Diaper Research Tracks Infant Estrogen Levels The method, previously used in nonhuman primates, will allow researchers to learn more about the association between estrogen levels in human infants and their long-term reproductive development as well as the development of sex-specific behaviors, such as toy preference or cognitive differences. What’s more, the method will also allow researchers to look at how early disruption of the endocrine system affects long-term maturation, a growing concern among researchers and physicians. [Medical News Today]
Watch Video: The U.S. Gets Low Marks for Preemie Birth Rates[MSNBC] Highlighting Gender Promotes Stereotyped Views In Preschoolers In many preschool classrooms, gender is very noticeable – think of the greeting, “Good morning, boys and girls” or the instruction, “Girls line up on this side, boys on that.” A new study has found that when teachers call attention to gender in these simple ways, children are more likely to express stereotyped views of what activities are appropriate for boys and girls, and which gender they prefer to play with. [Medical News Today]
Taryn and I recently hit Toy Fair in New York to find out which playthings are going to be big in '09. I don't want to ruin the surprise, but I will tell you to expect lots of dragons and giraffes popping up everywhere this year. During our great-gift search, we also managed to learn some truths about ourselves–like Taryn apparently has a thing for guys made entirely out of LEGOs and I'm a master of mind control (Now if I could just figure out how to harness this power without the embarrassing headgear!) Come along with us for a sneak peek of the show.
Instead of letting your kids loose in the wild world of YouTube, send 'em over KideoPlayer. It's a new, super-simple site that only plays kid-safe YouTube vidoes. There are no complicated controls, you just hit the spacebar to move to the next one. Warning: You and/or your children may become totally entranced by the zen-like sight of rolling toy trains, sunrises, and frolicking bunnies. (Or maybe that's just me.)
Far away from your family or friends this holiday season? Send a video holiday greeting instead of the usual card. TokBox, which offers free video calling and mail, is a super-easy and fast way to share your holiday wishes. (Not to mention you know that Grandma would be delighted to see a video of your little ones.) To sweeten the deal, for every holiday greeting sent between now and December 25, TokBox will donate 5 cents to the Child Foundation. Nice! If Grammy and Gramps aren't down with the Internet, your kids can "send" a letter to the newly-tech savvy Santa.
After months and months of toy mania, it’s all come down to this. We’re finally walking our bosses through the top kid-tested toy picks. Come along for the whirlwind toy show, or check out previous episodes by clicking here.
But wait! There’s more! The toy fun doesn’t stop here. Next week, pick up the toy guide in our November issue, and come back to GoodyBlog for the start of a super-cool (and HUGE) giveaway.
In this week’s episode, Selin and I (okay, mostly Selin) schlep all of our testers’ favorite toys down to the casting room to set up for the big show with our bosses. The grunt work never ends! (For Selin)
Watch now, or click here to see the toy test and other vlogs.
10 Controversial Toys That Won’t Be On This Year’s Wish Lists
