meta-dad

Go fly a kite!

Flying a kite with the kids is yet another golden activity that holds great potential for learning, bonding and just having a little fun. Ever wonder exactly why and how a kite flies? Chances are at some point your kids may ask you, right? With a little digging around I have found some great sites for explaining why and how kites fly, believe it or not NASA’s Glenn Research Center has a fantastic (and thorough) explanation of exactly how and why a kite flies.

While the forces on all kites are the same, each kite flies a little differently. Some kites are highly maneuverable and some kites are very stable. There are kites with multiple control lines that can perform stunts, while other kites can be flown to high altitudes. We can use math techniques that you learn in school to determine the altitude of a kite graphically. With a little more knowledge of mathematics, you can actually calculate the altitude at which the kite is flying” ~ Kite Flight, NASA’s Glenn Research Center

I got my kids into kites last spring with a simple $5 classic delta design and 200′ of line. I think it was a Diego design, surprise-surprise. They were thrilled at the action we got from the nearby ocean breeze. But kids being kids, More »

OKK Trading pacifiers recalled

I don’t have a lot of faith in products coming from LA-based OKK Trading. I have been following toy and baby product recalls for a couple of years now and their name pops up a couple times a year. This time there is a voluntary recall of there “Baby Necessities” 4-pack of pacifiers, they have a blue heart-shaped mouth guard .

If you are interested in tracking their sorted history look what comes up when you do a search for their name at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website. I think there must be some type of federal law stating that companies must post recall information for up to one full year from recall date because their website seems to be suffering from short term memory. In the future, if you find youself giving in to the bargain bin and find yourself with something from OKK Trading, toss it back – you’ll thank me later.

Sited and Related Articles:
USCPSC | Pacifiers Recalled by OKK Trading Due to Choking Hazard
OKK Trading | List of Recalled Items [*PDF]
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission | Search Query for OKK Trading
meta-DAD | Millions of Cheap Toys Recently Recalled

Fisher Price 3-in-1 high chairs recalled

There has been one report of a seat back detaching and child falling out, resulting in a skull fracture with the Fisher Price 3-in-1 High Chair to Booster™ Seat. A recall does not get more dire than this, additionally, the seat back can detach if not fully snapped in place, posing a fall hazard and risk of serious injury to young children.

It seems if the size of the recall is big enough (this recall is for 24,000 units) it is deemed press worthy while other seemingly smaller ones fall under the news industry radar, except for some of the smaller newspapers and news outlets. This means that word-of-mouth becomes vital to getting the word out to people who may have recalled products in their possession, tell a neighbor, bring it up at the park or mommy and me class – you may prevent an accident from happening.

These highchairs were sold at Target from 2008-2009 for about a $100 bucks. Look for product number (P5369) on the side of the seat.

Sited & Related Articles:
USCPSC | Fisher-Price Recalls 3-in-1 High Chairs Due to Fall Hazard
Mattel Consumer Relations | Recall Information

Unique & totally adorable plush toys

I love this company’s selection of plush toys. Shanalogic is a small artful boutique out of Ann Arbor, Michigan that offer limited edition runs of custom plush toys for kids and grown-ups alike. Most are standard fleece and polyester fiberfill plushes (a few like Squidlet are crocheted or yarn knit), but the designs set them apart from the rest of the toys on the shelves.

Marshmallow Bunny – Special Love Edition $28 bucks
Squidlets $18 bucks
Loveye – Limited Edition $40 bucks [+shipping]

Child Poison Prevention Week

They say, education is the best prevention. I think you’ll be surprised to find some of the real hazards in you cupboard and closets, even over-the-counter products, household plants and crafting supplies. There are hidden dangers in some of the most common household items such as baby oils and sunscreens are listed as oily hydrocarbon products which can suffocate children if drawn into the lungs when ingested, who knew? Now you know.

• Each year, poison control centers receive more than 1.1 million calls about accidental poisonings among children ages 5 and under.
• Only 30 percent of caregivers are able to accurately measure a correct dosage of over-the-counter medications to their children.
• More than 90 percent of poisonings in children occur in the home.
• In children, approximately 60 percent of poisonings involve products other than medicines such as plants, cleaning products, cosmetics, pesticides, paints, and solvents; 40 percent of poisonings involve medications. [*MUSC Children’s Hospital, Common Childhood Injuries and Poisonings]

A chilling fact, between 4 and 10 p.m. is known as the “arsenic hour” at most poison control centers because that is when call volume peaks. They attribute it to the fact that the parents tend to be distracted by dinner and other end-of-day tasks that leave their young ones unsupervised more than any other time of the day.

Sited & Related Links:
MUSC | Tips to Help Reduce Unintentional Poisonings in the Home
CPSC | 9 Out of 10 Unintentional Child Poisonings Occur in the Home
Poison Prevention [dot] Org | Resources and Materials [*fantastic resources here]
American Association of Poison Control Centers | Kids Tips

39 Fantastic Lego Advertisements

39 clever Lego advertisement campaigns from around the world.

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