25 March 2014

Kids Get Creative

I am in awe of several of my friends and their children. In a world of video games and computers, these friends have managed to harness the analog creativity of their little ones. I have one friend whose philosophy is that it is good for kids to be bored, that it helps with their coping and creative thinking skills. I very much like this line of thinking -- while I have always liked electronics and what not, I am grateful that I grew up in a time where it wasn't super easy to get a hold of these things, and instead made up stories with my dolls, played on the swingset (we lived on a busy street so there was none of that front yard activity type stuff), or had to force my brother and cousins to play "house" with me. 

Recently, one of my friend's kids started a travel blog. She is four. She saw her mommy blogging and figured she had things to say. And thus, Bonjour Amigo was born. I am sure her mom is helping out with a few things, but it is enjoyable to read, and I am super impressed by the way it harnesses both the creative thinking side of things and plays to a kids fasciation with computers/electronics (oh, and it focuses on her travels, which is a whole other type of awesome). 

I sometimes worry about kids -- so many are just hooked on their various electronic devices and don't have the opportunity/desire to go outside/run around and also flex creative muscles. I don't think this is particularly new -- there were always kids obsessed with their board/card games or calculators or other indoor activities -- but it is all so much accessible now that, to me, it becomes more of a problem. So I really love seeing things like a kid's blog, or a fort they built, or a book of drawings documenting a recent event, or just them running around creating a new game...and just hope if and when I have kids of my own, I can keep these things in mind and inspire and harness their creativity.

05 March 2014

Now Hear This: Let It Go Version

This song has been stuck in my head for weeks...largely due to my massive talent crush on Idina Menzel. It may not work super well in this format, but Idina looks like she's having so much more fun than she did on the Oscars a few nights before.





I continue to contend that Jimmy Fallon (and The Roots) is having way more fun than any of the rest of us.