The EdLab at Teachers College of Columbia University is offering a new video channel, called After Ed. The mission is to bring new thinking from the education sector to a wide audience using short-form videos. New programs come out each Friday–check it out.
Month: January 2008
Dad Labs
DadLabs.com is a video podcast by dads for dads. Four times weekly, Dad Labs debate parenting issues, showcase parenting gear, and generally find the humor in Dadness.
Backed by Baby Bjorn, the show is actually the product of a five dad start-up company whose mission is to use their expertise in writing and video production to speak to and empower a “new generation of Super Dads.”
The show is fairly entertaining, the kind of thing that will have you and your dad friends asking yourself, “Why aren’t we doing this?”
Free math, science educational software
My friends at Concord Consortium offer several free open-source software tools and simulations for learning math and science. Check out the Broken Calculator, Molecular Workbench (have we mentioned nanotechnology before?), and Seeing Math, or any of the other titles…Have fun!
Jeans for Homeless Teens
Quoted from Do Something‘s e-newsletter: “Did you know, 1 in 3 homeless people in the US are under the age of 18! So, start this year by going through your closet to collect jeans for homeless teens. From January 22nd to February 10th, you can drop off your gently-worn jeans at any Aéropostale location across the US and Canada and Do Something will make sure they get donated to a local homeless shelter. Plus, you’ll get a coupon for an additional 20% off a new pair of jeans!”
Or just check out the Do Something website for inspiration in helping others. You could make a world of difference!
If your own teen is into vintage or retro fashions, your family might just love Plato’s Closet, where cool second-hand clothes sell for fraction of the original cost.
Safe Body Care & Cosmetics
Some parents of young ladies may be concerned about makeup ingredients.
From diaper cream to shaving cream, you might be surprised to find that US laws allow cosmetics companies to let you slather yourself with toxic chemicals every day. There are a couple of sites to help you make safe, informed choices.
The Environmental Working Group has a database and a hazard-level ranking system.
The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics lists companies who have pledged not to use known or strongly suspected toxic or carcinogenic ingredients.
Mineral makeup is all the rage right now. Here’s one source from the Safe Cosmetics website.
