August 6th, 2009 Ryan
note: this is a guest post by Larry from our sister site www.crazykidschicago.com
I receive a pretty steady stream of phone calls and emails with new organizations, books, movies, and TV shows that are trying to teach our kids about the environment, ecology, going green, and the issues currently facing our planet. I talked with Victoria Lauren at Blue Vision who developed the site saveplanetblue.com. Victoria’s concept of creating a virtual world where kids can learn about the environmental challenges we face intrigued me so I took a look at it the other day.
Save Planet Blue is a membership site that is currently offering free access to some of its content. Over time, the site will have a subscription model and Victoria is passionate enough about the environment that they will be giving a portion of the proceeds to various environmentally focused charities. One you sign up as a member, you get to create a weebol like avatar that lets you customize the gender, hair color, skin color and the color of your clothes.
Once created, you are propelled into the virtual world where the arrow keys move your avatar around the screen. When passing some locations on the screen, you’ll be prompted with factoids about environmental issues. There are also gates that will take you to different parts of the world. Currently, the Rain Forest is open for free playing.
Within Rain Forest, which comes with jungle like noises in the background like birds and monkeys, there are several games that entertain and teach kids. We played the following games:
- Puzzle game. The Puzzle games comes with various level of difficult but provides you with various numbers of pieces that usually combine to make a rainforest animal.
- Match Game. This concentration like game has you match rainforest insects. My kids was fascinated and disgusted by so many bugs in so many colors and shapes. At the end of the game, factoids regarding insects pop up.
- Recycle It. This game was high action and stress. As garbage flies down a conveyor belt you need to put it in the correct recycling bin (paper, plastic, glass, metal) or risk filling up a landfill. At the end of the game, you are reminded with different facts about how much waste is produced and the impact on the environment.
- Petey’s Repeat. This game brought me back to the days of Simon (that multi-colored sound game from the 70/80’s). Except the noises were various plants and animals from the rain forest. My kid concentrated hard to remember the pattern and giggled when he lost.
- Banana Toss. Definitely our most favorite game was throwing bananas at the monkey. If you hit the monkey it makes a good squash sound and if you throw at a different animal you lose points.
Overall, I think Save Planet Blue has the right idea. Like many of these children’s sites, the graphics are very intense and can put a lot of strain on the computer. I also think the games and the world can be even more educational with more learning opportunities than just at the end of the game. But in general, it did a good job of entertaining a four year old while sneaking in some education about the planet. Look for this site to expand quickly with new features and possibly even expand into TV or on-line videos.
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July 30th, 2009 Ryan
We featured this event in our list of things to do last weekend, so we thought we would check out a show and report back. If you are looking for a high energy, action-packed show that will keep your kids talking for days, this is worth checking out! If you can’t make one this year, don’t worry; they tour throughout New England every summer with a new storyline.
Photo Credit: Robert Sanson (link to flickr set)
This “Big Top” is actually a “Little Top”: it’s a 750-seat, one ring circus that is performed entirely by children 18 years old and younger. Risers surround the ring with only 6 or so rows, so there are no bad seats and you are up close to the action. Small children get the best seats in the house – they can sit on the ground around the ring itself. These seats are limited, so you will want to get there early. Novelties and food are sold in concession tents and there are vendors selling popcorn and drinks inside the main tent. Who doesn’t have room for popcorn at a circus?
This year’s theme is Smirkus Ever After and is set to various fairy tales including the ‘Three Little Pigs’, ‘The Tortoise and the Hare,’ ‘Little Red Riding Hood,’ and many more. Characters from these stories, played by Smirkus troupers, weave together this 2 hour show with a 15 minutes intermission accompanied by original music performed by a two-man band. The show is full of juggling, acrobatics, various trapeze acts, clowning around, and many more amazing feats.
The show itself is very entertaining, but it is much more interesting when you know a little about the company. Circus Smirkus was founded in 1987 and is based in Greensboro, VT. They are a non-profit organization that raises money for other groups, like a non-profit youth or community organization. The one we attended was in Lawrence, MA, and was presented by the Lawrence Sons of Italy.
The purpose of Circus Smirkus, as stated on their website, is “to give kids the chance to run away to their own circus.” The troupers in the circus are kids!! Many of them begin their careers in a Circus Residency at their school. In cooperation with your child’s school, this program can run for one to two weeks and introduce the students to the skills used in the circus. A professional from Smirkus works with the students every day during the residency. The next step is to attend a summer camp, which is held at Sterling College in Craftsbury Common, Vermont. There are different programs for children ages 6 to 18 and these are also one or two weeks long.
Auditions are held to choose the troupers that get to be part of the circus tour. The kids in the tour come from the Circus Smirkus camps as well as similar programs, and they have to audition every summer to be part of the tour. The circus also boasts performers from foreign circus schools! Many troupers have gone on to work for such prestigious companies as Ringling Bros., Cirque du Soleil, and the Big Apple Circus.
Mom Says: I want to give major props to all of the kids in the show – they were awesome!!! I can’t believe the tricks and stunts they were performing at such a young age! It’s nice to be young and have no fear 
Dad Says: This is a different experience than the larger circus and gives your kids a great chance to see other kids performing. We’ll check this one out when it comes around next year for sure!
Circus Smirkus
www.smirkus.org
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July 23rd, 2009 Ryan
We were visiting some friends recently when the two dads found themselves needing some entertainment for 2 young boys. We decided that it was model rocket launching time! It had been quite a few years since both dads had launched rockets, but we felt confident in our memory and ability to follow instructions, so we headed right out to Wal-Mart to pick up some supplies on the way to the field. We’ll cover how to go about this activity with your kids and offer up some tips along the way.
Where can I get model rockets?
The first thing you will need to launch rockets is the actual rockets (pretty obvious, we know). There are many different stores that carry model rockets. Hobby stores offer the greatest variety of rockets if you are looking for something special, while the main discounters (Target, Wal-Mart, etc.) carry rockets, launch kits, and engines as well nowadays. If you head to one of the discount stores, your best bet is to look in the toy section where they keep model airplanes and helicopters.
What type of rocket should I get?
We found that Wal-Mart offered one launch kit option, which had the launch pad, remote controller ignition system, and a rocket to assemble. They also carried two other single rockets that were pre-assembled. Depending on the age of your kids and your level of skill with assembling potentially complex models, decide whether you want the Ready-to-Fly rockets or the more advanced rockets that require assembly. Many model rockets require more than one day to assemble as you must glue them together, then paint them or apply decals. We tried both types, and would recommend starting with the Ready-to-Fly models before investing in the more complex types. The Ready-to-Fly version took a couple of minutes to attach the fins and the parachute, while the other one took at least 25 minutes to work through the assembly instructions. If your kid enjoys building things, then making the entire rocket would be a great activity on its own. Most rockets come with decals so your kid can decorate it as well.
The launch kit that we purchased came with the launch pad itself, which is a tripod-type stand with a long metal rod that guides the direction of the rocket when launching. This kit also came with the electrical ignition controller, which provides the electrical charge to ignite the engine and blast the rockets off. Look for controllers that have a safety key to ensure no accidental launches occur while you are prepping the rocket.
Engines are typically sold separately from the rockets and come in many different sizes and power ratings. Each rocket will have documentation on the box explaining which engine sizes are compatible. We went for the largest engine size that would fit in our rockets to maximize how far into the sky they would go. When buying engines consider how many launches you will want to do and account for the fact that some may not work correctly. We had two rockets and brought along 9 engines, all of which worked. If you want to teach your kids how the engines actually work, this site provides a good visual of the process.
Safety
Safety is very important with this activity as you are dealing with powerful engines. We felt it was OK to have our kids help place the rocket on the launch pad, but we made sure they were 15 to 20 feet away when we were connecting the controller clips to the engine and when actually launching. We always held the controller and allowed the kids to hit the button. With older kids they could start to do some of these things on their own…with supervision, of course.
Preparing for Launch
For each launch you have to prepare the engine as well as the parachute and nose cone. For the parachute you fold and roll it up per the instructions, wrap the cords around the parachute, stuff several sheets of wadding into the fuselage (this is to protect the parachute from burning), insert the parachute, and then secure the nose cone in place.
Launching
For the engine, an igniter is placed into the hole of the engine and secured in place with a plastic plug. The engine is then inserted into the rear end of the rocket and secured in place by the metal clips on the rocket body. Once ready, the rocket is placed on the launch rod and from a safe distance (the ignition controller usually has a 15-20 foot cord), a safety key is inserted, a countdown is done, and your kid presses the launch button.
Rocket Flight
Our rockets went 800-1200 feet in the air and were pretty hard to see at their highest point. One of the most exciting parts was tracking the descent of the rocket and trying to get to where it was going to land. This is easier if there is little wind and the parachute system works correctly, of course.
Dad Says: I’m not sure if the dads had more fun or the kids with this activity. It brought back some great childhood memories and once you’ve invested in the launch pad, controller, and some rockets, you just need to buy new engines every time.
Dad’s Friend Says: Get at least two rockets and plan on losing one of them unless you have a very large field and no wind. I’ll definitely be getting some more engines to bring the kids out again.
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