To help consignors and shoppers prepare for the next sale on March 20-21, 2010, the organizers, Lisa Mullen and Judy Cameron, have put together the following list of tips. While some are specific to the NH Kids Consignment Sale, many could help with other consignment or garage sales.

Tips for Consignors

• People who want to become a consignor, need to register at our website: http://www.nhkidsconsignment.com/
• Start tagging early…once you start your ‘spring cleaning’ you may be surprised at how much you’ll have to tag
• Think seasonal for clothing…if your child would wear it in the spring or summer, then tag it.
• Name brands sell well
• Neatness counts…items that are ironed present better and sell better
• Price aggressively…shoppers are looking for deals. Think about what you would be willing to spend on an item.  Opt to discount ½ off for the sale on Sunday.
• Take advantage of the shop early pass and get deals for your family
• Refer 2 friends and earn more
• Become a fan on Facebook and stay updated on the sale
• Take advantage of the printable flyers on the website…the more shoppers, the more likely items will sell.

Tips for Shoppers

• Shop Saturday for best selection
• Bring cash or checks for payment
• Volunteer for a work shift to receive a pre-sale pass
• Come back and shop on Sunday when many items are 50% off
• Never forget a sale; become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
• Bring a friend to shop…it’s fun!
• When your children have outgrown your purchases, consign them at a future sale…recycle and save!

For more information on the NH Kids Consignment Sale, please visit the following:

Website: http://www.nhkidsconsignment.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/nhkidsconsignment (inc. suggested item pricing)
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nhkids
Email: info@nhkidsconsignment.com

Have other consignment or yard sale tips? Please share them in the comments.

So far we’ve found schedules for free family movies shown under the stars in Manchester and Nashua. Both schedules are on the SNHParents calendar, but I’ve also included them below. I’ll add other schedules to this post (and the calendar) as I find them.

Manchester, NH

Downtown Film Fest
Veterans Park, downtown Manchester, NH

Area opens at 6:30 and show time is approx: 8:30. Films will be shown on a new 40-foot screen.

• 7/16 – Madagascar 2
• 7/23 – Hotel for Dogs
• 7/30 – Journey to the Center of the Earth
• 8/6 – Kung Fu Panda

Sponsored by  Southern New Hampshire University, The Sausage King of Nashua, BOSE Professional Sound, Community Events, Mayor Guinta’s Office and Intown Manchester

Nashua, NH

SummerFun 2009 Plaza Pics
Greeley Park Bandshell, 100 Concord St., Nashua, NH

Pre-movie entertainment starts at 7:30 with the movie following at dusk.

• 7/10 – Journey to the Center of the Earth
  Pre-movie entertainment: Mad Science demonstration
• 7/17 – Tale of Desperaux
  Pre-Movie entertainment: Stories by Mrs. Susan
• 7/24 – Kung Fu Panda
  Pre-Movie entertainment: Demo by Anctil’s Martial Arts
• 7/31 – Madagascar 2
  Pre-Movie entertainment: Wildlife Encounters (live animals)

We’ve added the big events to the calendar, but be sure to check out the full schedule for lots fo great (and free) family activities.

So while I encourage her curiosity, I also realize that TV, and to a lesser extent, computer time can have negative effects on young children. But other than the standard “no TV before two-years-old” recommendation of the American Pediatrics Association, what do we really have to worry about?

Fortunately, this subject has become the subject of greater study as the number of electronic distractions in our lives increases. Of course, I’m not saying that we should ban all electronic entertainment from our children’s lives…I’m not even sure that’s realistic. But it does make sense to be aware of the risks.

If you want to learn more, you may want to check out a free screening of “Consuming Kids,” April 29th at the Marlboro College Technology Center in Brattleboro, VT.

I know a lot of tech-savvy parents are SNHParents regulars. What are your thoughts on how much screen time, computer or TV, that’s right for your kids?

Additional details from the press release follow:

Press Release

April 2009

Film Screening of “Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood”

Brattleboro – The new documentary “Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood”, will be shown on Wednesday, April 29th at the downtown campus of the Marlboro College Graduate School. Co-sponsored by Know Media, Healthy Media Choices and the Windham Child Care Association, this film will be shown at 7:00 and is open to all. The film is not recommended for viewing by children.

“Consuming Kids” is a Media Education Production that targets the multi-billion-dollar youth marketing industry and takes a close look at the effects such marketing is having on children today. “We decided to show this film so that parents and other child care-givers could learn to make their way through the challenges of commercialization”, says Robin Rieske, coordinator of Know Media. Rieske also adds that although the American Pediatrics Association recommends no screen time before the age of 2, “marketers love to make parents feel guilty if they don’t feed their kids a steady media diet of TV, computers, and so called ‘educational’ videos”. As Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia states “This powerful, disturbing and heartbreaking film has the power to change the way we treat our children. It is the best possible parent education product. I recommend it to schools, universities, churches, mosques and synagogues.”

The film showing will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with members of Know Media, Healthy Media Choices and Windham Child Care Association. The discussion will include helpful tips on navigating the media culture with children. For more information about this event, please contact Robin Rieske at Know Media, (802) 258-2402. The film is free to the public. Donations are accepted to cover costs.

A light refreshment will be provided.

Calendar Event :

Wednesday, April 29th, 7:00 – “Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood” –which takes a close look at the effects such marketing is having on children today. Film screening –Marlboro College Technology Center in Brattleboro. Donations accepted. (802) 258-2402. Know Media.

Mary L. Rothschild, Director
Healthy Media Choices
www.healthymediachoices.org
Brooklyn, New York
Brattleboro, Vermont
Host: The Healthy Media Choices Hour
Tuesdays 1pm ET
Streaming at www.wvew.org

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Leslie Poston, the founder of Uptown Uncorked social media and business development consultancy and a co-author of the upcoming Twitter for Dummies, will be teaching a lunch and learn session for parents or guardians who want to know how to keep their kids safe on the internet.

Topics will include:

• How much should you watch?
• How do you recognize signs of trouble?
• What is the etiquette for being in your child’s “Circle of Friends” without intruding or damaging your relationship?
• What does an online predator look like?

To register or learn more, visit kidsafe1.eventbrite.com.

Featuring teens from New England and around the country, this year’s “Science at the Circus” show is sure to please kids (and adults) of all ages. As the Manchester dates approach, we’re happy to share a review from Rob Williams of Vermont Commons:

I’ve always liked the circus, and, like many, have considered running away to join it from time to time, as the old adage goes.

For those who haven’t seen Vermont’s very own “Circus Smirkus,” it is a unique one-ring show, featuring teenagers trained at the in all kinds of Big Top-related activities – juggling, clowning, tumbling, and hanging by various parts of one’s body from all manner of contraptions suspended from the top of the tent.

Having been to “Circus Smirkus” for five summers running with my kids, I was feeling, on my sixth visit to the “Big Top,” a little less like an open-eyed kid, and more like a long-suffering parent, recognizing many of the names and faces in the program, and knowing that, at the end of the day, much of what I was about to see I’d seen before. This feeling was compounded by the theme of this summer’s “Smirkus” event, entitled “Smirkusology – A Science Extravaganza.”

“Science at the Circus?” I thought to myself? Sounds like a yawn fest, even after reading creative director Jesse Dryden’s breathless program description:

“Circus (he writes) is not an exact science. It is a volatile combination of danger and amusement, with a delicate balance of laughter and awe. Take some young artists with endless energy and astronomical skills. Put their hopes, their hearts and their lives into the ring. Mix in plenty of mirth and mayhem. Coat with whimsy and a pinch of artistry and emotion. Stir in some silly, and magnify it all under the Big Top. Just add an audience and let the chemical reaction inspire. The results are truly magical.”

OK, I thought. But science at the circus?

This slightly-jaded parent couldn’t have been more wrong. This summer’s 21st annual “Circus Smirkus” program may be the best “Smirkus” show to date.

One reason (as always) has to do with the hard-working members of the Smirkus troupe, who somehow manage to keep their energy up for more than two hours of big top fun. And there was some new stuff, too – like acrobatics on this dangling rectangular (sort of) cube structure, and the couple from Cali, Columbia (Francisco Javier Hartado and Leidy Tatiana Zainiga Vidal), who finished the first act with a stunning double display of balancing virtuosity involving a giant circular metal ring (It must be seen to be fully believed).

But there was more going on here than I remember, theme-wise. Seeing clowns dressed in scientific lab coats and glasses proved remarkably amusing throughout the show – a sort of visual cognitive dissonance that made their antics even more goofy – and the writers made some seriously funny hay out of this ongoing visual gag, featuring, for example, a nerdy-looking clown kid pulled from the crowd at show’s beginning who metamorphoses into a “wonder juggler” (complete with shiny jump suit) at the beginning of the show’s second half. New juggling tricks – including a wonderful moment involving 3 clowns juggling the same series of multi-colored balls and some serious fun with unicycles and uber-stilts – kept things fresh, too.

And then there was the sonics of Smirkus. The sounds of the 2008 summer show proved vital to its freshness this time around, and a big “hats off” to music composer Tristan Moore and sound technician Mike Cress for melding sound and story in such a compelling way – gadget noises, robotic and experimental mood music, and sonically-driven sight gags (my favorite involved some out-of-control robot hands, in reality, a pair of over-sized ice hockey gloves) kept audiences howling, and gave the clowns additional support and a sonic “foil” to play off of. Really nifty.

If you missed “Circus Smirkus” in Vermont and are kicking yourself – have no fear. You can catch them all over New England this summer – check out the schedule online at www.smirkus.org. They’ll even be touring in New Hampshire for the first time this year – July 22 and 23 at the Beech Street Elementary School in Manchester. The scientist, the clown, and the kid in you won’t want to miss it!

You can also find complete program information on the Nashua City Website.

You can also find complete program information on the Nashua City Website.

Looks like lots of fun things this year!