Joanna Cole, award-winning author of the bestselling The Magic School Bus series and more than 250 books for children, passed away at the age of 75 on Jul. 12, 2020. Along with illustrator Bruce Degen, she created the groundbreaking science series in 1986. The book series, published by Scholastic, has thirteen core titles and dozens of series tie-ins, with more than 93 million copies in print in 13 countries. 

Joanna Cole

The Magic School Bus series has been recognized with some of the most prestigious children’s awards including: NEA Foundation Award for Outstanding Service to Public Education, An American Booksellers Association Choice, IRA/CBC Children’s Choice, School Library Journal Best Books of the Year, A Horn Book Fanfare, and Parents Magazine Best Books of the Year. 

“Joanna Cole had the perfect touch for blending science and story,” said Dick Robinson, Chairman, President and CEO, Scholastic. “Joanna’s books, packed with equal parts humor and information, made science both easy to understand and fun for the hundreds of millions of children around the world who read her books and watched the award-winning television series. Her Ms Frizzle led a group of eager and curious students on countless adventurous trips on the Magic School Bus¬–into the human body, hurricanes, the solar system, and everywhere imaginable. Joanna and the landmark series she created with illustrator Bruce Degen and editor Craig Walker was produced for television by Scholastic Entertainment, and has been viewed continuously for 25 years. Her spirited work will live on as The Magic School Bus continues to be discovered by new readers and viewers.”

Degen said, “I think for Joanna the excitement was always in the idea. What? Why? How? And with The Magic School Bus it was how to explain it so that it is accurate and in a form that a kid can understand and use. And you can actually joke around while you are learning. She had a rare sense of what could be humorous.

We met in 1984 in the office of the much missed Craig Walker, the brilliant editor who asked us to work together. We did not know each other. In the world of children’s books it is not often necessary for illustrator and writer to actually meet, but there were conundrums with MSB. Every page was so complicated we had to make decisions: how to make it work. Could it work? And we did. Together. And we became friends. What Joanna has meant to the world, what there is in the world because of her, is well known. What she meant to me I can’t describe. Everyone who knew her, worked with her, loved her, knows what a loss it is.”

Prior to her death, Cole and Degen completed The Magic School Bus Explores Human Evolution, scheduled for publication Spring 2021.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Scholastic

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If you have been pregnant you know that morning sickness doesn’t just rear its head in the early hours of the day. Researchers argue that the term “morning sickness” is misleading and should instead be described as nausea and sickness in pregnancy. A study published  in the British Journal of General Practice shows that, while the most likely time for pregnancy sickness symptoms to occur is in the morning, a significant number of women can experience them at any time of the day.

pregnant

‘Morning sickness’ has long been used to describe nausea and vomiting that women often experience in the early stages of pregnancy. Although pregnant women often report experiencing nausea and sickness throughout the waking day, until now no research has described the likelihood of these symptoms occurring at different times of the day.

The researchers used data from daily symptom diaries kept by 256 pregnant women. In these diaries, the women recorded their experience of nausea and vomiting for each hour in the day, from the day they discovered they were pregnant until the 60th day of their pregnancy. The researchers then used this data to map the likelihood of experiencing nausea and experiencing vomiting in each hour of the day, broken down into weeks following last ovulation.

They found that while vomiting was most common between the hours of 7.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m., nausea is highly likely throughout the whole daytime, not just the morning. Furthermore, many women still reported vomiting as a symptom even into the evening. The most common hour for participants to experience nausea and vomiting was between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. with 82% experiencing nausea in this hour, and 29% experiencing vomiting.

94.2% of participants experienced at least one of these symptoms during the study, with 58% experiencing both.

In addition, by comparing occurrence of symptoms across the first seven weeks of pregnancy, measured from last ovulation, the researchers found that the later the week, the higher the probability of experiencing symptoms. The probability of experiencing nausea is at its highest in weeks 5, 6 and 7 while for vomiting it is in week seven. As the study only examined the first seven weeks of pregnancy, the probabilities after week seven are not known.

Professor Roger Gadsby, of Warwick Medical School, said: “Morning sickness is widely used by the general public, media and even healthcare professionals but it doesn’t give an accurate description of the condition.If a pregnant woman experiences sickness in the afternoon she may feel that this is unusual and wrong, or if she experiences no vomiting but feels nauseated all day she might think she is not covered by the term ‘morning sickness’. And those women who experience severe symptoms feel it trivialises the condition”

He continued, “Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP) can have a significant negative impact on the lives of sufferers. It can cause feelings of depression, of being unable to look after the family, and of loss of time from paid work. Very severe NVP called hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is the commonest cause of admission to hospital in the first trimester of pregnancy.”

The study authors said: “The continued use of the term ‘morning sickness’ could imply that symptoms only rarely occur in the afternoon and evening so that sufferers will have significant parts of the day symptom-free. This study shows that this is an incorrect assumption and that symptoms, particularly nausea, can occur at any time of the day.”

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Anastasiia Chepinska on Unsplash

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As concerned parents, at Red Tricycle we are making every effort to provide you with the most accurate information. However, at this time wide-spread closures are occuring at the last minute due to the spread (or prevention of the spread) of Covid-19. For more on what parents need to know about the Coronavirus outbreak, click here. For current info about Annenberg PetSpace check their Facebook page or call ahead before heading to the adoption space.

If your kiddo’s Paw Patrol or My Little Pony craze was any indication, they’re fast growing up to be animal-obsessed. If you’re ready to get your summer booked with some Safer-at-Home activities, Annenberg PetSpace Kids Camp has an ideal one-week online experience at the ready. Little animal lovers between the ages of 8 and 11 will adore the line-up of daily themes, educational games and activities and, of course, virtual animal encounters. Read on to learn how campers and animals can discover new bonds a little more each day.

 

Monday: Meet the Pets & the Vets

Because Annenberg PetSpace is an animal adoption center, campers will get a behind-the-scenes look at the PetSpace Health Center. They’ll also meet adoptable animals as well as those that get to call this special place home. For any budding veterinarian, there is no greater exposure than seeing this important work up close. (The center’s new Critter Corner will give a special look at some cool small companion animals too!)

Tuesday: Teach Good Behavior

As your household may well know, pet responsibility is making sure your pup is happy, healthy—and well behaved. Whether or not campers have pets at home, they will learn training techniques and make their own training clicker to help teach good behaviors. And a job well done deserves a treat – campers get to virtually prepare healthy snacks for the adoptable pets.

Wednesday: Makeover the Mutts

Next up is the Styling Station and Groom Room to learn about professional pet grooming and the importance of hygiene. Once the adoptable pets are ready for their close-ups, campers will remotely help take their photos. Who knows? Maybe a family out there will see a sweet pup and consider adopting!

Thursday: Learn What It Takes to Keep Pets Healthy

What’s good for pets and people alike? Exercise! Campers will learn about overall wellness for dogs, cats and other critters, too. There’s even an underwater treadmill for innovative treatments like aquatherapy.

Friday: Celebrate with the Whole Pack

After a week of fun, parents and guardians are invited to log on to see how much their campers have learned about the human-animal bond. And how is your pet knowledge? You’ll go head-to-head with your child to test your trivia skills. Finally, take part in an online commencement ceremony to complete the week!

Learn more and register now!

— Jennifer Massoni Pardini

all photos courtesy of Annenberg PetSpace

With COVID-19 keeping everyone indoors, expecting parents may find themselves at a loss for childbirth classes. In response to the challenge, Pampers has launched no-cost access to virtual Childbirth Education––and it’s available now!

The new series consists of nine classes led by two clinical childbirth experts. Each part features real-life expecting parents and covers in-depth info on the various stages of parenting.

photo: Courtesy of Pampers

Pampers Childbirth Education will consist of the following topics: Body Changes & Discomforts, Prenatal Health & Nutrition, Preparing for Labor & Birth, Labor & Birth Part One, Labor & Birth Part Two, Immediately After Birth, Feeding Your Baby, Bringing Baby Home and Postpartum Care.

With a goal of “caring for the healthy development of babies through their journey fro womb to world,” Pampers has developed its Childbirth Education series with accredited sources and will contain the most accurate and up to date information on childbirth.

The new program is available for registration beginning Mon., Apr. 13 at 1 p.m. ET at Pampers.com.

––Karly Wood

 

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As concerned parents, at Red Tricycle we are making every effort to provide you with the most accurate information. However, at this time wide-spread closures are occuring at the last minute due to the spread (or prevention of the spread) of Covid-19. For more on what parents need to know about the Coronavirus outbreak, click here. For current info about the Disney Stores Events, check their Facebook page or call ahead before heading to the store. 

 

We are officially on the countdown to Easter! If you’re looking for a fun way to celebrate this spring-y time of year, you need only head to your local Disney store.

For the second year in a row, the Magical Egg Hunt Adventure is returning to Disney stores. Guests can participate from Mar. 13 to Apr. 12 in the event which includes an egg hunt, a map and a collectible egg with a figurine inside!

The Magical Egg Hunt costs $9.99 per child and is best for kids three and older. Participants will also get paper bunny ears to wear on their head while they search for the eggs and place stickers on their maps once they’ve found each hidden character egg.

Once kids have finished their map, they will get a Mickey Mouse Reward Egg with more hidden characters inside! To find your local store and more info on upcoming events, visit Shop Disney.

––Karly Wood

All photos: Courtesy of Disney

 

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Your kids are watching slime videos, and since they are so relaxing, you should be too. Slime artists like “Mona Lisa Slimes” have gained large followings based on their amazingly accurate food-themed slime creations. Now you can buy similar slime creations to enjoy at home.

Slime obsessed fans will be happy to know that there are many options available to purchase. The newest slime creations from SlooMoo Institute are based on macarons. This new slime collection features six different “flavored” macarons, including Chocolate Banana, Cotton Candy, Mint Chocolate Chip, Taro Buttercream, Vanilla Almond, and Orange Creamsicle. Rest assured, each one smells like it’s name. 

These macarons retail for $12 before shipping.

Slime Macaron

SlooMoo Institute is a slime experience located in New York City, but their products can be shipped around the country. 

If you aren’t interested in macarons, there are still plenty of options to choose from, like fortune cookies and cannolis that can be customized with the slime of your choice. 

—Jennifer Swartvagher  

Featured image: SlooMoo Institute

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The super bowl halftime performance last week caused a lot of noise on social media! One phrase that I noticed being thrown around was “family-friendly” and it got me thinking, what does this even mean? Is it based on values, or morals, or some sort of social indoctrination? Isn’t it subjective, considering every family is different?  

Let’s take a step back. If your kids were watching at halftime, you were exercising your right as a parent to let them watch it. If the resulting outcome was disapproval or disgust, does the fault lie with you as the parent or the network? Perhaps the NFL or the artists themselves? Who ultimately has control of the content that goes from the TV directly into your child’s impressionable brain? 

My vote: the parents. 

Don’t get me wrong, figuring out which content is appropriate for kids (no matter what your version of appropriate is) can be dizzying. The TV and Movie Parental guidelines rating system is fairly helpful, but not always accurate, so parents still have to be aware of what their children are watching all the time.

I’ve watched some PG-13 movies that are benign because the adult humor goes well over my kid’s heads, yet some PG content has caused nightmares in our house (I’m looking at you, Coraline). Unfortunately, this rating system does not apply to news or sports programming, including the super bowl and its halftime performance. 

For the record, my kids did not watch it, not because I didn’t allow it, but because they were busy doing other things. When the Seahawks don’t make the cut, my kids lose interest. However, If they had watched, I would have been ok with it and would have addressed questions, if any, as they came up. It was perfectly “family-friendly” for this family. 

If for some reason it had been objectionable to one of my kids, it would have been MY responsibility for allowing them to watch. It isn’t up to JLo and Shakira to set a good example for my family. That’s our job as parents.  

You might say, “But, I didn’t know it would be that risque!” Ok, fine, but again, isn’t this part of informed parenting? Maybe next time, before letting your kids watch, you could give the performers a google? The content should have been no surprise (the performances and outfits were on par for both artists), and you would have been fully prepared to skip it or hit the off button on your tv. Family-friendly in YOUR home is up to you to decide, not the network, not the producers, not the performers.

Let’s step back even further. If your kids were watching football in the first place, and you were offended by the halftime performance, how do you justify watching the cheerleaders who are scantily clad during each and every game? Before JLo and Shakira took the stage, your kids had already taken in a whole lotta skin, gyrating, and jumping up and down via the sidelines. 

How about the commercials for Viagara and violent R rated movies? I know that when my 7-year-old watches football with his dad, I am on guard to turn certain commercials off or ask him to look away. I’ve watched enough football games to KNOW there is content that scares him sometimes! They are not family-friendly in my opinion, but we do our best with the content to make it appropriate for his eyes. Again, it isn’t up to the advertisers to parent my kid. What they watch is ultimately up to us as parents. 

If the halftime performance wasn’t your cup of tea, that’s cool! I liked it and found it super entertaining, but I respect and understand the viewpoint of those who thought it was too risque for their taste. We all have our own level of comfort. But ultimately, if your children watched and now you’re offended because it wasn’t “family-friendly,” then it’s a good time to remind yourself who is in charge of your family, and the content they watch. You hold the remote. 

 

Emily Lynn Paulson
Tinybeans Voices Contributor

Emily is the author of Highlight Real: Finding Honesty & Recovery Beyond The Filtered Life. 

As a Certified Professional Recovery Coach, recovery advocate, educator,  and speaker, she is passionate about connecting women with resources for healing. Emily lives in Seattle with her husband and their five children. 

   

Talking to your kids about the news can feel very daunting in today’s world. From war to climate change, it can feel a little scary to give your kids access to the news, but in the digital era it’s impossible to shelter them forever.

Instead, The Week Junior wants to give kids clear, straightforward information that allows them to formulate their own opinions on the world. The new publication is a weekly news magazine just for kids, which aims to make the conversation a little easier.

Aimed at readers ages eight to 14 years old, The Week Junior is a weekly spin-off from the global publication The Week. Each issue features 32 pages of engaging articles and eye-catching photographs designed to keep young readers interested and learning. The magazine covers current events, as well as featuring interviews, recipes, puzzles and other activities.

The Week Junior stands for more than just a renaissance in print. It stands for helping children navigate the fast-moving and sometimes confusing world around them,” Andrea Barbalich The Week Junior’s U.S. Editor in Chief said in a press statement. “Through accurate, engaging and unbiased editorial, we are empowering children to think critically, form their own opinions and understand their place in the world. The Week Junior fosters a passion for reading and learning that will last a lifetime.”

The kids version of the magazine launched in the United Kingdom in 2015 and it instantly became an award-winning success. “When we launched The Week Junior in the UK, everyone told us that children don’t read the news; we proved them wrong,” said Kerin O’Connor, Chief Executive of The Week and The Week Junior. “Children are smarter and more eager to know what is going on than they are given credit for. Our mission is to inspire children with inspired reading.”

The Week Junior is launching in spring 2020 as a subscription-only publication. A one year subscription is $75 for 48 issues. You can subscribe here starting now. The first issue will arrive in March.

—Shahrzad Warkentin

All photos: Courtesy of The Week Junior

 

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If the world let kids be in charging of naming things, we’d all live in a happier place. From surprisingly accurate descriptions to downright hilarious phrases, our roundup of funny tweets from Twitter parents is bound to make you chuckle. Keep reading for a collection of laugh-worthy ways that kids describe common things.

 

1. Technically this is very accurate, so…

2. What would your “birthday meat” be?

3. So body positive!

4. This is shockingly accurate.

5. Beat Fever doesn’t have the same ring to it.

6. Goodbye crow, hello Halloween Eagle!

7. This would also be a good name to call a purse.

8. Why haven’t we thought of this!?

9. So emotional, and so much better than “tears.”

https://twitter.com/LetMeStart/status/714753982569324544

10. BRB, heading to the airplane store!

11. 😂😂😂

12. Gotta go apply my armpit makeup!

13. Because two-year-olds are the best.

14. 🙌

15. Nailing it, for sure.

16. Pass the pizza sugar, please.

17. Accurate.

18. For REAL.

19. Anyone else suddenly want bacon?

20. We could all use a little extra fiber!

21. #dreadmill

 

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