A Plug for Unplugging

Recently I wrote a blog about the surprise benefit of unplugging from my phone for a few hours. Since then, I have learned some additional benefits such as better rest, less anxiety, and oddly, less snacking. Apparently, I tended to eat when obsessively hitting refresh on Twitter to make sure I haven’t missed any celebrity […]

February in DIG: The Powerful Ganges River

Revealed for you in this issue are the facts, myths, and discoveries that have made the powerful Ganges River the center of the universe for countless people through the millennia.   Even though I have done several issues on Indian history through the years, the Ganges River was a topic that excited and scared me! […]

5 Tips To Help You Change Your Mind

How many of you made New Year’s resolutions to work out?   (Note: you can’t see me, but my hand is up, making it increasingly difficult to type)   I made that resolution. But I’m not working out my body. Not saying I don’t need to… I’ve just accepted the fact that I’ve got a […]

Happy Cricket Memories

Last summer I moved from my home in Astoria, Queens in New York City to Portland, OR. In preparation for that, my research revealed that that shipping our belongings would be the most affordable way to get them from one coast to the other (moving across country can be quite spendy). That meant we had […]

Real Heroes for Black History Month and All Year Long

While the calendar might compel the American public to focus on Black history specifically during the month of February, Cricket Media magazines feature stories, articles, and news highlighting the achievements of Black Americans living and dead throughout the entire year.   In COBBLESTONE, our American history magazine for kids ages 9 to 14, you might […]

Phoney Claims

Brace yourselves, I have a horror story to share.   I walked out of my house a few weeks ago without my phone. More accurately, I RUSHED out of my house without my phone. Let’s not pretend I’m ever on time to anything. Already 15 minutes late, by the time I realized I didn’t have […]

Invent It Challenge: Take a Page From Fellow Young Inventors

The 2017 Invent It Challenge launched 10 days ago and we hope your child is among those thinking about projects to enter. This year’s challenge invites kids ages 5 to 21 to think about a real-world environmental challenge and come up with a planet friendly solution. Often we hear from kids that the most difficult […]

Dear Poet: Notes to a Young Writer

A poetic journey through the creative process for readers, writers, artists & dreamers.   As I enter my seventh decade on this planet, I wonder what words of wisdom I might have written to the younger me. What treasured tidbits have I learned along the way? What could I leave in a letter to young […]

Check it Moms, the Class DAD is here

I admit it. I didn’t step up to the plate at first. My son’s class needed a “class mom” (hey, that’s how they phrased it in the email) and even though I’ve spent countless hours complaining to my wife that dads are treated as second-class citizens in the school, I still didn’t take the leap […]

Screen Beings

Just like children believe in the tooth fairy and Santa Claus, I have a vision that somewhere, out there, a magical, mythical mother exists. One who charts out exactly the right amount of screen-time, per child, per age, per device, sets AND enforces these limits, and yet somehow still miraculously maintains perfect family harmony. This […]