KIDS FIRST! Jury Blog

The other day I was puttering about the house, doing my usual ‘mom’ thing of laundry and tidying and breakfast-preparing, when I heard my four-year old daughter ask her two year old sister “Do you think your friends will like this video?” Of course, I had to peek around the corner at what was going on, and there she was, pen and paper in hand, sitting up straight, grilling her sister. It made me smile.

We’ve only been reviewing titles for KIDS FIRST! for a couple of months, but it’s rubbed off. She kept going too, asking her sister if she liked it a lot or a little, and what she was thinking about. The answers weren’t always, well, intelligible, but it sure was fun to watch!

When we pop in any old DVD, I get asked if I will be ‘asking her special questions’ after it is over, and if I’m not, I get a disappointed response. My two year-old twins love choosing the smiling or frowning faces on the juror forms, and insist on scribbling on them once we’ve finished.

I started out as a juror because the children’s media is an industry I wanted to enter as a filmmaker, and so of course I have a natural tendency to want to see what’s out there. Now, I find the time we spend watching the movies to be just great together time. Filling out the forms gets my four year old talking and asking questions, and thinking about what she saw. It is obvious she feels it is special time with Mama, and I love that her questions have spilled over to whenever we’re watching TV or a movie, which has given me the chance to explain what commercials are for, and for her to pick apart for herself what made a character or scene a little scary. (Since then, she’s told me she likes it when movies are ‘just itty bitty scary!’)

Some kids play Doctor or Teacher or Firefighters. My kids play Film Critic. Maybe Siskel and Ebert costumes for Halloween?  Hm—maybe!

By Hannah Dallman (KIDS FIRST! Juror)

Jurors! We want to hear your stories! Just email them in with a photo. To start your own jury, contact us or visit our jury website. March classes are forming now, so don’t delay!

Our next Jury Training class is scheduled for February 1 and 3, Monday and Wednesday, at 8:00 pm EST. You must attend both sessions, as it is a 2-part class. For full details, visit our jury web page.To join the class, please complete an online application form and confirm that you will be able to attend the February dates. Your $30 fee, fully refundable once you’ve completed training and evaluated your first 6 titles with your jury, can be paid by check in advance, or with a MasterCard or Visa by phone. Contact us if you are interested in setting up a private class or need more information.

Sign up now, and be our first new juror for 2010!

Our December class was just announced and it’s filling up quickly. A little later in the month than usual, due to our annual awards ceremony on December 5, but still in time for the holiday season.

The Jury Training class is scheduled for December 14 and 16, Monday and Wednesday, at 8:30 pm EST. You must attend both sessions, as it is a 2-part class.

It’s a wonderful time to join our jury as we have been receiving more and more independently produced DVDs, CDs and computer games then ever before. In addition, we are also reviewing many DVDs and films from major production companies, often before they are released to the public! Build up your own library while helping kids learn to become critical media consumers. Remember, you won’t get sent any products to evaluate without your permission on the timing and type of media (ie. DVD, CD, CD-rom, etc.)

To join the class, please complete an online application form and confirm that you will be able to attend the December dates. Your $30 fee, fully refundable once you’ve completed training and evaluated your first 6 titles with your jury, can be paid by check in advance, or with a MasterCard or Visa by phone. Contact us if you are interested in setting up a private class or need more information.

Just think, you could have your very own Junior Film Critics Club started before the holidays, what a wonderful gift for the young people in your life!

I’ve talked about getting the kids on your jury to open up and participate in the evaluation process, ages 8 and up. But what about younger kids?

Although you don’t have to worry about honesty as much with this age group, or the problems with peer pressure that arise later on, pre-schoolers often have to be coached into giving an evaluation with meaning. The evaluation forms we use ask simpler questions and expect simpler responses. However, some of our best insights come out of this crew.

Many pre-schoolers will not sit still for the entire program. They may wander in and out during the screening. Remember that they are still sorting out what’s real and what’s pretend and are easily frightened. Although we love to include direct quotes from your jurors, you will also need to interpret their feedback based on physical responses as well as verbal ones. In your evaluation, you might mention things such as: “The kids loved Dora and asked to see her again the next day” or “No one in this group sat still for more than a few minutes.” Insightful observations, while doing your best not to interject your own opinions, are a great way of letting others who read the evaluation make more informed family media watching decisions.

Children ages 2-5 can be coaxed into responses. Try sitting on the floor with them while asking them questions and always make eye contact. Don’t expect a long attention span. One experienced juror cut out the smiley faces on our evaluation form and made them into puppets by attaching to the end of a craft stick. When it came time to “vote”, kids raised up their smiley puppet in response!

Jurors - have another clever way you’ve gotten your kids to participate? Send them to me and I can use them for future blogs.

Want to learn more about media literacy and the KIDS FIRST! Jury program? Visit our jury page and contact us if you have questions. Our next training class is coming up in a few weeks (early December), so don’t delay!

Our next Jury Training Class is scheduled for November 2 and November 4 at 8:30 pm EST. This is a two-part course, so in order to complete the training you must attend both the Monday and Wednesday night’s class.

It’s a wonderful time to join our jury as we have been recieving more and more independently produced DVDs, CDs and computer games then ever before. In addition, we are also reviewing many DVDs and films from major production companies, often before they are released to the public! Build up your own library while helping kids learn to become critical media consumers. Remember, you won’t get sent any products to evaluate without your permission on the timing and type of media (ie. DVD, CD, CD-rom, etc.)

To join the class, please complete an online application form and confirm that you will be able to attend the October dates. Your $30 fee, fully refundable once you’ve completed training and evaluated your first 6 titles with your jury, can be paid by check in advance, or with a MasterCard or Visa by phone. Contact us if you are interested in setting up a private class or need more information.

Still need some ideas for how to get the kids on your jury to talk and become critics in their own right? Today I will share some KIDS FIRST! tips for working with ages 5-8.

Children in this age group respond well to programs that promote a sense of security and accomplishment, such as “how to” programs that teach magic tricks or science experiments; programs concerning separation issues with parents; pets that rescue. They model heroes they see on TV and in the movies. These kids often enjoy fairy tales, musicals, animal stories and other inspirational programs.

Though kids ages 5-8 are often quite forthright about responses, they may need prodding for specific comments. Girls and boys may respond differently. At KIDS FIRST! we use actual quotes from the kids on a jury, and we often print them verbatim in our reviews. We recommend trying to talk to the older ones in a manner that they can relate to. For example, one Juror had a six-year-old boy who loved the word “cool.” Rather than asking him if he liked the video she would say, “Johnny did you think the video was cool?” Then she would follow up with “why?” By that time she knew she had his attention and he was ready to explain.

Interested in starting your own jury? Visit our jury page to learn more about the program; contact us for information; and sign up for our next jury training course, from the comfort of your own home!

The new school year has always been a good time to get to the things you’ve been putting off. Now is a great time to take our jury training class and become a KIDS FIRST! Juror. And now you can complete your training in just one week!

Our September class will take place on Monday, September 14 AND Wednesday September 16 at 8:30 pm EST. This is a two-part class, so you will need to attend both sessions in order to complete your training. Private classes can also be arranged for a small additional fee (please visit our website for specific information.) Classes last approximately one hour each with a short assignment after each. The course is run via online meeting, all you need is access to the internet and a phone or headset. You can even press the mute button when the dogs start barking or the baby starts crying.

TV time during the school year is limited - so make it count! Jurors can provide their own children with a great learning experience, can teach media literacy skills in their after school, preschool or technology programs, or run a fun, interactive and educational program in their local library. All while building up their media library with first-run films and independently produced hard-to-find DVDs.

To sign up for the next class, visit our jury page and fill out the online applcation form. Questions? Contact us today!

August is a great time to take our Jury Training Course and have your Film Critics Club ready to go in time for the start of school.

We’ve had an outstanding reaction to our new online class format and all our new jurors are now enjoying working with kids to evaluate films and other media. This is a fabulous opportunity to teach new communication skills, help kids become more media literate, see independent titles difficult to find elsewhere, view large production titles - often before anyone else, all while building up your media library or helping a non-profit of your choice to do so. Both Adult and Child Juror reviews are posted on our website and in several publications. You and your jury can help others make good media choices for their families.

The next class is on August 3 and August 5 (Monday and Wednesday) evenings at 8pm EST. In order to complete this 2-part training you will need to attend both nights. Classes last approximately one hour each. To attend you will need access to a phone or headset and a computer with internet access. You may also choose to set up a private training for an additional non-refundable fee of $20. The regular course fee is $30, but it is completely refundable once you’ve completed training and reviewed your first 6 titles in the first 6 months.