PBS Airing Brand New Episodes of DANIEL TIGER'S NEIGHBORHOOD this Week

My kids have been pretty geeked this week because PBS is airing brand new episodes of one of their favorite tv shows, DANIEL TIGERS NEIGHBORHOOD.  My daughter actually quotes Daniel Tiger to us during "teachable moments" when we want her to do something like "eat a new food" or "try something new" so it has been a useful show to let our children watch.  In fact the other day when I was noticeably upset about something my daughter came up to me and said from the show "Daddy, when somethings seems bad turn it around and make something good." DANIEL TIGER'S NEIGHBORHOOD supports behaviors that as parents we are trying to encourage such as eat vegetables, brush their teeth, play outside, and make friends with other kids.  Of course, what else would you expect from a show that is based off of Mister Rogers. The show is actually produced by The Fred Rogers Company to follow-up on the themes and purpose of the original Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

Unfortunately, Fred Rogers who hosted the children's educational program Mister Rogers Neighborhood from 1968 to 2001 passed away in 2003; but his mission to educate kids through children's television programming continues with DANIEL TIGERS NEIGHBORHOOD airing on PBS.  The animated show revolves around 4 year old Daniel Tiger, who is someone my 4 year old twins can really relate to themselves.    Daniel Tiger carries over the legacy from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood as he is the son of a character from that original show, the puppet Daniel Striped Tiger.  The new show also features cartoon characters that are meant to be the children of the puppets from the "Neighborhood of Make-Believe" in the original Mister Rogers tv show.  The children of Katerina Kittycat, O the Owl, and Prince Wednesday are featured in DANIEL TIGER. The Trolley also plays a big part in the new cartoon. I have to admit I always found the original puppets from Mister Rogers somewhat creepy, but these new animated versions are fun and entertaining compared to their predecessors.  Another fun tidbit is the show brings back a popular original character from Mr. Rogers in an animated Mr. McFeely the postman ... did you know "McFeely" was Fred Rogers middle name? In one of the episodes of DANIEL TIGER, Mr. McFeely saves the day!

Haven't seen an episode of DANIEL TIGER yet?  Check out this clip featuring Mrs. Rogers talking about how the new tv series continues her husband's legacy:

And here's a sample clip of the show where Mr. McFeely saves the day:

If you want to check out a full episode of the show online they periodically make some of the episodes FREE on iTunes or you can check out the PBS website.  DANIEL TIGER'S NEIGHBORHOOD is a fantastic program I highly recommend that promotes educational issues in an entertaining way for kids. This week all brand new episodes with the theme of PLAY DATE are airing on PBS.  Check them out!

For more information on the show, visit http://pbskids.org/daniel/

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These Don't Turn Brown When You Slice Them

Have you ever heard of an “Apple Pear” before?  I hadn’t but I really enjoy apples and pears so when I saw apple pears on display at the grocery store today I decided to pick up a few.  Hey it’s always fun to try new things … so when I saw something I’d never seen before figured why not give it a try. 

After we got home from the store, my wife and I put away the groceries and put together lunch for the family.  I cut up some slices of the apples pears for my kids and bit a chunk out of another one for myself.  My first impression – TASTY!  The fruit has the texture of an apple but the flavor of a pear. 

Then I looked at my kids’ plates and noticed something; while it looked like they had apples on their plate the slices hadn’t turned brown.  Don’t you hate it how apple slices tend to quickly turn a disgusting brownish color after you’ve sliced them up.  Didn’t happen with these apple pear slices.  After my kids finished up their chicken nuggets they quickly gobbled up their fruit and my daughter remarked to me “hey dad these apples didn’t turn brown!!!” Success!!!

I was wondering if these apple pears were a new genetically modified fruit since I had never heard of them before so I googled them and found the website for the farm that had produced the ones we’d purchased: KINGSBURG ORCHARDS.  Turns out that these fruit are a unique type of pear that originated in Asia and have been grown in California since the Gold Rush days when Chinese immigrants brought them from overseas and planted them in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains.  It appears though that the fruit is just starting to be commercially distributed to consumers in areas of the country outside the West Coast. It was nice to see on the package of the ones we bought that they were grown in the USA!

The Kingsburg Orchards website describes the Apple Pear as having the “appearance of an apple” with a “refreshing pear flavor.”  Their website also mentioned the browning issue that I had noticed at lunch time:

The Apple Pear has a wide range of uses.  They are a fantastic back to school item because they don’t turn brown like your typical apple.  They are quite possibly the perfect fruit for your perfect little one.  Its sweet flavor and crunchy texture make it a perfect healthy addition to any lunchbox.  Apple Pears also make an elegant solution at a dinner party or watch them disappear during a football game.  Either way, Apple Pears are sure to excite your guests’ taste buds.

Wow, you just never what new things you’ll discover on any given day!  This really was a nice discovery to enjoy on a nice spring day.  If you haven’t tried out an Apple Pear before keep an eye out for them in your produce section and give them a shot.  I’ll absolutely be picking up some more again for our family to enjoy!

If you have a moment check out this interesting video, I found on the Kingsburg Orchards website that show the process of the fruit going from the farm to the supermarket:

DISCLAIMER:  I have NO association with Kingsburg Orchards and had never heard of them or apple pears until I recently discovered this fruit at the grocery store.  The opinions in this post are my own and based entirely on my appreciation of the product.

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Win a $15 iTunes Gift Card: FOOD ALLERGY AWARENESS WEEK Contest

UPDATE (5/19/13): Congratulations to Z. Noras who won the FOOD ALLERGY AWARENESS WEEK Contest & has been emailed a $15 iTunes gift card code.

As readers of this Geeky Dad's blog know, I'm the father of a little girl with a severe peanut allergy.  In addition to writing about adventurous road trips, comic books, things I do with my kids, toys and parenting tips, I also try to use this blog as an educational outlet on the topic of food allergies (specifically peanut allergies).  Here are a few of my past posts about our families struggles with our daughter's food allergy:

TheScariest Moment of My Life: The Day my Daughter went into Anaphylactic Shock;

Book Review: THE GIRL WHO CANNOT EAT PEANUT BUTTER;

YES, I am THAT Dad!

BEST PEANUT ALLERGY FRIENDLY TEAMS IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

In recognition of Food Allergy Awareness Week (May 12 – 18), I’m hosting an iTunes giveaway contest to promote understanding of the 8 most prevalent types of food allergies and consideration for those who suffer from the problem.  Answer in the comment section a few questions involving this post and the ones listed above and you could find a $15 iTunes gift card in your mailbox.  Simple as that!

You can earn up to 6 entries in the giveaway contest from Sunday, May 12^ththrough 11:59pm EST on Friday, May 17, 2013. Here’s what you need to do for a chance to WIN (each task is one entry and please submit each task as a separate comment so you get credit for each one):

[MANDATORY ENTRY] – Register to follow my blog & leave a comment below telling me what one of the 8 most common food allergies are (hint – look for the picture in this post ). Click on JOIN THIS SITE button located between the banner ads in the column to the right of this post if the link in this paragraph doesn't work (in the grey background area next to the 8 Common Allergies Picture)

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES – You can get earn up to 5 more additional entries for completing EACH of the following (Multiple people may answer each Q 4-6 with the same Answer):

[ENTRY 2] – Follow my twitter account @geeky_dad and tell me your twitter handle in the comment section.

[ENTRY 3] – Tweet this message on twitter & post the url from your twitter feed in the comment section:

I entered the @geeky_dad FOOD ALLERGY AWARENESS WEEK Contest at www.ageekdaddy.blogspot.comto win a $15 iTunes Gift Card

[ENTRY 4] – Tell me in the comments section who I ranked as the best Major League Baseball Club when it comes to being Peanut Allergy Friendly

[ENTRY 5] – Tell me the name of the author of THE GIRL WHO CANNOT EAT PEANUT BUTTER in the comment section of this post.

[ENTRY 6] – Tell me in the comment section the name of the 19 year old college freshman who died from a peanut allergy on March 8, 2013.

CLICK HERE to comment

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! For more information about food allergies please visit the FARE website www.foodallergy.org

Remember, you need to submit a new comment for EACH entry so each of your entries is assigned its own number and included in the random number generator selection. Also here are a few RULES for the contest:

Participants must be USA residents living in one of the 48 lower continental states.  You must register to follow & become a member of the blog to participate. It is FREE to join this blog. By participating in this contest, you agree to waive any and all claims for any injury, liabilities or damages relating in any manner to your participation in this promotion and agree to hold the contest promoter harmless for any damages that could or may occur resulting from this contest. Winner agrees to allow contest promoter to post their name and/or twitter handle on this blog & twitter identifying them as the winner of this contest. Prize will be sent via First Class U.S. Postal Service delivery upon winner selection, but the contest does not guarantee delivery after the prize has been mailed if a mishap with USPS occurs. Each comment submitted in this contest will be assigned a number and a number will be randomly generated from the total number of all valid submissions to pick a winner. A winner will be selected on May 18, 2013 or a date shortly following and will be contacted by email or twitter notify them and confirm their mailing address. Contest prize: one $15 iTunes gift card.

Disclaimer:  Neither  Apple Inc. nor iTunes is a sponsor of this contest or has any association in any manner with this promotion.  iTunes is a registered trademark of the Apple Inc. The prize has been purchased by the host of this blog for use in this contest.

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BEST PEANUT ALLERGY FRIENDLY TEAMS IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

I had never heard the term “anaphylactic shock” until the day my daughter suffered from it and I find myself in a hospital emergency room not knowing if she might live or die.  Since that day, anaphylactic shock is something that is on my mind everyday as the parent of a young daughter who has to watch everything she eats and comes in contact with to avoid the peanut and tree nut proteins that trigger a deadly allergic reaction.  Now because of the risk of contact and contamination things that we used to do regularly aren’t as easy to do anymore like eating at a restaurant, going  out to get ice cream, and going to a baseball game.

This Mothers Day we’ll be spending the afternoon at Comerica Park watching the Detroit Tigers play the Cleveland Indians.  We’re big Tigers baseball fans, but the reason we are going to the game on Mother’s Day is that it is one of ONLY 2 games the Detroit Tigers offer a peanut friendly environment for our little girl.  We’ll be sitting in a suite designated for people with peanut and tree nut allergies that have been scrubbed down and cleaned for allergens and where peanuts and other risky food items are banned during the game.  It’s a great opportunity to enjoy a day at a ballpark with my whole family and not feel insure about my daughter’s safety.  

I appreciate that the Detroit Tigers make an effort to reach out to families dealing with food allergies and give them the chance to enjoy a day at the ballpark to cheer on their favorite team and see the players perform live on the field; especially when many Major League clubs provide absolutely no options for people with food allergy issues to attend a game.  On the other hand, the Tigers option is still very disappointing for a family of diehard fans (before our twins were born my wife & I went to several games a month and were considering season tickets) because of the limited options on games to attend and it is VERY EXPENSIVE (it costs more than $250 dollars just for four tickets to the peanut allergy friendly suite which does NOT include cost of food, parking, and souvenirs at the game). This will be our third time enjoying the suite at a Tigers game which is a fun and enjoyable time for our family, but it sure is an expensive day out on the town for us.

Mothers Day is also the first day of Food Allergy Awareness Week, so in recognition of that and our upcoming road trip to a Detroit Tigers game I’ve decided now would be a good time to provide a list of the best peanut allergy friendly teams in Major League Baseball.

#1  BOSTON RED SOX

The Red Sox have a designated area in the stands available as peanut allergy friendly zone for 5 dates this season.  The designated section on the Right Field Roof Terrace has 70 seats available to fans.  The seating area is inspected and cleaned prior to the game and the sale of any nut products are banned on and near the Right Field Terrace during the game.  Signs are posted surrounding the access points to the area alerting people it is a “Peanut Allergy Friendly” zone. There is also extra security, EMS, and team ambassadors assigned to the area during the game to assist with trouble shooting and to provide assistance in case a medical emergency arises.

Tickets to the peanut allergy friendly zone at Fenway Park are $50 each.  In addition to your seats for the game and the peanut allergy  friendly steps taken by the team, the admission price also includes a goody bag, a half inning visit by team mascot Wally the Green Monster, and a scoreboard message during the game: “The Boston Red Sox Welcome  Our Peanut Allergy Families to Fenway Park.”

The Peanut Friendly Games for 2013 are:

June 8 vs Los Angeles Angels

July 20 vs the New York Yankees

August 3 vs Arizona Diamondbacks

August 31 vs The Chicago White Sox

& the Futures at Fenway game on July 27

Additionally, for one game at each home stand for the Red Sox, Booth F on the Media Level will be available for people with peanut allergies.  The booth can hold up to six people and tickets are $55 each.  The booth is cleaned prior to the game to avoid contamination issues and is free of nut products during the game.

This is the 9^th year the Boston Red Sox have provided peanut allergy friendly options to its fans and many of the things they are doing are based on the results of surveys they receive from attendees each year.  It is great they are asking the food allergy community for guidance and taking actions based upon the feedback they are given.

#2 MINESSOTA TWINS

Unfortunately, it can be very hard to find information about peanut allergy friendly arrangements at Major League stadiums, even for the teams that provide services addressing food allergies.  The Twinshave the best online presence promoting their Peanut Allergy Friendly games making it very easy to find due to its partnership with the Anaphylaxis &Food Allergy Association.  The team will be offering 10 special dates at Target Field for fans who suffer from peanut allergies. The Twins private balconies located above left field will be a “peanut free zone”. Tickets range from $18 – 24 dollars. 

2013 games are:

April 28 vs Rangers

May 12 vs the Orioles

May 14 vs White Sox

June 2 vs Mariners

June 11 vs Phillies

July 30 vs Royals

August 4 vs Astros

August 27 vs Royals

September 8 vs Blue Jays

September 15 vs Rays

#3 SEATTLE MARINERS

The Mariners get the nod for providing the best price for a peanut friendly allergy event.  For $11 dollars you can buy seats in designated sections of Safeco Field for 4 games this season that individuals and families who live with severe peanut allergies can attend with a reduced risk of exposure to allergens.  No peanuts are allowed in the reserved sections and about 200 seats are available for each game. Seattle also gets a nod for making this information easy to find on their website!

The 2013 peanut allergy friendly games at Safeco Field are:

April 28 vs Los Angeles Angels

June 25 vs Pittsburg Pirates

July 26 vs Minnesota Twins

August 27 vs Texas Rangers

#4 CHICAGO WHITE SOX

The Chicago White Sox are holding NUT ALLERGY AWARENESS GAMES where they have a special designated area in the club level for anybody with a nut allergy to enjoy the ball game along with their family and friends.  No nuts or anything containing nuts will be allowed in the special seating area.  There will also be a special food table in the area featuring foods that do not contain nut products.  There will also be food options for people with milk and egg allergies.  Tickets are specially priced for attendees and each family that purchases tickets will be eligible to win 1 of 2 autographed White Sox items during the game.

#5 TORONTO BLUE JAYS

The Blue Jays are the only team from my recent listing of Best Kids Clubs in MajorLeague Baseball to make this ranking.  The Blue Jays provide a peanut free zone similar to the other teams noted in this list, but they doubled the number of games they are hosting it this year from what they did last year.  They were marked down a notch though because all of the games are during the week – come on Blue Jays working parents need some weekend games.  Their ongoing effort and commitment to providing an affordable peanut friendly environment is appreciated and that is why they are at #5 on the list.

The Blue Jays games this year are:

April 30 vs Boston

May 14 vs San Fransico

June 17 vs  Colorado

July 19 vs Tampa Bay

August 27 vs Yankees

Sept 10 vs Angels

HONORABLE MENTION:

Atlanta Braves are having a Food Allergy Friendly Game on June 2 which should be a matchup of two of the best teams in Major League Baseball as they face off against the Washington Nationals.  The Braves have partnered with Mylan Specialty to provide two sections where exposure to peanut fragments will be limited.  Tickets are $35 and include a seat in peanut-free Club Pavilion as well as $10 food and beverage credit.  Special parking arrangements can be made for $10  that provide straight access to the peanut-free section of the ball park.

Pittsburg Pirates are also partnering with Mylan Specialty to host a peanut friendly event.  Allergy Awareness Night at PNCPark on Friday, May 31 will provide a peanut free zone in the reserved deck for fans.  Tickets are $20 and addition to your seat include a $10 credit to use for food or souvenirs.  The Pirates will also be providing tips throughout the game to help ALL fans be more aware of life-threatening allergic reactions.

Detroit Tigers, as I mentioned before the Tigers host a peanut allergy friendly suite a few times a year that allows my family to attend games.  Some other teams that provide suites on specific dates for peanut/tree nut allergy fans are the Baltimore Orioles, NewYork Mets, New York Yankees, and Washington Nationals.  Suite tickets depending on the team and date can range from $20 to $100 per person.

For more information on baseball games that provide peanut allergy friendly options check out these two great resource websites:

http://foodallergyfoundation.org/events/food_allergy_baseball_2013

&

http://www.peanutfreebaseball.com/

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WE CAN BE HEROES – COMICS HELPING CHARITY

A few weeks ago DC COMICS launched a campaign to raise money for charitable relief to address the hunger problems in Africa.  Their campaign, WE CAN BE HEROES, is raising money for several reputable charities including  Save the Children, International Rescue Committee, and Mercy Corps be offering special Batman themed items and promotions to people who make donations.  WE CAN BE HEROES has been very successful exceeding its initial goal of raising $50,000 in donations to have already received more than $139,000 in contributions.  Every dollar counts and can make an impact in the services these charities can provide to those in need so check out their website www.indiegogo.com/projects/dc-entertainment-we-can-be-heroes because there are just a few days left to participate.

The campaign is wrapping up at the end of this week– donations need to be made by 11:59pm EST on Friday, May 10, 2013 – so if you’d like to find out more information or make a donation hurry over to the WE CAN BE HEROES website.  Here are few of their donation perks:

 $10 dollar donation will get you a $9 tax deduction and 5 digital copies of BATMAN comics (Batman #20, Detective Comics #20, The Dark Knight #20, Batman & Red Hood #20 & Batman/Superman #1);

$25 dollar donation will get you a print copy of Batman/Superman #1 with an exclusive WE CAN BE HEROES variant cover by the legendary artist Jim Lee along with a $14 tax deduction.

$30 dollar donation gets you a $10 tax deduction and a year’s digital subscription to your choice of either Batman/Superman, Batman, or Detective Comics.

$40 dollar donation will get you an exclusive WE CAN BE HEROES Batman/Superman t-shirt designed by Jim Lee and only available through this campaign and a $14 tax deduction.

What can the money from this fundraiser do to help people in the Horn of Africa?  If the campaign reaches these goals it can:

There are only a few days left so make sure you check out WE CAN BE HEROES before the end of the day on Friday, May 10^th. 

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Their first "Big Kid" bikes!

Our 4 year old twins had outgrown their tricycles and it was finally time to move them up to bicycles.  My wife secretly went out to buy the bikes and I put them together in the basement.  When we had a nice sunny and warm weekend recently, I slipped the bikes out the side door and placed them on the sidewalk in front of our house without our children suspecting anything.  Then my wife asked the twins to go outside to check the mail with her and they ran unsuspectingly out the front door to see their first big kid bikes!

Now the kids were going to be riding real bicycles, I thought it was a good time to check out some safety tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about bike riding.  When I was a child no one wore helmets when they went for a bike ride, now it is a must do.  So I wanted to make sure I was up to speed on the dos and don'ts of bicycle etiquette and safety.

The NHTSA website recommends that if children are less than 10 years old they are better off riding on the sidewalk rather than having them go in the street.  If you are going to have your child ride on the sidewalk though you need to check with your local ordinances to see if sidewalk riding is allowed.  If your local jurisdiction has strict enforcement of ordinances and bans bicycles on sidewalks even if it is "just a kid" riding the bike you could get a ticket and have to pay a fine.  So make sure you check that out to avoid an unwanted surprise from a zealous police officer.

When riding on the sidewalk, people should also:

• Watch for vehicles coming out of or turning into driveways;
• Cross a street at corners or marked pedestrian crossings and NOT between parked cars;
• Stop at corners of sidewalks and streets to look for cars and to make sure the drivers see you before crossing;
• Alert pedestrians who are also using the sidewalk that you are near them by saying "excuse me" or "passing on your left."  Installing a bell or horn on a bike and using it to warn people that you are approaching is another option.

The NUMBER 1 tip for bicycle safety from the NHTSA is Wear a Properly Fitted Bicycle Helmet.  Did you know that more children ages 5 - 14 go to hospital emergency rooms for injuries associated with bicycles than with any other sport? A majority of these injuries involve the head! Wearing a properly fitted bicycle helmet reduces the risk of head injury by as much as 85% and the risk of brain injury by as much as 88%.  There isn't a federal law requiring bike riders to wear a helmet, but some States and cities have passed mandatory helmet requirements. By our house here in Michigan one of the local Metro Parks requires ANYONE riding a bike on the park grounds to wear a helmet and one of the cities by us, Farmington Hills requires anyone under 16 riding a bicycle to wear a helmet.  Other than those two examples Michigan is pretty lax when it comes to laws requiring bike helmets and leaves it to parent discretion.  On the other hand, California has a statewide law requiring helmets on anyone riding a bicycle under the age of 18.  CLICK HERE for a list of state and city bike helmet laws to see what is applicable near where you are living or may be planning to visit courtesy of the Bike Helmet Safety Institute.

How do you know if a helmet is fitted properly?  Here are some steps to follow in wearing one:

STEP 1 - SIZE

Measure your child's head for approximate size.  Try on the helmet to ensure it fits snuggly.  While it is sitting flat on top of the head, make sure the helmet doesn't rock side to side.

STEP 2 - POSITION

The helmet should sit level on the head and low on the forehead - one or two finger-widths above the eyebrow.

STEP 3 - BUCKLES

Center the left buckle under the chin. On most helmets the straps can be pulled from the back of the helmet to lengthen or shorten the chin straps.

STEP 4 - SIDE STRAPS

Adjust the slider on both straps to form a "V" shape under, and slightly in front of the ears.  Lock the slider if possible.

STEP 5 - CHIN STRAP

Buckle your chin strap. Tighten the strap until it is snug so that no more than one or two fingers fit under the strap.

STEP 6 - FINAL FITTING

• Does your helmet fit right? Open your mouth wide...big yawn! The helmet should pull down on the head.  If not, refer back to step 5 and tighten the chin strap.
• Does your helmet rock back more than two fingers above the eyebrows? If so unbuckle, shorten the front strap by moving the slider forward. Buckle, retighten the chin strap, and test again.
• Does your helmet rock forward into your eyes? If so unbuckle, tighten the back strap by moving the slider back toward the ear.  Buckle, retighten the chin strap, and test again.
• The helmet should fit now! Have fun & be safe!

For more information on bike helmets, visit the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute www.bhsi.org

The NHTSA also recommends that you Adjust Your Bicycle to Fit.  Stand over the bike.  There should be 1 to 2 inches between the rider and the top tube/bar  for a road bike and 3 to 4 inches for a mountain bike.  The seat should be level front to back.  The seat height should be adjusted to allow a slight bend at the knee when the leg is fully extended. The handlebar height should be at the same level with the seat.

Also before every bike ride check your equipment before riding to make sure that the brakes work and tires are properly inflated.

One final tip would probably be to post pictures on your kids and their bikes on Facebook for your family and friends to enjoy and so that in a case like mine your brother-in-law can point out that you put the front wheel on backwards for your son's bike...OOOPS...we got that fixed pretty quickly.  Hey the things that social media can help you out with ... gotta love it!

We'll be having a summer filled with bike riding this year!  Hope you and your family have lots of fun adventures in store for you this summer as well!

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PBS airing brand new episodes of ARTHUR: May 6 - 10

Have you ever found yourself humming a tune to yourself at work or when you are out and about on an errand that you might be embarrassed if someone realized what it was?  I’ll admit it happens to me; in fact I seem to find myself singing the theme song to one of the cartoons my kids watch on television all the time.  You have to admit though that the Ziggy Marley reggae beat which serves as the theme song to ARTHUR is a great tune! Haven’t heard it? Take a listen:

ARTHUR is the second longest running cartoon in the United States behind The Simpsons and has been broadcast on PBS since 1996.  The show follows the youthful misadventures of an 8 year old aardvark named Arthur Read and his friends in their hometown of Elmwood City.  It’s a show that I can sit down as a parent to watch with my children and find it enjoyable and entertaining myself.  The stories for the episodes are really well written and they often include inside jokes that will make parents chuckle without the kids realizing something humorous is going on.  More importantly, the shows contain important educational messages and themes with teachable moments children can learn from while they are being entertained by the show. I am a big proponent of finding ways to incorporate FUN into learning as an educational tool.  I believe parents should be careful in limiting the amount of television that children watch, but also some tv programs like ARTHUR can be a beneficial experience for kids too and are a fun way to help your child with learning some life lessons.

In its 16 seasons on PBS, ARTHUR has approached some weighty subjects in an age appropriate manner for young children:  adoption, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, the death of a pet, dyslexia, and food allergies.  As the parent of a daughter with a severe food allergy, I really appreciated the episode “Binky Goes Nuts” which dealt with the topic of peanut allergies (watch it here or click on the video at the bottom of the post).  For more information on the educational elements of the show, CLICK HERE, for a great post on the PBS website written for teachers on how to utilize ARTHUR for their lesson plans.

Each half hour episode of ARTHUR is divided into two 15 minute stories.  New episodes of ARTHUR have been on hiatus since December 2012, but Season 16 continues from May 6 – 10, 2013 with 5 brand new episodes (10 stories).  This week ARTHUR will be addressing a new issue for its young audience, the topic of BULLYING.  As a kid, I was personally bullied to the extent that it still has negative consequences on my own self esteem and confidence. Based upon the incidents I experienced in my youth, I’ve devoted a significant portion of my professional career as an adult addressing the topic of reducing bullying in our society. So I am excited to see ARTHUR tackling this topic in its newest episodes!

Airing on Monday, May 6 in the story “The Last Tough Costumer” the school gang known as the “Tough Customers” realize it is time to stop bullying and find a new hobby.  But can their leader Molly ever truly change her ways?  Than the week concludes on Friday's episode with the story “So Funny I Forgot to Laugh” where Arthur thinks his jokes about Sue Ellen are in good fun but her feelings are hurt.  Has Arthur become a bully?!

Check out this clip from “So Funny I Forgot to Laugh” dealing with bullying:

According to PBS, other new episodes airing this week include:

“Brain’s Chess Mess”
Brain starts a chess club at school to improve his game and beat Los Dedos, the local chess master. Who knew the best player in the club would be…Rattles?!?

 “Baseball Blues”
It’s Grebelings season and George can’t wait to play! After all, no one knows more about baseball than George. But when he realizes knowledge of sinkers doesn’t guarantee success in the field, will he throw in the towel?

“Brain’s Biggest Blunder”
When Brain gets teamed with Buster and Binky in the annual Arithmattack competition, he immediately enrolls Buster in binomial boot camp. Can Brain transform Buster into a mathematic marvel? Or will he be forced to eat humble pi?

 “Buster’s Book Battle”
Lakewood Elementary has just instituted IRP; a program where kids can earn points (and prizes!) for reading. Buster’s thrilled and gets to work straight away! But will he earn enough points for a skateboard?

“On the Buster Scale”
Buster and Brain never agree on movies. Buster rates every film a 10+, while Brain doesn’t seem to like anything…Only one of them can be right…or so they think.

 “Fern and the Case of the Stolen Story”
The unthinkable has happened! Fern has writer’s block! Fortunately, Ladonna’s full of stories. Faced with a tight deadline, Fern decides to “borrow” the tales and simply change the names. Has Fern confused write and wrong?

“Sue Ellen Vegges Out”
When Sue Ellen decides to stop eating meat, Muffy and Francine compete to be the best vegetarian. Can they successfully resist meat? Or was this a missed steak?

 “Best Day Ever”
It’s a beautiful afternoon and everyone is reminiscing about their “best days.” Everyone, that is, except Arthur. Is it possible he doesn’t have one?

ARTHUR is a top notch show with great writing and stories that delve into important issues that is both entertaining and educational.  If you haven’t seen the show before I encourage you to check it out.

For more information on ARTHUR visit http://pbskids.org/arthur/

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FREE COMIC BOOK DAY: A GOOD DAY TO BE A KID & A KID AT HEART

My son & I had a nice father and son bonding morning on Saturday May 4 as we threw on our Spider Man t-shirts and took a trip to the local comic book store for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY.  Free Comic Book Day is a special event that takes place each year on the first Saturday in the month of May when comic book retailers give out issues to anyone who comes into their shops absolutely for FREE.  This year there were 52 Free Comic Book Day issues to choose from with titles ranging from Superman to Sesame Street that would appeal to everyone from preschool children like my son and daughter to a 40 year old geeky dad like me. 

A big part of the fun of the day was interacting with a wide range of people in line waiting for a chance to grab a bunch of free comic books.  If you enjoy people watching this was the place to be!  There was a very nice lady who stood in line next to us that told us the whole history of the X-Men characters while I tried not to stare out the HUGE butterfly tattoo inked across her cleavage that was very visible due to her very low cut blouse; a group of bikers clad in riding leather that looked like they could have been from the cast of the History Channel’s VIKINGS who of all things were discussing what they liked and didn’t like about that show; guys dressed up as storm troopers from the local 501^st Garrison who everyone wanted to get a picture with; a group of kids wearing their karate uniforms and practicing their moves on the sidewalk after just getting out of their class from the studio that was next door to the comic store; and we can’t forget the friendly little girl in the Wonder Woman costume who came up to my little boy to tell him she loved his Spidey shirt and struck up a conversation with him about which tv show was better on the Disney Channel: Doc McStuffins or Sophia the First. We were having a blast just hanging out in line talking about super heroes and villains with people who were die hard comic book fans as well as parents who had never read a comic but brought their kids up to enjoy the promotion.  My wife and daughter really missed out when they decided to go shopping rather than join us guys on our excursion.

The fun continued as we gawked at all the comics we had to choose from when we reached the front of the line.  The comic store we were at allowed each person to take 10 issues…which is pretty generous as I’ve heard some retailers limit people to selecting 2 or 3 comics…and we had to go through to pick and choose from all the ones available.  We grabbed Disney Fairies and StrawberryShortcake for my daughter.  My son chose Batman& the Teen Titans, Sonic the Hedgehog, The Smurfs, and Teenage Mutant NinjaTurtles.  I picked up for myself TheWalking Dead, Star Wars, Buck Rogers, Prince Valiant, and The Tick.  We also picked up Mouse Guard, the SteamEngines of OZ, and World of Archie Digest for the whole family to enjoy together.

After grabbing a treasure trove of comics we stopped to get some Superman ice cream on the way home.  Than we enjoyed a few hours of just sitting back relaxing and enjoying our haul of goodies.  Free Comic Book Day has two goals, first to reward loyal customers with a fun event that will encourage their continued business and second, to entice new readers to enjoy reading comic books and get them to buy the publishers’ products in the future.  They accomplished their goal when it came to our family!  My kids can’t read yet, but they’ve been going through the artwork in their books over and over again and have been asking me to read the stories to them.  I have a feeling they are going to be future customers!  I am a regular consumer of Star Wars and The Walking Dead comics so they built up some additional brand loyalty with this customer who is going to keep buying these publications by providing me a nice Darth Vader story to read and an exclusive Tyreese comicfor my collection this year.  Plus, I was very impressed with the preview of the new comic Steam Engines of OZ which had great artwork and a nicely written dramatic and suspenseful story, so Archana Comics most likely picked up a new customer through their FREE COMIC BOOK DAY issue.  Steam Engines of OZ is set 100 years after Dorothy’s visit in the Wizard of Oz where the Tin Man rules the Emerald City and the “Wicked” Witch of the North is trying to save the land from his dictatorship with the story portrayed in the steam punk genre.   My interest was peeked after reading the first issue of this new series.

If you haven’t enjoyed FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, I highly encourage you to check it out next year.  For more information, visit www.freecomicbookday.com

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Free Comic Book Day will have special THE WALKING DEAD exclusive comic issue

When it comes to comic books I don’t tend to buy monthly individual issues but rather purchase the graphic novel compilation of story arcs that I want to read.  For example with THE WALKING DEAD I’ve never bought one of the comic’s serial issues, but rather purchased the two compendiums  to enjoy reading all at once rather than wait to follow the story in monthly  installments.  That has worked out well so far because all of the stories thus far have been reprinted in graphic novels bundling together all the monthly issues of the comic. That won’t be the case this month though as IMAGE COMICS is releasing a special issue of THE WALKING DEAD comic book for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY that won’t be reprinted in the graphic novel collections of the series.

The FREE COMIC BOOK DAY issue will include an exclusive short story featuring the character Tyreese – WARNING SPOILER - who was recently introduced to the AMC tv show at about the same point in the comic book timeline that he was killed off.  I think it’s great how the tv show incorporates characters and elements from the comic books yet presents the show in a different perspective so that you can enjoy both mediums together without either necessarily spoiling the suspense  or drama of the other. Tyreese has been a fan favorite of the comic book crowd and from his portrayal on the tv show I believe will become a central character for that series too.  The FREE COMIC BOOK DAY issue should be both an interesting story to read and a nice collectible for THE WALKING DEAD fans.  Additionally, the comic will also feature previously published short stories about Michonne, Morgan and the Governor.  I’ll definitely be picking up a copy of this exclusive issue at the local comic book store on May 4 for myself.

THE WALKING DEAD creator Robert Kirkman provided a nice interview on the FREE COMIC BOOK DAY website about this special issue saying he wanted to “provide fans something cool for free.” CLICK HERE to read the full Robert Kirkman interviewabout FREE COMIC BOOK DAY.

While FREE COMIC BOOK DAY will have a lot of nice issues to pick up for children, if you haven’t read THE WALKING DEAD or watched the tv show please note this comic is absolutely not for perusing by kids.  Robert Kirkman actually notes in his FREE COMIC BOOK DAY interview that its “a great time for parents to bring their kids out to a comic store as a lot of the books (NOT The Walking Dead) are geared towards younger readers.” CLICK HERE to read my previous blog  post on some of these comic books that will be available geared towards a younger audience.

Not sure where to go to pick up a FREE comic book for FREE COMIC BOOK DAY – just go to the website www.freecomicbookday.com and enter your zip code.  Their easy search feature will provide you with the information on the closest comic book shop(s) participating in the event.

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Free Comic Book Day has lots of offering this year for the youngsters in your house

The first Saturday in May is one of the favorite days of the year in our house … it’s FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!!!  While you may think this event is aimed to cater only to teens and adults, it actually has a very large array of giveaways aimed at preschool to elementary school aged children.  I took my children last year to a local comic book store for the event when they were only 3 years old and we picked up a lot of great age appropriate stuff that they could flip through on their own to enjoy the artwork or I could enjoy spending some time reading to them.  Some of the titles we picked up last year were The Smurfs, Yo Gabba Gabba , Disney’s TinkerBell, and Sonic the Hedgehog.  

The kids are 4 years old this year learning the alphabet and their letters but still can’t read.  Nothing less we’ll be going to Warp 9 Comics on Saturday, May 4, 2013 to pick up some more titles that we can enjoy together as a family and can be fun tools to encourage an appreciation of artwork and reading with our children.   Hey and you can’t beat the price … FREE!!!!  

Here’s a list of a few of the comic books that will be available this year that are focused to a preschool to elementary school age audience:

SESAME STREET & STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE 

On side one, Elmo, Cookie Monster, The Count and Super Grover teach you about the magic of reading comics! It's GUARANTEED to chase the clouds away!

On side two, join Strawberry Shortcake and friends on 3 berry sweet adventures!

Includes "The Blue Flu", "The Hunt for Blackberry's Treasure", and "Blueberry's Book Tour".

It's a bushel of fun! 

CLICK HERE for a preview

THE SMURFS 

THE SMURFS return to Free Comic Book Day with two stories never-before-seen in the US! Gargamel has tormented the Smurfs time and time again, always vowing his revenge on the small creatures. But what happens when he is forced to tangle with someone bigger than him- a nasty Ogre? Will the Smurfs let the Ogre destroy Gargamel, or will they decide to help their oldest foe?  Find out in "The Ogre and the Smurfs"! 

CLICK HERE for a preview

DISNEY FAIRIES: TINKER BELL

Papercutz presents DISNEY FAIRIES featuring Tinker Bell, along with comics from the new hit series, STARDOLL! There's only one fairy in Pixie Hollow who can't fly- Water-Talent Fairy, Rani. Why doesn't Rani have wings? Was she always this way? Find out in "Tinker Bell and the Wings of Rani".

CLICK HERE for a preview

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

"Worlds Collide: PRELUDE" - It's TWO free comic books in ONE! Just in time for the start of the epic Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man crossover event, "Worlds Collide," comes a primer issue exclusively for Free Comic Book Day! Witness the journey these two epic heroes from both Sega and Capcom took to finally meet each other - Mega Man's journey chronicled on one side, and Sonic the Hedgehog's on the other! This is the must-have primer for the biggest comic book event of 2013 - as video game icons Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man meet for the very first time anywhere - featuring art from both Sonic and Mega Man comic book fame! 

CLICK HERE for a preview

NFL RUSH ZONE

 A referee's flag is corrupted by the power.  The Guardians must arrive at the Bengals-Titans game and get that flag before the referee throws it, bringing it to life.  And the villainous Coach Carnage is on the recruit for his interstellar team "The Visitors," and it's up to the Guardians, with the help of previous draft picks, to stop him from ruining the draft and taking this year's recruiting class.

CLICK HERE for a preview

PIPPI LONG STOCKINGS

Drawn & Quarterly offers a second FCBD title for the first time this year and it will feature one of the world's most beloved and popular characters, Pippi Longstocking! The Pippi Longstocking Color Special will offer a sneak peak at the brand new Pippi Longstocking title that D+Q will publish in May 2013 to coincide with FCBD. Pippi Longstocking was created by Astrid Lindgren and has developed a dedicated fan base of both children and adults for over six decades. The comics presented here were originally published in Swedish in the 1950s and are now being presented for the first time ever in English. This will be the perfect All Ages comic book, ideal for developing a new readership of kids in the 6 to 10 age set. 

CLICK HERE for a preview

 KABOOM! COMICS

An explosion of All-Ages awesomeness from KaBOOM! this Free Comic Book Day! Sure to be one of the most popular offerings this Free Comic Book Day, the KaBOOM! Summer Blast is 48 pages chock-full of the most popular all-ages comics on the stands today! Featuring excerpts from Adventure Time, Peanuts, Regular Show, Bravest Warriors, Garfield, Ice Age and some brand-new surprises

CLICK HERE for a preview

Don't know where to go to find a comic shop participating in FREE COMIC BOOK DAY? No problem, just go to this link, enter your zip code, and viola you will be provided with the information you need:  http://www.freecomicbookday.com/StoreLocator

On a finale note WOLVERINE ( aka Hugh Jackman ) wants you to go ... watch this video message and make sure you take advantage of this great event:

MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU

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