Today's Kool Idea: (Autism Awareness Month) Baby BumbleBee DVDs

Each April since the 1970's, the goal of Autism Awareness Month has been to educate the public about this complex developmental disability. Autism is one of a group of disorders known as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The CDC reports that approximately 1 in every 166 children born today will be diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. This is an 885% increase in the number of children born with ASD ten years ago. With these staggering statistics, it's no wonder that autism has been reported to be one of the fastest growing childhood disorders in the nation.

While we at The Daily Kool in no way profess to be experts on autism, we are among the millions of Americans who have had their lives touched by at least one family with an autistic child. It is our understanding that despite the complexity and range within the Autism spectrum, speech delay seems to be one of the more common symptoms. In many cases, is often a challenge for parents to find appropriate materials to engage, educate and motivate their autistic children to increase their verbal expression.

In our research, we came across a special collection of educational videos from Baby BumbleBee. Though the collection was not specifically created for children with autism, parent and teacher feedback revealed its usefulness for children with speech delays. Baby BumbleBee DVDs, particularly the Vocabulary Builder™ and Action Words!™ videos, use paired associative learning – a scientifically well established teaching method. The company estimates that 85% of children with speech delays benefit from these award-winning videos. The Vocabulary Builder™ in particular was a 1999 Parents' Choice Award Winner and recipient of an "A" rating from Parenting Magazine. The Baby BumbleBee DVDs are low-stimulus, their intentionally slow pace perfect for keeping the attention of children with speech delays. Plus, they feature calming classical music which many children with autism seem to enjoy.

In honor of Autism Awareness Month, we implore all of our fans to take a few moments to learn how you can support and spread awareness in your community. Though there is currently no single known cause or cure, autism is treatable. Children do not “outgrow” autism, but studies show that early diagnosis and intervention can lead to significantly improved outcomes. With "kool" products like the Baby BumbleBee DVD series to help foster verbal expression, children with autism can grow up to live full, healthy and meaningful lives.

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Today's Kool Idea: Lil' Rock Starz CD

With our children in different schools and enrichment activities, it's no wonder that we feel as if we spend more time in our car than in our home. That's why we are always on the lookout for music that both of our children can enjoy, despite their three-year age difference. Of course, wouldn't it also be nice if we could find a kid's CD that even we adults can tolerate?

Hooray for Lil' Rock Starz! Honestly, we would not have even known about it if our son hadn't been watching SpongeBob SquarePants last week. But, while we may never understand our child's obsession with the zany residents of Bikini Bottom, we could certainly appreciate his interest in the commercial for this collection of rock songs. Just released March 31, 2009 by Thrive Records, Lil' Rock Starz is the first package of this new hit compilation series. Featuring a combination of modern and classic rock, this collection features newly recorded versions of favorite classics and recent hits...all covered by kids.

Being the paranoid and distrusting parents that we are, we were delighted that Amazon gave us the opportunity to listen to a sample of each song before deciding whether Lil' Rock Starz was appropriate for the entire family. What a refreshing change from some of the other kiddie music we've had to suffer (oops...did we really say that out loud?) through over the years. This is true classic and contemporary rock (our personal music of choice), in a very family-friendly format. We even recognized some of our favorites from the 80s and 90s. But the true test was yet to come...had The Daily Kool finally found a collection of music that would be enjoyed by adults and children alike? It was time to play the samples for the kids.

Woohoo...they loved the samples so much they asked us if we could go out and buy the Lil' Rock Starz CD right away. We knew they were serious because they were careful to be "oh so polite" in their request. How often does that happen? They especially liked that it was kids just like them singing...we just liked the songs, especially those from artists such as KISS and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Bottom line...we think that Thrive's launch into the children's music market will be met with a lot of enthusiasm. Certainly everyone at The Daily Kool agrees...this CD rocks!

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Today's Kool Idea: Passover Matza 101 Cookbook

Okay, by now our fans should all be aware of The Daily Kool's obsession with food. If not, you haven't been reading our stuff! Call us crazy, but we particularly like the challenge of cooking for the Passover holiday. It's not as easy as you would expect, especially since many traditional ingredients (bread, flour, legumes, etc.) in our recipes are forbidden during Passover. After all, how creative can we really get with matzoh?

That's just the question neighbors Jenny Kdoshim and Debbie Bevans asked when they wrote Matza 101. This innovative cookbook takes an original approach to Passover recipes, with matzoh as the main ingredient. We like that this hardcover book has a spiral binding, making it easy to stay on the right page. We also appreciate how detailed the directions are, making each recipe virtually foolproof. In Matza 101, the authors demonstrate an simple process which enables the home cook to manipulate matzoh, resulting in endless possibilities in the kitchen. The procedure is to basically dampen the matzoh until it reaches an al-dente, lasagna noodle-type texture. Please be aware that it may take a little practice to perfect, but when you do...watch out! Can you imagine the possiblities now?

Passover is a particularly difficult holiday for many children with finicky pallettes. Matza 101 has truly guided us in creating delectable dishes that even our kids love. A particular favorite were the Matza Mini Franks...simple, but oh so yummy! Another winner in our household is the recipe for Matza Veggie Calzones. We have sampled many recipes from this amazing cookbook. This year, we are going to try our hand at Chicken Pot Pie. From baklava and cannolies to knishes and gefilte fish enchiladas, Matza 101 has given our family a smorgasbord of delicious recipes that have to be tasted to be believed. We have given you a recipe to try out, courtesy of Matza 101...the only modification that we have made is to use jarred pasta sauce as a time-saver. Though it doesn't compare to homemade, it does simplify the recipe for the beginning Passover cook. Enjoy, and have a wonderful holiday!

Matza Cheese Lasagna

Ingredients:
1-2 jars of pasta sauce (3-4 cups, depending on preference)
6 sheets of matzoh
2 cups of cottage cheese
2 cups of ricotta cheese
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 to 1 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
1/4 cup chopped fresh italian parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
   
2. Set aside 1/2 cup EACH of the mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.
   
3. Mix all of the other above ingredients in a bowl, except the matzoh and sauce.
4. Grease a lasagna pan (with a little oil or cooking spray) and place some of the pasta sauce in the bottom.
5. Cover the bottom of the pan with two sheets of matzoh side by side.
6. Top the matzoh with 1/3 cup ofthe cheese mixture, and top with about 1 cup of sauce.
7. Repeat the layering and end with the sauce.
8. Top with the reserved mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
9. Place in oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until melted and bubbly.
   

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Today's Kool Idea: The Passover Box of Questions

This week, Jewish people from all over the world will be celebrating the first of our three harvest festivals, Passover. While we won't overwhelm you with all of the laws, traditions and stories surrounding this beautiful holiday, we will tell you that this is time for family. It is a time to reflect upon the mistakes and triumphs of our ancestors while we hope that we have learned enough to ensure a bright future for generations to come. We do this in a traditional service/mealtime gathering, called a Seder.

We at The Daily Kool love sitting down with the family during the Passover Seders (we have two). And, nothing brings us together quite like a delicious meal rooted in tradition. Except, perhaps The Passover Box of Questions from The Box Girls.

What an amazing opportunity to ignite meaningful and creative dialogue with your family! The Passover Box of Questions is a clever, age-appropriate original game designed to inspire great fun and meaningful conversation at your dinner celebration, while re-establishing the art of storytelling. The beautifully designed box comes with 35 glossy matzoh question cards that are engaging and entertaining. Also included are 20 place cards and plague stickers. Some of the questions included in The Passover Box of Questions include:

• If you could write your own Ten Commandments, what would be the first three?
• Which are your favorite Passover traditions?
• If you were Moses today, where would you lead the Jewish people?
  

The Box Girls have created a truly unique Passover gift presentation for any hostess. The Passover Box of Questions will spark interesting discussions about the holiday and what it means to your family. We love this idea...and not just for the Passover Seders. Since the holiday lasts eight days (and our kids are on spring break), we can imagine using The Passover Box of Questions anytime we sit as a family during the holiday. What a "kool" way to learn things about your family that you never knew before. Even better, it's the one game where everyone wins!

Another note: The Box Girls have over 24 different ice-breaker box games in their series for just about any occasion from bridal showers to Valentine's Day to a girl's night out. Take one on your family road trip or to a busy restaurant to entertain the kids. There is even one for a birthday or sleepover party. Check out the website here.

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Today's Kool Idea: Popcorn Egg Decorating Kit by The Popcorn Factory

What better way to end our "kool" ideas for Easter week than with our all-time favorite snack...popcorn! We at The Daily Kool like to think of ourselves as popcorn aficionados, if only because we eat so darn much of it! Yep, popcorn is an obsession in our family for adults and children alike. So, we were really excited to see this great idea for a popcorn egg decorating kit from The Popcorn Factory.

These popcorn eggs look so yummy, we honestly question whether we will be able to hold off long enough to decorate them. The delectable popcorn egg decorating kit comes with a candy writer tube, an assortment of candy eyes, flavored tootsie rolls, mini marshmallows, red licorice, caramel corn, licorice bridge mix, smarties, mini graham crackers, an instruction sheet and 12 popcorn eggs. Are you getting hungry yet? Because we sure are!

This is a terrific project for the entire family. It got us thinking, though. Being the cooking-obsessed fools we are at The Daily Kool, we had to find out if we could also do this idea on our own. So, we borrowed a fabulous recipe from the famous Paula Dean for popcorn balls and modified the shape to a more "egg-like" form. Delicious! It was actually easier than we thought, with a few slight considerations...we've included them in the recipe below. Whether you purchase the popcorn egg decorating kit from The Popcorn Factory or try your hand at making it on your own, these tasty morsels will definitely sweeten up your Easter holiday. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
18 cups plain popped corn (not microwaved...use either pre-popped corn or make your own)
Candy of your choice and icing tubes to use for decorating


Directions

1. Place popped corn in a large greased glass bowl (we sprayed with Pam)
   
2. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, water, syrup, vinegar and salt. Cook over high heat, stiring constantly with a wooden spoon until mixture reaches 255 degrees F (hard-ball stage) on a candy thermometer.
3. Stir in vanilla.
4. Pour SLOWLY over popped corn, tossing gently with your wooden spoon. Again, do this slowly or you will melt the popcorn.
5. Let the mixture get cool enough to handle.
6. With lightly greased hands (we used oil), press popcorn into an egg-like shape. Make sure they are large enough to decorate!
   
7. Should make 10-12 nice sized popcorn eggs.

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Today's Kool Idea: Nyokki Egg Pet Plant

We at The Daily Kool have a confession to make. Until we started our research for "kool" Easter ideas, we had never heard of these adorable Nyokki egg pet plants. We certainly would never have suspected that they were becoming such a popular collector's item. We do have to admit, though...they are really cute, aptly described by one fan as the "next generation of the Chia pet."

Nyokki! Nyokki! Nyokki! ("grow! grow! grow!") and that's what these cheerful pet plants do. Small, but precious characters (about the size of a real egg, with fabric legs), Nyokki are handmade in Japan from glazed ceramic. They are filled with a growing medium and rye grass seed that grows to full height in about two weeks. Then, style Nyokki's "hair" or cut it and watch it grow again. Some of the characters available include a pig, frog, chick, monkey and bear. The bunny (not available on Amazon.com) seems especially appropriate for the spring holiday.

What a wonderful Easter basket gift for children! We originally thought the Nyokki egg pet plant was catered more for girls, but to our surprise, our four year old son absolutely loves it (we chose the monkey). Then, again...what's not to love? Nyokki teaches our children responsibility for taking care of a living thing, while giving them a creative outlet at the same time. Such "kool", happy characters...looking at them, we just can't help but smile! See? Check them out:

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Today's Kool Idea: Photo-Egg Digital Frame

Welcome to day three of our Easter feature (sorry, this still makes us chuckle). We hope you are enjoying our "kool" ideas this week as much as we love bringing them to you. Hopefully, we have already given you some inspiration for an extraordinary spring holiday season. If not, don't give up on us yet...check out the Photo-egg digital frame by Cybecho, Inc.

No, this is not an April Fool's Joke...can you believe how cute this thing is? Give it as a gift for Easter or keep it to store your own precious holiday memories. The Photo-egg has a patented design and is a fully functioning digital photo frame that will hold up to 100 images. This sweet item has a 1.5 inch LCD display, adjustable LCD brightness and 128 x 128 resolution. It's built-in lithium battery boasts up to 6 hours of continuous photo display (charge w/USB connection).

The Photo-egg digital frame is available in 7 main colors: blue, white, red, green, black, orange and pink. Beware, though...if you decide you want to order this from Amazon, Cybecho will choose a random color for you. If you have a preference, you must call them within 24 hours of your purchase to choose your specific color (no extra charge for this). Since the company claims only one business day of handling time for your Photo-egg, don't take a chance by waiting too long to call.

The Photo-egg digital frame is a charming and whimsical gift for adults and children alike. Don't let it's compact size fool you...reviewers say that the photo quality is top notch. Since the Photo-egg now ships from WA (used to come from Hong Kong), you can be assured of timely delivery before Easter. What a "kool" way to relive all the special moments of this holiday season. No fooling.

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