The First Thanksgiving + Honoring Native American Heritage = Kids Off The Couch

Screening of Iroquois Rising this afternoon at the Museum of Tolerance

Growing up in Massachusetts, we frequented the Plimoth Plantation, a recreation of the first English settlement where costumed actors play the roles of Pilgrim and Wampanoagnatives from the 17th Century. We once spent a chillyThanksgiving, dressed up as Pilgrims, sharing a celebratory meal with museum actors who stayed in their roles, and conversed with historically accurate speech patterns and accents. We loved trying to trick them into acknowledging that it was actually three hundred years later, to no avail! As we ramp up for Thanksgiving, it's nice to remember the diverse traditions involved with this distinctly American holiday. Here are a few ways to do that in the next week, including a just-announced screening this afternoon about a Native American lacrosse team.

Screening this Afternoon, Thursday 11/17: If you love lacrosse -- the fastest growing sport in the US -- dash over to a just-announced premiere of Iroquois Rising at the inaugural Museum Of Tolerance International Film Festival. The 53 minute documentary starts at 3:00 PM, and tells the story of the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse team, who play as a sovereign nation in the World Lacrosse Championships. Last summer, the Iroquois were barred from traveling to the 2010World Games because the British would not recognize their passports as valid travel documents. One or more members of the Iroquois Nationals lacrosse team and/or Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) will be on hand for the event. Click here for more details.

Witness a Native American dance performance this weekend: Come to the W.M. Keck Children's Amphitheatre at Walt Disney Hall for a FREE performance by Red Thunder. With authentic regalia, consisting of vibrant feathers, intricate beadwork, handmade jewelry and headdresses, Red Thunder celebrates the unique heritage of the Plains Indians. The program will highlight music, song, and traditional dance while re-telling the stories that have been passed through generations. Saturday (11/20) at 11:00 AM & 12:30 PM. Performance tickets are FREE and are distributed on a first-come basis one hour before the show at Grand Avenue at 2nd Street. Click here for further details.

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month at a Family Sunday at the Museum of Tolerance: Come see performances by Sherman Indian High School White RoseSingers, Harrison Lowe and Mylo IronBear designed for a family audience on Sunday (11/21) from 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM. Click here for more details. Other activiites for Native American Heritage month include a special screening of the documentary Reel Injun at the Museum of Tolerance on Saturday (11/20); the film examines how Hollywood has contributed to the myth of the "injun." For more information call 323-549-6644.

Watch a Movie Together: See for yourself how Hollywood has portrayed Native Americans in these holiday classics. Everyone will love the music and spectacular animation in Disney's Pocahantas (1995, G), and those who've had some history at school may appreciate The New World by acclaimed director Terrance Malick (2005, PG-13). Romantics can take in Dances with Wolves, Kevin Costner's Academy Award winning directing and acting tour de force (1990, PG-13).

And finally, we heartily recommend visiting Plimouth Plantation the next time you are in Massachusetts, where historically accurate characters populate the replica Pilgrim village and interact with visitors. Check out this video field trip about The First Thanksgiving, that allows kids to be history detectives.

Gobble, gobble!

Kids Off The Couch - Talking to Your Kids About John Wooden (1910-2010)

Quotes to Live By "Sports do not build character. They reveal it." Much will be said over the next few days about the wisdom imparted by legendary UCLA coach John Wooden, whose winning record (10 championships in 12 years) and memorable statements influenced generations of athletes. Wooden's Pyramid of Success has been used by countless coaches, as well as adopted by business motivators. Naturally, many of his teachings are readily translated to parenting. After all, athlete after athlete has said that Coach Wooden "prepared them for life". Spend a little extra time with today's Sports section to read up on the lessons learned by the players he influenced. And, tuck a few of those quotes away! We're sure they'll come in handy as you coach your kids through life. Click here for a nice list of John Wooden quotes, and click here for an LA Times article from last year's celebration of Wooden's 99th birthday. And finally, click through these photos of Wooden's life and spend a few moments celebrating a life well lived. Have a great weekend. Kids Off The Couch If you like what we do, please tell a friend to sign up! info@kidsoffthecouch.com www.kidsoffthecouch.com

Kids Off The Couch - Helping Kids Help Haiti!

It's not easy for children to understand the devastation that has been visited upon the people of Haiti. Most of us are wondering how much to share with our kids, or how to react to whatever news they are getting at school and from the media. Here is a helpful article to help you decide how to discuss the Haitian crisis with your family. In general, it's best to be honest about how you are feeling, keep the explanations simple and focus on the positive stories of how people all over the world are raising money to help.

It's a powerful lesson for kids to learn that they can help, too. Just in our neighborhood, kids are organizing parties and charity walks to raise awareness and funds, and our school is sending shoes this weekend to Sports Chalet (click here for details). Tune in on Friday night for a Haiti Relief concert on MTV organized by George Clooney but don't wait until the weekend to make your donation.

Here's how to give: KCRW has a full listing of all the organizations that they recommend, with a helpful description of each. Choose the one that touches your heart, and give generously. Our researchers tell us that The Red Cross is the best place to give, and we also always support Doctors Without Borders.

Text Your Donation: Since the devastation just a week ago, a record amount of money has been donated through text messaging. This technology was used by Europeans during the tsunami relief, but is just now being used in America. It's so simple, it's revolutionary for the world of giving! Simply text the words below to the numbers listed, and the charges go to your phone bill. The Red Cross - Text "HAITI" to 90999 to donate $10Yéle Haiti - Text "Yele" to 501501 to donate $5 (Haitian Hip Hop star Wyclef Jean's charity)

Kids Off The Couch
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Anne Frank - The Whole Story + Jewish Holocaust Museum = Teens Off The Couch

While Stephanie Meyer and Dan Brown's latest tomes might be on your teen's holiday reading list, Anne Frank can give these best-sellers a run for their money. In Anne Frank: A Diary of a Young Girl, the young author's description of being thirteen captures readers with the same heart-stopping directness today that it did when we raced through it decades ago. In fact, the original film adaptation (based on a popular stage play) was produced fifty years ago and has just been re-released on DVD. Our kids found ABC's 2001 mini-series, Anne Frank - The Whole Story more compelling, for it portrays Anne's entire life with equal weight given to her childhood, her time in hiding, and the end of her life in the concentration camps. (An added bonus is Ben Kingsley as Otto Frank). Although the subject matter is tough, our kids loved Anne from her book because they are aware that despite the difference in country, culture and time, Anne was just like them—interested in movies, boys, and clothes, while frustrated with the adults around her. That frustration with parents extends to knowing that such horrors as the Holocaust have happened in their world, so a visit to a Jewish Heritage Museum helps kids to see how one person can effect change. At the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, our teens pored over a few Anne Frank artifacts, and then took an intense, guided tour through an interactive exhibit that simulates being in a concentration camp. (This is not an adventure for young children!) To resenstitize our teens, we attended a talk by a Holocaust survivor who is alive because the woman who found her hiding in a barn chose to give her food and a jacket rather than call the Gestapo. Our excursion allowed us to share our closely held values with our teens on topics that remain relevant today and hopefully will help to cultivate righteous values and actions in our lives. (Click here for links to the best Jewish Heritage museums around the US, and to learn how Hilary Swank's Freedom Writers is related to Anne Frank.)

E.T. The Extra -Terrestrial + Planetarium Visit = Kids Off The Couch

Lured by a bowl of popcorn laced with Reese's Pieces, our kids were glued to E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial long after the last kernel was gone. The story of a young boy and his incredible friendship with an alien left behind on Earth won our kids' hearts, just as it won our hearts over twenty years ago. The idea that life might exist on other planets excited us all, so we headed to our local planetarium for a Family Star Show to learn more about the heavens. Lost in a black hole of wonder, our kids were "star struck" in the original, and best, sense of the word.

Click here for information about a major meteor event on November 17, links to a weekly sky map, and information about how to find a planetarium near you.

Charlotte's Web + Getting to Know Spiders = Kids Off The Couch

In taking down this year's Halloween decorations, we found a few real spider webs underneath the pretend ones. Their sticky homes could give spiders a bad rap, unless you're familiar with Charlotte's Web, a story that gives arachnids a whole new spin. Based on E.B. White's classic book, the new live-action adaptation stars Dakota Fanning as Fern and Julia Roberts lending her voice to literature's most literate pig. Charlotte, the webby wordsmith, saves her friend Wilbur the pig from becoming dinner by weaving words like "Some Pig" into her web and creating a publicity stir. Like Wilbur, and our kids were enamored with Charlotte, so we checked out the a Spider Exhibit at our local natural history museum o see if Charlotte's movie star good looks were as mesmerizing off the screen. The Pavilion is an enclosed space on the Museum lawn that houses spiders cage free in a natural habitat. Kids can wander about looking for cool webs and five varieties of spiders. Arachnaphobes have nothing to fear: spiders are shy and stay put in their webs amongst the garden bushes. If you look close, you may just run into an Agiope -- Charlotte's cousin who weaves her silken threads into geometric patterns! (Click here for a video of naturalists handling a tarantula and for more books and films about spiders.)

Dinosaurs Before Dark + Natural Museum of History = Kids Off The Couch

Spinning through the air in a tree house, soaring on the back of a fuzzy Pteranodon, running from a trumpeting T-Rex, what better way to entice first time readers? Reading is an adventure for both boys and girls when Mary Pope Osborne takes children on a journey through time and space in the Magic Tree House series. Our kids loved Jack and Annie, two curious kids who discover a tree house that whirls them on one historical escapade after another. We celebrated our kids' new ability to read chapter books by planning an excursion that matched the theme of the book.

In the first book, Dinosaurs Before Dark, Jack and Annie swirl to the Cretaceous period and encounter four types of dinosaurs. We took a more earthly mode of transportation to our local Natural History Museum for our own hands-on dinosaur experience with fossilized eggs, bones and giggle-inducing poop. We were lucky enough to watch as paleontologists cleaned and assembled Thomas the T-Rex, a 14 year old dinosaur that glitters!

Click here to learn how you can roam with the dinosaurs in your city and how to use this series of books to launch other adventures

Angels in the Outfield + Baseball and Foster Youth = Kids Off The Couch

Angels in the Outfield is not your typical baseball movie; though it delivers on great sports scenes, it hits the ball out of the park with a socially conscious message about kids who wind up in the foster care system. When a young boy's father abandons him, he tells his son that the chances of his return are "about as good as the Angels winning the pennant." The boy takes his deadbeat Dad's message literally and prays for the team to win, always optimistic that "it could happen."

Before heading out for a day at a ballgame, we contacted a local organization dedicated to caring for foster youth. We got our kids to pitch in a few dollars from their allowances -- and matched their funds -- so that foster kids can root alongside us this season at a major league game. Click here to learn more about a foster care organization near you.

Kids Off The Couch's 10 Tips for a Successful Staycation

Instead of muttering about the E-word (it's the economy, silly), we are striking the pose that staycations are in vogue. A few unscheduled days at home can be as restorative as a week on the road, as long as you change up the routine and the scenery.

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
1. Be a Tourist in Your Own Town
What's the most obvious tourist attraction in your town? Have your kids explored it? Spending a day experiencing your town's biggest draw is a campy, but fun, diversion. Our Washington DC editor notes that it's worth joining the hordes around the tidal basin to appreciate the Cherry Blossoms. Our Houston editor says that the local water park Schlitterbahn Galveston Island is back in business and perfect as a beach substitute. If you're in SFO, have you checked out the new California Academy of Sciences?

2. Conduct a Taste Test
We are going to spend an afternoon touring our city's best burger joints and let the kids compare: which tastes the best? which is the most affordable? which has the best fries alongside? Having done this in the past with hot chocolate, pizza and cupcakes, we know each kid doesn't need to order a burger at every joint! A few bites is enough for a tasting, and should ward off a stomach ache. Log onto a food blog (like Chowhound) to find out what's cooking in your town.

HUNKER DOWN
3. Plant an Edible Garden
Michelle Obama has made healthy eating a national priority by planting a garden on the South Lawn of the White House. Is it time for all of us to cultivate a kitchen garden at home? Our kids relish a trip to the nursery to choose the seedlings or plants and everybody loves digging holes and filling them with something green. Click here to see what's in the Obamas' garden, and hear the story of the folks who helped make this happen. April is National Garden Month, so click here for ideas about planting with grandparents, starting a vegetable garden and keeping your garden green.

4. Do It Yourself
Home projects like gardening and knitting always gain popularity in tough economic times. Teach the kids to cook a favorite recipe, drop in on a clay shop or sew a skirt. Here is our chapter about learning to play jacks and knit. Hours magically disappear into this type of project, building skills kids will use their whole lives.

LEARN SOMETHING NEW
5. Tease your Brain
Love Crossword puzzles or Sudoku? Well, take out your pencils and prepare to scratch your head a few times as your logic and math skills get a workout. Click here to watch Will Shortz on YouTube explaining the game and then click here to play KENKEN.

6. Three Cups of Tea
The President has said that the problems in Afghanistan are as complicated as the problems with the economy. Families can introduce these issues gently by reading Listen to the Wind, a children's book that tells the remarkable story of Greg Mortenson's work building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Parents, if you haven't yet read Three Cups of Tea, we highly recommend this for you, too. Click here for more on Mortenson and both books.

7. She Can Dunk
If you want to counterprogram March Madness, check out Brittney Griner, a 6'8" high school senior who can dunk - and who is headed to Baylor next year. Tune into the woman's NCAA championships, which take place during the same time period as the men's games - Sweet Sixteen rounds start this Thursday, March 26. Click here for the schedules.

SCREEN TIME
8. Is 3D The Future?
Studios are betting big dollars on 3D movies, hoping that new projection technology (as well as better specs) will get audiences to pay a premium at the multiplex. The first test of the spiffy new technology, an old-fashioned monster movie starring the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogan and Hugh Lurie, opens on March 27. Check out Monsters and Aliens, and decide for yourselves. Our other movie pics? Tween girls have been flocking to Coraline, and parents have great choices for date night with Slumdog Millionaire, Duplicity or Sunshine Cleaning.

9. Brush up on the Classics
There's nothing like snuggling up on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn and introducing kids to a classic film. Spring is the perfect time to watch Singing in the Rain, or for young romantics to watch Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn parry in Roman Holiday. Twitchy action lovers should check out the early Sean Connery Bond films, which aren't that violent at all, or brave Hitchcock for the first time -- The Man Who Knew Too Much always delights. Finally, why not remember Natasha Richardson at her most lovely and maternal in The Parent Trap.

10. And, don't forget to check out the KOTC Archives for all our Popcorn Adventures.

Happy Relaxing!
Diane and Sarah

Diary of A Wimpy Kid + Visiting Your Local Library = Kids Off The Couch

Move over wizards and vampires, there's a wimpy kid sitting on top of the bestseller list. Part comic book, part graphic novel, the Diary of a Wimpy Kidseries by Jeff Kinney has wrangled reluctant readers and been found, dog-eared, on the nightstands of girls and boys alike. Why? It's just so darned funny! Kinney's main character Greg Heffley faces his very ordinary days at middle school with an attitude that kids find reassuring, but by telling the story through stick figures in his diary, this hapless nerdball wins our hearts. Got an annoying little brother? So does Greg. Think what your parents say is pretty ridiculous? Greg is right there with you, except that he knows how to spin it into a joke. We love any book that gets kids reading, so whether yours have locked onto a favorite character or are searching for the next good yarn, it's always helpful to drop in on a Public Library. Ours love to bring stacks home at a time, and the reluctant spender in us loves that borrowing costs only pennies -- except for those pesky late fees! So whether your kids go wimpy or find another character that speaks to them, here's hoping they get lost between the pages. Click here for more on author Jeff Kinney, who still works as a web-designer even though he's one of the country's bestselling authors.

Little Shop of Horrors + Botanic Garden Visit = Kids Off The Couch

Remember the carnivorous plant that got movie star billing in Little Shop of Horrors twenty years ago? Believe it or not, this campy film musical still seems fresh today. There's an all-star comedic cast (Steve Martin, Bill Murray and Rick Moranis to name a few), catchy lyrics, but best of all, a man-eating plant from outer space. The film was the perfect "entree" to watch Venus Fly Traps and Pitcher Plants devour their insect prey at the Conservatory Lab at our local Botanical Gardens. This glass-domed building was specifically designed for kids to get their hands dirty. Our boys hung out in the Carnivorous Bog where they watched plants munch on flies and our girls smelled coffee beans and cinnamon bark in the Rain Forest. The moms? Well, the steamy Cloud Forest was just perfect for a mini-facial while the the kids explored! (Click here to learn about Ferngully: The Last Rainforest, a film that younger viewers will enjoy with this adventure).

Seabiscuit + A Day at the Racetrack = Kids Off The Couch

Seabiscuit is the true story of the little horse that could. An almost-forgotten thoroughbred ran a spectacular race right into the history books, raising the hopes of downtrodden Americans during the Great Depression. With a great performance by Tobey Maguire, and gorgeous period detail, the film got a blue ribbon from parents and kids alike. We spent a balmy day at the Racetrack -- our husbands have never been so psyched about an adventure -- and the whole family took in the heart-pounding thrill of a day at the races. (Click here to find a track near you).

Snow Dogs + Hitting the Slopes for a Day = Kids Off The Couch

Dog Days of Winter

No matter where you live, kids and snow go together like hands and gloves. Whether your kids are starting out with a pizza-pie wedge between their first skis or just biding their time until their next snowboarding trip to a serious mountain, getting some slope savvy at your local ski resort makes for a wonderful wintry weekend. There's not a kid in the world who needs much of a push to slide down a hill, so get yours ready to sled or ski or snowboard by watching Snow Dogs on the drive to the slopes. Ours love this improbable tale that stars Cuba Gooding, Jr. as a Miami dentist who travels to Alaska to collect his inheritance... which turns out to be a team of sled dogs! Click here for a list of other fun ski films -- we love the vintage James Bond ski sequences -- and a link to our chapter on tracking the Itidarod sled dog race (starting March 7) from your computer.

All The President's Men + Visiting Your Local Newspaper = Kids Off The Couch

Kids who expect a multitude of information to magically appear from their computers don't always understand the power of a free press. Watching All the President's Men as a family opened up a conversation about how reporters follow a story and tell the truth, which makes this movie newsworthy in our household. It was front page news all over the world when Richard Nixon became the first American president to resign and the film, which won four Oscars in 1976, is a thrilling look at how the investigative reporters at the Washington Post became political heroes. We had fun bringing the headlines home with a tour of our local paper's printing facility, where our kids watched robots load reams of paper on to four story-high printing presses and enjoyed a sneak peek of the weekend comics section four days before the Sunday paper landed on our doorsteps.

Click here for more about the movie, a link to Walter Isaacson's article in Time on How To Save Your Newspaper, and our tips on visiting your local paper.

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Read Any Good Movies Lately!

From Page to Screen 2009

The 2009 calendar is replete with book adaptations for all ages. We've scoured the press so you can put a stack by the bedside and be ready for some witty criticism when these tales hit the big screen.

IN THE THEATERS:
Inkheart
The book by Cornelia Funke was our daughter's favorite book, bar none, when she was in sixth grade. Does the movie do the book justice? Read, watch and compare!
The Tale of Despereaux
Released over Christmas, the lovely animated movie based on the Newbery Medal winner, is another of our family's favorite books. Kate DiCamillo's books (Because of Winn Dixie and Tiger Rising) are great for elementary aged kids (and their parents).

COMING SOON:
Coraline (Feb)
Neil Gaiman's stories lean toward the macabre, and this animated adaptation looks pretty spooky to us. Gaiman's latest book, The Graveyard Book just won the Newbery Medal; a macabre riff on Kipling's The Jungle Book, the movie rights have already been snatched up, so get reading, book fans!
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (July)
Many folks think book six is one of J.K. Rowling's better yarns, so get ready to see the characters grow up a bit more... and, for this film to take over the summer. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Sept)
A sweet, early reader book with wondrous illustration, we are excited to see what becomes of this as a movie.
Cirque du Freak (Oct)
Popular with elementary school boys, these books are about a boy who goes into training with a Freak Show vampire - turns out, Twilight doesn't have the monopoly on vampire stories -- or teenage girls! From director Paul Weitz.
Where the Wild Things Are (Oct)
All bets are off as director Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich) takes on Maurice Sendak's classic tale.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (Nov)
Roald Dahl's fabulous tale will be brought to the screen as an animated tale by Wes Anderson (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums) and include talent such as George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and Bill Murray.

FOR TEENS AND ADULTS:
The Soloist (April)
Steve Lopez's true story about a reporter who befriends a homeless man who is an extraordinary violinist stars Robert Downey, Jr.
Angels and Demons (May)
Tom Hanks stars in Dan Brown's sequel to The DaVinci Code.
My Sister's Keeper (June)
Teens and sophisticated tweens are ready to handle Jody Picoult's complex issue books - this one is about a girl whose body has been used to keep her sister with leukemia alive; with Cameron Diaz.
Julie and Julia (Aug)
Great book about a young New Yorker who sets out to cook every recipe in Julia Child's famous cookbook, starring Amy Adams and Meryl Streep.
New Moon (Nov)
More of the wildly popular teen vampire tale from the author of Twilight, with same successful cast.
Sherlock Holmes (Nov)
Robert Downey, Jr and Jude Law star as the detective and his sidekick. Time to pull out some of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic stories!

Diane and Sarah
Founders, Kids Off The Couch

Mrs Doubtfire + Comedy Club For Kids = Kids Off The Couch

A Stand Up Guy

Our kids were schooled on Mary Poppins as the practically-perfect nanny, and have suffered through many a quirky babysitter over their tender years. But nothing prepared them for the hilarity of Robin Williams posing as a prim Scottish nanny in Mrs. Doubtfire. Our kids wanted to know everything about Williams, right back to his origins as Mork from Mork and Mindy and his first appearance on Happy Days. We wanted to give them a sense of how Robin Williams got his start, so treated them to a day at a Kids Comedy Club. Our city's version features young performers doing improv sketches, and our children loved watching kids their own ages showing off their material. Like the real deal, not every joke hit, but our fans didn't care -- they were eager audience participants, and on the way home, starting trying out their own jokes on the most forgiving of audiences, mom and dad. Knock, Knock! (Click here for kid's comedy venue near you.)

The Tale of Despereaux + Cooking Minestrone with Kids = Kids Off The Couch and IN the kitchen!

Recent bone-chilling weather has had a homey influence on our New Year's Resolutions, which include warm family meals and reading books by the fire. The new animated film The Tale of Despereaux (still in theaters), adapted from one of our favorite read-aloud books by Kate DiCamillo, stars an intrepid sword-wielding mouse who seeks to lift a kingdom's ban on soup. Inspired to spend some time cooking with our kids, we sought out a kid-friendly Minestrone recipe from Caroline Styne, a Los Angeles restaurateur and mom. The secret ingredient? Kids in the kitchen! With Caroline's expert tips, our kids were shopping and chopping, stirring and spicing up a broth made of local, seasonal vegetables. A perfect recipe for family fun on a blustery day. Click here for Caroline's tips for cooking with kids, learn her recipe for Minestrone and read why this film isn't really G-rated.

Kids Off The Couch's Favorite Family Films of 2008

Happy Holidays from Our Couch to Yours!

It's time to eat, gift and be merry with the family so here's our own Top Ten list of new DVDs that are worth purchasing for your home library. Wrap and enjoy!

For Younger Viewers (Rated UR, G and PG):
August Rush - Sweet tale of an adopted boy who reunites with his parents when he runs away to NYC to explore his own musical talents. (PG).

Enchanted - Disney sends up the princess genre in a delightful story about an animated princess who drops into contemporary NYC and has to learn to navigate the real world. Guess what? She still gets her prince. (PG).

Kung Fu Panda- With gorgeous animation, and lots of martial arts, this film reminds us how fun it was to watch the Olympics last August. (PG).

The Red Balloon - The french classic about a boy who chases a balloon around Paris was finally released on DVD this year. Lyrical film making at it's best (G).

For Older Viewers (Rated PG-13 and Beyond):
Into the Wild - The adaptation of Jon Krakauer's true tale of a teen who takes off into the Alaskan wilderness is directed by Sean Penn and co-stars Twilight's Kristin Stewart. (R).

Iron Man - An excellent, comedic action film about a comic book hero comes to life with a surprisingly great performance by Robert Downey, Jr. (PG-13).

Man on a Wire - Riveting documentary about a rogue tightrope walker who strung a wire between the Twin Towers and completed a dazzling feat. (PG-13).

Persepolis - This graphic novel turned film is a stunning visual account of a Iranian woman's politicization. (PG-13).

12 Angry Men - The classic Henry Fonda tale about our justice system is one of the best films every made. One juror believes in the innocence of a man whom the other 11 jurors think is guilty. (NR).

Under the Same Moon - A woman leaves her child in Mexico as she seeks work in California, but the boy runs away from home to find her. We like this for it's sympathetic depiction of the trials of immigration.(PG-13).

The Visitor - An older man bonds with an illegal immigrant couple who are squatting in his NY apartment, but helps them when the man teaches him to play the drums. (PG-13).

Thanks for reading our e-mails throughout the past year and for sharing our newsletter with your friends. We wish everyone a happy, and healthy, 2008; you'll hear from us next in the New Year!

Diane and Sarah

Kids Off The Couch

Contact Us: info@kidsoffthecouch.com

www.kidsoffthecouch.com

"Annie" + Talking About Money = Kids Off The Couch

The Sun Will Come Out, Tomorrow... Won't It?

Over Thanksgiving break families will have plenty of time together, and inevitably adult conversation will focus on the economy. We think it's a perfect time to sit down with your kids to calm whatever anxiety has been passed along (unwittingly) to them, and to set a solid path for the future. This week, we turn to KOTC Financial Guru Nathan Dungan, a national expert on helping parents teach their kids healthy financial habits. Dungan has created a series of questions for Kids Off The Couch subscribers to get the conversation started, like asking Great Grandma about her most treasured possession or about how values have shifted in a generation. With these memories being shared, why not create a new Thanksgiving tradition and record these conversations? (This Friday is National Day of Listening, and we provide a link to their site to show families how to record these stories for posterity). If all this talk is sounding bleak, fear not -- we kick off this earnest topic with a screening of Annie, the sunniest movie we can think of, to remind us that money isn't the key to happiness.

Click here for Dungan's conversation starters as well as a link to his recent Chicago Tribune article on how to talk to kids about job loss. And for Parents - we highly recommend Slumdog Millionaire, a wonderful treatise on money, values and love (rated R, in theaters now) to inspire you to tackle this tough topic.

Focus on Holiday Photo Projects

Holiday Cards:
Our holiday photo cards are already printed, and waiting to be addressed. We're not bragging, it's just that we're astonished to be done so early -- all because we discovered a really fun website that made creating the card easier than ever. Once you have selected a photo (we prefer a single, great shot to the collage approach) go to Tiny Prints and peruse their many card designs. They make it easy to see how your image looks on the card, and will send you a proof before they print your order. We've used other well-known sites for online printing in years past (with fine results) but are mad about Tiny Prints' fresh designs. Also, their customer service is stellar -- to woo KOTC subscribers, Tiny Prints is offering $10 off for every order over $99 until 12/2/08 (use discount code SAVE10NOW at checkout).

Memory Books:
Our favorite gift to give is a scrap book of images from the year as it draws to a close -- a keepsake for parents and child! We create very high quality books through MyPublisher, whose user-friendly website works with your computer's photo program. You'll have to download their BookMaker program (free), but we promise the process is very intuitive and if you get stuck, the tutorials are also simple to follow. Ordering multiple books brings the price down, making this a fun choice for family gifts, or sports teams. Tip: Sign up through the Costco website (with your membership number) for significant discounts.

Calendars:
Making a calendar with the year's best photos is also a great holiday gift -- our twist on this tradition is to compile photos of all the cousins and make a calendar for the grandparents. Both Apple's iPhoto and Shutterfly have good programs which allow you to customize the calendar with family birthdays and other important dates. Poke around each site as various discounts are available if you can get organized before the holiday crunch.

Now.... if only we had a quick tip for writing notes on all those cards!

Diane and Sarah
Founders, Kids Off The Couch