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No, not into Christmas stockings. I mean, stuffing those new iPods with music - entire CD collections, no less. It seems like a daunting task to some people, apparently, because a new service industry is filling this new niche: iPod-stuffing (maybe I even coined this!). The New York Times cites two companies in the New York City area - HungryPod and RipDigital - that convert the contents of … [Read more...] about Stuffing those iPods

There are definite indicators that it is, not least at your house and mine. "Researchers report what parents already know: that children as young as 8 and 9 are asking for adult toys, like cellphones and iPods, rather than stuffed animals or toy trucks," according to the New York Times. The article cites recent Kaiser Family Foundation research finding that that half of all 4-to-6-year-olds have … [Read more...] about Tech replacing toys for kids?

It's probably true everywhere: parent-teacher conferences as a scheduling nightmare, with 12-hour days for teachers and long waits for parents. In some Detroit-area schools, email "conferences" have become an alternative, the Detroit Free Press reports - at least for the parents of "high-achieving students." According to the Free Press, "many teachers agree that an alternative to the must-attend … [Read more...] about Parent-teach e-conferences

Children 2-11 are the age group with "the fastest growing appetite for Web pages viewed," reports Net traffic measurer Nielsen NetRatings, adding that the number of Web pages they visit has grown 106% over the past two years. Nielsen points out that, though they don't spend more time online than their elders, they "digest more content at a faster pace." As for gender, growth of Web-page … [Read more...] about Kids 2-11: Active Web-sters

...from classics to new releases, see this list of annotated movie lists at Epinions.com from fellow parents and avid moviegoers (real people like you and me). And along these lines, here's the Washington Post's DVD Holiday Gift Guide. (In its KidsPost section, the Post also recently published its toy picks for 2004 and a report on how other new toys scored in their tests). … [Read more...] about Top 10 Xmas films