Muse Magazine

So I read the January 2009 issue of Muse Magazine and was instantly drawn into in by an article focusing on the artist Chuck Close. I was fascinated to read about his unorthodox painting styles and impressed that he could create such beautiful work with some paint and his fingerprint. Needless to say, after I read the story I just had to learn more about the artist and see some more of his paintings. I continued on to read some more of the stories in the magazine and was equally impressed with the entertaining and interesting things that were being written about. This is a magazine for kids. It is chuck full of interesting stories that are educational as well. People like Chuck Close are an inspiration to the rest of us. These stories need to be told. I am glad that magazines like Muse can make that happen.

You can't have the best of both worlds with that Miley chick

I know that this has been talked about in the forums, but I wanted to give it a go. Miley Cyrus, aka Hannah Montana, is a tween sensation. Lets be honest, Hannah Montana is a funny show. It is also every girl'd dream... to be a rockstar and a normal kid. With the Vanity fair debacle, it is painfully obvious, however, that the best of both worlds has ended and we are left with just another seemingly promiscuous rock star who can't keep her clothes on. It is hard to believe that they are even the same person. Hannah Montana is all about being a good friend and learning to do what is right. Miley Cyrus is all about being herself, with as little clothes on as as possible, and damn the role-model responsibilities.

Miley Cyrus is one of the reasons, or even one of the victims, of a society that is forcing girls to become women too early. I remember being shocked to hear of her relationship with the much older model guy. Hopefully they aren't sleeping together cause that is a pretty serious crime in most states. My biggest problem is that I can't even be confident to say that, "no way Miley is sleeping around" because she just doesn't seem like that kind of girl anymore. Hopefully most girls in the tween scene realize the folly of her ways.

Am I really this stupid?

"More Two-Minute Mysteries" by Donal J. Sobol is a collection of logic tests in story form. We are presented a story where Dr. Haledjian, an unmatched genius, solves a series of crimes and riddles. We are presented with the story, the Dr.'s conclusion and the question of why or how the Dr. cam to his conclusion. We then use logic to figure it out. There are probably about a hundred stories in the book.

Well, first off, I really loved this book. I love to test my wits and my logic/reasoning ability. The only problem is that I mist be a few cards short of a full deck because I can never come to the same conclusions as these genius Dr. In fact, sometimes I feel like the answer is so obvious that anyone with a pulse could figure it out, only to discover that I am a mere idiot. Aside from the feelings of inadequacy, I really enjoy testing my logic with this book.

I'm Hungry for More Hunger Games!

"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins is the first book in the trilogy. The evil and wealthy Capitol rules the poor 12 surrounding districts. Every year the Capitol hosts a televised Hunger Game where one boy and one girl between 12 and 18 from every district is forced to fight to the death. The winner gains freedom for their family members to never have to fight and wealth. The main character, Katniss, is chosen from her district, along with a boy named Peeta. Because viewers believe them to be in love, the rule is changed that only one person can win to two tributes from the same district can win as a pair, which is just what Katniss and Peeta intend to do.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. It is so intense. Collins doesn't sugar coat this world. I thought certain characters would survive and they don't. And they don't die in a pleasant way, either. This is a cruel world, a world where even the strong don't always last. I kept suspecting and even hoping for insurrection, an uprising, and although it didn't happen, I almost thought it was more realistic this way. I talked to people that were very upset with Katniss' character because she didn't fight the system, but she's a teenage girl who has grown up NOT seeing anyone fight against the way things are. They did their best to survive with the lot they'd been given. Even with the violence, I would have a difficult time not recommending this book to everyone.

Justin Bieber

So, I have recently learned that Justin Bieber is the fantasy of every 3-17 year old girl that exists in the world... and apparently some 26 year old wives as well. My wife, being a huge fan, has subjected me to the music torture that is Justin Bieber for the past several months. After learning that one of his music videos, Baby, had been viewed almost 300 million times I thought it would be worth it to see what kind of an influence this kid has on all these girls. To be completely honest I have been nothing but impressed with the kid. He seems like a genuinely nice and respectful individual who is as innocent as Ariel from the Little Mermaid. Aside from the hideousness of that monstrosity he calls a haircut, I find myself wanting all boys his age, and beyond, to be like him and to be as kind as he appears to be. I even found myself wanting, (just wanting), to shed a tear of joy after watching him meet his biggest fan(see here then here). Although his songs are all about sappy teenage love, I have decided that I like Mr. Bieber.

Mythical Beasties? Bring 'em on!

"Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull is about Kendra and Seth Sorenson, siblings whose grandparents are caretakers of a preserve of magical animals. They go off to spend time with their grandparents, unaware that the place they live is a magical preserve. Grandpa Sorenson gives Kendra and Seth clues as to the truth of what Fablehaven is and they figure out his riddle to learn of the magical world around them. The whole time Seth and Kendra have been at Fablehaven, their grandmother has been mysteriously missing. We later find out she is a chicken, and it takes the considerable magic of a witch named Muriel to restore her to her actual form. Seth is so fascinated with the mystical world that he does not heed the rules of his grandfather and gets himself into trouble by exploring beyond the protected bounds. They find themselves needing to work together to vanquish the foes that have been released on Midsummer's Eve.

Fablehaven is a fantasy lovers dream. It is so chuck full of fairies and witches and satyrs and magical milk producing cows that even the biggest fantasy junkies will get their fix. The story is exciting and unpredictable and the characters, except Seth, are fun to read about. Seth is just one of those characters that you love to hate. He just does everything wrong... not because he can't help it, but because the stupid kid chooses to do what he shouldn't in almost every situation. If I ever have a kid like him I am putting them up for adoption. In any case, it is a wonderful work of fantasy that will engage any reader who picks it up.

Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons

"Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons" by Bill Watterson is a collection of Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. They tell a long story of how Calvin created a snow goon that he brought to life which figured out that it could make snow goons itself. The snow goon then started to make an army of snow goons that Calvin and Hobbes had to take out.

This was my first foray into the Calvin and Hobbes scene and I was stunned. Bill Watterson must be a genius because the depth of these comics is amazing. Calvin is a immensely lovable character and his moral real/imaginary sidekick Hobbes is a treat as well. Watching the dynamic between Calvin and his parents provides for some gut-busting entertainment. I was sad to learn that Watterson refuses to license the characters out to anyone. I would love to see a Calvin and Hobbes animation... but maybe it is for the best. In any case, tweens will eat up the delicious, relate-ability coming from these comics.

Vampires

"Vampires" by Martin Jenkins is part of a book series called informania. Its purpose is to teach the truth about where popular myths came from, namely vampires. It stars off by telling the most famous vampire story of "Dracula" by Bram Stoker. After the story is finished, Jenkins goes on to tell the complete history of vampires, dating back hundreds of years. He takes special care to make note of the first "vampire with fangs" and the first "vampire who turns into a bat." He concludes the book with a synopsis of almost every vampire movie made up until he wrote the book.

Jenkins did an excellent job with this book. With so many vampire shows and books out there it is interesting to take a look at the history and lore of where vampires came from. It is also interesting to see how the vampire has evolved over the years. They started out as fat peasants, turned into thin, wiry aristocrats and ended up as Robert Pattinson. Although it reads a little bit like a history book, it is filled with enough fun facts and interesting pictures to keep anyones attention. Two thumbs up.

Bermuda, Bahamas, Come on Pretty Mommas...and Let's go to the Bermuda Triangle

"The Bermuda Triangle" by Aaron Rudolph discusses the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle--lost and abandoned ships, lost and unusual flights, and unexplained phenomena that has been experienced in that area. It also talks about different theories from scientists and Navy officials that could explain the disappearances and unique weather events.

I am a big fan of these types of books. They give a lot of information about a topic that everyone finds interesting, but they make it so user friendly and interesting. You don't get logged down with a lot of scientific jargon or boring information. This would be great for writing a report on the Bermuda Triangle. The book isdivided into easy sections and the glossary at the back is very useful. I liked that it included a website for additional information, www.facthound.com--enter the code 0736827188 for "age-appropriate sites" and additional readings.

Appleseeds... ewww.

Okay, so I read the May/June 2010 issue of Appleseeds magazine. Wow, it was super gross. IMaybe it was just the theme for the issue, but I literally was feeling queasy when it was over. The cover featured Mike Rowe, the infinitely lovable host of the show Dirty Jobs. There was a brief interview with him that was fun, but then the magazine decided to talk about other dirty things. Some of them include poop, blood, gore, body parts, human farms, "raining vomit", and tapeworms just to name a few. And if it isn't enough to talk about all of these things, having high quality images just makes it all come together.

The grossness of this issues will undoubtedly attract some tweens. I guess that this is all stuff that needs to be dealt with and if exposing kids to it early preps them for a career death, dirt and disease then that is a helpful magazine... I guess.

National Geographic for Kids

National Geographic for kids is another publication that is for the younger tweens out there. It focuses on animals and teaching some of the basics about animals along with interesting little-known facts. In the July 2010 issue a story called Mind Games teaches how smart animals really are, like dolphins working together and pig tricking machines into giving them more food that they are allotted. As a magazine that is directed at kids from 8-12 it seems pretty simple and not very deep. The stories are pretty simple and don't encourage much thinking, which was surprising to me. One of the more helpful parts of the magazine is that it does a great job at stirring up interest in animals and inspiring kids to want to know more. If tweens are interested in animals at all then this is a great magazine for them. If they are interested in anything else about nature then they should stick with the regular National Geographic.

Ready, Set, Zombies! (The Sequel!)

"The Dead-Tossed Waves" by Carrie Ryan is the sequel to "The Forest of Hands and Teeth." It follows Gabry, the daughter of Mary in the first book. Mary made it to the ocean and now they both live together in a new town. Gabry has no desire to ever leave, but a fateful decision to follow her friends past the fences one night finds Gabry's world turned upside down. She must choose between leaving the safety of her walls for the people she loves or living a lonely, but safe life.

"The Dead-Tossed Waves" was even more exciting than the first book. How can a world filled with death be so appealing? I'm not sure, but it is. Gabry is a slightly less annoying main character, but I still wasn't hooked. And I don't know if girls like these, but I am sick of all the love triangles in these types of books. I really had a hard time swallowing that Gabry would have chosen the guy she chose. She barely knew him, while she had been in love with the other guy her whole life. She actually knew him. I think people that read a lot of books in this type genre might be getting sick of the love triangle angle, too. It seems really overdone. That being said, it was once again impossible to put down and I will read the next one when it comes out.

Ready for "Twilight" but with Zombies?

"The Forest of Hands and Teeth" by Carrie Ryan takes place in a post apocalyptic world where a plague kills people then brings them back to life as the Unconsecrated--mindless beings hungry for human blood and the need to spread the disease. Mary and everyone in her small, fenced in village have been taught they can never stray outside the fences because they are the only people left alive in the world, and going beyond the fence will bring only death. However, when Mary's village is breached by the Unconsecrated, Mary goes looking for what she's believed in all along--a place untouched by the death that has always surrounded her.

Okay, I really liked the "Twilight" books. I couldn't stop reading them. But I also thought they were really cheesy at times, and that the main character was almost always lame. I also felt these things with "The Forest of Hands and Teeth." Addictive and exciting, but also cheesy. I also thought Mary was a pretty lame main character. She's supposed to be this strong, brave girl, but she was wishy-washy in her relationships, at best, and downright selfish, at worst. I didn't believe that the two love interests really loved her. Why would they? What was her appeal? Carrie Ryan just didn't pull that off. But I would recommend this book to "Twilight" lovers in a heart beat, and I snatched up the second book as soon as it came out.

Got the munchies for the macabre? Well eat up!

"The Borden Tragedy: A Memoir of the Infamous Double Murder at Fall River, Mass., 1892 by Rick Geary is one of several historic and macabre graphic novels. This one follows Lizzie Borden who is accused of brutally murdering her parents with an axe. The book is told from a neighbor's perspective who seems to be trying to figure out what really happened and who was responsible for this real life double murder.

I had mixed feelings about this book. It was interesting and presented the facts of this famous mystery, but it is also rather gruesome subject material and might not be appropriate for some tweens who are easily frightened or squeamish. I have noticed that a lot of kids are very interested in the macabre, so I bet it would be popular. The question is, it healthy for kids to read this kind of material, particularly because it really did happen? I don't know. I would probably still recommend it, but would more likely do so for a teenager who I knew and could better gauge if they could handle the subject matter.

Beacon Street Girls

I found an article talking about 4 websites that are good for tween girls. To see that website click here. It directed me to a site that I really like called the Beacon Street Girls. Why do I like it you ask? Two reasons. First, it is wholesome. As I was navigating the site I saw that it was largely absent of everything we see on television or understand to be trendy. There is a bunch of stuff talking about how cool girls are, fun games for those who are interested and health tips. The website is clean and fresh feeling and the topics don't seem to stray anywhere risqué.

Second, it is innocent. It talks about scrapbooks, friendship bracelets, and poetry. I read another article a ways back talking about the transitions girls make during puberty. One researcher was arguing that there was no such thing as a tween, that the moment a girl has her first period she is a full fledged member of the teen squad. You are a kid or you are a teen and there is no in between. In my opinion that researcher had no idea what she was talking about. Biologically, maybe there is a sharp transition, but developmentally there is a lot going on for a long time. This site would be very good for that transition.

Check it out: http://www.beaconstreetgirls.com/

There is Lame and then there is Inane. This is Inane.

I was checking out Nickelodeon.com to see what kind of programming they are offering and I was led to a website for the show called Monster High. Basically, it is a website that acts as a platform for the show with games and videos and a glamorized monster theme. You can upload images of yourself and make yourself look like a monster, which is fun. The inane part is the actual show and the glamorizing of the monsters. How many frankenstein and dracula girls do you know that that have a size 0 waist and amazing curves? How many real girls have that kind of a figure? Not many. To be honest, this isn't just a problem with Monster High. Tons of shows and cartoons do this very thing. My beef with this site is that it takes it to a whole other level with the monster theme. For example, we all know that eating a 1/4lb hamburger isn't very nutritious, but still enjoyable. Monster high decided to take that 1/4lb hamburger, add three more patties, put 5 kinds of cheese on it and batter/deep fry the whole thing. It is just too much. And how can that much cheese and beef be good for anyone, let alone tweens? It can't.

Check it our yourself: http://www.monsterhigh.com/

Is Texting ruining English?

Just in writing the title of this post the computer gave me the squiggly red line under the word texting. Who doesn't know what the word texting is? This computer apparently. Anyway, Paul Jury, a writer for the Huffington post, gives his take on how texting and the language used in texting is affecting English.

He is very defensive of texting, stating that it does not significantly affect language. He makes some good points stating that it is no different from slang of other generations. He also keenly observes that, "a lot of teenagers are just idiots, in any generation." His final argument doen't hold water with me and that is that texting isn't a degradation of English, but a completely different language. This may be true, but I have gotten some truly horrific e-mails from tweens and teens that wanted me to take them seriously. How much of their language was a result of the texting/facebook method?

Retrieved 8/14/2010 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-jury/5-ways-texting-is-striker_b_657309.html

Cricket magazine

Many magazines out there are filled with advertisements and pictures of celebrities having a good time. Not many of them focus on good stories and help make realistic stories fun for kids to read. Cricket Magazine does. As I began reading the fictional story on how an angry man upset at the hot California weather tried to blow off a chunk of the sun but ended up blowing up a glacier in Alaska, I noted that there were few ads and lots of good stories. I ended up reading a story called "Why is it so Hard to Get Ketchup Out of a Bottle?" I'll give you one guess what it was about. The interesting thing, however, is that I really wanted to know... so I read the whole thing. From ketchup to quicksand, this article explains why it does what it does. It is definitely worth checking out. Cricket also encourages kids to read and write with contest in both categories/

The Sweet Suite Life of Zach and Cody

I am notorious for being super critical of shows and role models targeting children that are irresponsible. One show, however, that I really enjoy and approve of is The Suite Life of Zach and Cody. It is one of the funniest kid shows on TV. The best part is that everyone plays their roles well. What I mean by that is Zach and Cody's mom is a good mom and wants the best for her kids. She denies them things they want when they haven't earned it and she shows them that hard work can pay off. The kids get into trouble by cheating or doing something they know they shouldn't and there is usually a moral message. The episode "Dad's back" briefly shows the difficulty and challenges of separated families and it's effect on the kids.

I like this show. I think there are many shows that are similar, but I appreciate the moral message of the Suite Life.

Lady Gaga? No thanks.

Lady Gaga is the number one most viewed video on Youtube. Considering that the upcoming generation, the tweens and teens, is is often called the youtube generation, I am fairly confident that many of those 200+ million views comes from kids ages 8-14. A website called Adelaide now, an Australian publication, reported on a recent concert put on by Lady Gaga. They reported that children as young as 7 were attending. They also reported that Lady Gaga spouted expletive after expletive as well as spewed vulgar, sexually explicit language at the crowd.

Lady Gag... er Gaga is looked up to by tween girls and is undoubtedly an object of sexual fantasy for tween boys. Is this the type of role model that will instill principles into the rising youtube generation? Sadly, no.

Retrieved Aug 14, 2010 from http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/entertainment/confidential/tween-spirit-gaga-plays-to-seven-year-olds/story-e6fredq3-1225849360888

The Role-model

I once heard a quote from basketball player Charles Barkley saying, "I am not a role model". Funny. When I was younger I looked up to Sir Charles as being a pretty cool player. Someone I wanted to be like. I just read an article in the May 2010 Sports Illustrated for Kids about Kobe Bryant and his "Drive for Five", looking for his fifth NBA championship. I really liked the article and heres why. Kobe is a great player... one of the best in the NBA. One of the reasons that he is so good is because of his dedication in getting better. The article also focused on how important it is to surround yourself with people who are as dedicated and hard working as you. Kobe has been under a lot of heat in his personal life. His unfaithfulness to his wife has put a shadow over his whole career. I like that, too. The article shows that hard work and dedication will bring success and Kobe himself shows that we pay for our actions one way or the other. Kids need to see that.

Boy's life

I am a huge fan of scouting. I see it as a wonderful tool to help boys grow into adulthood. I was reading through the Boy's Life magazine when I saw some interesting things. First, they were sponsoring a reading contest. The requirements were to read a book and write a 500 word essay on what they read. The winners received gift certificates. I am not sure that we have enough of these incentives to get kids to read. I know that if I could have made some money by reading and writing a report that I would have been interested as a kid.

I also noticed that scouts often has the stigma of being boring, or that scouts are goody-goodys. The Boy's Life makes learning these skills seem like the cool thing to do. I am sure that Boy's life would be an excellent resource in helping tween boys find some direction in life.

Last one I promise... WoWinschools

So after having spent much time reading about the WoWinschool project I have become very intrigued with the concept of teaching with video games. I viewed a video documenting the feelings of several of the students in the WoWinschool program and how they perceive the learning they have taken place. Several topics including communication, community, reading, mathematics, leadership, etc were covered and the students shared the experience that have had. In further reading about the tasks the teachers have charged the students with I can more clearly see the application of this game to improve tween and teen skills in a way that is fun for them. Some talk has been had of using the game Starcraft to develop focus and performance under pressure. I can see how this "training" would be useful in times of emergency. If a student had trained in a high pressure situation in a video game does that translate over into their real life? Can someone who saves the day in a game by acting fast and decisively do the same in real life? I don't know, but I am becoming more and more open to the possibility.

Referenced from http://wowinschool.pbworks.com/

World of Warcraft

After I read the post on what some schools and professionals are trying to do with World of Warcraft I spent some time reading the wowinschool website. One video I watched was of Jane McGonigal, a game designer and expert in teaching skills through video games, and she extolled the virtues of the feelings of success that video games give you. She explains that this success in game, also called the "epic win", inspires confidence in ones ability to accomplish anything. Just as a tidbit of background information I have played World of Warcraft over the years a total of 3 months worth of hours. It has been a long time since I have played but I am very familiar with the game and I have contributed my fair share to the 6 million years that game has been played since it's inception. In the forum discussion I was a little harsh against WoW, and video games in general, as a medium for education. I just tend to really think they aren't. They haven't been for me and I see the world through my own eyes after all. But, after watching McGonigal's speech my mind was taken back to a principle my dad taught me about guns. "Guns", he said "can save as many lives as they can take, it depends on the motives of the finger"... or something like that. A gun can be a weapon or a tool and which incarnation it takes depends on how it is used. The same can be true of video games. I have seen a lot of people waste their lives away as slaves to video games and rarely have I seen the opposite. But, as I have pondered the people I admire in my life, I am surprised to find that many of them are awesome gamers and I can't help but wonder how those games have contributed to their skills. If Jane can engineer it correctly it is an exciting concept for people who love video games.

Referenced from http://wowinschool.pbworks.com/