Yesterday, as I was eating breakfast, I watched a few segments of the Today Show.  And I happened to catch a segment about keeping your kids engaged while they are stuck inside during a snowstorm.  Friday’s weather forecasted the east coast to be hit with a snowstorm again this weekend. 

I wasn’t really paying that much attention yet, but I think plug for the upcoming segment said something about technology being a part of 5 ways you can keep your children busy when they can’t go outside this weekend.  Goodhousekeeping magazine was sponsoring the segment, as the full story is in this month’s issue.

So, I thought, okay, this might be interesting.  Let’s see what they have to say.

·         Make a digital photo album at Shutterfly, CVS Photo Center, or OurHubBub

·         Get a high-quality iPod dock station

·         Make popcorn by putting the kernels in a specially made bowl that allows you to pop them in the microwave

·         Join a DVD movie exchange service

Yes, I know that’s only 4.  But that’s all we were shown.

When I heard about the idea of using Shutterfly, I thought, sure, that is fun and engaging.   It also allows parents to bond with their kids and tell stories about the memories preserved in the digital pictures.  And you can tie in a bunch of math without even knowing it – cropping, changing the resolution, placement of the photos.   I myself am a fan of Shutterfly, and thought this a worthy idea.

I was surprised when the next idea and recommendation was to buy a high-quality iPod dock station.  And I think Meredith Viera was a little surprised to.  She said something on the lines of “Oh, to listen to music while you read a book perhaps.”   I love music, and usually you can hear something playing in the background no matter where I am at.  But, go out and buy a high-quality iPod dock station right before a snowstorm so that your kids are engaged?  Meredith even questioned the price and practicality of having a two-foot tall dock station.    

The next two ideas obviously went together.  Make yummy, delicious, and healthier popcorn in a bowl that allows you to pop the kernel instead of using the pre-made popcorn bags.   Why not?  Personally, I like air-popped popcorn better.  I might even go find one of these new popping bowls.    And now that you have your healthy popcorn, put your kids in front a television to watch a movie that you just happened to receive in the mail before the snowstorm hit.  (Kung Fu Panda was the DVD most visible among the stack of 20 or so DVDS.)

You’ve got to be kidding me.  These are the best ways to engage your kids if they can’t go outside?

I was quite dismayed, and bothered, that this was the advice that the Today Show and Goodhousekeeping were giving.

There didn’t seem to be much thought in the quality of how to use these gadgets as activities to stimulate the brain and open the door to learning (except for the digital photo album idea) while stuck inside because of a snowstorm.

So, let’s see what we can do with these 4 (not 5) recommendations.

·         While listening to music through a high-quality iPod dock station, spend 60 minutes reading your favorite childhood stories to your children.  When you are done, choose your favorite short story, or selection, and insert the text to create a Wordle (see my previous post Math Vocabulary Becomes Art). 

·         Choose a topic such as the ABCs of math or science, and have your children search the house (and even outdoors if the snow stops falling) to take pictures of those items.  Then, use a digital photo album service to create a mini-photo book of their ABCs.   Oh, and don’t forget to have some music playing in the background!

·         Plan in advance to have a copy of movies that will inspire your child to be the best they can and embrace learning and the world around them.  I recommend 3 documentaries: Spellbound (2002), Paperclips (2004), and Mad Hot Ballroom (2005).  Pop some popcorn and sit together and discuss the issues and stories while doing everything you can to not dance while watching young kids from Brooklyn learn how to ballroom dance, or spell as any words as you can during the 1999 National Spelling Bee.

For those of you on the east coast, I hope the storm wasn’t too bad.  And I hope you found ways to keep your kids busy!

P.S.  I love living in Arizona!

The New Year’s Eve ball has dropped in Times Square and we are now 4 days into 2009.

With the start of another year, many of us take time to reminisce about times past and reflect upon the achievements of those who came before us.

Here’s a little something for us technology enthusiasts:

2009 marks the 40^th birthday of the public debut of Douglas Engelbart’s computer mouse.

40 Years of the Mouse is currenlty being featured on MSN chronicling the debut and evolution of the computer’s most revered sidekick.

The mouse has come a long way since December 1968, and I have used many of them: the Microsoft Mouse 2.0 to the Apple iMac Mouse to a Logitech wireless mouse.

Although I mainly work off of a laptop, I can’t imagine not having my little wireless mouse with me!  To be honest, I feel like am without a limb if I don’t have my mouse with me; I just can’t work as efficiently without it!

For more on the mouse:

How Stuff Works:  How Computer Mice Work