First Tween Malia Obama Marks 9/11 Anniversary With Community Service

First Tween Malia Obama marked the tenth anniversary of September 11th by volunteering at a local soup kitchen. She joined her father, President Obama, in preparing meals for the needy; they packaged chicken and rice gumbo at the DC Central Kitchen. Their efforts echo the call to service that spread across the country in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. We think this is such a positive way to mark a difficult date.

Photo credit: Reuters

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Meet Justin Bieber at the New York City Launch Event for Someday

By now you've probably seen the television ads for Justin Bieber's latest project, a fragrance for girls called "Someday". What you may not know is that all sales of the perfume benefit charity.  The product was created by the Give Back Brands Foundation, and ALL proceeds benefit the following organizations:  Give Back Brands Foundation and Communities in Schools LA West.

In addition, Mr. Bieber is auctioning off the opportunity to accompany him at the official Someday launch in New York City on June 23.  The proceeds from this auction will also benefit Communities in Schools and the Give Back Brands Foundation.

While a bit schlocky, here's what the star had to say about the fragrance: “Someday is the idea that we can change the world, make our dreams come true, and even be with the one person that means everything. Giving back has always been incredibly important to me, but let's be honest... I wanted to create a fragrance for my female fans that I can't get enough of... that I want to get next to and I can't stay away from. I know they'll love the scent, but also the opportunity to support some amazing charities. It's a gift that gives back.”

The auction for the June 23rd launch event is being run by CharityBuzz, and bidding is currently at $3500.00 (the auction ends on June 21st). The perfume itself is considerably less expensive at $45.00

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What's Cool For Tweens in June: MsTwixt's Calendar

Ms Twixt's Calendar

• June is National Candy Month!
• June 3 NKOTB/Backstreet Boys concert at Verizon Center
• June 3 "X-Men First Class" movie opens
• June 3 "Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure - What's What Edition" on Disney Channel
• June 4-5 DC Jazz Festival Family Days (Free at the Phillips Collection)
• June 5 Battle of the Bands, Elementary School division at the 930 Club
• June 5 The Annual Washington Post Hunt (founded by Dave Barry!)
• June 5 MTV Movie Awards at 9pm
• June 5 "So Random" series premiere on Disney Channel
• June 8 World Oceans Day (Wear Blue, Tell 2!)
• June 9 Glee concert at Verizon Center
• June 10 Go-Go's concert at Wolftrap (tickets only $25)
• June 10 Sasha Obama's 10th birthday!
• June 10 Judy Moody movie opens
• June 10 "My Babysitter's a Vampire" series premiere on Disney Channel
• June 11 Battle of the Bands, Middle School division at the 930 Club
• June 11 "iParty with Victorious" 90-minute show on Nickelodeon at 8pm
• June 15 Anniversary of the Pop Rocks patent (who knew?!)
• June 16 National Fudge Day
• June 17 American Girl Store Grand Opening Benefit for Children's Hospital
• June 17 "The Art of Getting By" movie opens (starring Emma Roberts!)
• June 17 "Mr. Popper's Penguins" movie opens
• June 17 "Green Lantern" movie opens
• June 17 "A.N.T. Farm" series premiere on Disney Channel at 830pm
• June 18 American Girl Store opens in Tyson's Corner, VA
• June 20 MsTwixt's birthday!
• June 29 "Transformers 3: Dark Side of the Moon" movie opens (filmed in D.C.!)

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Addressing The Issues Facing Women and Girls on the World Stage

We've just learned about an amazing organization that is working to highlight the issues facing women and girls worldwide, but they're doing it in a very different way: by mirroring the structure of the G20 Summit and addressing economic factors (such as economic freedom, health, education, issues facing adolescent girls, and gender equality, poverty and economic growth) that can raise up women and girls around the world. The Girls20Summit had its first meeting in Toronto last year (the site of last year's G20 Summit) and is meeting again in Paris this fall (in the same country as this year's G20 Summit). It brings together 20 young women from around the world "to encourage G8 and G20 leaders to elevate the importance of political empowerment and economic freedom for girls and women in developed and developing nations."

"The Girls20 Summit is modeled after the G20 Summit and will convene one girl from each G20 country plus one girl from the African Union chair country (Equatorial Guinea). Delegates will come together two weeks before the G20 Leaders to discuss, debate and design innovative ideas." One young woman will be chosen from applicants to represent each of the following G20 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK, the USA, a representative of the European Union, and a representative from the African Union Chair country, Equatorial Guinea.

If you know a young woman 18-20 years old interested in working with this organization, she can apply online to become a Girls20Summit Delegate. Applications are due April 15th, and the Girls20Summit will be held in Paris, October 18 - 21, 2011.

This organization has some heavyweight powers supporting it including Melinda Gates, the Clinton Foundation, the NIKE Foundation, the World Bank, and Goldman Sachs.

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Reaching Out to Japan With Tweens: A Fun and Thoughtful Project

Our tweens' Girl Scout troops are making 1000 origami cranes to send to a sister Girl Scout troop in Japan as a show of support and friendship in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. The significance of the origami cranes comes from the story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who was a victim of the Hiroshima atomic attack and suffered from leukemia as a result of the nuclear fallout. Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds 1000 cranes will be granted a wish by a crane such as long life or being cured of a disease. Sadako died when she was only 12 years old from the disease and folded 644 cranes before her death. Her classmates folded the remaining amount after she died as a sign of their love and support. There is a statue in Sadako's memory in Hiroshima, and the tradition of sending 1000 origami cranes is recognized today as a symbol of world peace and solidarity.

Our project began with a local librarian attending our troop meeting and showing the girls how to fold these beautiful animals out of colorful origami paper. Particularly for younger tweens, this took some doing, but all of the girls got the hang of it after a while. This is a complicated origami project to do as an introduction to origami, and it is a testament to the librarian's patience that all of the girls in the troop were able to successfully make their cranes. Each girl went home with origami paper, an instruction sheet, and an empty shoe box and will return to our next troop meeting with the shoe boxes full of origami cranes to mail to our sister troop in Japan.

To help sustain the girls' efforts, our tweens made candy sushi as a snack for the troop. This was a fun but sticky project involving Rice Krispy treats, Fruit Roll-Ups, and Swedish Fish.  You can find recipes for candy sushi fairly easily online, but here are our tips:

• Make a batch of Rice Krispy treats, but add a few more marshmallows than usual (you want a pliable rather than crisp treat).
• While one tween makes the Rice Krispy Treats, have another tween unwrap and unroll one package of Fruit Roll-Ups. Our local market was out of the green kind, so we used dark purple instead (we liked that the color scheme reminded us of Cherry Blossom season here in Washington). I've also seen tie-dye or rainbow ones used to great effect.
• Press a flat layer of Rice Krispy treats onto each Fruit Roll-Up roll leaving about a half-inch plain.
• Lay a double row of mini Swedish Fish length-wise down the cereal treats and then roll up the "sushi" roll ending and sealing with the plain half-inch. You could also use sour straws, gummy worms or fruit licorice instead of the Swedish Fish
• Use a sharp knife to slice the "sushi" into pieces. We served ours in cupcake liners.

We found that one batch of Rice Krispy Treats and one box of Fruit Roll-Ups made enough "sushi" for 15 hungry tweens as a mid-afternoon treat. (Orthodontists: beware!)

The troop has decided to host a bake sale to raise funds for the Red Cross to accompany these origami cranes, and I think our tweens will make another batch of candy sushi to sell at the fundraiser. We may try to make a more professional looking nigri-style sushi like these from not Martha for the bake sale.

Has your tween taken part in any efforts to help Japan after the earthquake? Please share what they're doing below!

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The American Academy of Pediatrics on Social Media, "Facebook Depression"

In a report released today, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) weighs-in on the pros and cons of social media and tweens. The report is titled "The Impact of Social Media Use on Children, Adolescents and Families" and can be downloaded from their website. We've pulled out the key takeaways for you below:

First, the good news:

• Social media can be a positive in helping tweens and teens to communicate - especially those who tend to be shy in group situations.
• Knowing how to use online social networks, smartphones and mobile phones is actually a relevant technical skill set.
• Volunteering and youth activism is positively enabled by social media, and it's getting more tweens and teens involved.
• Using social media can help a child to refine his or her identity by giving her an outlet for self-expression and helping her to find others with like interests.
• Believe it or not, middle and high school students truly are using Facebook and other social networks for studying - for group projects in school and exchanging ideas and continuing substantive conversations beyond the classroom.
• Students have readier access to important health information and can easily connect with others who face similar medical conditions. They can even use these channels to better communicate with their doctors, stay more compliant with their treatment protocols, and miss fewer doses of medication as a result of being more connected.

But there is also a darker side to social media usage by tweens and teens. We've touched upon some of these issues in earlier articles including our report from the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention. The AAP outlined the following as issues for parents to be aware of and keep vigilant about:

• Tweens in particular can find themselves in situations online that are not age-appropriate.
• Social media, online gaming and the like can be "addictive" from a behavioral standpoint and interfere with homework, sleep and face-to-face interactions.
• If not explicitly addressed, students can inadvertently release and share personal information online, raising privacy, advertising to youth, exploitation, and other concerns.
• Cyberbullying and sexting, themselves dangerous behaviors, can lead to severe depression among tweens and teens and may go unnoticed if parents are not aware of the networks in which their children participate. The AAP coins the term "Facebook Depression" in this report and defines it as what happens when tweens and teens "spend a great deal of time on Facebook and then begin to exhibit the classic the signs of depression."

The report is aimed at pediatricians and calls upon them to advise parents in the following way:

• Ask about and understand how your child uses social media and technology,
• Become better educated in the technologies your child is using,
• Have a family policy for online usage including a way to double-check privacy settings/controls and monitor inappropriate posts, and
• Actively monitor online usage and don't depend upon software to do this for you.

Related links:

• The AAP report on safety and tweens as babysitters
• Key takeaways from the White House Conference on Bullying Prevention
• Our tips for online safety for tweens

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World Water Day and Tweens

World Water Day was earlier this week (March 22, 2011), and it is a day for all of us to consider how we use the planet's most precious resource: fresh water.

Foregoing the use of bottled water is a great place to begin, so here's our picks for the best reusable water bottles for tweens on the go:

• Your sporty tween will appreciate the near-indestructible and lightweight water bottles made by Klean Kanteen. These are made out of stainless steel, BPA-free and come in a range of colors. Also, these can be ordered with a variety of drinking spouts, including the Sports Cap which is perfect for rapid rehydration breaks during sports. $16.45 for 18 oz; $17.95 for 27oz size from KleanKanteen.com
• An eco-conscious tween will love these glass bottles in a silicone sleeve from LifeFactory (the silicone sleeve protects the glass while it's being carried and prevents breakage from all but the most violent falls). These glass bottles can hold both hot (think herbal tea) and cold beverages, making them perfect for year-round use. $19.99 for 16 oz; $21.99 for 22 oz from

Sigg's aluminum bottles are widely available and easy to find. These bottles are also lightweight and come in a range of prints that will appeal to your artsy tween (they even come in a Hello Kitty design). $21.99 for a .6L size from MySigg.com

Note: as a reminder, MsTwixt is strictly editorial, and there is NO pay-to-play.

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First Tweens Malia and Sasha Obama in El Salvador

Continuing their visit to Latin America with their parents, Malia and Sasha Obama are visiting El Salvador today. They visited the President of El Salvador and his family at the Presidential Palace in San Salvador, met with school children from the United States of America School, and participated in a community service effort painting a mural for a health clinic at Superate, a local youth assistance program.

The First Family came to El Salvador after a visit to Chile, and prior to that they were in Brazil. In Santago, Chile, they took in a Chilean folk dance performance and concert at the Mirador Interactive Museum and met Chile's First Family at the La Moneda Palace.

 
Photo credits: Getty Images, AP

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Tween Addresses TED Conference; Earns Standing Ovation

I'm not sure how we missed this last February, but did you catch Adora Svitak's speech at the TED Conference? The video is below.

She is just 12 years old but more eloquent than most adults one meets. And she's addressing a crowd that numbers in the hundreds. Chutzpah.



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Glee's Amber Riley Wants You to "Save the Music" in Schools

March is "Music in our Schools" month, and all kinds of organizations (VH1, the National Association for Music Education, and DoSomething.Org to name a few) are working to activate students across the U.S. to raise awareness about this issue and prevent losing their school's music education programs. The Battle for the Bands campaign is a big part of this campaign, and this year, Glee's Amber Riley is lending her voice to the effort (last year, Nick Jonas was a spokesperson for the campaign).



The VH1 Save The Music Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring instrumental music education in America's public schools, and raising awareness about the importance of music as part of each child's complete education. To date, the Foundation has provided more than $47 million in new musical instruments to 1,750 public schools in more than 100 cities around the country, impacting the lives of over 1.6 million children.
Learn how you can get involved here.

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Some Positive Press About Miley Cyrus and Her Service Projects

The media has been filled with not-so-nice things about former tween icon Miley Cyrus. Well, here's something positive about her service efforts and the lasting effect it's having on America's youth:  Ms. Cyrus was awarded the Global Action Youth Leadership Award by former tween icon Hilary Duff earlier this week.

"The Global Action Awards acknowledged persons who have committed time, talents and resources to taking action in order to save lives, solve problems and empower future generations. The awards were presented to people who showed innovation, effectiveness and measurable solutions to global challenges and who have collaborated on projects and in campaigns which have served as catalysts for action."

Ms. Cyrus received the honor for the impact her own charity, Get Ur Good On, has had on recruiting and empowering tweens and teens to get involved in their community and for her participation in Ms. Duff's charity, Blessings In A Backpack.

You can see the star's eloquent acceptance speech below and on our YouTube channel. We think that her message that "you don't have to give billion dollars . . it's about looking at your neighbors and seeing how you can help"  to make a difference - that every little thing you can do right here, right now in your neighborhood is important - really strikes the right chord with tweens.



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Justin Bieber's Version of Locks for Love

The tween world is a-twitter over Justin Bieber's recent haircut, but what we found most interesting is that he's donating his locks to charity. Well, not the hair itself, but boxes of famous 'do are being auctioned off with 100% of the proceeds to benefit charity. Ellen DeGeneres received her box when Mr. Bieber visited her on her show yesterday (yes, the same show that Maria Aragon sung "Born This Way" on - we wonder if the two Canadian, YouTube-discovered kids met backstage?).  Proceeds from The Ellen Show auction will benefit The Gentle Barn, which rescues abused and neglected animals and invites high-risk children to visit them to help them feel less alone.

Photo credit: Justin Bieber's Twitter account

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Perfect Idea for a Snow Day With Tweens: A S'Mores Stand

Here's a great idea for an entrepreneurial tween on a snow day: a s'mores and hot chocolate stand. The idea is the same as the classic summer lemonade stand but extended to your favorite neighborhood sledding spot.

Here's how:

• Make a batch of s'mores at home (see our recipe here) and wrap each in tin foil
• Whip up some hot chocolate and pour it into a big thermos (the kind that you lug to soccer games will work perfectly)
• Draw a colorful sign that lists what you're selling and how much it costs (e.g. $0.50/s'more). Bonus points for deciding to donate your proceeds to your favorite charity - be sure your sign tells everyone which organization you're supporting! Need a list of great causes for tweens? Here are some ideas: 
• The F.E.E.D. Foundation
• Kidz Helping Kids
• VH1's Save Our Music
• U.N.I.C.E.F.
• Milk and Bookies
  
• Load a sled with a basket of the foil-wrapped s'mores, the thermos, a stack of napkins, a sleeve of cups, and a bowl of extra marshmallows and bring it with you to your neighborhood park/slope/hill
• Watch the crowds of hungry sledders swarm your sled!

Thermos from Pylones, $44

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Martin Luther King Jr. Day and First Tweens' Day of Service

Each year, President Obama calls upon on all Americans to contribute a day of community service to honor Martin Luther King Jr.  The First Family spent their day volunteering at a local Washington school, Stuart Hobson Middle School, sprucing up the buildings and painting. First Tweens Malia and Sasha Obama joined their parents in the painting project and, as it is also First Lady Michelle Obama's birthday, gathered the volunteers to sing "Happy Birthday" to Mrs. Obama.

Photo credit: AP

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Tween New Year's Resolutions: Writing Thank You Notes

Well, this is more of a whole-family resolution, but taking the time to say "Thank you" for gifts and thoughtful gestures is an important habit to learn. Tweens are old enough to take responsibility for these manners on their own, and ours are pretty good about the annual birthday gift thank you notes.

Make it easy for her to write thank you notes throughout the year with fun, personalized notecards. We LOVE the ones by Design-Her Gals - tweens can customize a printed avatar complete with wardrobe and accessories (even an iPod!) that will be printed on her own stationery. Our friends at Design-Her Gals are currently running a HUGE discount: 40% off! To get this discount, use the code: OOC40 at checkout. You can also feel great about this purchase knowing that a percentage of every sale is donated to the Gal 2 Gal Foundation, an amazing organization that helps women with Stage 4 breast cancer.

A set of 25 custom, flat note cards after the discount is $27.

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Tween Girl Scouts Take Action to Solve Homelessness

We just read this post in a local Chicago paper and HAD to share this great story:

In preparation for National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (Nov. 14-20), four local Girl Scouts have launched a new Participation Patch for Junior Girl Scout troops in Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park and parts of Chicago. Clare Darnall, Caroline Hesterman, Jennifer Martenka and Bria McNeal, all 8th graders at Percy Julian Middle School in Oak Park, created the "There's No Place Like Home" program to raise awareness for local solutions to homelessness. This "take action" project concludes three years of work toward earning the Silver Award, the highest award for Girl Scouts ages 11-14.

What a great project!

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First Tweens and the White House on Halloween

Halloween at the White House this year welcomed hundreds of tween-age kids from the Tubman and Bancroft Elementary Schools in the District as well as military families. Students ages 6 to 14 trick or treated at the White House that was re-done in orange and purple for the evening.

The President, First Lady, and First Grandmother handed out bags of organic sugar cookies (made with honey from the White House bees), and guests were treated to face painting, pumpkin carving demonstrations, and a dress-up booth.

First Tween Sasha Obama dressed up as a turkey this year, and Malia Obama's choice was a Sour Patch Kid. Neither girls were present for the White House event this year; both were trick or treating in the Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Does your tween have extra Halloween candy? If so, she might consider donating some to a good cause: Treats 4 Our Troops is collecting donations of excess Halloween candy to send to our brave men and women serving overseas. This local non-profit collects the candy and handles all the packaging logistics. Contact information is on their website, and there are drop-off points throughout the Washington metro area.

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Bring a Tween to Vote With You Today

Election Day is today! Bring your tween daughter or another tween along to vote with you. Students begin studying about American Government in middle school, so chances are this will coincide nicely with their school work.

Here are some great stats from Girls Inc.:

• Research shows that exposing a young person to the polls is one of the best ways to ensure they will vote in the future. Take your sister, daughter, niece, friend or neighbor with you when you go to the polls to vote. 
• Although women are 51% of the population, they only make up 14% of the U.S. Congress (women of color are only 3.4%). It's important for women to exercise their political voice and power, and voting is the first step! Talk with the tween girls in your life about voting. Research shows that personal contact is the best way to motivate someone to vote.

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United Nations Day for Students

Yesterday, October 24, was United Nations Day. If your tween is doing Trick or Treat for UNICEF or has purchased that cool FEED Trick or Treat bag we wrote about earlier, she or he may also be interested in learning more about U.N. Day. (BTW, tween star Selena Gomez is a current UNICEF Ambassador - the youngest ever)

U.N. Day marks the date the UN was created in 1945. According to the current U.N. Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, "UN Day is a day on which we resolve to do more.  More to protect those caught up in armed conflict, to fight climate change and avert nuclear catastrophe; more to expand opportunities for women and girls, and to combat injustice and impunity; more to meet the Millennium Development Goals." Pretty cool stuff.

Tweens can read more about United Nations Day on their website with a special section for students here.

In our tweens' middle school, they've just started Model U.N., and that's been really exciting in our house. Model U.N. is a debate program offered by many schools in which students step into the shoes of ambassadors from U.N. member states to debate current issues. It's an amazing program to help tweens grow into themselves as researchers, as advocates, and as public speakers in a safe, age-appropriate way.

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Perfect Halloween Tote for Tweens

Tweens are definitely still into trick-or-treating - this year, give them a tote with purpose: the FEED Trick or Treat for UNICEF bag. Available only at HSN, the tote costs $13.20 - and for each bag sold, HSN donates $3.50 to UNICEF.

Do you know about the FEED Foundation? Founded by Presidential niece Lauren Bush in 2007, FEED's mission is to raise awareness and funds to ensure nutritious school meals for all children as a first step to improving the global food system. To date, they have provided over 50 million school meals to children in the developing world through the United Nations World Food Progam school feeding operations through the sale of their tote bags.


We love their bags for the cause they support and for the idea of putting fashion to work for the greater good. Tween designers-in-training will love the article on how Lauren Bush created FEED and its first ready-to-wear line, Lauren Pierce.

Between the Trick or Treat for UNICEF boxes and this tote, Halloween can be a do-good holiday too.

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