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'