Healthy Toy Site

(From MomsRising)


Dear MomsRising.org member,

Sadly, one of the big stories this holiday season has been an epidemic of "toxic toys" -- exposing children to everything from lead to the date rape drug GHB. We've been horrified, not only at what this says about our national priorities, but also as moms we're left asking: "What toys are safe to buy for my own kids??"

That's why we're thrilled to tell you about a new text-for-info service we've just set up. Our friends at HealthyToys.org1 tested over 1250 toys for common chemicals and have made the results searchable online. Because the time you really want to know which toys contain dangerous chemicals is when you're shopping, we've partnered with them to make their database searchable via your mobile phone. Here's how it works:

Text healthytoys [toy name] to 41411

And we'll reply instantly with whether the toy tested "high" "med" or "low" for potentially dangerous toxins. Try it! Text "Healthytoys Elmo flashlight" to 41411. You'll get a reply right back to your phone with the test results for the Elmo flashlight by Sesame Street. Neat, eh? Take it with you shopping and tell your friends!

Then sign this petition to tell Congress, "We demand safe, lead-free toys for children. Congress must strengthen the agencies responsible for protecting kids from toxic products and remove the bureaucrats who are standing in the way." We should be able to buy our kids toys off the shelf without having to wonder whether they're filled with dangerous chemicals.

Glad we're in this together,

-- Kristin, Joan, Katie, Donna, Roz, Mary and the whole MomsRising.org Team

[1] HealthyToys.org is a project of the Ecology Center in partnership with the Washington Toxics Coalition and: California • Center for Environmental Health • Connecticut - Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Connecticut • Maine - Environmental Health Strategy Center • Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine • Massachusetts - Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow • Michigan - Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health • Minnesota - Healthy Legacy • New York - JustGreen Partnership • Oregon - Oregon Environmental Council • Washington - Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition • National - Center for Health, Environment and Justice

P.S. SMS text wiz? Try a more complex search:

Text "healthytoys [high/med/low] [toy name]" to 41411 -- to limit your search results to only those toys with a high, med, or low toxins rating -- e.g. "healthytoys low slinky" will only return the Slinky that got a "low toxins" test rating by HealthyToys.org.

Text "healthytoys [retailer]" to 41411 -- to search for toys sold by a particular retailer -- e.g. "healthytoys low costco" will return the toys sold at Costco that got a "low toxins" test rating by HealthyToys.org.

Text "healthytoys [search term]" to 41411 -- to search for toys with that term in their name, description, brand, or retailer. In other words, you can search not only for a toy name but also for Costco, or Leap Frog, or bracelet, or fuzzy, or rattle, or Spider-man, or Disney -- and any toys with those words anywhere in their listing will be returned.

Too many results? Try typing the name of the toy just as it is printed on the packaging -- e.g. "healthytoys Disney Royal Shoes Set".

Webkinz & Advertising

From Campaign for Commerical Free Childhood:



Webkinz.com, the most visited virtual world for children in the United States, has quietly begun targeting its users with outside advertising.


The site is already commercial - in order to subscribe, children must buy a Webkinz toy that comes with a special code. But apparently using the site to sell millions of Webkinz stuffed animals wasn't enough for Ganz (the makers of Webkinz) and now they're selling their young users to advertisers. To make matters worse, Ganz didn't bother to inform parents, many of whom purchase Webkinz toys for their children expecting that the website will be free of outside advertising and links. By opening the site to advertisers, Ganz is choosing to maximize profits at the expense of parents' trust and children's wellbeing.

Tell Webkinz: No More Advertisements


The "Parents Area" of Webkinz.com does not mention that the site now includes advertising. Webkinz is currently marketing the film Alvin and the Chipmunks. In addition to banner ads, the site is encouraging young users to actively engage with the movie by purchasing specially designed chipmunk costumes and food for their virtual pets. Bee Movie - a film that partnered with McDonald's, General Mills and Brachs, and has dozens of licensed products - was promoted in a similar way.


As children spend more and more time on the web, they are increasingly targeted by Internet marketing. Webkinz' decision to take outside ads is reminiscent of Neopets, another popular online destination for children which went from being ad-free to including product placement on their site for McDonald's and other brands as well as launching their own line of cereal.


CCFC is launching a media campaign (including a story in today's New York Times) to inform parents about advertising on Webkinz and to convince Ganz to end it. But we need your help.

Please take a moment to tell Ganz: Stop Advertising on Webkinz.

Talking with Children about Social Class

I have been thinking a lot about the ways that class shapes our experiences, how to deal with the consumption-drive of the holiday season, and how it all feels to kids. The growing income gap distorts consumption for us all (see Juliet Schor's book The Overspent American.) We want products that we can't afford, and both adults and children experience relative deprivation when compared to the media-normal.

Joan Arrowsmith, Lillian Polite and Elizabeth Saenger, all faculty members at an independent school in NY, have written an practical and provocative article about helping schools and children address class in an overt way.
The article contains references for children's books and tips for creating equitable spaces at school and in homes.

Middle and High School teachers can find resources for teaching kids about the income and wealth gap at Teaching Economics as if People Mattered -- resources are all free and they partner with United for a Fair Economy. "Ten Chairs" is my favorite.

Google Phone #s

I am not a particularly paranoid person, but this e-mail from Partners in Ending Hunger seems worth sharing..

You may know this already, but just in case you do not:

Google has implemented a new feature which enables you to type a telephone number into the search bar and hit enter and you will be given the person's name and address. If you then hit Map, you will get a map to the person's house. It's a nationwide reverse telephone book.

If a child gives out his/her phone number, someone can now look it up to find out where he/she lives. The safety issues are obvious, and alarming.

Note that you can have your phone number removed or blocked.

In order to test whether your phone number is mapped, go to Google, Type your phone number in the search bar (i.e. 555-555-1212) and hit enter.

If you want to BLOCK Google from divulging your private information, simply click on your telephone number and then click on the Removal Form. Removal takes 48-hours. "

Curious City Peace Picks

Kirsten Cappy, extraordinary book event consultant and book-chooser recently shared a few selections with me...


Shhhh! by Jeanne Willis and illustrated by Tony Ross is a lovely picture book reminding us all of the virtue of silence.

Out of The Egg by Tina Matthews is a small gem -- the pictures are all black and white and red and the book is short and familiar. However, the end has a twist -- when it is time for the slighted hen to get retribution, her young chick scolds her: "Mama, that's not nice. . ." and peace among the next generation gets started.

Superhero by Marc Tauss is another black and white book, but for older children. The book is illustrated with marvelous black and white photography that balances fantasy and the potential for the story to be reality nicely. The plot is straightforward (and perhaps a bit too didactic), featuring a young African American boy who saves the playgrounds of the big city.

Totally Wired - Boston - December 12th

Totally Wired:

How Technology is Changing Kids and Learning

A PUBLIC FORUM on how digital media is changing how
young people learn and play, featuring:

Henry Jenkins, Professor, MIT, and author of Convergence Culture, will talk about his latest work on media literacy and skills young people need for the 21st Century.

Katie Salen, Professor, Parsons the New School for Design, and game designer, will discuss the new public school based on design and games she is opening in New York City.

Howard Gardner, Professor, Harvard University, and author of Five Minds for the Future, will talk about the ethical implications of growing up online.

Wednesday
December 12, 2007
5:30-7:00 pm

Brattle Theatre
40 Brattle Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
www.brattlefilm.org

Too Far Away To Touch - a Children's Book

I stumbled upon the book Too Far Away To Touch by by accident by Leslea Newman (The cover of the book looks like a girl in a snowstorm - really they are stars).

The book is a gorgeously illustrated story about negotiating illness and the potential death of a loved one. Zoe loves her Uncle Leonard, with his booming laugh and fun adventures. Leonard is gay and has a partner, Nathan, who sometimes accompanies them on their field trips. Leonard is also sick, a fact that emerges slowly in the story. Ultimately, it turns out that he has AIDS and Zoe worries that he is dying. Throughout the story the phrase, "too far away to touch, but close enough to see" is used, to describe stars and people who we lost and miss." Few books prompt conversations about loss and grieving without being heavy-handed and although I found myself a bit teary, this was a lovely way to have the conversation without fear.

Newman is the author of Heather Has Two Mommies as well as many other books -- and lucky for us Mainers, she teaches in the MFA program at Stonecoast Writers.

Catherine Stock is the illustrator and the pictures are beautiful.