Blog Posts by Common Sense Media

Books, Movies, TV Shows and Games that Make Kids Love History

Memorizing facts and figures often makes learning history a chore for kids. It's the stories of human struggles and triumphs that truly make the past come alive. This month, with kids learning about African-American history -- as well as enjoying the Presidents' Day holiday -- we love finding ways to help kids experience history on a personal level. These recommendations add a human dimension that make the stories not just memorable but relatable as well.

Kids of all ages will revel in the uplifting poetry of Langston Hughes in his celebratory poem "My People" -- just one of the outstanding titles on our list of Award-Winning African-American Books .

Our selected Civil Rights books offer lessons in courage -- and controversy -- for kids as young as 4 with stories about prominent figures Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and more.

For older kids, movies like A Raisin in the Sun and I Know Why the

That picture's not as private as you think

• 22% of teen girls and 20% of teen boys have sent nude or semi-nude photos of themselves over the Internet or their phones.
• 22% of teens admit that technology makes them personally more forward and aggressive.
• 38% of teens say exchanging sexy content makes dating or hooking up with others more likely.
• 29% of teens believe those exchanging sexy content are "expected" to date or hook up.
• (All of the above are from CosmoGirl and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2009.)

What Is "Sexting?"

Most teens today are comfortable with documenting their lives online. Posting photos, updating their status messages, sharing rapid-fire texts, and being a click away from friends are the new normal for teens. But this "always on" culture also creates an environment where teens can make impulsive decisions that can come back to haunt them. One example of this has been in the news a lot lately: sexting.

Movies and Books to Share

Surprising your kids with a Valentine's Day treat is one of the sweetest perks of parenthood. And while candy and cards are nice, nothing says "be mine" like spending time together. That's why we love these ideas for sharing a few laughs, a few lessons, and maybe a few tears of joy.

Our favorite books for story time teach preschoolers the real meaning behind Valentine's Day. Mary Engelbreit's adorable illustrations make Queen of Hearts a feast for the eyes, while the high-spirited kitty in Love, Splat will give kids lots of laughs.

Kids of all ages will sympathize with the romantic ups and downs that occupy the star-crossed characters of A Charlie Brown Valentine . And for kids under 8, our movie picks celebrating platonic affection -- Friendship Movies: Lovey Dovey Flicks Without the Mush -- are a fun way to honor St. Valentine.

Classic movies offer a perfect way to observe the romantic rituals of a bygone era. You'll find a mix of

What to do when the weather keeps kids indoors

Last year it was the "snowpocalypse." This year's it's "snowmageddon." Whatever you call it, the extreme weather immobilizing most of the country all adds up to one thing for kids: snow days!

Sure, you may have to make up the days in June, but when you're looking down the long side of winter, summer seems so far away. For now, enjoy the downtime, drink some cocoa, and stock up on fun family entertainment. (And if it's rain or even plain old laziness that's got your family indoors, we won't tell anyone!)

In choosing our snow day favorites, we looked for best movies, games, music, apps, and TV shows for all ages. These picks will keep kids' minds and bodies active -- and maybe even teach them a little something along the way.

The Snowy Day
Bright color cut-outs and lively language create a book that's both soothing and exciting.

Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Snow Princess
In

The Facebook Connection That's Reeling in Kids

Remember Oregon Trail -- the computer game in which you make your virtual way across the historic East-West wagon route without dying from dysentery or losing too many people? Since its debut in the early 1970s, the game has had many incarnations -- from basic computer program to iPhone app -- all the while teaching kids about U.S history and entertaining them along the way.

Continuing its march toward progress, Oregon Trail has now arrived on Facebook. And not to be outdone, another classic, Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?, is hot on its heels. While they're being marketed as nostalgic faves for grown-ups, they're also part of a growing and disturbing trend: kids' games and apps that connect to Facebook.

In a strange turn of events, it's not the content of the game that's of concern, but where the game needs to be played. I know plenty of kids have Facebook pages -- and clearly, game developers know this, too -- but am

A Quest for Posititve Female Role Models on TV

When my 6-year-old daughter told me she hates her "fat thighs" the other morning, part of me wanted to cry ("She's only 6!" I kept thinking). The other part of me wanted to boycott every TV show, movie, website, and magazine that shows a severely limited picture of girls and women - teaching my daughter that girls come in only one body type, or one color, or one personality.

While I know media isn't the only culprit when it comes to shaping girls' opinions about themselves, it sure is a strong force. Knowing how important it is to offer my own messages to the mix when it comes to body image and positive female role models, I tried the discussion approach with my daughter.
On the way home from school, I struck up a conversation about genetics. I told her how the shape of our bodies - at least to some extent - reflect the bodies of our mothers, our grandmothers, and great-grandmothers. I shared (in edited form) some of my

MTV's teen drama Skins (a remake of the even edgier British series) showcases every behavior that keeps parents of teenagers up at night. Actors the same age as your own kids are up their on the screen talking like your teens, playing roles that your teens will recognize from their peers in high school, and doing things that you don't want them to do. Ever.

Talking to your teens frankly about Skins will be a challenge even for seasoned parents who've managed to pull teachable lessons out of The O.C. and Gossip Girl. That's because by time they're 16 and 17, parents' role in their teens' lives migrates from Commander in Chief to Chief Consultant. Parents lose control over them -- which is scary but also normal and healthy as they separate from Mom and Dad and become more independent.

That said, we can't give up being their parents, which means we have to have increasingly difficult conversations about all kinds of things that neither we nor our teens particularly want to talk about

I'm the baby of my family, so I was the one who got the hand-me-downs. Nearly every winter coat and pair of snow boots passed from my brother to my sister to me. And while I can't say I loved a certain threadbare, brown corduroy jacket, it kept me warm, and it sure helped me understand the value of a dollar.

Today's kids still get secondhand stuff, but when it comes to high-tech devices, "previously owned" can be very advanced. Once kids get a taste of a maybe-not-the-latest-but-still-pretty-cool device, it's a quick jump to the stuff that younger ones may not be ready for, like social networking, massively multiplayer online games, video chatting, and location services. But that's hard to explain when they've just received the device that gives them entrée into that world -- from you.

I'm not pointing fingers, because we do it in our family, too.

My husband's old iPod Touch became my son's when hubby moved up to a smartphone with a built-in MP3 player. My son was 11 and