How To Grow Your Geek: Parenting and More!

Here at HTGYG, I decided that since I didn’t record any shows during November due to scheduling, I’d make it up to you all by giving you a 12 Days of Christmas Geeky Gift Guide! I’ll recommend a great geeky gift for your kids for the first 12 days of Christmas, and since I’m starting early, it’ll actually be a baker’s dozen of 13! (If you have recommendations, please send them to me at howtogrowyourgeek@gmail.com or @susiethegeek on Twitter!) I’m starting with a big one – the Skylanders Giants video game. This game is wonderful for the whole family, and you collect figures that give you additional characters with different abilities to use in the game. You can check out a great review here at Wired’s GeekMom. Please email me with your own comments at howtogrowyourgeek-at-gmail-dot-com, or call my voicemail number at (678) 235-GROW (4769) and leave your thoughts. And last but not least, you can follow me on Twitter at @SusietheGeek or the show at @HowToGrowGeek, on Goodreads as SusieMurph, and on Google+ as +SusieMurph! Logo Art by Tim Coffey Theme music: Alien for Christmas cover by IFightDragons

Hey everyone! I’ve been sick for a few weeks with throat issues, so I’ve not been able to put out a show, but luckily Gary’s been calling in with voicemails on the last few shows! Here I’ve put together his thoughts on taking kids to conventions, plus a few other topics we’ve covered. Thanks a million, Gary! Don’t forget – we’d love to hear from you too – especially if this throat issue keeps bugging me! Please email me with your own comments at howtogrowyourgeek-at-gmail-dot-com, or call my voicemail number at (678) 235-GROW (4769) and leave your thoughts. And last but not least, you can follow me on Twitter at @SusietheGeek or the show at @HowToGrowGeek, on Goodreads as SusieMurph, and on Google+ as +SusieMurph! Logo Art by Tim Coffey Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton

This episode, we talk about kids going to conventions! My kids got a chance to go with me to Dragon*Con in Atlanta, and in addition to working at the Parsecs, we had a great time enjoying the convention. Kevin in the “Pod” controlling a Mech Captain America and Thor And then our contributor Laith and his family went to ConX in Kansas City, and reported on the fun they had attending that convention. Laith’s daughter meets Alien Starry Eyed over Star Wars! Please email me with your own comments at howtogrowyourgeek-at-gmail-dot-com, or call my voicemail number at (678) 235-GROW (4769) and leave your thoughts. And last but not least, you can follow me on Twitter at @SusietheGeek or the show at @HowToGrowGeek, on Goodreads as SusieMurph, and on Google+ as +SusieMurph! Logo Art by Tim Coffey Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton Promo from  Marc Gunn’s Irish and Celtic Music Podcast

We’re returning from our summer hiatus with a wonderful interview with the creators and producers of the YouTube show “Written By A Kid,” Will Bowles and Josh Flaum. These talented guys have created a fantastic show where kids tell their stories, and directors make that story into a mini-movie. This is one of the first season of shows available on Felicia Day’s Geek & Sundry channel on YouTube. You can find the show here on YouTube, and the community here on the Geek & Sundry website. Please email me with your own comments at howtogrowyourgeek-at-gmail-dot-com, or call my voicemail number at (678) 235-GROW (4769) and leave your thoughts. And last but not least, you can follow me on Twitter at SusietheGeek or the show at HowToGrowGeek, on Goodreads as SusieMurph, and on Google+ as +SusieMurph! Logo Art by Tim Coffey Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton Promos from Technorama and The Critical Myth Podcast

First off, apologies for the sound – I was fiddling with the quality, and didn’t realize it wasn’t back to original settings until I’d recorded the whole thing! I’ll try to have it all back to normal next time! This episode, we start off with the announcement of the Finalists at the Parsec Awards site! Then we have a voicemail from Gary about the movie “Brave.” Then I jump on my soapbox and address some issues that have been taking place in several arenas lately about basic respect, consideration and common courtesy, with a few personal anecdotes about encounters this summer as a swim team coordinator, at public attractions, and just commentary in general. Please let us know if you are crazy about Minecraft! Kevin is currently obsessed, so we’ll talk with him soon, and hopefully have some fun cool stuff about Minecraft soon! Please email me with your own comments at howtogrowyourgeek-at-gmail-dot-com, or call my voicemail number at (678) 235-GROW (4769) and leave your thoughts. And last but not least, you can follow me on Twitter at SusietheGeek or the show at HowToGrowGeek, on Goodreads as SusieMurph, and on Google+ as +SusieMurph! Logo Art by Tim Coffey Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton Promos from Technorama and Marc Gunn’s Irish and Celtic Music Podcast

Hey Everyone! We’re finally back with Amanda’s take on the new campaign in Europe – “Science: It’s a Girl Thing!” Amanda watched the video, which while it has been removed from YouTube, you can still watch it here at the Telegraph’s website. I agreed with most of the commentary on Twitter – that the video, while it was well-meaning, it was also poorly designed and emphasized stereotypes, and utterly failed to serve the purpose of getting girls to be interested in Science! Amanda gives her ideas on what she finds compelling, and  what gets other kids of either gender inspired. We’ll be following up with this issue – please let us know your thoughts on this issue – plus any information, sites or programs that you all recommend! Laith and his girls viewing the Venus Transit We also have a couple of clips from RapidEye and Laith, who went out and watched the Venus transit with their kids. They recorded the kids’ reactions and thoughts, and shared them with us! Thanks again to Laith for giving us a ton of great information for the last episode – he really provided nearly everything for that one! Please email me with your own comments at howtogrowyourgeek-at-gmail-dot-com, or call my voicemail number at (678) 235-GROW (4769) and leave your thoughts. And last but not least, you can follow me on Twitter at SusietheGeek or the show at HowToGrowGeek, on Goodreads as SusieMurph, and on Google+ as +SusieMurph! Logo Art by Tim Coffey Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton

Copyright © 2012 McGill University This summer, we have a wonderful opportunity for some great astronomy! In this episode, I discuss the Venus Transit, and play an episode of  365 Days of Astronomy by Dr. Christopher Crockett from the United States Naval Observatory. Here’s our friend Laith’s blog with more info.  Here’s a post he put up on our site as well. Here’s CosmoQuest’s coverage page – here is where you can watch the transit live online in conjunction with Universe Today, and catch the video later if you missed it. And here’s a link to Neil Tyson’s Startalk Radio – they are replaying an episode about Venus and observing. Plus more resources for other astronomical events that you can catch here while the kids are out for the summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Please email me with your own comments at howtogrowyourgeek-at-gmail-dot-com, or call my voicemail number at  (678) 235-GROW (4769) and leave your thoughts.  And last but not least, you can follow me on Twitter at SusietheGeek or the show at HowToGrowGeek, on Goodreads as SusieMurph, and on Google+ as +SusieMurph! Logo Art by Tim Coffey Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton

This week, I talk about Geography, and fun ways for you kids to brush up on their lessons while having fun this summer! I mention great board games like Ticket to Ride, (which I also point out is on my new favorite game show Table Top, hosted by Wil Wheaton on Felicia Day’s new Youtube channel Geek & Sundry), Pandemic and the great classic video game Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Want to use Zombies to teach geography? Check out this Kickstarter to create a curriculum for middle school kids that does just that! I think I might just back this one too! We also have a voicemail about sleep-away camps from Gary, and a BIG shoutout to Paul, our listener in Malta – use your geography skills and find it on a world map! Please email me with your own comments at howtogrowyourgeek-at-gmail-dot-com, or call my voicemail number at (678) 235-GROW (4769) and leave your thoughts. And last but not least, you can follow me on Twitter at SusietheGeek or the show at HowToGrowGeek, or on Goodreads as SusietheGeek! Logo Art by Tim Coffey Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton Promo: The Parsec Awards and Tuning in to SciFi TV

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons & Oracle of Ages This episode, we celebrate World Book Night, and welcome new members to our HTGYG team - Laith Preston and his daughters. Laith does a lot of reviewing over at The Dragon Page, and they’ll be joining us to review kids’ books! They call in to tell us about their experience handing out copies of Ender’s Game to random folks for World Book Night. Then, my son Kevin entertains us with reviews of some of his favorite books: the manga books The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages; the kids’ novel Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist Book One:Flight of the Phoenix, the young adult novel Star Wars:The Wrath of Darth Maul, and the graphic novel Star Wars Omnibus: Boba Fett. Then he discusses how Ender’s Game is a book he’s started but hasn’t finished yet – he thinks that he should be older to understand the story better. We’re also looking forward to the movie version slated to come out next year. Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist Book One: Flight of the Phoenix & Ender's Game If you have book, movie, board or video game reviews that you’d like to share, write or record them and send them to me! We’re interested in anything kid-appropriate! Please email me with your own comments at howtogrowyourgeek-at-gmail-dot-com, or call my voicemail number at (678) 235-GROW (4769) and leave your thoughts. And last but not least, you can follow me on Twitter at SusietheGeek or the show at HowToGrowGeek, or on Goodreads as SusietheGeek! Star Wars Omnibus:Boba Fett & The Wrath of Darth Maul Logo Art by Tim Coffey Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton Promo: The Parsec Awards and Tuning in to SciFi TV

In this episode, I discuss using Goodreads as a resouce for book reviews, and Alibris as a place to buy and sell used books. I mention that Amanda loves the series that starts withI’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You (Gallagher Girls, #1) by Ally Carter. We have a couple of voicemails about iPad apps and thrift stores as good places to buy books. And finally, it is the beginning of Parsec Nominating Season, and I play promos for the Parsec Awards from Clinton of comedy4cast and Chuck & Kreg from Technorama. Please email me with your own comments at howtogrowyourgeek-at-gmail-dot-com, or call my voicemail number at (678) 235-GROW (4769) and leave your thoughts. And last but not least, you can follow me on Twitter at SusietheGeek or the show at HowToGrowGeek, or on Goodreads as SusietheGeek! Logo Art by Tim Coffey Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton Promo: The Parsec Awards and Technorama

The Hunger Games This episode is my unabashed lovefest discussing the move version of The Hunger Games. If you haven’t read the book or seen the movie, don’t listen past the first few minutes!  Otherwise, enjoy my unusual gushing over a book-to-movie adaptation done right! Please email me with your own comments at howtogrowyourgeek-at-gmail-dot-com, or call my voicemail number at (678) 235-GROW (4769) and leave your thoughts. And last but not least, you can follow me on Twitter at SusietheGeek or the show at HowToGrowGeek! Logo Art by Tim Coffey Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton Promo: Technorama Promo: Tuning in to SciFi TV

This episode, I discuss how school and public libraries are integrating support for eReaders, and places you can get low or no cost books for you and your kids! Links: Smashwords and Project Gutenberg Facebook page for Free eBooks from Amazon Please email me with your own comments at howtogrowyourgeek-at-gmail-dot-com, or call my voicemail number at (678) 235-GROW (4769) and leave your thoughts. And last but not least, you can follow me on Twitter at SusietheGeek or the show at HowToGrowGeek! Logo Art by Tim Coffey Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton Promos: comedy4cast and Marc Gunn’s Irish & Celtic Music Podcast

This week, I found a couple of articles that I wanted to discuss with you. The first is “9 Essential Skills Kids Should Learn” by Leo Babauta on his blog Zen Habits. I agree completely that these 9 skills are essential to every kid’s success in life. The second article is “Liberals, Don’t Homeschool Your Kids: Why teaching children at home violates progressive values,” (not the best title, but some good points) by Dana Goldstein, in the blog Slate.com. There are some very good points in these articles about the kinds of skills and lessons that our kids should learn to be successful, as well as to be good influences in their lives. Please email me with your own comments at howtogrowyourgeek-at-gmail-dot-com, or call my voicemail number at (678) 235-GROW (4769) and leave your thoughts. And last but not least, you can follow me on Twitter at SusietheGeek or the show at HowToGrowGeek! Logo Art by Tim Coffey Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton Promo: The Critical Myth Podcast Promo: Technorama

This episode, I’m joined by Jake the whining dog and lots of my own sneezes, which I hopefully edited out! Also, we have a number of voicemails from Gary on topics ranging from our show on Internet security, reading, crafts and Origami Yoda. Then I revisit the Hunger Games trilogy with my recommendations on the final two books. Please email me with your own comments at howtogrowyourgeek-at-gmail-dot-com, or call my voicemail number at (678) 235-GROW (4769) and leave your thoughts. And last but not least, you can follow me on Twitter at SusietheGeek or the show at HowToGrowGeek! Logo Art by Tim Coffey Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton Promo: Technorama and Podculture

In this episode, I discuss Neil DeGrasse Tyson, his place as a wonderful science communicator and his fantastic podcast StarTalkRadio. His interviews with Whoopi Goldberg and Nichelle Nichols leads to my discussion of the documentary Trek Nation, from the Science Channel. Trek Nation is the journey of discovery that Rod Rodenberry went on to discover his father Gene’s vision and place in history as the father of Star Trek. Have your kids watch a few episodes of  Star Trek TOS and Next Generation, then watch this documentary together! And finally, send us your recommendations for iPad apps we should try out, now that we’ve gotten one! Please email me with your own comments at howtogrowyourgeek-at-gmail-dot-com, or call my voicemail number at (678) 235-GROW (4769) and leave your thoughts. And last but not least, you can follow me on Twitter at SusietheGeek or the show at HowToGrowGeek! Logo Art by Tim Coffey Theme music courtesy of Jonathan Coulton Promo: SofaDogs and Great Hites