Choosing Movies for Your Child
Is the regular trip to the neighborhood video store or the downtown multiplex with your child starting to feel like an exercise in parental perplexity? If so, then there is no need to blame yourself. Combined with family-oriented classics, straight-to-video releases and children’s documentaries released by niche production companies, the sheer volume of movies aimed at young audiences is enough to make Mom and Dad long for the good old days of 1960s-era Walt Disney features about animals, princes and paupers, and fairy godmothers. Fortunately, quality children’s films are not limited to movies that star Mickey Mouse or Peter Pan. In fact, there are many children’s movies that not only entertain, but also impart the right values and paint an accurate picture of the world in which we live. The following guide can help you decide which movies are appropriate for your child.
Check the rating or classification. The ratings system used by the Motion Picture Association of America classifies movies based on the amount of violence, sex, nudity, strong language, and drug use your children will see or hear. Ratings offer advance information about movies so that parents can decide what films they want their children to see. However, do not rely on ratings alone to determine whether or not a movie is suitable for your child. Movie reviews in family-friendly publications can be a reliable source of information about film content. When in doubt, watch the movie yourself before taking your child to see it.
Movies must be age-appropriate. Children of different age groups and developmental stages do not respond similarly to visual content. A PG-rated movie may affect a seven-year-old differently than it would a 13-year-old. Make sure that the movie deals with a subject matter that your child is old enough to comprehend. For instance, a movie that discourages violence does not have to be gory or very frightening. Good children’s movies tackle sensitive issues and themes from a child’s point of view, while enhancing the child’s understanding and experience.
Choose movies that present truth and diversity. Movies should expand your child’s horizons and increase their awareness of how people live, relate, and solve problems. Movies with accurate representations of diverse groups of people can provide truthful insights on the different ways that people go about their daily lives. Is the stepmother depicted as a devious, scheming grouch? Does the movie make fun of people with disabilities? Avoid films that reinforce negative stereotypes or make a mockery of diversity.
Examine the kind of values that the movie teaches. Based on film reviews and your own experience of watching the movie, can you identify what values the movie seeks to impart to its young audiences? Good family movies should teach children the importance of honesty, respect, charity, tolerance, and hard work. Does the movie condemn violence as a means to resolve conflicts, or does it glorify crime as an acceptable route to fame and fortune? Quality children’s movies must truthfully show the consequences of the characters’ actions and decisions.
Stocking Stuffers & Last-Minute Gift Ideas for Every Kid on Your List
(ARA) - From advanced cell phones to hip MP3 players, gifts for kids just keep getting bigger and more expensive every year. While it’s clear that they want the hottest toys, newest video games and the most popular gadgets, it’s difficult for parents to break through the clutter - and crowds - to find that perfect present.
Even though the holiday shopping season unofficially kicks off after the Thanksgiving holiday, it always seems like the malls are that much more crowded in the few days right before Christmas. “Shoppers often wait until the very last minute to pick up those stocking stuffers and other gifts,” says Nichole Kaley, spokesperson for KB Toys. “Our sales staff is highly trained and ready to help these last-minute shoppers buy great toys that parents approve of and that kids will love. The last minute shopper sometimes loses sight of what makes a good gift, and our staff is here to help customers make the right purchase.”
So, if you decide to wait until the last minute to pick up the gifts for the kids, how do you know exactly what’s the right toy for them? And how can you shop without breaking the bank?
Here are a few tips to help you find the trendiest toys, video games and gadgets for every good girl and boy on your list this holiday season. All you have to do is know the top names in games and fun.
Hot Toys for Boys
Young boys can’t seem to get enough of action figures. To expand their infinite collections, get them the Power Rangers SPD Battlized Figures. Based on the ever-popular television franchise, these figures have armor that transforms them into battlized mode. Kids can also configure the armor separately to form an alien figure. (Suggested retail price: $8.99; ages four and up).
For the comic book aficionado, the Teen Titans T-Vehicles are sure to be a hit. Join Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg and the entire Titans team from the DC Comics hit in the Rock Slider or Hyper Skimmer. Both vehicles feature transforming action and can be combined together to form a larger machine. (Suggested retail price: $12.99; ages four and up).
Tech Toys
Tech toys are a hot trend in the tween age category this year. So, for kids who are “in the know” on the playground, they’ll ask for the Tamagotchi Connection Version 2 virtual pet. The Tamagotchi simulates the life cycle of a real pet, letting kids experience the fun and responsibility of caring for one. Lots of cool design styles, and “Gotchi” points and secret codes that you use to shop for treats, mean lots of play value. There’s also a “Mini” version that girls can attach to keychains, backpacks, clothing and more. (Suggested retail price: $14.99; Mini suggested retail price: $7.99; ages eight and up).
Video Games for the Anime Enthusiast
Kids today have grown up watching Japanese animation, called “anime,” on a daily basis. If your video game addict is also a fan of anime, one popular title that won’t make them “walk the plank” is One Piece: Grand Battle. This pirate adventure sees Monkey D. Luffy set out to sea in a rowboat in search of “One Piece,” the greatest treasure in the world. Available on Game Cube and Playstation 2. (Suggested retail price: $39.99; rated T for teen).
Or if they’re more into traditional games, try the Zatch Bell! collectible card game. This game, based on a popular anime television series, involves a unique spell book that kids use to battle their opponents. A starter set comes with 32 cards, a spell book, collectible coin and playmat. (Suggested retail price: $9.99; ages six and up).
Home Entertainment
Pop one into the car’s entertainment system on a holiday road trip, or gather together as a family on Christmas night and watch something that everyone can enjoy. One great suggestion is the animated tale, The Polar Express. This movie tells the story of one boy who doubts the existence of Santa Claus, but finds himself on a magical train on the way up to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. (Retail price varies; rated G)
All the above gift ideas can be found online and at all major retailers nationwide. Just don’t wait until the last minute, or you might miss out on all the hottest toys, games and trends that your kids want this holiday season. Happy shopping!
Log onto KBToys.com, Amazon.com, Target.com, Walmart.com and for more information.
Courtesy of ARA Content
Ten Tips for Using a Camera Phone to Scrapbook
(ARA) - This holiday season, don’t worry about missing those everyday moments that add more of a personal touch to your scrapbook. Now you can worry about one less thing when you’re juggling bags and kids in the hustle and bustle of shopping and going to parties. Your camera phone will make it easier than ever to capture those precious moments for your holiday scrapbooks.
Camera Phones enable scrapbookers to snap impromptu photos and conveniently print them on their home printers or at local retailers, providing a unique convenience since most people already have their mobile phones with them wherever they go. So it’s easy for scrapbookers to use their camera phone to capture everyday moments that otherwise might have been missed.
“Being able to take photos at any time is especially important to scrapbook artists - we like to take more photos than the average person,” said Renee Bernhard, owner of Simply Cardstock , a monthly scrapbooking kit club. “Camera phones enable us to capture everyday events that we weren’t planning on photographing, which helps diversify and add interest to our scrapbook content.”
According to the National Survey of Scrapbooking in America (2004), sponsored by Creating Keepsakes magazine and Craftrends magazine, the scrapbooking industry is a $2.5 billion business. A whopping 55 percent of scrapbookers consider themselves addicts, 43 percent employ a variety of methods to create their personalized memory books and more than 73 percent own digital cameras. Now with camera phones, scrapbookers have all their digital technology needs in one device.
Here are Bernhard’s top 10 tips for using a camera phone to scrapbook:
1. Familiarize yourself with your camera phone and all its features. Bernhard uses the Sprint PCS Vision Multimedia Phone MM-5600 by SANYO with a 1.3 megapixel lens, which takes great photos and is particularly easy to navigate.
2. Snap pictures wherever you go - images of the snow, the holiday party you forgot to bring your camera to, or carolers showing up at your door one night can add a personalized touch to an album.
3. Save or upload your picture before taking your next shot so you don’t lose one of your favorites.
4. If you plan to take a lot of pictures with your camera phone, conserve the battery life by shutting off the backlighting and refrain from using multimedia features.
5. Experiment with different lighting options. Photos taken outdoors or in natural lighting tend to turn out best.
6. Use the macro setting for close-up shots.
7. Print photos in the size that is appropriate for the lens quality. For example, if your camera phone has a VGA lens, you can make 2 x 2 prints for greeting cards, photo jewelry and mini albums. If you’re using the Sprint PCS Vision Multimedia Phone MM-A800 by Samsung with a 2 megapixel lens, you can make up to 5 x 7 prints for your standard-size albums.
8. Take advantage of online storage options so you have access to your photos for future scrapbooking projects. Sprint customers using Picture Mail can manage online albums at www.sprint.com/picturemail, where they can store, edit and enhance photos, and send them to any of the 2,700 participating retailers for printing.
9. E-mail your photos to your home computer or online album before printing so you can use photo-editing software to add dramatic effects or crop your camera phone images for unique scrapbooking layouts.
10. Know your print-at-home options - some mobile phones come with removable memory cards and USB cables, making it easy to print on your home printer.
“While some scrapbooks document the bigger events in life — weddings, retirements, births — there is something very special about scrapbooking the little things we do each day,” Bernhard said.
In fact, the national survey indicates that the themes most regularly featured in scrapbooks are family life at 62 percent, followed by birthdays (47 percent), holidays (44 percent), vacations (42 percent), babies (35 percent), friends (29 percent) and seasons (28 percent).
“I never would have imagined that this technology would so complement my hobby,” said Lori Planco of Wellington, Fla., an avid scrapbooker for several years. “I’ve used my camera phone to capture some wonderful, candid images of my children at soccer practice to use in my scrapbooks to preserve these memories forever.”
Courtesy of ARA Content
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