Welcome to the October 2013 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Kids and Technology

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have written about their families' policies on screen time.

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He figured out the remote early.

Sometimes I feel sheepish admitting how much I love television. In the natural world, it's decidedly unhippy because children should be playing with only handcarved wooden toys and spending eight hours a day frolicking in dandelions. In the parenting world, it's considered downright reckless, what with the brain rotting and all. And just in regular discourse, TV is too low-brow to impress anybody.

Particularly if you're not all that discriminating about what you'll watch. I will watch many, many different shows — and do. I mean, I watch Masterpiece Theatre, but I've also watched Toddlers & Tiaras. Sam's a big fan of TV, too, with his own favorites; we watch a lot of detective shows together, and he tracks football games on his own. And our children are the same with their beloved shows. Alrik's mantra is "Taillou, Taillou!" (well, that's how he says it!) and Mikko's is … watching whatever is on.

The other day, I was fretting: What does a child look like when he grows up if he loves TV a lot? What sort of person is he if he adores "screen time" and lives great quantities of his life online? What if even his profession is tied to a screen — and then his free time, his relaxing choice, is also to enjoy a movie or show?

Oh — it finally occurred to me: 

He'll look like me!

Well. That's all right, then. I'm pretty fine with me.

Sometimes I get intimidated by all the perfect Pinterest crafts. I'm sure you've been there, too, and know what I'm talking about. This isn't Pinterest-bashing or even Pinterest-lamenting (I'm there, all the time), just: My standards are a lot lower.

They need to be.

First of all, I have kids who don't like to follow directions. Like, ever. It took until this year (age 6) that Mikko even began to grasp the concept of coloring inside lines. He still refuses to color things the expected colors. I'm totally down with this, truth be told.

So if I put out some printables and art supplies with very specific ideas of how these elements would go together, I'd be sure to be disappointed. That's just how it is around here.

We do much better putting out the art supplies and then … that's it. Just letting the kids loose.

The results are very rarely frame-worthy — or pin-worthy. But the kids are creating and exploring and having fun.


MaryAnn F. Kohl, author of Mudworks — 100+ recipe ideas for modeling-dough play — 
has an article where she discusses the differences between "art" and "crafts," and I thought it was very insightful, and reassuring.

Because art and crafts are so different, it's good to know what makes them special and call them by their proper names. When children create art, they are exploring, discovering, and thinking. Art encourages a child's originality and unique expression with an unknown outcome. Crafts, on the other hand, involve the child's reproducing an adult's idea, while following directions to make a specific "thing" — a known outcome. Making crafts is about imitating what an adult has made and, as such, it requires no original thinking. Crafts are meant to be useful or practical, or to reinforce a fact or learning theme. Craft activities have value in this way, but art is a unique form of creativity that inspires each individual child to be original and inventive and to think for himself.

This post is part of my special HAVE KIDS, WILL TRAVEL series to give you advice and wisdom on traveling with kids along with some fun reviews of travel-friendly items.

Do you ever wish you had more travel games in mind than looking for letters on license plates to stave off the hours of "Are we there yet"? Do you ever need something fun to do while waiting in a doctor's office or at a restaurant? Would you like these ideas to be easy to manage, creative, fun for a range of ages, and screen-free?

Sweet!

When I was putting together the Mindful Play eBundle, I was so excited to read Freaky Rivet's How To Fool Your Kids Into Having Fun So You Can: Travel Games Without Gadgets (great name, hey?) because: We were about to go on an epic Midwest trip! And we could really use all those things I just mentioned!

When I gushed to Iyas, the author, about how much I loved this book, he asked that I consider posting a review, so: I am!

Here's an example screenshot of what sort of fun to expect:

Do you have anyone in your family who loves one or more of the following?

• science experiments
• craft projects
• books

Everyone loves all three, you say? Thought so.

Then you will want to hear about our experiences with the e-magazine Alphabet Glue and the Monster Toothpaste we created therefrom!

As the website describes this delightful e-magazine, you'll find:

activities and inspiration for families who love books

There are two autumn-themed issues of this e-magazine included in the Mindful Play eBundle (which ends Monday, October 7!). I've greatly enjoyed those and found Alphabet Glue to be one of my absolute favorites of this bundle as I was hand-picking the resources.

In the submission process, I also got a peek into a summer issue, Volume Thirteen. The boys and I decided to do an experiment from the (PDF) pages: Monster Toothpaste. The name alone makes you want to try it out, am I right?


Alrik helped me stir the yeast.


Mikko was in charge of color mixing.


The scientists at work.


The bottles are ready.


Mikko carefully pours the yeast into the peroxide mixture —
what's going to happen next?


Alrik waits.

I don't know about you, but my headphones tend to be the free ones that come bundled with some other electronic purchase and then fall apart after a couple rounds with the kids and cats. (No, I know cats don't wear headphones — earbuds would just fall right in! — but that doesn't mean they don't think the cords are intriguing….)

But I've always wanted better. I even shop around for headphones from time to time and then get befuddled. That's why I was so excited to review the Monster N-Tune HD headphones in a cool candy blue.

I mention the color upfront, because: Whoa! I was seriously so happy to open the box and see that bright blueberry staring me in the face. It's such a sweet change from boring old black. (This candy colours collection also comes in cherry red, green apple, tangerine, and grape.)

I also love how old-school yet hip they are. When I was growing up (gather round, children!), I always loved my parents' huge, ear-covering headphones, but it seems like the world's gone earbud. It's refreshing to have banded headphones that are soft and cushy as they cover your ears.

You know that mentioning cats wearing earphones made me need to take a picture of it.

Playing with scissors is always a good pastime.


Alrik shows off his foam fringe skills.


And then models a Mikko creation!