Bring on the Bookmobiles: American fourth graders are slipping behind other children in the world regarding their reading skills. Tests compare 45 different countries worldwide. The countries who jumped over the US, Russia, Hong Kong and Singapore, all initiated programs specifically to increase reading abilities. America still is considered on the high end of “intermediate” level, however it only reinforces what we already know… the importance of encouraging our children to read.

Autism and gray matter: Recent studies show that children with autism have “enlarged gray matter in the parietal lobes of the brain linked to the mirror neuron system of cells associated with empathy, emotional experience and learning through sight.” Understanding this could be a key for the future - doctors may be able to develop ways to strengthen mirror neurons and make them work properly. Autism affects about 1.5 million people in the US.

Pregnancy Scans: In the past decade, scans during pregnancy have increased by over 100%. Abdominal ultrasounds, routinely performed during pregnancy, do not expose the patient to ionizing radiation, which can cause cell damage. Other scans, such as CAT scans and X-rays, are riskier. A proper diagnosis is important to mom’s health, but discuss with your doctor the risks and perhaps consider other testing options if possible.

Can you recite more than a few lines of one or two nursery rhymes? Do you remember them being an important part of your childhood?

I can, and do, but that probably has to do with my spending so much time with my grandparents, who were already 60ish when I was born. Few of my college classmates remember Mother Goose, and apparently that’s the trend nowadays.

A recent survey found that four out of ten (39%) of younger parents (30 or under) couldn’t recall a single nursery rhyme in full, compared with 27% of 55 to 64-year-old parents and 13% of parents over 65.

The study also noted that more than a third of young parents do not often sing to their children, even though around 75% agreed that singing to children is important. Of those who do, most fall back on songs from the radio, not old nursery rhymes. Even the few young parents who do know some nursery rhymes have no clue as to their historical significance. (Knowing the history of “Ring a Ring O’ Roses” or, more popularly, “Ring Around the Rosy,” I’m not sure that’s a bad thing - talk about horrific!)

Perhaps we should be concerned about our disappearing nursery rhymes: According to Janine Spencer, development psychologist at Brunel University, singing nursery rhymes to young children can help speed up their development of communication, memory, language and reading skills, as well as being crucial for recognising and learning phonic sounds.

You mean “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” isn’t going to improve my 2yo’s vocabulary? Shocking!

My daughter has a book of old Mother Goose rhymes, one that I was given as a child. To be honest, I don’t care if she ever knows some of these rhymes. We do go over certain sing-song ones, like “A Tisket, A Tasket” - she enjoys them - but I would hesitate to proclaim the downfall of early communication just because a few antiquated poems are going by the wayside. Some of them simply are no longer relevant to our lives (and honestly, I found “Humpty Dumpty” disturbing as a child).

Also, the article doesn’t touch on what might be replacing these rhymes, if anything. My daughter, at six weeks old, was only comforted by “On My Own” from Les Miserables. She loves all sorts of rhymes and music, whether it’s the timeless “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” or “Big Red Car” by the Wiggles. If her mind is engaged, I’m happy! We dance and sing (and make up our own silly rhymes), and yes - now and then we do pull out her book of nursery rhymes. The only real losers in a nursery-rhyme “deprived” world are those children whose parents do nothing to stimulate their children’s imagination and fill the gap in early learning.

Posted by Sunshining.

As I learned over on the boards, the folks at American Girl are introducing a new historical character to their lineup. Joining Addy, the Civil War girl, and Kit, of the Great Depression, is Julie, a young girl facing the trials and tribulations of growing up way back…

… in the 1970s!

Julie Albright doesn’t want to move away from her San Francisco neighborhood near Chinatown, even if her new home is just a few miles away. Moving means leaving her best friend, Ivy, and her pet rabbit, Nutmeg. Worst of all, it means leaving Dad, now that her parents are divorced. It’s the mid-1970s and lots of things are changing: Julie’s teacher wants to be called “Ms.” Mom works full-time now, running her own store. America is trying to switch to the metric system, and school sports teams sometimes include a new kind of player - girls!

Well, the good folks at American Girl didn’t consult me, so I had no input in the six Julie books soon to hit the stores (with, I imagine, a doll in the works). Too bad, the titles look deadly dull (Julie and the Eagles, I learned, has nothing to do with the Hotel California tour). But then again, it was that kind of decade. For what it’s worth, here would be my suggestions for the Julie series:

• Watergate Hearings Pre-Empt After School Special
• Julie Sees Grease for the Fourteenth Time
• Sneaker Rollerskates In, White Boot Skates Out?
• Julie and the Insane-Making Bicentennial Mattress Sale Ads
  
• Disco vs. Rock: The Playground Square-Off
• Julie’s Rainbow Suspender Christmas

Hang in there, Julie! And remember, no matter how bad things get, they could be worse. Make that, will be. Parachute pants and hair bands are right around the corner…

Posted by MommaSteph.

When I was poking around online as I was writing yesterday’s post about boys and toy guns, I came across an article onThe Dangerous Book for Boys. Written by two British 30-something brothers, Conn and Hal Iggulden, the very successful guide has been reconfigured for American boys and will be released in the U.S. on May 1.

The book teaches boys essential skills such as how to tie knots, how to make “the greatest paper airplane in the world,” and even how to kill and skin a rabbit. The brothers made a rule for themselves - they had to make or do everything outlined in their book. (Apparently their rabbit stew turned out “pretty rubbery” - but they ate it.)

The authors include a chapter called “Girls”, but it’s not for females - it’s about them. “They think and act rather differently to you, but without them, life would be one long football locker room. Treat them with respect.”

What if some complain that girls are excluded from the Dangerous Book? Conn Iggulden explains:

“I think we’ve come through the period when we said boys and girls were exactly the same, because they’re not. Boys and girls have different interests, different ways of learning, and there’s no real problem in writing a book that plays to that, and says, let’s celebrate it. Let’s go for a book that will appeal to boys.”

Will it eventually appeal to my boys? If they’re like their dad, probably. I showed my husband the table of contents and asked him what he thought.  He approved.  My boys are at least seven years away from the targeted age group, however. If you have older kids, I’d be curious to hear your input.

Posted by MommaSteph.

My toddler had a meltdown as soon as we entered the bookstore. But I’d promised my other toddler we could buy something. I glanced at the “remainder” shelf and saw a Maruice Sendak book. Score! It had to be fine, right?

Sure, it’s fine if a story about a sinister dog who steals a kid’s teddy bear and hangs it up by a noose is what you call fine.

I’m generally not for sanitizing kids’ literature - I like the original fairy tales, not the redone versions where the wolf pushes grandma into a closet instead of swallowing her. But a teddy in a noose is too much for me. I think I’m going to chop this one up and use the bear pictures for room decor.

Posted by MommaSteph.

Whenever my friends and acquaintances discuss the possiblity of homeschooling, the question of socialization inevitably comes up. Recently, however, a mom introduced a new dimension to the issue as she admitted that she’s been feeling conflicted about her decision not to homeschool her daughter.

“All her classmates�are obsessed with Bratz.  It’s all they want to play, all they want to talk about.”

Her daughter is in Kindergarten.

Bratz, in case you don’t know, are these big-headed, alien-like dolls that are obsessed with all things fashion. You can find Bratz sporting miniskirts, bikinis, and what we used to call “F” me pumps back in college. A while back, the folks at Bratz created outrage for introducing padded bras in sizes as small as six (as in, for six-year-olds). Even the Baby Bratz dolls (sample, right) seem weirdly decked out for pedophiles.

Bratz dolls have recently been singled out by the American Psychological Association for contributing to the sexualization of young girls, “harming girls’ self-image and healthy development.”

The folks at Campaing for a Commercial-Free Childhood have started an email drive to pressure Scholastic Books to�stop marketing Bratz books in its book fairs and book clubs. The books themselves, such as Lil’ Bratz: Dancin’ Divas, seem more tame than some of the more provocative Bratz products (Oh no!� Zada has to choose between helping an animal shelter and the big dance!). But should Scholastic be reinforcing the Bratz brand to four to eight-year-old girls, in our schools?

I don’t have a daughter as yet, so this may never be a pressing issue for our family. But my answer would be heck, no. I don’t even care to hear that these books “turn girls on to reading”. Scholastic should not be in the business of doing marketing legwork for a company that encourages little girls to strive to look sexy.

OK, so tell me why I’m wrong.

Posted by MommaSteph.

If you are not a Muggle then you have no idea what I’m taking about.  Harry Potter is the greatest threat Lord Voldemort is going to face.  His parents’ love and everything he has learned in Hogwarts must help him on this new task.

Are you completely lost?  Then you are not one of the millions of children and adults that follow the adventures of this young magician.   His creator J.K. Rowling has created a world of magic, hope, fear and friendship that has touched many people.

Harry Potter has been a controversy from the beginning.  People that oppose the series state that it goes against religious belief, while other find it to be the perfect excuse to motivate children to read.

What I like most of the Harry Potter saga?  The realistic portrait that the author gives to the characters.  Children are eager to read the story because many identify with current issues in their lives:  bullies, friendship, love, values, school, teachers, envy and the anxiety of not knowing what the future holds.  Many kids have found courage to stand up for themselves “just because Harry Potter does it”.  Others have learned to fight peer pressure  by experiencing and identifying with the emotional rollercoster that Harry, Ron and Hermione have.

But that’s not why I love Harry Potter.  I just love the story and the imagination that comes from it.  I love to have a good read, finding myself in the middle of the controversy between Harry and Snape.  I love how vulnerable he is and how he deals with his mistakes and emotions.  Ahh… I just love Harry Potter.

That’s why I’m a little sad that this year the series will end.  Book 7 will be published and we’ll know what is going to happen and how everything turns out.  I’ll probably go to the store and order the book in advance.  I’ll probably read it right away. 

Most of all… I’m going to keep the magic alive.

Posted by Momcrazyforkids.

No more tonsils, no more strep:  A Mayo Clinic study finds that children with their tonsils intact are three times as likely to get strep throat, a nasty infection that is highly contagious.

Wedlock births at an all time high:  Once considered a problem with teen mothers, the number of babies born out of wedlock rose to an all time high this year while teen pregnancies declined.  The statistics show that the instances of children born to unmarried parents rose most sharply with women in their 20s.

Gay penguins cause an uproar:  And Tango Makes Three, a children’s book based on a true story, is causing an uproar in Ohio schools.  The penguins, two males, find an abandoned egg and raise it as their own.  The “gay undertones” are causing some parents to question whether this book should be made available to small children.

Posted by Dorian.

Each year the New York Times asks a panel of judges to select the best-illustrated children’s books of the year.  There’s a handy slideshow of this year’s selections - if any strike your fancy, you can ask Santa to put them on your little one’s list.

Included is Maurice Sendak’s latest - his first popup book, Mommy?  Reviewer Dwight Garner writes:

This is the first time Sendak has created art expressly for a pop-up book, and the results are deeply satisfying. Based on a play by Arthur Yorinks, “Mommy?” follows a toddler lost in a mad scientist’s lab as he searches for his missing mother. Anything Sendak touches becomes his own, however. As the boy explores the lab, the opening coffin lids and unwrapping mummies function as a tribute to classic movie monsters like Nosferatu, Frankenstein and the Wolfman. As a group, they’re not so much scary as Sendakian: they’re moody, melancholy beasts.

It sounds fun!  But we have bad luck with popups around here…

Posted by MommaSteph. 

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