My summer baby started Kindergarten when the cutoff was December 31. I recall that I didn’t give a huge amount of thought to whether I should  send her or not. If I was sending her to Kindergarten now, I would explore the concept of “redshirting.”

School award ceremonies are even more fun with music.

I thought about redshirting. Back in 2003, the whole redshirting thing wasn’t on my radar. Plus, most of the preschools in my community (it’s semirural) do not have a PreK program. Most preschools near me only have programs for 4s. These programs are not as rigorous as traditional PreK programs and tend to meet only 3 mornings or afternoons a week. The benefit of redshirting your child is that your child is one of the older and more mature Kindergarteners after the extra year of preschool.

The options for schools with PreKs were over a 30-minute drive from my home. I had an infant at the time and it was awfully tempting to have my K and 2nd grader hop on the same bus to school. My kid was in morning K so I felt that she had time to decompress in the afternoons as well as do at-home learning, library storytimes, play dates, and nature center outings. She loved Kindergarten. She found the joy of reading. Became adept at counting, sorting, and patterns. Loved riding the school bus.

Did you redshirt your child? Why? Why not?

Before I forget I have winners!

• Congrats to Sara, Heidi, Stephanie, Debi and Michelle on winning the Super Diaper Diary prize pack from Scholastic. Happy reading!

More winners to be announced soon for the following giveaways. Don’t forget to enter:

• Keep your PC safe with antivirus software from Chicalogic – ends 10/14/2011.
• Real Steel prize pack — ends 10/17/2011.
• Kneebouncers Who Says Moo? storybook app — ends 10/28/2011.
• McDonalds New Happy Meal coupons – ends 10/31/2011

And I have one more giveaway for my local readers. If you live near to Rockville or in Montgomery County, I have a giveaway for a gift card to the Bean Bag Deli in Rockville, MD.

I must admit that I avoid talking about bodily fluids. My days of diaper changing are over. In the day…the days of diapers and diaper changing…I was all about poop and how much and how messy and oh my what did this baby eat to make such a messy diaper. But, now those days are behind me. Thankfully.

My kids on the other hand are all about using “toilet language.” They know not to do it at the dinner table, but at any other time watch out!

Speaking of toilet words… My son and I have been reading the latest from Dav Pilkey. You will know him if you have kids who have read the Captain Underpants series of books. Captain U books are the type of books that a kid can read by himself. The books are recommended for 7+. By the age of 7, many kids are tired of the Stage 1, 2, 3 readers. Books read in school are mostly longer readers or chapter books. Kids at this age want to use their new-found reading skills, but might not be ready for the rigor of reading a chapter book. Graphic novels allow kids to read a little, look at pictures, but most importantly read on their own.

The Captain Underpants series are a departure from most books read by this age group. The books star the “tight-whitey-wearing superhero who fights for Truth, Justice, and all that is Pre-Shrunk and Cottony.” New to the series is a pair of books written by George and Harold.

I’m not certain if George & Harold are real people, but since the books are listed as being written by the creators of Captain Underpants I think I can safely say that your kids will love this new series. You on the other hand may cringe a little at the humor, but let your kids read away. If you have a reluctant reader, a book like this may get them reading.

I recently was sent a pair of books to review: The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby and Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers. I read through both books in one sitting. I like to at least skim through books my kids read. The books are cute. The illustrations look like they were drawn by a kid. The spelling is erratic. The chapters are short, with snappy dialogue, and a few tricks to keep kids reading. Our favorite feature is the use of the Flip Book. At least 5 times per book kids can place their thumb on the handy thumbprint and flip the book to see the characters do whatever it is that they do.

In fact, we loved the Flip Book feature so much that I wonder if the authors would consider making an entire book in the series a Flip Book. I can just visualize Super Diaper Baby and Super Diaper Dog flying to the rescue! In fact the Flip Book might look a bit like this video…

Want to win a Super Diaper Baby Prize Pack? I have 4 prize packs to give away to 4 lucky readers! [1 prize pack was awarded earlier. Congrats, Sara! Contest deadline extended to give people more time to enter.] The Super Diaper Baby Prize pack contains:

• Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers
• The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby
• Super Diaper Baby Ruler

How to enter? You know the drill, but if you are new here… You must leave a mandatory comment to be eligible to win the prize. You must include your e-mail in the comment, so that I can contact you if you win. You wouldn’t want to miss a chance to win would you? Once you have left a mandatory comment, you can leave one or more of the optional comments. Leave one comment for each entry.

Mandatory entry

Go to the Scholastic Store. Come back and tell me about a book you found on the site. Don’t forget to leave your e-mail address, so I can contact you when you win.

Optional entries

You must leave the mandatory comment for all other comments to count. Leave a comment for each optional entry.

• Follow me on twitter.
• Follow me on Facebook.
• Follow my blog on Facebook.
• Subscribe to my blog via reader.
• Subscribe to my blog via e-mail.
• Tweet this giveaway: @MusingsfromMe is giving away Super Diaper Baby @Scholastic prize pack! Enter to win > http://bit.ly/pLpZqn #giveaway #free #reading RT?

I was given the two Super Diaper Baby books to facilitate my review. The giveaway is open to U.S residents only. Giveaway ends September 21, at 11:59 p.m. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

Runaway Bunny.

Guess How Much I Love You?

Berenstain Bears Go to the Dentist

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The books listed above are among my favorites. I have spent many hours reading books to my children. Do you love reading to your children? What is your favorite book to read to your child? Kids love books!

My oldest was about 18 months old. We were browsing in a bookstore. I was looking at books while she sat in the stroller. As I perused a book, I heard laughing coming from the vicinity of my stroller, I was astounded to see her laughing out loud at a book. She was giggling and chuckling. I had never seen a little child laughing about anything at that point…and never with such gusto. She has continued her love of books to this day.

Many families are well in to the school year. But perhaps your children are not quite ready for school. Whether your children are in school or daycare or at home, books are a key part of a child’s learning experience. I want to let yoou know about a fun partnership that is putting books first.

Reading Is Fundamental has teamed up with Buddig for the Be A Reader campaign. The Be A Reader campaign aims to get young readers “right back-to-school track.” Books are a key part of our household. From board books to chapter books to the children’s first dictionary, books can be found in every room of our home.

The Make a Sandwich and A Story Sweepstakes was launched earlier this month by Buddig and Reading Is Fundamental. To foster and nourish a love of reading, Buddig is giving away Scholastic children’s books and school supplies through the Make A Sandwich and A Story Sweepstakes.

The details of the The Make A Sandwich And A Story Sweepstakes:

• Sweepstakes ends on Oct. 30, 2011 at 11:59:59 (CST). So, you have plenty of time to enter!
• Enter the sweepstakes by looking for specially marked packages of Buddig lunchmeats, enter the code at Sandwich and a Story, and complete the entry form to enter the sweepstakes.
• Who can enter? The Buddig Make A Sandwich And A Story sweepstakes is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry.
• How often can you enter? 5 entries per person/email address per day.

Now for the information that everyone wants to know…what will you win!

• Five Grand Prize winners will receive a Scholastic book library plus a Buddig backpack filled with school supplies (ARV $200).
• 400 First Prize winners will receive a Buddig backpack (ARV $13.00).
• 118 winners each week beginning on August 22 will receive a free Scholastic book (ARV $10.00).
• The Total ARV of all prizes is $19,160.
• So, what are you waiting for…go enter!

More about Buddig and the Be A Reader campaign from Buddig:

“For more than 100 years Carl Buddig & Company has nourished families. Now Buddig is nourishing children’s minds as a proud supporter of Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and the national Be A Reader campaign. Buddig believes that reading and literacy go hand-in-hand with good nutrition to support a lifelong love of learning.

Whether you are reading to your children at the library or telling a bedtime story after a busy day, you are fostering your child’s lifelong love of books. During the yearlong Be A Reader campaign, parents and their children are encouraged to create their own reading and literacy experiences wherever they may be. As a proud supporter of RIF, Buddig will provide a minimum of $100,000 through May 30, 2012 to help children across the nation discover the joy of reading.”

Like Buddig on Facebook. Now Liking the Buddig Facebook page will not help you win the Make A Sandwich and A Story Sweepstakes, but you could win a Motoroloa Zoom!

Find out about the range of Buddig products on Buddig.com. Perfect for school lunches, picnics, and seizing time with your family.

I was compensated for this post. The views expressed in this post are my own. I blog follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

Games and blocks. What could be more fun, right?

We’re a second generation building block family. I remember building for hours and hours in my room, in the living room, and really anywhere in my childhood home. We moved many times. This toy was a constant due to its small size and the ease in which we could pack it away for our moves. My children have inherited my love for building blocks.

My youngest is a lover of board games. He could play games from morning to night when not playing with building blocks, of course. Recently, I was sent a game for review. The game combined building blocks and a favorite childhood game: Dominos. As you can imagine, Mega Bloks Domino Build Game was a hit with my youngest.

One of my hopes as a mom is that we will seize family time in whatever way we can. With children ranging from early elementary to high school, we have found a few games that all of us can play, but for the most part a game that is beloved by my youngest is proclaimed dull by my 15-year-old. It was cute watching my son teach his Grandad the rules of the game. He’s a stickler for rule following. His Grandad was considering amending the rules of the game, but thought better of it as my son gave him a look.

The Mega Bloks Domino Build Game is designed for the preschooler in your family. The game teaches basic skills necessary for boys and girls ages 3 to 6. At this age, kids love to show you what they know about colors and numbers. My son is no exception. In this game, little kids play dominoes by matching colors and animals. When a match is made, the child wins a block to assemble an animal. Win four blocks and you can make your animal. I observed that my son was having fun playing dominoes.

Connect with Mega Bloks:

• Join the Family Club at Mega Bloks and save.
• Like Mega Bloks on Facebook.
• Follow Mega Brands on Twitter.

I was sent Mega Bloks Domino Build game to facilitate my review by Team Mom. The views expressed in this post are my own. I blog following the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

A few weeks ago I was a celebrity of sorts. Here’s the scoop on my minute or two of fame. I loved it…every minute of it!

The folks at Box Tops for Education or BTFE invited me to an event. I thought it was a blogger event, until the day of the event when I realized that I was going to Box Tops University. This event is a time to celebrate all the unsung heroes of education. The nonpaid, passionate, doing-it-for-the-kids volunteers…these women and few men are the Box Tops Coordinators for their children’s schools. You know who they are. The people who ask you to save your Box Tops, buy products with the Box Tops logo on them, and most importantly, implore you to send in your Box Tops.

Do you know how the Box Tops you collect are used? Well first of all, after you send in your Box Tops, the Box Tops are sorted, counted, bundled in to sets of 50, and bagged by your school’s Box Tops Coordinators. Once bagged, the Box Tops Coordinator sends all the “bundled in to sets of 50 Box Tops with a collection sheet” to the Box Tops Redemption Center. Box Tops workers review the Box Tops to make sure that there are no stray Campbell’s Soup points, or other miscellaneous labels or coupons. Oh, and I learned an important fact — all BONUS Box Tops should be separated from the regular Box Tops — this helps the Box Tops workers to accurately reward each school for its submissions.

But, back to my moment of fame… during the presentation by the BTFE folks, my blog logo popped up in the Powerpoint presentation. The presented introduced me to the audience of BTFE School Coordinators. Very cool moment to be recognized for what I do!

Once all Box Tops have been counted, bagged, bundled, mailed in, and checked by Box Tops officials, the school is awarded 10 cents for each Box Tops. More for the Bonus Box Tops. The money earned can be used to buy…art supplies, sports equipment, band uniforms, and even pay for a trip. Collected Box Tops help schools make up for budget shortfalls.

Key facts about the Box Tops for Education Program:

• 3 to 4 trucks of Box Tops arrive at the BTFE Redemption Center each day during peak submission times.
• 100,000 schools enrolled.
• The top-earning school made a whopping $20,000 from collecting Box Tops.
• On average schools earned about $732.
• Schools can earn by collecting Box Tops from products, including Lucky Charms, Hefty products, Ziploc products, Totino’s pizza items, Huggies diapers, Chex Mix, Welch’s products, Cottonelle, and more. For a complete listing, click here.
• New products…Sunkist Fruit Snacks, Bugles, Sweet Moments, Green Giant salad, Juicy Juice Cars 2 products, Land o Lakes cheese, and a few more.
• Some grocery stores offer Box Tops codes at checkouts. Parents add all promo codes to school’s account on BTFE.
• Shopping online at the BTFE eBoxTops Marketplace at stores will also earn eBoxTops for schools. Shop online through the eBoxTops Marketplace at stores, like Target, UGG Australia, Omaha Steaks, Office Depot, and more.
• Staples offers rewards for teachers on Teacher Appreciation Days, as well as offering your school’s PTA 6% off when at least $1,000 is spent at Staples.
• Box Tops appear on specially marked Avery binders, dividers, and labels at Staples.
• Box Tops have an expiration date — expire 4 years from now. If you look on each Box Top, there is a tiny expiration date printed on it.

Want to win a massive Bag o’ Stuff from Box Tops for Education? I was given a bag at the event, but I have another bag for one lucky reader of this blog. The prize pack contains: numerous Ziploc products, an Avery binder, Chex Mix, cereal, a cold drink cup, Hefty paper products, and so much more.

How to enter? You know the drill, but if you are new here… You must leave a mandatory comment to be eligible to win the prize. You must include your e-mail in the comment, so that I can contact you if you win. You wouldn’t want to miss a chance to win the prize would you? Once you have left a mandatory comment, you can leave one or more of the optional comments. Leave one comment for each entry.

Mandatory entry

Tell me your favorite color. Don’t forget to leave your e-mail address.

Optional entries — You must leave the mandatory comment for all other comments to count. Leave a comment for each optional entry.

• Follow me on twitter.
• Follow me on Facebook.
• Follow my blog on Facebook.
• Subscribe to my blog via reader.
• Subscribe to my blog via e-mail.
• Follow Box Tops for Education on Twitter.
• Like Box Tops for Education on Facebook.
  
• Tweet this giveaway: @MusingsfromMe is giving away a Big Bag o’ Stuff from @BTFE! Enter to win > http://bit.ly/edDcjq RT?
  

I was invited to Box Tops University and given a Big Bag o’ Stuff to facilitate my review by Box Tops for Education. The giveaway is open to U.S residents only. Giveaway ends May 27 at 11:59 p.m. The views expressed in this post are my own. I follow the tenets of Blog With Integrity.

My tween and I embarked on a project this past month. After a few days of the project, I knew that my tween was able to do all the work by herself. As a mom it is easy to micromanage school projects.

Over the years, I have resisted the urge to rewrite, correct, and change my children’s homework. I would much rather offer assistance and guidance than do the work for them. I would prefer that the teacher know that my child did the work on their own. Believe me when I say that I have seen more than one science fair project or poster or diorama that was most definitely the work of the parent rather than the child.

I can say with pride that my tween was wholly responsible for her Science Fair project this spring. Aside from assistance with shopping — I drove her to Walmart to get her supplies and paid for the supplies — and filming and photographing the Science Fair project for my blog posts, my tween conducted the Science Fair experiment on her own.

Want to know about my tween’s preparations for her Science Fair experiment?

Musings from Mom? Yeah! I had a point-of-view about Science Fair experiments.

No project would be a hit with your tween without a shopping trip. Our Science Fair experience began with a trip to Walmart of everything from Ziploc containers, to tape, to display boards, to liquids, to many more items. Here’s our whrll…

To complete her Science Fair experiment, my tween analyzed the results of her experiment to see what effect different liquids had on eggshells. Her hypothesis was proven correct that darker liquids will stain eggshells, and eggshells in lighter liquids and clear liquids will show little to no discoloration. She wanted to see if Diet Coke does stain teeth. The eggshells were the stand in for actual teeth. We filmed her results along with her creation of the Elmer’s Tri-Fold Poster Board with assorted Elmer’s Project Popperz cutouts and markers.

For more information about the Society for Science and the public’s Broadcom Science Fair, go here. Find a Science Fair location near you.

Elmer’s is the Classroom Sponsor for the Broadcom Science Fair. You can Like Elmer’s on Facebook.

My tween and I participated in #ProjectReady for Elmer’s through Collective Bias. We were compensated for our time and supplies by Elmer’s through Collective Bias. The views expressed in this post are mine or those of my tween daughter.

My 7th grader loves shopping. She’s the type who gets excited about a trip to Walmart. Doesn’t matter what we are there for. She loves shopping.

Last night we needed to pick up the supplies for her Science Fair project. We shopped. She picked up items. I snapped pics. Once the serious part of the shopping trip was over, I cut her loose to do her own shopping.

The Preteen found one of those boxes of beads that you iron after creating your image on the peg board…melty beads. We had the Teen with us. We hardly saw as she perused the makeup aisle. She could live in that aisle. Question: How does a mom like me who never wears makeup and is not in to doing her hair, have two girls who are as obsessed with their appearance and wardrobes as my two?

But, back to Science Fair shopping. We’re part of #ProjectReady — Elmer has teamed up with the Society for Science and the Public for the Broadcom MASTERS Science Fair for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Find a site in your state where your middle schooler can participate in the Broadcom MASTERS Science Fair.

Here’s the whrrl of our Broadcom MASTERS Science Fair shopping trip for #ProjectReady.

My tween and I were both surprised at the number of Elmer’s items available. Elmer’s is very clearly not just glue. We found Tri-Fold Display Boards, Project Popperz poster markers, and an assortment of cut out letters, numbers, and symbols from Elmer’s Project Popperz.

Would you like your middle schooler to participate in the Broadcom MASTERS Science Fair? For a location in a state near you, go here. Elmer’s is the 2011 Classroom Sponsor.

I was compensated for my participation in Elmer’s #ProjectReady through Collective Bias. The views expressed in the post are those of myself and my tween.

I never did a Science Fair project when I was a kid. Not at any level of school — elementary, middle, or high school. My school — an all girls school in the north of England — was wholly focused on exams…preparing for exams, studying for exams, cramming for exams.

I took Science when I first started middle school, followed by Chemistry, Physics, and Biology. But never did a Science Fair project. I recall doing science experiments in each of the science lab classrooms. I even did experiments at home with my sister’s chemistry set. But, there was no school science fair.

I first noticed that there was a school Science Fair when my oldest was in 3rd grade. At the time only 5th graders were required to participate. At the school wide enrichment, a pair of girls experimented with getting power out of a lemon. I’m no scientist, but I knew that I could find projects to interest my daughters.

Middle schoolers participate at the Broadcom MASTERS Science Fair

Fast forward a few years… Now we have a high schooler, middle schooler, and elementary schooler who create a Science Fair project each year. With each school year the level of difficulty increases. My 9th grader’s Science Fair project was much more complex and thought-provoking than her 1st grade brother’s experiment last year. By doing simple, straightforward Science Fair projects as a young child, my children are better prepared for the rigors of what is required for middle and high school science classes.

My tween and I were invited to participate in the Broadcom Masters Science Fairs for middle schoolers (6th, 7th, and 8th graders). For a Broadcom Science Fair location near you, go here. Elmer’s is the official 2011 Classroom Sponsor.

The national science, technology, engineering and math competition for U.S. 6th, 7th and 8th graders, the Broadcom MASTERS™ (Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering for Rising Stars), a program of Society for Science & the Public, inspires and encourages the nation’s young scientists, engineers and innovators.

I was compensated for this series of posts by Elmer’s through Collective Bias. The views expressed in this post are my own or those of my tween.

I found it in my spam folder. Is this not the most maddening thing ever? I mean I read every e-mail I receive. I trust that msn/hotmail will make sure I can see every e-mail that I need to see. I have my filters set to keep out spam. I add people to my user list.

The user list…therein lies the problem with msn/hotmail. If I don’t know you your e-mail ends up in spam except when  it doesn’t. I have no idea why some e-mails — “You have won the lottery!” — end up in my inbox whereas one about an event I very much wanted to go to went to spam. Mystery! Unsolved!

The event in question was Grand Theft Childhood with Cheryl Olson. Great name for an event. Definitely piqued my interest once I dragged the poor e-mail out of my dratted spam dungeon, that is.

On October 19, Dr. Cheryl Olson, co-author of Grandtheft Childhood, spoke at a media summit in Washington, D.C., to discuss important issues surrounding children, their health and wellness, and reframing the view of video games.  An underlying theme of the summit was how video games impact youth. Attendees — bloggers and journalists — got a sneak peek at one of the hottest toy brand video game adaptations and a supporting example of Dr. Cheryl Olson’s findings: Bakugan: Defenders of the Core.

Due to a variety of pressing work matters, I was unable to attend the event. I did, however, have the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Olson via phone.

Dr. Cheryl Olson, co-author of Grandtheft Childhood, is a former teen issues columnist for Parents magazine and was the principal investigator of the first federally funded, large-scale research project to take an in-depth look at the effects of electronic games on preteens and teenagers. She has served as a health behavior consultant to a number of nonprofits and corporations, and is an award-winning video producer and writer. Olson wrote the book Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do with her husband, Dr. Lawrence Kutner.

—

Musings: How will you present the information from your study Grand Theft Childhood to parents?

CO: Parents need to apply common sense when analyzing how their children interact with computer games. Activision was a sponsor of her research for Grand Theft Childhood.

Musings: What is your view of the current labeling of games?

CO: A typical 14-year-old is playing M for Mature games. M games focus on blood and language. There is less sexualization in U.S. games, than in games popular in other countries, but more violence. Parents are bothered by war, blood, and violence. Video games encourage reading.

Overall the ratings given constraints are doing a good job. Games that are T for Teen should be avoided by younger kids. The SWAT series tries to avoid extreme violence. Some kids who have older brothers will play more violent games than those without.

Parents should have open dialogue with their children about games and ratings.

Source: ESRB.org.

Musings: What is the current state of parent and kids when it comes to computer games?

CO: Parent mediation. Kids hear “we don’t allow those games” Adults should say “what is it about those games that bothers me?”

Musings: What about games/sites that are password protected?

CO: Passwords should be unbreakable — don’t choose your house number for the access code to the adult-rated movies on cable or FIOS. Parents should take computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices out of kids’ bedrooms.

Editor’s note: In our home, we are currently dealing with our teen who wants to be logged on to the computer all hours of the day. We are setting limits for “computer for play” vs. “computer for schoolwork” usage. It’s a work-in-progress.

Musings: What is your thought of kids who play games online with friends?

CO: From our study – Grand Theft Childhood – we found that kids say it was more fun to play with real people rather than artificial intelligence (AI). Kids from poor neighborhoods or kids from the more well-off suburbs all had some way to get online.

In our study, we looked at games. Kids were only asked structured questions about the game itself. From my study of games played online if someone hopped on and asked for personal information it would stand out. Kids want to play the game, not talk to strangers online.

In many cases with online predators, if kids are approached online it might be someone they know — relative, neighbor, etc. A good rule of thumb is to keep the game system in a commom area of your home.

Musings: To Catch a Predator – the popular NBC show where adults prey on young kids who are actually adults acting like kids. Is this happening with online games?

CO: No, sexual predators are mostly “hanging out in chat rooms.” There are a few cases where kids who play video games are looking for someone to pay attention to them.

Musings: What about the crime rate for youth?

CO: In fact the crime rate for youth has been going down for years. A factor in the downturn is school antibullying programs. Simple assault, however, has gone up. Police if called to a home due to a complaint of assault are mandated to arrest someone, which creates artificial levels of assault date. Overall, crime is down with young people.

Musings: Does corporate America keep tabs on kids?

CO: Often corporations will add cookies to track kids behavior. For instance, when kids are encouraged to play video games that are part of a site that features a sugared cereal.

Musings: Tell me about the game that was featured at the Grand Theft Childhood event?

CO: Activision released an E 10+ game based on the Bakugan TV show. The game is called Bakugan: Defenders of the Core. (Review of the game to come. My 7-year-old son screamed and clapped his hands together with glee when he saw the game. He loves playing!)

Musings: After all the talk about ratings and blood and gore in games, what is right with games?

CO: There are many positives in games not labeled as educational. For many games, kids are required to figure out a problem/solve a mystery. There is a frustration factor to games where kids play a long time to get payoff.

Kids in early elementary school like to collect and sort and categorize. Memorize the names of characters, objects, etc. Kids like to sort, which is a necessary part of a child’s learning process. Bakugan: Defenders of the Core has  benefits for mental development. The Bakugan game is released in the following formats: DS, wii, PS 3, and XBox

In the Bakugan game, kids can customize their character. The Bakugan game encourages kids to read and strategize to proceed through the levels of the game. Often kids talk outloud about how to play the game.

Musings: What are the features of Bakugan: Defenders of the Core?

CO:  Well, the game is rated E 10+. There is some battling and conflict between characters. However, no characters are killed.

Musings: The Bakugan game is rated E 10+. What would the experience of playing the game be for younger kids? Is the reading level too high?

CO: Younger kids may not be able to manipulate the characters as well as older children. May get frustrated.

During the focus groups for my Grand Theft Childhoood research, most 10-year-old boys thought Grand Theft Auto was a driving game. The boys didn’t focus on the complexity of the plot or storyline. Adult content of games will often goes above their heads.

Musings: Describe the focus groups you convened for the Grand Theft Childhood research?

CO: Older siblings who played video games containing curse words did not want their younger siblings to repeat swear words, so older kids would turn volume down.

Musings: Fantasy v. reality? At what age do kids know difference?

CO: Kids know that commercials are trying to sell them something by 7 or 8. After watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers, kids will karate chop each other, but not with the intent to hurt each other. Kids are acting out what they have seen in TV and movies. Kids learn how to distinguish between rough and tumble play and violence.

Violence — experts say kids won’t pick up violence from media, but from their home and the streets.

Musings: How did you pick the kids for the focus groups?

CO: All the kids were from Boys and Girls Clubs inner city Boston. (Kutner and Olson were based in Boston while researching Grand Theft Childhood.)

The focus groups were advertised at Mass General Hospital, which is affiliated with Harvard Medical School. Many of the focus group participants were children of hospital and university employees. Posters were also placed in places like ice cream shops.

We were looking for boys who had played Teen rated games so that all the kids had something to talk about and wouldn’t be shocked by the game. Parent approval was needed before a child could participate in the group. Kids were paid for their participation — $50 per kid.

Musings: Did the kids play the games as part of the focus group?

CO: No, we printed out screen shots of the games. We did not include violent screenshots. We asked the kids what they liked about the characters. Which character they want to be. One kid said “I would protect someone who would be bullied if I was this character.”

Musings: What were the games used in the focus group?

CO: Grand Theft Auto. Code Veronica. Def Jam.

Musings: Guitar Hero. Rock Band. Should kids who play violent games be encouraged to play nonviolent games.

CO: Most kids played a variety of games. Kids would love to play with parents if parents are willing. Parents can now play games with kids. Some kids will teach kids how to play games. Some parents may find that kids play too many violent games. Parents should encourage kids to play the sports.

Kids like to be the teacher. Once parents see that game requires skill, parents are more likely to let kids play.

Musings: Do kids exaggerate their playing time? Hours played? Games played? Were kids truthful?

CO: We had a sense from survey what kids games kids played. Kids were with kids they didn’t know, so were less likely to exaggerate. Kids asked each other questions about what games they had played.

Musings: Are there distinct differences between boys and girls video game play?

CO: In the past video games may have had a peripheral female character, whereas now games have a main girl character. Girls like it when the girl character rescues others. Boys will agree to “play” a girl character as long as the girl is a strong character.

Girls are often drawn towards Zoo Tycoon, while boys prefer violent games. In the research study, more boys wanted to win the game/compete than girls. Only 25 % of girls strongly agreed that they wanted to compete and win.

Girls are more competitive in sports. Boys have better visual spatial skills. Some games could help girls become engineers –especially those games that emphasize visual spatial skills and the trajectory of thrown objects.

Musings: Where are you now?

CO: My husband and I were wiith Harvard Medical School, but are now based in Virginia. We are doing research  on patient-doctor communciation, and the relationship of media and kids.

I was not compensated for this interview. I was sent two copies of Bakugan: Defenders of the Core — one to review and one to giveaway.