Bizzy Bear on the Farm
My husband got an ipad for Christmas (woohoo!) and we are very quickly catching ourselves up to speed with the rest of the ipad loving world. I’m not sure who loves the ipad more — my husband (he reads the news) or the kids (they play the games)! We have discovered the world Nosy Crow, which Mo has written about before (here and here). Nosy Crow offers clever and innovative storybook apps which not only tell a story, but also engage children the entire way through. Their newest app, Bizzy Bear on the Farm, lets toddlers (aged 2 to 4) help Bizzy Bear with all his chores on the farm. It’s amazing how many clever things the kids can do — each page is filled with different activities (pick apples, feed the piglets, run the horse, round the sheep up, drive the tractor, etc.). The Nosy Crow apps are available from the itunes store.
*And if you visit our Facebook page today, you can enter to win one of five promo codes for a free Nosy Crow app!
x Courtney
Fantastic Mr Fox
Last weekend, on a rainy Sunday afternoon, the girls and I made popcorn, wrapped up in blankets and settled down to watch Fantastic Mr Fox
Coming into winter does have advantages — I would feel too guilty in the summer spending a Sunday afternoon watching a movie, but when it’s cold outside, I reckon it is completely justified!
- Emilie
Cinderella App
We’ve often talked about ‘apps’ here on Babyccino and I definitely fall into the camp of loving them for my kids but I do have some rules …
1. I want them to be beautiful
2. I want them to be imaginative and to use the media to its best advantages (so not JUST being a book or a TV show – it has to be interactive so the kids have a different experience then they would in another media)
3. I don’t like them being part of a big corporate machine promoting some already huge kid’s brand (I realise this is highly hypocritical from a lady whose career was spent in advertising but this is mainly because they rarely satisfy points 1 and 2 and are seemingly lazy/cheap way to expose children to a bigger brand — I am all open to be shown I’m wrong on this!)
I really love the ‘Peekaboo’ (Peekaboo Barn, Peekaboo Wild and Peekaboo Forest) apps for my 2-year-old but my 4-year-old needs something a bit more. Enter the new Cinderella App from Nosy Crow (the same people who made The Three Little Pigs app I wrote about a while ago).
Nosy Crow’s 2nd App, Cinderella includes dazzling extras that my kids can not get enough of: helping Cinderella with her chores, stacking the king’s invites to the ball, dressing the ugly step-sisters, building the carriage, choosing Cinderella’s dress for the ball and even the music she dances with the prince too (our favourite bit!). All beautifully illustrated (tick!) and narrated by child-actress, Freya Wilson (who you may recognise from The King’s Speech).
Scooby Doo, Where are you!
My kids have never seen a normal television program — so far they’re only experience with TV is when they get to watch the occasional Disney movie (the old ones are the best!). My husband and I are both against commercials and the consumerism that is directed toward children (not to mention, the stuff on TV these days is nothing to write home about). So, for my kids, it was Disney movies or nothing … until they discovered Scooby Doo!
Scooby Doo was my husband’s favourite cartoon as a child (can you believe it has been around since 1969?), and so when my kids stumbled upon Scooby Doo in a hotel room recently, we caved in and let them watch it. Of course they LOVED it and haven’t stopped talking about it since (what’s not to like about men in monster suits, a talking dog, and a group of friends solving mysteries?!). We recently bought the Scooby-Doo, Where are you! DVD which has the entire first and second seasons of Scooby Doo. I must say, we’ve spent a few rainy summer nights watching the shows and they’re so fun! The whole family (including grandparents!) gets into them. We’re talking about good, honest, old-fashioned mysteries solved each time by a silly dog and his crime-fighting friends.
x Courtney
Cyber Cupcakes!
After having come back from a recent vacation with the kids I have developed a new-found love and appreciation for the I-Pad. True — I was skeptical at first… but there are actually a bunch of really great applications you can download to thwart meltdowns, kill time on rainy days or simply to secure time when you just need a few minutes to yourself. As a family, we have all became obsessed with Cupcakes! by Maverick Software. It’s so simple yet so satisfying. You can select your batter, tin liners and all the icing and toppings you can imagine (sprinkles, jelly beans, even bacon!) to build the most elaborately delicious cupcakes you can conjure up. At the end you can even light birthday candles, blow them out, and “cyber eat” them. It’s so oddly fun and engaging you have to check it out for yourself. I am planning to get the rest of their delicious apps — cookies, pizza and even grilling!
-Dina
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Screech Owl Designs• Kids clothes in France… don’t have to break the bank
Mary Poppins
We have re-discovered an old favourite video of mine, and it has been a huge success in our household: Mary Poppins. What is there not to love about a nanny who can make anything come out of her handbag and can clean up a childen’s room by clapping her hands?
It is such a great fluffy story with songs, dances, a good dose of animation and some great characters with really bad English accents (Dick van Dyke). The ‘Chim Chim Cher-ee’ song is our favourite — the children love singing it and even attempting the dance (I think that song even won an Oscar as best song, back in the day).
One of our other favourites is The Sound of Music, and I think I am going to get Singin’ in the Rain and Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang next. If you have any other recommendations, do let me know. I have a bit of a soft spot for cheesy old musicals, and so do my daughters apparently!
- Emilie
Bembo’s Zoo
My friend, Al, told me about this wonderful website which has apparently been running for years and years and years but I never knew about it. Bembo’s Zoo actually started life as a book, designed by world renowned graphic designer, Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich (I know, fabulous name!). The concept used the letters of the alphabet to create animals (using type font, Bembo). It was turned into a flash-animated website and is utterly mesmerising — you can spend hours just clicking through the alphabet and watching the animals unfold. My children love it and it is a great way to start familiarising them with the letters. Enjoy!
-Mo
They Might be Geniuses
Do you remember the band “They Might be Giants”? The quirky two-man band who turned out some of the most creative and wacked-out music in the ’80s and ’90s? Well they have recently channeled their intellectual energies into making kid’s music and I must say, they have churned out some of the most engaging music I have heard in a long time. Right now they have three CD/DVDs out and I am working my way through the set. So far we are obsessed with Here Comes Science
Here Comes Science is available from the Babyccino Kids Bookshop (US and UK).
-Dina
Kiki’s delivery service
We have a pretty regular Friday Film Night at our house. My youngest girl is almost two and gets completely enthralled by a movie, not moving an inch until the end titles roll. I am a movie addict so I am pretty excited that my kids have inherited my movie genes. So on a Friday night, we make popcorn, get into our pyjamas, bring out the blankets and the cushions and snuggle down…
One of our favourites is Kiki’s Delivery Service by Hayao Myasaki — for me one of the most enchanting animated movies ever made. It is really hard to explain the story to do this film justice: a little witch goes out and makes it on her own, meeting lots of friends on the way. It sounds banal, but the story is wonderfully told. It is a nice step away from the fast moving, action based animation that has become the norm for kids.
If you enjoy Kiki, do also check out “My Neighbour Totoro” which I wrote about a while back…
- Emilie
Balzac Cinema
My kids love going to the cinema. The crowd, the sounds, the visual experience — a promise to go to the cinema makes them get so excited they have difficulty sleeping the night before!
Luckily enough, here in Paris, the children’s cinema scene is huge, between the Forum des Images and several yearly children’s film festivals. Cinema is so much a part of the culture over here that the city organises screenings for school classes at least once a semester.
A great cinema event here on a Sunday is the monthly ‘Pochette Surprise’ event at the Balzac, an art house cinema off the Champs Elysees. On show are a series of short classic films, some of them over 100 years old, mixed in with some classic Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy and some old-school Tex Avery animation shorts. Every short is silent and the whole programme is accompanied by a musician, so even if you are completely anglophone, you will not miss out on anything… and to make it even better everyone gets a tub of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream!
- Emilie
The only show I will watch with my kids
Whoever is behind this show is a complete and total genius (and clearly on major drugs!) Yo Gabba Gabba is the most bizarre and entertaining thing that I have seen on TV in a long long time. I am hooked! I know most have you have probably seen the show at some point but have you ever sat down to really watch it??? It’s bananas!!! I love the songs — all of which sound like they are made up as they go along, the strange characters, and the total weirdness of it. The show also has great guest appearances –- like Jack Black, MGMT, and Biz Markie and they have a recurring segment that features excellent dance moves (which by the way serve as my cardio routine). Oh yeah, my kids really like it too. Guess that’s important to note.
-Dina
The Little Mole
I think children’s television can be beautiful and inspiring — it’s just that sadly most of it isn’t. As with most children (I’m guessing /hoping), my 3-year-old loves ‘The Box’. I try to limit viewing but I have to admit it can sometimes come in handy to have him be still for half an hour whilst the younger one needs some attention. So if we must, then lets at least find something we both can love — and boy oh boy have we struck gold!
A bit of background …. my sister-in-law asked for some present ideas for my son, and so I suggested a German DVD so he didn’t just hear English stuff. She bought me Der Maulwurf und seine Abenteuer als Gaertner (The Mole and his Adventure as a Gardener). As she handed over the present she apologised profusely saying that when she bought it she had totally forgotten that there was actually no speaking in the short films and that the title was the only German in it. But, she was sure we would love it. And we do!
The Little Mole films are the work of Czech animator Zdenek Miler, who made 50 of these 5-minute films in the ’60s and ’70s. For my husband the films are nostalgic and remind him of growing up, and for me they are wonderful pieces of art — the illustration is imaginative and beautiful (with a subtle but fantastic nod to the psychedelic fashions of the time), and the Mole is by far my favourite cartoon character (his squeal and laugh are adorable). Miler decided not to include voices in the animations so they would be universally enjoyed (clever man!), so his daughter recorded the sounds of the Mole.
See for yourself on YouTube. And if you want to buy a DVD there are many to choose from available from Amazon.de (and they ship internationally).
-Mo. x
Dan Zanes and Friends
I love this man. I love his hair. I love his music. My husband should seriously watch his back.
Dan Zanes sings quintessential, feel good, “family” music — each song more unique and catchy than the next. He used to be the front man for a band called the Del Fuegos and what I love is that his music is diverse, international and really appeals to parents and kids alike. My girls are obsessed with him.
While I had my requisite Wiggles phase, just like the rest of the world, I just got so tired of the silly songs and the turtlenecks and that ridiculous “Fruit Salad” song. Dan Zanes songs prove that kid-friendly music doesn’t have to be about gumdrops and unicorns. We sing along to him in the car all the time…. even when it’s not in the CD player (scary!). We also love watching the DVD which is basically the band, playing their instruments and having a good time. I suggest starting with his first DVD
-Dina
My Neighour Totoro
I think that film addiction must be genetic — my kids love movies as much as I do. We have started a tradition of Friday Family Film Night – to celebrate the end of the week – complete with popcorn and a glass of juice.
Now the challenge is finding movies that a 2-year-old and a 30-something-year-old will both enjoy. The greatest success we have had was the Japanese Kids Animated Classic My Neighbour Totoro, a lovely story of two sisters who move to an old country house with their dad while their mum is in hospital. In the countryside the girls encounter friendly spirits, namely the Totoros, the Keeper of the Forests. ‘My Neighbour Totoro’ was directed by Hayao Miyazaki and won him international acclaim all over the world.
The animation and designs are stunning and the Totoro character is just enchanting. I could definitely watch this movie again and again. And if I can, you can bet that my kids can too! They are addicted!
I would love to hear if you have any other suggestions for great family movies. Happy Friday!
- Emilie
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Luukie/Xsmall• Fungo Matto
• Elias and Grace
• Sons & Daughters
• Lilli Bulle
The sound of silence
When I flew to London with my three-year-old twins I was in a complete and total panic. For weeks I would lie awake at night picturing nothing but six hours of high pitched screams and death stares. When I asked for advice on how to cope, one friend suggested that I flood the first class cabin with water, freeze it, and hire the escapades to perform. Another friend simply said “M&M’s, Sticker books and Benadryl.”
Like any rational parent with the will to live, I have no shame in busting out the DVD player… so when they grew tired of the doodle pads and pulling apart everything within reach I broke it out and fanned a selection of their most prized Nickelodian shows (cue the sound of angels singing). What made the DVD even more of a hit were the Califone headphones that a friend told us about. Unlike other cumbersome headsets, Califone headphones are made for smaller heads and they fit nice and snug. Choose from a crowd pleasing panda, tiger or bear. The earphones put a smile on the skeptical faces of my surrounding passengers who, like me, were thankful for a peaceful, scream free flight.
-Dina
Vintage children’s music
There’s something about vintage children’s music that is so refreshing. Perhaps it’s the innocence of the songs or the slightly quirky melodies, or even the charming old accents of the artists who sang them. Or maybe, more simply, it’s just nice to get a break from ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ and ‘Old Macdonald’.
We have the Vintage Children’s Favourites CD in our car right now and it is so much fun to listen to and sing along. The songs date from the ’20s to the ’50s, and while some of them I recognized, many of them were new to me. But I have to admit that after only a few days I was singing along to all of them.
Like Emilie mentioned, I’m totally into the retro-revival these days!
-Courtney
Cinema Festival
Sometimes I get fed up of living in the centre of a big city.
The traffic, the pollution the lack of green space, and space in general seems so much more oppressing in the summer time. But then I get reminded of the big advantages of city life: the huge range of cultural events right at my fingertips. From the 2nd to the 14th of July the Paris Film Festival is on and part of the festival is a great children’s program.
This year the focus is on my favourite pet subject, animation. Lots of things are on offer: workshops, lectures and, of course film screenings. The first public screening in France of the new Pixar 3D extravaganza “Up” is on offer, as are modern day classics like Wallace and Gromit and Disney’s 1963 “The Swords in the Stone”. The films are for kids aged 3 and up, and there are so many choices that it should satisfy all tastes. You can check out the program here.
I guess city life is not so bad after all….
Sam Sam
Sam Sam is my son’s favourite cartoon these days. It’s shown on satellite TV here in Italy but it’s originally a French comic book series illustrated by Serge Bloch.
Sam Sam is a 6-year-old superhero who lives a “normal” life with his SamParents, and his friends. They do what any normal child does — they play, go to parties and have little adventures. These adventures are just a tad more exciting because Sam Sam lives on a strange planet and instead of a bicycle he rides a tiny flying saucer.
Sam Sam tries really hard to behave well because he is a “good” superhero in training. The stories are never violent and they tend to pass on a good message of loyalty, friendship and courage. Even the “bad guys” are totally funny, like the Bedwetters who are strange little yellow creatures armed with water guns.
In addition the colours and the images are nice and modern, so I actually don’t mind watching it too!
-Michela
Giggles
How long do you spend on your computer each day? How many times have you told your children to “just wait one minute, I have to check/send/read something”? Well, it has happened to me many, many (probably too many) times. One of the (visible) obvious results is that my children both have developed a strong attraction to computers from a very early age. But given that they (the computers!) are among my most treasured possessions, they (the children!) were never allowed to touch them. This was until we got some software by Giggles.
Giggles has developed a few interactive computer games for babies from 6 to 36 months. They are easy to install and, once you launch one, your hard drives are perfectly safe because the game blocks the rest of the computer off so it doesn’t matter what key the baby presses –no damage can be done! (more…)
Under the Sea in 3D!
Taking young kids to the cinema can be risky business. No matter how great the film is, it will probably end up being too long to keep your kids’ attention, they’ll likely spill the popcorn, talk too much and too loudly, and need several trips to the toilet. (Can you tell I’ve learned the hard way?)
Last weekend, however, we risked it all and took the boys to see the Under the Sea 3D film at London’s BFI IMAX theatre, and it was a huge, huge hit!
You put the funny glasses on (which my kids loved), take a seat in front of the UK’s largest cinema screen (taller than 5 double decker buses!), and spend roughly 45 minutes feeling like you’re swimming under the sea, literally face-to-face with exotic sea creatures! My kids thought it was the coolest thing they’ve ever seen!
The IMAX films are short, they’re 3D, and they’re educational. Perfect for kids! I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before now…
-Courtney
