Science is for everyone, especially kids! Your little ones will have fun while learning about STEAM with Netflix’s new show Emily’s Wonder Lab. This live-action kids series hosted by Emily Calandrelli shares an awesome new science experiment or activity in every episode.
Packed with fun experiments on how to make rainbow bubbles and slime, Emily’s Wonder Lab is the perfect hands-on educational series for young kids as each episode features a new science experiment parents can replicate at home to safely engage the whole family.
Calandrelli posted on Instagram. “For many years I pitched science shows to large science networks and was unsuccessful. I would receive the feedback that ’the majority of our audience is male, so we just don’t know if they’d relate to a female host'”.
She continued, “But last year, Netflix picked up our science show, Emily’s Wonder Lab. I filmed the entire thing 9 months pregnant. So there is now a female-led science show on the biggest streaming platform in the world hosted by a pregnant woman – available world wide.”
The series is executive produced and hosted by Calandrelli.
Editor’s Note: Since publication Nickelodeon has released the following statement, “Made by Maddie is a show we acquired several years ago from Silvergate Media, a renowned production company we have previously worked with on other series. Since announcing the show’s premiere date this week, we have been listening closely to the commentary, criticism and concern coming from both viewers and members of the creative community. In response, and out of respect to all voices in the conversation, we are removing the show from our schedule as we garner further insight into the creative journey of the show. We are grateful to Silvergate Media for all of their work. And we hold Matthew A. Cherry and the wonderful and inspiring Hair Love in the highest regard.”
Preschoolers and families will fall in love with a new Nick Jr. show. The new animated series centers on Maddie, her close-knit, supportive family, her creative ways of looking at the world and her serious flair for fashion.Made by Maddie launches Sun. Sept. 13 at 11 a.m. ET/PT.
Both Maddie (Alyssa Cheatham, Collateral Beauty) and her mom, Dee (Tony-winner Patina Miller, Madam Secretary, The Hunger Games), a successful fashion designer, provide strong female role models for young viewers. Maddie’s musician dad, Rashad, is played by the Tony-winning James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin, Hamilton). The inclusive series features diverse characters organically woven into the fabric of the show to help a broad range of young viewers see themselves represented on-screen.
Made by Maddie follows 8-year-old Maddie in New York City, as she uses her imagination and design ingenuity to turn every problem into a positive with the perfect fashion fix. Maddie’s creative thinking and dazzling designs are a reflection of the bustling, colorful city of New York and its residents. Maddie confidently embraces her own unique style, celebrates individuality, treats everyone with kindness, and encourages others to take risks and be themselves.
Made by Maddie will continue to air regularly Sundays at 11 a.m.(ET/PT) on the Nick Jr. channel.
Throughout the season, Made by Maddie will feature guest voice appearances by: Karamo Brown (Queer Eye); Rhyon Nicole Brown (Empire); Danny Burstein (Broadway’s Moulin Rouge!); David Burtka (Professional Chef); Monét X Change (RuPaul’s Drag Race); Joey Fatone (*NSYNC); Griffin Robert Faulkner (Raising Dion); Nina Garcia (Project Runway); Joy Lynn Jacobs (The Blacklist); Claudia Morcate-Martin (Seneca); Wanya Morris (Boyz II Men); Christine Pedi (Steven Universe); Christiani Pitts (Broadway’s King Kong); Al Roker (TODAY); D’Angelo Russell (Minnesota Timberwolves); Horatio Sanz (Black Monday); and Nico Tortorella (Younger).
In the series premiere, “If the Glue Fits/Mini Me DJ,” Maddie gets her hands stuck to a pair of shoes Dee designed. Once she finally gets the shoes unstuck, she has to come up with a redesign to save the day. Then, Maddie, Dee, and her assistant Dustin design an outfit for DJ Fierce, a famous DJ. They scour the city for the perfect materials, but when a misunderstanding leads to an outfit mix-up, Maddie will have to get creative with a fashion fix.
Following the series premiere of Made by Maddie, NickJr.com and the Nick Jr. App will feature short-form content and full-length episodes. Episodes will also be available on Nick Jr. On Demand and Download-To-Own services.
Production of Made by Maddie for Nickelodeon Animation Studio is overseen by Eryk Casemiro, Senior Vice President, Nickelodeon Preschool.
Girls Scouts is so much more than selling cookies.The organization equips girls with the knowledge they need to take action on issues they believe in. Girl Scouts of the USA has just announced 24 new badges designed to help girls practice leadership skills in civics, entrepreneurship, STEM career exploration and automotive engineering.
Civics (Grades K-12)
The Civics badges help girls gain an in-depth understanding of how local, state and federal government works. (Funded by the Citi Foundation).
Entrepreneurship (Grades K-12)
Girls will create and pitch a product or service that solves a real-life problem and build a business plan that explores about topics like production, cost, profit, marketing, and competition. (Funded by Susan Bulkeley Butler and designed in collaboration with VentureLab).
STEM Career Exploration (Grades 2-8)
Explore computer science, nature/environmental science, engineering, design, health, and agriculture. (Funded by IF/THEN, an initiative of Lyda Hill Philanthropies).
Automotive Engineering (Grades K-5)
Girls will learn all about designing, engineering, and manufacturing vehicles, as well as the future of mobility. (Funded by General Motors).
“The world has changed drastically this year, and now more than ever, it’s imperative to have strong leaders who can make informed decisions,” said GSUSA CEO Sylvia Acevedo. Our new badges will continue to build the world-changing female leaders of today and the future, particularly in key industries that propel our country forward: automotive engineering, entrepreneurship, civics, and STEM.”
Also beginning this summer, all councils will also have the opportunity to host their own Girl Scout Cyber Challenge sponsored by Raytheon Technologies. Middle and high school girls will learn cybersecurity skills as they compete in challenges such as running traceroutes and identifying phishing schemes. The Cyber Challenge prepares girls to pursue careers in computer science and cybersecurity.
What do you do when things can’t be equal? This is a question many dual-income households are currently grappling with.
In my own household, which has been built on equality–both my husband and I are senior leaders within our respective companies–this question is hitting me particularly hard. The amount of anxiety, uncertainty, and plans going into the next school year seems to have disproportionately hit moms. Indeed, research shows in dual-income households, women shoulder more of these household burdens. Anecdotal evidence from my mom groups, group chats, and emails that have circulated further this thesis: as working men continue business as usual, women everywhere are trying to figure out what the heck we’re going to do when the school year starts.
In California, Governor Gavin Newsom has just announced a virtual start to the year. And with COVID-19 cases across most of the country increasing, we are all bracing for a year where parents will be called upon to be the primary educator and facilitator of distance learning. And when I say parents, I mean mothers. Working mothers in particular who have already battled the emotional toll of returning to work after maternity leaves, pumping on conference calls, finding ways to FedEx breast milk to babies while on work trips and countless microaggressions that keep us in secondary positions in the workplace will be left disadvantaged yet again.
To be clear, I’m not just talking about professional, white-collar women either. Data shows this is impacting women across the entire spectrum. A recent study shows a disproportionate number of female hourly workers cite childcare as their main barrier to going back to work right now.
But what are the solutions? Flexible work arrangements? We’ve tried that for months. We’re exhausted and burnt out. We’ve blocked our calendars, worked into the night or woken up early, we’ve done it all in the name of ‘making it work.’ The harsh reality is even with the most flexible work schedules, it will not solve the fundamental issue here—we cannot be called upon to give it our all at work all while being childcare providers, nurturers, cooks, and educators to our own children simultaneously. Even as expert jugglers, at some point there are simply too many balls in the air to manage.
I want to tie this all up in a bow, to provide some uplifting message or idea that will solve our 2020-2021 school year problems, but it doesn’t seem possible. The number of women that will either elect or be forced to leave the workforce, or need to ask for part-time time arrangements will set back an entire generation of women who have been trying desperately to break the glass ceiling for decades.
So what can we do? First, I’d like to go back to the initial point that this will disproportionately impact mothers. Male colleagues, do me a favor, don’t just outsource this task to your wife, get involved, and help advocate for your female colleagues. For example, employers could consider offering more job-sharing arrangements for moms, or policymakers could create paid “education leave” similar to maternity leave to let parents take time off away from the office to focus on schooling.
A mom can dream for creative solutions, but given how little our own President seem to care about this issue, I implore colleagues who do not have children to step up, ask your coworkers who are parents how you can help take some of their workload, so they can stay in the workforce. Otherwise, all of these years of fighting for equality will be wiped away in a matter of months.
Rachel is a mother to two boys, Eli (4) and Logan (2). She has a decade of marketing experience and is a cum laude graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and has an MBA from Harvard Business School.
You may be looking for new ways to entertain your kids at home. There are a wealth of online resources you can access. NASA Astronaut Lieutenant Colonel Nicole A. Mann will be joining Hullabaloo Book Co + Chronicle Books for “Reading with Role Models,” a free virtual story time featuring everyday heroes.
NASA Astronaut LtCol Nicole A. Mann will read Most Marshmallows. Listeners will also have the chance to hear her talk about her amazing experiences as an astronaut. Mann is a graduate of the Naval Academy and Stanford and a Marine F-18 operational and test pilot, She is the only female in the upcoming first crewed flight of the Starliner spacecraft.
This episode of “Reading with Role Models” will air next Thurs., Apr 30 at 3 p.m ET/12,p.m. PT and will only be available to watch for 72 hours (per NASA).
LtCol Mann’s episode of “Reading with Role Models” is an exciting addition to the “Reading with Role Models” lineup that includes an ER Doctor, a biologist, sheriffs, firefighters, a young environmentalist, a Tony-nominated Broadway performer and many more. Previous installments can be found at The Hullaballo Book Company’s YouTube Page.
A new installment of Reading with Role Models is available every Tues. and Thurs. at 3 p.m. ET on the website and Instagram. Videos will be uploaded to YouTube within a couple of days.
Raising children is no small task. There is so much to consider when it comes to raising girls and boys when it comes to raising good humans. As a mom who has both a girl and a boy, I want to raise them equally to be kind, strong, caring, intelligent, well-rounded, and happy individuals. Unfortunately, society still sheds light on gender norms, roles, and perceptions and there are some key differences that I want to highlight when it comes to raising kids that may fall trap to an image-obsessed world.
In honor of International Women’s Day, a day that aims at equality and rights for all, there are ways to help shape our little girls and boys into being confident young adults and to help shield them from being obsessed with their outward appearance. What should be our focus when it comes to raising kids? When you think of a strong role model, what characteristic comes to mind?
Children Learn Through Modeling
First and foremost, children learn through modeling. Monkey see monkey do. Our kids learn how to treat their body, and other bodies, by how we treat our own. Do we use positive body talk? Do we encourage ourselves? Do we speak confidently and thankfully about our own amazing body and mind? What is our focus when we get ready for the day? Are we focusing on how we look or focusing on how we feel? These are important questions to ask ourselves because we are providing commentary that our kids are picking up on and the responses we have can impact how our own children view themselves.
Focus on Feeling
Growing up, my mother was a typical housewife that played into gender-specific roles to a tee. Even when her marriage ended and she was the sole provider, she still went back to these old school ideas on male and female roles. It never made sense to me because I viewed her as a strong woman that raised three kids solo, but her commentary was oppressive to women, to herself, and to me. When I was a kid, I remember my mom standing in front of the bathroom mirror, with all her makeup splayed out on the counter, and I would watch her put on her “Maybelline face” as she called it. As a kid, I thought it was weird and I remember asking her why she did it, she responded as many of us would respond without thinking, “because it makes me look pretty.” As I grew up, I was eager to buy and wear makeup of my own, to make me look pretty. It was not until I was an adult that I came to peace with natural beauty and to focus more on how I feel as opposed to how I look.
Appropriate Focus and Intention
What is the best way to handle all this “image stuff” without it negatively impacting the way our own children view themselves? It’s all in the focus and intention we give. Why do we choose certain clothes to dress in, or chose to put on makeup? Because it’s a choice and it’s a fun way of self-expression. Emphasizing choices, and emphasizing self-expression puts meaning on how something makes us feel as opposed to how something makes us look. Keeping our talk positive and being mindful of the vocabulary we use to describe is important. Here are 3 things to remember when it comes to providing positive talk and giving attention to the right focus:
Focusing on our children’s:
Actions: what they are doing and why they are doing it. How does it make them feel?
Attitudes: What type of attitude do they have? What is it adding their day and how does it make them feel?
Abilities: What can they do. What do they like to do? How does it make them feel?
These three A’s will help to build a strong sense of self-confidence, self-love, and self-expression, and less focus on the image alone. After all, raising kids is an important task and being a parent comes with great responsibility. It is exciting to be apart of raising strong and confident girls and boys that will find a mighty place of their own in this world. I for one am up for the challenge.
Hello! My name is Brittany and I am the creator of Mama Bear Britt! I am a child development specialist, former preschool director and mama of two littles. I am working hard to create a place for parents to gather, learn and share. Join my tribe!
As someone whose dad was a hard-working CEO, I grew up thinking it was normal for at least one parent to miss games, recitals, and the like. It didn’t seem odd that my father couldn’t be around for every function or event—that was just the way the world worked.
I only recall complaining once (when I was 4 years old, mind you) about him being absent on weekends. To his credit, that youthful chastising spurred him to rearrange his hectic travel schedule to free up most Saturdays and Sundays.
Today, the tables have turned. I’m the CEO, raising daughters without a partner or nearby family. I see the world in a different light because I’m on the other side. Like my father, I struggle with the guilt that comes from knowing that I can’t be everywhere at once. Am I ignoring my kids because I have to attend a late-night meeting? Have I neglected my executive duties to attend an afternoon soccer practice?
There aren’t any clear-cut answers, and that’s probably why working women (especially those in leadership positions) are so hard on themselves. But children thrive when they see their parents being human, honing their talents, and realizing their dreams—all while making mistakes.
Instead of carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, don’t be afraid to ask for help. It doesn’t mean you’re weak; it means you have the confidence to know where to focus your attention at a given moment.
The Ups and Downs of Balancing It All
Co-workers, clients, bosses, and friends might call you “superwoman” because you’re raising kids and taking on the corporate world. In reality, you’re like a duck in a pond: You might seem calm and collected on the surface, but you’re paddling frantically beneath the water. It’s all about reaching and maintaining that elusive thing called “balance.”
Take it from me when I say balance is a journey rather than a destination. It’s OK to give those webbed feet a rest while you float for a change. Better yet, let others see beneath the surface by showing that you’re less perfect than they assume.
Sound scary? One of the biggest realizations I’ve made is that it’s safe for me to be honest about my daily work-life juggling act—particularly with my kids. I want my kids to know that when I’m not out having fun while I’m away from them. Sure, I enjoy the occasional work trip, but they’re hardly vacations.
In the same vein, I’ve started to bring some of my most effective work habits home to make more time for my kids—and show them valuable skills. Delegation is the most important tool in my arsenal. I don’t hesitate to delegate tasks to experienced team members, so why shouldn’t I do the same thing at home? Whether my daughters or someone else takes on added responsibilities, the important thing is making room for more together time.
My “tribe” of women friends, many of whom I met through female-focused groups such as the Women Presidents’ Organization, helped me realize the importance of delegation. We all face similar challenges, and these groups enable us to share tips and troubles. A group like that can talk you down when you feel like you’re a terrible parent because you missed a track meet. It’s much healthier to cry on a sympathetic shoulder than it is to run yourself into the ground, after all.
Taking Time for Family
If you spend hours fretting about the way your career hinders parenting, it’s time to rid yourself of the “I should be able to do it all” mindset. Instead of concentrating on the perceived negatives, capitalize on the positive aspects of your working lifestyle.
My guess is that you may have more work-related or financial flexibility and freedom than you realize. Don’t be afraid to ask for opportunities to spend time with your family. Perhaps you can work from home on occasional snow days, or you could maybe take time off to go on an “unplugged” trip with your family. More importantly, you probably don’t have to answer those emails or Slack messages immediately. I know it’s hard to permit yourself to unplug, but I’ve found that most communique can wait while you enjoy a family dinner or go to a swim meet.
At the end of the day, my kids don’t think I’m a horrible mother. They love me even though we sometimes have to rely on FaceTime to say goodnight. Plus, they seem to get a kick out of being able to spot my company’s products on the shelves or in their friends’ houses. Rather than a hindrance, I’ve come to see my work as a source of pride for my family.
Remember, there’s no shame in asking for help. Delegating tasks can take extra work off your shoulders. Even better, it can give you more time to spend with the people you care about. Your children know much you love them—it’s time to show them that you don’t have to be superwoman to be a super mom who’s dedicated to balancing work and family.
Alison Gutterman is the president and CEO of Jelmar, the family-owned cleaning products manufacturer of CLR and Tarn-X products. She began her career at Jelmar in 1993 without a title or a desk, and she was named president in 2007. She balances work with parenthood as a single mother of two children.
The origin of International Women’s Day dates back to a women’s celebration organized by the Socialist Party of America in response to a march in Denmark in 1910. Women in Europe protested by marching on March 19th, 1911, to demand the right to vote and hold public office. In 1975, the United Nations officially recognized International Women’s Day as March 8th.
Did you know that the day is an official holiday in countries like Russia, Kazakhstan, and Zambia? No matter how the day is celebrated, the idea behind the day is to celebrate women’s rights, equality, and progress. Here are five women who broke through barriers in 2020 and did something that was once considered impossible for women!
1. Heaven Fitch: First Female Wrestling Champ (United States) Teenager Heaven Fitch was the first female wrestling champ in the state of North Carolina. She beat her opponent, a teen boy, in a match that she won 11-3. Asked about her interest in wrestling, Fitch said she was always interested in wrestling because her brothers competed and she was their sparring partner. “(My parents) didn’t want me to wrestle,” she said. “I’m pretty sure it was because they didn’t want me to get hurt. But I would just be like, ‘Well, if they can do it, then I should be able to do it.’”
2. Reema Juffali: First Female Race Car Driver (Saudi Arabia) Women were banned from driving cars in Saudi Arabia until 2018. But Reema Juffali, the country’s first race car driver, was excited about cars and racing long before 2017. She attended a course in car racing in 2014 in the United States and it launched a passion for her. She is expected to compete in the 2020 Formula 4 racing championship in United Arab Emirates. Asked about her path-breaking interest, she says, “Many of [my friends and family] know little about racing. But they all know how much it means to me and are very supportive and proud. That’s more than I can ask for.”
3. Captain Rosie Wild: First Female Office To Pass A Brutal Test (United Kingdom) Even though women were allowed to take All Arms Pre-Parachute selection course, a brutal entry test to an elite regiment of the British Army for more than a decade, Captain Rosie Wild is the first woman to actually complete this rigorous test course. The test included marching ten miles in one hour while carrying a thirty-five-pound backpack, and an endurance test of marching twenty miles with a backpack and a rifle in four and a half hours. Rosie will join the Royal Horse Artillery to serve the British Army.
4. Eímear Noone: First Female Conductor At The Oscars (Ireland) Eímear Noone, a music composer who has worked on video games like Overwatch and World of Warcraft, was the first woman to conduct the orchestra. The forty-two-piece orchestra has historically been conducted by men, even though women play a significant role in playing the instruments. Her message to young music conductors? “Keep on keeping on. Know thyself. And failure is part of it. It’s not the fun part, but it’s definitely part of it.”
5. Katie Sowers: First Female To Coach At The Super Bowl (United States) Female coaching assistants are still a rarity in the NFL; however, women have broken through the bias barrier in the past few years. In February, Katie Sowers became the first female to coach in the Super Bowl when her team, the San Francisco 49ers, played against the Kansas City Chiefs.
We're two perfectly imperfect moms who have five very different kids between the two of us. We believe that topics in news are a fantastic way to spark conversations in families. That's why we started the Dinner Table Conversation series here at Xyza: News for Kids. Won't you join us in the conversation?
8-year-old Blue Ivy Carter is officially an award-winning artist. At the NAACP Image Awards dinner. The daughter of Beyoncé and JAY-Z won the outstanding duo/group prize for her contribution to “Brown Skin Girl.” Blue, who sings a few lines in the song, which also features Beyoncé, Wizkid and Saint Jhn, received a writing credit.
Beyoncé also won six awards during the night, including outstanding female artist and outstanding soundtrack/compilation album for The Lion King: The Gift, on which “Brown Skin Girl” is featured.
The NAACP Image Awards dinner took place the night before the main ceremony on Saturday, February 21. Last year, both Beyoncé and JAY-Z took home several prizes at the annual awards ceremony, with Beyoncé winning the entertainer of the year award and the rapper being honored with the president’s award.
In July, Blue Ivy marked an exciting milestone when she scored her first Billboard Hot 100 song for “Brown Skin Girl.”3
A research study about Disney princesses? Now this is research we can really use in our daily lives as parents. As a mom of boys, I have secretly been relieved that I didn’t have to go through the “princess phase.” But wait! This research discusses boys too. Let’s take a closer look.
The study involved 198 preschool-age children and examined their exposure to Disney princess media and toys. The researchers then considered if there was a relationship between exposure to Disney princess items and gender-stereotyped behavior.
If you have a daughter of preschool age, this is probably the study you have been waiting for for years. I think most of us parents have wondered if all the princess-saturated media and toys actually have an impact on kids, particularly girls.
From this study, it looks like the princess culture does seem to have some impact on girls and boys behavior. The more girls and boys interacted with princesses, the more likely they were to exhibit female gender-stereotypical behavior a year later. So this means girls acted in more traditional female ways (e.g., avoiding getting dirty, avoiding risks), but boys did too. Of course, the impact on boys was less dramatic because they had less interaction with princess items.
Gendered Values
Of course, the irony of this study is that what we in our American culture value in one gender is not what we value in the other. Culturally, we try to encourage girls to think outside the “girly” box. Many parents want their girls to take more risks and avoid falling into the stereotypical passive female role. While hypermasculinity still reigns, we as parents try to foster a softer, more caring boy mindset.
So it seems, that while the princess culture represents what we want girls to avoid, it illustrates the gentler side we want boys to develop.
So what is a parent to do? Ban all Disney princess items from your home? As in all things parenting, moderation is usually the key. It’s helpful for kids to play with a variety of toys and crafts, not just character-themed items.
I think it’s also crucial to really understand your particular child’s personality. Was your daughter a “girly girl” from the start or did you see an increase in female-stereotyped behaviors as she was exposed to more princess culture? Does she seem to copy the poses or behavior of princeses in a way that you don’t want to support? Ask her what characteristics of the princesses she really likes? Is it just their appearance or something else about them. The same could be said for boys. Is your son really bought into the hyper-masculine “tough guy” role or did this increase as he was exposed to more media that supported this role?
As KJ Dell’Antonia smartly points out in her New York Timesarticle, it might be helpful to point out to girls the characteristics of princesses that do not conform to the gender stereotype. For example, illustrate how some of the princesses are very active in deciding their own fate, or how they use their intelligence to get out of a difficult situation.
One aspect of the princess culture that this study did not particularly address is the emphasis on appearance and the sometimes sexualized poses of princess characters that is seen. While these aspects are sort of wrapped up in the overall princess culture, it would be interesting to see if these particular characteristics were adopted more by girls who have a lot of princess interaction. I think most parents would not want to support media or toys that put forth the image of women being only valued for appearance. This I think could be the rallying point for parents of both boys and girls. I think most of us would agree that our adult culture emphasizes appearance and sexualization enough already, our children, both girls and boys, do not need to be inculcated into a culture of devaluing women at a young age.
Amy is a scholar turned stay-at-home mom of two young boys. When she's not stepping on Legos, she writes at The Thoughtful Parent. With this blog she brings child development research into the lives of parents in the trenches of child-rearing.