This film is not out yet, but look for it to be released this fall. It’s one of those really “important” films, like Food, Inc. and an Inconvenient Truth (same filmmaker Davis Guggenheim) “Waiting for Superman” is one of those must-see movies. Through real-life children’s stories, this documentary tells us how the U.S. school system, once the best in the world, is now utterly failing our kids – to the point of calling the schools “drop-out factories” and “academic sinkholes”. Still, it seems that the documentary offers hope as Guggenheim explores alternative, innovative approaches that could revive the system.

The current statistics are appalling: among 30 developed countries, the U.S. is ranked 25th in math and 21st in science. For a nation whose global leadership position is already under threat, there is no excuse, no more time to waste. We need to prepare our kids to compete in the global economy. We need to awaken everyone to the crisis. We need to make our politicians – who keep making promises to reform the school system but never deliver – accountable.

In the meanwhile, as we “wait” for things to improve, there are some things we can do immediately. First, commit tosee the film in theaters: for each pledge, 5 books will be given to schools in need. As the number of people who have pledged increases, sponsors also step in to offer various donations, like Office Max who will offer school supplies to teachers. Sweet.

Visit the website to find out other ways to take action, such as by getting involved in your school community, by giving books, by becoming a mentor or by writing a statement of support… among some ideas.

Spread the word! Go see the film and talk about it. Here’s the trailer:

We are finally getting a wee bit smarter about our exposure to UV rays. Still , it seems that we need to refine our sunscreen applying practices. For instance, did you know that it takes a full 30 minutes for the skin to properly absorb sunscreen?  So you need to apply it BEFORE you hit the beach. And then, TWO hours is the maximum amount of time that you should go before applying sunscreen all over again. That’s valid for sunscreen of any strength because, as you know, anything over SPF 30 is of marginal added value (Source: Chatelaine Magazine, July 2010).

The UVSunSense Wristband is a perfect tool to help us keep track of the diminishing efficiency of the sunscreen that we think we’ve applied “just a few moments ago”. How does it work? Simply apply the same sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher) to the wristband. Its changing color(s) will alert you when it’s time to reapply or to get out of the sun.

Smart. Easy. Simple. That’s how we like it.

You can buy the UVSunSense wristbands directly from the website, on Amazon or through any of your favorite retailers listed here. They sell everywhere for somewhere around $6.95 for a pack of seven.

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor

Connie Henderson created Amber’s Garden Ready-to-Plant Gardens because her daughter, Amber, loved to garden with her.  Being a parent to small children myself, I love to garden with them also, but the concept of spreading the seeds around evenly is lost on them.  Usually we get a clump of little sprouts and the rest void of growth.

Connie came up with this great idea of threading burlap mats with seeds.  The whole burlap mat is placed on a layer of dirt and then covered with dirt.  Each mat shows what you are planting and where.  There is a base paper that holds the seeds to the mat and also acts as a weed barrier for the first 9-12 weeks before it biodegrades. What I love is that there is no guess work involved with the spacing of the seeds and there is no need to transplant.

A variety of Ready-to-Grow-Gardens are available, such as Herb Garden, Summer Crop, Pumpkin Patch, to name a few. Connie has created convenient mat shapes like circles for pots and  long rectangles for your actual garden.  Each can be cut if needed to accommodate your garden space. The Herb Garden is the perfect garden for a pot that can be brought indoors when the weather starts turning colder.

Never has gardening been this easy; with or without children.  Check out the website at ambersgarden.com to view her selection of Ready-to-Grow-Gardens.

As a Canadian, the Tilley’s travel sportswear brand was to me as iconic as, say, Land’s End is here in the US. It’s only in doing a little research for this article that I realized that the company has only been around since 1980. Only? Yeah, that’s 30 whole years, but in my mind the Tilley Hat is legendary and in general, legends are older than 30 years old…

My husband is on his third Tilley Hat. Not because any of them have been worn out, but rather because he has been losing them in transit. No other hat will do for him. He has worn his through the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Canada, Europe and Asia and whenever in the bright outdoors.

For Tilley, what started off as the quest for the perfect sailing hat became “the best travel hat in the world” (read the whole story here). The science and meticulousness that went into the making of the hat then went into the clothing, making it durable, comfortable, easy to wash and fast to dry, and seldom in need of ironing.

Handcrafted in Canada with Care. Most Tilley Hats are born from a process involving 41 steps, 23 sets of hands and 15 pieces of fabric/notions. The fabric for each Tilley Hat style is rigorously tested for durability, breathability, sun protection, comfort and of course, good looks!

Lauded as the best-made and most practical hats of their kind worldwide, Tilley Hats have a protection of UPF 50+, the maximum UV rating given to hats and clothing. They are also water resistant and will float should they happen to end up “in the drink”.  They also all have a “secret” pocket in the crown to store little but important things like a key, a credit card and some cash.

My husband also swears by the Tilley Unholey Socks. They are guaranteed for three years to be hole free. He has not yet had a pair wear out, and he’s had some pairs for over 5 years. They are designed for travel (comfortable and dry quickly for overnight washing) but my husband wears his all the time.

Personally, I’ve gone for the clothing, choosing the True Blues jacket and skirt that have been wonderful traveling pieces. Classic enough to endure fashion trends, comfortable and they bounce back fabulously from washing.

I love this brand. And not just because it’s Canadian. Lucky you, they ship everywhere.

As a marketing professional by day, I’ve really enjoyed observing how the big brands are applying themselves at  enhancing their social presence through iPhone apps (ok, and some on other smartphones too). Here, I’m not talking about the Netflix, or the NPR or the Alice.com kind of apps that simply extend online websites functionalities to the mobile world. I love and use these too. But  what I really admire, are companies that developed creative, entertaining and/or useful applications that  are not meant to create anything but a better experience with the brand and increase goodwill… for free in most cases. Hey, it’s almost altruistic!

Not all branded apps are successful or useful or even usable. It’s not because the companies have big budget that they will necessarily create something clever. But some are definitely worth sharing. I have been collecting my favorite branded apps for a while now, and the idea that many were useful for summer prompted me to put this list together now (yeah, before summer is over… I know, I know).  Here are some of my favorites. You’ll notice that a few are not so new, like the Zippo’s app which is now considered  a “classic”, but I like them and best of all, all but one of these are free:

	Coppertone MyUV Alert: This is the most logical app for Coppertone to create. It definitely offers much more than I would ever use (Suncare profiles??) but the alert to reapply is actually not a bad idea.  Free.
	Oakley Surf Report: For the surfers out there, a surf report is all important to learn about current conditions. I don’t surf, so I can’t tell how good this is, but this app seems to be well rated. But if I were a surfer, I would certainly want to tap into the app’s community. Free.
	Coleman (of camping gear fame) actually has three different apps, all of them wonderfully relevant to the brand:Campfire tales (creepy stories for kids and teens), the Lantern which will act as a flashlight, and the Camping Cookbook which includes a meal planner so that you know exactly what to shop for and pack. Free. Read the full story »

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor

Are your kids already saying they are bored and you’re thinking, wahhhhhhh? There’s another six weeks of summer? Besides preaching the usual “only boring people get bored” singsong (not so effective on a three year old anyways), you will want to turn to woojr.com for some great easy-to-do craft ideas and printable activities to do at home or to take on the road. Woo!Jr is a network of craft sites that proposes crafts for kids aged 2 to 13. We like that this site is not only for the little ones.

If you’re like us, you might have a bored teenager on your hands (we had already proposed the Gabs make-it-yourself handbag kits for the girls). Have her check out the teen craft section where she will find fun projects like how to hack a t-shirt in a dozen different ways, how to make a no-sew bikini, among a dozen creative and very satisfying craft ideas. You may even find something you both can do together.

For the little kids, you can find a ton of craft ideas classified by age group, by time to-do and by seasonal theme.

So, if you are hearing “I’m bored”, “It’s raining!” or “Are we there yet?” visit Woo!Jr and the CraftJr summer craft section to preempt the inevitable and propose some entertaining and hands-on ideas.

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor

Annie Haven realized that there was an interest in her horse and cow manure from local vegetable farmers and hobby gardeners. As we all know, Gardening 101 teaches us that the best fertilizers for the garden is manure. Haven’s manure became so popular is because all their livestock are fed natural grass, free of antibiotics, growth hormones and pesticides.

So, Annie came up with the idea of creating a new, easy, less smelly, less messy way of spreading manure: her unique Manure Tea Bags (NOT for drinking) which use the manure from her livestock (even the most strict organic gardener would have no problem using this product). No longer is there a need to cart manure home in a bag from your local garden center.

Simply fill a container, up to five gallons, with water and allow to sit for up to three days (specific brewing instructions are here). Water your plants with the tea, up to four times during a growing season. You will notice bigger, healthier plants and vegetables. The Alfalfa Natural Brew Tea is perfect for your roses. Combine with Epsom Salts, they will bloom beautifully. Continue using the Haven Brand Natural Alfalfa Tea Bag on your rosebushes throughout the year and it will help build a stronger root base.

All Haven Brand Natural Tea can be purchased at ahavenbrand.com for $12.95 for a 3 pack or $21.95 for a 9 pack.