Is drug free treatment of "Attention Deficit Disorder"possible?

According to a research, between 4 and 12 percent of school-age children have ADHD. It has been given a great deal of attention by neurologists and psychologists. ADHD is now widely recognized as a legitimate mental health problem.

Attention Deficit Disorder(ADD) and / Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD) are common disorders among children and adults. But are they really affecting our lives or career?

To know more about these mental disorders go to:
* What is "Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD)"?

* Latitudes.org"- helping us in alternative therapies!

"Drug-Free Treatment of ADD"
By Lendon Smith, M.D. has fought for children's health and nutrition issues for over three decades. Dr. Smith was among the first to caution against sugar, white flour, and junk food known to contribute to sickness, hyperactivity, obesity, allergies, and many illnesses in children and adults.

(This article is a taken from an exclusive interview in Dr. Joseph Mercola’s Newsletter, available at http://www.mercola.com/)

My father was a pediatrician and he believed that behavior was more genetic than environmentally produced. I was going to be a psychiatrist from about age 15 on. I felt that if we straightened out one generation, every one, including their children, would be normal after that - Freudian concept (wrong!).
In my fourth year in medical school I attended a lecture by a Portland pediatric neurologist. In the 1930s he was in charge of a home for "oddball" children. One of his clients was a wild and crazy girl. He told his nurse to give her a dose of bromide. She reached up and by mistake got hold of the benzedrine bottle. In about 30 minutes the girl was asleep.
The doctor said to the nurse, "That bromide works." The nurse said, "What did you say?"
Of course she had to fill out an accident report, but the two of them could not believe the therapeutic results. They repeated the maverick dose the next day and the girl calmed down again. The doctor wrote a paper about this and it was reported in one of the pediatric journals. He noted that most of the kids he was seeing for this same syndrome had had some sort of "hurt" to the nervous system at birth such as:
• Cord around the neck
• Prematurity
• Second of twins
• Collapsed lungs
He felt it was a "hurt" to the part of the nervous system that had to do with self-control. He had no idea why a stimulant had this calming effect. We now know that it is because there is not enough norepinephrine in their limbic system, the part of the brain that is supposed to filter out unimportant stimuli.
This serendipitous result of an accident has now allowed the psychiatrists and pediatricians to prescribe this type of narcotic drug to 4,000,000 kids on any given school day, and even pushed some of them into psychosis and homicide.
I was one of those drug-pushing pediatricians for a couple of decades. Then it became clear to me that there was a pattern to the behavior of these children. Genetics is there, of course, and can result in "hurts" to the nervous system, but my patients were 80% boys. I found in examining them --- trying to find some common denominator that I could use as a diagnostic criterion --- that they were exquisitely ticklish.
They were unable to disregard unimportant stimuli.
That is why they have trouble in the classroom with 30 other kids burping, coughing, passing gas and dropping pencils. The teacher says, "Charlie, sit down and stop moving around." No wonder home schooling is becoming popular.
Blood tests were not helpful, but hair tests showed me that they were all low in calcium and especially magnesium. No wonder they craved chocolate. (There is more magnesium in chocolate than any other food on earth.)
I began to treat them with oral doses of 500 mg magnesium and 1000 mg calcium daily. It took three weeks, but 80% of them were able to get off Ritalin or dextroamphetamine, or whatever stimulant they were on. It did not work on all of them. As time went by, I had them take vitamin B6 if dream recall was poor and essential fatty acids if they had dry skin or a history of eczema. If they had ear infections as infants, they were taken off milk.
As time went on, I found it worked on adults if they had symptoms of ticklishness and inability to disregard unimportant stimuli. Apparently these people have some enzyme defect, genetic or nutritional, that prevented them from making norepinephrine, a stimulant, which we all now recognize is made to help the filtering device in the limbic system do its job.
It is too bad that psychiatrists have failed to recognize that if a stimulant acts as a calming agent, then they must shore up the flagging enzyme that is under-producing. This all fits with the damage that we have done to the top soil. It is washing and blowing away and with it, the magnesium. The psychiatrists have made ADD/ADHD a disease, like pneumonia.
It is actually a syndrome due to a defect in the screening device of the brain. I understand that since they had made it a disease they can be compensated for treating it. Another rule they have used: "If the Ritalin works, they need it." Sort of like a Ritalin deficiency.
But the condition is not a bona fide disease. It’s a collection of symptoms and signs that seems to get in the way of a child being educated. The teacher or school administrator is usually the one who suggests that the child see a doctor for the behavior problem (psychiatrist or pediatrician), whom they know will put the kid on Ritalin or a similar drug.
The doctor hears the story from the parents that her child (usually her son) will be thrown out of school unless something is done. She has tried isolation, spankings, standing in the corner, etc, but nothing seems to work. She also knows that a one-to-one situation would be effective.
The teacher may write down the symptoms noticed: restlessness, talkative, doesn't seem to listen, forgetful, short attention span, distractible, class clown, wants attention, may be a bully, as well as a few other related symptoms and signs.
The doctor knows what to do. Usually without even an exam, except a quick look in the eyes, and a listen to see if his heart is beating, the doctor reaches for his prescription pad and writes one out for Ritalin, 5 mg, #20 (or one of the newer drugs of the same type). "Try one or two in the morning after breakfast, and see what the teacher says. It may wreck his appetite, however."
The next day, the very first day of treatment, his attention span is better and he cannot eat his lunch. It works. It is a miracle. The doctor is called and thanked profusely. He assumes since it works that the boy needs it.
When I became familiar with nutrition, I found that if a stimulant drug had a calming effect like the above, it meant that the child did not have enough norepinephrine (a stimulant) in his limbic system, and that I could help with a good diet and some supplements which should shore up the enzymes in his brain that make that neurotransmitter.
• If he had ever had ear infections, I stopped his dairy products, and added calcium 1,000 mg, usually at bedtime.
• If he was ticklish, I added magnesium - 500 mg is usually safe for child or adult.
• If he was a "Jekyll and Hyde" type of person (severe mood swings), he had intermittent low blood sugar and he needed to nibble all day to keep his blood sugar up. Or at least eat some additional protein and less carbohydrates for better maintenance of blood sugar levels. No sugar or white-flour junk food.
• If he could not remember his dreams, he needed vitamin B6 - 50 mg is about right.
• If he ever had eczema or dry scaly skin, he is to take the essential fatty acids.
• If he had dark circle under his eyes, he was eating something to which he is sensitive. Milk, wheat, corn, chocolate, eggs, citrus. Usually it is his favorite food.
I often ask these children what they like to eat. I often get a smart-alec answer, like, "rutabagas, turnips, parsnips, and broccoli." (The mother is sitting in her chair shaking her head.) People tend to eat the food to which they are sensitive. It is like the alcoholic who has low blood sugar. The child who loves milk is usually sensitive to it. They continue to drink dairy products, because somehow they need the calcium, but they are so sensitive to it, it does not get absorbed. Blood and hair tests will reveal the deficiencies.
Back in the 1960s and 70s, I began to notice there were certain common symptoms and signs amongst the "hyper" children I saw who had been pre-diagnosed by the teachers.
In addition to being 80% boys, they were usually blue-eyed blondes or green-eyed redheads.
About half of them had dark circles under their eyes (a give-away that they were eating something to which they were sensitive. Not necessarily allergic, but at least sensitive.) In most cases, that sign indicated a dairy sensitivity.
That stimulated me to ask about any ear infections the child had as an infant. Almost all had suffered from a few of those painful conditions. This is another clue that dairy products may account for some of the symptoms. Next question I asked the mother: "Does he drink milk?" Her answer: "Oh, yes, he loves it. Isn't he supposed to drink it?" Well, yes and no. If a person loves something, it suggests that he is allergic, addicted, or sensitive to it. Like chocolate or booze.
Next question for the mother: "Anything unusual about the pregnancy with him?" Many, but not all, of the mothers responded with some or all of the following problems:
• Nausea for all the nine months
• Not much weight gain during the pregnancy
• Threatened miscarriage with spotty bleeding
• Overwhelming food cravings (sweets, chocolate, dairy, pickles, or whatever)
• Emotional stress (e.g., stress from mother-in-law)
• Fetus was always moving in the uterus ("he once kicked so hard, he knocked me out of bed.")
Some mothers had delivery problems like:
• Placenta previa
• Precipitous delivery
• Nurse tried to hold him back
• Big baby--- over 10 pounds
• Small --- under 4 pounds
• Blue coloring at birth
• Needed the incubator for a few days
Still other mothers reported problems during early infancy:
• Could not latch on to breast feeding
• Constant colic for the first several weeks
• Required many formula changes
Some had all of the above; but some had none of them.
Then there followed the ear infections, as well as high fever and screaming after the vaccinations. He was a "touchy" kid.
My next question: "Does he have mood swings? Is he a Jekyl-and-Hyde person?" If yes, it is due to fluctuating blood sugar, as sugar (glucose) is a substance that the brain needs in a constant supply.
Then the physical exam started. He noticed what I was doing and needed constant reassurance that I was not going to hurt him. The heart was beating, and as I moved the stethoscope around to hear the different heart sounds, he would ask, "Can't you find it?" When I looked in his ears, and usually noted some retraction of the eardrums, he acted a if he could hear the light. The abdominal exam was difficult because he was so ticklish --- exquisitely so. I had to forget the hernia exam, even though I had backed him up against the wall by this time. These patients were usually of wirey and/or athletic build; they were rarely obese.
Because so many of these patients had some or all of the above symptoms and signs, it suggested to me that they had a vitamin or more likely, a mineral deficiency. I did some blood and hair tests. All of them, yes, all of them, had a calcium and magnesium deficiency, despite the fact that many were drinking a quart of milk a day. Apparently they could not absorb the calcium from the dairy products because of their sensitivity. The intestines were rejecting it. It also explained why they loved the milk: somehow the body was telling them to drink it to get the calcium.
Another possibility: when they had ear infections, they were put on antibiotics and those frequently needless use of powerful drugs could have wiped out the friendly bacteria and allowed the yeast, candida to grow, or at least produce an intestinal dysbiosis, and poor absorption. As I mentioned previously, but can't stress enough, there is this rule: If you love something, you are probably sensitive to it.
Diagnosis Recap
Just to recap some of my previous statements, after a few years of trying to be a good diagnostician, I accumulated these findings:
1. If a person is ticklish, goosey, sensitive, and notices everything in his environment, as he is unable to disregard unimportant stimuli, it means that he is low in magnesium, and possibly calcium. Muscle cramps and trouble relaxing or going to sleep also suggest low magnesium and calcium. These symptoms correlate nicely with the hair test showing low levels of these two minerals.
2. Poor dream recall is related to a need for vitamin B6.
3. A history of eczema or dry, scaly skin usually means a person is low in the essential fatty acids. These acids are also necessary for brain function. The nutmeg-grater feel to the skin on the thighs and back of the upper arms is usually a Vitamin A deficiency. White spot on the nails is due to low zinc.
4. A bad self-image could be the result if the parents, teachers, and classmates who are all screaming at him to sit still, shut up, and constantly asking disparagingly "What are you doing now?"
Ritalin works in just 30 minutes, while the minerals and the other supplements and diet changes take about three weeks to achieve results. The whole family has to stop the desserts, sugars, white flour, and "put-downs". Too many questions and commands lead to the poor self image.
The Use of Drugs on Children
There is no doubt that stimulant drugs are being over-prescribed for these out-of-control children. If, however, the prescribing doctor feels he/she has no alternative for the child who has been "diagnosed" by the teacher who is trying to scrape this child off the wall, the drug seems mandatory. "If it works, the child needs it" seems to be the motto.
Those of us working with these children like Dr. Doris Rapp and Dr. Billy Crook have no doubt that this is usually "a physiological screwup" and not a disease. (One reason it is called a disease is that insurance companies need a standard diagnosis before they will pay for the treatment.) ADHD and ADD have been now called diseases and have a diagnosis code number, for the psychiatrists along with the previously mentioned "disease" called dyscalculia.
ADHD will subsequently soon become a palpable disease called a neurosis when the child gets depressed and even suicidal if he is put down at every turn by teachers, parents, and his peers.
The only result of these drugs for a vast majority of kids --- as I have come to realize --- is that they will temporarily control the restless behavior.
If it works, it is not a "Ritalin deficiency", but likely a magnesium, calcium, or vitamin B6 deficiency. I have learned from my naturopathic and herbal therapists that our topsoil is becoming deficient in several minerals. The farmers are putting nitrogen, phosphates, and potassium (NPK) on the soil and their plants grow and look healthy but magnesium, zinc, selenium and other valuable minerals are depleted.
At the height of the dust bowl, the US Department of Agriculture put out a "white paper" saying that the minerals in the top soil were deficient and people may have to supply their own with supplements to avoid sickness and problems like early aging, heart attacks, joint problems, and surliness.
The point seems to be that sometimes we cannot get everything we need for healthy living from eating foods from the store or maybe even from organic farms, although those will likely be better.
Then, on top of that, if we or our children are eating the "Standard American Diet" (SAD) our nutritional status will only be worse. If a person has even one cavity, he is flawed already, and it is a clue that other nasties are just around the corner.
Even after nutritional therapy, maybe a small percent, like ten percent or less of "hyper" children may be thought to need the drugs to calm them, mainly because they have had some sort of injury to their nervous system that diet will not touch.
Many of those, however, can be still be salvaged with neurodevelopment therapy. I have seen the work of those therapists and know of the miracles they can perform. Homeopathy is a well-known and sometimes surprising type of treatment, that has saved many of these "throw away" children before they give up and go into crime for their kicks.
There are so many side effects from the stimulant drugs, I would recommend that the diet modifications, outlined elsewhere, should be tried first. These children realize they are not so bad and will even start to smile and laugh. It helped me. I was the class clown in the 6th grade, because the teacher did not know what to do with me besides making me the "humor editor" of the class newspaper.
Don't give up on these children! Remember Edison, Sir Winston Churchill, and Einstein.
Practical Tips on Children, from Pregnancy On
A couple should start taking nutrients as soon as they decide to have a child --- if they can predict this sometimes unpredictable event. Folic acid is a must for the mother to start before conception. He needs zinc, and they both should be on essential fatty acids, magnesium, calcium, and the B complex.
Vitamin C, starting at 1,000 mg a day for the first three months and then moving up to 5,000 mg a day until delivery day, has been shown to provide a more care-free pregnancy, a baby with few allergies, and an increased chance of being able to breastfeed successfully. (Dr. Frederick Klenner)
She should aim to gain about 30 pounds during the pregnancy.
The baby is more likely to be healthy and free of allergies. She should not drink cow's milk every day, if at all, and rotating the other ingredients of the diet would be important to prevent the possibility of allergies. No one should eat foods that come in packages.
Do not have sugar or white flour products in the house: someone will eat them!
Organically grown foods are better.
However, they still may not contain all the minerals needed for health. She should aim for breast feeding for the first year of the baby's life at a minimum. A lactation expert can help plan for that activity.
If possible, a home birth is less traumatic than a hospital one. Nurse, nurse, nurse is the smart way to feed the baby. No solids for the first six to eight months and then maybe some steamed zucchini or homemade applesauce to start. One might wonder about the vaccines, which we now know can be factors in the production of neurological symptoms.
Love and limits are the rules for rearing a child.
Ear infections should not be treated with antibiotics, if possible, as their use may lead to overgrowth of the yeast, Candidiasis and dysfunction of the intestines. These infections are a give-away that the child is eating something to which he is sensitive or even allergic, like cow's milk. (If the mother is drinking cow milk, those sensitizing proteins could be in her breast milk.)
There are safe natural methods of treating these infections. She can place a little vitamin C powder on her nipples every day and the baby will suck it off. The dose is about 100 mg of C per day per month of age: the six-month old would get 600 mgs a day. The dose would be 1,000 mg daily at one year and about 2,000 mg per day at age two, then decide how much daily for life after that age.
Preventing infections and the use of antibiotics should keep the baby's intestines functioning optimally. The dysbiosis of the gut may lead to improper nutrient absorption and nutritional imbalances. (From Dr Billy Crook)
If the child shows any of the telltale signs of hyperactivity like ticklishness, overreaction to sights and especially sounds, they would lead the alert parents to suspect incipient ADD. Magnesium in the 300 to 500 mg amounts daily should help. Once the parents are shouting and scolding more than they are complimenting and rewarding the child, then some psychiatric screw-up may be on its way secondary to the neurologic or nutritional defect.
Parents should be able to say nice things to their child twice as often as they give commands or ask questions.
Be nice to your child, hyper or not. He/she is the one who will put you away in a nursing home some day.
In addition:
• Bedwetting after age five years may be a clue about food sensitivities or low magnesium. (Magnesium can help the bladder muscles stretch and hold the required amount so the child may stay dry all night.)
• White spots on the nails are not a clue that the child has a lover; it is a sign of low zinc intake.
• Dry skin or eczema suggests low intake of essential fatty acids.
Breastfeeding is protective in warding off the risk of developing ADD and a host of other problems.
The essential fatty acids and many other substances present are important for the development of the brain. The breastfed baby has a slightly higher IQ than the strictly bottle fed baby. Breastfed babies have fewer infections, and hence require fewer antibiotics than the bottle fed ones. As previously discussed, if antibiotics are used for every infection that comes along, the infant and child (and adult) is likely to develop the candida yeast infection in the intestines with its attendant problems of malabsorption or dysbiosis.
Also, the immune system does not learn anything; it is not strengthened when antibiotics are used. In addition, breastfed babies are more likely to develop a better set of jaws and optimally spaced teeth. (Dr. Weston Price.)
The benefits of breastfeeding are not limited to the substances in the milk itself. Closeness and bonding are an important part of growing up.
Babies breastfed are more likely to be secure --- not spoiled ---secure.
The best years of my life were spent in the arms of another man's wife --- my mother.
There is a notion out there among some child experts that it’s best to let a baby "cry it out" in the crib when he or she is having a fit. I think that this concept sounds like an abomination of what parenting stands for. I understand this is what the Third Reich advocated, because in the 30s and 40s, the Nazi idea was to rear a tough Aryan race of children who would be obedient, used to stress, and learn to rise above the pain.
The Nazis had blue-eyed blonde true "Aryans" mate and reproduce, but the children were placed in nurseries with tough, no-nonsense nurses who "supervised" their care. The infants were only fed and changed at set intervals. Holding and cuddling was not allowed. The children thus treated --- or not treated --- in their infancy grew up to be stupid.
Love and cuddling conquers all.
If your baby cries, pick the poor thing up and try to find out what the matter is. Many people cannot believe that their baby could be hungry. You must remember that the stomach can empty itself in just an hour and a half. Assume that hunger is the cause. If the distressed little thing vomits, and then feels better, assume their is something wrong with the milk. It is most likely a sensitivity to cow milk.
Babies NEED people whom they can trust. They need to feel secure, and I might add, and a feeling that they are wanted.
The Feingold Diet
About 30 years ago, I met the late Dr. Ben Feingold, an allergist in San Francisco. He had found that many people were sensitive to aspirin. They often developed asthma, nasal polyps, skin rashes and even irritability and odd behavior, including hyperactivity. When he had these patients, often adults, stop using aspirin, the symptoms, including surliness and hyperactivity disappeared.
That started the whole Feingold Association. He discovered that aspirin or salicylates were also in many foods, including citrus, some berries, and other fruits and some vegetables. Mothers of children with hyperactivity could tell when her child ate some of the forbidden foods. It certainly worked for some children.
I was on a panel of doctors talking to parents of these children, and asked him why he did not eliminate sugar while he was at it. Ben's reply was "I bit off a little more than I could handle with the salicylate business."

Dr. Lendon Smith website: http://www.lifebalancesintl.com/

Read more at the topic:
"PhosADD Australia" brings to families affected by ADD/ADHD information on the discoveries of German pharmacist and researcher Hertha Hafer.
Her successful work over thirty years reveals that dietary phosphate is a major cause of today's ADHD epidemic.
Link to the site: ADHD and ADD. The Hyperactive Child

More resources:

* ADD Treatment Centre

* Treatment for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD) from "Psych Central.com.

"Family Web Watch" - helping your learn safe use of internet

As internet use is increased in last few years and number of people having access to internet is increasing very rapidly. Internet is a source of knowledge and learning, but at other side, we and our families are at risk. I try to bookmark all the sites or blogs, which provide any kind of internet safety guides or posts. As a parent and then an educator I can understand that we have to save ourselves from dangers of internet.

Family web watch is one of the blogs which parents can trust, because these kind of sites provide safe online surfing tips and resources.

You’ll find reviews about products and services that can help you reduce your risk to online threats. Other reviews involve sites that parents should watch out for to know where their child should and should not participate. I also post things that I think are safe, fun, and educational.

Ken Cooper, the author of this blog is an enthusiast of "protecting families in an online world". There are not many posts at the blog, as it is relatively new, but you can subscribe to the blog, to get fresh posting news at your inbox.

Blog is very useful as well as interesting for parents, kids and children, because there are many links, advice and tips for everyone.


More sites and posts about internet safety:

* Kids Konnect"- A safe internet gateway for kids!

* The world’s largest Internet Safety site “Wired Kids”

* Sites and links providing help for safe internet use!

* Useful links for online safety !

"Fema for kids"- teaching how to be prepared for disasters!

Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA is in charge of helping people before and after a disaster. FEMA is called in to help when the President declares a disaster. Disasters are "declared" after hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes or other similar events strike a community. The Governor of the state must ask for help from the President before FEMA can respond.

FEMA workers help disaster victims find a place to stay if their homes were damaged or destroyed.
FEMA also helps repair homes and works with city officials to fix public buildings that have been damaged.

FEMA helps people BEFORE a disaster so they will be ready. FEMA teaches people how to prepare for a disaster and how to make their homes as safe as possible. FEMA works with communities to help them build safer, stronger buildings that are less likely to be damaged. FEMA also trains firefighters and emergency workers, and runs a flood insurance program. FEMA is part of the EXECUTIVE BRANCH, which means it reports to the President of the United States.

Fema for kids teaches you to be prepared for disasters and prevent disaster damage.

You can also learn what causes disasters, play games, read stories and become a Disaster Action Kid.
Parents and teachers page has activities, curriculum and safety information you can use in the classroom or at home!

* Disaster web sites

Lean how the world actually works at "How stuff works?"-

It is exciting to learn new things and I believe that learning never ends. Being an educator I learn a lot from my students also. Internet has done a great favour for everyone, by providing a wealth of information by a click of mouse. Now you talk about dictionary or encyclopedia or news, everything is in your hands ( a click away).

At " How Stuff Works", you would feel like exploring the world in an easy and interactive way. Parents, teachers and students can equally get useful information about any topic from How stuff work?.

Let's see what you can find there:

From car engines to search engines, from cell phones to stem cells, and thousands of subjects in between, HowStuffWorks has answered it. You can find comprehensive articles, helpful graphics and informative videos on every topic.

On HowStuffWorks, you can also find consumer opinions and exclusive access to independent expert ratings and reviews from the trusted editors at Consumer Guide -- all of the information you need to make a purchasing decisions ¬in just a few clicks.

Mission:
“Demystify the world and do it in a simple, clear-cut way that anyone can understand"
Achievements:
HowStuffWorks has won multiple Webby awards, was among Time Magazine's "25 Web Sites We Can't Live Without" in 2006 and 2007, and has been one of PC Magazine's "Top 100 Web Sites" four times, including in 2007. Recently, HowStuffWorks became part of the Discovery Communications family, in a merger that will make HowStuffWorks the cornerstone of Discovery’s digital platform and ultimately create a fully multimedia version of an encyclopedia, with content and video that will answer virtually any question an Internet user might have. A HowStuffWorks program on the Discovery Channel is currently in the works.

HowStuffWorks, a wholly owned subsidiary of Discovery Communications, is the award-winning source of credible, unbiased, and easy-to-understand explanations of how the world actually works.
This site was founded by North Carolina State University Professor Marshall Brain in 1998.


To get newsletter from the site:

How stuff work?

Related post:

How things work?

Note taking techniques

These tips and techniques are very useful as they are suggested from known College or Universities or their teachers. Proper note taking can help you in getting good grades. So keep this tips and techniques in mind either you are a student or teacher. Because these are equally useful for both.

These tips are provided from "Academic Tips.org":

Note Taking Techniques
"The most comprehensive note taking systems require attention on your part. You must be alert enough in class to take legible, meaningful notes. You can't rely on "writing everything down" because a lot of information in a given lecture won't help you actually learn the material. If you have problems determining the specific relevant points in a particular class, you can always ask the professor to clarify them for you.

"Reading Rocket"- helping kids learn to read

Reading Rocket is a comprehensive and daily updated web site that includes reading news headlines, research-based articles, tips for parents and educators, video interviews with top children's book authors, a monthly e-newsletter, national and local resources, an online store, and much more.

"Reading Rocket" is a national multimedia project that offers research-based and best-practice information on teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle. It is an educational service of public television station WETA in Washington, D.C.

The National Institutes of Health estimates that one in five children has serious difficulties learning to read. These children are potentially among the most troubled kids in society. With early identification and a lot of help, however, children who struggle to read can flourish; without it they are at risk for failure in school and in life.

ReadingRockets.org

Since 1965, the federal government has invested more than $100 million to find out why so many children have problems learning to read and what can be done. Thanks to that research, we now know how to identify children at risk and how to help them before they fail. Reading Rockets' mission is to take that research-based and best-practice information and make it available to as many people as possible through the power and reach of television and the Internet.

Mission:
Reading Rockets aims to inform and inspire parents, teachers, childcare providers, administrators, and others who touch the life of a child by providing accurate, accessible information on how to teach kids to read and help those who struggle.

- The project is guided by an advisory panel made up of leading researchers and experts in the field of reading. They produce and distribute research-based PBS television programs, online services, and professional development opportunities, which are available at no cost.

* Teachers page gives you information that's research-based on how to teach reading effectively.
- Strategies to Help Kids Who Struggle

Sign up for free newsletters to receive news and information about key issues in reading, learning disabilities, and other areas of learning.

* Free print guides created for parents, teachers, and others who want to improve the reading achievement of children. You're welcome to download and print these guides for your own use.
Link: Reading Guides

- Download link of the guides: Guides from Reading Rockets
- These are many of our favorite guides, published by organizations devoted to reading and literacy issues: Guides from Other Organizations

Eleven tips: parents can encourage the children to become good readers!

Teachers and parents both can play an important role in making the child a good reader.
Research has shown that enjoying books with a child for even a few minutes a day can make a measurable difference in the acquisition of basic reading skills, and that everyday activities – such as a trip to the grocery store – can be turned into enjoyable learning experiences.

These are 11 tips for parents can encourage the children to become good readers:

1- Create appreciation of the written word
Find time to read aloud with your child every day. Typically, parents play an important role in developing this skill by reading to children and showing how important reading is to their daily life. Lap time with picture books and stories can strongly motivate your child to enjoy reading. Try to make these books available for your children to explore and enjoy on their own as well.

2- Develop awareness of printed language
Teach about books. When reading aloud to your child, let your child open the book and turn the pages. Point to the words as you read. Draw attention to repeated phrases, inviting your child to join in each time they occur.

Point out letters and words that you run across in daily life. Make an obvious effort to read aloud traffic signs, billboards, notices, labels on packages, maps, and phone numbers. Make outings a way to encourage reading by showing your child how printed words relate to daily living.

3- Learn the alphabet
Play alphabet games. Sing the alphabet song to help your child learn letters as you play with alphabet books, blocks, and magnetic letters. Recite letters as you go up and down stairs or give pushes on a swing. A-B-C, dot-to-dot and letter-play workbooks, games, and puzzles are available at most toy stores. Many engaging computer games are designed for teaching children letters. Make sure these toys are available even when you are unable to play along.

Watch Sesame Street with your child. Show the child how to sing along, answer the riddles, and engage actively in its fun.

Make writing materials available to your child and encourage their use. Help your child learn to write his/her name and other important words or phrases. Gradually, help the child learn to write more and more letters. At first, most children find it easier to write uppercase letters.

4- Understand the relation of letters and words
Teach your child to spell a few special words, such as his/her name, stop, or exit. Challenge the child to read these words every place they are seen. Draw attention to these and other frequently occurring words as you read books with your child. Challenge the child to read these words as they arise or to search them out on a page. Play word-building games with letter tiles or magnetic letters. Have the child build strings of letters for you to read.

Understand that language is made of words, syllables, and phonemes
Sing songs and read rhyming books. Sing the alphabet with your child, and teach your child songs that emphasize rhyme and alliteration, such as "Willaby Wallaby Woo" and "Down By the Sea." Emphasize the sounds as you sing. Play rhyming games and clap out names. Jumble the wording or word order of familiar poems and challenge your child to detect the error. Talk like a robot, syllable by syllable.

5- Play word games. Challenge your child to play with words. For example, ask your child to think of words that rhyme with bat or begin with /m/. What would be left if you took the /k/ sound out of cat? What would you have if you put these sounds together: /p/ and ickle; /m/ and ilk; and /s/, /a/, and /t/. Which of these words starts with a different sound – bag, candy, bike? Do boat and baby start with the same sound?

6- Learn letter sounds
Sound out letters. Point out other words that begin with the same letter as your child's name, drawing attention to the similarities of the beginning sound. Use alphabet books, computer games, or car games such as, "I'm thinking of something that starts with /b/" to engage the child in alliterative and letter-sound play. If you have a book that lends itself to alliteration and rhyme, such as a Dr. Seuss book, sound out rhyming words as you read or challenge the child to do so for you. Play word games that connect sounds with syllables and words. For example: If this spells cat, how do you spell hat?

7- Sound out new words
Point out new words. As you encounter them, say the sound while touching each letter in a new word. For example, say "s-u-n" and then blend sounds to create the word. In practicing new words, use predictable words with common sounds and spellings, like fun or sat instead of night or saw.

If you encounter words with unknown meanings or with complex spellings, encourage your child to try to sound out the words. However, if too many words require this kind of attention and effort, it is best to find an easier book.

Play spelling games with your child. After your child begins pronouncing words, encourage spelling by saying each sound in the words and then writing the letter that goes with the sound.

Encourage your child to spell. After your child has learned to pronounce words, have the child say each sound.

Independent writing. Encourage your child to use inventive or independent spelling. At this stage, the child will tend to omit letters and confuse letter names with letter sounds, producing such spellings as LFNT for elephant, BN for bean, and FARE for fairy. Use correction wisely. What you should be most concerned about is the child's sensitivity to the sounds that need to be represented.

8- Identify words in print accurately and easily
Help your children to read easy, enjoyable stories as often as possible. It is likely that your child will enjoy reading more and learn more from reading if you sit together, taking turns reading and encouraging discussion. In the beginning, invite the child to read well-chosen words. Gradually, as the child becomes able, take turns with sentences, speakers, paragraphs, and pages. At the end of each section or story, revisit those words that caused trouble. Rereading the entire story over several days, and again weeks later, is a powerful way to reinforce this learning.

9- Know spelling patterns
Now it becomes useful to point out the similarities between words such as will, fill, and hill or light, night, and sight. This is also the time to help your child learn the correct spelling of the words he/she writes.

10- Learn to read reflectively
Pause for discussions as you read. As you read stories to and with your child, stop frequently to discuss their language, content, and relevance to real life and other knowledge. Pause to explore the meanings of new words, using them in other sentences and contrasting what they mean with words that have similar meanings. Make an effort to revisit new words and concepts later, when the book has been put aside.

When reading stories, pause to discuss the various characters, problems, events in the story, and invite your child to think about how the problems might be solved or to wonder about what might happen next. When resuming a story, ask your child to review what has happened so far, drawing attention to looming mysteries and unresolved conflicts. In reading expository text, invite the child to marvel at the creatures or events described and to wonder about details or connections not mentioned by the text.

11-Above all: read, read, and re-read.

These tips for parents from top researchers for children with learning disabilities.
By: Ed Kame'enui, Marilyn J. Adams, and G. Reid Lyon
Link: Tips for Parents from Top Researchers

Poor eating habits and how to change it?

Both parents and teachers teach their kids about healthy eating and spread the words about it. I have adviced many parents in this regard to check if their children are getting proper healthy diet. Because poor eating habits can effect the performance of your child at school.

Healthy food means "Eating a variety of foods, which could provide your child, essential nutrients such as protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins, and minerals to well-nourish her/him. Naturally poor eating healthy habits would result in weak immune system, which increases the chances of sickness.

What are the poor eating habits?

Poor eating habits include:

- Eating a very limited variety of foods.
- Refusing to eat entire groups of foods such as vegetables.
- Eating too many foods of poor nutritional quality such as soft drinks, chips, and doughnuts.
- Overeating due to being served large portions or due to a parent saying "clean your plate" or "finish it all up.

What causes poor eating habits?
Poor eating habits can develop in otherwise healthy children for several reasons. Infants are born liking sweet tastes. But if babies are going to learn to eat a wide variety of basic foods, they need to learn to like other tastes, because many nutritious foods don't taste sweet.

Available food choices: If candy and soft drinks are always available, most children will choose these foods rather than a more nutritious snack. But forbidding these choices can make your child want them even more. You can include some less-nutritious foods as part of your child's meals so that he or she learns to enjoy them along with other foods. Although in the division of responsibility it is your child's job to decide how much of a food he or she will eat at a meal, it is okay to limit dessert to one serving. It is your responsibility as a parent to decide what foods are offered as well as when and where meals and snacks are offered. Try to keep a variety of nutritious and appealing food choices available.

Healthy and kid-friendly snack ideas include:

- String cheese.
- Whole-wheat crackers and peanut butter.
- Air-popped or low-fat microwave popcorn.
- Frozen juice bars made with 100% real fruit.
- Fruit and dried fruit.
- Baby carrots with hummus or bean dip.
- Low-fat yogurt with fresh fruit.

The need for personal choice.
Power struggles between a parent and child can affect eating behavior. If children are pressured to eat a certain food, they are more likely to refuse to eat that food, even if it is something they usually would enjoy. Remember, your responsibility is to provide a variety of nutritious foods. Your child's job is to decide what and how much he or she will eat from the choices you offer.
Emotion. A child's sadness, anxiety, or family crisis can cause undereating or overeating. If you think your child's emotions are affecting his or her eating, focus on resolving the problem that is causing the emotions instead of focusing on the eating behavior.

If your child is healthy and eating a nutritious and varied diet, yet eats very little, he or she may simply need less food energy (calories) than other children. Similarly, some children need more daily calories than others the same age or size, and they eat more than you might expect. Every child has different calorie needs.

In rare cases, a child may eat more or less than usual because of a medical condition that affects his or her appetite. If your child has a medical condition that affects how he or she eats, talk with your child's doctor about how you can help your child get the right amount of nutrition.

What are the risks of eating poorly?
A child with poor eating habits is going to be poorly nourished. That is, he or she won't be getting the amounts of nutrients needed for healthy growth and development. This can lead to being underweight or overweight. Poorly nourished children tend to have weaker immune systems, which increases their chances of illness. Poor eating habits can increase a child's risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes later in life.

Source: Healthy eating for children

To read more about the topic:

* Factors that influence children's food choices
* Changing Your Family's Eating Habits

Related article from "A learner's diary":

* Healthy eating for your child

"Tox Town"- educating us about environment health concerns

"Tux Town"is an interactive guide to commonly encountered toxic substances, your health, and the environment. It helps users explore a Port, Town, City, Farm, to identify common environmental hazards.

Information on chemical and environmental concerns is from the TOXNET and MedlinePlus resources of the National Library of Medicine

Tox Town is designed to give you information on:

- everyday locations where you might find toxic chemicals
- non-technical descriptions of chemicals
- links to selected, authoritative chemical information on the Internet
- how the environment can impact human health
- Internet resources on environmental health topics

Tox Town uses color, graphics, sounds and animation to add interest to learning about connections between chemicals, the environment, and the public's health. Tox Town's target audience is students above elementary-school level, educators, and the general public.

For Teachers:

* Environmental Health Education

Tox Town and other National Library of Medicine resources can help with student-friendly information on human health and the environment, plus pollution and toxic chemicals.
Students can learn about their school's indoor air quality and environment, toxic chemicals in homes and communities, and the impact of the environment on the quality of drinking water or outdoor air.

Raising Environmental Health Awareness

Print and photocopy one or more of the location scenes on the clip artpage and pass to students.
Ask students to circle the places on the scene where they might encounter environmental health concerns and give examples of what they think they might find. List specific risks that those problem areas might pose, for example the river might be polluted, the school chem lab might store toxic chemicals or trucks may be spewing exhaust.
Then give the students time to explore Tox Town. Students can compare the concerns circled on paper with those they find illustrated in Tox Town.

Ask students to choose one environmental health concern from the scene and write 2-3 paragraphs about the possible effects of that concern on people's health.

-For higher level thinking, students can predict what risks might exist in their own community (that match the scene) and where. Students could also check local government resources, newspapers, and environmental groups to learn about and verify local concerns.

- Classroom Activities and Discussion Questions

Kids would love to search this health and food related site

This site is health related, but it is so colourful and interactive that kids would love to browse it.

Kids home page is from FDA (U.S Food and Drug Adminitration) and have food safety and other health related stuff for kids.

* Link to other kids sites
* parents corner provides a lot of helping health related posts/links.

*News page would be informative for parents and kids.

For example: A news about "Apple Cider Safety"
Apple cider is a fun and delicious drink. It tastes almost like apple juice, but a little stronger and the color is a little darker. You can buy it mostly in the fall at the store and when you go to the pumpkin patch and fall fairs.

But some apple cider may not be safe to drink, especially for kids. If it hasn’t been pasteurized (a type of heating) or treated in another way to kill germs, it might make you sick. Be sure to ask your parents or teachers before drinking any apple cider to be sure it’s safe

* Another page from FDA: For Kids, Teens, & Educators

- An Activity Book for You to Color: Food Safety at Home, School and When Eating Out

* At another site, read about 10 of the best and worst foods for children: 10 of the Worst/best Children's Foods

"Teaching Expertise"- A learning site for teachers and parents

This is one of the sites which is a good source of learning for parents and teachers. I could find a lot of articles on various topics about learning as a teacher, which are equally beneficial as a parent.

Teaching Expertise is an information and learning website for teachers and other education professionals. It's a place to come for free education articles and bulletins, advice and guidance, knowledge sharing and ideas.


There's a huge searchable library plus our full catalogue of books and newsletters. A lot of material on Teaching Expertise is also useful for parents and researchers.

Mission: To provide teachers with the best place to learn from each other and develop professionally and personally.

Site was launched in November 2006.

* Section Teaching and learning covers everything from curriculum development to classroom conflict.

* Managing behaviour positively can go a long way to reducing the stress levels of staff and pupils alike. The articles in this section explore the challenges involved in providing the optimum climate for learning, both for encouraging positive behaviour and reducing negative behaviour.
- Behaviour

* Every Child Matters is highlighting achievement and enjoyment for all. In schools, teachers are overcoming barriers in the classroom, and learning more about meeting individual needs. The articles here will inform, update and stimulate your work with pupils with SEN
- Special Educational Needs
some sample articles are:
- Activities to develop gross motor skills
- Activities to develop social communication skills
- New resource for teaching synthetic phonics
- Gifted and talented children are not always easy to spot, as parents, teachers and educational psychologists have different criteria for making judgements. Once identified, these pupils need support to achieve their full potential. Teacher expectation, expertise on the part of educators and effective management of provision are all contributing factors. Find out more about gifted and talented provision, by browsing the articles in this section.
- Gifted & Talented

* School leadership and management teams need to be honest and boldy introspective, to examine their own practices and ask themselves if they are really doing all they can to create the conditions in which highly effective work can take place at all levels, at all times. These articles span the wide range of leadership skills and management functions which enable the school to achieve a 'high-performance culture'.
- Leadership and Management

* CPD (continuing professional development) plays a key role in enhancing teachers' success as educators. The transmission of a thirst for knowledge – so central to what teachers do in the classroom – cannot prevail without regular professional learning, to keep teaching as vibrant and effective as possible. This section contains a wide range of articles relating to CPD – for both teaching and non-teaching staff.
- CPD – Continuing Professional Development

* Safeguarding and child protection training is now required for all staff who work with children. The Every Child Matters national framework includes, "The duty to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people". In this section you will find articles to inform and update you on this vitally important issue.
- Child Protection
* These articles, taken from recent issues of our Optimus newsletters, will prove invaluable for anyone with a professional or personal interest in Early Years.
- Early Years
- Helping young children understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle
- The importance of healthy eating for young children
- Encouraging communication, curiosity and creativity

As a Parents:
** These articles for parents will provide you with a wide range of information about issues in your child's school. There are also many specific topic areas for you to explore, including behaviour, achievement, special educational needs and more.
- Parents

As a teacher:
** Find fresh inspiration and practical ideas for Classroom Teachers in our education articles. Read professional updates, broaden your knowledge and discover transferable good practice in our case studies.
- Classroom Teacher
- Motivating every learner

Healthy eating for your child

Eating habits play a big role in providing nutrition to your child, which helps them to stay healthy and fit. But what is a healthy menu and how we can help develop healthy habit among our children?

"Kaiser Permanente.org" is a non-profit organization providing health guidelines. It suggests "healthy eating" in these words:

As a parent:
Your job is to offer nutritious food choices at meals and snack times. You decide the what, where, and when of eating.
and
Your child's job is to choose how much he or she will eat of the foods you serve. Your child decides how much or even whether to eat.

Healthy eating means eating a variety of foods so that your child gets the nutrients (such as protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins, and minerals) he or she needs for normal growth. If your child regularly eats a wide variety of basic foods, he or she will be well-nourished.

How much food is good for my child?
From birth until about 2 or 3 years old, children have an "internal hunger gauge" that signals how much food they need at a given time. Babies cry to let us know they're hungry. When they're full, they stop eating. Children continue this pattern as they grow—they eat as much or as little as their bodies need. But after the age of 2 or 3, this internal hunger gauge is also affected by other things. It is important to get your child to pay attention to the natural signs of hunger from his or her body.

It may worry you to see your child eat very little at a meal. Children tend to eat the same number of calories every day if they are allowed to eat in response to their internal hunger gauge. The pattern of calorie intake is different from day to day. One day a child may eat a big breakfast, a big lunch, and hardly any dinner. The next day this same child may eat very little at breakfast but may eat a lot at lunch and dinner. Don't expect your child to eat the same amount of food at every meal and snack each day.

How can I help my child eat well and be healthy?
Many parents worry that their child is either eating too much or too little. Perhaps your child only wants to eat one type of food—peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, for instance. One way to help your child eat well and help you worry less is to know what your job is and what your child’s job is when it comes to eating. Some food experts call this the division of responsibility.1 If your child only wants to eat one type of food, he or she is doing the parent's job of deciding what food choices are. In the division of responsibility, it is the parent's job to decide what foods are offered.

How can you help to develop healthy eating habits?

You can help support your child's healthy eating habits and physical activity level by:

Eating together as a family as often as possible. Keep family meals pleasant and positive. Avoid making comments about the amount or type of food your child eats. Pressure to eat actually reduces children's acceptance of new or different foods.
Making healthy food choices for your family's meals. Children notice the choices you make and follow your example.
Setting limits on your child's daily television and computer time. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a limit of 1 to 2 hours of screen time a day.2 Sit down with your child and plan out how he or she will use this time allowance.
Making physical activity a part of your family's daily life. Some ways to do this include walking your child to and from school, and teaching your child how to skip, hop, dance, play catch, jump rope, and ride a bike.

Taking a walk after dinner.
Taking your child to all recommended well-child checkups. You can use this time to discuss your child's growth rate, activity level, and eating habits with a doctor.

Source link: Healthy eating for children

To read more: Helping Your Child to Eat Well

* More resources and links page for health

Mutual benefits for both advertisers and bloggers at "Smorty"

Blogs are becoming an attraction for advertisers, as "blog advertising" has become the first choice for them. People are attacked by ads everywhere, so normal or banner advertising doesn't produce the results, advertisers expect. Blog provide a good way of advertising, as people tend to read blog and blog posts with interest.

Same way bloggers get some money for their efforts. And as I have noticed your blog also get links from search engines, as you write/review about related topics at your blog.

"Smorty" is one of the sites which provide get paid to blog opportunities for bloggers.
Rules to register are as follows:

- Your blog should be approved first to get the opportunites.
- Your blog must be indexed by Google and Yahoo
- It should be older than 3 months
- It should have minimum histroy to 2 posts per week.
- The lowest rate per review is $6.00
- You are paid (in case of your review is approved)after one week via paypal.
Check the faq section to know more about it.

"Latitudes.org"- helping us in alternative therapies!

As a mother, I know that parents have to face a lot of physical or neuro challenges regarding their children. Usually we choose the regular way of treatment for any kind of sickness, but every parent is now aware of the side effects of the available medications. Personally I prefer alternative therapies for any kind of physical or neuro disorders.

The Association for Comprehensive NeuroTherapy (ACN) is a non profit organization. So resources and links are mostly free except some publications. But the articles and posts at the site, and blog are very informative.

The Association for Comprehensive NeuroTherapy (ACN) is dedicated to exploring advanced and alternative non-toxic treatments for: anxiety, autism, attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, tics and Tourette syndrome, and learning disabilities.

The site Latitude.org is from the ACN helping you in learning to have a healthier brain and nerous system- naturally by reducing or avoiding the need for prescription medications.

Few links to the articles suggested from the site:
* Anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
* ADD & ADHD
* 10 tips from ACN for families dealing with ADHD

Download: Behavior modification charts for home and school

* You may sign up for their e-newsletter: sign up page
* Link to the forum
* Link to the blog: blog

"Kaushal Sheth"- providing guide to best web hosting

Kaushal Sheth is a young blogger from Mumbai, India. He is himself a student of electronics and telecommunication and this blog is an effort to learn better about Web Designing, Content Development, Web Development
Marketing ,Branding, Internet Advertising, Blogs, Search Engines and SEO.

As he considers himself a student and learner, his advice in sugesting us the
best web hosting might be very useful. Because he researched the web to find out top 10 hosting sites. He has given only 3 site links, but we hope that after more search, he can suggest more sites to the blog readers.

He offers blog templates and he also provides custom themes at a nominal rate.
Blog is very easy to search.

There are many
You can get the updates at your in-box by subscribing the blog: subscribe here

* His links page: recommended links
* You can download many word press themes
FREE at this link
* Link for bloggers templates
His site Kaushal Sheth.net has more blog templates and themes.

"Neurolearning blog"- A blog about learning, teaching and brain

Eide Neurolearning Blog is created by the persons who are from education field, alongwith physician degree, so their posts are very rich informative source. Parents or teacher can both read the blog to know more about learning and brain related articles.

Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide, who are physicians and from education field. This blog is about brain, learning, teaching and more about these topics.

Few very useful and informative articles:

* In the article "What Today's Students Can Learn from IDEO " it says:
"IDEO is a world reknown and innovative design firm that helped develop Apple Computer's first mouse, the Palm V, the insulin pen, the first stand-up toothpaste tube, and overhauled the consumer experiences of Kaiser Permanente Hospitals and high fashion dressing rooms.

With the Information Revolution, facts and information base are not the essential commodity any more. It's no longer vital to "know that", but rather to "know why" and "how to make better." And these skills are right up IDEO's alley. What IDEO may help specifically with is a more systematic approach to teaching and encouraging problem solving."
To read in details:

* The Blessings and the Burdens of High IQ

* Your Brain with Time- What About Teen Brain?

* Timing is Everything - Dyslexia, ADHD, Auditory Processing, Sensory Integration.

* Research studies have shown video gamers who practice on action games like Medal of Honor have a wider visual span and greater sensitivity to visual detection. But the flipside of this visual sensitivity is increased visual distraction. More at the article: Are Computers Driving Us to Distraction?

Their one of the blog is Classical School Blog which is about resources, links, and lesson plans- including all aspects of the Trivium - Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric, Latin and a little Greek, Ancient and Modern History, Great Books and Philosophy, Bible and Theology, and Classical Math and Science. For homeschooling and traditional schooling parents and teachers.

"Bad Credit Offers"-An online credit counseling guide

Money or finance is important to every person, but without any management and plan, we cannot lead a debt free life. Getting credit to repair bad credit is a difficult task. We need to consult credit counseling for the solution of our problems.

"Bad Credit Offers.com" is an online free resource for people with bad credit loans. It not only helps you in your bad credit management, but you can learn about your credit history and get advice from the site.

Mission:

"To provide consumers with the knowledge and resources necessary to help them find the best credit offer to fit their needs, regardless of a bad credit history."

Their experts monitor the credit market place to bring "bad credit" offers at the site. These are the best credit offers which can fit to your financial needs.



Link to the page: Credit counseling

There are many options at the site, which can be checked according to personal financial conditions like as
- Compare credit cards offer
- Credit repair
- Detbt consolidation
- home loans
- Auto loans
- Personal loans
- Credit report and score

Note: BadCreditOffers.com is not a lender, and does not issue credit cards. The site links to third party resources. And the stuff provided at the site is for informational and educational purpose only.

"Parenting.org"- A helping resource for parents

Parenting.org is a FREE resource for parnets. They answer your parenting questions with resources and guidance on how to successfully raise, praise, discipline, teach and love your child.

You can find parenting help, free tips, advice, resources and guidance at this site. There are many valuable resources, articles and stories offering parenting help. It is a site from Boys town.org, a non-profit, non-sectarian organization.
What more you can get from the site?
(In their own words)

"If you're a parent educator or professional who works with families, you've come to the right place.
Whether you work through a school system, a public organization, or private organization, you're expected to help parents. It's a challenge. There are single parents, stepparents, traditional and nontraditional families.
Each parent you deal with,-------

- Represents a different background and circumstance.

- Comes from a childhood of unique and varying degrees of problems and dysfunction.

- Have different parenting experiences and expectations.
- When the diversity is so great, how do you respond? Where do you find sound advice that parents can apply to their own situations? Where do you find affordable professional material and programs to help you on the job?

This is your source for information on things that concern family life. From parenting to child development, you'll find the resources you need."
More about the site:
They specialize in training, consulting, and researching parenting practices that will help you and others like you deal with the day-to-day care taking, guidance, and development of your child.

There are a lot of informative articles according to age group, and you are a parent or an educator, these useful and full of advice articles can be helping source.
- Caring and care for Kids and Children ages 0-4
- Caring and care for Kids and Children ages 5-9
- Help Parenting Tweens, Preteens and Young Adolescents ages 10-14
- Help Parenting Teenagers and High School Teens Ages 15 and Up
-

FREE e-books offers:

1- "What Every Parent Should Know"
(127k PDF File)
"It is about facts on dangers affecting today's youth. Whether you're a mom or dad looking for assurance or struggling to keep your kids free from trouble, this compact guide puts proven solutions at your fingertips.

Concise and easy-to-read, this booklet outlines the warning signs of kids who abuse drugs and alcohol, feel depressed or suicidal, are overly influenced by peers, confused by sex, involved in gang activity, are prone to self-injury, distressed by divorce, suffer eating disorders, and lack the values and the skills to set appropriate boundaries, solve problems, or build relationships."


2- "Rules for Unruly Children"
(724k PDF File)
Rules for Unruly Children, written by Richard L. Munger for use by Boys Town, is meant to change your child's problem behavior as quickly as possible, using simple techniques that will work with most children. This book offers parenting approaches that:

- Can be learned quickly
- Can be used immediately
- Gives quick results
- Work with most problem behaviors

Download link for both books:

Impact of computer use on child's vision

All about vision is a source of trustworthy information on eye health and vision correction options.

How long hours use of computer can effect the vision of our children, there are useful articles about the topic:

According to a survey report:

- 90 percent of school-age children have computer access at home or in school.

- 54 million children in the United States alone use a computer at home or in school.
Several recent studies provide evidence that computers can have a negative impact on a child's vision:

* 25 percent to 30 percent of computer-using children need corrective eyewear to work comfortably and safely at the computer at home or in school, says a study at the University of California at Berkeley School of Optometry.

* The percentage of first-graders with myopia has increased from 12.1 percent to 20.4 percent since 1995, according to a study by the Department of Health in Taiwan.

* A similar study in Singapore found that in three years the percentage of seven- to nine-year-olds with myopia had doubled, to 34 percent.

Sitting for hours in front of a computer screen stresses a child's eyes because the computer forces the child's vision system to focus and strain a lot more than any other task. Twenty years ago, most children played outside, and their distant vision was more important. Today, most children work at a computer either at home or school each day. Sitting in front of a computer and staring at a computer screen is causing vision problems that were not known years ago.

Today it is a "near-point world," and parents need to be aware of the vision problems associated with computer work. Computer use demands fine motor skills from young eyes that are not well developed. Only when the visual system matures is a child better able to handle the stress of a computer on that system.

According to the American Optometric Association, the impact of computer use on children's vision involves these factors:

Children have a limited degree of self-awareness. They may perform a task on the computer for hours with few breaks. This prolonged activity can cause eye focusing and eye strain problems.

Children are very adaptable. They assume that what they see and how they see is normal — even if their vision is problematic. That's why it is important for parents to monitor the time a child spends working at a computer.

Children are smaller than adults. Since computer workstations are often arranged for adult use, this can change the viewing angle for children. Computer users should view the screen slightly downward, at a 15-degree angle. Furthermore, as a result of difficulty reaching the keyboard or placing their feet on the floor, a child may experience neck, shoulder and/or back pain.
Five Tips for Preventing Computer Vision Syndrome in Children
Many pediatric eye doctors believe that environmental stress of the "near-point world" rather than heredity is creating the myopia (nearsightedness) epidemic. In fact, children using computers before their visual systems are fully developed are at the very heart of the public health problem called computer vision syndrome (CVS). To prevent your child from suffering from CVS, follow these five tips:

Before starting school, every child should have a comprehensive eye exam, including near-point (computer and reading) and distance testing.

Workstations should be arranged to suit a child — not an adult.

The recommended distance between the monitor and the eye for children is 18-28 inches. By viewing the computer screen closer than 18 inches, children risk straining their eyes. Read more tips for adjusting the monitor and room lighting to reduce glare.

Parents and teachers should be aware of any behavior that indicates potential problems, such as eye redness, frequent rubbing of the eyes, head turns and other unusual postures, or complaints of blurriness or eye fatigue. Avoidance of the computer may also be an indication of discomfort.

Most importantly, have your child's eyes examined by a computer vision specialist.
Link to the article: Children and Computer Vision Syndrome By Larry K. Wan, O.D.

For parents: (A lot of informative material at) Children's Vision: What Parents Need to Know

* A Guide to Children's Vision Problems

* Vision Therapy for Children

Get parent's advice and tips at "Minti"

There are a lot of message boards or forums for parents but "minti" is different in this sense that it is for parents and from the parents.
This is a social community, where parents can share and gain valuable advice. minti is about advice, friendship and community for parents.

Mainly the site contains articles about parenting and topics range from pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, babies, early childhood, schooling, tweens, teenage years and beyond.
It all started in 2005, by Rachel Cook, who was inspired by "wikipedia" and felt the need for "parent to parent advice-opedia"

The story behind the creation of this site is interesting:

What prompted the creation of Minti?

"When becoming a mother for the first time, Co-Founder, Rachel Cook discovered motherhood was actually about trial and error. She sought ways of finding information to alleviate the downsides of this method. She discovered how little concise, detailed information was available to be passed down from experienced mothers and fathers, particularly on what methods worked and what didn't, in bringing up children. Gaining this tried and proven advice was a constant challenge. The really good advice appeared to be spread via word of mouth or on an ad-hoc basis. There was not enough advice and experience captured to choose alternatives from and it was tough to get the 'good advice' spread around the world to other parents.

Rachel researched the space for over more than a year and discovered that a single place where concise, clear advice and experiences from parents and targeted at the modern parent was lacking. The industry 'appeared' to be fragmented and she found mounting evidence of an influx of parents requiring more depth and understanding to the advice. Magazine articles and books were great sources of information but they could not be thoroughly discussed and expanded on. In many situations where serious help was required only those families with high disposable incomes could gain access to expert 'hands on' advice implemented in the home.

If this was the situation in Perth, Western Australia, then what was it like in the world's biggest economy, the U.S. Rachel searched for a site that offered parenting advice "first hand" from parents but could not find one that solved the problem without excessive advertising, "experts" rather than real parents and difficult to search information.

The desire to create a place for parents to share advice on a global footing fuelled the vision to pull a team together to make Minti happen."
Their mission is to create a “the world’s largest parent to parent advice-opedia”.
What site offers?

- Over 4000 parenting advice articles.
- Advice powered by parents, not corporations
- Over 600 interest groups to join
- Free profile page with blog and photo storage
- Membership is FREE

For fresh news and posts:
- minti blog
- The parenting advice page provides advice written by parents, for parents and ranked according to how useful it is.

Sign up at register page and after becoming member you can also write articles about your parent experiences.

Review: "Ashop Commerce"- provider of e-commerce software

As blogs are becoming popular to internet users, more blogs are being created. According to Technorati, currently there are 51.8 Million weblogs and the blogosphere continues to double about every 6 months. Bloggers are now interested in monetizing their blogs. Many bloggers prefer to place ads on their blogs, and many like to sell products at their blogs.

Now selling online has become very easy by using shopping cart software, which can help anyone to sell online. It is mainly a shopping cart software, offering you to create online selling place at your blog or site.

"Ashop Commerce" has provided this software, which is so easy to use that you don't need to know HTML language, or other IT related matters. Because you may get the full manual alongwith the software. You are provided live support from the site. And even you are a blogger or site owner with no previous selling online experience, you are guided well to create your online store with the help of this (shopping cart)ecommerce software.

Check the frequently asked question page for more details.

Site is offering a 10 day FREE trial for shopping cart software.

Role of educational toys and games in skill development

Educational toys are part of the modern educator's curriculum. These educational toys and games are fun to play while they help the child in skill development.

Wikipedia says:

Educational Toys In Child Development:
"Educational toys enhance intellectual, social, emotional, and/or physical development. Educational toys are thus designed to encourage reasonable development milestones within appropriate age groups.

For preschool age youngsters, simple wooden blocks might be a good starting point for a child to begin to understand causal relationships, basic principals of science (e.g. if a block falls from the top of a structure, it will fall until a surface stops its fall), and develop patience and rudimentary hand-eye coordination.

For a child moving towards elementary school, other, more sophisticated manipulatives might further aid the development of these skills. Interlocking manipulative toys like Legos or puzzles challenge the child to improve hand/eye coordination, patience, and an understanding of spacial relationships. Finally, a child in elementary school might use very sophisticated construction sets that include moving parts, motors and others to help further understand the complex workings of the world. Importantly, the educational value derived by the child increases when the educational toy is age appropriate."

In an article from "Creativity Institute" it says:
"Playing with blocks can be good for children with ADHD"

"Block play can be great for many ages. From simple stack-up and knock-over fun to imaginative building. Blocks teach problem-solving skills, because a child discovers how stacking and matching can produce different results. They can also become components of pretend play, because a child can fantasize what the structures are. There are also big foam blocks that are almost "life size" and let children create their own fantasy playhouses. These lightweight blocks are so versatile, they can be climbed on or tunneled under. Magnetic block and construction sets have pieces that connect in more ways than can conventional plastic snap-together blocks and allow even more imaginative opportunities. And don't forget the versatility of the classic wooden building blocks.
Blocks, like many traditional toys, have other educational advantages for a child with ADHD. The number of positive outcomes is limitless, so children can continue playing until they've reached a level of personal satisfaction."

* Nik Nak toys offers: Child Development Chart: It is Child Development Toy Guide for you to use when considering which toys to give to loved ones. This provides guidelines to development stages and then suggests appropriate educational toys.

Teachers can use this guide in kindergarten or pre-school stages, where you need to provide learning in a fun way.

Someone said "Education is what creates true motivated free thinkers." and there is no doubt that when learning is fun, you can get success in creating true motivated free thinkers.

* Find the right toy.com is online retailer of educational toys for all children. It guides you in finding the right toy for your child. This site is useful for both parents and teachers as it guides you to choose the toys, which might help in developing skill level in many areas like as "visual, sensory, social, emotional, and so on.

It showcases meaningful advances in child development and educational learning toys. From kids' mobility toys to visual learning and developmental toys, your leader in educational toys.
What they do?

"We do the legwork for you, sorting through the veritable litany of "developmental" toys and educational "learning" toys. We've taken professional experience in developmental therapy and put it to work, screening toys that make a difference in the lives of children and parents. When it comes to child development and occupational therapy toys, we're serious about success. From kids' mobility toys to sensory stimulation toys and improving hand eye coordination. Our collection of educational toys capitalizes on your child's strengths by using them to develop weaknesses. With developmental toys and more we've put the child back in child development."

* Creativity Institute deals in toys which bring out the creativity in your child. They believe that "Every child has creative ability just waiting to be tapped!"
What they say:
"We've selected toys we believe can help develop creativity in children, whether the creative process comes naturally to them or not.

Through our newsletter and articles featured on creativityinstitute.com, we do everything we can to try to help parents nurture creativity in their children with helpful hints, advice and suggested activities."
Their blog has many useful posts about creativity.

* Learning toy center says in "Why Educational Toys For Your Child?":

"Learning and developing new skills as a child grows can make a big impact on their life. Educational toys and games help stimulate a child’s creativity as well as their development. "

*** Sites providing educational toys and games for your child

Importance of time management in academic career

Every teacher or student knows that time management is very important to improve academic performance.
There are number of sites, which provide time management tips and techniques. A few links are given here:

* Academic Tips.org suggests these tips:

1. Personal Time Survey
2. Study Hour Formular
3. Daily Schedules
4. Don't be a Perfectionist
5. Learn to Say NO
6. Learn to Prioritize
7. Combine Several Activities
8. Conclusion
For the detailed article:

Time management

* www.vt.edu/(Virginia tech) suggests an interactive time management test:
-For the link: Study Skills Self Help Information

* The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University are recognized Catholic liberal arts colleges, and they suggest these 23 time management techniques:

23 TIME MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

STUDY WHEN:
- Plan two study hours for every hour you spend in class.
- Study difficult (or boring) subjects first.
- Avoid scheduling marathon study sessions.
- Be aware of your best time of day.
- Use waiting time.
- Use a regular study area.

STUDY WHERE:
- Choose a place that minimizes visual and auditory distractions.
- Use the library or empty classrooms. Get out of a noisy dorm.
- Don't get too comfortable. Sit (or even stand) so that you can remain awake and attentive.
- Find a better place when productivity falls off.

YOU AND THE OUTSIDE WORLD:
- Pay attention to your attention.
- Agree with roommates about study time.
- Avoid noise distractions.
- Notice how others misuse your time.
- Get off the phone.
- Learn to say no.
- Hang a "Do Not Disturb!" sign on your door.
- Ask: "What is one task I can accomplish toward my goal?"
- Ask: "Am I beating myself up?" (lighten up, don't berate self).
- Ask: "Is this a piano?" (or, "Are you a perfectionist?")
- Ask: "How did I just waste time?"
- Ask: "Would I pay myself for what I'm doing right now?"
- Ask: "Can I do just one more thing?" (Stretch yourself).

Article link:
Time management

* time management from study guide zone

"School for Champion"- A site helping you achieve your goals

School for champions is an educational site providing you articles on different topics relating to teaching and schools. How to be successful and achieve our dreams is the main focus of the site.

What it means for "Champion", site explains it:

"Being a champion is about doing your best to achieve difficult goals. Our concept is that by optimizing your health, knowledge, excellence, value to others and character, you have a better chance of achievement or even winning. These are called the 5 Powers of a Champion™ and they can turn our students into champions in whatever they do."
Mission:
To help you achieve your dreams, in these areas:

- Assisting you with basic education and strategies for success,
- Providing you with principles to help you become a champion in whatever you do, and
- Encouraging you to champion worthy causes by helping others

People access lessons over 500,000 times each month. Students and teachers from many colleges, high schools, and middle schools use the site.

Check their blog for reader question and feedback

How to be a champion?
(Suggestion)

Live Your Life as a Champion:
1- Have Vitality
2- Have Knowledge
3- Have Excellence
4- Have Value
5- Have Character
Be a Champion!

There are a lot of article links at left side bar. I searched for few links and there were number of more articles relating to that topic. As I clicked on "mental healt"h link, resulting page was a series of articles on these topics:
- Understanding mental health
- Maintaining mental health
- Healing mental wounds
- Specific ailments
and more.

Link:

Speed reading tips and techniques

Adults or students who need to read a lot, feel the pressure of time. Reading faster may be a solution to the problem,
but how speed reading techniques help us achieving more within short time?

According to Wikipedia:
"Speed reading is a collection of reading methods which attempt to increase rates of reading without greatly reducing comprehension or retention.

It is important to understand that no absolute distinct "normal" and "speed-reading" types of reading exist in practice, since all readers use some of the techniques used in speed reading (such as identifying words without focusing on each letter, not sounding out all words, not sub-vocalizing some phrases, or spending less time on some phrases than others, and skimming small sections). Speed reading is characterized by an analysis of trade-offs between measures of speed and comprehension, recognizing that different types of reading call for different speed and comprehension rates, and that those rates may be improved with practice.

Speed Reading expert Don Wetmore says:

The average person spends about two hours per day reading at the rate of about 200 words per minute. If you can double your reading speed, you can cut your reading time in half. What takes two hours can now be done in one hour. An extra hour a day for you. Seven hours per week and 365 hours for you over the next year. That’s the equivalent of nine additional workweeks over the next year to spend time with your family or hobbies or work on those important tasks that are being neglected."

Full article link: speed reading

I have searched for sites which provide FREE tips, techniques to learn speed reading, and present it for students, teachers and parents who want to read more at speed and learn more.

Links and sites providing tips, technique for speed reading!

* Read fast now provides many articles on reading, teaching someone to read and speed reading methods.
-In one of the articles "Reading Fast – Why You Might Want to Think About Speed Reading" it says:

"Your Comprehension and Retention Will Improve
One of the main reasons you’ll want to think about learning how to speed read is because your ability to comprehend and retain the material you read will be increased when you know how to speed read. Speed reading is far more than just learning how to read fast, but it is a technique that helps you learn to pull out the important information as you read and how to retain it as well. So, instead of reading through some information only to realize you don’t remember a word you read, speed reading can help you comprehend what you read and retain it for future use.

You’ll Save Time
Another benefit of speed reading that definitely makes it worth your time to learn is that it can really save you a huge amount of time. You can read a book or other document in just half the time you used to if you learn how to speed read. Speed reading allows you to ready quickly and to just skim the material in order to get the information that you need from the material. So, whether you are reading material for work, school, or for pleasure, you’ll be able to do it in just a fraction of the time it used to take you.

Reading Will Become Enjoyable
People who learn how to speed read also find that they start to enjoy reading. For many people, reading is a task that is less than exciting to them because it takes them so much time. However, when they learn how to speed read, instead of feeling that reading is boring and time consuming, they begin to find that it is enjoyable and interesting. Not only will you find that you enjoy having the opportunity to read, but you will also find that you increase and develop your intellectual skills as well.

Grades Can Be Improved
If you happen to be in high school or even in college, you can also benefit from learning how to speed read. Many students feel overwhelmed with the amount of information they are required to read, absorb, and learn; however, speed reading can definitely help. There have been many students who have been able to increase their comprehension and therefore their grades by learning how to speed read. So, if you want to improve what you gain from your education and also your grades, speed reading is a great skill to take advantage of.

Increased Vocabulary
Learning how to speed read can also help you to increase your vocabulary as well. As you become a better and faster reader, you will learn more words and build up the vocabulary that you have. You will not only increase your vocabulary, but you will also enrich your knowledge as well. So, speed reading is a great way to improve and enhance your knowledge and education as a person.

So, as you can see, there are many great reasons that learning how to speed read is an excellent choice. With all of these excellent benefits presented to you, no doubt you can see why it is so important to take a course in speed reading on your own. There are many excellent speed reading courses available to you today, some free and some you may have to pay for. Taking the time to learn the art of speed reading will benefit you in your personal life, in your life at work, and it can also help you as you pursue a higher education as well."


* dictator is a program for on-screen reading of text files, developed with the intention of making it easier to read some of the fine electronic texts available on the net.
The problem with these texts is that reading them on-screen the conventional way is a drag and printing them out is time-consuming, costly, and wasteful. Dictator provides an alternative approach called Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) in which words are displayed consecutively in the same place at a user-controllable rate. This method prevents unconscious re-reading of adjacent text and decreases the tendency of the reader to oralise the text, allowing for increased reading speeds. RSVP also permits the use of larger fonts for text display which improves text clarity. While it does take some getting used to, with a little practise you may find that reading with Dictator becomes faster and easier than reading from a book.

Double Your Reading Rate is from "Scott H Young" blog. He himself tried the speed reading methods and now he is a faster reader. He says that he could read at 450 words per minute before using the techniques, but he could increase that rate to around 900 words per minute.
He suggests six major keys to improve reading skill, which are:

1- Reading is Not Linear: You can skip down to read only my main bullet points, or read them in practically any order.
2- Stop Subvocalizing: Subvocalizing is the saying of words aloud or in your mind. It slows down your reading speed.
3- Practice Reading: Practice reading means reading faster than you can actually read.
4- Use a Pointer: You should use your finger as a pointer. By moving your finger faster than you can actually read, your eyes get used to viewing text faster than your brain can process what is written down
5- Eliminate Distractions: Avoid internal or external distrations.
6- Find Your Motivation: If you can connect what you are reading to a deeply held motivation, and determine your specific purpose for reading you can maintain a very alert and focused state.

Full article link: Double Your Reading Rate

* Speed Reading and Speed Listening at "Getting things done" blog. It also suggests 6 tips which are:
1- Take a few minutes to “get to know” the book
2- Decide which parts of the book you are going to read
3- Sit up straight in a suitable environment
4- Keep moving your eyes no matter what!
5- Don’t mutter under your breath or in your mind
6- Stay focused and monitor your comprehension
Full article link: Speed Reading and Speed Listening

* 4 tips for reading better and retaining more at "Gear fire which provides tips for academic success.

* An article at "Study skills" blog: 4 tips - Catch up with speed readers

* How to Learn Speed Reading at "WikiHow"

* Improving Reading speeds at "Speed readin.com

- Speed Reading - Learn to Read Faster at the same site.

"Team Nutrition" A resource for kids nutrition education

For teachers and school management this resource can provide lot of information and guidance relating to the health and nutrition of the school going kids. There is a lot to learn for parents who are concerned about their child's eating habits and nutrition education.

"Team nutrition" is from USDA 'United States Department of Agriculture' providing an integrated, behavior based, comprehensive plan for promoting the nutritional health of the Nation's children. This plan involves schools, parents, and the community in efforts to continuously improve school meals, and to promote the health and education of 50 million school children in more than 96,000 schools nationwide.

Mission:

To improve children's lifelong eating and physical activity habits through nutrition education based on the principles of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid.

How it works:
Team Nutrition uses three strategies to change behavior:

1. Training and Technical Assistance for Healthy School Meals:
- Planning and preparing healthy meals that appeal to ethnic and cultural taste preferences in all Child Nutrition Programs;
- Linking meals programs to other educational activities, such as learning in the classroom and developmental progress in child care;
- Providing nutrition expertise and awareness to the school or child care community; and
- Using sound business practices to assure the continued availability of healthy meals and the financial viability and accountability of school meal programs.

2. Nutrition Education:

Through fun, interactive nutrition education children are encouraged to:

- Eat a variety of foods
- Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
- Eat lower fat foods more often
- Get your calcium-rich foods
- Be physically active

3. School and Community Support:
School and community support for healthy eating and physical activity focuses on three behavior outcomes for school and community leaders:
- Adopting and implementing school policies that promote healthy eating and physical activity;
- Providing school resources adequate to achieve success; and
- Fostering school and community environments that support healthy eating and physical activity.

Mor links about nutrition:

* The University of Illinois Extension Family Nutrition Program(FNP) Promotes safe and healthy eating for families on a budget.
- Provides nutrition programs for families.
- Education programs:
- Healthy eating
- Safe eating
- Food budgeting
- Monthly and seasonal topics