The Space-tacular Zula Patrol

I have watched more than my fair share of children's television programs in the past eight years, and believe me, I haven't learned a thing.

But in just two episodes of The Zula Patrol, a relatively new animated educational program for kids, I learned a bunch of interesting facts about volcanoes and different kinds of rocks. Today, thanks to those zany, brainy Zula Patrol characters, I will no doubt find a way to incorporate the word "igneous" into my conversations. "The cookies I bake look more like igneous rock than anything else." Yuk yuk.

I learned something from a children's cartoon, that's the point.

And that's exactly what the creator of this program intended to do: educate the Pre-K through second grade set about science and astronomy in a fun and entertaining way.

The Zula Patrol website boasts all kinds of information and activities for kids and parents alike. Aside from the usual assortment of games and coloring activities, teachers can access detailed lesson plans to help them teach scientific concepts, and read all about Zula Patrol educational exhibits in museums throughout the country, as well as other activities designed to make science fun and accessible to kids.

The cartoon is broadcast mainly on PBS stations, and I highly recommend it as a refreshing alternative to the pointless drivel masquerading as children's programming today - the stuff that makes me want to hurl an igneous rock through my TV set. Yuk yuk. Check it out!

Find all sorts of interesting and enlightening Parent Blogger reviews at PBN.

Rock on, RYKA

Mmm hmmm. That's right.

Thanks to the Parent Bloggers and RYKA, I've got some sweet new kicks that have put a spring back in my step.



These are RYKA's "MC2 Run" running shoes, one of the three models the company is GIVING AWAY between September 5 and October 2007 to the tune of fifty (50) pairs a day.

Let me repeat: The RYKA company will give you free shoes. They're nice like that. Go to their website and enter for a chance to try out their athletic shoes.

Fifty (50) pairs a day, people.

I needed the incentive of new running shoes to jump start my personal fitness efforts - which I did shortly after my new sneakers arrived in the mail. They sat beside my bed while I slept, and in the early dawn they seemed to whisper to me, gently rousing me from my slumber and beckoning me to lace them up and hit the road.

I listened, and I've been heeding their whispers several times a week ever since.

I feel great.

The MC2 Run running shoes fit my feet well and provided ample cushioning and support during my twenty to fifty-minute jogs. These are structurally sound, quality shoes.

But I wasn't surprised. I actually bought a pair of RYKA running shoes about five years ago after trying on every brand under the sun, including Saucony (a great shoe) and Nike (not a great shoe, in my opinion). At the time, I found the RYKA's to be the most comfortable. Their newer model did not disappoint, and I will definitely look for the RYKA brand when I'm shopping around for a new pair.

Thank you, RYKA, for helping me get off the couch and onto the road.

You can, too. Just go HERE and tell them I sent you. Enjoy!