Speaking for myself, I have no regrets. We seem to have progressed past the age when he gets noisy, battery-operated things that play annoying Elmo tunes. (While the Super Mario music can be annoying after a while, at least there’s volume control.) I’m probably most happy he got The LEGO Ideas Book, not only because he enjoys browsing through it for ideas, but because I do, too. If all of your children’s Lego sets are in pieces, and the instructions are nowhere to be found—or if you just want to break out of the mold of following the preconceived instructions—this is a great volume.

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Over at Skepchick, Natalie Reed has a great article on “Guyliner, Murses, Bromance and Femmephobia,” in which she argues that girls should not be forced into playing with pink, feminine toys—but also that we should not denigrate pink, feminine things entirely. She explains, “Denigration of that which is feminine is to denigrate that which is female-ish. The misogynist implications are fairly clear cut.”

She also notes problems with the marketing of certain products for men:

The “for girls” marketing seems to have as its goal making women find the product more appealing. The “for men” marketing . . . seem designed to somehow protect or insulate men from the girliness of whatever you’re selling. As though . . . touching it or using it will contaminate them with… I don’t know… cooties or something. Maybe turn them gay. Or trans. Gasp!

It’s a great read, so go check it out. (Thanks to The Mary Sue for the link.)

I’m also pleased by Reed’s note that Edmund Scientifics, purveyor of kits and gadgets to geeks everywhere, has stopped marketing its children’s science kits in “girls” and “boys” varieties, but will simply call them “Novelty Science Kits” from now on. You should go read their blog post about it, too—it’s a nice example of a company realizing that they were “projecting gender bias and defining gender roles,” and taking action to change that.

It was easier when they were younger, and a box full of art supplies would suffice. Now, I feel pressure to get something the other boy will think is “cool,” since I know my son will want to be seen as a giver of cool presents. I hate to fall back on Legos, cool as they are, since I don’t know what the other boy might have already.

Can any of you please give me a hand here and share ideas in the comments? Leave ideas for other ages, too—someone else might find them helpful. Thanks!

He’s also gotten interested in secret codes, so for his birthday, we got him a copy of Top Secret: A Handbook of Codes, Ciphers and Secret Writing, by Paul Janeczko. It’s a wonderful collection of codes and ciphers, kid-friendly, but more than just simple letter substitution. It has great explanations and diagrams, interspersed with historical anecdotes about how codes and ciphers have been used throughout history. I’m also particularly pleased the illustrations in the book show both female and male spies, and the pronouns alternate between male and female. Lots of fun, and highly recommended if you’re raising a junior James Bond or Emma Peel.

My son’s going into third grade, and a few of the concepts are a bit of a stretch for him, but he’s enjoying much of it, and it will likely last him until well into middle school. (Of course, the problem is that I need to read and understand it by then so I can decrypt any messages he writes to his friends once he hits those sneaky tween years.)

What are your kids reading these days that you’d recommend?

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If you’re like me, of course, you started receiving information about summer camps and activities before last winter was over, and finalized your plans by early spring. (Crazy, I know; one of the surprises of parenthood for me.) But if you’re a more spontaneous type, and still looking for a way to occupy your kid(s) at the end of August, you might want to give Camp Highlight a look.

We want to introduce you to Camp Highlight, an overnight camp for children who have LGBTQ parents!

The camp is one week long, from August 20 through August 27, and is now registering children ages 8 to 15. Camp Highlight focuses on traditional recreational activities, nature education and team building in an environment that celebrates LGBT families. Each camper will be given individual attention by caring counselors and staff. They also have the opportunity to engage in a selection of fantastic activities including sports, arts and crafts, and swimming.

Camp Highlight offers a chance for children to discuss and celebrate their families in an environment that is safe and supportive. Through recreation, campers will form strong friendships with allies who will be a support network for them in the future.We’ve designed a curriculum that encourages the universal values of cooperation, respect, and responsibility. Each camper is encouraged to develop leadership ability, self confidence, and social skills in a safe environment. Camp Highlight is hosted at South Mountain YMCA just west of Reading, PA. The campsite boasts gorgeous facilities, a swimming pool, and a high ropes course and climbing tower.

If you want more information about our camp, check us out at www.camphighlight.com or on facebook at www.facebook.com/camphighlight. Thanks and have a great day!

I’ve recently found a great resource for kid-friendly science at home, though: the “Science by E-mail” service of the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). Every week you’ll get an e-mail with an experiment you can do with your kids. The latest one involves embedding seeds in homemade paper to create a fun planter. In general, I’d say the activities are most appropriate for elementary school kids, but you can always adjust them to meet your own child’s skill level.

CSIRO also offers this nicely organized Web site of various science activities.

“Science by E-mail” has actually been around for 10 years now, and has over 40,000 subscribers. I’m glad I finally discovered it.

What other interesting educational services/sites do you and your kids enjoy?

(Photo credit: Paul)

In this case, however, it works. Hogwarts provides a perfect replacement setting for the original mansion of Clue—whereas, say, Harry Potter Monopoly might seem forced. The game plays mostly like the classic version, except that instead of Col. Mustard doing it in the drawing room with a lead pipe, Draco Malfoy does it in the Owlery with an Impedimenta curse. Or Bellatrix Lestrange does it in the Divination Classroom with a Sleeping Draught. You get the idea.

There are also a few changes to gameplay that will keep things fresh for fans of the original. Four turning wheels under the gameboard change the hidden passages that lead from room to room, and cause some doorways to close unless a player has an Alohomora spell card. The wheels and a special die may also reveal the Dark Mark, which can cause players to lose House Points unless they have cards showing the proper allies or counter-curses. Lose all your House Points and you’re out of the game. All told, it’s a more dynamic game than the earlier one.

While we love us some newer strategy games like The Settlers of Catan and Dominion, there’s always room for the classics, especially a well done update.

What games are you and your family playing this season?

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Which fictional parent do you most resemble (in character or appearance)? Alternatively, which fictional parent would you most like to resemble?

I’m afraid that reading Harry Potter with our son of late—and now starting the movies—has made me unable to think of anyone other than Mrs. Weasley. I’m not nearly as domestic as she is (I manage, though it’s not a gift), but at least we’re both redheads. She’s also constant in her affection for her children and strong in their defense—qualities I hope I possess in the same measure.