By Valerie Milano
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 6/16/21 – Award-winning children’s book author Constanze Niedermaier, recently launched Whyzz, a parenting brand and media company that wants to make talking about the world an everyday routine.
Using tools and resources, such as #DailyWhyzz daily conversation starters, books and its weekly newsletter guides Salon Sundays, the family lifestyle brand helps parents talk about cultures, global challenges and controversial topics. The brand wants to start conversations around the dinner table or on the way to school about cultures, global challenges, and controversial topics.
“At Whyzz, we ask parents to do three things: discuss, answer, and join,” said founder Niedermaier. “Discuss what is going on in the world with your children for a few minutes each day. And answer their questions and join a new tradition or a cause that makes a difference. I hope to encourage parents to start new conversations and join nonprofit groups that are meaningful for their family.”
The company’s resources are geared toward families with children ages 5-14. “Kids are the future leaders, decision-makers and inheritors of the Earth. Let’s raise them in a way that equips them with the knowledge and tools to make a difference.”
In the past year, parents found themselves having hard conversations with their children about social and racial injustice while living through a global pandemic that changed lives overnight. Important issues such as poverty, global warming, disease, and hunger are overwhelming topics for children to understand on their own, but with the tools and resources provided by Whyzz, parents find it easier to have meaningful conversations about current events and local and global challenges.
Niedermaier created the brand to help parents rise to the challenge and raise their children to be more globally aware and to encourage a global citizenship perspective. Whyzz helps shape the way future generations view the world and fosters a global mindset that garners appreciation for all people.
An immigrant and global citizen herself, Niedermaier, who is also a parent of young children, aims to establish for parents: a global-minded lifestyle that she calls Passport Parenting. Her brand encourages curiosity and gives families tools to jumpstart conversations in fun and engaging ways. They include:
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Salon Sundays, a weekly newsletter that aims to make Sunday dinner the time for family discussions. The newsletter highlights current events while providing background knowledge on specific topics. Salon Sundays also offers ideas for activities that will encourage families to share stories and values. It highlights families, rituals, and customs from around the world, such as easy-to-follow recipes that families can make together.
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Daily Whyzz, a collection of conversation starters posted to Whyzz’s social media profiles. The daily posts of questions and facts are perfect for short family conversations about the news, big topics or different cultures over breakfast, in the car on the way to school or before bedtime.
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Whyzz Books, 33 Things to Talk to Kids About Global Challenges, and 33 Family Conversations about the World. These award-winning books, written by Niedermaier, encourage significant conversations with children about such timely topics as climate change, global warming, agriculture, love, dignity, inequality, and moral values.
Whyzz also aims to help families appreciate the world around them through Passport Parenting, a global-minded lifestyle. This encourages families to be culturally and socially conscious, teaching children that everything in the world is interconnected through experiences, discussions and meaningful family time.
“Ultimately, we strive to deliver tools to both parents and children that highlight global awareness and citizenship and promote sustainable development. By raising kids who are curious, aware, open-minded, and able to connect the dots, their everyday decisions will have a real impact. It all starts at home,” said Niedermaier.
Whyzz understands the importance of enriching conversations, family experiences and celebrating the unique differences between groups and societies. Through their selective offerings, the brand is reimagining how families look at the world together.