Expert Articles Resource

The real Tinkerbell revealed

By Article Expert on Nov. 16, 2009.

Many believe that Tinkerbell – the fairy who appears in the 1953 Disney’ Peter Pan movie - is a creation of The Walt Disney Company. Not so. Tinkerbell is a character that was created almost half a century before the Peter Pan movie was released.

Tinkerbell, whose name is often abbreviated to Tink, is a fictional character that first appeared in a 1904 play by J M Barrie and later in a novel he wrote entitled Peter and Wendy that was published in 1911.

Tinkerbell was described by J M Barrie as a fairy who mended kettles and metal pots and pans just like an actual tinker would. Her dialogue in the play and also later in the novel is made up of the sounds of a tinkling bell, which is understandable only to those familiar with the language of the fairi. Though sometimes ill-tempered and vindictive (for example she coaxes the Lost Boys to shoot arrows at Wendy), at other times she is helpful and kind to Peter. The extremes in her personality are explained by J M Barrie in the story as being due to the fact that her small fairy size prevents her from holding more than one feeling at a time, so when she is angry she has no counterbalance such as compassion or kindness.

Originally, Tinkerbell was only a minor / supporting character and was described by J M Barrie as “a common fairy”, however - following her success in Disney’s Peter Pan when children the world over fell in love with her animated incarnation, Tinkerbell has become a widely recognized as the unofficial mascot of The Walt Disney Company and recently as the star of its Disney Fairies media franchise including the direct-to-DVD film Tinker Bell.

Tinker Bell was originally part of the Disney Princess franchise but she was removed from this in 2005 to take her place as the central character of the new Disney Fairies franchise. At Disneyland, a Pixie Hollow meet-and-greet area opened in 2008, where guests are able to interact with Tinker Bell and her companions.

Tinkerbell has fans the world over and many websites are dedicated to this delicate yet mischeivous fairy. For example at sites like Fairy Coloring Pages you’ll find the best

Interestingly, the copyright to the Tinkerbell character is owned by the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, England. A bronze statue of Tinkerbell appears at the hospital’s entrance to commemorate the fact that the Scottish born J M Barrie bequeathed the copyright to the character to the children’s hospital upon his death in 1937.

Spongebob Games

By Article Expert on Nov. 15, 2009.

Lots of computer games featuring the underwater world of the SpogeBob animation series have become popular on the Internet, but not all of them do justice to the cartoon they rely on. Most of the SpongeBob games can be played online, with the possibility to download some of them. Follow SpongeBob down the roller-coaster, go on the demolition mission, have fun at the Bikini Bottom carnival, solve detective dilemmas and face other interesting challenges in the game world. In fact, there are charts and tops with the most played SpongeBob games on the Internet, and kids are not the only users.

It seems that SpongeBob games have won lots of other Internet surfers both from the teenage and adult categories, and kids are not the only ones to enjoy them. The vivid graphics, the colorful animations and the fun of the situations make such online activities a favorite form of entertainment for people who want to relax, eliminate stress or simply kill an hour. Thanks to the 3D features, many of these games could be more entertaining than they seem. Interactions are possible between characters while the video features and the cameo appearances from the movie {are rendered at a high-quality level receive a high-rendering quality}.

One can play SpongeBob games on different difficulty levels, including bonuses, secrets awards and access to all sorts of hidden items. Take your character pick and then choose between the multi-player or single-player functions: you’ll see how fun it feels. High quality SpongeBob games recreate the atmosphere of the cartoon together with its excitement and relaxation thanks to the advanced graphical features and algorithms integrated in the programs. Reviews on SpongeBob games are anything but scarce, and and they can tell one for what age group the specific entertainment item is suitable.

The content of some online SpongeBob games is not appropriate for children, which is why the young players need parents’ consent before being able to log in. Fortunately, there are  many games to choose from, and one adequate for the small age will be pretty easy to find. Allowing a child to play more aggressive versions of the SpongeBob games will enhance the risk of jeopardizing the emotional well-being of the kid. Otherwise, although game defaults have been reported in what the navigation options are concerned, they will most certainly pass unnoticed if the rest of the game is fun and challenging.

Television decisions

By Article Expert on Nov. 15, 2009.

The average child spends 900 hours in school per year and nearly 1,023 hours in front of a television. In fact, most children plug into the varied world of television way before they even enter school and when they do, statistics show that 70% of child-care centers use television during a typical day.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children watch around four hours of television a day. The AAP guidelines however, state that children older than two years of age should watch no more than one to two hours a day of quality programming. Further, children under age 2 should have no ‘screen time’ whatsoever (that’s no TV, DVDs, computers or video games) at all. During the first 2 years, a critical time for brain development, television can get in the way of exploring, learning and spending time interacting and playing with parents and others, which helps the young develop the skills they need to grow cognitively, physically, socially and emotionally.

While there are many entertaining and educational experiences for children to have on ‘screens’, it is important to keep in mind what children need at different ages for their healthy development. So, how much time is okay?

• Children under 2 years - very little time, preferably none.
• Preschoolers - an hour of age-appropriate programmes a day is plenty.
• Children 5 to 8 years - stick to an hour a day maximum.
• Children over 8 years - an hour and a half to a maximum of two hours a day is acceptable.

To follow these guidelines means that your little ones have the time as well as the opportunity to build strong bonds with real and caring people, have time for active physical play and ‘hands-on’ activities of all kinds.

Therefore, plan what you watch and limit your child to the amount watched each day. Decide together what programs will be watched and only have ‘the box’ on then, rather than on all the time. This teaches children to think, plan, make choices and allows time for them to do other things important for their development.

Other issues to be aware of or implement include:

• Remember to lead by example - your child’s viewing habits may be copied from yours.
• Television viewing for a very young child should always take place in your company.
• Record programs so they can be played at a time that suits your family.
• Encourage children to discuss how they feel after watching a program.
• Play ‘spot the gimmicks and tricks’ when watching commercials.
• Decide on bedtime based on your child’s age, and not on the time a certain programme ends.
• Children need to wind down between television and sleep, so turn the volume down or off before bedtime.
• Just make television one of the many activities your children take part in – so organise outings, play-dates, day-trips and activities for them that don’t involve ‘screens’. Fun arts and crafts such as coloring and drawing are always well received – especially if you join in – and especially if you choose coloring pages of a favourite character – so for example at sites like Spongebob Coloring Pages you’ll find the best Spongebob printables

Television has its advantages. It can certainly be educational and entertaining. It can open up new worlds for kids, giving them the opportunity to virtually travel the globe and learn about different cultures. However, many pitfalls also exist; many children are exposed to violence, advertising and adult material that is not age appropriate.

Just as you maintain a balanced diet or a regular bedtime, establishing healthy television habits is one of the most important things you can do for your family.