Adolescent medicine practitioner and Yale faculty member Dr. Sydney Speiesel has written an article for Slate about the multitude of different treatments available to autistics, and examines the efficacy of some of the more popular ones before questioning why parents swear by treatments which don’t stand up to scientific scrutiny.
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo is on a not-so-secret mission – to bring real, modern music to families. After spending over a decade touring nationally with a live hip hop group, 23 Skidoo recognized a need for music that parents could share with their kids – and really enjoy sharing, so he returned to Asheville, NC and got a band together to make it happen. Secret Agent 23 Skidoo mixes classic hip hop beats with influences from bluegrass to reggae. The result is infectious, sophisticated music that allows him to make music and be with his daughter, which, as he says, “is the whole point, anyhow”
Getting silly with the kids can be a really fun time, and a really great bonding experience. Kids love it when grownups engage them on their level, and laughing with our kids is just good fun. In this spirit, Bunch would like to point your bunch to Zoomdoggle‘s Gurn-a-thon. What’s Gurn? Well, according to Wikipedia: “A gurn or chuck is a distorted facial expression, and a verb to describe the action” and “Gurning contests are a rural English tradition. They are thought to have originated in 1297” Still don’t believe us? Check out this BBC page for the 2001 World Gurning Championships
When you’re done giggling over the silliness over there, why not take some pictures of your bunch’s wacky gurns and send them on to Zoomdoggle for a chance to win a set of Buckyballs. As an incentive to get silly with your kids, Bunch families who enter and identify themselves in the comments with a link to Bunch will receive awesome Bunch t-shirts! Feel free to send your silly face pictures to us directly, as well!
We’ve all heard the story: Childhood obesity is on the rise, kids play too many video games, watch too much television and don’t play outside nearly enough. It’s difficult to make sure kids get enough exercise in a world where it’s just not as easy to just say: “Go outside and play”. The YMCA wants to help us come up with ways to get active with our kids, and that’s part of what Healthy Kids Day is about. Although Healthy Kids Day dates for Canada have not yet been announced (last year it was June 1), Bunch readers in the US can take part in events tomorrow, April 18th, at over 1,750 Ys across the country. Check out this page to search for your local participating Y by zip code and have fun!
Your best chance at being a rockstar is learning the bass (The Kids Are Alright - Entwistle and Baby Ox)
Documentary maker and New York Dolls video producer Walker Lamond wants to get some things straight before he becomes uncool, so, before a family was even in the works, he began keeping a blog of advice for tomorrow’s renaissance man. A culmination of manly advice from his own father, with a sprinkling of tips from other sources, Rules is updated nearly daily and is slated for publication as a book in November. From “When in doubt, wear a tie” to “Never underestimate your own fertility” Lamond has a lot of wisdom to impart.
Advertisers are spending approximately 17 billion dollars annually on marketing to children, and the age they’re targeting is getting younger and younger. Current research is suggesting that this marketing is leading to increased rates of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, childhood obesity, eating disorders, increased violence, and family stress. What can parents do to combat this barrage of consumer culture aimed at our kids’ vulnerable psyches? As always, plenty of family time spent reinforcing the values we wish to impart is key. For tips on how to spend that time, how to avoid the avoidable, and how to combat the unavoidable advertising, check out the New American Dream website. There you’ll find information for parents and educators, as well as comprehensive lists of other websites and reading materials to help kids grow up with a realistic view of media and advertising.
