Angela is the winner of the Noobie “I want a Wii” Giveaway and has won a brand new Nintendo Wii game console.

Angela is currently retired and excited to let her grandchildren play with the new Nintendo Wii game system. “My granddaughter has really been wanting the Nintendo Wii and the timing of this is perfect–just in time for Christmas.”

Congratulations, Angela!

Science Daily pointed out that one-in-eight educational programs for kids is not of high-quality, it makes some eye opening observations. Meanwhile, the mainstream media industry seem to be sparking up the annual argument whether television in general is melting our children’s’ brains. Reuter’s sources claim that too much TV, web and video raises children’s’ odds for smoking and obesity while sources of the Detroit Free Press tries to take a more moderate stance arguing there are positive (or not so harmful) aspect to moderate amounts of education-based programs for children.

I find bits of truth in both articles and they both raise valid questions about each side of the fence, which will give my wife and I something to ponder when we are enjoying that third cup of coffee at the kitchen counter (at 8am) while the boys are plunked in front of Sesame Street for a few minutes while we catch our breath.

A Inland Empire local newspaper, The Press-Enterprise, did some investigating for toxic/unsafe toys that are on the shelves this holiday season. I will try to mention as many of these types of reports as possible. They named these toys; Silly Fish Squirters(Toysmith), Pony Land Scented Pony Pet (JA-RU Inc.), Red Plastic Super Car (Four Seasons General Merchandise) and I would like to add a warning for any toy made by OKK Trading (they’ve had numerous recalls this year alone).

As a side note, sign-up for the Wii Holiday Giveaway! It’s pretty straight-forward, we teamed up with Noobie to offer a chance to win one of these hot consoles retailing for $250. Contest ends on December 12th and no, you’re email address is not redistributed or sold to third-party vendors.

That’s why meta-DAD has teamed up with Noobie.Com and is excited to announce we are giving away a brand-new Nintendo Wii, valued at $250, this holiday season as part of Noobie’s “I want a Wii” contest. All you need to do is fill out the form below for your chance to win. That’s it, no purchases, surveys or other trickery.

Of all the consoles out there, I personally think the Nintendo Wii is the best choice for families with young school-aged children. Developers of games for the Wii have done a great job at putting a focus on great gameplay and the novelty of the revolutionary Wii remote has stuck. The people have voted and the Wii has won with games like Super Mario Galaxy, Wii Fit and Guitar Hero for the whole family. These are fun games that get kids (and parents!) off the couch and jumping, and wiggling around.

IMPORTANT CONTEST INFORMATION:

Noobie’s “I want a Wii” contest will end on December 12th, 2008 at 11:59 P.M. ET. The drawing for the Nintendo Wii will take place on or about December 14th, 2008.

By entering your name and email address the fine folks at Noobie have assured me that your information will not be sold or given away to any third party companies (i.e. spam), so fire away and enter with ease. Heck, get Grandma to enter, too! I guarantee she’ll love the bowling on Wii.

Noobie.Com specializes in teaching beginners how to use their technology gadgets. Think digital cameras, iPods, DVRs, cell phones, etc.

ENTER NOW!

Well, there was not a winner.

The Questions and the Answers:

1. DESCRAMBLER: Ssnitai Olncha
   These twelve letters spell – Saint Nicholas
2. Blasphemous Wood
   I was looking for Yule Log. In Pagan Scandinavia the Yule Log was lit in honor Thor, god of thunder and the winter festival of Yule would continue until this log burnt out which could take up to twelve days.
3. Outlawed Christmas in Boston
   The Puritans outlawed the celebration of Christmas in the late 1600′s while the settlers in Virginia celebrated it freely, but soon after the Revolutionary War the holiday fell out of favor since it was considered a British Holiday.

Sited Links:
Wikipedia | History of Christmas

With the holidays in mind, I have hand-crafted some word puzzles with the theme of Christmas. Whoever answers the question correctly will win a copy of Spider-Man 3 video game (either for PS3 or Xbox 360).

The Rules: Unfortunately, this give-away only works if you are in the United States – sorry Canada, sorry Mexico, sorry rest of the planet, nothing personal, I’m just not interested in paying too much for the postal. If you’ve ever won something from a metaDAD Giveaway please sit this one out. Let’s see how it goes. I will post the winner by Friday, assuming someone gets it.

The Questions: These should be easy -

1. Descrambler: Ssnitai Olncha
2. Blasphemous Wood
3. Outlawed Christmas in Boston

Best of Luck Moms and Dads…

I’m rooting for you. I want you to win this thing, really. Whoever answers the question correctly will win a video game title.

The Rules: Unfortunately, this give-away only works if you are in the United States – sorry Canada, sorry Mexico, sorry rest of the planet, nothing personal, I’m just not interested in paying too much for the postal. Let’s see how it goes. I will post the winner by next Monday — assuming someone gets it.

The Prize: The game titles include: Ultimate Spiderman, Wolfenstein, Doom III, Call of Duty 2 or Boogie (Wii). You get to choose one of them. They are all great games.

The Question: This one should be easy — the category (ala Cranium) is Wordworm (think crossword puzzles).

1. Give an example of a parental palindrome.

Think about it.

1. What was the original name for Curious George? Curious George’s original name was Fifi. (Via KidReads.Com)
2. Where did author Ludwig Bemelmans write his first book and what was it? By the end of World War I, Bemelmans was a U.S. citizen. He returned to New York and continued to work in hotels and restaurants. Since his arrival in America, Bemelmans had been honing his artistic skills, taking art lessons when he could afford them… Bemelmans’ first children’s book, HANSI, was published by Viking in 1934 but we may recognize him as the quintessential author of the travels of a little French Orphan named Madeline. (Via KidsRead.Com)
3. Where did A.A. Milne purchase the stuffed Edward Bear that would soon after become his famous muse? Pooh was purchased at Harrod’s department store in London and given by A.A. Milne to his son Christopher Robin on his first birthday, August 21, 1921 and became the central character of the famed Winnie the Pooh stories. He was called Edward (proper form of Teddy) Bear at the time. (Via ClassicPooh.Com)

Related Links;
Pete’s Tavern | Grammercy Park, New York City
Harrod’s of London

I’m rooting for you. I want you to win this thing, really. No one was able to get last month’s giveaway questions, so we will continue in the category of Childrens Literature — but I am upping the ante. Whoever answers these three questions correctly will win two video game titles.

The Rules: Unfortunately, this give-away only works if you are in the United States – sorry Canada, sorry Mexico, sorry rest of the planet, nothing personal, I’m just not interested in paying too much for the postal. Let’s see how it goes. I am going to ask three questions and the first one to get them right wins the prize. I will post the winner when the contest is over.

The Prize: The Game Titles include: Ultimate Spiderman, Tony Hawk Underground 2, Wolfenstein, Doom III, Call of Duty. This is a friendly give-away and I will not field any questions about the prizes beyond this information. If you win but do not find a game that you like or can play, I will hang onto to it and offer it to the next contest. Just to be clear, the Winner will get to choose two video games and it will be sent it via U.S.P.S.

Best of luck.

The Questions:

1. What was the original name for Curious George?
2. Where did author Ludwig Bemelmans write his first book and what was it?
3. Where did A. A. Milne purchase the stuffed Edward Bear that would soon after become his famous muse?

1. What is Tom Thumbs wife’s name? Tom Thumb appears a few times in stories by Beatrix Potter, his wife — Hunca Munca is his partner in crime in “Two Bad Mice” (Via WiredForBooks.Org)
2. What did Theodore Geisel feel his greatest work was? Theodore Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss, of course) once said it was not a book or an illustration, but the Lion Wading Pool at Wild Animal Park in San Diego, which he donated in 1973. (Via BBC News)
3. What Childrens book inspired a video, a ballet and an opera? Maurice Sendak has written more than 80 books. He has won almost every important prize in childrens literature, from the Caldecott Medal, to the Hans Christian Andersen Award, to the American Library Association’s Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. (He calls the National Medal of Arts my first grown-up award.) , one of the best-selling childrens books of all time — “Where The Wild Things Are” has spawned not only a video, but an opera, a ballet, countless stuffed toys, and generations of four-year-olds who call themselves Max after the King of All Wild Things. In the last few years, Sendak has branched out to designing sets and costumes, working on videos and a childrens television series, and founding a childrens theater company, The Night Kitchen. (Via FactMonster.Com)

Good guesses. I will be doing one of these a month leading up to the big give-away in December.