MAY 2007: Launch of Maeve on the Red Carpet Event

Article from Common Sense Media

Dear BSG Parents and Friends,

Heading into the warm weather months, it’s getting harder and harder to keep kids focused on school – they seem to smell freedom. (In fact, I know some schools are finishing up for the year but here in Beacon Street Girls territory, we still have up to a month left in the school year.)

With the end of the school year approaching, perhaps you are thinking about how to thank that special educator. Many schools restrict personal gifts and teachers themselves often encourage gifts for the school. You may wish to consider a set of Beacon Street Girls books for the classroom, guidance counselor or school library. As you know, the Beacon Street Girls books address issues that real tweens are struggling with and provide girls with strong role models.

In addition to the individual books, you can purchase a set of BSG Books 1-4 and books 5-8 from our website store and we can ship them to you or directly to the school. Be sure to tell the teacher that we offer free downloadable activity guides on our website.

Meanwhile, we’re gearing up to launch Maeve on the Red Carpet, our new BSG Special Adventure. Maeve is heading for film camp! (We based our camp on the tween film and acting courses offered by the famous New York Film Academy.) The new book will be available in book stores everywhere soon (or you can purchase it from our website!)

A grand adventure, the book also addresses friendship and social issues. In the book, Maeve goes to film camp to learn about what it takes to make a movie, but she ends up learning even more about making friends and what a true friend looks like. (According to our surveys, parents cite “friendship and social issues” as their biggest concerns for their preteen girls. And, in this era of MySpace and “friending”, kids are finding it harder than ever to make real friends.)

To launch the book in style, we’re hosting a series of super-fun events. If you are going to be in New York City or Los Angeles in June, I hope you’ll join us and the New York Film Academy (NYFA)! The party in LA will be held on the Universal Studios back lot! We’d love to meet you and your daughter in person. Check out the complete schedule:
 
• June 2: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, NYFA, 100 East 17th St., New York, NY, 10003
• June 8: 7:30 pm, Barnes & Noble, Burlington, MA
• June 9: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm, NYFA, 3800 Barham Blvd. Los Angeles, CA
 (inside Universal Studios Backlot, Gate 4 entrance)
• June 16: 2:30 pm, Barnes & Noble, 33 East 17th Street, New York, NY
• Jun 22: 7:00 pm, Barnes & Noble, 1 Worcester Rd., Framingham, MA

You can get free tickets to the NYFA events by sending an email to flikchic@beaconstreetgirls.com and we’ll be launching a new contest very soon! Watch for it!

Speaking of contests, we picked the winner of our Charlotte in Paris sweepstakes and Avery, 10, from Texas, and her mom will be going to Paris courtesy of Atlas Travel and the Beacon Street Girls. Avery tells us she’s never been out of the country before and she’s very excited to follow in Charlotte’s footsteps. If you and your family are interested in a trip like this, our travel partner, Atlas, can help you.

And, as promised, this month we have a terrific article from our friends at Commonsense Media. They’ve provided us with a number of helpful hints on how to manage the huge number of media choices available today and figure out what's right for your family.

As always,

Addie

Article from Common Sense Media

We know that your daughter loves to read, but like most other tweens and teens throughout the country, she probably spends a whole lot of time watching TV and movies, surfing the Internet, and playing games. In fact, did you know that the average American child spends nearly 45 hours per week consuming media? That’s the equivalent of a full-time job plus overtime!

And as a parent, it takes almost that much time to manage the huge number of media choices available and figure out what’s right for your family. For a one-stop resource for all your media needs, check out Common Sense Media, the nation’s leading nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the media lives of kids and families. We provide trustworthy ratings and reviews of media and entertainment based on child development criteria created by leading national experts. The next time you need to make a media decision, or need some practical parenting tips, visit www.commonsensemedia.org.  We also have a free weekly online newsletter with up-to-the-minute reviews and ratings. Your family can even write your own reviews, which is a great way to get your kids thinking about what they’re consuming. Because what they put in their brains is just as important as what goes in their bodies.

Here are some easy tips to follow to raise media savvy kids:

1. Set media time limits and stick to them. Experts recommend no more than 1 to 2 hours a day of screen time.
2. Check content and ratings in advance to choose media that is age appropriate.
3. Keep media out of kids’ bedrooms. Locate media in a central place where children’s media use can be supervised.
4. Make a NO media rule during mealtimes and homework and before bedtime.
5. Consider using parental controls – blocking technology like the V-Chip for television or filtering software for the Internet.
6. Get kids into the habit of asking permission to use media. Make sure babysitters and other caregivers know the guidelines for a healthy media   diet.
7. Whenever you can, watch, play, listen and surf with your kids and talk about the content. When you can’t be there, ask them about the media they’ve used.
8. Help kids question and analyze media messages by sharing your values. Let them know how you feel about solving problems with violence, stereotyping people, selling products using sex or cartoon characters, or advertising to kids in schools or in movie theaters.
9. Use the VCR or TiVo to tape your favorite shows that may be inappropriate for kids to watch — even the news — and watch them at a later time when  kids are not around.
10. Push the remote button to "off" and get kids to read, exercise or play outdoors every day for the same amount of time they spend using media.