“Limiting Sports For Kids May Be A Good Idea” plus 3 more |
- Limiting Sports For Kids May Be A Good Idea
- Discovery: Hasbro kids network faces challenges
- Kids can live the pirate life at the Schiele's "Junior Pirate Day"
- Lenhoff: Kids already reflect on good old days
| Limiting Sports For Kids May Be A Good Idea Posted: 08 Sep 2010 08:34 PM PDT CHICAGO (CBS) ― Kids are strongly encouraged to participate in sports and it can be intense with year-round and out of town games. But, not every parent is inclined to support that level of competition. And, as CBS 2's Susan Carlson reports, a new trend is taking place with some parents saying: enough already! Colleen Orme's three boys love sports. You name the game and they've played it. At one point, sports flooded her schedule. "It was sports all the time, games an hour away, some games if you were lucky, 20 minutes away," said Orme. As her boys were hitting the field, she was hitting a breaking point. "For me, it became a huge commitment, the sports," she said. "And as much as we loved it, my struggle was the lack of balance." So Orme took her boys off the travel teams and stopped the year-round sports in exchange for more family time. The reaction? "It was shocking to me, the fallout," said Orme. "People would come up to me and say, 'oh my goodness, you took your children out of sports, what were you thinking?'" But, Dr. Daniel Gould, director of the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports, says it's becoming more common for families to cut back on sports. "We're starting to see some parents pull back a little and say, 'hey, I don't want to commit to every weekend traveling all over the state to play sports, or practicing five times a week the whole year," said Dr. Gould. Dr. Gould says there's no doubt that playing sports can benefit a child physically, psychologically and socially. But he also says overdoing it can increase the risk of injuries to the body and mind. "Many times what happens is a kid loves the activity at first, but due to the constant pressure over a long period of time, they burn out," said Dr. Gould. "They no longer enjoy what they once loved." So, parents and kids are taking some time out. Like Colleen Orme, many are not abandoning sports altogether, but they're signing their kids up for the six-to-eight week programs instead. So far, Orme's kids are OK with it. "It gives you more time to think about what's really important. As fun as sports are, there's so much more to life than just playing sports," said Tommy Orme, Colleen's son. Dr. Gould says that another contributing factor to this trend is the cost of participation. Travel expenses add up. In addition, more parents are both working and less available to make it to practice, games and out of town events. (© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.) This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Discovery: Hasbro kids network faces challenges Posted: 09 Sep 2010 04:19 AM PDT NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – 10/10/10. That's the date when the kids TV market will get even more crowded with the launch of the Hub, a network joint venture of Discovery Communications and toy giant Hasbro. Replacing the Discovery Kids channel, which has a reach of 60 million homes (to which the Hub plans to add over time), the network aims to carve out its own audience and advertising dollars in a space dominated by conglomerate-controlled players including Viacom's Nickelodeon, Disney's Disney Channel and Disney XD and Time Warner's Cartoon Network. "At first I think it will nibble more than eat into other children's networks," said Brad Adgate, senior vp research at media-buying firm Horizon Media. "It will be tough to make inroads in getting kids viewers and ad dollars from the start." Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite alone will make more than $1 billion in ad revenue this year on top of nearly $574 million in affiliate-fee revenue, according to SNL Kagan estimates. The research firm eyes $375 million worth of ads and $209 million in affiliate money for Cartoon and $111 million and $125 million for Disney XD. All tower over Discovery Kids' estimated $13 million and $49 million, respectively. Although that proves it will be an uphill battle, it also means the Hub has a lot of room to grow. Taking all Nickelodeon networks, Cartoon, Disney Channel and Disney XD and PBS Kids Sprout together, SNL Kagan sees about $1.6 billion in kids TV ad and $2.3 billion in affiliate revenue this year. With the launch clock ticking, the Hub president and CEO Margaret Loesch, Discovery Communications CEO David Zaslav and Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner emphasized during a lunchtime outing Wednesday that they will have patience to allow the channel to find its audience. But Zaslav also signaled confidence, arguing that there are only three real competitors in the kids/family TV space, compared with dozens in the cable universe for older demographics. "We know Disney is a great company, Cartoon does a great job, and Nickelodeon is good at what they do," he said. "But I think it's gonna be bigger than even I expected. ... There's space for us in the market, and we're really going to hit it hard." The channel will spend a reported $20 million on a prelaunch ad blitz that will leverage the marketing muscle of Discovery (promotions on other networks) and Hasbro (stickers on games and toys packaging). Programing-wise, the Hub uses a mix of old favorites like "Fraggle Rock"; reinventions like "Strawberry Shortcake"; new concepts like kids pop-culture magazine "Hubworld"; and Hasbro franchises including "Transformers," "G.I. Joe" and "My Little Pony." "They have some powerful copyrights in the Hasbro library, so I think they will do well," SNL Kagan analyst Derek Baine said. But the Hasbro shows have raised concerns among some. "The FCC and parents will be watching closely to make sure it is not too much of an advertisement for the toy giant," Miller Tabak analyst David Joyce said. To counter such worries, Goldner said Wednesday: "Great characters and great storytelling are the most important thing. It can't just be a sizzle reel." Loesch emphasized that only 25% of the network's programing is based on brands from the toymaker. She also highlighted that the Hub's success could come from filling voids in the current market. Established players have "migrated to younger or older audiences, but there is a perceived gap in between" for ages 6- 12, particularly in the 6-9 segment, she said. "We heard that from parents, and we heard it from advertisers, too." That, she added, has helped sign about 50 advertisers to date. To stand out further, the Hub also presents programing, particularly in the 6-11 p.m. slots, that lends itself to family viewing. "Parents (told us) how much they would love co-viewing opportunities with their kids," Loesch said. "And surprisingly, kids wanted that, too." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Kids can live the pirate life at the Schiele's "Junior Pirate Day" Posted: 09 Sep 2010 06:15 AM PDT The Schiele Museum's "Junior Pirates Day," which takes place Saturday, is more than a chance for kids to play pirates. It's a chance for them to live the pirate life, at least for a day. The event will feature more than 40 re-enactors portraying the pirates of the New World – the motley mob that ruled the waves from the Carolinas to the Caribbean, including Calico Jack, Anne Bonny, Mary Read, Stede Bonnet and, of course, Blackbeard. The museum's own Gypsy Jack will also be on hand. There will be a pirate encampment set up out on the museum's Backcountry Farm to illustrate how pirates camped out in coastal and port towns, pirate music, constant cannon firings, pirate weapon displays and pirate cooking demonstrations so kids can see the types of food pirates really ate (think planked fish, fruit, olives and sea biscuits). That's in addition to the opportunities kids will have to walk the decks of the museum's pirate ship, design their own Jolly Roger, participate in pirate costume contests, tour the Rogue's Gallery and view 18th century pirate artifacts recovered from Queen Anne's Revenge. "It's really hands-on," said Amy Ballard, marketing coordinator for the Schiele. "The whole day is truly geared towards children and their families." The highlight of the day will be 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. shows inside the museum by noted pirate storyteller Eric Lavender and his faithful winged companion Captain Bob, a blue and gold macaw, of Charleston Pirate Tours. Lavender, who has performed throughout the Lowcountry, conducts his performances in authentic, period costumes and is known for delighting audiences of all ages with true tales of the Golden Age of Piracy. "Our pirate storytelling fits perfectly with (the museum's) pirate exhibit," Lavender said. "We feel very honored to perform…and look forward to bring pirate history to life for museum guests." There will also be pirate puppet shows at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., a scavenger hunt for pirate booty and games to play. Food will be sold on site or families can pack a picnic. "We're excited about this. It's going to be huge," Ballard said. "December will be here before long and that's when 'Pirates!' goes away." "Junior Pirate Day" takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. SaturdaySept. 11 and is in conjunction with the museum's featured "Pirates!" exhibit, which runs through the end of the year. The event is free with regular museum admission: $5 adults, $4 students/seniors, City of Gastonia residents; and $7 adults, $6 students/seniors, non-residents. A special "Breakfast with Pirates" will start the day at 8:30 a.m. Tickets to the breakfast are $5 or free to museum members who have collected all eight trading cards. The museum is at 1500 E. Garrison Blvd., Gastonia. For more information or to reserve a spot at "Breakfast with Pirates," visit www.schielemuseum.org or call 704-866-6908. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Lenhoff: Kids already reflect on good old days Posted: 09 Sep 2010 02:04 AM PDT September 9, 2010 By PAT LENHOFF Contributing Columnist You know you're getting old when your kids start reminiscing about their youth. That happened recently, during a Lenhoff family get-together, as my kids sat in our family room of the home we've occupied for 21 years, which constitutes a good-sized chunk of their growing-up time. Now, sharing memories is nothing new for families. But when the kids begin discussing how their childhood era was the best, and that kids today don't have the fun that they did, you do a quick check of your pulse to be sure you're still among the living rather than floating in the room as a visiting angel, having passed on from natural causes of aging! I must admit, I see their point. When we first moved to our current home, summer nights rang out with the sounds of neighborhood kids' voices, playing Ghost in the Graveyard or catching fireflies. Most of the families were similar in make-up to ours, school-age children, many of whom (us included) had moved from other parts of Vernon Hills to gain a bit more square footage and yard size for our kids to enjoy. Over two decades have passed since then, more quickly than I can believe, and our neighborhood has a different composition now. Many of us who moved here while it was a construction zone are still here, but we also have a lot of newer faces, with kids who are at ages that mimic where our kids were 20-plus years ago. But not everything is history repeating itself. Summers are a lot quieter now, with most of the children in summer camp, some sleeping away from home for four or even eight weeks. I would have considered selling my soul for one week of all three Lenhoffs at sleep-away camp, but my son put the kibosh on that when he loudly announced, as we toured the YMCA camp I was pushing and the only place we could afford even for a week, that it was a dump. But today's kids have a summer that is almost as scheduled as their school year. Now it's September, the summer season is history once again, and therefore structured days and nights are par for the course. However, it makes me a bit sad when I see an event like the upcoming Worldwide Day of Play (Sept. 25), featured in the VH Park District brochure as a day to unplug from today's electronic world and substitute the good old fashioned activities of organized and free-for-all play of games, relays and more. While I applaud the effort to hearken back to a time when that was the only kind of play kids knew, I wish today's children could have much more of that pure, unorchestrated child-like joy. If only we as a society could find a way to combine the electronic marvels of today with the simple pleasures of yesterday. Are kids better off/worse today? Send your thoughts to: viewfromvh@yahoo.com This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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