Who knew My Little Pony had such a great set of pipes?!

Play Categories: Around the Web

My friend and fellow blogger Lenore Skeanzy, whose wonderful blog is Free Range Kids, has been quoting Mark Twain on the risks of riding trains in 1871. It’s fascinating and entertaining reading.

Twain was talking about the low statistical probability of being killed in a train wreck, though at the time conventional wisdom within the country was that train travel should be avoided as unsafe. Twain’s point was that despite the risk, the literal chances of being hurt or killed in a train wreck were very low.

Today, we know that your chances of being killed in an airline crash are statistically less than a car crash. Still more people fear flying than driving. This is in part because when we drive we are in more control and feel that that shields us. As much as we might understand physics and engineering, part of our brains has not evolved enough to accept that hurtling through the sky, six miles above the ground in a metal tube is even possible—let alone safe. Of course, there’s risk, but for most people who fly, it is acceptable risk. If planes fell out of the sky every day, it would be a different story. I once sat next to a mechanical engineer on a flight out of Denver who was absolutely panicked about flying. Even he knew his fear didn’t make sense, but it was just that: an irrational fear.

Now, fear is not always bad. It’s our built-in early warning system. The problem is that it gets ugly and unmanageable where fear meets ego. In other words, parents who read about terrible tragedies about children instantly project themselves into it. As a result, kids are being raised to be afraid of their environments, cautious about anything they don’t know and, in too many cases, risk averse. We have gone from a country that relied on its communities and the people within them to provide support, context and stability to isolated pockets of individuals fearful of anyone and anything we don’t know.

I was recently at an event with many people I didn’t know personally, but who were all there for the same reason and under the same organization. One would think that the presumption of safety within this group would apply. Instead, when a 5-year-old girl walked over to me to proudly show me the art project she’d made, her mother, having looked away for a moment, raced over, grabbed her daughter and told her she was “very bad” for talking to people she didn’t know, and instructed me not to talk to her child. Not surprisingly, her daughter looked like she was on the brink of tears. This drama played out over about 90 seconds, and I wasn’t even an active participant. In fact, I was irrelevant, and I never said a word. It was the mother’s fear that drove the drama, and it overwhelmed her judgment and the facts.

Sadly, “drama” is the operative word here, and I sat there wondering what this lovely little girl’s experience was going to be as she grew up if this was her daily experience. If every unknown situation is catastrophic and dangerous, how will this little girl learn to make distinctions between situations for herself when mom isn’t on the scene?

Children need age-appropriate risk at all stages of their lives. How else do they know what they’re capable of? It’s a huge risk to pull oneself up and start walking. It’s a risk to go to nursery school and suddenly be with other kids. It’s a risk to ride a bike, or a skateboard. It’s a risk to take the SATs. Any activity, any choice where the outcome is unknown is a risk. And risks are life threatening to a greater or lesser degree. Teaching children to take appropriate risks is how we help them to grow. And, most importantly they need to fail. I love watching kids skateboard because, with no parental authority around, they know they won’t hit each trick, but I love the process as failure ultimately leads to success, and success can become mastery. Children need this process.

Of course common sense applies. But shutting ourselves into egocentric cocoons of fear without acknowledging reality is not the answer. Every success has its genesis in one thing: a calculated risk. Striking the balance between rationality and risk is one of the most valuable gifts we can give our kids.

Play Categories: Advice, Experiences, Opinions

Play Categories: On TV

I haven’t seen this DVD yet but it sounds cool and the buzz on the nerd-nets is that it’s really good. The gist of the story is that in a parallel universe, Earth is ruled by a criminal group and our universe’s Justice League heroes must fight their evil doppelgangers.

The DVD is rated PG-13 and might not be suitable for younger kids as its description mentions that Batman and Superman’s evil, other-universe counterparts are willing to do the one thing Batman and Superman never would – Kill.

Play Categories: DVD

Book Of The Week is a new feature section on TimetoPlayMag.com. Every Tuesday, we will share our favorite book of the week and tell you why we selected it.

This week’s book is Princess Pig by Eileen Spinelli with Illustrations by Tim Bowers
From TimetoPlayMag.com:

“A barnyard tale about “Pig” who wakes up to find that the wind has blown a “Princess” sash on top of her. So, she convinces herself, her animal friends and humans that she is indeed royalty. In the end, she realizes that she misses her friends and all the usual things she used to do as an ordinary pig, and rejoins her pals and their farm life.”

You can read our full review and find out why we selected this book by clicking here.

Play Categories: books

By Keri Wilmot, Founder, Toy Queen
You can also follow her on Twitter

Walking the aisles and touring the booths on my inaugural trip to Toy Fair 2010, on a quest for the latest and most exciting toys with a development and learning focus, was both exhilarating and exhausting. Being an occupational therapist who has promoted children’s sensory and motor development through toys for the last ten years, I can definitely say the Toy Queen has died and gone to toy heaven! For three straight days we searched and found so many new exciting toys and games ready to make their grand entrance into the market for 2010.  Here were some of my personal favorites:

IPlay Poppin Shapes Aquarium – International Playthings, $19.99, Coming soon!

These adorable little shapes fit inside an aquarium shape sorter.  When you press the button on the front of the shapes, they pop out into a sea creature such as a fish, turtle, or crab. The sorter container has a nice open slot in the front that is easy for little children to open independently. This is a great toy to work on dump/fill play, hand eye coordination, as well as both shape and animal identification. Appropriate for children ages 2 and up.

Play-Doh Shape ’n Spin Elmo Playset – Hasbro, $19.99, Available Fall 2010

Loveable Elmo has two modes, Count Shapes mode and Find a Shape mode.  In the Count Shapes mode, the child turns the dial to select a shape.  Elmo will identify what shape it is and asks the child to make a certain number of that particular shape.  In Find a Shape mode, Elmo will ask the child to find and make a specific shape.  Play-Doh has been utilized for years in a variety of educational ways, but to me this is a fantastic concept to include making the shapes into a fun, interactive game that can be played as a family or individually with children ages 3 and up.

Stinky™ The Garbage Truck – Matchbox, $59.99, Available July 2010

Stinky™ was an unforgettable show stopper at Toy Fair and was the first toy to come to mind in terms of giving us the biggest smile and lots of laughter.  Completely and utterly adorable!  Stinky™ works like a regular garbage truck that children can push around.  However, Stinky™ has other features that encourage children to interact with him.  For instance, when Stinky says “Feed Me!” he wants to you put Matchbox cars inside his mouth, but watch out, he can also drop the cars out of the back of his truck!  This a great toy that works on teaching children ages 3 and up how to follow simple directions, sing songs and play games in an interactive, silly, and playful way.

Pop Goes Froggio – Hasbro, $16.99, Available Fall 2010

In this game, children spin a spinner to find a corresponding lily pad that is hidden around the room.  They then turn over the lily pad to find the match.  If they do, they get to stomp on the green lily pad and send Froggio straight up in the air.  This is a nice memory game that also includes elements of stomping, balance and hand eye coordination through catching for children who enjoy more interactive learning with their entire body.  Don’t just spread the lily pad pieces around the game; hide them all over the entire room or a few rooms to make more of a memory challenge.  This game can easily be played with a variety of preschool children at different learning and age levels.

Crayola Guess My Picture – Wild Planet, $14.99, Available Fall 2010

In this exciting new game for ages 4 and up, children create a picture with pre-cut circles, squares and squiggles from an image on a card.  Other players try to guess what the picture is and stars are awarded to the person who guesses correctly. The player with the most stars at the end of the play wins.  This is an excellent game for children who may become frustrated when they can’t properly draw a picture and is a great way to work on fine motor coordination and motor planning for design imitation, which are precursors to writing letters.

In honor of the Toy Story 3 movie, which premieres in June 2010, there have been over 250 new toys developed for this occasion. Aside from the creation of Toy Story Operation and Toy Story Kerplunk, this was one of my favorites:

Woody’s Runaround Roundup – Wild Planet, $25, Available May 2010

I am always a fan of games that involve thinking strategy and motor coordination.  The characters are hidden all around the room and Woody will ask a variety of questions.  When the child knows the answer they run to the correct character and “tag” them by placing Woody and Bullseye over them.  This game teaches the concepts of names, letters, colors and can be played both indoor and outside by preschoolers ages 3 and up.

Sumo Ham Slam – Gamewright, Coming soon!

This interactive game involves simple math, but that does not require any reading. Roll the dice and feed your hamster chips to make him a stronger wrestler! Using a magnetic wand, challenge your opponent in the ring to see who the winner will be! Though this game is listed for children ages 8 and up, with some adult support, children as young as 5-6 may also enjoy this interactive, silly game that enhances fine motor development!

U-Build Connect 4, Hasbro $19.99, Available Fall 2010

U-Build Connect 4 is one game in a series of 4 U-Build games (Sorry, Battleship, Mouse Trap) recommended for children ages 6 and up, where children use bricks they attach to the game board that allows for novel game play each and every time.  Bumper bricks are placed at the top of the board so kid’s can drop the checker into the board game to try various ways to get 4 in a row to win. Hasbro has worked very hard this year including different elements into all their board games to shorten play if needed, or allow for novel play so that everyone can be included in Family Game Night!

Rory’s Story Cubes – Gamewright, $7.99, Coming Soon!

Using Rory’s Story Cubes, children roll the dice and create a group story using a picture on the dice as a visual cue to craft the story.  This game can be played individually or in a group, and is great for children who could benefit from practice with creative writing and have difficulty organizing their thoughts for written language activities.  Why not take turns writing down your sentence along the way and after a few rounds vote on the funniest story of the day!  Geared for children ages 8 and up and perfect for play at school, at home or when traveling by plane, train or car!

Play Categories: Time to Play Guest Blogger

Each week, the editors of Time To Play choose a new item for a video review in the Play Of The Week.

This week, Velcro Kids!

To see more video reviews, please visit the Time To Play Video Center at www.timetoplaymag.com/video.

Play Categories: Reviews, Videos

New video games arrive in stores and Online every week. Here are a few games coming out this week that we think you might be interested in.

Endless Ocean: Blue World (Wii. Rated Everyone 10+)
Dive into a beautiful underwater adventure in this sequel to the first Endless Ocean game. People thought the first game was a little too relaxing so Blue World has added more action with attacking sharks, sunken pirate ships and treasure!

Pony Friends 2 (DS, Wii. Rated Everyone)
Owning a pony has never been easier (or more affordable) thanks to the Pony Friends series of games. This second game in the series introduces all new features including the ability to customize the ponies and explore tricks, trails, quests, racing and much more.

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing (DS, WII, PS3, Xbox360. Rated Everyone)
No offense to the ponies but this is the game that I am most excited about playing this week. All-Stars Racing is a kart-style racing game featuring Sega’s most popular characters from the Sonic The Hedgehog and Super Monkey Ball games. Each character has a unique car packed with ridiculous abilities, which you use as you race through colorful terrains scattered with power-ups and obstacles.

Look for all three of these games in stores and Online this Tuesday, February 23.

Play Categories: Video Games

Every Friday at 1 p.m. Eastern, Jim and Chris go live in this fully interactive, fast-paced hour that will show you the latest toys kids want, tackle the issues that face today’s busy families and bring you insightful guests that will take you behind the scenes of toys and much more. The show is completely interactive. We take your questions, and give away lots of cool stuff. Tune in and come play.

To join the show, head over to MomTV.com/TimeToPlay.

Play Categories: Around the Web