Geeky Parent Guide (159)
The Geeky Parent Guide is a semi-monthly editorial series by Fanbase Press Contributor (and father of two) Travis Lakata that will help parents and other caregivers to safely and positively navigate various avenues of pop culture with their children.
Halloween is a perfect opportunity for parents to share fun, thrilling, or even downright spooky stories with their kids. Yes, Halloween is definitely a time for witches and werewolves and ghosts - oh, my! But, it’s also a great time to engage with stories where your kids will definitely want to take part in, quite literally, when they capture the magic of dressing up in costume for the fall holiday.
One of the most important elements of the Geeky Parent Guide (GPG), which we hope to convey to parents, is the ability to communicate with their kids throughout their lives, connecting on geeky things, with the hopes of building a comfortable pattern of sharing thoughts, ideas, fears, and dreams. The Great British Bake Off, also known as The Great British Baking Show, provides a sense of positivity where contestants share their concerns over baking gaffs, while a sense of support comes from the hosts and other competitors.
Guts is a graphic novel and personal memoir in which writer/artist Raina Telgemeier shares what it was like to grow up with certain fears that manifested into physical pains. This story will resonate for any child (or parent with a child) who experiences anxiety in some way. Although not everyone will completely understand Telgemeier’s emetophobia (or extreme fear of vomiting), the anxiety it produced further pained her stomach, while also affecting her food choices.
Engaging kids with fun activities, especially when it involves some kind of science experiment, is a great way for parents to connect with their children. The process of learning how something works – say, building a balloon rocket – is one thing, but getting to see it in action is a completely different thing. When I get to see my own kids excitedly shout over seeing some of the STEM activities we worked on together, it’s the perfect excuse to continue doing more in the future.
Scoob! is a classic example of how wonderful characters and fun storytelling stand the test of time. As my own kids BEGGED for this movie as soon as they saw a preview during their viewing of Frozen 2 in theater, it was clear we would eventually watch this film.
If you’re a Star Wars fan but haven’t had the opportunity to dive into any of the animated series, there are plenty of reasons for you and your kids to explore them now. Star Wars Rebels provides something completely new, where its predecessor, The Clone Wars, highlighted familiar characters to hold onto. Something that’s easy for kids to enjoy as they get older are things they see early in life and get to enjoy as they grow up. The Star Wars franchise has provided this for so many people. In recent years (since 2008), fans have had an opportunity to dive into classic characters, as well as enjoying brand new characters.
The final day of San Diego Comic-Con 2020 will still have plenty of opportunities for parents and kiddos to jump into some fun exploration of storytelling. As with any story, and why #StoriesMatter, each medium presents an opportunity for everyone to connect with characters in a way that leads to something quite profound. Whether it be following a character from beginning to end in a long series, developing emotional bonds, or creating something unique like a spinoff story or cosplay outfit, stories have the ability to leave a lasting mark.
Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con has not changed in terms of its amazing content and scope, despite the change to a total virtual presence for Comic-Con@Home. We’re going to dive into some geeky goodness for you and your kids to enjoy, including inside looks into drawing, video games, and so much more. The toughest part will be deciding which panels to watch live.
San Diego Comic-Con is a five-day event, and we’re here to highlight some of the many virtual panels being provided as part of this year's Comic-Con@Home festivities. Along with geeking out with your kids over your favorite comics, TV, or film announcements, we’ll be sharing panels dedicated to highlighting the importance of storytelling, what we can learn from them, and how people might find a path in a similar field.
If you were to look at San Diego Comic-Con’s programming list for 2020, you would believe that this was their regular, in-person schedule and we weren’t in the middle of a pandemic; however, the team behind this year’s SDCC has created a virtual Comic-Con@Home where everyone can fill their week (July 22 – 26) with some amazing content.
