Posts Tagged ‘
video game ’
Sunday, October 9th, 2011
This sweepstakes is now closed. Congratulations to Stacey S. of Florida for winning the Xbox 360 Console + Kinect!
Who says video games aren’t good for you? The Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, the largest children’s hospital charity, will be hosting its annual 24-hour video game fundraising marathon, called Extra Life, on Saturday, October 15. The marathon is in honor of the late Victoria (Tori) Enmon, a 15-year-old girl who played video games during her battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
In honor of this fundraising event that carries on Tori’s legacy, the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has offered to give away one Xbox 360 4GB Console with Kinect to a lucky Parents.com reader. The prize package is valued at $299.99 and includes: built-in wi-fi, a black wireless controller, a standard definition composite A/V cable, a Kinect Sensor, the Kinect Adventures game, and a free one-month Xbox LIVE Gold Membership.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to support 170 children’s hospitals across the United States and Canada for research, training, equipment, and other healthcare issues related to children. Participants can get involved in the marathon (or make donations) by registering on Extra-Life.org. Even if your family doesn’t play video games, mobile games and board games are also encouraged.
Xbox 360 also hosted a Gaming and Giving for Good (G3) Xbox LIVE charity event earlier this month on Saturday, October 1, to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. 9,600 individuals participated, including celebrities such as actress Eva Longoria (“Desperate Housewives”) and professional sports players such as Landry Fields (New York Knicks), Andrew Bynum (LA Lakers), and Shawn Marrion (Dallas Mavericks).
To win the Xbox 360 4GB Console with Kinect, share a favorite family memory involving video, mobile, or board games in our Comments section below. One winner will be chosen randomly to win this sweepstakes giveaway, which runs from Monday, October 10 to Saturday, October 15. Please click here to read the full sweepstakes rules.
Goody luck!
More About Video Games on Parents.com
Tuesday, March 8th, 2011
Children Make Parents Happy … Eventually
Parents: The late-night feedings, midnight diaper changes and temper-tantruming toddlers might be worth it after all. A new study finds that while having more children makes young couples unhappy, bigger families bring parents joy in midlife and beyond. (Yahoo)
Noninvasive Test May Identify Down Syndrome Early On
A simple blood test may one day offer a safe way to detect Down syndrome during pregnancy, researchers say. In a small study, an experimental blood test identified a gene mutation associated with Down syndrome with 100 percent accuracy, according to the Cyprus scientists. (Yahoo)
Bipartisan Group Backs Common School Curriculum
A bipartisan group of educators and business and labor leaders announced on Monday their support for a common curriculum that states could adopt for public schools across the nation. The proposal, if it gains traction, would go beyond the common academic standards in English and mathematics that about 40 states adopted last year, by providing specific guidelines for schools and teachers about what should be taught in each grade. (New York Times)
Video Games That Make Kids Move Burn Calories
Interactive video games that require high-energy movement raised middle school kids’ metabolisms to levels typically seen with moderate or vigorous exercise, a new study finds. Researchers evaluated the effect of six forms of so-called “exergaming” on energy expenditure in 39 children of various body-mass indexes (BMIs) at a youth fitness research and training center at the University of Massachusetts. (Yahoo)
Japan halts vaccines after deaths of 4 children
Japan has temporarily stopped using vaccines from U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc. and Sanofi-Aventis SA of France while it investigates the deaths of four children who were inoculated, the health ministry said Monday. (MSNBC)
Wednesday, January 5th, 2011
I’ve never been a video game person, so my husband was surprised when I suggested that we buy our family a Wii for Christmas. My daughters are 11 years apart—Jane is almost 6 and Abby is 17—and with Abby’s busy schedule (homework, sports, friends, college applications), they really don’t get to spend that much quality time together. Something told me that a Wii would be good family activity, and I was right. Jane has a chip on her shoulder about being the youngest and assumes she will always lose at games, but she was able to hold her own with Abby on the Wii. It was great to see the two of them giggling together. For some reason, my little girly girl’s favorite game is Swordfighting, but maybe it’ll be assertiveness training.
Wednesday, January 5th, 2011
Survey Finds Much Victimization of Children Goes Unreported
Health Day News found that in the past year 60 percent of 10 to 17-year olds surveyed were victims of violence, abuse, or crime. The survey also found that close to 46 percent of all incidents had been reported. This is a great improvement since previous years, but still more than half of the victims are seeking emotional and physical help. (Yahoo News)
Chickenpox Vaccine Cuts Hospitalization Rates: Study
In the past decade there has been increasingly less hospitalizations of children suffering from the chickenpox. The newer two-dose vaccine released in 2006 is believed to offer better protection, according to the Center for Disease Control. (Health Day.com)
Visual Skills Required for Independence Are Impaired in Children With Autism Research Finds
According to the University of Bristol new research indicates that children with autism are unable to search effectively for objects in real-life situations, which is contrary to previous studies that show that children with Autism often demonstrate outstanding visual skills. (Science Daily.com)
Brain Scans Show Children with ADHD Have Faculty Off Switch for Mind-Wandering
Researchers from the Motivation, Inhibition and Development in ADHD Study (MIDAS) group at the University of Nottingham found evidence that children with ADHD require either much greater incentives — or their usual stimulant medication — to focus on a task. (Science Daily.com)
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Tuesday, December 21st, 2010
I have a confession to make. When I sat down to chat with Tony a few weeks ago about Shred, I wasn’t convinced that a video game revolving around skateboarding and snowboarding would be able to capture my attention. I mean, I didn’t know much about the sport, so what would I have to say?
I was wrong. Not only was the game itself challenging and super-easy to play all at the same time, but Tony was so obviously passionate about it that his love of skateboarding sort of rubbed off on me. I mean, I’m no pro, but let’s just say that at the next family get-together, my younger cousins should definitely watch their backs—cause I’ve been practicing…
What age-range is best for this game?
I really think it’s an all-ages game. I think kids sort of go to it quicker and with less trepidation because they just get on and hop around. Some parents think somehow this game is as hard as real skateboarding, but it’s not. And adults think they’re going to get on and the board is going to shoot out from under them, but it’s not. And so I think the kids, they just love trying it—they’re down for anything. If I had to make a guess at an age range, I’d say 4 to 14 would be who would get it the most, get it quickly.
Have your kids played it?
Yeah, they like it. It’s funny, my 9-year-old doesn’t skate very much, and when he gets on he has his own take on it, and he has tricks that none of us use, I think because he doesn’t come from that mindset that he has to do it like a professional skateboarder. He’s just having fun.
What would you say the best part of skateboarding is in terms of what kids can learn from it?
I think it really teaches you a lot about self-confidence and self-motivation, because it’s not someone telling you that you have to go and do these drills and try these specific things. You can go at your own pace, and if you want to get better at it, it’s all about you setting those challenges for yourself. I feel like kids are capable of anything that they want to do, and they don’t have to have someone drilling ideas into them and telling them how to do it.
Categories: Entertainment, GoodyBlog, Holidays, Shopping & Gear, Time for Fun | Tags: celebs, interviews, skateboarding, Sports, tech, video game, video games
Monday, December 13th, 2010
Childhood: Sick in Day Care May Mean Healthier in School
The Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development followed 1,238 Canadian children from 5 months old, in 1998, to 8 years, in 2006 and found that Children who started going to large-group care centers before age 2 ∏ had 61 percent more ear and respiratory infections with fever than those at home. But, once they reached elementary school, they had 21 percent fewer respiratory infections and 43 percent fewer ear infections. (New York Times)
Kids Not So Stuck on Sugary Breakfast Cereals, Study Finds
A study due to be released in Pediatrics this January revealed that children may be more likely to opt for cereals with less sugar if given the choice, and will even compensate for taste with fruit. (Mount Carmel Health)
Neighboring Apartments May Expose Kids to Cigarette Smoke
Kids who live in apartments have 45 percent more cotinine, a marker of tobacco exposure, in their blood than children who live in detached homes. (Health Finder)
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Wednesday, December 1st, 2010
Here’s your chance to be the coolest mom or dad on the block. Starting right now, you can score a video-game console for your family just in time for the holidays. You heard right: We’re giving away a free Xbox 360 and its brand-spanking new Kinect system (it’s similar to the Wii, but you play through body movement–no controller needed!) Plus, we’re also throwing in Konami’s Adrenalin Misfits, a super-fun snowboarding game, to stuff into your kid’s stocking. Take home this totally awesome gaming prize pack by posting a comment below from now through 11:59 p.m. EST on December 8, and we’ll pick one lucky winner in a random drawing. Click here for the full rules. Goody luck!
UPDATE: This contest is now closed. But come back before the end of the week for another great giveaway!
Categories: Entertainment, Giveaways, GoodyBlog, Holidays, Shopping & Gear, Time for Fun | Tags: contest, contests, kinect, sweepstakes, video game, video games, xbox
Thursday, November 18th, 2010
Video games are going to be hot stuff again this year, thanks in large part to the launches of new systems, such as PS3′s Move and Xbox 360′s Kinect. With the help of our friends at Children’s Technology Review, we covered 15 of our fave games of 2010 in the December issue of Parents (click here to read). Now we’re squeezing in 10 more titles that will top kids’ wish lists for the holidays. Check them out!
Perfect for Preschoolers:
Sesame Street: Elmo’s A-to-Zoo Adventure ($40 for Wii; $30 for Nintendo DS)
Fun for Playdates:
Wii Party ($50 for Wii)
Great for Family Game Night:
Hasbro Family Game Night 3 ($40 for PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360)
Most Rockin’ Game:
Rock Band 3 ($60 for PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360)
A+ Animal Game:
EyePet ($40 for PS3 Move System)
Cool Controller:
Epic Mickey Paintbrush Nunchuk ($20 for Wii)
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Awesome Action Game:
Tony Hawk: Shred (with skateboard controller, $100; without, $60. For PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360)
Movie Adventure:
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 ($50 for For PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360; $30 for DS)
Cult-Classic Pick:
Grease ($30 for Wii)
Sing-Along Selection:
Glee: Karaoke Revolution ($60 for Wii)
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Make sure to pick up the December issue of Parents (on newsstands now). And don’t forget to check back for more video-game gift ideas–plus, a super-cool giveaway that’s coming soon!!!
