Durable Human (2 book series)

Kid-Friendly Video All About Walking

from "Pedestrian Safer Journey"A clever new video is speaking kids’ language about how to walk safely to school, in the neighborhood or on city streets. The stars are cartoon characters just snarky enough for real kids to relate to.

Safe Routes to School posted the 5-minute animation just in time for International Walk to School Day, this year on October 8.

Way back when you might have walked or bike to school.  But do you know today’s rules of the road?

Walk with or against car traffic?

How old is old enough for a kid to walk to school alone?

Those answers and more are here in English or Spanish:

Walking and biking is a fun and easy way for kids to be outdoors, get exercise and learn durable skills they can’t in the classroom, like how to navigate without a GPS.

Even if your school doesn’t have Walk to School Day,  you can always help them out and plan it yourself.

Want inspiration for parenting active, creative kids? Read The Durable Human  Manifesto (it only takes 10 minutes, plus it’s mostly pictures!) 

Learn more about the author on Google+.

Helping Young Guys Dissuade Party Predators

art by Maria Fabrizio

Maria Fabrizio for NPR

I’m trying out a new way to quickly post to my site. I usually take plenty of time to prepare a piece in order to provide value and good journalism. But sometimes when I see good journalism elsewhere, I want to pass it along right away.

This piece, produced by Laura Starecheski on NPR, delves into date rape and why it happens. She discovered a great prevention program that’s been in use in high schools for more than a decade. The program provides strategies to help the party predator help himself and for bystanders to tactfully defend potential date rape targets.

The story echoes the same message that Deb Werrlein gave in her stunning appearance at Listen To Your Mother DC.

Listen to Laura’s report here.

Jenifer Joy Madden  is the author of The Durable Human Manifesto. She is now preparing the full-length sequel, Cover Your Assets: How to be a Durable Human in a Digital World.  Learn more about the author on Google+.

 

Kids Need Parents to Pay Attention

Kids are getting fed up with all the time their parents spend on technology. Yes – those same kids who are themselves involved in upwards of 8 hours of media per day.

The news comes from top behavioral experts at the annual conference of the Family Online Safety Institute.  I was there in search of advice for reining in screen time now that the American Academy of Pediatrics says that children and teenagers should spend no more than two hours a day on digital media.

But it didn’t take long to realize those darned kids aren’t necessarily the trouble. To borrow a phrase from Pogo, we have met the enemy and he is us. Continue reading

Pediatricians to Parents: Kids Need a Media Diet

8 year old girl on cellphone

America’s pediatricians have an order for parents: get a handle on how your children are using media.

Kids are certainly getting their fill of texting, online games, social media and YouTube videos. The average 8-year-old now spends almost 8 hours a day on screens of various sizes.  Make that 11 hours for teenagers.

But a new statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics warns too much screen time can “contribute substantially to many risks and health problems” ranging from disrupted sleep to substance abuse to weight increase. Continue reading

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