By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kathie_Bobbitt]Kathie Bobbitt
We, as parents and educators, would do well to listen to our youth when they express their dreams. It is in our interest to encourage them to explore and to play with their creative potential. Through listening and helping them determine how to make their dreams a reality, we can help them to discover what they are good at, what their passions are and what they need to do to move toward their dreams. They then come to believe that they can succeed. And, beyond that, they develop a passion for success because they can see the possibility and what is in it for them to have their dreams become a reality.
When we allow them to believe in their success despite any failures and the lack of support that WILL happen and then support them through the challenges, we give them permission to persevere. We can convey to them that they will only fail when they quit. We can teach them relationship and salesmanship skills so they can convince others in their life that they have the passion, the willingness and the capability to fulfill their dreams. Through this, they will be provided the building blocks for accomplishment of their dreams. When they are shown how to build their life through the establishment and achievement of their goals and that they are, in fact, capable life-builders, they will be far more motivated and likely to succeed.
There are a lot of people who are afraid of failure. If we allow for failure AND embrace it, we could use it as a stepping-stone and a tool for teaching. If we fight failure, we will get more failure because we block further communication about what caused it. When we use failures as the valuable lesson they are and build off of them, achieving success is more likely.
It is also important that we establish clear, specific and reasonable boundaries for our youth to work within. Don�t we all want and need to know what our boundaries are? I remember when I was a teenager thinking that I wanted to be told what was acceptable and what was not. That hasn�t changed.
When boundaries are established that define what limits are set for gaining success, we establish what is important and we spend our time fighting ONLY the important battles. We are then better able to focus on working with these important people in our lives to help them choose, plan and accomplish the success goals that they want to achieve while staying within their established boundaries.
Written by Kathie Bobbitt, President of Kinesis Development LLC, an organizational and personal growth company. As an Organizational and Personal Development Coach she conducts seminars, workshops, executive and group coaching on strategic planning, process improvement, leadership and personal development. Her company also encourages the personal growth of young people through their Rising Stars Program. Visit the Kinesis Development website at http://www.kinesisdevelopment.com.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Life Lessons for Kids- Money Management
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jan_Gamm]Jan Gamm
It was announced in the British press recently that children in the UK state education system were to be provided with tuition on basic life skills, including how to manage finance, pensions and insurance.
Some of us have been complaining for years that the school system in UK has woefully neglected the economical health of our young adults by omitting to teach them the fundamentals of check book management.
Imagine being thrown into college or university at the end of one�s school career, with a loan from the government in the form of a grant, which means that one is already at the receiving end of bank charges, and not being shown even a rudimentary level of how to go about managing the documentation such obligations entail.
Most of our kids manage quite well and by the end of their courses are as cheerfully in debt as everyone else, and likely to stay there for the foreseeable future. British banks are notorious for irresponsibly encouraging insolvency among young people. Even before their first formal examinations have been applied for the banks are sending trash mail through letterboxes, offering loans without security and including credit facilities that most of these kids have no chance in hell of paying.
It is time the credit departments of high street banks were effectively hand-cuffed and forbidden to enter into such cynical recruitment of lambs to the slaughter. Many of these kids plunge headlong into debt even before they have left high school and such a condition becomes a way of life by the time they eventually leave university.
It was recently pointed out that with a balance of only �3000 on an average credit card, the repayment of this amount, if the card holder paid only the minimum payment invoiced on their monthly invoice, would take forty years! Shocked? I was.
When you are young (the recollection of which for me involves both hands and a calculator), a long repayment period seems an easy solution to the urgency of a cash flow problem. Before your child leaves school, try to ensure a comprehensive study of basic finance is undertaken.
Jan Gamm writes reflections on life with an emphasis on world travel. She has lived in many countries and traveled extensively in the Far East, the Middle East, America, South America and throughout the South Pacific. She writes for fun and for money whenever she can manage it.
It was announced in the British press recently that children in the UK state education system were to be provided with tuition on basic life skills, including how to manage finance, pensions and insurance.
Some of us have been complaining for years that the school system in UK has woefully neglected the economical health of our young adults by omitting to teach them the fundamentals of check book management.
Imagine being thrown into college or university at the end of one�s school career, with a loan from the government in the form of a grant, which means that one is already at the receiving end of bank charges, and not being shown even a rudimentary level of how to go about managing the documentation such obligations entail.
Most of our kids manage quite well and by the end of their courses are as cheerfully in debt as everyone else, and likely to stay there for the foreseeable future. British banks are notorious for irresponsibly encouraging insolvency among young people. Even before their first formal examinations have been applied for the banks are sending trash mail through letterboxes, offering loans without security and including credit facilities that most of these kids have no chance in hell of paying.
It is time the credit departments of high street banks were effectively hand-cuffed and forbidden to enter into such cynical recruitment of lambs to the slaughter. Many of these kids plunge headlong into debt even before they have left high school and such a condition becomes a way of life by the time they eventually leave university.
It was recently pointed out that with a balance of only �3000 on an average credit card, the repayment of this amount, if the card holder paid only the minimum payment invoiced on their monthly invoice, would take forty years! Shocked? I was.
When you are young (the recollection of which for me involves both hands and a calculator), a long repayment period seems an easy solution to the urgency of a cash flow problem. Before your child leaves school, try to ensure a comprehensive study of basic finance is undertaken.
Jan Gamm writes reflections on life with an emphasis on world travel. She has lived in many countries and traveled extensively in the Far East, the Middle East, America, South America and throughout the South Pacific. She writes for fun and for money whenever she can manage it.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Encouraging Your Kids in Science
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Stephanie_Foster]Stephanie Foster
Young children love to learn. The preschool and elementary school years are a great time to build an interest in science that will last through their educational career and perhaps beyond.
Don't be intimidated by whatever knowledge you may have of science. You don't have to know it all. You don't have to be advanced in your understanding. At this level, you're promoting interest in the topic and teaching the early foundations, not doing the math. It's something you can do even if you didn't enjoy science classes yourself.
There are many simple experiments you can do from home, and most don't require anything special. You will often have the supplies you need in the kitchen, and if you don't, they are often available at your local grocery store.
Cooking can be used to help teach basic concepts. When you cook with your kids, they can help you measure things out, learning about what makes a half cup half of a cup. Simple things like that which you understand, you can teach.
There's more than that which you can do with cooking, however. You can make rock candy to show your kids how much sugar can be dissolved in water, and what happens as it collects on a string, forming crystals. You can make ice cream to talk about the freezing point and how liquids become solids.
Boiling water can be a lesson on liquids becoming gasses. Mixing baking soda with vinegar demonstrates a chemical reaction. Cream can be made into butter. Yeast makes bread rise.
These lessons do not have to stop after elementary school. You can discuss the different kinds of heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation) and how they relate to cooking.
When you're using yeast or making crystals, don't forget the magnifying glass or microscope to take a look at the details. You can view the yeast out of the bread, then take a sample of the bread dough after it rises and see how the yeast made the bread look. You can compare crystals grown under different circumstances. Doing this and noting the details is a way to demonstrate the basics of the scientific method.
The best part about many kitchen experiments is that they can be eaten after. This is not true for every experiment, but it's not uncommon. You can also explain the various scientific aspects at different levels for different ages of children. Boiling water turns to gas for younger children, but as they get older, a discussion of what is happening, what the boiling point is and so forth becomes more appropriate.
Don't forget the great times you can have in the kitchen. It's time you get to spend having fun with your kids, exploring things you take otherwise for granted.
Stephanie Foster blogs at Home with the Kids about being a [http://www.homewiththekids.com/blog/]stay at home mom. Get more ideas on science with your child at [http://www.homewiththekids.com/funwiththekids/educational/science.php]http://www.homewiththekids.com/funwiththekids/educational/science.php.
Young children love to learn. The preschool and elementary school years are a great time to build an interest in science that will last through their educational career and perhaps beyond.
Don't be intimidated by whatever knowledge you may have of science. You don't have to know it all. You don't have to be advanced in your understanding. At this level, you're promoting interest in the topic and teaching the early foundations, not doing the math. It's something you can do even if you didn't enjoy science classes yourself.
There are many simple experiments you can do from home, and most don't require anything special. You will often have the supplies you need in the kitchen, and if you don't, they are often available at your local grocery store.
Cooking can be used to help teach basic concepts. When you cook with your kids, they can help you measure things out, learning about what makes a half cup half of a cup. Simple things like that which you understand, you can teach.
There's more than that which you can do with cooking, however. You can make rock candy to show your kids how much sugar can be dissolved in water, and what happens as it collects on a string, forming crystals. You can make ice cream to talk about the freezing point and how liquids become solids.
Boiling water can be a lesson on liquids becoming gasses. Mixing baking soda with vinegar demonstrates a chemical reaction. Cream can be made into butter. Yeast makes bread rise.
These lessons do not have to stop after elementary school. You can discuss the different kinds of heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation) and how they relate to cooking.
When you're using yeast or making crystals, don't forget the magnifying glass or microscope to take a look at the details. You can view the yeast out of the bread, then take a sample of the bread dough after it rises and see how the yeast made the bread look. You can compare crystals grown under different circumstances. Doing this and noting the details is a way to demonstrate the basics of the scientific method.
The best part about many kitchen experiments is that they can be eaten after. This is not true for every experiment, but it's not uncommon. You can also explain the various scientific aspects at different levels for different ages of children. Boiling water turns to gas for younger children, but as they get older, a discussion of what is happening, what the boiling point is and so forth becomes more appropriate.
Don't forget the great times you can have in the kitchen. It's time you get to spend having fun with your kids, exploring things you take otherwise for granted.
Stephanie Foster blogs at Home with the Kids about being a [http://www.homewiththekids.com/blog/]stay at home mom. Get more ideas on science with your child at [http://www.homewiththekids.com/funwiththekids/educational/science.php]http://www.homewiththekids.com/funwiththekids/educational/science.php.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Start Your Own Online Home-Based Business - A Guide for Teens
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=R._Sharp]R. Sharp
If you love working online and aren't a big fan of "traditional" teen jobs like babysitting and lawn mowing, perhaps starting an online home-based business is the right path for you. There is money to be made online by doing things like writing or selling items at online auction sites like eBay, but never forget that a home-based business is, first and foremost, a business. You'll have to think like an entrepreneur and work hard to get ahead.
This article provides some basic guidelines
Start Your Engines
The first step, of course, is to decide what kind of business you're going to have. Take an honest look at your strengths and your areas of weakness, your likes and dislikes. If you have no idea how to write a proper sentence, for example, making a living as a writer is probably out, and if you know nothing about computers, providing online technical support is not a good career choice.
Pick something that you will enjoy doing day after day after day.
Identify Your Client Base
Who is going to buy your writing, your gift baskets, your advice, or your crafts? What need will your product or service fulfill? Answering these questions will tell you how to direct your marketing. For instance, if you decide your market for quilts is senior citizens with disposable incomes, you wouldn't waste money putting an ad for your business in an alternative newspaper read mostly by teens and young adults.
It's also important to do a little research. Who else is tapping into your client base? Can you offer something unique that your competition can't?
Design a Website
If you're going to have an online presence, you will need a website where you can direct potential customers. In the old days, designing a website used to be so complicated that it took a pro to do it--and if you can afford to have your website professionally designed, it won't hurt--but if you can't, there are many easy programs that can help you develop and design your site and have it up and running in no time. Consider putting a blog on your website--it can be a powerful marketing tool.
Your website should include information about purchasing your goods or services. One thing to consider safety-wise: Rather than listing your home address or phone number online, provide an email address where people can contact you for more information. Once you're sure they're legit, you can provide more detailed contact information. Another alternative is to use a P.O. Box for an address and a "throwaway" number, like a cell phone, for your phone number.
Once your site is up and running, advertise it all over the internet. There are several great methods of online advertising. For starters, submit your site to search engines like Google, AOL, Yahoo, etc. You can also write articles related to your business for sites like Associated Content and EZine, which provide a writer's credit and a link back to your web page. Finally, find forums that target your client base online, join up, and post respectfully (i.e., DON'T spam). You can include a link back to your web page in your signature.
Take Your Time
There's an old saying that "well begun is half done." Don't rush through the steps it takes to get your online business off the ground, or you may regret it. For instance, if you launch your website before it is thoroughly polished, potential customers may surf away from the amateurish appearance, and if you start advertising products before you have completed them, customers may become annoyed at your slowness.
There is money to be made online, and no reason why you - as a teen, can't take advantage of these opportunities. Follow these simple guidelines, and success could be yours.
For more Teen Money Making Ideas, please visit TeenMoneyMakingIdeas.Com. Where teens learn legitimate ways to make money from home and learn how to start their own [http://teenmoneymakingideas.com/category/teen-business-ideas-and-tips/]teen business. Visit there now: http://www.teenmoneymakingideas.com
If you love working online and aren't a big fan of "traditional" teen jobs like babysitting and lawn mowing, perhaps starting an online home-based business is the right path for you. There is money to be made online by doing things like writing or selling items at online auction sites like eBay, but never forget that a home-based business is, first and foremost, a business. You'll have to think like an entrepreneur and work hard to get ahead.
This article provides some basic guidelines
Start Your Engines
The first step, of course, is to decide what kind of business you're going to have. Take an honest look at your strengths and your areas of weakness, your likes and dislikes. If you have no idea how to write a proper sentence, for example, making a living as a writer is probably out, and if you know nothing about computers, providing online technical support is not a good career choice.
Pick something that you will enjoy doing day after day after day.
Identify Your Client Base
Who is going to buy your writing, your gift baskets, your advice, or your crafts? What need will your product or service fulfill? Answering these questions will tell you how to direct your marketing. For instance, if you decide your market for quilts is senior citizens with disposable incomes, you wouldn't waste money putting an ad for your business in an alternative newspaper read mostly by teens and young adults.
It's also important to do a little research. Who else is tapping into your client base? Can you offer something unique that your competition can't?
Design a Website
If you're going to have an online presence, you will need a website where you can direct potential customers. In the old days, designing a website used to be so complicated that it took a pro to do it--and if you can afford to have your website professionally designed, it won't hurt--but if you can't, there are many easy programs that can help you develop and design your site and have it up and running in no time. Consider putting a blog on your website--it can be a powerful marketing tool.
Your website should include information about purchasing your goods or services. One thing to consider safety-wise: Rather than listing your home address or phone number online, provide an email address where people can contact you for more information. Once you're sure they're legit, you can provide more detailed contact information. Another alternative is to use a P.O. Box for an address and a "throwaway" number, like a cell phone, for your phone number.
Once your site is up and running, advertise it all over the internet. There are several great methods of online advertising. For starters, submit your site to search engines like Google, AOL, Yahoo, etc. You can also write articles related to your business for sites like Associated Content and EZine, which provide a writer's credit and a link back to your web page. Finally, find forums that target your client base online, join up, and post respectfully (i.e., DON'T spam). You can include a link back to your web page in your signature.
Take Your Time
There's an old saying that "well begun is half done." Don't rush through the steps it takes to get your online business off the ground, or you may regret it. For instance, if you launch your website before it is thoroughly polished, potential customers may surf away from the amateurish appearance, and if you start advertising products before you have completed them, customers may become annoyed at your slowness.
There is money to be made online, and no reason why you - as a teen, can't take advantage of these opportunities. Follow these simple guidelines, and success could be yours.
For more Teen Money Making Ideas, please visit TeenMoneyMakingIdeas.Com. Where teens learn legitimate ways to make money from home and learn how to start their own [http://teenmoneymakingideas.com/category/teen-business-ideas-and-tips/]teen business. Visit there now: http://www.teenmoneymakingideas.com
Monday, July 23, 2007
The Nintendo Wii + Wii Sports - Good For Fitness In Children?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Karen_Bennett]Karen Bennett
The Nintendo Wii it seems, puts pay to the concerns in recent years over the inactivity in children due to their interest in video games consoles. The Wii console really sets itself apart from the rest with its revolutionary motion sensitive controller, which actually requires movement in order to play the games.
The Nintendo Wii comes with the game Wii Sports, which includes tennis, baseball, bowling, golf and boxing. In tennis you will be swinging the remote as if it were a tennis racket and flicking it up to toss the ball into the air with a quick swing to serve just like the real thing. The other Wii Sports games work in a similar way simulating controller movements for like movements onscreen. Boxing however is the only Wii Sports game that uses the nunchuk attachment and is the most physically exhausting game of them all. In order to hit your opponent in the head or body, you will have to aim high or low with your swings.
There are three different activities with each game. In training mode, you will participate in random challenges, after which you will be assigned a fitness age, based on your performance. Sound familiar? The Nintendo DS game, Brain Training comes to mind...a physical version perhaps?
The important thing here is that gamers are becoming more physically active without even realising it - you could say it has a 'kill two birds with one stone' effect, combining video game play with physical activity, so given this 'physical' nature of the Wii, I wouldn't be surprised if parents rushed out to buy Nintendo Wii just to get their kids off the sofa!
Another great thing about the Nintendo Wii is that it appeals not only to kids and teens but to adults too, so its something the whole family can enjoy.
Could the Nintendo Wii revolutionize the way we play video games in the future? It will be interesting to see what Nintendo's competitors come up with next!
For more information about the [http://www.compareconsoleprices.co.uk]Nintendo Wii console and where to find the chepest prices for the [http://compareconsoleprices.co.uk]Nintendo Wii visit my website [http://www.compareconsoleprices.co.uk]Compare Console Prices
The Nintendo Wii it seems, puts pay to the concerns in recent years over the inactivity in children due to their interest in video games consoles. The Wii console really sets itself apart from the rest with its revolutionary motion sensitive controller, which actually requires movement in order to play the games.
The Nintendo Wii comes with the game Wii Sports, which includes tennis, baseball, bowling, golf and boxing. In tennis you will be swinging the remote as if it were a tennis racket and flicking it up to toss the ball into the air with a quick swing to serve just like the real thing. The other Wii Sports games work in a similar way simulating controller movements for like movements onscreen. Boxing however is the only Wii Sports game that uses the nunchuk attachment and is the most physically exhausting game of them all. In order to hit your opponent in the head or body, you will have to aim high or low with your swings.
There are three different activities with each game. In training mode, you will participate in random challenges, after which you will be assigned a fitness age, based on your performance. Sound familiar? The Nintendo DS game, Brain Training comes to mind...a physical version perhaps?
The important thing here is that gamers are becoming more physically active without even realising it - you could say it has a 'kill two birds with one stone' effect, combining video game play with physical activity, so given this 'physical' nature of the Wii, I wouldn't be surprised if parents rushed out to buy Nintendo Wii just to get their kids off the sofa!
Another great thing about the Nintendo Wii is that it appeals not only to kids and teens but to adults too, so its something the whole family can enjoy.
Could the Nintendo Wii revolutionize the way we play video games in the future? It will be interesting to see what Nintendo's competitors come up with next!
For more information about the [http://www.compareconsoleprices.co.uk]Nintendo Wii console and where to find the chepest prices for the [http://compareconsoleprices.co.uk]Nintendo Wii visit my website [http://www.compareconsoleprices.co.uk]Compare Console Prices
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Extended Families, the Advantages of Numbers
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jan_Gamm]Jan Gamm
Does it ever occur to you that children in extended families are reaping the benefits of multi parenting skills? In larger families of typically Italian or Spanish origin, where the extended family systems enjoys a healthy respect, children are tended to by just about all of the adult members of the clan. Table manners are attended to by every Aunt and Uncle who might take a passing interest and the children are never left to the devices of one set of parents exclusively.
The average British, Australian or American child is at the mercy of the foibles of one mother and one father. Outside interference with the raising of these children is not tolerated, therefore the child has one set of values; those of the parents.
Well-to-do African families have the same system of extended family. Brothers and sisters interact more closely and cousins are regarded almost with the same affection as a sibling. The advantage of such a system of course is that the children develop in company with so many peers and their social skills are well honed by the time they reach adolescence.
Family celebrations command a deeper attendance from those who have grown up as part of the extended family system. Refusal to attend a birthday party, baptism or wedding would be considered an almighty faux pas is such society, all good grounding for the corporate social behavior one might expect to be part of later in life. Family duties are considered to be obligations not to be taken lightly and neither should they be.
Children of a closer family unit are necessarily not so adept at mingling with others. This is hardly surprising, considering they have so little social experience within the family structure.
Jan Gamm writes reflections on life with an emphasis on world travel. She has lived in many countries and traveled extensively in the Far East, the Middle East, America, South America and throughout the South Pacific. She writes for fun and for money whenever she can manage it.
Does it ever occur to you that children in extended families are reaping the benefits of multi parenting skills? In larger families of typically Italian or Spanish origin, where the extended family systems enjoys a healthy respect, children are tended to by just about all of the adult members of the clan. Table manners are attended to by every Aunt and Uncle who might take a passing interest and the children are never left to the devices of one set of parents exclusively.
The average British, Australian or American child is at the mercy of the foibles of one mother and one father. Outside interference with the raising of these children is not tolerated, therefore the child has one set of values; those of the parents.
Well-to-do African families have the same system of extended family. Brothers and sisters interact more closely and cousins are regarded almost with the same affection as a sibling. The advantage of such a system of course is that the children develop in company with so many peers and their social skills are well honed by the time they reach adolescence.
Family celebrations command a deeper attendance from those who have grown up as part of the extended family system. Refusal to attend a birthday party, baptism or wedding would be considered an almighty faux pas is such society, all good grounding for the corporate social behavior one might expect to be part of later in life. Family duties are considered to be obligations not to be taken lightly and neither should they be.
Children of a closer family unit are necessarily not so adept at mingling with others. This is hardly surprising, considering they have so little social experience within the family structure.
Jan Gamm writes reflections on life with an emphasis on world travel. She has lived in many countries and traveled extensively in the Far East, the Middle East, America, South America and throughout the South Pacific. She writes for fun and for money whenever she can manage it.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Children and Table Manners: Are We Neglecting Them?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jan_Gamm]Jan Gamm
Am I alone in wishing people were licensed to have children. In UK it used to be the law to hold a dog license before you could actually own a pooch. You could have as many kids as you liked though and some people procreate at an alarming rate and live on the state. However that is not my objection.
I cannot bear ill mannered children and it seems to me that nowadays manners are not taught by parents. Children are expected to learn good manners themselves, almost naturally, as if they somehow magically appear along with second teeth and pubic hair.
Some parents unreasonably expect schools to teach their children manners, expecting them to leave school at sixteen or seventeen with a GCSE in table manners and courtesy. It is all absolute rubbish of course, because everyone knows the only place you learn manners is at home.
My grandmother was the original Ghengus Khan when it came to table manners. If you made the slightest noise when chewing she would go off like a rocket and come down only when the offender had been removed from the table for the duration of the meal. Harsh I suppose, but we grew up knowing exactly how to hold a knife and fork in our house and thank God for it.
Boarding school was a bit of an eye opener for me. I had spent my early childhood secure in the knowledge that my table manners were perfect but found when I arrived at a stuffy English boarding school that I was a bit of a peasant when it came to the niceties of the table.
In such establishments young ladies are taught to break a piece of bread into three, even if it is the size of a ping pong ball to begin with. It is unacceptable to cut the bread and you must never butter an entire slice but only each section in turn. Yawn.
Table napkins must only ever reside upon the lap and never appear above the table line except to dab daintily at each corner of the mouth in a genteel fashion, never wipe the mouth from side to side like a builder's apprentice, because you would be considered coarse in the extreme.
Always tilt a soup bowl away from you, we were told. Never drain the soup bowl, always leave a small residue (Uh? Why?). Never begin to eat until your hostess has begun to eat, and never be the first to finish a course. This particular one always struck me as daft, as someone always has to finish first. Luckily I have never attended a dinner party where all the guests attended my school or we would all still be trapped at the table.
My headmistress had a particular aversion to sniffing and as I had sinusitis she was constantly hauling me into her office to lecture me on the perils of nasal exhalation, silly woman.
We were taught how to sit, how to stand, how to get in and out of cars, how to do just about everything quietly and discreetly. Nowadays things have gone to the other extreme and kids are left to devise for themselves a way to hold a knife and fork, and I find it curious that most of them choose the shovel method in one hand and the writing utensil method in the other.
Kids barge through doorways in front of elderly people everywhere now, and you never see a child offer a seat to an older person in a bus or train, and if they did they would be laughed at by their friends; which is very sad, I think.
I agree with my grandmother in that there are no naughty children, only naughty parents who have neglected their children�s development by not teaching them how to conduct themselves socially.
Perhaps it would not be such a good idea to license parents, because if we did human beings would quickly become extinct!
Jan Gamm writes reflections on life with an emphasis on world travel. She has lived in many countries and traveled extensively in the Far East, the Middle East, America, South America and throughout the South Pacific. She writes for fun and for money whenever she can manage it.
Am I alone in wishing people were licensed to have children. In UK it used to be the law to hold a dog license before you could actually own a pooch. You could have as many kids as you liked though and some people procreate at an alarming rate and live on the state. However that is not my objection.
I cannot bear ill mannered children and it seems to me that nowadays manners are not taught by parents. Children are expected to learn good manners themselves, almost naturally, as if they somehow magically appear along with second teeth and pubic hair.
Some parents unreasonably expect schools to teach their children manners, expecting them to leave school at sixteen or seventeen with a GCSE in table manners and courtesy. It is all absolute rubbish of course, because everyone knows the only place you learn manners is at home.
My grandmother was the original Ghengus Khan when it came to table manners. If you made the slightest noise when chewing she would go off like a rocket and come down only when the offender had been removed from the table for the duration of the meal. Harsh I suppose, but we grew up knowing exactly how to hold a knife and fork in our house and thank God for it.
Boarding school was a bit of an eye opener for me. I had spent my early childhood secure in the knowledge that my table manners were perfect but found when I arrived at a stuffy English boarding school that I was a bit of a peasant when it came to the niceties of the table.
In such establishments young ladies are taught to break a piece of bread into three, even if it is the size of a ping pong ball to begin with. It is unacceptable to cut the bread and you must never butter an entire slice but only each section in turn. Yawn.
Table napkins must only ever reside upon the lap and never appear above the table line except to dab daintily at each corner of the mouth in a genteel fashion, never wipe the mouth from side to side like a builder's apprentice, because you would be considered coarse in the extreme.
Always tilt a soup bowl away from you, we were told. Never drain the soup bowl, always leave a small residue (Uh? Why?). Never begin to eat until your hostess has begun to eat, and never be the first to finish a course. This particular one always struck me as daft, as someone always has to finish first. Luckily I have never attended a dinner party where all the guests attended my school or we would all still be trapped at the table.
My headmistress had a particular aversion to sniffing and as I had sinusitis she was constantly hauling me into her office to lecture me on the perils of nasal exhalation, silly woman.
We were taught how to sit, how to stand, how to get in and out of cars, how to do just about everything quietly and discreetly. Nowadays things have gone to the other extreme and kids are left to devise for themselves a way to hold a knife and fork, and I find it curious that most of them choose the shovel method in one hand and the writing utensil method in the other.
Kids barge through doorways in front of elderly people everywhere now, and you never see a child offer a seat to an older person in a bus or train, and if they did they would be laughed at by their friends; which is very sad, I think.
I agree with my grandmother in that there are no naughty children, only naughty parents who have neglected their children�s development by not teaching them how to conduct themselves socially.
Perhaps it would not be such a good idea to license parents, because if we did human beings would quickly become extinct!
Jan Gamm writes reflections on life with an emphasis on world travel. She has lived in many countries and traveled extensively in the Far East, the Middle East, America, South America and throughout the South Pacific. She writes for fun and for money whenever she can manage it.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
How To Protect Your Child From Strangers
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Camilla_Dessing]Camilla Dessing
50 balloons were released last week by the British parents of missing girl Madeleine Mccain, marking the 50th day of their daughter�s disappearance after she was abducted from a hotel apartment in Portugal on May 3rd. On this day too, people from all over the world prayed for the safe return of Madeleine, yet with each passing day, the chances of her safe recovery grows slimmer.
77,000 UK children reported missing every year
The moment your child comes into this world your heart fills with an immeasurable joy, yet at the same time you begin to fear that something can go wrong, that there is something out there you wont be able to protect your baby from. Or someone. Perhaps the danger we fear the most is the one luring in the streets, the strangers who could take our child away the split second we�re not watching over them. In the UK around 77,000 children are reported missing every year. Some are found and returned, others return home on their own. Some children are never found.
What defines an abduction?
�Missing� is a term that is widely used in law enforcement and refers to a child missing under virtually any conditions, even if its just a case of a simple misunderstanding of the child�s whereabouts, the incident will be recorded as a �missing child�. Out of the thousands of children that go missing in the UK - most of them runaways - the vast majority turn up again safe and sound within 72 hours, yet there are still children in the hundreds that never return home. When we hear about child abduction in the media it is usually a non-parental abduction. That is because this type of abductions is much less frequent and much more dangerous, it is estimated that over 40 percent of these incidents ends with the child�s death.
The police recorded 846 attempted child abductions in 2002/2003. Over half of these were abductions attempted by strangers, fortunately no more than nine percent of these were successful, still a devastating total of 68 successful abductions. Parents are behind the majority of most successful abductions, usually committed where there is a situation of custodial fight with the other parent. According to Reunite, the leading UK charity specializing in international child abduction, parental abductions have been on the rise in the UK by a 79% increase since 1995. This could be due to an increase in marriages across nationalities. When parents split up, one parent might try to flee and bring the child to his or hers native country.
With the knowledge that most successful abductions are committed by parents, and with the Home office (2002) reporting the number of homicide by strangers involving children to be an average of seven each year for the last twenty year, parents can be lulled into a false sense of security believing the threat of stranger abductions is insignificant. But it is dangerous to assume that children are not in danger for being abducted, abused or exploited. The number of abduction and homicide by stranger involving children every year may not be a large, but it�s vital to remember, that before an abduction or a homicide can be recorded, there has to be evidence of such, and many children who go missing every year are unaccounted for. The Police National Missing Persons Bureau (PNMPB) holds statistics on missing children, and based on an average on the last four years, they recorded 115 children under the age of fourteen and 66 children from the age 14-17 missing - in total a number of 181 children that had been missing for 14 days or longer. Add to this that not all forces submit all of their reports to PNMPB.
The Stranger Danger Myth
Sadly many children involved in non-parental abductions are abducted at the hands of pedophiles, and disturbingly many of these offenders are already familiar with the victim. Even if it�s just a case of a single brief previous encounter, the law no longer considers the offender as a stranger. And neither do the children.
For years parents have been rehearsing their children about the �Stranger Danger� but unfortunately children have a different perception of what a stranger is, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Recent research by the non-profit international organization found, that in case of long-term kidnapping, in which the child was found alive, 85 percent of the victims did not consider the offender to be a stranger. And in at least 65 percent of the cases where the child was found dead, and the offender identified, it became clear that the child had not considered the person a stranger. It is therefore vital that children realize that a stranger is any adult they don�t know well, including adults they might encounter every day, such as a bus driver or a neighbor.
How to spot an offender
Pedophiles are common offenders of abduction. A pedophile is an adult with a sexual preference towards children, and the common victim profile of a pedophile are children in vulnerable situations such as mentally and physically disabled children, children who have been abused before, children whose parents are drug abusers, children of single parent families, or children from otherwise troubled and underprivileged homes.
Disturbingly, at first glance a pedophile will look like any other person, be it rich or poor, educated or uneducated, attractive or unattractive. However a pedophile will usually be looking for any opportunity to be near and around children. A pedophile will also be on the look out for children who are easy targets walking home alone and playing alone.
The internet can provide a real danger to children, as the World Wide Web has become the modern hunting ground for the deranged child molester. Parents need to be aware of and take precautions of a danger that can be entrapping their child in their own homes and under their surveillance. In online chat rooms pedophiles seeks to groom children and lure them into outside meetings, often fake their identity online. Chat rooms are most commonly frequented by teenagers, but children as young as seven years old have been reported to visit chat rooms.
What you can do:
� Always know where your child is at all times.
� Never leave your child unattended (at home, shopping malls, cars, etc.).
� Keep a recent photograph of your child and keep track of weight and height.
� Develop an identification file on your child including fingerprint, footprints, dental records and medical information.
� If you�re divorced or separated inform any caregiver of your spouse� visitation rights.
� Know your child�s� friends and their contact details.
� Post all emergency numbers by the phone. These should include police, fire, ambulance, your work number and the number of a trusted friend or relative.
� Listen to everything your child tells you. Encourage your child to tell you about any suspicious events, and believe if he or she has a bad feeling about someone. Tell your child he or she will never be punished for telling.
What you can teach your child:
� Teach your child early on about the facts of child abduction.
� Make sure your child knows your full names, full address and phone number. Explain the importance of this information.
� Teach your child how to use a phone and how to dial 999 or 112 and inform what to do if he or she is lost.
� Encourage your child to play in groups and in areas surrounded by people.
� If your child for some reason has to be home alone, make sure that all windows and doors are locked and remain that way. Tell you child to never ever open the door for anyone, and to tell people calling on the phone that you are in the house but unable to come to the phone at the moment.
� Teach your child to walk toward oncoming traffic; this way they will not be jumped from behind.
� Discuss and rehearse different scenarios with your child. This practice is vital to show your child the dangers of different scenarios such as strangers asking for directions in cars, offering gifts and making conversations. Tell you child to always back away and seek groups of adults. Always stress that adults should seek other adults for help.
� Teach your children to forget about being polite and scream if they are in a threatening situation. The NO! GO! YELL! TELL! program can teach your children valuable skills in self dense.
� Assure your children that if anything ever happens you will never give up looking for them and that you will always love them.
If it happens
If your child goes missing you must instantly call 999 and report your child missing and contact your local police force. You should also enquire if your child can be put on the MissingKids website.
If you see a child that you recognize as missing or you believe to be abducted you should not approach and try to �rescue� the child but contact the police for the area in which you saw the child immediately. The first 24-48 hours of a child missing are crucial. Give details of time, date and place you saw the child, and try to take note to describe any other person (adult or child) that is with the child. If you perceive the child to be in immediate danger you should dial 999 and report the matter. Since you are a witness to a possible crime, you may be asked to provide evidence for the police and/or courts later on.
You can learn more about how to protect your child from abduction and the NO GO YELL TELL programe through http://www.childfind.com and http://www.missingkids.co.uk
50 balloons were released last week by the British parents of missing girl Madeleine Mccain, marking the 50th day of their daughter�s disappearance after she was abducted from a hotel apartment in Portugal on May 3rd. On this day too, people from all over the world prayed for the safe return of Madeleine, yet with each passing day, the chances of her safe recovery grows slimmer.
77,000 UK children reported missing every year
The moment your child comes into this world your heart fills with an immeasurable joy, yet at the same time you begin to fear that something can go wrong, that there is something out there you wont be able to protect your baby from. Or someone. Perhaps the danger we fear the most is the one luring in the streets, the strangers who could take our child away the split second we�re not watching over them. In the UK around 77,000 children are reported missing every year. Some are found and returned, others return home on their own. Some children are never found.
What defines an abduction?
�Missing� is a term that is widely used in law enforcement and refers to a child missing under virtually any conditions, even if its just a case of a simple misunderstanding of the child�s whereabouts, the incident will be recorded as a �missing child�. Out of the thousands of children that go missing in the UK - most of them runaways - the vast majority turn up again safe and sound within 72 hours, yet there are still children in the hundreds that never return home. When we hear about child abduction in the media it is usually a non-parental abduction. That is because this type of abductions is much less frequent and much more dangerous, it is estimated that over 40 percent of these incidents ends with the child�s death.
The police recorded 846 attempted child abductions in 2002/2003. Over half of these were abductions attempted by strangers, fortunately no more than nine percent of these were successful, still a devastating total of 68 successful abductions. Parents are behind the majority of most successful abductions, usually committed where there is a situation of custodial fight with the other parent. According to Reunite, the leading UK charity specializing in international child abduction, parental abductions have been on the rise in the UK by a 79% increase since 1995. This could be due to an increase in marriages across nationalities. When parents split up, one parent might try to flee and bring the child to his or hers native country.
With the knowledge that most successful abductions are committed by parents, and with the Home office (2002) reporting the number of homicide by strangers involving children to be an average of seven each year for the last twenty year, parents can be lulled into a false sense of security believing the threat of stranger abductions is insignificant. But it is dangerous to assume that children are not in danger for being abducted, abused or exploited. The number of abduction and homicide by stranger involving children every year may not be a large, but it�s vital to remember, that before an abduction or a homicide can be recorded, there has to be evidence of such, and many children who go missing every year are unaccounted for. The Police National Missing Persons Bureau (PNMPB) holds statistics on missing children, and based on an average on the last four years, they recorded 115 children under the age of fourteen and 66 children from the age 14-17 missing - in total a number of 181 children that had been missing for 14 days or longer. Add to this that not all forces submit all of their reports to PNMPB.
The Stranger Danger Myth
Sadly many children involved in non-parental abductions are abducted at the hands of pedophiles, and disturbingly many of these offenders are already familiar with the victim. Even if it�s just a case of a single brief previous encounter, the law no longer considers the offender as a stranger. And neither do the children.
For years parents have been rehearsing their children about the �Stranger Danger� but unfortunately children have a different perception of what a stranger is, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Recent research by the non-profit international organization found, that in case of long-term kidnapping, in which the child was found alive, 85 percent of the victims did not consider the offender to be a stranger. And in at least 65 percent of the cases where the child was found dead, and the offender identified, it became clear that the child had not considered the person a stranger. It is therefore vital that children realize that a stranger is any adult they don�t know well, including adults they might encounter every day, such as a bus driver or a neighbor.
How to spot an offender
Pedophiles are common offenders of abduction. A pedophile is an adult with a sexual preference towards children, and the common victim profile of a pedophile are children in vulnerable situations such as mentally and physically disabled children, children who have been abused before, children whose parents are drug abusers, children of single parent families, or children from otherwise troubled and underprivileged homes.
Disturbingly, at first glance a pedophile will look like any other person, be it rich or poor, educated or uneducated, attractive or unattractive. However a pedophile will usually be looking for any opportunity to be near and around children. A pedophile will also be on the look out for children who are easy targets walking home alone and playing alone.
The internet can provide a real danger to children, as the World Wide Web has become the modern hunting ground for the deranged child molester. Parents need to be aware of and take precautions of a danger that can be entrapping their child in their own homes and under their surveillance. In online chat rooms pedophiles seeks to groom children and lure them into outside meetings, often fake their identity online. Chat rooms are most commonly frequented by teenagers, but children as young as seven years old have been reported to visit chat rooms.
What you can do:
� Always know where your child is at all times.
� Never leave your child unattended (at home, shopping malls, cars, etc.).
� Keep a recent photograph of your child and keep track of weight and height.
� Develop an identification file on your child including fingerprint, footprints, dental records and medical information.
� If you�re divorced or separated inform any caregiver of your spouse� visitation rights.
� Know your child�s� friends and their contact details.
� Post all emergency numbers by the phone. These should include police, fire, ambulance, your work number and the number of a trusted friend or relative.
� Listen to everything your child tells you. Encourage your child to tell you about any suspicious events, and believe if he or she has a bad feeling about someone. Tell your child he or she will never be punished for telling.
What you can teach your child:
� Teach your child early on about the facts of child abduction.
� Make sure your child knows your full names, full address and phone number. Explain the importance of this information.
� Teach your child how to use a phone and how to dial 999 or 112 and inform what to do if he or she is lost.
� Encourage your child to play in groups and in areas surrounded by people.
� If your child for some reason has to be home alone, make sure that all windows and doors are locked and remain that way. Tell you child to never ever open the door for anyone, and to tell people calling on the phone that you are in the house but unable to come to the phone at the moment.
� Teach your child to walk toward oncoming traffic; this way they will not be jumped from behind.
� Discuss and rehearse different scenarios with your child. This practice is vital to show your child the dangers of different scenarios such as strangers asking for directions in cars, offering gifts and making conversations. Tell you child to always back away and seek groups of adults. Always stress that adults should seek other adults for help.
� Teach your children to forget about being polite and scream if they are in a threatening situation. The NO! GO! YELL! TELL! program can teach your children valuable skills in self dense.
� Assure your children that if anything ever happens you will never give up looking for them and that you will always love them.
If it happens
If your child goes missing you must instantly call 999 and report your child missing and contact your local police force. You should also enquire if your child can be put on the MissingKids website.
If you see a child that you recognize as missing or you believe to be abducted you should not approach and try to �rescue� the child but contact the police for the area in which you saw the child immediately. The first 24-48 hours of a child missing are crucial. Give details of time, date and place you saw the child, and try to take note to describe any other person (adult or child) that is with the child. If you perceive the child to be in immediate danger you should dial 999 and report the matter. Since you are a witness to a possible crime, you may be asked to provide evidence for the police and/or courts later on.
You can learn more about how to protect your child from abduction and the NO GO YELL TELL programe through http://www.childfind.com and http://www.missingkids.co.uk
Sunday, July 15, 2007
The Teenage Condition - The Two Headed Monster Explored
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jan_Gamm]Jan Gamm
Am I alone in my grieving for the early childhood of my daughter? I look back to those pink and white glory days with nostalgia, dreaming of when she sat before a collection of dolls or plastic ponies, combing manes and tails and humming a tune from the latest Little Kitty movie.
Her bedroom was swathed in cotton candy pink tulle, large bows everywhere; a collection of powder puffs bright patches of color in the sunlight filtering through chiffon drapes. Where has that darling little girl gone?
She seems to have disappeared and been replaced by a delinquent demon in black holey tights, sporting a skull and crossbones pendant and wearing a collection of perpetual accessories; earphones and mobile phones. Every few days or so she reappears, glossy hair nudging against my cheek, usually just before the head disappears again, into the refrigerator.
There was never a bedroom like my daughters bedroom. She has collected the worst objects in the house and arranged them around her room to make it look as ugly as possible. Somewhere under an untidy mountain of laundry there is a bright blue rug with cream flowers. Somewhere in her wardrobe there is a clean item of clothing, but not on a hanger.
Shoes have been deemed by her as strange things only worn by pretentious people trying to be something they are not, apparently. Trainers are worn by normal human beings, especially worn out trainers bearing the stains of unidentified substances trodden through during several rock concerts.
Blonde hair has been color washed with a shade somewhere between purple and magenta, with luminous qualities in direct sunlight for some reason I prefer not to investigate. The friends of her bosom seem to reflect her own strange cult fashion sense, one young man actually has his ears not pierced but almost torpedoed by these curious bolt like things, which stretch the lobes, making the pierced cavity at least half an inch in diameter and causing onlookers to cringe away in horror.
A few nights ago she appeared in the kitchen wearing a long black coat which reached to the floor, fishnet tights, a black mini skirt with silver studs down the side, a black peasant blouse and black nail polish. She wanted to know what she should wear to a black witch themed birthday party. She was not actually in costume as yet! I suggested she put on a black frilly ankle length petticoat over boots and add silver jewelry. She refused on grounds of my ideas not being feminine enough!
Teenagers reach the age of thirteen with a disorder firmly set in place called ETP � Exact Teenage Programming. This condition is easy to overcome providing you observe the following guidelines.
When you want your teenager to bring used cups, glasses and plates from out of his/her room to the kitchen, remember to add �And put them in the dishwasher.� On no account risk an instruction such as �Bring them upstairs,� as I did one afternoon and then was surprised to find a collection of dirty dishes on the top step.
Other wonderful phrases such as �can you put some washing in please darling� should be qualified with �preferably a selection of everybody�s, not just your own.�
�Can you take the garbage out?� must be the best of all. There are so many points of abandonment between the kitchen and the trash can. Be specific.
Teenagers are incapable of throwing an empty carton in the bin, but will walk a further distance to return the empty carton to the fridge, can you explain that? Always decant cartons when only half empty, that way you will avoid hearing the husband roar when he helps himself to a drained carton of juice.
Loo rolls are carefully removed from their wall mounted holders in bathrooms and rolled across the bathroom floor so they unravel around the room like some sort of sanitary festoon. I have now purchased one of those Poor Man Dispensers that ration three sheets at a time and lock against further unraveling. They have them in prisons, mental institutions and our house.
I wait patiently for the dark one to progress out of the black teenage stage into the light of adulthood and femininity. Sooner or later my little girl is going to come home again and when she does I shall be waiting.
Jan Gamm writes reflections on life with an emphasis on world travel. She has lived in many countries and traveled extensively in the Far East, the Middle East, America, South America and throughout the South Pacific. She writes for fun and for money whenever she can manage it.
Am I alone in my grieving for the early childhood of my daughter? I look back to those pink and white glory days with nostalgia, dreaming of when she sat before a collection of dolls or plastic ponies, combing manes and tails and humming a tune from the latest Little Kitty movie.
Her bedroom was swathed in cotton candy pink tulle, large bows everywhere; a collection of powder puffs bright patches of color in the sunlight filtering through chiffon drapes. Where has that darling little girl gone?
She seems to have disappeared and been replaced by a delinquent demon in black holey tights, sporting a skull and crossbones pendant and wearing a collection of perpetual accessories; earphones and mobile phones. Every few days or so she reappears, glossy hair nudging against my cheek, usually just before the head disappears again, into the refrigerator.
There was never a bedroom like my daughters bedroom. She has collected the worst objects in the house and arranged them around her room to make it look as ugly as possible. Somewhere under an untidy mountain of laundry there is a bright blue rug with cream flowers. Somewhere in her wardrobe there is a clean item of clothing, but not on a hanger.
Shoes have been deemed by her as strange things only worn by pretentious people trying to be something they are not, apparently. Trainers are worn by normal human beings, especially worn out trainers bearing the stains of unidentified substances trodden through during several rock concerts.
Blonde hair has been color washed with a shade somewhere between purple and magenta, with luminous qualities in direct sunlight for some reason I prefer not to investigate. The friends of her bosom seem to reflect her own strange cult fashion sense, one young man actually has his ears not pierced but almost torpedoed by these curious bolt like things, which stretch the lobes, making the pierced cavity at least half an inch in diameter and causing onlookers to cringe away in horror.
A few nights ago she appeared in the kitchen wearing a long black coat which reached to the floor, fishnet tights, a black mini skirt with silver studs down the side, a black peasant blouse and black nail polish. She wanted to know what she should wear to a black witch themed birthday party. She was not actually in costume as yet! I suggested she put on a black frilly ankle length petticoat over boots and add silver jewelry. She refused on grounds of my ideas not being feminine enough!
Teenagers reach the age of thirteen with a disorder firmly set in place called ETP � Exact Teenage Programming. This condition is easy to overcome providing you observe the following guidelines.
When you want your teenager to bring used cups, glasses and plates from out of his/her room to the kitchen, remember to add �And put them in the dishwasher.� On no account risk an instruction such as �Bring them upstairs,� as I did one afternoon and then was surprised to find a collection of dirty dishes on the top step.
Other wonderful phrases such as �can you put some washing in please darling� should be qualified with �preferably a selection of everybody�s, not just your own.�
�Can you take the garbage out?� must be the best of all. There are so many points of abandonment between the kitchen and the trash can. Be specific.
Teenagers are incapable of throwing an empty carton in the bin, but will walk a further distance to return the empty carton to the fridge, can you explain that? Always decant cartons when only half empty, that way you will avoid hearing the husband roar when he helps himself to a drained carton of juice.
Loo rolls are carefully removed from their wall mounted holders in bathrooms and rolled across the bathroom floor so they unravel around the room like some sort of sanitary festoon. I have now purchased one of those Poor Man Dispensers that ration three sheets at a time and lock against further unraveling. They have them in prisons, mental institutions and our house.
I wait patiently for the dark one to progress out of the black teenage stage into the light of adulthood and femininity. Sooner or later my little girl is going to come home again and when she does I shall be waiting.
Jan Gamm writes reflections on life with an emphasis on world travel. She has lived in many countries and traveled extensively in the Far East, the Middle East, America, South America and throughout the South Pacific. She writes for fun and for money whenever she can manage it.
Friday, July 13, 2007
The Art Of Remembering For Students With And Without Special Needs
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kelly_Standridge]Kelly Standridge
What child doesn't enjoy cutting up paper, peeling off stickers, or stamping? Students of any age and ability level love every opportunity to work with arts and crafts. For this school year, try guiding some of your child's creative spirit into scrapbooking and paper crafts. Scrapbooking is a wonderful way to spend time with your children, share a favorite activity, and reinforce skills learned in school. Scrap Chic Boutique, an independently owned scrapbook store located in Decatur, Georgia, was founded by four special education teachers who know curriculum and know how to accommodate to meet individual needs. Kids and adults can take classes or get individual assistance on projects.
Typically, we think of scrapbooking as a way to preserve memories and tell stories through the use of photographs. However, with the variety of supplies and tools available in today�s scrapbook market, the possibilities are endless. Below is a list of ideas that will allow your young scholar, with or without special needs, to use imagination and develop their skills at the same time.
1. At any grade and ability level, students must learn vocabulary words whether they are matching pictures, spelling words, or learning definitions. Unique vocabulary cards can be a breeze to make, especially with die cutting tools in shapes of circles, tags, stars, and more. This hand-on approach is so much more fun than the traditional (and rather dull) index cards. Most scrapbook stores, especially independently owned stores, have a selection of die cuts that you can use in the store. Each set of words can be on a different color of cardstock or in a different shape; then, use a D-Ring to clip them together. Teacher Tip: When they know the word independently, let your budding student add a button or a ribbon to the card to bolster their sense of pride. Add pictures from clip art or cut out of magazines to more difficult words to give your kids a visual representation of what the word means and a context for its use.
2. Kids need notebooks for every subject, and kids with learning disabilities tend to have poor organizational skills. Why not start the year by decorating the front of the notebooks using colorful patterned papers and stickers? It�s not a guarantee, but your child is less likely to lose something that they have invested time in making- and if they do misplace it, a decorated notebook is much easier to find in the lost and found stack! Teacher Tip: Use a heavy cardstock to make a pocket to glue inside the back cover. Loose sheets of homework or papers that need to be signed can be put in the pocket.
3. Children with mild to moderate cognitive delays often need repetition and picture clues to help them learn new concepts. Cardstock can be cropped down and run through a printer which provides an added texture for kinesthetic learners. Students can trace words printed on the page, then re-write the word in several ways- stickers, stamps, pens, or markers. Teacher Tip: Put the picture on a separate piece of card stock from the word to create a quick matching game or sequence activity. Let your student stamp the back of the card each time they get it correct.
4. Students with Autism or pervasive developmental disorders may prefer to point rather than verbalize their thoughts. Create an accordion book with photos of choices for activities. It is also a colorful way to display the daily schedule. Arrows can be used to point to the specific activity. Teacher Tip: Have the student participate in making the display. If they like the texture of the glue, let them have a hand in glueing it to the page. Advanced students who prefer computer graphics can print on their own cardstock or use templates for digital scrapbooks.
5. To address speech and articulation problems, try making a mini-album with cut outs of pictures that go along with the skill being worked on. As the child shares their album with family and friends they will automatically be practicing- and thereby improving- on their learning objectives. A mini-album may consist of 8 pages that are just 4 by 4 squares. Teacher Tip: Have a stack of pictures already separated into categories such as S sounds, R blends, antonyms, synonyms, etc. The student spends time working on the goal rather than looking for pictures.
6. For children who have quite a few service provides, make a special picture book with a scrapbook page for each teacher and therapist. Each page should include a photograph- even better if it can be a picture of the teacher and student together! Teacher Tip: Leave space for a journaling block on each page so each person can include a positive message as your child makes progress. At the end of the year, it will be like a personalized progress report.
7. Often students with Attention Deficit Disorders have difficulty with multi-step projects. Ask the teacher if the project can be modified. Rather than completing a project on poster board which may be too big of a space, they might complete several pages in an 12 by 12 album to display their knowledge of the topic. Teacher Tip: Ask your local scrapbook store about ways to make unique stickers- this way you can take any topic and make stickers from clip art or die cuts.
8. Although scrapbooking is primarily a visual craft, there are many textures that can be incorporated for students with visual impairments. Students may use textured papers, felt flowers, buttons, or raised stickers to create interactive projects. Cardstock and other papers can be embossed, too. Teacher Tip: For younger students learning to count, use number stickers and buttons to assist with counting. Use pop-dots as an adhesive that will create a raised effect on the pages.
9. Celebrate success all throughout the year. Use an album with at least 10 pages- one for each month of the school year. Together, you and your child can decide what important lesson, event, or accomplishment to highlight on the page. Take pictures of completed projects, good test scores, friendships made, positive notes from the teachers, or school events. Teacher Tip: Leave a space for your kids to journal; it will be interesting to watch how their handwriting changes from August to May!
By: Kelly Standridge, Ed S. Kelly lives with her daughter, Condaleeza, in metro Atlanta. She is a co-owner of Scrap Chic Boutique, located at 906 W College Ave in Decatur, GA 30030. She has been a special education teacher for 10 years and holds an EdS in Teacher Leadership. Visit http://www.scrapchicboutique.com for a list classes and events on our calendar.
What child doesn't enjoy cutting up paper, peeling off stickers, or stamping? Students of any age and ability level love every opportunity to work with arts and crafts. For this school year, try guiding some of your child's creative spirit into scrapbooking and paper crafts. Scrapbooking is a wonderful way to spend time with your children, share a favorite activity, and reinforce skills learned in school. Scrap Chic Boutique, an independently owned scrapbook store located in Decatur, Georgia, was founded by four special education teachers who know curriculum and know how to accommodate to meet individual needs. Kids and adults can take classes or get individual assistance on projects.
Typically, we think of scrapbooking as a way to preserve memories and tell stories through the use of photographs. However, with the variety of supplies and tools available in today�s scrapbook market, the possibilities are endless. Below is a list of ideas that will allow your young scholar, with or without special needs, to use imagination and develop their skills at the same time.
1. At any grade and ability level, students must learn vocabulary words whether they are matching pictures, spelling words, or learning definitions. Unique vocabulary cards can be a breeze to make, especially with die cutting tools in shapes of circles, tags, stars, and more. This hand-on approach is so much more fun than the traditional (and rather dull) index cards. Most scrapbook stores, especially independently owned stores, have a selection of die cuts that you can use in the store. Each set of words can be on a different color of cardstock or in a different shape; then, use a D-Ring to clip them together. Teacher Tip: When they know the word independently, let your budding student add a button or a ribbon to the card to bolster their sense of pride. Add pictures from clip art or cut out of magazines to more difficult words to give your kids a visual representation of what the word means and a context for its use.
2. Kids need notebooks for every subject, and kids with learning disabilities tend to have poor organizational skills. Why not start the year by decorating the front of the notebooks using colorful patterned papers and stickers? It�s not a guarantee, but your child is less likely to lose something that they have invested time in making- and if they do misplace it, a decorated notebook is much easier to find in the lost and found stack! Teacher Tip: Use a heavy cardstock to make a pocket to glue inside the back cover. Loose sheets of homework or papers that need to be signed can be put in the pocket.
3. Children with mild to moderate cognitive delays often need repetition and picture clues to help them learn new concepts. Cardstock can be cropped down and run through a printer which provides an added texture for kinesthetic learners. Students can trace words printed on the page, then re-write the word in several ways- stickers, stamps, pens, or markers. Teacher Tip: Put the picture on a separate piece of card stock from the word to create a quick matching game or sequence activity. Let your student stamp the back of the card each time they get it correct.
4. Students with Autism or pervasive developmental disorders may prefer to point rather than verbalize their thoughts. Create an accordion book with photos of choices for activities. It is also a colorful way to display the daily schedule. Arrows can be used to point to the specific activity. Teacher Tip: Have the student participate in making the display. If they like the texture of the glue, let them have a hand in glueing it to the page. Advanced students who prefer computer graphics can print on their own cardstock or use templates for digital scrapbooks.
5. To address speech and articulation problems, try making a mini-album with cut outs of pictures that go along with the skill being worked on. As the child shares their album with family and friends they will automatically be practicing- and thereby improving- on their learning objectives. A mini-album may consist of 8 pages that are just 4 by 4 squares. Teacher Tip: Have a stack of pictures already separated into categories such as S sounds, R blends, antonyms, synonyms, etc. The student spends time working on the goal rather than looking for pictures.
6. For children who have quite a few service provides, make a special picture book with a scrapbook page for each teacher and therapist. Each page should include a photograph- even better if it can be a picture of the teacher and student together! Teacher Tip: Leave space for a journaling block on each page so each person can include a positive message as your child makes progress. At the end of the year, it will be like a personalized progress report.
7. Often students with Attention Deficit Disorders have difficulty with multi-step projects. Ask the teacher if the project can be modified. Rather than completing a project on poster board which may be too big of a space, they might complete several pages in an 12 by 12 album to display their knowledge of the topic. Teacher Tip: Ask your local scrapbook store about ways to make unique stickers- this way you can take any topic and make stickers from clip art or die cuts.
8. Although scrapbooking is primarily a visual craft, there are many textures that can be incorporated for students with visual impairments. Students may use textured papers, felt flowers, buttons, or raised stickers to create interactive projects. Cardstock and other papers can be embossed, too. Teacher Tip: For younger students learning to count, use number stickers and buttons to assist with counting. Use pop-dots as an adhesive that will create a raised effect on the pages.
9. Celebrate success all throughout the year. Use an album with at least 10 pages- one for each month of the school year. Together, you and your child can decide what important lesson, event, or accomplishment to highlight on the page. Take pictures of completed projects, good test scores, friendships made, positive notes from the teachers, or school events. Teacher Tip: Leave a space for your kids to journal; it will be interesting to watch how their handwriting changes from August to May!
By: Kelly Standridge, Ed S. Kelly lives with her daughter, Condaleeza, in metro Atlanta. She is a co-owner of Scrap Chic Boutique, located at 906 W College Ave in Decatur, GA 30030. She has been a special education teacher for 10 years and holds an EdS in Teacher Leadership. Visit http://www.scrapchicboutique.com for a list classes and events on our calendar.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
How to Find the Best Deals for and Buy Webkinz Online
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Sidney_Markowski]Sidney Markowski
What are Webkinz? Released in 2005 by the Ganz corportation, Webkinz pets are stuffed animals similar to the popular Ty Beanie Babies of the late 90�s; where they differ is in their interactivity. Unlike other plush toys, Webkinz are built for the internet age, incorporating an online element (Webkinz World) that allows owners to �adopt� a virtual version of their specific pet that they can then play and interact with online.
Short supply, extreme demand. As Webkinz collectors are faced with such high demand and short supply, it is often very difficult to find and buy Webkinz at retail stores. Fortunately, we live in the internet age and these products can be found and bought online with relative ease. However, online retailers know that Webkinz are in short supply and thus, many increase their prices to compensate. Adding to this general short supply is the marketing scheme modeled after beanie babies; the eventual retirement of certain pets which also increases their buying price (see �Cheeky Dog�).
Where is the best place to buy Webkinz? That depends. As with any online purchase, the practice to follow is careful research about the product you want to buy and its average retail price. To find the retail price, I often use Amazon.com and Google�s Product Search feature. Once I have the retail price (the top price you�d be willing to pay), I head over to eBay to see what I can find there, using the retail price (plus shipping and taxes if applicable) as my bid ceiling. After all, why bid more than what you can get easily through Amazon.
How does eBay work exactly? Ebay is an online auction site that allows anyone (including retailers) to sell anything they want. One of the top sellers currently on eBay is Webkinz. Once on eBay, all you need to do is type in the term �Webkinz� in the search box to see all the listings. These listings can be sorted by various parameters such as price and auction ending time. There are several types of listings on eBay. Auctions or �Buy It Now�. In auctions, you place your top bid and that�s it. You wait till the auction ends (displayed in listing) and if you win you follow the detailed instructions provided by eBay. In �Buy it Now� listings, the sellers lists a price and you buy it at that price. Simple! For more detailed instructions, please visit eBay�s bidding and selling tutorials.
Tips for buying Webkinz on eBay: Know your bid ceiling (retail price plus shipping and tax) and don�t bid over this price. You�re trying to find the best deal right? Be aware of the seller�s shipping charge and adjust your bid accordingly. Although eBay is cracking down on the practice of over charging shipping, some still do it. Some auctions have a �reserve� price. This is an undisclosed minimum price that the seller is willing to sell for. Be wary of these auctions as sometimes the seller�s asking price is too high. You can still enter your top bid but if afterward you are the top bidder and the auction say�s �reserve not met�, walk away. Try to buy from reputable sellers. You can check a seller�s rating by observing the number next to their name (number of sales) and the percent positive number. You can also click on the number to get specific comments from buyers and pinpoint the exact issues with those that gave the seller a negative rating. Watch the auction or your email. If you win the item, pay as soon as you can to ensure you get positive feedback from the seller. Plus, you�ll receive the item that much quicker especially if you get payment to them before the post office / shipping stores close. Signup with PayPal for the easiest transaction possible. If not comfortable with this, send a cashier�s check (if seller accepts them of course) not a personal check. However, be aware that you a required to send the money first and that sending a check by mail will delay shipment. If you reside outside the US, send the seller an email to make sure they will ship internationally. Have any question at all or need clarification, send the seller an email before placing your bid.
This article was provided by the [http://www.worldofwebkinz.net]World of Webkinz an online resource for all things Webkinz (news, information, discussion, and marketplace). Visit WoW�s useful [http://www.worldofwebkinz.net/?page_id=4]eBay and [http://www.worldofwebkinz.net/?page_id=5]Amazon marketplaces to do the comparison shopping described in this article.
What are Webkinz? Released in 2005 by the Ganz corportation, Webkinz pets are stuffed animals similar to the popular Ty Beanie Babies of the late 90�s; where they differ is in their interactivity. Unlike other plush toys, Webkinz are built for the internet age, incorporating an online element (Webkinz World) that allows owners to �adopt� a virtual version of their specific pet that they can then play and interact with online.
Short supply, extreme demand. As Webkinz collectors are faced with such high demand and short supply, it is often very difficult to find and buy Webkinz at retail stores. Fortunately, we live in the internet age and these products can be found and bought online with relative ease. However, online retailers know that Webkinz are in short supply and thus, many increase their prices to compensate. Adding to this general short supply is the marketing scheme modeled after beanie babies; the eventual retirement of certain pets which also increases their buying price (see �Cheeky Dog�).
Where is the best place to buy Webkinz? That depends. As with any online purchase, the practice to follow is careful research about the product you want to buy and its average retail price. To find the retail price, I often use Amazon.com and Google�s Product Search feature. Once I have the retail price (the top price you�d be willing to pay), I head over to eBay to see what I can find there, using the retail price (plus shipping and taxes if applicable) as my bid ceiling. After all, why bid more than what you can get easily through Amazon.
How does eBay work exactly? Ebay is an online auction site that allows anyone (including retailers) to sell anything they want. One of the top sellers currently on eBay is Webkinz. Once on eBay, all you need to do is type in the term �Webkinz� in the search box to see all the listings. These listings can be sorted by various parameters such as price and auction ending time. There are several types of listings on eBay. Auctions or �Buy It Now�. In auctions, you place your top bid and that�s it. You wait till the auction ends (displayed in listing) and if you win you follow the detailed instructions provided by eBay. In �Buy it Now� listings, the sellers lists a price and you buy it at that price. Simple! For more detailed instructions, please visit eBay�s bidding and selling tutorials.
Tips for buying Webkinz on eBay: Know your bid ceiling (retail price plus shipping and tax) and don�t bid over this price. You�re trying to find the best deal right? Be aware of the seller�s shipping charge and adjust your bid accordingly. Although eBay is cracking down on the practice of over charging shipping, some still do it. Some auctions have a �reserve� price. This is an undisclosed minimum price that the seller is willing to sell for. Be wary of these auctions as sometimes the seller�s asking price is too high. You can still enter your top bid but if afterward you are the top bidder and the auction say�s �reserve not met�, walk away. Try to buy from reputable sellers. You can check a seller�s rating by observing the number next to their name (number of sales) and the percent positive number. You can also click on the number to get specific comments from buyers and pinpoint the exact issues with those that gave the seller a negative rating. Watch the auction or your email. If you win the item, pay as soon as you can to ensure you get positive feedback from the seller. Plus, you�ll receive the item that much quicker especially if you get payment to them before the post office / shipping stores close. Signup with PayPal for the easiest transaction possible. If not comfortable with this, send a cashier�s check (if seller accepts them of course) not a personal check. However, be aware that you a required to send the money first and that sending a check by mail will delay shipment. If you reside outside the US, send the seller an email to make sure they will ship internationally. Have any question at all or need clarification, send the seller an email before placing your bid.
This article was provided by the [http://www.worldofwebkinz.net]World of Webkinz an online resource for all things Webkinz (news, information, discussion, and marketplace). Visit WoW�s useful [http://www.worldofwebkinz.net/?page_id=4]eBay and [http://www.worldofwebkinz.net/?page_id=5]Amazon marketplaces to do the comparison shopping described in this article.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Risk of Abduction - Traveling Safely with Children
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jan_Gamm]Jan Gamm
There is very little point in expounding the statistics on the risks of child abduction. The recent distressing case of little Madelaine McCann is enough of a worrying statistic in itself to send any self respecting, loving parent into a tailspin. There are some simple yet golden rules to follow to ensure your child will never be featured in one of those terrible headlines.
The first rule is to never let your child wander away from you. Not even for a second. It is so tempting while struggling with suitcases, hand luggage and travel documents, to let go of the little hand in yours. Do not risk it. If possible, find a seat, sit your child on a suitcase in front of you while you juggle with papers and money. Under pressure, it is so easy to relinquish your control on your child but you must never give in to the temptation. If you are being hurried along by airport officials to produce documents or anything else for that matter, try to ignore their priorities; think of your own and that of your child. If necessary, remind people you have to consider your child first.
I saw an interesting technique put into practice by a vigilant mother recently. She was carrying at least four shopping bags plus her handbag and was pushing a buggy, holding a toddler by the hand. When she had to let go of the toddler�s hand to pay the cashier, she gently applied pressed down upon the protruding toe piece of the child�s sandal with her foot. The toddler could not move without the mother feeling the toe being withdrawn from beneath her foot, she had her hand free to accept her change and everyone was safe. I thought it an ingenious albeit simple control.
Take the time to talk to your child seriously about the risks of trusting strangers. Small children have a vivid imagination so try not to frighten them with tales of abduction, just explain carefully and gently that they must not go anywhere with a stranger, no matter how helpful and convincing that stranger might sound. Do not allow your child to investigate public conveniences in restaurants and shops alone.
Never leave your child unattended, even if they are asleep and unlikely to wake. Remember, the one time they will wake up and find themselves alone might be the last time you see them. Waking, the first instinct is to find Mummy. If Mummy is not there, then the second instinct is to find her. Consider the tragic possibilities before you leave a child sleeping somewhere.
Never leave your child alone in the car while you pay for petrol unless there is an adult in the car with them. Small kiddies can be a nightmare when you have to wake them up from a deep sleep, unbuckle them, remove them from car seats, go to the petrol cashier across a cold garage forecourt, and then put them back in the car again, but you will have to put up with it for peace of mind. The more you do it, the sooner the child will get used to it until it becomes a tedious routine.
Your child might be playing on the beach, building sandcastles and having a wonderful time. Just because the child is having a good time it does not mean they are safe. Remember that someone else other than yourself might be watching your child play with prurient interest. Watch them constantly, and never think you can go to the shop for ten minutes or spare twenty minutes to have lunch. It takes seconds to abduct a child and a lifetime of grief and horror is the result.
Carry plenty of things for your child to do. Children are happier if they are occupied and less likely to wander off to seek diversion. Any reasonably sized handbag will accommodate a small coloring book and pencils, an electronic game, a snack and a story book. I carried such collections for years and now the habit is so ingrained, I carry a crossword book and a novel for my own entertainment!
I recently read an article written by a lady who expressed every sympathy for Madelaine�s parents. �After all,� she said, �we have all done it; we have all left our children unattended at some time.� Well actually, I have not. Although my heart goes out to the parents of Madelaine, I cannot agree with the statement that we have all left our children sleeping in a strange apartment unattended. My daughter is nineteen years old and thankfully has reached adulthood without any dreadful experiences of being abducted or abused. I consider myself as a mother to be fortunate but I do not consider my child�s safety had much to do with luck. Vigilance over her safety was a constant priority in my life until she was old enough to attend to her own security.
Do not rely too heavily on an older child to supervise a younger one. Again, it is tempting to share responsibility, but while traveling there is so much to see that is different and unfamiliar, any child, no matter what age or how sensible, might be excused a lapse in concentration. Travel safely, and although you will not have unlimited freedom, you will enjoy the peace of mind which comes in the knowledge your children are safe and secure.
Information courtesy of [http://www.selectholidayvillas.com/ ]www.selectholidayvillas.com
Jan Gamm writes reflections on life with an emphasis on world travel. She has lived in many countries and traveled extensively in the Far East, the Middle East, America, South America and throughout the South Pacific. She writes for fun and for money whenever she can manage it.
There is very little point in expounding the statistics on the risks of child abduction. The recent distressing case of little Madelaine McCann is enough of a worrying statistic in itself to send any self respecting, loving parent into a tailspin. There are some simple yet golden rules to follow to ensure your child will never be featured in one of those terrible headlines.
The first rule is to never let your child wander away from you. Not even for a second. It is so tempting while struggling with suitcases, hand luggage and travel documents, to let go of the little hand in yours. Do not risk it. If possible, find a seat, sit your child on a suitcase in front of you while you juggle with papers and money. Under pressure, it is so easy to relinquish your control on your child but you must never give in to the temptation. If you are being hurried along by airport officials to produce documents or anything else for that matter, try to ignore their priorities; think of your own and that of your child. If necessary, remind people you have to consider your child first.
I saw an interesting technique put into practice by a vigilant mother recently. She was carrying at least four shopping bags plus her handbag and was pushing a buggy, holding a toddler by the hand. When she had to let go of the toddler�s hand to pay the cashier, she gently applied pressed down upon the protruding toe piece of the child�s sandal with her foot. The toddler could not move without the mother feeling the toe being withdrawn from beneath her foot, she had her hand free to accept her change and everyone was safe. I thought it an ingenious albeit simple control.
Take the time to talk to your child seriously about the risks of trusting strangers. Small children have a vivid imagination so try not to frighten them with tales of abduction, just explain carefully and gently that they must not go anywhere with a stranger, no matter how helpful and convincing that stranger might sound. Do not allow your child to investigate public conveniences in restaurants and shops alone.
Never leave your child unattended, even if they are asleep and unlikely to wake. Remember, the one time they will wake up and find themselves alone might be the last time you see them. Waking, the first instinct is to find Mummy. If Mummy is not there, then the second instinct is to find her. Consider the tragic possibilities before you leave a child sleeping somewhere.
Never leave your child alone in the car while you pay for petrol unless there is an adult in the car with them. Small kiddies can be a nightmare when you have to wake them up from a deep sleep, unbuckle them, remove them from car seats, go to the petrol cashier across a cold garage forecourt, and then put them back in the car again, but you will have to put up with it for peace of mind. The more you do it, the sooner the child will get used to it until it becomes a tedious routine.
Your child might be playing on the beach, building sandcastles and having a wonderful time. Just because the child is having a good time it does not mean they are safe. Remember that someone else other than yourself might be watching your child play with prurient interest. Watch them constantly, and never think you can go to the shop for ten minutes or spare twenty minutes to have lunch. It takes seconds to abduct a child and a lifetime of grief and horror is the result.
Carry plenty of things for your child to do. Children are happier if they are occupied and less likely to wander off to seek diversion. Any reasonably sized handbag will accommodate a small coloring book and pencils, an electronic game, a snack and a story book. I carried such collections for years and now the habit is so ingrained, I carry a crossword book and a novel for my own entertainment!
I recently read an article written by a lady who expressed every sympathy for Madelaine�s parents. �After all,� she said, �we have all done it; we have all left our children unattended at some time.� Well actually, I have not. Although my heart goes out to the parents of Madelaine, I cannot agree with the statement that we have all left our children sleeping in a strange apartment unattended. My daughter is nineteen years old and thankfully has reached adulthood without any dreadful experiences of being abducted or abused. I consider myself as a mother to be fortunate but I do not consider my child�s safety had much to do with luck. Vigilance over her safety was a constant priority in my life until she was old enough to attend to her own security.
Do not rely too heavily on an older child to supervise a younger one. Again, it is tempting to share responsibility, but while traveling there is so much to see that is different and unfamiliar, any child, no matter what age or how sensible, might be excused a lapse in concentration. Travel safely, and although you will not have unlimited freedom, you will enjoy the peace of mind which comes in the knowledge your children are safe and secure.
Information courtesy of [http://www.selectholidayvillas.com/ ]www.selectholidayvillas.com
Jan Gamm writes reflections on life with an emphasis on world travel. She has lived in many countries and traveled extensively in the Far East, the Middle East, America, South America and throughout the South Pacific. She writes for fun and for money whenever she can manage it.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Computer Monitoring Software
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_Zhang]John Zhang
There are a lot of ways that you can help save your children from predators. You will find that there are rules that you can set, but they will only go so far. There are lot of people online who are sick and like to hurt others. Online predators will hurt your family and they may end up getting into your home through the computer.
You not only need to talk to your children about online predators, but you will also want to tell them how they can keep themselves safe. You will need to talk to them about how they can protect themselves when online, but you will also feel better when you get computer monitoring software.
The software will not keep predators away from your family, but the software will let you know if your children are doing things online that they shouldn't. Also, you will find that there are people who will end up hurting others though the use of different sites and tools like instant message.
You could end up putting a block on such things. You can block the sites and then not have to worry about your children making the wrong choices. You will just want to know that you cannot write the code down, because children will crack the code and get on the sites if they really wanted to. That is why you may just want to use computer-monitoring software and use random letters and numbers for your codes. You do not want them to figure it by putting your wedding date. It is too obvious.
Talk to your children too. Make sure that they realize that this is something that you can do to protect them. Make sure that you do everything that you can in your powers to keep them safe; however, they need to understand that there is more to the eye. Children do not understand all of the dangers that could be on the computer and you need to make sure that they understand that they are not in a good place. You cannot allow them to take over the computer without having a clue as to what they are doing. Children tend to find dangers very easily. With the software, you can protect your family.
You can purchase the software online or offline and it is very easily set up. You will want to keep this in mind when it comes to protecting your family. It is cheap, it's simple, and you will want to know that this going to help protect your family. It is something that everyone needs to have if they have young children and teens on the computer for entertainment purposes. However, you will need to still set the rules down and you will want to enforce them as well.
Is your child the next victim of an online predator? Find out who these men are and how you can protect your children from unwanted abuse on and off the Net�, if more about online predator and want to know how to avoid online predators,please feel free to visit our website: http://www.avoidonlinepredators.info/
There are a lot of ways that you can help save your children from predators. You will find that there are rules that you can set, but they will only go so far. There are lot of people online who are sick and like to hurt others. Online predators will hurt your family and they may end up getting into your home through the computer.
You not only need to talk to your children about online predators, but you will also want to tell them how they can keep themselves safe. You will need to talk to them about how they can protect themselves when online, but you will also feel better when you get computer monitoring software.
The software will not keep predators away from your family, but the software will let you know if your children are doing things online that they shouldn't. Also, you will find that there are people who will end up hurting others though the use of different sites and tools like instant message.
You could end up putting a block on such things. You can block the sites and then not have to worry about your children making the wrong choices. You will just want to know that you cannot write the code down, because children will crack the code and get on the sites if they really wanted to. That is why you may just want to use computer-monitoring software and use random letters and numbers for your codes. You do not want them to figure it by putting your wedding date. It is too obvious.
Talk to your children too. Make sure that they realize that this is something that you can do to protect them. Make sure that you do everything that you can in your powers to keep them safe; however, they need to understand that there is more to the eye. Children do not understand all of the dangers that could be on the computer and you need to make sure that they understand that they are not in a good place. You cannot allow them to take over the computer without having a clue as to what they are doing. Children tend to find dangers very easily. With the software, you can protect your family.
You can purchase the software online or offline and it is very easily set up. You will want to keep this in mind when it comes to protecting your family. It is cheap, it's simple, and you will want to know that this going to help protect your family. It is something that everyone needs to have if they have young children and teens on the computer for entertainment purposes. However, you will need to still set the rules down and you will want to enforce them as well.
Is your child the next victim of an online predator? Find out who these men are and how you can protect your children from unwanted abuse on and off the Net�, if more about online predator and want to know how to avoid online predators,please feel free to visit our website: http://www.avoidonlinepredators.info/
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Work At Home Ideas For Teens
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Carael_Knight]Carael Knight
Got a teen who�s not keen on pushing a lawn mower or babysitting for extra cash? These work at home ideas for teens will help you help your teen make money online.
Organize An Online Garage Sale
Cyber garage sales are excellent work at home opportunities. Schedule a big house cleaning with your teen. Then have your teen list unwanted items on eBay or another auction site. Make your teen responsible for taking pictures and writing descriptions of items for sale, putting up the listings, researching and setting the prices, preparing invoices, collecting the money (which he or she keeps of course), shipping the items, and choosing a local charity to receive items that don�t sell.
Paid Posting Or Blogging
Does your teen love World of Warcraft of have every word of the Harry Potter books memorized? If so, your teen may be able to blog or post his or her way to fortune�or at least to a little extra pin money. Help your teen locate paid blogging or posting opportunities and sign up if the site requires a parent�s permission. These work at home opportunities are also sly ways to help your teen improve his or her grammar and spelling.
Selling Crafts
If your teen has an artistic flare and makes a unique product, he or she may want to consider making crafts and selling them online. Your teen can use an auction site like eBay or create his or her own webpage and accept Paypal payments. As work at home ideas go, this one has a lot of promise, as it will help your teen learn the basics of economics (setting a fair price for products that covers the cost of supplies and labor) as well as the importance of good customer service.
Write an eBook
Has your teen had an unusual experience like dealing with a life-threatening illness, enjoying extensive world travel, or winning an award for volunteerism? If so, encourage your teen to write an eBook about his or her experiences. Your teen can publish the book online using available (often free) software and create a website to sell it. This may not be one of the more lucrative work at home ideas, but it will help your teen improve his or her writing skills and teach him or her how to market a product. http://www.majorenterprise.net
Got a teen who�s not keen on pushing a lawn mower or babysitting for extra cash? These work at home ideas for teens will help you help your teen make money online.
Organize An Online Garage Sale
Cyber garage sales are excellent work at home opportunities. Schedule a big house cleaning with your teen. Then have your teen list unwanted items on eBay or another auction site. Make your teen responsible for taking pictures and writing descriptions of items for sale, putting up the listings, researching and setting the prices, preparing invoices, collecting the money (which he or she keeps of course), shipping the items, and choosing a local charity to receive items that don�t sell.
Paid Posting Or Blogging
Does your teen love World of Warcraft of have every word of the Harry Potter books memorized? If so, your teen may be able to blog or post his or her way to fortune�or at least to a little extra pin money. Help your teen locate paid blogging or posting opportunities and sign up if the site requires a parent�s permission. These work at home opportunities are also sly ways to help your teen improve his or her grammar and spelling.
Selling Crafts
If your teen has an artistic flare and makes a unique product, he or she may want to consider making crafts and selling them online. Your teen can use an auction site like eBay or create his or her own webpage and accept Paypal payments. As work at home ideas go, this one has a lot of promise, as it will help your teen learn the basics of economics (setting a fair price for products that covers the cost of supplies and labor) as well as the importance of good customer service.
Write an eBook
Has your teen had an unusual experience like dealing with a life-threatening illness, enjoying extensive world travel, or winning an award for volunteerism? If so, encourage your teen to write an eBook about his or her experiences. Your teen can publish the book online using available (often free) software and create a website to sell it. This may not be one of the more lucrative work at home ideas, but it will help your teen improve his or her writing skills and teach him or her how to market a product. http://www.majorenterprise.net
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
A Better Perception of the World
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Denis_Bonneau]Denis Bonneau
My daughter came home from school the other day with a chip on her shoulder. When I asked her what was wrong, she blurted out with a serious frown on her face, "I hate Canada". Usually, she is a strong flag waver. When I asked her why she felt this way she brought up the latest shooting in a Toronto school. She said that the killings are getting ever closer to home. Of course I was taken aback by what she said but realized that her declared hatred of Canada was actually her way of expressing fear, so you won't find a rant on patriotism here.
My daughter is only nine. In my school years there was plenty of bullying and fights but the last thing I had to think about was whether or not some schmuck with a bad attitude was going to show up in school and start blasting away. But this is the reality for kids today. The schools do what they can to protect the kids. They make a valiant effort to keep the kids safe. They practice lockdowns, a foreign concept to someone like me who grew up in the seventies. They also make stronger efforts to identify kids with social issues, and teach ways to stop bullying. But I was forced to ask myself the obvious question: What can I do to make sure that this kind of thing never happens in her school? The answer was a bit discouraging.
It was clear to me that my daughter needed something to empower her, to make her feel and know that she could influence the state of the world in a positive way and not end up on the long list of life's victims. I suggested that the best way to counter her bad feelings might be to perform a good deed for someone else. The immediate benefit of a good deed might only be visible to the person performing the act and the person on the receiving end of it, but the cumulative effect over time could be astounding, as the receiver could become the giver etc etc. She seemed to take this in and I can only hope that she will remember my words, and better yet, put them into action.
After talking to her about this, it occurred to me that my advice wasn't only relevant for her. It applied to me as well. If ever there was a time that I couldn't see the good in the world, than I should perform a good act, making it undeniably real. Putting it into practice will not only help my perception, but will demonstrate and encourage my daughter to do the same. Will it work? I'll get back to you in ten years.
Article originally published on my blogsite at http://dennysdigs.blogspot.com
Author is a 42 year old Canadian with a working background in military affairs, experience as a single father, etc.
My daughter came home from school the other day with a chip on her shoulder. When I asked her what was wrong, she blurted out with a serious frown on her face, "I hate Canada". Usually, she is a strong flag waver. When I asked her why she felt this way she brought up the latest shooting in a Toronto school. She said that the killings are getting ever closer to home. Of course I was taken aback by what she said but realized that her declared hatred of Canada was actually her way of expressing fear, so you won't find a rant on patriotism here.
My daughter is only nine. In my school years there was plenty of bullying and fights but the last thing I had to think about was whether or not some schmuck with a bad attitude was going to show up in school and start blasting away. But this is the reality for kids today. The schools do what they can to protect the kids. They make a valiant effort to keep the kids safe. They practice lockdowns, a foreign concept to someone like me who grew up in the seventies. They also make stronger efforts to identify kids with social issues, and teach ways to stop bullying. But I was forced to ask myself the obvious question: What can I do to make sure that this kind of thing never happens in her school? The answer was a bit discouraging.
It was clear to me that my daughter needed something to empower her, to make her feel and know that she could influence the state of the world in a positive way and not end up on the long list of life's victims. I suggested that the best way to counter her bad feelings might be to perform a good deed for someone else. The immediate benefit of a good deed might only be visible to the person performing the act and the person on the receiving end of it, but the cumulative effect over time could be astounding, as the receiver could become the giver etc etc. She seemed to take this in and I can only hope that she will remember my words, and better yet, put them into action.
After talking to her about this, it occurred to me that my advice wasn't only relevant for her. It applied to me as well. If ever there was a time that I couldn't see the good in the world, than I should perform a good act, making it undeniably real. Putting it into practice will not only help my perception, but will demonstrate and encourage my daughter to do the same. Will it work? I'll get back to you in ten years.
Article originally published on my blogsite at http://dennysdigs.blogspot.com
Author is a 42 year old Canadian with a working background in military affairs, experience as a single father, etc.
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Next Big Thing
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Christine_Mason]Christine Mason
The online virtual world for the tween generation is vastly expanding. Club Penguin and Webkinz started it, but kids still want more. With more and more kids wanting to communicate over the internet and more and more parents rejecting the idea because of internet predators and crazy spam, new websites are popping up to help kids stay connected.
Email built just for kids is helping children stay connected with friends and family without the fear of the predator waiting blogs, chat rooms and instant messages, or the uncertainty of spam. These email services, such as the ones offered by Kidzmail, Zilladog.com and Zoobuh, are giving kids the option of email with the protection of excellent spam blocking and without the constant nagging of inappropriate advertising. This old but new again concept is putting parents minds at ease and helping tweens feel independent.
With the many millions of kids using the internet for two or more hours a day, parents really need to monitor where they go and who they are communicating with. Most tweens have been online since they were five and six years old. By the time they reach nine and ten years old, they can navigate the internet, set up accounts and end up in places you do not want them in and they do not want to be in. A simple search on google can land your child in a world they did not know existed. It is important to keep tabs on the areas your kids visit on the internet and give them safe places to explore and connect. If we give them safe and fun areas to play in, they will not be tempted to find new areas and end up on the wrong side of town.
These new safe websites are a great stepping stone for the younger generation without giving over complete control. With more and more kids starting younger and younger on the internet, it's good to see options for both the children and the parents.
The online virtual world for the tween generation is vastly expanding. Club Penguin and Webkinz started it, but kids still want more. With more and more kids wanting to communicate over the internet and more and more parents rejecting the idea because of internet predators and crazy spam, new websites are popping up to help kids stay connected.
Email built just for kids is helping children stay connected with friends and family without the fear of the predator waiting blogs, chat rooms and instant messages, or the uncertainty of spam. These email services, such as the ones offered by Kidzmail, Zilladog.com and Zoobuh, are giving kids the option of email with the protection of excellent spam blocking and without the constant nagging of inappropriate advertising. This old but new again concept is putting parents minds at ease and helping tweens feel independent.
With the many millions of kids using the internet for two or more hours a day, parents really need to monitor where they go and who they are communicating with. Most tweens have been online since they were five and six years old. By the time they reach nine and ten years old, they can navigate the internet, set up accounts and end up in places you do not want them in and they do not want to be in. A simple search on google can land your child in a world they did not know existed. It is important to keep tabs on the areas your kids visit on the internet and give them safe places to explore and connect. If we give them safe and fun areas to play in, they will not be tempted to find new areas and end up on the wrong side of town.
These new safe websites are a great stepping stone for the younger generation without giving over complete control. With more and more kids starting younger and younger on the internet, it's good to see options for both the children and the parents.
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