Brain Rules! 12 Principles for surviving and thriving at Work, Home, and School

Simple, straightforward read about the brain.

Speech in the home

The Speechome team believes that this unique dataset may shed light on basic questions of language acquisition, at least as they pertain to one child. Why did he learn words in the order that he did? Why did he start putting certain words together into proto-sentences before others? In what contexts did he effectively use words? How long after he comprehends a word does he first use that word?

What is a non verbal learning disability?

NVLD and their impact on children.

Life as a Bilingual

What a bilingual's languages are used for?

François Grosjean, Ph.D., Emeritus professor of psycholinguistics at the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, says that bilinguals use their languages for different purposes, in different domains of life, with different people.



How to make technology kid friendly

Zoodles allows parents to set blocks and limits on computers, smart phones, and iPads, while giving children complete freedom within those limits.

Top Educational Toys for Grade Schoolers

Some great educational toy suggestions by Mrs. Farah. Many of them bring back memories of my childhood. Not all games need to be video games. 

Are you feeding your child ADHD?

So what are these three habits?

         Getting lots of physical activity
         Drinking tea on a regular basi
    Having adequate vitamin D levels

Children with allergies 'being let down'

Eczema, reflux, colic, diarrhoea and even constipation may be caused by an underlying milk allergy. With all of these symptoms common, it takes an educated and experienced eye to tease out which children need to change their diet to help them feel better, rather than being subject to increasing medication and investigations coupled with significant parental anxiety.

Kids Speaking a Second Language

Advantages of speaking a second and even a third language.

Things to remember on the road (Bike safety tips for adults and children)

Bike safety tips to remember on the road (NOW Magazine write up)

Bike safety should be reviewed at home on an ongoing basis alongside other safety rules.

Conrad Wolfram: Teaching kids real math with computers

Conrad Wolfram talks about teaching kids math using technology. Click on coopcatalyst's blog to follow the fantastic thread about the above video. Tech literacy is imperative for both educators and students.

Children's Belly Fat Affects Heart Risk



High Waist Circumference in Kids Increases Risk of Heart-Related Disorders



Failing Boys (Globe and Mail)

The six part GLOBE AND MAIL series that explores puzzling research and stastistics on boy success and failure in school.




Five reasons why boys are failing (click on image)

 

Talking Numbers Counts For Kids' Math Skills

The study found that 4-year-olds who talked more about numbers and participated in counting activities did better at number tasks than others.

Not Report Cards

Matt Galloway speaks with Annie Kidder. She is executive director of People for Education .  The audio clip runs about five minutes. The discussion will provide parents with insight into what the Progress Report means for them and their children.

Click on the LISTEN clip when the web page opens.

Halloween Safety

Great safety tips for parents to remind kids before heading out trick or treating!

Haunt Cuisine: 8 Tips for Trick-or-Treaters with Allergies

A few tips for parents to keep in mind for Halloween.

10 Tips for First Grade Success

7. Strength Training: Getting a good grip on a pencil and writing neatly and accurately requires well-developed fine-motor control, and this does not necessarily come naturally. Believe it or not, swinging on the monkey bars can help—strong shoulder muscles come before strong hand muscles. Looking for another fun activity to strengthen shoulders? Stage a wheelbarrow race.

Reading Disabilities: The Make-Or-Break Grade

Some great things for parents to look for when tackling their child's reading difficulties.

Reading proficiently by the end of third grade … can be a make-or-break benchmark in a child’s educational development.

Affectionate moms = better coping children

Infants who get plenty of affection from their mothers cope better as adults, U.S. researchers suggest.

Why music is good for you

We can hardly be surprised, meanwhile, that music lessons improve children's IQ⁷, given that they will nourish general faculties such as memory, coordination and attentiveness.

Give kids social skills to get ahead

During a class for children 4 to 7, they were taught about the importance of eye contact and a firm, but not too tight,handshake. They were also led through basic greetings as well as proper phone etiquette when calling friends. The children practiced with each other in interactive scenarios.

Teaching Young Multilingual Children How to Read and Write in Their Languages

Reading and writing are skills that you don’t learn unless you are specifically taught, like maths. This means two things: that these skills do not come naturally to people, and that you need to be mature enough to learn them.

List of schools offering full day kindergarten in 2011

20 more Toronto schools to offer full day kindergarten by 2011

Daily Ginger Consumption Found To Ease Muscle Pain

For centuries, ginger root has been used as a folk remedy for a variety of ailments such as colds and upset stomachs. But now, researchers at the University of Georgia have found that daily ginger consumption also reduces muscle pain caused by exercise.

Guide to Saving Money on Summer Camp

You may not have to cross camps off the summer agenda, however—there are ways to make it more affordable. All over the country, camps are making adjustments to meet the needs of families by lowering fees and costs. In addition, you might qualify for discounts or even be able to write camp off as a tax break!

What Age Should You Give Kids a Mobile Phone?

Personally, if I had kids I would give em a mobile phone at 1, so they could download the iPhone Apps: How to change your OWN diaper App, Potty Train App, & the Go get a job already App.

The IPAD and Education

A student that grew up learning with technology will be more prepared in the future, rather than just giving them technology in college at the latter end of their academic career

School bets on to Beat Childhood Obesity

Balancing on one foot with your eyes closed is not easy, particularly when reading. But in a Literacy+Exercise session, students at the Nathan Hale School in Roxbury, Mass. did exactly that.

Breast Cancer Gene Clue Discovery

"There isn't anything we can do about the genes we inherit, we do know that you can reduce your risk of breast cancer by maintaining a healthy weight, limiting alcohol consumption and exercising regularly "




Dr Caroline Hacker, Breakthrough Breast Cancer

All the right moves

The key to success is surprisingly simple: make workouts short, intense, social and ‘mindless’. Three million Canadians aged 20 to 39 are inactive, it notes, and 2.5 million are overweight or obese.

How to save your kids from Junk Food Advertising

Junk food is so pervasive, and so are all the ads, merchandising tie ins from movies, and TV shows. In many cases the brands are embedded within the plot, or as part of a video game.

Play's the Thing

Play, Konner says, “combining as it does great energy expenditure and risk with apparent pointlessness, is a central paradox of evolutionary biology.” It seems to have multiple functions—exercise, learning, sharpening skills—and the positive emotions it invokes may be an adaptation that encourages us to try new things and learn with more flexibility. In fact, it may be the primary means nature has found to develop our brains.

Teachers embracing social media in the classroom

"Kids work and live in the world," Lehmann told TechNewsDaily. "And that is a very different paradigm than what we are used to."

Obese Kids More Vulnerable to Bullies

New study finds that obese kids are more vulnerable to bullies. Click on the link above to view the full article.

Using Digital Comics for Language Learning

I enjoyed reading this article by Bill Zimmerman on the benefits of using digital comics in the classroom to engage students in the writing process. Student motvation and purpose is developed when integrating technology into a world the student understands.

UK School Kids Ditch Junk Food for Vegetables They Grow

Eco Child’s Play (ECP) is a blog devoted to informing and discussing “Green Parenting for Non-toxic, Healthy Homes”. ECP began in 2006 as site devoted to natural toys, but quickly realized they needed to expand to include broader issues related to green family life to fully express their interests. They are part of the Simple Earth Media environmental blog network. If you would like to contact the blog team, please email jennifer at greenoptions.com. Very informative on all aspects of living "green" with your children.