September 30th, 2009
Want to know where all the amazing kids hang out? Apparently they’re online, writing for a great web magazine aptly called Amazing Kids! Kids, 17 and under, from around the globe contribute original stories, poetry, recipes, reviews and jokes. The also showcase an Amazing Kid of the Month, inspiring kids who are accomplishing amazing things. It’s a great read for you and your family.
“Amazing Kids! was founded to bring out the “Amazing-ness” in children, nurturing their unique talents by including access to a mentor, and inspiring them to pursue excellence in everything they do.”
Estabilshed in 1998, Amazing Kids! is also a not-foriprofit, charitable organization and currently they’re celebrating their 31st issue with the theme “To Space and Beyond!” Read an interview with astronaut, inventor and mom Ellen Ochoa, a feature on the history of the ‘Space Race’ and a fun ‘interview’ with the Hubble Space Telescope. See the current issue of Amazing Kids! here. And in honor of their current theme, I’m sharing some spectacular images captured by the Hubble – see more here!
Tags: Amazing Kids! NASA, Hubble Space Telescope, online magazine
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September 25th, 2009
Little Hero Capes have soared into shop around the globe…
…and I thought it would be fun to introduce you to some of these Little Hero Cape retailers. Today we’re flying to that lovely city by the bay San Francisco, CA and the little shop Mabuhay. This specialty boutique was created by Camille Guerrero Seiberling and named “Mabuhay” a Filipino greeting that means “long life”. Camille has filled her little shop with a selection of locally designed, stylish, handmade and eco-conscious clothes and toys for girls and boys, aged newborn to six years. Below are some of my favorites found on her companion online shop www.mabuhaykids.com.
Counter clockwise: Dante Beatrix Backpacks, view of the Mabuhay storefront,
Ape Hangers, Circle Dominoes, Soft Bowling Set
Camille’s son Griffin is the inspiration for many of the lovely items that grace her shelves and most afternoons you can find this mother/son duo tending the shop. If you’re fortunate enough to live nearby, by all means go visit! And if you reside farther afield, see a sampling of Mabuhay offerings on their web site.
Mabuhay mabuhaykids@gmail.com www.mabuhaykids.com
1195-A Church Street, near 24th in Noe Valley, San Francisco, CA 415.970.0369
Tags: Mabuhay
Posted in Little Hero Shops | No Comments »
September 24th, 2009
Esta Sketch is a self described “part time artist / part time student” out of Sydney, Australia whose work is combination of drawing and collage. Her series entitled Superheroes Among Us combines fashion style sketches and collaged pages from vintage comic books. What I really loved is the way she described the thought process behind her creative process.
“The hundreds of people you pass during a day, commuting, at school, at work, wherever you go might never know the real you. If only you could wear what’s inside on the outside – your creativity, personality, individuality, passion, the things that make you special. I always wondered how Clark Kent could put up with being just another face in a sea of suits, did he ever want to shout “pay attention to me, I’m special!” or was knowing his true identity, super powers and all those he helped enough. These pieces are representations of the secret identity lying within all of us.”
It’s a great idea and could also translate into an interesting activity for you and your little hero. Gather plain paper, crayons and the Sunday funny pages or comic books headed for the recycle bin. Draw simple self portraits and then, like Esta, paste images cut from the comics to create clothing. Look for images that represent who you are or perhaps what you’re feeling. This could be a fun lesson in learning how to express feelings and you may surprised by what your learn about your child!
Learn more about Esta Sketch on her blog or see more of her work in her Etsy shop.
Tags: arts & crafts, Esta Sketch, superheroes
Posted in Superhero Soup | No Comments »
September 23rd, 2009
“Our Vision is to teach children how to discover their passion and purpose
so that they become visionary leaders with integrity and heart,
and create global transformation.” – Linda Page (Tyler’s super mom!)
Tyler Page is a kid and a real world hero! When Tyler was nine years old he saw a television story on child trafficking in Ghana, Africa. The children featured in the story were being sold into slavery by their own parents and forced into a life of hard labor. Moved by their plight and the mission of an organization working to address this injustice, Tyler decided to organize a fund raising event. Along with 30 other kids he held a car wash in the hops of raising $240., enough to sponsor one child through the International Organization for Migration. By the end of the day Tyler and his friends has raised nearly $1,200.
Encouraged by their success, Tyler and his mom Linda formed a non-profit organization called Kids Helping Kids Leadership Academy, Inc. They’re working towards a goal of $1,000,000. and in the process are helping kids across the country build leadership skills by fund raising for kids across the globe. Read about the many projects now underway and the inspiring real world heroes who are spearheading them.
Tags: charity, fund raising, Kids Helping Kids
Posted in Real World Heroes | 1 Comment »
September 18th, 2009
So you’ve got the brilliant Little Hero Cape, Mask and Power Cuffs
…the next detail in need of careful consideration is your superhero name!
A fun tool to help you brainstorm your alias is the Superhero Name Generator – simply click on the ‘Shazam!’ button and your suggested moniker will appear on the super fella’s banner!
My superhero name? Professor Taco Kicker. Hmmm… One can only imagine the ‘powers’ that accompany that title – “wit like a spicy jalaepno, possesses a ’salsa sense’ that tingles when corn chips are near, and the ability to drop kick a chalupa the length of a football field.”
You can generate as many names as you’d like…so if you end up with ‘The Mega Spatula’ (my second try) or ‘Lord Nagging Dynamo’ (my third try) just know you can keep on clicking. Be forewarned though – they’re all pretty silly.
Tags: Superhero Name Generator, superheroes
Posted in Little Hero Humor | No Comments »
September 16th, 2009
Whether or not they’d be comfortable with the title, I have no idea, but Dave Eggers and Ninive Calegari are real world heroes to hundreds of kids. Dave is an author and publisher and Ninive an educator, and together they founded 826 National, a non profit dedicated to helping students, ages 6-18 with their writing skills and helping teachers get their students excited about the writing. Each one of their seven chapters offers drop-in tutoring, field trips, workshops, and in-schools programs all free of charge for children, classes, and schools with particular interests or special needs.
“Our services are structured around our belief that
great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention and that
strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.”
One of the ways the individual chapters financially sustain themselves is with a unique retail storefront and corresponding online shop. Hands down they are some of the most imaginative and creatively executed fundraising ventures I have ever seen. My current favorite and one perfect to share with Little Hero readers is the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co. which supports 826 NYC in Brooklyn, New York.
Now it goes without saying that Little Hero Capes and gear are hands down the finest available to any junior caped crusader, but what if you need, say, a jug of Antigravity or an all-purpose compact transmogrifying Matter Transformer? This is where BSSCo steps in.
All manner of canned and bottled superhero attributes are available. And for perfect accompaniments to your Little Hero Cape, you might consider a flight tilt indicator, tights or boots (seen below). Where else can you support an amazing non-profit and buy an invisible plane? I ask you.
Tags: 826 National, 826NYC, Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co, Dave Eggers, non-profit, superhero gear
Posted in Real World Heroes | 1 Comment »
September 14th, 2009
[image via]
Dress up season is upon us!
It’s also the busiest time of year at Little Hero Capes.
Allison, Little Hero’s cape maker extraordinaire, will be summoning all of the super powers she can muster to make certain every kid that wants to be a Little Hero this Halloween will be able to dress the part. While she and her trusty sidekick (her sewing machine) work at lightning speed, I’ll be joining the team as a Little Hero Capes Blog contributor.
By way of introduction, my name is Robert Mahar – I’m a blogger, shop owner and a huge believer in Allison’s vision of empowering young imaginations and encouraging kids to be real-world heroes through acts of kindness and involvement in their community. I’ll be here to keep you up to date on all Little Hero happenings, write about real world heroes that inspire, share ways your little hero can be a force for good and post all manner of kid friendly fun.
Allison will continue to share ‘AHA! moments,’ the adventures of her family and life at Little Hero headquarters. And of course, she’s always available to field questions and respond to your comments and inquiries at allison@littleherocapes.com.
In honor of super hero origins, I’m sharing selections from an online archive of ‘visual sounds’ gleaned from vintage comic strips! You can find links to the individual sources below the image collage. Pow!
1. BOM, 2. CRASH!, 3. POP!, 4. ¡ZOOM!, 5. VOO-ROOOM!, 6. ¡BOINGGGG!, 7. ¡BOOM!, 8. BOOM
Tags: Allison Faunce, Little Hero Capes, Robert Mahar, vintage comic strips
Posted in News from Little Hero HQ | No Comments »
July 13th, 2009
All you need are bags!
This afternoon, Finn and I packed our bags and headed out into the world to create an AHA moment by cleaning up the trash around the local playground! Our first stop was to the Pharmacy to buy some trash bags for our mission. Oh no! They had no more left for sale! Not even knowing our need for the trash bags, the selfless Pharmacy Owner came to our rescue by offering us a FREE box of large trash bags that belonged to the store. (AHA! moments are everywhere in every size!)
While beginning our trek to the playground, Finn and I talked about what it meant to be a hero and why we were going to pick up the playground’s litter. He got so excited that the Little Hero in him burst out then and there! He started picking up literally every single piece of trash he saw on the sidewalk.
Good Luck!
As if it were meant to be, the first thing we found on the ground was a random horseshoe. This became the tool we used to hold down the trash bag so the wind wouldn’t take it soaring.
Mission Accomplished!
1 hour later we had completed our task of litter removal.
And then kicked back for some good old fashion and CLEAN fun at the playground!
Posted in Hero Capes in Action | No Comments »
July 12th, 2009
Not Just for Oprah!
So exactly what are Little Hero’s AHA! Moments??? At LittleHeroCapes.com, an AHA! Moment is an acronym for “Another Heroic Action!” Moment. Little Hero’s mission is to help soar your Little Ones off into the world of imaginative play and to also spotlight the attributes of real world heroes.
Heroes don’t exist just in movies, comic books, or in the creative realm of childhood play. Real heroes pop up every where and in every way!
Size Doesn’t Matter!
They appear in the simple gesture such as in a stranger who helps rescue your cat or on a grander scale with the organization which brings art, music and dance, to children facing the battles of cancer.
It is my mission to create more AHA! moments with my son every week. Please join in on our documented journey.
Let’s Celebrate!
It is true that heroes often go unsung and unrewarded. However, let’s have some fun here! Please share the fun, creative and simple ways you and/or your children are creating more AHA! moments in your life. For every story submitted, it will be shared with fellow blog readers and entered into a drawing for some really super rewards each and every month. So let the “Little Hero” within emerge and then submit your unqiue AHA! moment and photos to allison@littleherocapes.com!
Posted in Hero Capes in Action | No Comments »
