their project.

"Make a care package for the less fortunate
By Lauren Lumsden

It’s easy for littles to lose track of what’s important when Monster High and Ugglys dolls are in their sights. 

Restore their sense of gratitude this holiday by assembling a care package for those less fortunate. In today’s video, we show you what to include (we called a bunch of homeless shelters to find out what they needed most), how to put it together, and where to take it in major U.S. cities.

Of course, we also urge you to remember those affected by Typhoon Haiyan. Right now, monetary donations to American Red Cross, Oxfam, and ShelterBox are still the best way to help.

By teaching your kids the value of giving now, you ensure they keep doing it as they grow. And that’s something to behold."

I hold heartedly agreed with them.  Also I think this might be a fun way to add a new tradition to your holiday celebrations, ask each guest to bring an item and create a basket for a good cause. The hosting family can pick the theme.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Giving Thanksgiving: The Family Dinner Project

The aim of The Family Dinner Project is to bring more food, fun and conversation to the dinner table. They believe that connecting with the family and sharing with others will help develop children who are happy, resilient, responsible adults. Check out their website for tips on foods, conversation starters, and support.  This year they are asking families to have a special day after Thanksgiving to have a special conversation on giving with their families.





They are participating in a campaign called Giving Tuesday to make the Tuesday after Thanksgiving a national day of giving.

Happy Thanksgiving! Share the joy!

The Mother Company Helping Parents Address Safety Needs

Keeping our children safe is a concern of all parents.  The Mother Company is helping parents address these concerns with books and videos that are both entertaining and educational. Creators Abbie Schiller and Samantha Kurtzman-Counter of The Mother Company have created a new video, The Safety Show.  According to Daily Candy, "The 40-minute show mixes live action, music, quirky stop-motion, and lovely French animation to teach smart habits (if you need help, find a mom with kids; pay attention to that “uh-oh” feeling) and give parents conversation starters."  Available via DVD ($15) or download ($12) at rubysstudio.com.

Their video above, The Boss of My Body featuring Marlee Hightower empowers young people with music and a catchy tune. The Mother Show also has live events.





Return to Children's Focus website.

 

Tour MOMA with Their Latest Children's Book, Young Frank, Architect

Until the Museum of Modern Art start their fall programs, families may enjoy reading their latest children's book,  Young Frank, Architect.  Later they can use this new book as a reference for their next tour of the museum to discover the works of architects like Frank Lloyd Wright and Frank Gehry. The book also give ideas to try at home.  

Here is MOMA's description of Young Frank, Architect.

"This whimsical children’s book by award-winning author and illustrator Frank Viva explores MoMA's collection through the adventures of Young Frank, an aspiring architect, who lives in New York City with his grandfather, Old Frank, also an architect. Young Frank likes to use anything he finds—macaroni, pillows, toilet paper, shoes—to make buildings that twist, chairs with zigzag legs, and even entire cities. But Old Frank disapproves, saying architects only create buildings.

One day they visit The Museum of Modern Art, where they see work by architects Frank Gehry, Frank Lloyd Wright, and many others, and Old Frank learns that architects can do more than he thought. The Franks go home and create structures of every shape and size, using whatever they can get their hands on, even cookies. At the end of the day, Young Frank feels a little older, and Old Frank feels a little younger—and a little wiser." 

To preorder a copy visit MOMA.

Return to Children's Focus website.

How to Dance Salsa

How to Dance Salsa with Baila Society from Alvin Ailey on Vimeo.

It's summer time, and are you ready to move! Alvin Ailey tries to help you get your Latin grove on with a little help from Baila Society.

The New York Public Library Presents New Free Exhibition: ‘The ABC of It: Why Children’s Books Matter’

For centuries, children’s books have introduced young people to the art of storytelling and sparked their imaginations. Now a new exhibition, The ABC of It: Why Children’s Books Matter at The New York Public Library explores children’s literature and its crucial role in educating and entertaining readers of all ages while shaping and chronicling society and culture. The exhibition reminds us not only that each generation has their own favorite books that speaks to them but also the story of children’s books has a fascinating history.  

More than 250 items from the Library’s collections will help explore the history and impact of children’s literature, and for some this will be a trip down memory lane. The curator, Leonard S. Marcus tries to connect the dotes between the different ideologies that have coexisted in the realm of children's literature from the romantic vision of allowing children to explore their imagination to the more practical view of providing a message to encourage children to be better citizens of the planet. Many of the New York Public Library’s treasures will be showcased: the copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland that belonged to Alice Liddell, the child for whom Lewis Carroll wrote it; a rare 1666 illustrated children’s edition of Aesop’s fables that survived the Great Fire of London; Nathaniel Hawthorne’s family copy of Mother Goose, with annotations stating some passages were too scary to read to their children; the manuscript of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden; Mary Poppins author P. L. Travers’s parrot-head umbrella; recordings of E.B. White reading excerpts of Charlotte’s Web;  the original Winnie-the-Pooh stuffed animals; comics; copies of The Little Golden Book series (remember The Poky Little Puppy) and an array of other children's favorites.

Find out why children's books matter and other important questions in this new exhibition which, will run from June 21, 2013 until March 23, 2014 at the Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street.  for more information visit their website.

How to Make A Play Street

Summer is here, and play streets are a special part of summer fun for children and everyone. If your favorite neighborhood block has never enjoyed a play street, Jules and Martha tell you how to get started. Thanks to ioby. Return to Children's Focus