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Out of the Sandbox Blog

About the Author

Wendy Smolen is the cofounder of Sandbox Summit, an elite idea forum that explores the synergy between play and technology. She's been an astute player in the kids toy and media industry for nearly 20 years, testing, evaluating, and rating products for major publications and companies. However, her office is wall-to-wall toys, so she still refers to her business appointments as playdates.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this blog belong solely to the author. Any questions/comments should be directed to its author, Wendy Smolen, and not Kidscreen.com/Kidscreen Magazine.

Which is better: Experience or enthusiasm?

BLOGS / Out of the Sandbox

Experience vs. enthusiasm; reality vs. risk; maturity vs. moxie. Can one exist without the other? It’s a generational tug of war.

June 5, 2013 Wendy Smolen

Children’s Museums: Not just for kids

BLOGS / Out of the Sandbox

If you’re in the business of kids and media, children’s museums are a must-see. Use the exhibits, as well as the building design, as a guide to how kids test, play and learn.

May 22, 2013 Wendy Smolen

Show me the money: Pitch-perfect strategies

BLOGS / Out of the Sandbox

I recently asked a 20-something who’s running a startup a probing question and he answered, “Oh, that’s the $64,000 question.” Then he pondered, “Where did that expression come from? $64,000 won’t do me very much good.” Even small ideas need BIG money to reach the market. So where do you go to get funds? What must you absolutely—or absolutely not—do?

May 8, 2013 Wendy Smolen

Five things I learned in the Sandbox

The ninth Sandbox Summit has come and gone. All attendees are safely back in their offices. Hopefully, some of the collaborative spirit of the conference has seeped into their worlds and webs and connected everyone in new ways. For those of you who missed it, here are just five of the lessons I learned from the two idea-packed days.

April 24, 2013 Wendy Smolen

Collaboration: The not-so-secret sauce

BLOGS / Out of the Sandbox

With Sandbox Summit only a week away, I realize it takes a village to create content for a meaningful conference. But the diversity of the village also makes the conference meaningful.

April 10, 2013 Wendy Smolen

Playful learning is more than fun and games

BLOGS / KID INSIGHT / Out of the Sandbox

Claire Green, president of Parents’ Choice Foundation and co-founder of Sandbox Summit, spends more time than most playing with kids’ media. Here’s her playbook on what it takes to make a great educational app. It’s a lesson we should all learn.

March 27, 2013 Wendy Smolen

Time to think

BLOGS / Out of the Sandbox

As a type-A multi-tasker, I’ve suddenly discovered how timeboxing can up my game.

March 13, 2013 Wendy Smolen

COPPA clarity: Proceed with caution

BLOGS / Out of the Sandbox

The Federal Trade Commission recently revised COPPA, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, to give parents greater control over the personal information that websites and online services can collect from kids under 13. To get the 411, I talked to Linnette Attai, founder of Playwell, a company that helps clients navigate the safety and privacy requirements for kids.

February 27, 2013 Wendy Smolen

Time to FIO

BLOGS / iKIDS / Out of the Sandbox

With another season of schmoozing and selling behind us, we’re all assessing our next steps. But when the same old doesn’t work anymore, what are you going to do? As Bob Safian advised us in his iKids’ keynote, “it’s time to FIO.”

February 13, 2013 Wendy Smolen

It’s Showtime!

BLOGS / iKIDS / Out of the Sandbox

If you haven’t already done Vegas, Hong Kong, or Nuremberg this year, February in New York kicks off the kids’ show-and-tell season, with iKids, Kidscreen, Toy Fair, and Digital Kids all happening in the next two weeks. Here’s my personal planning playbook.

January 30, 2013 Wendy Smolen

Photos

MIPCOM 2012 - Jake Manion of Aardman Digital