A study by statisticians at Oregon State University concluded that in the United States, the carbon legacy and greenhouse gas impact of an extra child is almost 20 times more important than some of the other environment-friendly practices people might employ during their entire lives — things like driving a high mileage car, recycling, or using energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs. [LiveScience.com]

It does make perfect sense. And, yet, we have another child coming soon…

Should there be a limit on how many children a family can have, as they do in China?

I moved from having Palm PDA’s for years to an iPod Touch. The Touch does all the things I needed my T|X to do (wireless, applications, calendar, note taking, etc.) but with a much better web browser, incredibly easy-to-use iTunes integration, and — with using Plaxo — syncing my calendar between work PC and home Mac.

But the apps are what really make this thing kid-friendly. My two and a half year old sees me working on it and says “I play papa game!” He loves to try out the fun of using that touch screen to make things happen. And, as I’ve learned from other parents, having an iPod Touch/iPhone that can hold MOVIES can be PERFECT for long flights, like to Japan! This device has probably helped lower my blood pressure level significantly (no more wandering child, screaming of boredom).

So, here are a couple of great toddler-friendly things for your iPhone or iPod Touch:

Music:
Not surprising that you can get tons of music on iTunes; songs both you and your child will like (Wiggles) or music only they will like (Barney). Find music on Amazon also that works great with these devices.

Movies and TV shows:
Most of the Pixar movies (Cars, Wall-E, Finding Nemo), Disney, and TV shows like Little Einsteins are available for sale in iTunes; very simple to add them right into your device. Prices run from $2/episode to $15/movie.

TubeTV:
is a freeware application for Mac that, when you find a video on Youtube you like, will download, convert, and add it to your device. So, those short clips of Pingu, Anpanman, or even old Spiderman cartoons, can be added for free.

Podcasts:
Podcasts are short shows that iTunes has made incredibly easy to subscribe to. There are podcasts on things for Dad (Dad Labs), Mom (Mighty Mommy’s Tips), and children (Sesame Street) — and, they are all FREE!

Apps:
within iTunes there is an App Store where you can find things like preschool educational games. This company in particular: 3DAL, LLC has great products that my son loves to do; bright, colorful, lively music, and educational, including: Preschool Adventure, Preschool Music, Make a Martian, and BumbleBee Touchbook. Those apps are only $.99 each, so it won’t break your budget too quickly. Often companies will make a free “lite” edition so you can test it — those include Shape Builder Lite and iDoodle2Lite. Other good apps for toddlers include Wheels on The Bus, an interactive version of the popular children’s song, and Koi Pond, nice for both children and adults. Many of the movie studios make an app now that should work well with children: there’s an Up app where the child pops balloons (free) and a free one for Bolt (for slightly older children).

Protection:
we’re talking about a $200+ device that you are leaving in the hands of children — be sure to buy some kind of sleeve, touch-screen or silicon wrap protection for it. There are hundreds of different kinds. A quick visit to an Apple store or online to Amazon and you should be able to find a style that will help protect against small bumps. A $30 investment that might help you if you later want to resell it. (Yep, if they drop it, you could lose it, so, keep an eye on what they are doing — child supervision. )

Anyway, hope that helps; you AND your kids!

(If you live in Honolulu and would like to learn more about your Apple products, check out the Hawaii Mac and Apple User Society: HMAUS.com.)

• Mason likes the Honolulu Zoo (www.honoluluzoo.org) a lot — we have a yearly membership — you can spend a good 1/2 day there (petting zoo, walking around, snack bar, gift shop, oh and animals!).
• The Waikiki Aquarium (www.waquarium.org) is a bit expensive and kind of small — you can do the whole thing in about an hour. The dragon fish and jelly fish are my favorites, but they have some sharks and a small petting pond.
• Bishop Museum runs different exhibits for kids from time to time — right now it’s “Animal Grossology” about gross stuff animals do: www.bishopmuseum.org — should be a good 3 hours, but requires a car or sitting on a bus and walking to get there. One of the best parts of the museum is closed right now (the Hawaii exhibitions), but the air-conditioned planetarium show is really nice after walking around in the sun.
• Mason likes Discovery Center: (www.discoverycenterhawaii.org) — we have a yearly membership there too — you can do a good 3 hours there, especially if it rains. You can “pick pineapples”, “go on TV”, “go shopping”, visit “your stomach” — a wide variety of activities that are safe and fun for kids. The Kakaako Park is right nearby with hills for kids to run on.
• There’s also plenty of movie theaters and malls (Kahala mall is quieter than Ala Moana, Pearl Ridge (bit of a drive) has a Toys R Us store).
• Plus, art museums;Contemporary Museum in the hills of Tanatus, the Honolulu Arts Museum by Ward street, and the downtown Hawaii State Art Museum
• Ala Moana Beach is great for walking, taking pictures, and playing in the sand. It’s directly across the street from the large Ala Moana mall, so you could do a picnic breakfast there.
• There’s also the ‘Iolani Palace, the libraries, and of course if you don’t mind driving a bit, the rest of the island (Kailua beach is very nice, North Shore you can walk around, a summer day at Hanauma Bay is fun, and Pearl Harbor/Arizona) for older children.
• On Saturday mornings, there’s a nice Farmer’s Market at KCC (across from Diamond Head entrance) with food, flowers, veggies, music, and gifts — pick up a garlic shrimp plate lunch as you walk around. Check out the cactus garden on their campus, right nearby!

TIPS: Remember that afternoon in Hawaii, the sun starts getting pretty strong, so you’ll want to find some activities in the shade, and bring some suntan lotion. Plan to leave EARLY in the morning for almost everything “touristy”, for example Pearl Harbor. Rent a car if you want to see something besides Waikiki as a family — just doing a half-island drive (from Waikiki east past Hanauma Bay, up to Sandy Beach, around toward Kaneohe and then back over the Pali Highway) is a great chance to stop and really see the beauty of Hawaii.

Have a great time on your visit!

Mark

ここは他のジンボリーや音楽教室と違うのは保護者が付き添っていていなくて良いということ。

朝９時半～１１時までの１時間半、子供を預けて自分は買い物をしたりお茶したりできる。

私はYMCAの同ビル内のジムで身体を鍛えようと思って、コレだ！と前から決めていた。

うちの子も最近子供同士で遊ぶことができるようになってきたみたいだし、プレスクールに行く練習にもなると思う。「独立心を早くから培うことができるのでは」と期待している。週２回で月謝が＄９５。時間割りにすると８ドルくらいかな（安い）。実際見学をしたら、「お教室」というよりは「預かり所」という感じで、先生が何かを教えてくれるわけではない。先生は若いお兄さんとお姉さんが１人づつ、年配のリーダーのような人が１人。子供の数は多くて１５人とのこと。今日は６人だった。最初の４５分間は自由遊び、そしてサークルタイム（輪になって歌や手遊びをする）、スナックタイムで終わりとなる。「ま、始めるか！」と決めているけど気になることが一つ。お兄さんがとっても優しいのだが、かなり（正真正銘、太鼓判付き）音痴なのだ・・・。私のかわいい息子がこの音感を体得してしまわないように祈る。

As for me, I think I’m probably too serious still. I watched KHON morning news “Keiki’s First Birthday” message the other morning and the child’s favorite food was “cheetos”. Cheetos?! Mason hasn’t even had fish, cheese, or ice cream yet, and that family is feeding their son cheetos… Who knows…

Our apartment now looks like a branch outlet for “ToysRUs” — though, I have to admit some of them are actually more for me!

I’m starting to understand my friends who have kids and all they talk about IS their kids… When every event revolves around planning things out with your child in mind, most events become “kid friendly”. Even furniture purchases are based off “can he open the drawers, should we get something taller so he can’t reach in, is that glass safe?” (BTW: There should be a kid-friendly furniture store in town; tables without glass or sharp edges, cabinets that are raised or have easy-lockable front-ends…!)

All in all, Masako and I are both very thankful that Mason has grown up to be so healthy and happy. He’s a beautiful child and really developing his own unique thinking patterns and responses. It’s AMAZING to watch! I think any parent will understand what I mean…

We’re going to throw a small party for him on his first birthday with some friends — should be fun.

A new report from the U.N. Children’s Fund says the United States and Britain are the worst countries in the industrialized world in which to be a child. UNICEF says an examination of 40 factors, such as poverty, deprivation, happiness, relationships, and risky or bad behavior puts the United States and Britain at the bottom of a list of 21 economically developed nations.
…
“I think what we know from history in the U.S.,” Parker says, “is that it’s not necessarily how the welfare is provided but the nature of the support. One of the key things is that the role of government is important, but the entire society must have at its heart the idea of improving child well-being.”

Billions for bombs…

On a positive note, Hawaii is debating the Children’s Health Care topic: HB1008 — status