Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Trends, August 28, 2000

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, Aug. 28, 2000 | 8:49 a.m.

Nothing to sneeze at

Now that the little ones are back in school, it's time they get busy -- being creative.

Break out the crayons and the safety scissors: Facial-tissue maker Puffs needs a new design -- of refrigerator-art quality, please -- to adorn back-to-school-themed boxes of its fluffy product.

Puffs' "Design the Box" contest is open to children in kindergarten through sixth grade. The theme: "What I Like Best About School." Maybe that's reciting multiplication tables or geography lessons or even nap time.

The design of last year's winner, 7-year-old Gail Gustavson of Green Bay, Wis., graced 1.5 million boxes of tissue. This year's grand-prize winner will receive a $25,000 college savings bond, a Gateway computer and a digital camera for his or her classroom.

Designs should be created in color or black and white with pencils, crayons, markers, paint or chalk, and should be submitted on a 8 1/2- by 11-inch sheet of paper. For information about other contest rules and where send an entry, due by Dec. 1, moms and dads should call (800) 77-PUFFS, or visitpuffs.com.

Staying connected

Mark your calendars: Grandparents Day in Sept. 10. Susan V. Bosak doesn't want anyone to forget it this year -- especially grandparents themselves.

An authority on intergenerational relationships, Bosak is the author of "How to Build the Grandma Connection" (The Communication Project, $8.95). In it, she offers tips for grandparents about how to connect with their grandchildren. Among them:

* Talk to the parents before a new grandchild is born about hopes, fears and expectations for the child, thus paving the way for a "smoother relationship."

* Start a "grandparent-grandchild book club" by giving the grandchild a brand-new book each month. The book can be the topic of conversation during phone calls with the child, or you can read it together.

* Keep in contact with the grandchildren. It is particularly important for long-distance grandparents to talk to their grandkids at least once a week.

* Show the youngsters' your support. Parents should send the childrens' artwork, photos and such to Grandma and Grandpa, and encourage phone calls.

. Order in the court

You probably saw it in the movie theater, but have you rented "Erin Brokovich" yet? The wildly popular film, which starred Julia Roberts as a feisty office worker who investigates a major industrial pollution lawsuit, made its video debut recently.

In honor of the release, Blockbuster released something of its own -- a list of the top-rented courtroom drama movies. Among the winners: The 1957 classic "12 Angry Men," last year's hit, "A Civil Action" and '97s "Devil's Advocate" with a dastardly Al Pacino in the title role.

Who can forget Tom Hank's Oscar-winning turn in 1994's "Philadelphia"? Or Jack Nicholson -- reminding "You can't handle the truth!" -- in "A Few Good Men" from 1993. And, of course, Gregory Peck in, arguably, some of the greatest courtroom scenes of all time in 1962's "To Kill a Mockingbird."