A nutrition and health blog from a padriatric nutrition mom -Beyong Parent'

During writing review for 'preschooler mom' I came across another nice blog 'Beyond Parent' which is from a registered Dietitian and Certified Lactation Counselor. Debra has got a Master's Degree in Public Health. Her nutrition specialties include perinatal nutrition, pediatric nutrition, breastfeeding, and food allergies.



'Beyond Parents' is a parent blog dealing in nutrition and health of children.

'The goal of Beyond Prenatals is to encourage and empower women to learn more about nutrition during preconception, pregnancy, and early childhood...and to go "beyond" prenatal vitamins in striving to create healthy families.'

As the blogger is herself a padiatric nutrition specialists it is obvious that you may get useful tips and suggestions regarding child and kid's food, health etc.
It seems that she is also a working and busy mom, so there are not frequent articles at the blog but the advice and useful information you can get from the blog is worth to check.

You can also follow her at 'twitter' or get subscription of the blog to get updated post news.

A blog for mothers of preschoolers with tips and resources

I love to share the resources I find during my browsing the net. It is a pleasure for me to discover good stuff, good blogs with useful tips, and resources. Being an educator at a primary school and dealing with reception stage children (4 years to 5 year old), I am in need of more ideas and tips to adopt for my own classroom. I prefer to bookmark blogs which are created with personal touch and experience. 'Preschool mama' is one of those blogs which I have subscribed to get updates of next articles.

'Preschool mama'  is a wonderful blog sharing resources for mothers of preschoolers. The blog is created by a former Montessori preschool teacher and mother of a kid.

What you can find at the blog?

• Blog has a lot of stuff to help you give your child an edge, enhance his learning and reading skills, and boost self esteem.
• You can find resources, easy tips and how tos for fun activities and crafts projects. 
• Get advice on dealing with common preschooler health and nutrition issues.
• Simple and easy ideas for arts and crafts that combine creativity with a great bonding experience for you and your child.
• Resources to help with potty training and bed wetting issues, ways to enhance socials skills and encourage independent thinking, and a lot more.

The blogger says:
'You’ll find all the stuff that’s worked for me, the well meaning tips that didn’t, and the tricks I wish I’d known when I was raising my son.
You’ll also find advice, inspiration and motivation for you, the PreSchool Mama, without who this blog wouldn’t exist.'

Start seaching the sites from 'Best of preschool mama' page where you can find posts covering all the topics essentail for the skill or persoanlity development of your child.

Note: Unfortunately blog is not being updated since two years, but still there is good stuff at the blog.

How we can successfully recycle at school?

How can we recycle and save our money, resources and environment?
Teachers can teach their children to reduce resource consumption, reuse where it is possible and utimate result is that there is less wastage and rubbish. We can learn to recycle objects near and around our classroom, and school.

 

Recycling is only one of the things we can do about waste. It is about the 3Rs -

1. reduce resource consumption
2. maximise resource reuse
3. increase the percentage of waste they recycle

How we can successfully recycle at school:

 

Reduce

• Rather than asking pupils to start a new page for each piece of work, get them to rule off below previous work and continue on the same page.
• Develop strategies that encourage your children not to throw written work away as soon as they make a mistake.
• Cut the amount of paper used by your school through greater use of I.C.T., both in lessons and for administration.
• Cut down on photocopying. Ask yourself whether it is the best way of presenting the information to your class. Would using Powerpoint or an OHP be better? If you do need to photocopy, do it double-sided whenever practical.
• Is it necessary to print everything that's done in the I.C.T. room out onto paper? And if so, could it be printed double sided?
• When sending home letters, combine information into one letter rather than sending three separate letters. Ensure that families only get sent one copy and consider whether it is feasible to send information by other means e.g. e-mail.
• About one fifth by weight of most schools' waste consists of food. If your school has a lot of food waste, could this be because pupils are being given portions that are too big or that they are being given things that they don't want to eat?
• Talk to the people who do the catering for your school about buying food with less packaging on.
• Aim towards 'waste-free lunches' for those who bring a packed lunch. Encourage children not to bring more food than they can eat and to use reusable bottles and flasks for drinks instead of individual cartons or cans. They could also be asked to use reusable airtight containers for snacks and packed lunches instead of disposable wrappers.
• Give careful thought to what is sold in your school tuck shop, both in terms of healthy eating and the amount of waste produced. Reduce the number of crisp packets in your school bin by having crisp-free days and generally limiting the number of packets eaten per child, promoting fruit as a healthier alternative.
• For parties at Christmas and the end of term, use washable plates and cups instead of disposable ones made from paper and plastic.
• Save money by sharing infrequently used resources with other nearby schools.

Reuse

• Always use both sides of a piece of paper, before you recycle it or throw it away. Make sure that every classroom has a 'scrap' paper tray and put paper that has only been used on one side into this, rather than putting it straight in the bin or sending it off for recycling. The paper can then be used for 'rough work' or at wet playtimes. Another good place for one of these scrap trays is by the photocopier!
• Reuse items of waste in art work, and use plastic pots for growing seeds, etc. Reuse old paper which cannot be written on any more to make papier mache models or your own recycled paper.
• Provide children with reusable 'sports bottles' that can be cleaned out and refilled every day.
• Ask your office staff to reuse envelopes by sticking a label over the old address. This will save money as well as reduce the number of envelopes thrown away.
• Collect in photocopied worksheets and store them so that they can be used again in subsequent years. This will save you work too!
• Hold a bring and buy sale to raise money for your school to which people can bring old clothes, toys or books for someone else to buy and reuse.
• Request that teachers reuse paper when changing classroom displays
• Make use of rechargeable batteries and refillable print cartridges.
• More than 80 scrapstores exist throughout the UK to take in scrap materials to be used in work with children. Join your local scrapstore and persuade your 'after school club' to do the same.
• Don't just throw old school furniture in a skip. Find out if anyone else can make use of it first. Many projects exist to pass unwanted furniture to voluntary groups and people in need and there are also similar schemes for computers.
• Give old tools from the school workshops to Tools for Self Reliance who can refurbish these before sending them on to developing countries.

Recycle

• Not surprisingly, the main material thrown away by schools is paper, which makes up at least quarter of their waste. Contact the recycling officer at your local council and ask them to provide your school with a paper recycling bin or equivalent. Then, set up a system of paper collection from each classroom which can be taken to the main recycling bin at the end of each day or week. Also ask them if they are running a Yellow Woods Challenge so that you can recycle Yellow Pages directories.
• Set up a composting scheme or a worm composter for food & green waste, including all the staff's tea bags and fruit scraps. Again your local council's recycling officer may be able to help here. In some cases, compost bins can be provided to schools free of charge.
• If your school has a drinks vending machine, put a bin next to it to collect up old cans for recycling. You can even join schemes which will enable you to make money from these for your school. For more information on these, see 'What your school can do about waste' on the Waste on the Web page of this site.
• Cardboard milk cartons can also be recycled. Wash them out after use and store them for collection.
• Encourage your school to buy and use recycled paper and other recycled products. Doing so may mean that in the short term you pay higher prices for some goods but in the long term it will increase demand and lower prices. A number of websites containing information about recycled products are listed on the Waste on the Web page of this site.
• So remember to reduce, reuse and recycle your waste. It is much better to reduce waste in the first place as then there is less to deal with. Reusing things is the second best option as it saves you buying new things. After you have reduced and reused as much as you can, recycle.

The last thing that should cross your mind is to throw it in the bin!

 

Useful links:

 

* 'Online resources for recycling'

 

* 'Recycle Zone' a site for schools, children and teachers to help them learn about recycling. It is part of Waste Watch website, located at : www.wastewatch.org.uk

Which is best age to buy your child a cell phone?

My son is now 11 plus and sometimes he asks me to buy a cell phone. But I think that parents should be careful about providing this facility to their children. I will buy him a phone for safety reasons,  just to reach him anytime.
Recently I read a very useful article at 'NY times' about 'When to Buy Your Child a Cellphone' which is full of advice from experts. I am writing only experts of this post, but if you want to read full post, check the source link at the bottom of the post.

There is no age that suits all children, developmental psychologists and child safety experts say. It depends on the child’s maturity level and need for the phone, and the ability to be responsible for the device — for example, keeping it charged, keeping it on and not losing it. Instead of giving in to the claim that “everyone else has one,” parents should ask why the child needs one, how it will be used and how well the child handles distraction and responsibility.

“You need to figure out, are your kids capable of following your rules?” about using the phone, said Parry Aftab, executive director of the child advocacy group Wired Safety.
Ruth Peters, a child psychologist in Clearwater, Fla., said most children were not ready for their own phones until age 11 to 14, when they were in middle school. Often, that is when they begin traveling alone to and from school, or to after-school activities, and may need to call a parent to change activities at the last minute or coordinate rides.

“Most parents want to give a cellphone to keep them safe, but that ignores the great majority of uses that kids are using cellphones for,” said James P. Steyer, the chief executive of the nonprofit group Common Sense Media, which rates children’s media. He said that with those added features can come addictive behavior, cyberbullying, “sexting” (sending nude photos by text message), cheating in class and, for older teenagers, distracted driving.
Dr. Peters suggested that parents avoid buying children younger than 13 a phone with a camera and Internet access. “If they don’t have access to it, it’s just cleaner,” she said.

For children, it is all about social life and wanting to impress peers. The Pew study found that half of 12- to 17-year-olds sent 50 text messages a day and texted their friends more than they talked to them on the phone or even face to face.

Patricia Greenfield, a psychology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who specializes in children’s use of digital media, cautioned that at younger ages, parents might miss out on what was going on with their children because of a cellphone.
“Kids want the phone so that they can have private communication with their peers,” she said. “You should wait as long as possible, to maintain parent-child communication.”

Source: When to Buy Your Child a Cellphone

Learn the basics of calligraphy online with free tutorials

Calligraphy is generally recognized as the Art of Beautiful Writing. It is also called typography. You can easily learn calligraphy with some practice at home while getting online help. There are many sites which offer free tutorials to start learning calligraphy. You can start learning with simple writing instruments or tools and paper.

You can also buy calligraphy bools and tools, stationary to start this fascinating hobby. It can be catagorized as an art form involving a lot of creativity. The more creative you are and enthusiastic about colour, shapes, designs you can be a good calligrapher with some practice.

There are many different ways of writing the letters of the alphabet.
In Typography these various representations are referred to as Fonts, in Calligraphy the various styles are referred to as Hands.


The primary tools used by Calligraphers to write are pens and brushes, pens and brushes can be either pointed or flat (broad).


Generally Calligraphy refers to a style of writing in which the width of various parts of a letter varies.


In the case of pointed pens or brushes these variations in thickness are provided by variations in pressure of the pen or brush on the paper.


With flat, or as they are usually referred to broad, pens or brushes, the variations are given by the variation of the angle at which the pen is held relative to the direction of the stroke.


Useful links and resources:


* 'Calligraphy online lessons'
Note: Lessons are not complete as you are asked to buy cd for the detailed lessons or course. But still the information at few pages are enough to start learning calligraphy.


* 'Learn Calligraphy.co.uk' is the best place to start learning Calligraphy. Includes the basics, calligraphy alphabet, calligraphy history, how to begin, etc. Very useful.


* Learn How to Draw Beautiful Lettering - offers online basic Calligraphy lesson to get started.


* Decorative Calligraphy - Many great articles for learning about calligraphy, the different styles, and how to get started.


* 'Studio arts' offers basic three part lesson helping you learn how to start learning this fun and art form of writing.

Tips to buy safe and healthy lunch box for kids

Every mom wants to provide healthy and safe food for school going kids, but we sometimes ignore to check the material we use for packing lunch to tiffin. Parents should carefully select the food grade lunch boxes for their kids.

If you want to make sure that the healthy lunch that you pack for your child stays healthy and nutritious, you can avoid common contaminants and costly throw-aways by choosing the right lunch box solutions.

These tips are helpful to choose safe product for your kid's health and select lunch box made of harmless material which is healthier for regular use.

Cotton, bamboo spork, stainless steel, cloth are safe products for lunch boxes.

Metal or cloth is better than plastic:
Many plastic lunch boxes are made of PVC, which can contain contaminants such as lead, or leach chemicals like phthalates and BPA. If plastic is your best option, look for lunch boxes that are phthalate and BPA-free.

Wrap without plastic wrap or plastic baggies: Some plastic wrap and baggies are made with toxic chemical phthalates. Re-useable containers are a better choice; or you can choose butcher paper and bags such as GLAD brand made with polyethelyne.

Pack it yourself:
Packaging for greasy foods like microwave popcorn and french fries may be treated with PFCs, a non-stick coating linked to health disorders. Canned food and soda may also leach the chemical BPA. Choosing fresh or bulk food to package yourself is a healthier alternative.


Pack a No-Waste Lunch Box: The idea of lunch brought to and from school in a paper or plastic bag seems old fashion, but the use of an actual lunch box or reusable sack makes your eco-friendly options all the easier.


And finally, pack your food and drink in reusable containers. Just think of all the money you'd save per child per school year if you packed just two snacks and a drink in reusable containers.

Plastic Free Snacks and Sandwiches:
It's also great to stop using all those plastic zip bags and try reusable snack bags. These bags are handmade and come in some pretty fabrics. They're simple to wash and keep food fresh all day.
 

How to teach drawing to kids with simple shapes?

Teaching drawing to kids is fun as kids are very enthusiastic in learning and creativity process which is the main process in learning art/drawing. Teachers or parents can make this learning process easier and fun by applying some simple techniques.

Basic geomatrical shapes like circle, square, triangle, and rectangle are easy steps for the creation of simple pictures. Step by step instructions make it easy for kids to create pictures with simple shapes.

This techniques can be applied to teach drawing easier to preschoolers, home schoolers, kinder garteners etc. I start teaching drawing to my nursery class with very simple steps. Kids are promoted to  nursery after 'play' class (which is called reception year in some countries) they learn to draw circle, square, triangle and rectangle in their first year in school.

Most of the children are comfortable with circle which is very easy to draw. I first ask them to draw a circle, then add more circles or few strokes and then ask what is this object? Usually kids are very excited to see transformation of simple circle into cat, flower, clock etc.

Pictire at the left side shows the process of teaching duck with oval shape and curve lines.

- You can make house, train, etc with square shape
- Trianle can be transformed into flag, tree, star, etc
- Rectangle shape: van, truck, train etc


Ask the kids if they can think of any other objects with these shapes?
You would be surprised with the ideas coming from your class children. Encourage them to draw their own pictures.

Useful links:


* How to Teach Kindergarten Drawing


* 'Morning Earth.org' have a very useful post 'Drawing in the Classroom, by Marcia MacEachron.
Link: Basic Drawing in the Classroom

Download free parental control software to keep your kids safe online

 It is really difficult to keep our kids safe online as we cannot monitor all the time what they are doing online?
Parental control softwares usually block unwanted or adult sites but you need to be informed about their activities while surfing online. 'Norton' software developers has created parental control software to help them keep safe online. Before getting more information about the software, just check these statistics:

Some facts about use of computer and internet among our kids:

• Kids spend an average of 40 hours a month online.
• 32% of teens clear the browser history to hide what they do online from their parents
• 63% of teens surveyed admit they know how to hide what they do online from their parents
• 22% of teen girls say they have sent or posted nude or seminude pictures or videos of themselves online.
• 32% of teens surveyed said they’d been bullied, threatened or otherwise harassed online. Yet less than half of those teens reported it to their parents or another adult

 

 It’s important for you to know how your kids are spending their time online, and best way is to educate them. Another important step is to monitor their online activities. "Norton Online Family" offers a free software for all parents to keep their kids safe online. 
 
How it works?

 

- See your kids’ online activities at a glance: Easy-to-read activity reports give you the inside scoop on what your kids do online. In just minutes, you can find out what sites your kids visit, what they search for, who they chat with*, and what social networking sites they spend time at. You’ll get to know your kids better and gain a deeper understanding of their online interests, so you can protect and guide them

 

- Whether you’re at work, out of town, or simply away from home, you can log into Norton™ Online Family and see what your kids are up to online, in real-time. You’ll see what web sites they visit, what they search for, who they chat with* and more. It only takes a minute. And you can check in anytime, from any computer connected to the Internet or your smart phone.

 

 Norton Online Family alerts you via email when your kids do something they shouldn’t, such as attempting to visit a blocked site or exceeding their allotted computer time.

 

'Norton Online Family' says:
We want all parents to be able to protect their children and provide a safer Internet experience for them. So we’re offering Norton™ Online Family to all families, free of charge.

 

 Do you want to install Norton Safety Minder? This software is easy to install and use and it is only 11.6 MB.

 

 DOWNLOAD NORTON SAFETY MINDER

An online parenting magazine for all parents

Being a parent for first time is challenging as there is a lot to learn, and experience. New parents need tips, suggestions, and advice from experienced parents. Internet has provided the opportunity of sharing useful information, tips and advice for parents about pregnancy, health, child care, and other topics.

'Todays Motherhood' is the answer to all parenting questions, child care, education, health, and everything related to it.
The site was first created from a parent who created a parenting site, gradually reforming it into an online magazine. Online magazines or blogs are a source of news, product or service reviews, advice or tips for child care and all relevant topics to parenting.

Resources section of the site offers many articles on baby, growing up, toddlerhood, older kids, pregnancy, and more.

Check the contest page for photography contest.

Art Contest for children to win exciting prizes

Children from all over the world are invited to participate in an online art contest which is being sponsored by
'The American Academy of Pediatrics and HealthyChildren.org'. It is a chance for children around the worlds to win exciting prizes.

The theme for this year 2010 art contest is "Protecting the World's Children from Tobacco and Secondhand Smoke".
“Secondhand smoke is dangerous to children's health and all of the world’s children deserve to be protected from tobacco,” warns AAP President Judith Palfrey, MD, FAAP. “This is an opportunity for children's voices to be heard to help prevent addiction to tobacco, and for children to exercise their creativity to alert others to the dangers of tobacco and second-hand smoke.”

Rules and terms for the contest entry:


Official entry forms and consent forms must accompany all entries. Entries must be postmarked by July 30, 2010. Winning entries will be selected by a panel of judges including pediatricians, and announced in the summer.
The contest is open to boys and girls in three groups:
grades 3-5

grades 6-8

grades 9-12

Group winners and their parents/guardians will be invited to a presentation ceremony before several thousand pediatricians at the 2010 AAP National Conference & Exhibition in San Francisco, CA, on Sunday, October 3.
Each first-place winner will receive a $500 cash prize and up to $1,000 for travel-related expenses. The three second-place winners will each receive $250.
The six winners’ schools will be awarded matching cash amounts.
For the first time, entries are also welcome from children from countries other than the U.S.A. For the single international award, the contest is open to children ages 13-18. The winner will receive a USD 500 cash prize with a matching amount for the school or homeschool.
This would make a great school project/activity. Send us photos of the class participating in this activity!!!


For details: Children's Art Contest

Download PDF copy of 'Entry Form'
Download 'consent form'

A pencil story teaching us important life lessons

During our school days we were usually asked to write essays or short stories on topics or objects like, 'my school, an apple, a house, a pencil' etc. While writing short essays or stories we normally think about the object in a descriptive way 'how it was created, built and used'. 

This post is about 'Pencil Story' having an inspirational and motivational value in it, teaching us important life lessons.                

Pencil story 

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box. 

"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."

"One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand."

"Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."

 "Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."

"Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside."

"And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.
 

Now replacing the place of the pencil with you. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be. 

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you'll need it to become a stronger person. 

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make. 

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.

Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish.

Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.
For more inpiring stories: 'Indian child' 

Explore the Web for valuable research information.

I love to score the web for valuable information. During this search I came across many online resources which are difficult to find our with normal search. This post offers useful and valuable links for educators, students, librarian's, families, businesses and every person who love to browse the net. 

* 'LibrarySpot.com'  is a resource for online research by offering library and reference sites. 

More about the site (In their own words)

'Sites featured on LibrarySpot.com are hand-selected and reviewed by our editorial team for their exceptional quality, content and utility. Published by StartSpot Mediaworks, Inc. in the Northwestern University/Evanston Research Park in Evanston, Ill., LibrarySpot.com is the first in a family of vertical information portals designed to make finding the best topical information on the Internet a quick, easy and enjoyable experience. 

To date, LibrarySpot.com has received more than 30 awards and honors. 

Most recently, Forbes.com selected LibrarySpot.com as a "Forbes Favorite" site, the best in the reference category, and PC Magazine named it one of the Top 100 Web Sites. LibrarySpot.com has been featured on CNN, Good Morning America, CNBC and in many other media outlets.'

-  'HomeworkSpot.com' is a sister site of 'LibrarySpot' and is a valuable source for students, parents and educator.

It offers free homework information portal that features the very best K-12 homework-related sites together with engaging editorial in one high-utility, educational spot. With the help of students, parents and teachers, their team of educators, librarians and journalists has scoured the Web to bring you the best resources for English, math, science, history, art, music, technology, foreign language, college prep, health, life skills, extracurricular activities and much more. For your convenience, we have made every effort to organize these resources into grade-appropriate categories for elementary, middle and high school.

* 'Digital Librarian'  is an online resource from Margaret Vail Anderson, a librarian in Cortland, New York, offering best of the web sites around the net. Home page shows topics which takes you to another page with lots of more useful links and resources. 

* 'The British Library'  offers 14 million books, 920,000 journal and newspaper titles, 58 million patents, 3 million sound recordings, and so much more.

* 'Awesome Library' organizes the Web with 37,000 carefully reviewed resources, including the top 5 percent in education.

* 'Virtual Learning Resource Center'

thousands of the best academic information websites, selected by teachers and library professionals worldwide, in order to provide to students and teachers current, valid information for school and university academic projects!

The Virtual LRC is both a dedicated index of over 10,000 web pages maintained by a real human being, as well as a meta-search engine that includes in its results information gleaned from many of the best research portals and university and public library Internet subject guides recommended by teachers and librarians.

The VLRC includes selected sites in a growing list of subject/information areas including: full-text magazines, newspapers, electronic text archives, art history, biography, biology, career information, psychology, history, government information, literature, medical information, social sciences, legal information, American Civil War, Art, Careers, Crime, Directories, Economics, Education, English Language, Electronic Texts, Foreign Languages, Geography, Genealogy, Government Information,Health/Medical, History, Legal Information, Lesson Plans, Literature, Mathematics, Music, Reference, Science, Technology, Tutorials on the Web, and Writing Style Guides. 

* 'Access my library'  offers free access to premium content you can trust. Browse and read over 30 million articles for business, education, and general research needs – absolutely free! 

Their goal (In their own words)

Our goal is to help you access information from credible sources while making the offerings of local libraries more accessible. We do this by using our technology to help people find this content, which search engines usually cannot access. 

AccessMyLibrary also includes articles from HighBeam Research, which is a part of the Gale family. HighBeam offers even more research content, including access to archives from more than 6,500 publications.

* 'Resource yourself' 

is a blog with resources of interest to information professionals, educators and journalists. It is a blog so unlike other sites you need to start search from 'categories' links.

Encourage your kids to read books

At this tech age, our kids spend more time with computers than other outdoor or indoor activities. Reading books is a healthy habit which can be encouraged by providing online reading links to our kids. Parents can guide kids and teens providing site links or useful resources for online ebooks. Good news is that most of the online resources provide free access to the stuff either it is an ebook, video, audio, or a power point presentation. 'Tar

'Tar Heel Reader' is an online free site  for beginning readers of all ages. Books are easy to read with big words which teachers can use in classroom for development of language and reading skills.

More about the site:
Link: 'Tar Heel Reader' 

Many of us many think that the site name is strange, so the explainaiton is that 'Tar Heel is a nickname for the state and people of North Carolina. And the name comes from the fact that tar, pitch and turpentine created from the vast pine forests were one of North Carolina's most important exports early in the state's history

More about the site:

It offers a collection of free, easy-to-read, and accessible books on a wide range of topics. It fulfills the needs of older students as well who do not have access to easy-to-read, motivating, and age-appropriate text.

The books may be downloaded as slide shows in PowerPoint, Impress, or Flash format. Each book can be speech enabled and accessed using multiple interfaces. Site also offers books in other languages such as Arabic, German, French, Latin etc.

Facts: Books have been read in 133 countries and all 50 US states. They have books in 12 languages. Over 25,000 books are currently being read each week. Over 100 new books are added each week.

How to search at the site for appropriate reading?

These are suggested audience ratings. Rated E/Everyone means the book is appropriate for everyone. Books marked Rated C/Caution may have content that is not appropriate for some readers. The Favorites page is a good way to give your readers a selection of books that you have approved.

You can download a slide show of a book easily. Just follow these simple steps:
Go to the first page of the book. On the left side you’ll see a column of buttons. The second is labeled Setup. It will take you to the reading controls page. There you’ll see links to download the book as PowerPoint, Impress, or Flash.


Experienced educators who are knowledgeable about beginning readers of all ages review books published on Tar Heel Reader.

Write a book!

You can also write a book and submit at the site. You need to get registration for writing a book;

- Sign up for free at the registration page. They recommend you to read about the Beginning Literacy Framework before beginning to write. It will help you appreciate the kind of books they seek.

How to use search tools to find out specific information at internet?

How do you start your search at internet?
The simple answer is 'Google', but do you get the specific or reliable results after few searches? Yes, you many be lucky to get the specific information after some time, but often you are simly lost to find only reliable resource or links. How to search effectively for educational stuff at the internet? Using online search tools can help you a lot and save hours of your hard work.


Search tools are intended to help you find the information you need. Each search tool takes a slightly different approach. Search engines, directories, indexes, and portals can all be helpful. While each of these has a specific definition, many search engines have more than one option. For example, Google is a search engine, but it also has a directory available. While most search tools ask users to enter key words, some like 'Ask Jeeves' are designed for questions.


How do the search tools find all the websites?


Many of the search engines use robots, wanderers, worms, spiders, harvesters, and other automated systems to find websites. In addition, people sometimes add their own website to the list.


Search engines - resources are automatically databased by a computer. The results vary depending on the rules the sites uses to select materials.


Indexes and Directories - information is organized into categories or lists that are sometimes created by people and sometimes computers. Many search engines also have directories.


Subject guides - resources are selected and organized by people. They are good for large and focused topics, but provide fewer resources than search engines.


Meta engines - these sites explore a number of search tools to come up with diverse results. For example, Dogpile searches LookSmart, FindWhat, Overture, and several others


Portals - create a virtual desktop that provides, in one central place, web-based information and resources needed by a user. The difference between a portal and a regular website is that information is customized by the user.


 For Teachers and Teens:


Search Engines

• Alta Vista
• All the Web
• Excite
• Google*
• Hotbot
• Lycos
• Teoma

Guides and Directories

• About.com
• Galaxy
• Go.com
• Librarian's Index
• Open Directory Project
• Yahoo*

Meta Engine Search Tools

• Ask Jeeves
• Dogpile
• EZ2find
• Mamma
• MetaCrawler
• SurfWax
• Vivisimo
• WebCrawler
• Wisenut
• Zapmeta
• Visual Engine 'Kartoo'
• Science Search Engine 'scirus'
• Law Search Engine 'FindLaw'
• Audio & Video 'Singing Fish'
• Movies 'IMDb'
• Archives Engine 'Wayback Machine'

You can find search tools for children, as well as particular information formats (i.e., graphics, videos) and content areas. Ditto and FreePhoto are popular image sites. Use FindSounds for audio files. The advantage of a specialized tool is their narrow focus. Rather than getting "everything", they have selected those resources that fit a particular need. For example, KidsClick provides information about the reading level and number of illustrations contained on a website. Use CNET Search to search for software and hardware information.


Go to Starting Points for Kids or Kid's Search Tools for other pages with student search engines links.

Search Engines for Kids and Teens

• KidsClick- Web search for kids by librarians 
• Kids.net.au  is a search engine / portal for kids, children, parents, and teachers.
• EduHound
• Ithaki Kids 'Intelligent search engine that finds sites just for kids searching simultaneously in various guides.'
• LycosZone

Directories

• Alfy
• Ask Jeeves for Kids
• Awesome Library
• CyberSleuth Kids
• EduPuppy
• Family Friendly Search
• Internet Public Library
• KidsKonnect
• ThinkQuest
• Yahooligans*

More: 
* 'Google for educators' 


* Internet Resources for Teaching and Learning  at 'Teacher tap'
'

How to find educational stuff at the world wide web

I often browse the internet for educational stuff and prefer to use education related search sites for specific information. Usual search engines like google, Yahoo or alta vista provide thousands or results but it may take hours to find relevant sites or informative links.

For specific topic search I use few sites which I suggest other educators and parents to use for their search as it can save your time.

* 'The Educator's Reference Desk' is created for education community. It offers 2,000 and more lesson plans, more than 3,000 links to online education information, and 200 plus question archive responses.

* Another site is 'eduhound' which is a highly specialized educational directory with FREE categorized resources, lesson plans, clipart, and site sets for educators, teachers, students, and families.

* More than 1600 federal teaching and learning resources organized by subject: art, history, language arts, math, science, and others -- from FREE, the website that makes federal teaching and learning resources easy to find.
- Link: http://free.ed.gov/

* 'EdHelper.com' offer stuff covering topics liks 'Math, Reading Comprehension, Themes, Lesson Plans, and Worksheets.'

* 'Shambles'

' You can use 'Similar Site' to find more relevant results.

A family guide to video games for parents 'What They Play'

As craze of video games amongst all age people is wide spreading, parents need to keep an eye on what their kids are playing. The best way to guide your kids regarding video games is to learn yourself about video games. Internet offers handful of useful links and sites with news, reviews, and expert views about video games, and you need to just bookmark those links. 'What they play' is one of those useful links which is helpful in this connection. More about the site:


What They Play 


It is a video game-centric website aimed at helping parents learn about content in video games, helping them decide what games their children should play.


The site contains a database of over 16,000 games divided by console, genre and ESRB rating.
The site employs a small editorial staff of seven to play and review games based on their content, but the site also allows parents to leave comments and reviews under each game describing their thoughts on the game's content and/or their child's reaction to the game. Parents can also submit an age-appropriateness rating, assigned on a scale from 1-17.
To know more about the site, read the 'USA today''s post:
'What They Play' gives parents helping hand'


Other useful resources:


* 'Joystic'  source for news and reviews on the video game industry.

Prolonged computer use and health risks for kids

Using computer and internet for different school tasks is a good idea which can save your time. Playing video games or chatting with friends online is also not bad , but sitting in front of computers for hours have some bad effects on health.

Sitting for a long time in positions that aren't natural for your body can strain your hands, wrists, back, and eyes. Over time, this can result in pain and a kind of injury called a repetitive stress injury.

Here are some tips which can help you safe from bad effects of prolonged computer use. Teachers and parents can make a copy of these tips and print it out to fix it near computer so that kids or teens remember to check these tips while working on computers.

Sitting Square in Your Chair

The way you sit is important. To sit square in your chair, put your behind in the center of the seat. Your legs should bend at the knees and rest on the floor. Most kids are too short to do this, so use a footrest or find a box or a stack of books to place under your feet.

Sit so your back touches the seat back the whole time. Try not to slouch or lean over the keyboard while you type. A chair that has lower-back support can help you do this.

Typing Time

When you type, sit so your elbows are bent at 90-degree angles (like an "L"). Your wrists should be straight, not angled up or down so your fingers rest gently on the keys of the keyboard. And if it feels like you have to stretch your fingers to reach the keyboard, move it closer to you.

Try to keep your fingers and wrists level with your forearms (the lower part of your arms). A wrist wrest can help you stay in the right position. If your wrists are starting to hurt, or you are waking up at night with wrist pain, you may be getting an overuse injury (this is also called carpal tunnel syndrome). If you're having this kind of pain, let your parents know. You might need to see your doctor.

A Mouse!

A small wrist rest also can help support your right hand as you move the mouse. Using a trackball instead of a mouse is also a good solution. A trackball allows you to use a few fingers, instead of just one, as you move around the computer screen.

All Eyes on This

Any time you're using the computer, your eyes are hard at work. Be kind to them by positioning the monitor 18 to 20 inches (46 to 51 centimeters) away from your face. At this distance, you shouldn't have to lean in to read what's on the screen.

Position the screen at your eye level, with the top of the monitor itself level with your forehead. This will keep you from having to lean your neck back (or bend forward) to see the monitor. Your mom or dad can help you get adjusted. They can help you raise the monitor a little higher by stacking a few books under it. You also can raise the height of the chair or sit on a pillow or two.

Take a Break

Here's a good piece of advice: Don't get so involved in the computer that you forget to go to the bathroom! And even if you don't have to go to the bathroom, be sure to take breaks. Kids shouldn't sit at a computer for more than 30 minutes without a break.

When it's time for a break, start with your eyes. Focus on something far away by looking out a window. This gives your eyes a rest from all that focusing on the computer monitor.

Then you'll want to give your body a break, too. Try to move your muscles. Go for a walk, shoot some hoops, or dance in front of the mirror.

Doctors recommend only 1 to 2 hours of screen time per day — which includes TV, the computer, and computer games. Make computer time just one of the activities you do instead of the only thing you do. 

Your body wiL thk U l8r!

Source: 'Familydoctor.org

Useful links:

'Prolonged computer use may lead you to eye and vision problems'

Download millions of free ebooks at 'World eBook Fair'

Get ready to download millions of free ebooks from internet and there is no hidden cost, no membership or registration cost. You just need to bookmark the 'World eBook Fair' site to start downloading your favorite ebooks in July. Teachers, parents, students, scholars, researchers have a good chance of having access to online ebooks for free during one month.

'World eBook Fair Organization has announced that " 5th 'World eBook Fair' is going to be held from July 4th to August 4th 2010 ".

The 'eBook Fair Organization says :

'Our goal is to provide Free public access for a month to 3 Million eBooks.'

Details are:

The 5th Annual World eBook Fair will offer about Three (3) Million titles.

..100,000+ ..750,000+ .2,00,000+ ..250,000+ ....17,000+	from Project Gutenberg from The World Public Library from The Internet Archive from eBooks About Everything from IMSLP
3,117,00+	Grand Total

Brief History of The World eBook Fair

Just two years ago The First World eBook Fairs came on the scene with about 1/3 million books and doubled to 2/3 million in 2008, and over a a million and a quarter presented last year. This year 2010 it is '3 Million eBooks'

Michael S. Hart who is the founder of Project Gutenberg and co-Founder of World eBook Fair says:

"There aren't even a million Kindles or Sony's, but there are now ~4 1/2 billion cell phones-- which means the possibility of reading readers via cellphones is larger than any other media.

The cell phone is the wave of the future, not, I repeat, NOT the Kindle or Sony approach, for they are only targeting millions, and I should like very much to reach billions of people.

More eBooks In More Languages

Obviously to reach billions of readers we have to present the eBooks in more languages than a simple Top Six list such as:

English
Chinese
German
French
Spanish
Urdu

Did you know there are 250 languages with over a million speakers?

In this collection of 2.5 million eBooks we're trying to reach readers in over half of these. Well, that's the goal. . .I hope we make it!!!"

During the rest of the year you can continue to download your selection of about 750,000 PDF eBooks by joining the "World Public Library".
Annual membership is only $8.95 per year.

Link: worldebookfair.org/

How to search for reliable information at search engines?

Usually you enter a keyword or phrase at 'Google' or other search engines box and within seconds there are million of results. If you are looking for information for educational, scholar, research or relevant purpose then this is very easy tip which you can use and get results from only Government or Educational sites/blogs which are usually non profit and offer reliable information.

Process is very simple.

For example you need some information on 'home schooling'. You just enter .EDU or .GOV before your keyword and just add site or blog after it. It should look like:

.EDU+home schooling+blogs or 'sites'
.Gov+home schooling+site or 'blogs'

You would be surprised to see filtered results from reputable and reliable sites. Your results should not bring sites with affiliate links or fake sale pages.

Learn the proper way to write letters

Letter writing is a process of showing your emotions, your feelings and your intentions. You can show your gratitude by writing thank you letters, but you need to learn the proper way to write a letter. Tutorial based tips, ideas and sample letter provided by 'Thank You Letter' site can help you a lot.

Here are few tips about writing 'thank you letters' from the site:

Both business and personal Thank You letters should be written with tact, sincerity
and sensitivity.

Sending Thank You letters: It is important to promptly send out a thank your letter. Take steps to send your thank you letter as soon as possible (within 24
hours) after you get through that particular business or personal situation. It
shows that you are sending your positive sincerity. On the contrary a delayed
thank you letter will seem like a binding afterthought to the reader.

Write appropriate content: Make sure you are writing a thank you letter for an
appropriate occasion or an event. A thank you letter for a regular task dilutes its importance and does not make sense. Same way a generic letter with regular
words and tones will show your laziness and your activity would be considered a
general routine. Therefore, write noteworthy points about the event for which
you are thanking.

Remind the audience: Begin your letter by introducing that you are writing a simple Thank you letter pertaining to a specific person and event or situation. Don’t leave your audience guess what you are writing about.

Write to the point and be brief: Thank you letters should not exceed one page and
address direct points with sincerity. Use typewritten letters for business purposes. Personal letters can be either handwritten or typed. Thank you letters
are always written to a person. Make it personal.

Not only thank you letters but you can get sample letters in these categories:

• Business letters
• Hardship letters
• Holiday Letters
• Invitations
• Job Letters
• Love Letters
• Missing you letters
• Resignation letters
• Sales Letters
• Sample Cover letters
• Special Occasions letters

Useful links and other site links:

* 'The art of letter writing'

* 'Writing Help Central' offers tips, advice, pointers, information and templates for all types of personal, business, and educational writing.

Get the answers of your questions at - Hints And Things

There are many wiki guides, sites, and question answer sites around the net where you can find the relevant information regarding your inquiries. 'Hints And Things' is one of those sites where you can find useful information, and tips.

'Hints and things' offers information on a wide range of subjects including stain removal, DIY, motoring, hobbies, pets, children, and lots of more topics.

The site design is very simple but user friendly, and it may take some time to search for any specific information but you if start navigating through different rooms then you may reach your destination soon. There are 14 different rooms like cleaning/stain removal will be in the Utility Room, anything to do with cars, transport etc., will be found in the Garage whilst parenting and child related topics are in the Nursery.

June Jackson is the author and creator of this site. There are over 900 pages on this site covering a diverse range of subjects. So there is a lot of stuff to discover and information you can find at one place.

Check: 'Content list' to find the topic you are interested in.

If you can't find the answer on Hints and Things try their sister site at www.askjune.com where you would get responses to questions on a daily basis.

Learn to be a great teacher

Do you think that the profession you have adopted suits you best and you are doing justice to your profession? I believe that education is a noble profession and it is my opinion that you should be an educator if you really love to teach.

What are the qualities a great teacher should have or learn? There are no specific rules, but devotion to your profession is the most important thing which can help you be a good or best teacher. There are many tips which you are get from other teachers or online resources like 'So You Want To Teach'.

'So you want to teach' is an educational blog from a teacher who has a mission to be a great teacher. The blog is reflection of Joel's (the blogger and teacher) ongoing story of his quest for educational excellence. There are many topics which may attract other teacher's attention like: 'Classroom Management, New Teacher & Student Teacher Tips, Total Teacher Transformation, Why Do Teachers Quit? and more. I hope that this blog is helpful for established or new teachers who want to learn more about this profession.

Few popular post titles are:

1. 9 Reasons To Quit Teaching (And 10 Reasons To Stick)
2. 5 Character Traits Of Great Teachers
3. How Do I Keep My Students Quiet?
4. 5 Habits of Highly Effective Teachers
5. The Single Most Important Advice Anyone Can Give To A First Year Teacher
6. Do What You Can
7. 25 Free Apps And Websites For Tech-Loving Teachers
8. Habit 2: Classroom Procedures
9. 50 Reasons To Love Your Job As A Teacher

There are over 400 posts on the site so it would be time consuming to look for specific topics so better to go to the link:

* 20 Classic SYWTT Articles And Series

Explore ways to use your mind effectively at 'Litemind'

"It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well."( -Rene Descartes)

If we want to accomplish anything in life and realize our full potential, we must have some life skills. You must know who you are, what you want, and what you are capable of. One of these life skills is the best use of your mind effectively. There are many strategies and techniques, you can use your mind effectively and these simple tips, and suggestions can definitely enhance your mind powers.

'Litemind' is one of those self help blogs which helps you in this regard. More topics covered at the blog are creativity, problem-solving, visual thinking, self-mastery, motivation, time management and more. Teachers or parents can browse through 'archive' page to narrow their search either going directly to tags, category or monthly posts.

Blogger 'Luciano Passuello' is a 33-year-old Brazilian who says: 'I firmly believe that our own minds are the greatest tool we have to achieve anything we want.' He further says:

Every event, feeling, problem or opportunity only exists through the filter of our minds. Putting simply, your mind is the world you live in. All results you get are directly related on how well you use it. But very few people actively pursuit ways to fully develop their potential through a more efficient use of their minds.

Why ‘Efficiently’?

Did you know that the brains of more intelligent people are actually less active than usual?

That suggests that these people, when using their minds, have a higher ratio of output to input; in other words, their minds are more efficient. There is a minimum of waste in energy or unnecessary effort. That means less stress while getting more higher-quality results.

Why ‘Explore’?

I believe that an exploration mindset is the most important thing to have if you want to improve on anything.

I am no expert on the mind and don’t have all the answers. He is trying to maintain the mindset of curious exploration – and that is the driving force in creating and maintaining the site 'Litemind'

Join the newsletter from the site for free and get free ebook 'The Very Best of Litemind' by signing up.

Useful links:

* 'Essential Life Skills' Helping you explore essential life skills for personal development.

* 'Brain Training 101' offers tools to increase your brainpower and enhance your memory plus a source for Brain Training Resources, Tools, Product Reviews and Brain Games. Get free 'Brain Training Power Pack' including a brain training guide and brain booster audio by submitting your email and name at provided place (left side bar).

* '10 Amazing Tricks to Play with your Brain'

Online Interactive typing lessons for kids

Now kids are learning to use technology and they are learning a lot about computers and internet. Typewriting is an added skill for computer users as it speeds up your work. Learning or practicing typewriting is a boring task but many sites have made it very interesting by adding attractive tools for kids.

This post is about online typing lessons in interactive way so that kids or young children learn in a fun way. Best thing about these links is that these online typing practice lessons are free.

* 'Dance Mat Typing' at BBC.co is provided with animation and games introducing touch typing to children aged 7 to 11. ... Meet the gang and learn to type. Make your way through all 12 stages.

* 'Free typing tutor online with free typing lessons' from 'Powertyping' which is an educational web site for kids, students and adults.

* Learning to keyboard and free typing games for kids!

* 'Kiran's Typing Tutor' is a free keyboarding program for children and adults that includes more than 500 typing lessons, practice, and tests. Each lesson calculates and shows accuracy, words-per-minute, keys-per-minute, as well as typing speed and errors for each letter.

* McGraw-Hill- Glencoe's Online Keyboarding is an online typing tutor for kids or adults that is divided into 16 individual typing lessons ranging from Home Keys and Spacebar to Symbols. Each lesson includes a demonstration movie, typing exercises, a drill, and a printable lesson report to show completion of the lesson.


* E-Learning for Kids Keyboarding Skills is an interactive typing tutor where your child can participate in the Type-E-Chi Virtual Typing Tournament. :E-Learning for Kids Keyboarding Skills -

* 'Learn to type online FREE typing':
Sign up for a FREE kids account and join 4894314 other registered users and learn typing! Take the online Typing Test to check your speed.

How teacher can help nurture creativity among kids?

Parents or teachers can play a big role to develop skills among kids. Creativity is one of those skills which can be nurtured among kids with some simple techniques. Being an educator I have noticed that encouragement and praise for simple tasks can help develop creativity among kids.

How teachers can help nurture creativity?

Teachers can offer a curriculum with plenty of opportunities for creative behaviors. They can make assignments that call for original work, independent learning, self-initiated projects, and experimentation. Using curriculum materials that provide progressive warm-up experiences, procedures that permit one thing to lead to another, and activities that make creative thinking both legitimate and rewarding makes it easier for teachers to provide opportunities for creative learning.

The following are some things caring adults can do to foster and nurture creativity:

* We can teach children to appreciate and be pleased with their own creative efforts.

* We can be respectful of the unusual questions children ask.

* We can be respectful of child's unusual ideas and solutions, for children will see many relationships that their parents and teachers miss.

* We can show children that their ideas have value by listening to their ideas and considering them. We can encourage children to test their ideas by using them and communicating them to others. We must give them credit for their ideas.

* We can provide opportunities and give credit for self-initiated learning. Overly detailed supervision, too much reliance on prescribed curricula, failure to appraise learning resulting from a child's own initiative, and attempts to cover too much material with no opportunity for reflection interfere seriously with such efforts.

* We can provide chances for children to learn, think, and discover without threats of immediate evaluation. Constant evaluation, especially during practice and initial learning, makes children afraid to use creative ways to learn. We must accept their honest errors as part of the creative process.

* We can establish creative relationships with children--encouraging creativity in the classroom while providing adequate guidance for the students.

Back to the Table of Contents


What Can Parents Do?

It is natural for young children to learn creatively by dancing, singing, storytelling, playing make-believe, and so forth. One of the first challenges to creativity may be formal schooling. By this time parents, as well as teachers, appreciate conforming behaviors such as being courteous and obedient, following rules, and being like others. While these are desirable traits to some extent, they may also destroy a child's creative potential.


Creative Behavior of School-Age Children

Until children reach school age, it is generally assumed that they are highly creative, with vivid imaginations, and that they learn by exploring, risking, manipulating, testing, and modifying ideas. Although teachers and administrators sometimes believe that it is more economical to learn by authority, research suggests that many things (although not all) can be learned more effectively and economically in creative ways rather than by authority (Torrance, 1977).

Creative thinking and learning involve such abilities as evaluation (especially the ability to sense problems, inconsistencies, and missing elements); divergent production (e.g., fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration); and redefinition. Creative learning is a natural, healthy human process that occurs when people become curious and excited. In contrast, learning by authority requires students to use thinking skills such as recognition, memory, and logical reasoning--the abilities most frequently assessed by traditional tests of intelligence and scholastic aptitude. Children prefer to learn in creative ways rather than just memorizing information provided by a teacher or parents. They also learn better and sometimes faster.

Fostering Academic Creativity in Gifted Students

Related posts:

* "Encouraging Creativity in Early Childhood Classrooms"

Download pdf report: 25 Ways to Develop Creativity

How to Develop Student Creativity

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