Showing posts with label Sesame Street. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sesame Street. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Thomas the Train

We didn't allow Max to watch tv the first couple of years of his life--except the presidential inauguration, but that had historical significance.

Sesame Street was first.  Then we chugged on to Thomas the Train because he loved trains.

But I never really liked it.  It's not especially educational, although they do promote being nice to others. Sort of.

Actually, I find it a bit sexist.

Sexist?

Yes. 

Sure, trains traditionally appeal to little boys and the creator of the books wrote them for his son.  I get that.  However, of all the engines, there is only one who is female. And she's annoying. She possesses some stereotypical "female nag" traits.

Then, of course, Clarabel and Annie are the coaches.  In one of the books, they annoy Thomas with their excitement and giddiness and he has trouble "keeping them in line."

I wondered if I was the only person who thought these stories that promote hard work and honesty could be tinged with sexism.   Apparently not.  I Googled "Thomas the Train Sexist" and was amazed at how many responses I found.

Read for yourself.

The Week

What do you think?

Should authors who target children be aware of such messages?

Friday, May 20, 2011

Friday Favorite: Sesame Street Party

My son's birthday is at the end of the summer. So, of course, I fantasize about his party months in advance.  Last year, the kid was totally Devoted to Elmo. Note the capital "d."

On his birthday he became ill, so we had to postpone.  A week later, fewer attendees, and approximately two days after he suddenly stopped being fascinated with all things Sesame Street, we had his party.  We had a great time.

If you're wanting to have a Sesame Street party, check out these blogs for inspiration.

Kara's Party Ideas: This Sesame Street party is unrivaled.  If you click on no other link, check out this one. Seriously.

Birthday Girl: Gotta love the multi-colored theme--especially the Jones soda.

Hostess With the Mostess: I'm a baked goods sort of girl. The thought of candy buffets makes me queasy, but aren't they pretty?

P is for Party: The street signs, fish bowl, and giant blocks add to the fun.

Lovely Sprinkles: I absolutely fell in love with these invitations which inspired me to include stickers in ours. They were a hit!

Party Perfect: If I were a more patient person, I'd have totally made these cake balls.

Hostess With the Mostess: Is your kid crazy about Cookie Monster? Look no further!

Kara's Party Ideas: Is your kid in love with Elmo?

Brush up on your Sesame Street characters with this link. 

Wasn't that fun? Don't you feel like you've been to a party?

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Sesame Street Birthday Party



On the morning of Max's rescheduled birthday party, we worked to put the final touches on the party. Many details had already been completed last weekend. Max was so excited. Here he is finding the paper lanterns before they were hung on the pergola.And discovering the streamers we'd set up for pictures.
The Sesame Street party was "sponsored" by the letter M and the number 2, so two choices were available in most cases. Below are shots of the table before it was filled with food. In the polka dotted bowl are packages of goldfish in honor of Elmo's pet fish Dorothy.We made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on white bread and wheat.We set out vanilla and chocolate cupcakes.
Max supervised and made necessary adjustments.We prepared the games.


Then the phone rang. The bug we'd had the week before had spread. So, due to illness and scheduling conflicts, we had 12 in attendance, instead of 27. But Max didn't know any better. Although Garrett and I missed all of the loved ones who couldn't attend the second scheduled party, we had a great time.

The guests arrived wearing colors representing their favorite Sesame Street characters. You can imagine how thrilled Max was when he saw my parents!
My grandmother still knows how to party.
Ange and I have been friends for 24 years. I'm so glad we're both back in Oklahoma so that we can spend days like this together. I hadn't seen her mom in several years, and it was a fun reunion with all the munchkins.
The little ones played a game where they found a duck with an M or a 2 on it.
The kids--old and young--made monsters. The cans once contained Gerber snacks, but my friend Coleen and I covered them in felt. She also gave me extra fiber (that she'd dyed with Kool-Aid!) from the supply she sells. Check her out.

I was impressed with their creativity. Kailee immediately grabbed some "fur" and placed eyeballs on it. Then she decided she was going to have a monster inside of a monster and stuffed it inside the container where she made another monster. She was very hard at work.

Here's Papa helping Max with his.


The kids proudly showed off their monsters.
Here is Max's monster.

We opened presents.
Max received many thoughtful gifts--what gift isn't?--and he loved them all. From us, he received his first tricycle, but he called it his "bike." His father was so proud.
Max had been practicing for the big candle ceremony and blew it out by himself.
Unlike last year, he dug right into his cake, leaving it a wasteland of ooey goodness.
I loved watching the kids play,
and run,
and run,
and blow (fight over) bubbles,
and hide in the castle,
and drink Elmo juice,
and eat ice cream,
and have fun.

It was exhausting.Everyone went home with something. The adults had cookies from Cookie's Monster's stash and M&Ms. The kids had Sesame Street books, coloring books, monster stickers, and silly bandz (numbers). The little ones received balls instead of silly bandz. (Max chewed on one, so I figured it was probably a bad idea.)

I loved that the kids had a great time. Max talked about his "fwenz" for days. Plus, I knew it was a success when Ange told me her niece Errin had said that even though Max is "a little kid, he sure knows how to throw a party."