A lot has changed since we launched the site in 2006. There are now several websites that focus on the Southern New Hampshire area, and you can find active family groups on various social media channels.

We’ve also discovered that although we have ideas on improving the site, SNHParents was constantly being pushed down to the bottom of our list of things to do. Translation: it just hasn’t been a top priority for us.

And that forced us to make a difficult decision: Rather than keep an outdated website online, we’ll be closing most of the website in the middle of April. The blog (the only part of the site updated recently) will remain online for the foreseeable future and we’ll continue to share our experiences when there’s something to share.

We’d like to thank everyone who joined us over the last five years and look forward to seeing you in other online communities.

The Changing Colors of Amos tells the story of Amos, a leprechaun who changes color depending on the day of the week (of course, on Mondays he’s gray). Each day brings a new color until Sunday when Amos gets to be whatever color he chooses. But Amos has something special in mind and rather than choosing one color, he wraps himself in a rainbow.

Each focuses on the color of the day. The illustrations are beautiful, with lots of subtle details and shading. However some, the yellow Friday page for example, may seem “dull” compared to other children’s books about color. This certainly isn’t a reason not to get this book, but depending on your child, it might be a concern.

My other issue with the book is very minor, but it was a sticking point in our story time: in order to rhyme with “drape,” the author uses “grape” instead of “purple.” Granted, there aren’t a lot of words that rhyme with “purple,” but for a pre-schooler unfamiliar with clothing catalogs, “grape” doesn’t mean “purple.” My daughter was very clear on this and pointed out that grapes are also green. Sure, it’s a great conversation point, but the rhyme may be lost on younger children. See, I said it was a minor point.

The Changing Colors of Amos is recommended for ages 4-8, but I think the rhyming text is geared more toward the lower end of the range while older kids will be more likely to appreciate the subtleties of the illustrations.

The Changing Colors of Amos is available in hardcover for $14.95 in local bookstores and, of course, Amazon. (affiliate link)

Disclaimer: A copy of The Changing Colors of Amos was provided to SNHParents in exchange for this review. No additional compensation was received and the opinions and thoughts expressed are those of the author.

That’s the premise of Gary M. Unruh, a child mental health counselor with over forty years of experience, who believes that although a child may be loved, she may still behave inappropriately if she doesn’t feel loved and lacks self-confidence. But if that’s the case, how can parents communicate love while still providing discipline and guidance?

In Unleashing the Power of Parental Love: 4 Steps to Raising Joyful and Self-Confident Kids ($17.95, Lighthouse Love Productions), Unruh provides parents with the four steps he’s identified to help build their child’s self-confidence:

1. Set your thoughts and feelings aside temporarily.
2. Start with your child’s feelings first and the behavior second.
3. Establish behavioral expectations that will enable your child to be successful.
4. Talk to your child, not at your child; avoid judging and negative comments, be calm; talk less and listen more; be brief; and acknowledge your mistakes.

Unruh goes over each of the steps in turn and includes a lot of examples showing how to use them in a variety of situations. And while this is not a book on how to discipline, the situations Unruh uses in his examples often deal with correcting bad behavior.

This book was a hard read for me. It’s not that the Unruh’s writing was difficult. In fact, the 238 pages of the book were easy-to-read (although a bit dull). No, my difficulty with the book came from recognizing some of my own parenting in the examples Unruh uses to show how not to act. I don’t think I’ve done any irreparable damage to my daughter’s self-confidence, but I have started using some of his ideas. So far I haven’t seen the dramatic behavioral shifts from Unruh’s examples, but I think that’s a result of my limited time using them (and perhaps a bit of creative license on his part).

I’d recommend Unleashing the Power of Parental Love to any parents concerned that their child may have self-confidence issues, or those simply looking for tips on how to raise a self-confident child. I don’t think there’s anything in this book that will surprise most parents (e.g. children who have their parents’ approval tend to do well, right?), but Unruh  provide a map of how to apply these concepts to real world situations.

If you approach the techniques within the book with realistic expectations, and avoid giving up when you don’t immediately see the results in Unruh’s examples, then perhaps you can help your child become more self-confident as she find her place in the world.

Disclaimer: A copy of Unleashing the Power of Parental Love was provided to SNHParents in exchange for this review. No additional compensation was received and the opinions and thoughts expressed are those of the author.

My Story,

My Story (and Anni herself) is the first project by Generation Z, a company started to increase awareness of social and environmental issues among kids nine-years-old and older. The company founder, Zuriani Zonneveld, is the voice of Anni on the songs  and her 12-year-old daughter voices the album’s audio book tracks). An impressive list of music industry professionals also contributed to the album.

How’s It Sound?
The songs are well-produced and are very similar in style to other tween-targeted music, like Hannah Montana. Depending on your musical tastes, this could be a good or bad thing. My 4-year-old daughter loved the songs. Two of them, “Share My Dream” and “Come On Out And Play” quickly became part of our family drive time. In fact, we recently caught her performing “Share My Dream” in her room, complete with her own dance routine.

However, what sets My Story apart from similar-sounding music is the overall presentation. Between the songs, you’ll hear Anni’s story. These spoken tracks were beyond my daughter, but should appeal to the album’s target audience of nine- to 15-year-olds. The album also features some instrumental tracks as well as a poem that was submitted to the Anni Zola website. The various pieces types of tracks work well together, but some may be disappointed that the album includes only four “traditional” pop songs.

Enhanced CD Features
In addition to the audio tracks, the enhanced CD includes a video for “Share My Dream” (also viewable for free on YouTube), some “making of” videos, contest entries from the Anni Zola website, desktop wallpaper images, and some calendar graphics. These are a nice bonus, but I wouldn’t recommend buying the physical CD  over the version iTunes version just for these features.

Beyond the Album
Because Anni Zola is a modern performer (and a digital creation), it makes sense that she would have an online presence. The Anni Zola website goes beyond the typical “fluff” of most children’s performer’s websites and features a community where kids are invited to participate in challenges, share stories of volunteering, and become “agents of impact” to help make the world a better place. For example, currently kids are encouraged to enter designs for a water bottle that will be sold in Anni’s online store.

Generation Z is also using social media to extend Anni Zola’s message beyond her music. Anni’s fans are invited to connect with her, and each other, on a variety of channels including:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Flickr
• YouTube
• MySpace
• last.fm

Currently, Facebook appears to be the most active of these, although some of these sites have very little activity, perhaps because the CD has only been out since June 29.

Interestingly, because Facebook and MySpace have a minimum age of 13, a good part of Anni’s targeted 9-15 year-old audience are too young to use some of these services without their parents.

Summary
At $15, My Story is a good deal if you’re looking for something new for your tween to listen to. The album is an interesting mix of audio formats. For those uninterested in the enhanced CD content, My Story is also available on iTunes for $9.99.

I like the idea behind Anni Zola and am curious to see how the project evolves. The goal of encouraging social and environmental awareness among tweens is admirable and Anni Zola’s music and stories are an creative way to reach it. However, it remains to be seen if Anni’s community will continue to grow beyond this album and become a way for her fans to share their experiences changing the real world.

Disclaimer: A copy of the My Story enhanced CD was provided to SNHParents in exchange for this review. No additional compensation was received and the opinions and thoughts expressed are those of the author.

With the excitement building, the Manchester Community Music School recently announced their 2010 Summer Camps & Music Program. MCMS summer private lessons are open to all ages and run in four, six or eight week classes in 30, 45 or 60 minute sessions. Through the MCMS summer programs, students are able to gain basic skills and knowledge, master new challenges, or simply continue their programs with a current instrument. Summer program selections are offered in a wide variety, ranging from Music Theory to Jazz Camp, from Licks and Riffs: Guitar Camp to Music and Me, a program formed specifically for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, along with the accompaniment of a parent or an adult. Special summer camps are Joy of Music for grades 2-5, Camp Crescendo and Music’s Cool Camp for grades 5-8.

“Summer is the perfect time for students to try a new instrument or to spend extra time on their music studies”, said Jeanine Tousignant, CEO of Manchester Community Music School. “Our goal with the summer programs is to offer students the opportunity to try music or further develop their skills in a relaxed, fun summer setting.”

MCMS summer programs are currently open for registration. All Private lesson dates and times are arranged on an individual basis. MCMS 2010 summer camps & private music lessons will begin on June 21, 2010. For more information about MCMS 2010 summer programs, please visit their website, www.mcmusicschool.org, or call 644-4548.

About the Music School
The Manchester Community Music School is a nonprofit, music education organization whose mission is to change lives through the power of learning, sharing and making music.

Over 1,200 students of all ages participate in private lessons, group classes and early childhood programs. Nearly 200 student musicians come from all over the state to participate in the NH Youth Ensembles Program– the premiere program in the state featuring orchestras, bands and jazz. Founded in 1983, MCMS is a member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts. For more information on MCMS visit their web site, www.mcmusicschool.org or call 644-4548. MCMS is located at 2291 Elm Street in Manchester.

The fun begins Saturday, June 5, with a full day of events at the Greeley Park Bandshell, including a 5K, a magic show and free games and give-aways from local organizations.

Can’t make it with your family tomorrow? Not to worry, just keep an eye on the SNHParents calendar. There are plenty of family events scheduled and we’ll be posting details throughout the summer.

Be sure to check out the full schedule of 2010 events for all ages on the city’s website.

Dwizzle Dee – Colors, Sizes, Songs & Imagination

The 30-minute video takes place in and around Ms. Ashley’s schoolhouse as she teaches her three students, Lenny, Penny and Gifford, about colors and sizes using songs and games. Although the video is entertaining, there’s a solid educational foundation to it and the title has been endorsed by The Dove Foundation and the KIDS FIRST! Coalition For Quality Children’s Media. The recommended age is 2-5, but I think that older kids might be bored by the simple lessons.

It’s worth noting that the video features two songs with original lyrics paired with familiar tunes, making them easy for kids to learn. In fact, my four-year-old daughter had them memorized after watching the video just a few times. Trust me, if your children are anything like my daughter, you WILL be hearing these songs over and over again.

It’s impossible to watch Dwizzle Dee without comparing it to Sesame Street videos, Elmo’s World in particular. It’s not just the similar look of the characters, but also the mix of puppets with computer graphics. Unfortunately, Dwizzle Dee just isn’t as polished as Sesame Street titles. For example, there are times when the characters don’t blend well with the background or their voices seemed a bit “off.” Given the story behind its creation, this isn’t surprising, and I’m sure most of these issues can be attributed to not having the resources of a larger production. But while Dwizzle Dee may be a labor of love created by two dads, is that enough to recommend it given the other choices out there?

I think so, because while I notice them, the production values don’t matter to my daughter. She loves the characters and enjoys answering their questions and playing games along with them, something she’s never done with Sesame Street. This puts Dwizzle Dee in the same league as Yo Gabba Gabba, Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go. As we watched (and re-watched) Dwizzle Dee, I found myself paying less attention to the production values and more to simply enjoying it with my daughter.

With a suggested retail price of only $14.95, Dwizzle Dee may not be as polished as some of the bigger children’s titles, but it’s worth checking out if you’re looking for something new to watch with your kids.

Disclaimer: A copy of the Dwizzle Dee was provided to SNHParents in exchange for this review. No additional compensation was received and the opinions and thoughts expressed are those of the author.

Spring is here and just as the grass starts to get green and plants poke up from the ground, a new book about colors arrived in the mail for us to review.

A Most Vivid Day! is the story of Tommy, a young bat who has only known the dim world of nighttime until he meets a caterpillar who teaches him about color. After deciding to stay up to see the colors for himself, Tommy meets the sun, teaches animals and clouds how to share, becomes the “most colorful bat in the whole world,” and finally helps the sun paint the world. The story ends with Tommy asleep as the sun sets and the moon arrives to cover the world in dark colors of night.

Written and illustrated by Justin Young, the story’s watercolor illustrations bring the reader along on Tommy’s adventures through the grays and blacks of nighttime and into the bright colors of the day.

My four-year-old really enjoyed the story and has already asked to read it again. She didn’t like the animals at first, but decided they were OK after they shared their colors with Tommy: in fact, her favorite part of the story was the way Tommy looked after the animals painted him. She wasn’t too happy that the moon paints over Tommy’s colors at the end of the book. However, she finally decided that moon wasn’t being mean but was instead cleaning Tommy so he could be like his friends again.

A Most Vivid Day! reminded me of The Rainbow Goblins, by Ul De Rico. Although both books are about color and have a suggested age of 4-8, I think this book, with its friendly watercolor artwork, could be read to children of all ages while De Rico’s artwork might be too scary for younger children.

Coming in May 2010, A Most Vivid Day will be available in hardcover for $16.95 in local bookstores and, of course, Amazon. (affiliate link)

Disclaimer: A copy of the A Most Vivid Day was provided to SNHParents in exchange for this review. No additional compensation was received and the opinions and thoughts expressed are those of the author.

To help consignors and shoppers prepare for the next sale on March 20-21, 2010, the organizers, Lisa Mullen and Judy Cameron, have put together the following list of tips. While some are specific to the NH Kids Consignment Sale, many could help with other consignment or garage sales.

Tips for Consignors

• People who want to become a consignor, need to register at our website: http://www.nhkidsconsignment.com/
• Start tagging early…once you start your ‘spring cleaning’ you may be surprised at how much you’ll have to tag
• Think seasonal for clothing…if your child would wear it in the spring or summer, then tag it.
• Name brands sell well
• Neatness counts…items that are ironed present better and sell better
• Price aggressively…shoppers are looking for deals. Think about what you would be willing to spend on an item.  Opt to discount ½ off for the sale on Sunday.
• Take advantage of the shop early pass and get deals for your family
• Refer 2 friends and earn more
• Become a fan on Facebook and stay updated on the sale
• Take advantage of the printable flyers on the website…the more shoppers, the more likely items will sell.

Tips for Shoppers

• Shop Saturday for best selection
• Bring cash or checks for payment
• Volunteer for a work shift to receive a pre-sale pass
• Come back and shop on Sunday when many items are 50% off
• Never forget a sale; become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
• Bring a friend to shop…it’s fun!
• When your children have outgrown your purchases, consign them at a future sale…recycle and save!

For more information on the NH Kids Consignment Sale, please visit the following:

Website: http://www.nhkidsconsignment.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nhkidsconsignment (inc. suggested item pricing)
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nhkids
Email: info@nhkidsconsignment.com

Have other consignment or yard sale tips? Please share them in the comments.

Want one of the eight available vouchers? This year we’re offering more ways to get one. Just do one of the following:

• Post a message to the “2009 CanvasOnDemand Vouchers” thread on the SNHParents message board.
• Send a message to @snhparents on Twitter that includes the #SNHP25 hashtag
• Become a fan of SNHParents on Facebook and post a message to the SNHParents Facebook page

The vouchers are good through April 1, 2010.

Happy holidays!

By Tracy Lee Carroll

The world keeps getting smaller. Back when my eleven year old daughter was in Mrs. Stone’s second grade class at World Elementary in Nashua, she was assigned a Flat Stanley project. For those of you who have not yet met Flat Stanley, he is a young man (as told about by Jeff Brown) who had a bulletin board fall on him and flattened him to be only about a half an inch thick. Because of his flatness, he could travel quite nicely in an envelope anywhere in the world. The project was to create your own “Flat Stanley” and send him off to somewhere and have someone take him about, show him a good time and have him write back about his travels.

My daughter made her flat friend, Flat Bobby and I utilized my extensive Flickr network to enable Flat Bobby to circumnavigate the globe. The official project was only supposed to last a few weeks, but my daughter’s project is still ongoing four years later. Flat Bobby has traveled extensively in the United States, Mexico, China, The Philippines, Egypt, Germany, England, The Netherlands, The Bahamas, and Canada. He has sent home many photographs of his adventures as well as trinkets he’s collected. The most wonderful thing of his adventures is my daughter and I learned how small the world really is and how many wonderful people there are in it. We have made lasting relationships with people so far away and learned about their cultural differences while learning that we all have the same basic desires and needs in life.

That was the beginning of my eyes being opened to the possibilities of using Web 2.0 technologies to create pathways for students that were not available to children just a few short years ago. What an opportunity to get kids talking and collaborating with people all over the world! Bringing these ideas and thoughts one step further, I volunteered in my daughter’s fifth and sixth grade classroom last year to teach them about blogging. The idea was to create a Ning network that would be totally private. This satisfied nervous parents’ concerns about their children posting things publicly on the internet. Within the Bridges Ning network, the hope was to get other schools around the world involved and each school group would have their own private area as well as access to the common area in which to share ideas and conversations. The project got off to a great start but due to timing issues, never realized its full intentions.

Due to the project’s huge success in its beginnings, the school has hired me this year to work with both the fifth and sixth grade students to not only continue the project, but to expand upon it. I’ve been given the go ahead to publish a public blog with the kids as well as continue to work on Bridges. To start the year, we have spent the first two weeks going over internet safety and security issues while our relocated computer lab was being set up. The next two weeks have been focused on writing and typing up bios for each of the children. As our lab is no online in a very small capacity it is going to take us a little time in getting all the pieces online and running smoothly, but we are all excited about the possibilities and plans to bring these students online and reaching out into the world. I look forward to sharing more of our story with you as we move along and hopefully soon, I will be able to provide you with a link to our new public sites!

If you would like to contribute in any way to what we are doing or just say hello, you can contact me at tracylee (at) tracylee (dot) com. For more information on Flat Stanley, visit www.flatstanley.com.

About the Author:
Tracy Lee Carroll has held many positions, but her favorite is mother to four wonderful children for 27 years. She is currently opening doors into the world for fifth and sixth graders as she guides them through the waters of getting to know the internet while teaching them the skills they need to be safe. Sharing this knowledge combines two of her greatest passions: working with children and the amazing resource that is the internet.

Tracy has been an art teacher, as well as someone who can claim to have built one of the largest websites single-handedly in the days of the early frontiers of the online world. She has also owned her own graphics design firm and helped produce major magazines and adwork while living in New York. Yes, she is a native NYer, but has lived here in Southern NH long enough to call it home.

These shoes look like they were designed by a three-year-old. Which is very cool, because they were!

Back in June I took a look at the new Vans custom shoe creator. And while I really liked the available options, I was a bit disappointed by the 5-7 week delivery window. But since Vans had kindly provided the shoes, I took my chances and ordered a full size up for my three-year-old daughter.

The shoes arrived just under five weeks after I placed the order. Of course, I was a bit too optimistic in my estimation of how much my daughter would grow in that time and the shoes are still too large for my daughter, but that’s certainly not Vans fault.

The quality of the shoes is excellent and seems identical to off-the-shelf Vans. The colors and fabrics match what we saw on the website during the design process and the seams and gluing are fine, with no loose edges or threads.

Unfortunately, because of my size-guessing failure, I’m unable to comment on their durability. However, I can comment on showing a preschooler the real shoes that she designed on a computer: It was awesome! She was extremely excited and can’t wait to show her friends when she grows into them. Is that worth the premium price of the custom vans? I would say so.

I’m still not fond of the 5-7 week estimated shipping time, but all in all, we had a lot of fun playing with the custom shoe designer and the end result met our expectations. If you’re looking for a cool pair of shoes, and don’t mind the wait, check out shop.vans.com.

Disclaimer: A pair of custom Vans was provided to SNHParents in exchange for this review. No additional compensation was received and the opinions and thoughts expressed are those of the author.

RT @griffintech: Please consider buying this case, if not for you, buy it for a friend http://bit.ly/CELxd

I’ve never met Dave, but I know through his tweets that he works for Griffin Technology, makers of some cool iPod accessories. Based on that I followed the link, expecting to see Griffin’s latest product. Instead I found a blog post about Griffin and inkswell donating some custom iphone cases to the Molly Fund.

I also learned about Molly Rowlee, a five-year-old who lost her life to Lymphoma this past July, just five months after she was diagnosed. I hadn’t heard of Molly before today, but her story hit me really hard, not only because of her age, but also because the Rowlees live in New Hampshire, not too far from where my wife and I are rasing our three-year-old daughter.

It’s strange that it took a guy from Nashville to let me know about a worthy cause in my own backyard, but that’s what happened. From the beginning, I’ve wanted SNHParents to be a place where families share the best of New Hampshire with each other. It seems only right that it also be used to share ways we can help those in need.

So take a minute and read about Molly. If you’ve got an iPhone, consider getting one of the custom cases. Thanks to generosity of Griffin Tech and inkswell, the entire purchase price benefits the Molly Fund.

Don’t have an iPhone? Make a donation or just help spread the word.

Flagship Cinemas Derry 12
10 Ashleigh Drive
Derry, NH
Movie Hotline: 603-437-8800

Summer 2009 Schedule*

• 6/30-7/02:  Space Chimps
• 7/07-7/09: Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium
• 7/14-7/16: Alvin & The Chipmunks
• 7/21-7/23: IGOR
• 7/28-7/30: The Longshots
• 8/04-8/06: Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa
• 8/11-8/13: Kung Fu Panda
• 8/18-8/20: The Tale of Despereaux

*All titles and showtimes subject to change. Seating is limited.  For more information or for camp scheduling please call Flagship Cinemas Derry 12 at 603-437-4130.

There are two participating theaters in New Hampshire:

Hookset 8
100 Technology Dr.
Hookset, NH
603-6216-7177

Fox Run Stadium 15
45 Gosling Rd.
Newington, NH
603-431-6116

This summer’s schedule starts today and includes:

• 6/30-7/01 – Space Chimps (G)
• 7/07-7/08 – Horton Hears A Who (G), Inkheart (PG)
• 7/14-7/15 – Wallace And Gromit (G), Igor (PG)
• 7/21-7/22 – Charlotte’s Web (G), Alvin And The Chipmunks (PG)
• 7/28-7/29 – Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (G), Star Wars: Clone Wars (PG)
• 8/04-8/05 – Kit Kittredge: American Girl (G), Kung Fu Panda (PG)
• 8/11-8/12 – The Tale Of Despereaux (G), Journey To The Center Of The Earth (PG)
• 8/18-8/19 – Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything: Veggie Tale Movie (G), Bee Movie (PG)
• 8/25-8/26 – March Of The Penguins (G), Evan Almighty (PG) (Fox Run Only)

Tickets are available on the day of the show and seating is first-come, first-served so you may want to get there early. Visit Regal Entertainment Group for more information.