Children | Page 12 of 40

The Magic School Bus Season Four drives on with manic, educational abandon

When Then Magic School Bus was originally on the air I was already out of college. In hindsight the mid 90s was a fabulous time for children’s programming. Even then I was a fan of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, as well as, Wallace and Gromit. Both of these series I still like watching, plus it’s something that our children can watch and enjoy too. The final season of The Magic School Bus is out on DVD in a two disc collection that puts a bow on a series that was as entertaining as it was educational.

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Let’s Count Fish! adds up to more than just another toddler number book

Yeah, you need another counting book for your toddler like you need small pieces of LEGO bricks under your bare feet. I think we have four books that help teach the basic numbers. Each book does it differently; some have sentences on the way to telling a story while others show the roman numeral in addition to objects that the kids can count. Let’s Count Fish! is more like the later book, but it does so with such charm you’ll want to read it to your kids just so that you can look at the retro-inspired images.

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New All Age Comic Books for Wednesday, October 14, 2015

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It’s #NCBD and things are looking grim. Well slightly grim anyway with all of the zombie comics coming out this month. In the midst of all this there are still lots of new all age comic books that anyone can enjoy. If you don’t have the time or patience to read through the list you can also dig into the podcast. We’ll talk about the comic, explain what their pros are and tell you which ones we’re most excited about for the week.

Adventure Time #45 is a one-shot issue this week. If you’re curious about the series and don’t want to jump mid way through a story arc, this week is for you. Bat-Mite #5 (of #6), Grimmis Island trade papeback and Lumberjanes Beyond Bay Leaf is also a one-shot, full of monsters and strong willed female campers. Mickey Mouse #5, Uncle Scrooge #7 and Walt Disney Comics & Stories 75th Anniversary Special all come out this week for fans of the mouse house.

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Pan is family-friendly action that defies expectations

We’re part of Fandango Family and were compensated or received product for this review-all thoughts are our own.

Movie: Pan

Rating: PG

Running time: 1 hour, 51 minutes

Moviegoers: Dad 46, Jake, 6

Family movie faves: Inside Out, Finding Nemo and Shaun the Sheep.

Fave movies for grown-ups: Ong-Bak, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Fury Road. (These are my faves. My wife has no desire to see them, and our children will have to wait for years until they’re old enough to enjoy them. )

Review of Pan

What’s the story: Pan is the origin story of Peter Pan. It takes place in WWII Great Britain in the orphanage where Peter lives. However, at night the children are being snatched up by pirates and taken to Neverland. Once there the children are forced to mine for pixie dust, which is hidden in the rocks.

Black Beard rules Neverland but is under attack from a group of bandits in the woods.Through a series of events Peter realizes that he can fly and escapes from the pirates with Hook where they find the bandits. It’s here that Peter discovers his true identity, has adventures beyond his wildest imagination and meets the characters that are part of his life forever.

What parents may like about this movie: I’m a dad who has seen every incarnation of Peter Pan, all but one of them in theaters. And I think parents will like Pan because it is not predictable. This is even more of an accomplishment given that most parents know the rough storyline of Peter Pan. The boy who can fly, enemy of Captain Hook, friend of Tinker Bell and inspiration to adults trying to find their inner child everywhere. Pan is not a perfect film, but it is so much better than you’ve heard and one that is constantly entertaining, even for adults, on a ridiculously large scale. There are details in every shot that make it a treat to watch. Granted, Hugh Jackman’s hair was distracting at first, but once you understand why it’s there and see the man behind the mirror it’s all forgiven.

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Win 5 free book downloads for young readers from Capstone

Hey, we were compensated for this post-all thoughts are our own. This is giveaway will excite parents for lots of reasons. We’ve partnered with Capstone Publishing to give away 5 free book downloads via their CapReader app on Apple devices. These are for 5 free titles including, Spelling Queen, Too Shy for Show-and-Tell, Zeke Meeks vs. the Stinkin’ Science Fair, You Can Write Cool Poems and Bus Ride Bully. The books are great for young readers and the total package has a value of over $35, plus we’re giving away 20 of them-so your odd on winning are great.

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What’s cooking with the Little Tikes Sizzle and Serve Grill

Hey, we received product for review purposes. All thoughts are our own. I like to grill. For us it’s a year round activity made more fun in the winter months because it’s cold and the grill keeps us warm. We also don’t use lighter fluid. We have the kids go out and collect small twigs, and dead leaves, surround the area with charcoal and start the fire. That was born from an emergency many years ago, but we’ve kept it up and now use it as a way for the kids to earn money. Because of our bare bones grilling style the kids spend time with me when I grill and they got to cook with the Little Tikes Sizzle and Serve Grill.

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There are no robots in the bathroom

Our three-year old Charlie is in that precious stage of life where he’s learning new things and fresh vocabulary every day. His treatment with apraxia is going well and he’s making his points known regardless of the time of day, relevance or how valid they are. In his mind it’s appropriate to talk about next summer’s vacation, even though we’ve got a myriad of holidays, the entire school year and everyone’s birthdays, before that; but it’s OK for him to talk about them. He’s also into monsters and robots. Or he’s very scared of monsters of robots, depending upon when you ask him.

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Denny’s teams up with No Kid Hungry to help hungry kids

Hey, we’re an ambassador for Denny’s. All thoughts are our own. On average one in five children are hungry and don’t receive the adequate amount needed. For years Denny’s has been raising funds for No Kid Hungry since their inception and are consistently one of their largest donors-with your help. That one in five figure varies from state to state, but take it as a county and 16 million kids in the United States are in that boat. Every year Denny’s makes it easy for you to support No Kid Hungry and has donated 2.3 million dollars so far, which provided 23 million meals to kids across the country.

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