Create a Less Commercial Christmas

The Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood has created a guide with suggestions for the Christmas holiday season. See it here.

Enough Stuff: When Pop Culture Grows a Conscience : The Rebel Yell

Here's something to try as a family or a discussion group with young people. Watch that engaging movie Wall-E and make note of what it's saying about 'Enough Stuff' or is it TOO MUCH STUFF?

CCFC Victory: Disney Offers Parents Refunds on Baby Einstein Videos

CCFC Victory: Disney Offers Parents Refunds on Baby Einstein Videos: "CCFC Victory: Disney Offers Refunds on Baby Einstein Videos"
Disney has finally admitted that their claims about Baby Einstein were indeed false.

From Overturning the Tables, Chapter 9

Smarter Babies
In 1997 the Clintons held a White House Conference on Early Childhood Development and Learning to garner support for funding of early childcare programs. One fact that emerged was that brain development is fastest in the first three years of life. Building on this fact, within a month Baby Einstein was launched. Buoyed up by moms who were keen to create super babies and who were themselves raised on Sesame Street and technology and despite medical advice to the contrary, this $18,000 investment turned into a $25 million company in five years. This success spawned a flood of educational toys from virtually every toy manufacturer. From there it was an easy leap to cable and network television for babies.

Misinterpretation of messages about early child development from both the Clinton and Bush administrations has been used to fuel the increase in educational and developmental toys and resources. Many of the claims that toys can create smarter children have been proven to be completely false. Baby Einstein foreign language tapes, for example, fly in the face of evidence that babies cannot learn from taped voices but need human interaction to acquire language. Many child care providers and most parents and grandparents are not equipped with a background in child development and are not able to distinguish fact from sales pitch.

Discussion:
How does the success of this product illustrate our desire for a quick fix and instant gratification?

How does it fit into our competitive world that tells us goods are required to compete?

What other examples can you name of parents "buying into" gimmicks and experts to raise their children?

The Commercialization of Childhood

Consuming Kids is a brand new and critically-acclaimed film from the Media Education Foundation featuring the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood staff. The film is an eye-opening account of the pervasive and pernicious effects of children’s advertising on the health and well-being of kids.

CCFC members all over the country are organizing local screenings of Consuming Kids. A screening is the perfect way to raise awareness about the commercialization of childhood and to connect with other local parents and activists.

Click here for guidelines for hosting a showing and an order form for the film.

School Junk Food

My grandson has just started Grade One. It's HUGE!

On the first day he brought home a monster stack of papers and forms to be read overnight and returned. One of them was the announcement that there would be 21 pizza days during the year and with it the obligatory demand for cash.

Now raising money for school is one thing but forcing parents to buy junk food for their kids is another. The practice not only makes kids eat unhealthy food or be ostracized but reinforces the idea that junk food is A-OK!

Here's a link to what two angry moms say.

Enough Stuff: "Two Angry Moms: 'If you're frustrated with the school food environment in your community, you've come to the right place! It all started with my daughters' lunch. My husband and I were packing healthy lunches for our kids, only to find that we were being undermined by the school's offerings of junk food with no nutritional value. It made me angry. So I decided to do something about it. I made a movie.

Along with the movie, we've assembled some tools that will help you create change in your school district. Now our goal is to grow from two to two million angry moms.
Join us! Your kids will thank you!'"

From Overturning the Tables Chapter 10:
One important place to begin working outside of the home is your child’s school. Today, children are being exposed to more and more in-school marketing campaigns ranging from subtle reminders of who donated school equipment to blatant advertisements. The private sector is rushing through the school doors as many schools boards, often strapped for cash, are still wrestling with establishing policies. (See Chapter Three.) Sometimes this partnership works well; sometimes it results in exploitation of children and their parents. Here are some suggestions for parents and educators:
• Take an inventory of advertising in your child’s school.
• Bring your concerns to parent/teacher meetings, or write to the board directly.
• Join with other parents to offer alternative funding opportunities.
• Get active! Organize an anti-consumerism event in your school and/or church community.
• Discuss school events such as graduations and birthday parties. How can consumerism be reduced in each?