Grand Magazine - July/August 2008 - (Page 21)

“I hope to leave to you some of the music that has played for me whenever I’ve put my ear to the mysteries of the universe ” —Sidney Poitier, Letters to My Great-Granddaughter Gray Matters If maintenance is the best medicine, then Posit Science’s Brain Fitness Program is the best we’ve seen. A daily “exercise regimen” for your brain, this auditory program seeks to stave off the cognitive decline that begins in our 30s and, according to Posit Science research, starts to accelerate after 50. A comprehensive Companion Guide complements the easy-to-follow computer program, with complex neuroscience offered in laymen’s terms. Daily exercises to encourage and support focus, speed and brain function quality were developed by a long list of research scientists from such lauded institutions as Yale, Johns Hopkins, Cambridge and MIT and numerous international labs. If you can turn on a computer and use a mouse, you’ve got the technical skill to get started. Learn how neuromodulators affect your memory, and take an active approach to aging with a little daily maintenance. The Brain Fitness Program has been well received by the health care industry and is offered free to all Humana customers. Other Posit Science programs—like the upcoming InSight for visual processing—are available from their Web site. $395-$595; www.PositScience.com Crisp piCks: Editor’s ChoiCE Oh, Brother! By Nikki Grimes; illustrated by Mike Benny Amistad/HarperCollins, 2007 Ages 4 and up One of the country’s leading children’s poets explores a boy’s turmoil when his mother remarries. Xavier loves his new stepdad, but not the boy, Chris, who comes as extra baggage. This multiracial family—Latino and African-American—could be any child’s blended family today. Both rhymes and free verse capture the emotional free-for-all as Xavier grapples with the idea of brotherhood. Previously By Allan Ahlberg; illustrated by Bruce Ingman Candlewick Press, 2007 Ages 4 and up This hilarious spoof of the Brothers Grimm and Mother Goose starts at the end of Goldilocks and winds backwardly into one tale, so her sprint through the forest leads her to Jack and his magic beans, then his sister, Jill, and so on. Familiar fairy tales take unexpected turns that lead to the point where the Gingerbread Boy originates in a field of wheat—and even beyond, to beginnings a child must imagine. —Anne Boles Levy Melodies about Me, a CD with new songs written by grandmother Terry Lage (who also blogs as “Creative Cookie”) and sung pleasantly with acoustical music: The kicker here is that the company, founded by Lage’s daughters, inserts the name of your grandchild into the lyrics. Furthermore, these folks, from the state of Washington, are a moms-andgrand operation and are eager to please: You can have more than one name on the same CD; you can have personalized covers. On the Web site (www. melodiesaboutme.com), you can preview the songs. I was sold by the Bumblebee song, especially after it was altered for my newest grandson, so that “buzzing” is now “Making lots of honey for Carson and me!” www.grandmagazine.com Cooper & Carson, NY Summer, LA Jaycee, PA Jake & Lexi, MD Carly & Cailyn, CA Samira, AZ JULY AUGUST 2008 GRAND 21 http://www.PositScience.com http://www.melodiesaboutme.com http://www.melodiesaboutme.com http://www.grandmagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Grand Magazine - July/August 2008

Grand Magazine - July/August 2008 Contents Grand View: Love Is All That's Left Isn't It Grand?: Reassessing the Postponed Life Grand Central Just So We Know: One Mixed-Up Lemon Long-Distance Love: Cuttings Ask Grand: Stuck on Stuff Grand Gestures: "Thanks for the Ugly Gift" Tips on Teens: All That Doesn't Meet the Eye Live Long and Propser On the Cover: Peter Yarrow Presents of Mine Thicker Than Water? Reunions: White Water, White Knuckles The Grand Gourmet So We Are Not Alone Looking Grand: Suit-Able Grandbloggers: Why Watch TV When We Can Talk? Grand Bazaar Resources Grand Finale: What Boat

Grand Magazine - July/August 2008

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