Tea Party 2.0

Tonight is a night for catching up. Along with that is catching up on my blog. Where have I been all this time?!

In addition to some really exciting and interesting work that's kept me busy most hours of the day, I had the great opportunity to attend Fred Forward in Latrobe, PA. I owe you lots of posts and goodies, dear readers. I thought I would kick it off with this fantastic YouTube video that was shared at the conference of two girls playing tea party. What's different/unique about how they're playing?

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Big Top Fitness on YouTube

I left Tufts a year ago, Big Top Fitness in tow. I wasn't sure what to do with it, how to pitch it, or if I even wanted to pitch it. A lot has changed in a year, including the continuous growth and evolution of online viewing. I've heard a lot about YouTube channels, and have decided that this might be an interesting venue for my project.
This week, I'll be rolling out the series on www.bigtopfitness.com, and hope you'll take a peek! I look forward to getting some feedback on the show and taking advantage of Google Analytics. This is truly an experiment in online sharing, and I'll be learning along the way.

Enjoy and Happy Memorial Day!

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7 Minutes In Heaven Is Not a Kids' Show

Have you seen 7 Minutes in Heaven with Mike O'Brien? It is not a kids' show, but it is hilarious. I've been following the show from Hulu to YouTube to Yahoo!, as it's navigated the web viewing world. Next stop, Amazon?

via televisionwithoutpity.com

7 Minutes in Heaven is a side project of Mike O'Brien, writer on Saturday Night Live (think backup guitar player in a really awesome rock band starts recording his acoustic tracks). So what does this absurdly addictive series have to teach us children's media people? Internet viewing is a strange, new frontier. It's our next step, and we're going to have to comply with it, to an extent, and find ways to make it profitable. Perhaps we have to follow pioneers like O'Brien, observe their strategies, and test things out for ourselves.

I'd love to know more about the process of creating the series and what business decisions were behind switching from site to site. Mike O'Brien, I'd love 7 minutes of your time to talk about your series...I'll pick the questions, you pick the closet.

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How does Bird learn?

via muppet.wikia.com

No, not that bird! Andrew Bird!

Two weeks ago, I was working in Chicago. Fortunately for me, being there means that I'm closer to some of my favorite children's media people, including Sabrina and Erin. After an afternoon sipping tea, talking about research and puppetry, and watching Sabrina be an awesome mom, I headed out to the Andrew Bird concert in the city with Erin.

via chicagoist.com

Andrew Bird is legend in Chicago, and I was about to find out why he was able to pack the beautiful Auditorium Theatre. Bird's musicianship was evident from the first pluck on his violin. Though I had listened to his music previously, I was unaware at what an amazing live performer he was: blending instruments and sounds, recording and looping music in the moment. His performance of It's Not Easy Being Green moved most to tears and got some of the loudest applause of the evening.

via fongsongs.blogspot.com

Beyond being a musician, Bird made it clear that he was an artist. That night, I continued to think about Bird's learning style, and what he must have been like as a student. His music was disciplined, yet free flowing; precise, yet abstract; strategic, yet spontaneous. How does an educator nurture such talent and help a student find balance to foster artistry? My inclination is that we allow students' natural abilities and interests to guide the curriculum we feed and support. You never know what may inspire the talents of young people to fulfill their greatest potential.

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Off to Toronto

I've just returned from a week of work and some play in Chicago...more on that soon! Tomorrow I'll be jumping on Porter Airlines and heading up to Toronto to present at INPlay 2012. I've unpacked my Chicago bags, and repacked for my next adventure. Below are some of my major necessities for this trip.

• I've been saving the new Anthology magazine for this short plane ride
• My luggage tag helps me keep track of and differentiate my stuff when taking trips
• An ample amount of business cards to share at the conference
• My passport, since I'm traveling outside of the country
• I borrowed this Apple VGA adapter, but I think I should get my own
• I've backed up the presentation on a USB drive, just in case!

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iRead: Books That Look Interesting

Today's post features books I've seen along my travels that I've wanted to review on the blog but never got around to. It's like a review wish list.

Pirate's Log

Dick and Jane and Vampires

The Stick Book

Have you read any of these books?

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Favorite Hunger Games Etsy Finds

I'm amazed at the influence this property has had on Etsy. People are making and selling some pretty incredible things inspired by the story. Below are a few of my favorites. 

1. Tracker Jacker Anti-Venom...you know, just in case

2. When you want to be badass without being flashy about it

3. Show your pride/support/protest

4. Clever and cute tee design

5. Stay hydrated, stay subtle

6. I can picture my middle school self trying to guess the context from which these pieces of confetti came 

7. Can you imagine exercising in this? 

8. For a hint of Hunger Games decor in your apartment, without too much flash or splash

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