Recently in State of Child Category

It was a dark night. And usually, the route I take on my way back home from work is silent and deserted. But tonight was different, it was Halloween. There was a buzz in the air. Around me there was the scamper of little feet, of vampires and ghosts, of bunnies and cats and princesses and knights. The buzz was the sound of children, out on the streets, looking totally adorable and scampering around tricking and treating. And there were adults out there too.

That night, it seemed as if Pied Piper had had a change of heart and brought the children back to their homes and the sound and sights of those young years was in the air again.
*sigh*

Books we read even as children can be quite influential on our lives.

The ones that I still remember are:

• Russian children books translated into English (those were the days of Indo-Soviet cultural exchange).
• Noddy: A series about a wooden doll with a nodding head. Grimms fairytales
• Amar Chitra Katha: The go to series for all stories related to Indian mythology
• Chandamama and Tinkle: Childrens' magazines
• Fairy Tales from Africa: Inherited from a family friend
• Enid Blyton

Last year I was at the dentist getting all my wisdom teeth removed. In the waiting room I saw a book that I had read as child. In this book of short stories, my favorite one was a story about a giant turnip that a farmer is trying to pull out of the ground. Basically the story is about each animal that comes to help him out in this tug of war. Repitative but enjoyable when you are little and the appearance of each new animal excites you and makes you wonder--are they going to be able to pull it out this time?! Seeing this book from my childhood calmed me greatly before the surgery.

The online discussion board on graphic and information guru Edward Tufte's website had an enlightening post about children's books. The list includes peoples' favorite books growing up and also those that their kids have enjoyed and more importantly why. There are obviously quite a few with exceptional graphics.

Some of the titles mentioned that I thought were interesting are listed below:

• "How to Get Your Child to Love Reading" by Esme Raji Codell
• The Water Hole by Graham Base": It is a beautifully illustrated book that teaches ecology, math, geography." See an illustration here
• "Adventure of the World": "I am amazed by the quality of the artwork and the complete lack of any compromise in the illustrations. No clip art, no cute photos of meerkats, no talking dolphins to patronise the young reader"
• "Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is?" by Robert E. Wells: "A brilliantly thought-out, visually clever guide to size"
• "Who's afraid of the Big Bad Book?" by Lauren Child: "the book not only contains the story but also features in it as a physical object"

If you want to buy one of these books you know to go to here. After all it is one of Tufte's favorites!

Have a favorite book from your childhood?

The Parkway is looking for "Baby Brigade Ambassadors"!

The Parkway has had its doors open to babies and parents for a while now. Baby nights are on Mondays at 6.30pm and 7.00pm. It sounds like a really good idea to enable new parents to go to the movies with their babies and not be uncomfortable about their little ones crying or being restless. It does mean however that you have to be patient with babies other than your own!

According to the Parkway's website, attendance has been faltering so they are looking for "bored and motivated" parents to spread the word about the "Baby Brigade".

Maybe my parents could have used a few days like that when I was a baby. My mom loved going to the movies and so we went even when I was little. But once inside the theater, baby me would cry and throw my hands and feet around and she or my dad would have to go sit on the stairs with me or walk me around in the lobby! Unrelated to movie watching but still a glimpse into my growing years--on the autorickshaw ride home I would fall asleep peacefully only to awake at home and resume my activities wide-eyed and into the night!

Nationwide, Landmark Theatres have also introduced similar shows called "Rattle and Reel" in Boulder, Chicago, Detroit, St.Louis, San Francisco and even New York City. In Berkeley, Landmark's Shattuck Cinemas "Rattle and Reel" screening for caregivers and mothers happens every Thursday at 1.00pm.

Startup Journal had a recent article about Parenting services. Amazing to me the business ingenuity of some people and also amazing to me what people will pay for.

Some of the businesses mentioned in the article are:

Fussy Baby Support Services in Chicago, Denver, Brooklyn and Oakland, Calif., helps comfort shrieking babies.

High 5, teachs bike-riding (and other sports) to kids.

Personal shoppers at Macy's help defuse the tension between parents and children when picking back-to-school wardrobes.

SOS --Study and Organizational Skills, helps clean and organize kids' rooms so they can do homework efficiently.

But not being a parent myself I don't want to rush to judgement about which of these make the lives of parents and children better and which ones make uninteresting the experience of parenthood and childhood.

I always thought that it would be really cool that if I had kids that I could raise them in a co-op type situation with some if not all of my friends--the climbing and knitting environmental planner, the triathelete chemist, the hiking camping scientist (these are only some of the qualities of my dear ex-roomates and since I have lived with them previously I know that I could in the future!)and they would teach my kids how to do all of the things I couldn't teach them. In return I could teach them to dance and cook and speak in many Indian languages! It might be a cliche, but it does take a village.

And to end here is one for parents by parents--designer kid furniture. One person in the NYT article says that "Even if parents won't spend money on themselves, they'll spend it on their children" But me thinks a $700 piece of baby furniture is a little much for anybody!

"If you're trying to put underpants on a wriggling three-year-old, try sticking your hands up through the leg holes and out the top of the underpants and then grabbing the child's ankles. With his or her legs now effectively bound it's much easier then to work the undies up over his or her feet, legs, and butt."

via Trade Tricks
via Mrs. Kennedy

Child magazine published the results of a recent survey conducted by them that lists the "The 10 Best and Worst States for Fit Kids"

They spent five months studying mandated school fitness and nutrition policies and also other factors relating to healthy lifestyles, including the availability of safe playgrounds, rates of participation in youth sports, and the number of fast-food restaurants.

Here are the top ten best states:
1. Connecticut 2. New York 3. Vermont 4. Massachusetts 5. Missouri
6. Maine 7. West Virginia 8. Wisconsin 9. Arkansas 10. Illinois

Connecticut has legislation that requires physical activity in children in K-5 and also requires the selling of healthier food in schools. Candy, soft drinks, and gum are out. New York passed a ban on these food(?) items back in the 80s.

California comes in at #13.

With concerns about increasing obesity and diabetes here is hoping that the fitness factor becomes more relevant to the design of programs and facilities for the next generation.

Sesame Street is weighing in on the issue of increased obesity and diabetes in the country. Sesame street characters including the cookie monster will team up with celebrities, to create shows that will focus on healthy eating habits.

Back in 2003, Sesame Street and PBS were criticized for airing ads for McDonalds before and after the show. And in 2004 the muppets even appeared on an ad for Pizza Hut.

Will the new Sesame Street leave behind sponsorships from these fast food companies as it turns a healthy leaf?

Even as Americans turn to the world of English nannies for help at home, the English are turning to a Californian for help at school--Monty Roberts, the original horse whisperer, and children.

In his autobigraphy Roberts talks about his father--a horse trainer who brutalized horses and his son. Especially when his son suggested a gentler way of taming horses. This method of non verbal communication is what Roberts uses to train horses.

From the Observer--
"The Monty Roberts approach helps bring out children's potential by encouraging them to take responsibility for their actions, free from the threat of violence, punish ment or even raised voices,' she said. 'This is not a soft option. Monty is very kind, but extremely firm about children understanding the consequences of their actions. The most effective discipline is when the children have discussed it and agreed to it."

It all sounds promising but I am not sure how I feel about this--"I have taken Monty's advice on avoiding direct eye contact with children and not facing them square on,' said Julie Lawford, a teacher at Brabyns for 20 years. 'I have realised that just as that sort of interaction is intimidating for horses, so it is for children."

Anirvan and I have been watching Super Nanny on and off and are quite entertained by it. Jo Frost's personality and presence cannot be matched by the other show on the same subject.

The NYT had an article recently about vibrant cities(read cities with walkable, trendy, with farmer's markets, sidewalk cafes, lofts, etc) having most everything but missing children. Reminds me of the story of the Pied Piper. Except this time what is driving the children out along with their parents are the rising real estate prices in these suddenly trendy cities.

San Francisco it turns out has the lowest percentage of persons below 18 (only 14.5%) among cities with a population more than 300,000. Portland is at #7 (21.1%).

"New York and Los Angeles, because of their large immigrant populations, have maintained their base of children". According to Phillip Longman, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, a public policy research organization in Washington,"If you took immigrants out of the equation, the United States would be like the rest of Europe."

The article talks mostly about Portland, a city that is fast becoming aware of the problem of low child populations as officials called in March for the closing of six schools after a drop of 10,000 students over the last decade. At the current rate the city expects to close 3-4 elementary schools per year over the next decade. The school district website shows about 63 elementary schools at this time.

I am not sure what to make of the declining birthrate--having always believed that a population explosion is a strain on resources and counterproductive to progress. But I would like to live in a city where there is more diversity in terms of age.

As more and more of my friends join the baby brigade I hope to post more about the "state of the child" in today's world.