LITTLE PIM BLOG
Live From the American International Toy Fair
I'm blogging live from the American International Toy Fair! This huge four-day event draws companies from all over the world. The trade show features the newest and hottest products for children and is the largest conference in the Western Hemisphere. Thankfully, it's held in New York, so we don't have to travel to attend.
The response to Little Pim has been fantastic. Everyone loves the new characters Bob the Bobcat and Lola the Elephant. Our booth visitors are also really taking to the Deluxe Gift Sets.
We're located at convention center booth 5921. Please stop by and say "Hola, Bonjour or Ni Hao"!
A Memorable Yale Weekend
This past weekend I was back at my alma mater, Yale University. As part of a celebration marking 40 years of coeducation at Yale, I was invited to screen the first full length documentary I ever made: "Boola Boola...Yale Goes Coed".
It was great to be back at Yale; a place that holds wonderful memories for me. I was reminded of how much I learned at the tender age of 21 when I conducted the interviews for our film. These women paved the way for all of us - Yale was truly a bastion of male power until 1969, when women were begrudgingly admitted amidst vocal protests from a large percentage of the alumni.
Before the screening, I met with a group of students interested in starting their own businesses. Eight aspiring entrepreneurs got up early (early for students!) to meet for breakfast at one of my old favorite spots, the charming Claire's Cornucopia. Over decadent Lithuanian Coffee Cake we talked about how Little Pim was launched and what obstacles I had to overcome to start the business. They shared some of their business ideas in various stages of incubation. It was great to meet Yale's future entrepreneurs, and perhaps future Mompreneurs, who knows?
I wish them all the best of luck and, since I agree with Woody Allen that showing up is 90% of success, they are all on their way to making it.
Fox61 with Sarah French
This morning I had the exciting opportunity to be interviewed by Sarah French (a Little Pim-approved surname!) on the Fox61 Connecticut morning show about foreign language learning for kids.
Sarah was interested in knowing why it's so much easier for young children to absorb a new language and at what age they should start -- you know the answer, the earlier the better! You can check out our discussion in the clip below or stop by the Why Starting Early is Key page of our site for a more in-depth explanation. Merci, Sarah!
The Joan Hamburg Show
Today I have a radio interview with Joan and Liz Hamburg of The Joan Hamburg Show. Joan, "New York Radio's First Lady," is known throughout the country for her award-winning business and consumer affairs reporting. I'm looking forward to sharing my personal experience growing Little Pim from the ground up with her audience. Listen live to the 12:30 PM EST show by clicking on the link below (look for the "Listen Live" icon).
Update: Listen to the recording of the interview. Julia Live on The Joan Hamburg Show
Meeting Dr. Bialystok
Last weekend I attended a talk at a local Barnes & Noble by Dr. Ellen Bialystok, who was speaking about the cognitive benefits of children being bilingual. She is a Distinguished Research Professor of Psychology at York University in Canada. I have been following her work for a long time and have cited her research on bilingual children on our web site. Dr. Bialytsok walked us through studies she did on groups of monolingual and bilingual kids, comparing their reading, writing and processing skills. Her studies showed that not only did the bilingual children have the same level of vocabulary and ability to read in English as the monolingual kids, but in addition there were many cognitive benefits to learning a second language. The main one is that it is a great workout for the front lobes of the brain, which are in charge of all of our "executive functions". These functions include processing language, critical thinking and other intelligence related skills such as concentration and retention of information. She also shared evidence that showed that even limited exposure to a foreign language can modify how children think and enhance their cognitive skills. In other words, it’s not all or nothing and every bit counts.
After the talk I met Dr. Bialystok and learned that in 1981 she had been awarded the ACTFL-Paul Pimsleur Award for Research in Foreign Language Education; my father's legacy! What a thrill. She is making such an important contribution to this field of study and helping parents like me to feel confident that we are doing the right thing for our children by introducing them to a second language.
Learn more about why starting early with a second language is key:
http://www.littlepim.com/products/why-starting-early-is-key/
What do Dr. Bialystock and other scientists say about raising bilingual children?
Recent Disney Controvery Part II
Both Babble and Working Mother Magazine.com have published my article about the recent frenzy surrounding Baby Einstein and television for tots. Read the articles here:
They Say Maybe a Little Screen Time is Not So Bad by Cary Fagan of Babble's Strollerderby
http://blogs.babble.com/strollerderby/2009/10/30/they-say-maybe-a-little-screen-time-is-not-so-bad/
Controversy over Baby Videos Working Mother Magazine.com
http://www.workingmother.com/web?service=direct/1/ViewBlogLandingPage/dlinkBlog&sp=S1954
What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Recent Disney Controversy
As most of you who read my blog know, I am the mother of two young boys under the age of five and the creator of Little Pim, an educational DVD series that introduces babies, toddlers and preschoolers to a second language. Although I have mixed feelings about the Disney refund that was reported in the NYTimes on October 23rd, I believe the ban-TV-for-tots frenzy that has ensued is misguided. I am the mother of two young boys under the age of five, and for full disclosure, the creator of an educational DVD series for tots, Little Pim, which introduces babies, toddlers and preschoolers to a second language. Although I have mixed feelings about the Disney refund, I believe the ban-TV-for-tots frenzy that has ensued is misguided.
Let us contemplate the following:
1) Studies show that 74% of all kids in the U.S. under two watch SOME videos or DVDs*. So either nearly 3/4 of the parents in this country are bad people, or letting your child watch a show while you make dinner isn't as big a deal as some advocacy groups would have you believe.
2) There is a BIG difference between a baby or toddler watching a few minutes of an educational DVD and the 2-3 hours of viewing per day that the American Academy of Pediatrics found to be potentially unsound for young minds and prompted them to issue a warning against ANY screen time kids under the age of two.
3) We are now living in a digital era of You Tube, 500 cable channels, and videos on our cell phones. Our kids will be surrounded by media from their earliest days, whether we like it or not. The question we should be considering is “what” and “how much” screen time is right for our them? Parents need to make their own decisions about when the right time is to expose their kids to media, and then be encouraged to make thoughtful decisions about what that media is. Media literacy should be the issue of the day, not media abstinence.
4) Most parents engage with their young children in a variety of ways - reading to them, talking, singing, playing, dancing AND allowing them watch a DVD from time to time. Most of us do it all. I have yet to read a study that shows there are negative side effects of limited screen time, when it's part of a verbally rich environment and healthy family interactions.
So even if the secret is "out" that we sometimes use DVDs as a babysitter, we also know that sometimes we watch WITH our children. We share in their delight at making new puppet friends, learning new words in English, Spanish and Chinese, and acquiring social skills by imitating kids or animated characters on screen. These are moments we can celebrate and cherish; the watching may not make them smarter, but it may help them learn about making healthy viewing choices that will carry over when they are old enough to control the clicker.
I'd love to hear your thoughts and keep this conversation going.
* source: http://www.pbs.org/parents/childrenandmedia/article-faq.html#prevalentTV
Little Pim Learns Russian, Arabic, & German
Last week I was in Los Angeles where I met three new Little Pims! Three new Little Pim voice over actresses, that is. Anna, Petra and Wiiam were all delightful and skilled voice over talents who brought Little Pim to life in Russian, German and Arabic, respectively. DVDs 1, 2 and 3 will be released in these languages in December 2009.
We had a great time in the recording studio and I loved hearing Little Pim say "Ilal liqa'a Qareeban" in Arabic (goodbye, see you soon!), exclaim "nochmal!" in German (one more time) and whisper "shhh...on speed" in Russian (shhh, he is sleeping).
"lablog4" I was learning too, since I only speak ein bissen Deutch, about 30 words of Russian and about as much Arabic as would fit on a Hamsa locket. Some of my favorite words were:
Padushka - pillow in Russian Er snorrt - he snores in German Futur - breakfast in Arabic (also about the only word I could pronounce in Arabic).
I also had a few "lost in translation" moments when I discovered that there are no words in German for hugs or for pretending, and in Russian you would NEVER use the word for kids' feet. The word exists but they don't use it. They say small legs instead. Hmmm... That one had me stumped. There are also about four ways of saying "goodbye, see you soon" in Arabic. I am sure we chose the best one! If not, we can always get back in the studio and do it nochmal. I'll just be sure to eat a big futur and bring my padushka.
"lablog"
"lablog2"
"lablog3"
Little Pim Learns Russian, Arabic, & German
Last week I was in Los Angeles where I met three new Little Pims! Three new Little Pim voice over actresses, that is. Anna, Petra and Wiiam were all delightful and skilled voice over talents who brought Little Pim to life in Russian, German and Arabic, respectively. DVDs 1, 2 and 3 will be released in these languages in December 2009.
We had a great time in the recording studio and I loved hearing Little Pim say "Ilal liqa'a Qareeban" in Arabic (goodbye, see you soon!), exclaim "nochmal!" in German (one more time) and whisper "shhh...on speed" in Russian (shhh, he is sleeping).
"lablog4" I was learning too, since I only speak ein bissen Deutch, about 30 words of Russian and about as much Arabic as would fit on a Hamsa locket. Some of my favorite words were:
Padushka - pillow in Russian Er snorrt - he snores in German Futur - breakfast in Arabic (also about the only word I could pronounce in Arabic).
I also had a few "lost in translation" moments when I discovered that there are no words in German for hugs or for pretending, and in Russian you would NEVER use the word for kids' feet. The word exists but they don't use it. They say small legs instead. Hmmm... That one had me stumped. There are also about four ways of saying "goodbye, see you soon" in Arabic. I am sure we chose the best one! If not, we can always get back in the studio and do it nochmal. I'll just be sure to eat a big futur and bring my padushka.
"lablog"
"lablog2"
"lablog3"
Little Pim Learns Russian, Arabic, & German
Last week I was in Los Angeles where I met three new Little Pims! Three new Little Pim voice over actresses, that is. Anna, Petra and Wiiam were all delightful and skilled voice over talents who brought Little Pim to life in Russian, German and Arabic, respectively. DVDs 1, 2 and 3 will be released in these languages in December 2009.
We had a great time in the recording studio and I loved hearing Little Pim say "Ilal liqa'a Qareeban" in Arabic (goodbye, see you soon!), exclaim "nochmal!" in German (one more time) and whisper "shhh...on speed" in Russian (shhh, he is sleeping).
I was learning too, since I only speak ein bissen Deutch, about 30 words of Russian and about as much Arabic as would fit on a Hamsa locket. Some of my favorite words were:
Padushka - pillow in Russian Er snorrt - he snores in German Futur - breakfast in Arabic (also about the only word I could pronounce in Arabic).
I also had a few "lost in translation" moments when I discovered that there are no words in German for hugs or for pretending, and in Russian you would NEVER use the word for kids' feet. The word exists but they don't use it. They say small legs instead. Hmmm... That one had me stumped. There are also about four ways of saying "goodbye, see you soon" in Arabic. I am sure we chose the best one! If not, we can always get back in the studio and do it nochmal. I'll just be sure to eat a big futur and bring my padushka.
