#smartsitting

Walking through the heart of Park Slope the other day, I stumbled upon a curious looking store front -- a big, bold, black and white sign read "Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co." I had no idea there were enough Superheros in Brooklyn (or anywhere for that matter, really) to warrant an entire supply store! Needless to say, I was intrigued. There was no way I was walking by without stopping in. 

After browsing through hundreds of important and essential Superhero supplies (truth serum, 100% pure antidote, mind control liquid, anti-matter and a container of chaos just to name a few) I stumbled upon a book shelf which turned out to be a portal (obviously) to a much larger secret back room. There, I learned the truth about Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co: It is a secret, not-for-profit, writing center started by Dave Eggers, a writer best known for his 2000 work A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. 

Otherwise known as 826NYC, this cleverly disguised writing center is just one of 7 national chapters encouraging student writing across America. They encourage all types of writing, from comics to poems and essays to songs and assist schools in publishing student works. They offer free one-on-one tutoring after school on a first come-first serve basis and hold workshops throughout the summer. For more information, you can visit their site: http://www.826nyc.org/

The incredibly Super-Heroic part of all of this is that everything is completely free. You could, of course, purchase an invisible Superhero iPod or a container of Boom to help support their cause. You will be required to recite an oath that your Superhero supplies will only be used for the good of mankind before leaving the premises. They do accept some forms of invisible currency (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, etc) if you don't carry cash in your "normal clothes." 

Before leaving, I was approached and asked if I'd like to use the cape tester. Naturally, I obliged.

We are happy to announce that we are currently planning our July CPR Certification event and will continue to host CPR Certification events on a monthly basis! Last week, 15 of our SmartSitters (including Executive Director, Dara Epstein and Associate Director, Suzie Zeldin) received their CPR certification through Jason Mundy at NY Metro CPR. 

SmartSitters learned how to perform CPR on children and infants, and also instructed on how to use breathing masks and AEDs.  Jason Mundy taught SmartSitters to recognize the signs of severe choking in infants and the proper way to attempt to dislodge food prior to administering CPR.  We'd like to extend a special thanks to all of the SmartSitters who participated in our CPR certification event: 

It has long been Kate's life's goal to educate the public at large about the state of the world's oceans today. Most people know very little about where their tuna fish sandwiches and sushi platters come from; in the future, Kate hopes to create documentary films that will fill these gaps in knowledge, and excite people to help with problems like over-fishing and the degradation of the seas.  This short music video, created while at Duke University where Kate studied Marine Biology, Marine Conservation, Documentary Film and Photography, gives us a glimpse of what she hopes to accomplish: 

"Fix" the Ocean, Music Video from Kate Findlay-Shirras on Vimeo.

 The video is comprised of short clips from all the top marine conservation documentaries (such as "The Cove," and "The End of the Line"), and she hopes it inspires you to care about the issues plaguing an environment that cannot help itself.

Today, on World Oceans Day, you can do your part! Here are six things you can do to help oceans today: http://lnk.nu/oceanwire.wordpress.com/1olf

We're fortunate enough to have so many wonderful and incredibly talented people in our network (families and sitters alike!) and today we'd love to share something very special. One of our marvelous sitters, Darcy Boynton (who happens to be a cousin of one of our Executive Directors, the lovely Dara Epstein), took time out to interview her talented mother, children's book author, Sandra Boynton, exclusively for us at Smartsitting. 

Both interviewee and interviewer are inspiring in their own right. Darcy is a current NYU student, a top notch Smartsitter in our network, and is running her very own camp this summer (www.shootingstarartscamp.com). Darcy and her sister, Caitlin, also happen to be a young entrepreneurial team in the jewelry business (check out www.missdarcydesigns.com - you won't regret it). Sandra is a notable children's book author (you may recognize her name from our holiday gift bags this past December!), designer, music producer and mother of four children (for a detailed and humorous read, check out her autobiography here: www.sandraboynton.com/sboynton/boyntonography.html).

Smartsitter Darcy Boynton, the youngest of four, interviews her children’s-book-writer Mom, Sandra Boynton

Darcy: The very first question I want to ask you is this: Among your four children, aren’t I really your favorite?

Sandra: Of course.

Darcy: And the other three kids?

Sandra: Also my favorites.

Darcy: Well then, will you at least admit to a favorite book? What books do you remember most happily from when you were little?

Sandra: I always liked best the simple, wry, understated books with irrepressible characters and cartoon-like art. And I generally avoided those picture books that looked informative and over-earnest. Who wants to spend her precious childhood being improved? Sendak and Minarik’s Little Bear and No Fighting, No Biting were (and are) particular favorites, and Crockett Johnson’s Barnaby and Harold and the Purple Crayon.

Darcy: I love those books, too. And all of William Steig’s books—especially Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Brave Irene, and Dominic.

Sandra: I agree! Steig is an absolute genius. Both his writing and drawings are deft and exquisite. His children’s books came after my own childhood. But even in my 50s childhood, Steig was very much present, with his great Small Fry cartoons from the New Yorker. My grandparents had all his collections, and I spent hours and hours with them. I think it was my earliest career training.

Darcy: So Steig and the artists you most admire: Have they been your most important teachers?

Sandra: It’s an interesting question. I guess I’d say yes, my important teachers have been the writers and artists I love, plus a few passionate and inspired schoolteachers (including my wonderful father, who was my 10th grade English teacher,) my mother, my husband, my friends, and my creative collaborators. And truly, most of all my children.

Darcy: Well of course! And what do you think in general people can learn from children?

Sandra: All the best things: spontaneity, curiosity, openness, enthusiasm, directness. And of course from our own children, we learn that we can somehow function on WAY too little sleep.

Darcy: Hmmm. I can’t help but notice that your youngest is, if she does say so herself, a fabulous self-sufficient 21-year-old, and yet you choose not to sleep anyway, you work for untold hours in your studio or at the recording studio with Mike Ford.

Sandra: Er…maybe.

Darcy: Lately, you’ve been spending most waking minutes on creating digital interactive apps of your books for the iPad and beyond. What’s that been like?

Sandy: Exciting. Tiring. Fun. Challenging. Intriguing. It’s not a coincidence that I’m also designing coffee bags for Winchell Mountain. They pay me in all the coffee I can drink. Bad deal for them.

Darcy: Do you have a favorite of your own books?

Sandy: It changes. I guess my book/CD Blue Moo is my overall favorite. So so so much fun, start to finish. And I ended up with a diner in my studio, from all the eBay 50s stuff I accumulated researching the look of the jukebox era.

Darcy: My last question is from one of your other favorite children. Caty wants to know when you’re going to write and direct your Broadway musical.

Sandra: Just as soon as I finish the laundry.

As I checked my email while walking up 7th Ave today, I came across one of the most touching emails I have ever received. Smartsitting will be turning two years old this month, and it has been an absolutely amazing experience for me (as well as Dara and Suzie!) to get to work with such great families and Smartsitters. But it is emails like these that really remind us why we do what we do, and we couldn't be more thankful to have the opportunity to get to shape young lives. -Lauren Kay, Executive Director of Smartsitting