“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 101

Helen and I bring you the Nature Edition of our vlog this week, with a look at what we’ve been doing outdoors with our son as the weather turns slightly warmer. This leads us to a discussion of science, education policy, and what happens when life imitates video games.

(If the embedded video above doesn’t work for you, try it at Dailymotion.)

Brought to you in partnership with After Ellen.

“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 95

In our first vlog for the new year, Helen and I show off the new Wii Santa brought our son. (Clever Santa.) We discuss the communal nature of today’s video games, setting video game limits with kids, and violence in Legoland. Helen also talks about a wonderful and slightly gender-bending new children’s book about Emily Dickinson, My Uncle Emily.

I know we’re not the only ones out there who got new Wiis this season. (I’m looking at you, Deb, Liza, and Vikki.) Tell us if or how you’ve set Wii limits with your own kids—or yourselves for that matter. Or do you just stock up on Gatorade and play till you drop?

(If the embedded video above doesn’t work for you, try it at Dailymotion.)

Brought to you in partnership with After Ellen.

Ed. note: I am a member of the Amazon Associates program, and get a small referral fee from all purchases made at Amazon.com via links on this site. You are under no obligation to purchase through them.

Lesbian Moms Rejected as Leaders of Son’s Cub Scout Troop

Cate and Elizabeth Wirth, a lesbian couple in Vermont, were told by a Vermont district director of the Boy Scouts that they could no longer volunteer for their son’s Cub Scout troop after it became known that they are a couple. According to the Rutland Herald, Richard Stockton, Scout executive for the Green Mountain Council, confirmed, “The national policy of the Boy Scouts of America is we don’t accept gays and lesbians as volunteers.”

This is awful, but given the Boy Scout’s previous history with gay matters, it is perhaps not surprising. (For the record, I also have a serious problem with the fact that the Boy Scouts don’t allow atheists or agnostics to be leaders, either.)

What is interesting, however, and what I hope will stir some discussion among those of you who are around over the holiday, is this comment from one of the mothers: Read the rest of this post »

Kids Have an Itch to Program? Scratch It!

Do your kids like to use computers? Do they linger in the computer areas of science museums, playing with the demos? Do they eye the Lego Mindstorms robot sets until you see the nearly $300 price tag and quickly usher them away?

Here’s good news: Scratch, a programming language designed just for kids, is absolutely free. It’s a drag-and-drop system developed by the folks at the MIT Media Lab—the “Lifelong Kindergarten Group,” to be exact. (That sounds like my dream job.) With very little effort, kids can get started creating their own animations, video games, drawing programs, and whatever else strikes their imagination. Read the rest of this post »

Legos and Marriage Equality

Long-time readers know we’re nutty about Legos here at the house of Mombian.

I was intrigued, therefore, by an article in The Morning News (via Make) in which author Giles Turnbull discusses Lego terminology. Different families, it seems, have different names for each of the little pieces, usually driven by what the children call them. A “two-er hole-y bit” could also be called a “connector, a “double cannon,” or a “two-studded slotty piece,” to cite just a few examples.

When an outsider comes into the picture, translation is necessary:

“Can you see any clippy bits?” my son asked his friend. The friend was flummoxed. “Do you mean handy bits?” he asked, pointing.

Communication—and creation—becomes difficult without standard terminology. It occurs to me that therein lies one of the major reasons for full marriage equality. It cuts across the many meanings of civil unions, domestic partnerships, civil partnerships, and such and gives us a common language with which to discuss one of the fundamental components of our society. (In this case, however, the number of studs and holes is irrelevant).

“Lego nomenclature is essential for family Lego building,” Turnbull asserts.

Family nomenclature is essential for society building, I would add.

Moneygami Marvels

My spouse Helen recently stumbled across the fascinating world of moneygami, origami using paper money. Some of the more clever designs even highlight the portrait of the person on the bill.

It seems to be one of those niche hobbies that the Internet facilitates, although I am sure it far predates the Web. Helen has collected a number of moneygami links over at her site, though she usually deals with more serious financial matters. Check them out just for the clever designs, or try one of the how-to videos yourself or with the kids.

Helen suggests leaving tips in moneygami shapes. I’m thinking the next time the Tooth Fairy visits our son, she just might leave a tooth-shaped gift. (Or maybe a toothbrush. I could probably handle that.)

“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 76

Helen and I explore the importance of imagination, with a look at how modern media and toys stifle kids’ creativity and what parents can do to change this. Are Lego bricks a force for good, or have they gone downhill since the time of our childhood? Helen also demonstrates a whirling homemade toy that could provide kids with hours of simple amusement (if their moms let them have a chance to play with it).

(If the embedded video above doesn’t work for you, try it here.)

Brought to you in partnership with After Ellen.

Tour the Moon, No Rocket Required

Here’s a fun one for the kids (and grown-ups, too), in honor of the 40th anniversary of the moon landing:

Google has launched an upgrade to its Google Earth software with information and activities about the lunar landings. According to Google, you can now:

• Take tours of landing sites, narrated by Apollo astronauts
• View 3D models of landed spacecraft
• Zoom into 360-degree photos to see astronauts’ footprints
• Watch rare TV footage of the Apollo missions

The Google Earth upgrade builds upon the more limited images that have been available through the Google Moon Web site for some time now. The Google Moon site seems to have some of the Apollo information as well, but not as much as the full Google Earth software. Google also offers maps of Mars and of the night sky, either via a Web browser or through Google Earth. Read the rest of this post »

Online Art for Kids

My family and I spent a few days in Washington, D.C. over the July 4 holiday, seeing the sights and taking full advantage of the city’s plethora of museums. More on our trip later. . . .

In the process of planning for it, however, I discovered some fun online games for kids at several of the museums’ Web sites. I’ll be highlighting a few of them here over the next week or so. (We also had a big week in politics, so stay tuned for that as well.) Read the rest of this post »

“She Got Me Pregnant”: Episode 74

Helen and I share a favorite toy from our son’s recent birthday collection, and give a demo of its projectile-launching fun. We then offer some suggestions for kids’ birthday parties and ask viewers to weigh in on gendered gift items.

(If the embedded video above doesn’t work for you, try it here.)

Brought to you in partnership with After Ellen.