On Making The World A Safer Place To Be A Boy It’s time to let our boys be themselves in all their variety as human beings, rather than walking representatives of masculinity. Three years ago, I wrote an essay called “Raising an Egalitarian Son” (published in Mutuality Magazine). Our process for doing that was straightforward: Don’t use sexist language; don’t push gender-based activities; and don’t watch TV. When one day my then 3-year-old son announced, “God is a woman. You can see mama, but you can’t see God,” I knew we’d done something right. Since then, life has gotten more complicated. The summer after preschool, Micah avoided boys, assuming they were all this way. Lise Eliot, neuroscientist and author of Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Differences Grow into Troublesome Gaps, writes that though there are indeed some small sex-based differences, “Overall, boys’ and girls’ brains are remarkably alike. The brain has plasticity, and so to a large degree “your brain is what you do with it.” But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Children and the culture of pornography: 'Boys will ask you every day until you say yes' “Never before has girlhood been under such a sustained assault – from ads, alcohol marketing, girls’ magazines, sexually explicit TV programmes and the hard pornography that is regularly accessed in so many teenager’s bedrooms,” says the psychologist Steve Biddulph, currently touring the country to promote a book called Raising Girls. It is a follow-up to his best-seller Raising Boys – and they are under pressure too, being led to believe that girls will look and behave like porn stars. Our children are becoming victims of pornification. “It is usually girls who are on the receiving end of some pretty degrading stuff,” says Claire Perry MP, who has just been appointed David Cameron’s special adviser on the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood. So this is the storm my girls will soon face. Claire, who must be 12 or 13, is quoted as saying of the boys in her class: “If they want oral sex, they will ask every single day until you say yes.” What is the cause of all this?
Rescuing drowning children: How to know when someone is in trouble in the water Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images The new captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the couple swimming between their anchored sportfisher and the beach. “I think he thinks you’re drowning,” the husband said to his wife. They had been splashing each other and she had screamed but now they were just standing, neck-deep on the sand bar. “We’re fine; what is he doing?” How did this captain know—from 50 feet away—what the father couldn’t recognize from just 10? The Instinctive Drowning Response—so named by Francesco A. “Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help. This doesn’t mean that a person that is yelling for help and thrashing isn’t in real trouble—they are experiencing aquatic distress. Look for these other signs of drowning when persons are in the water:
Children in natural environments | Outdoor Nation Rebecca Jenkin, PhD student at the European Centre for Environment & Human Health at the University of Exeter, writes about children losing their connection to the natural world. We are hearing more and more that children are spending less time in natural environments, that they are losing their connection to the natural world, and that their health and wellbeing are suffering because of it. But is there any truth in these assertions? What evidence is there (putting aside our own experiences) that places such as parks, woodland and the coast have health and wellbeing benefits for children? Delving into the research that has been done in the area of health and wellbeing in relation to natural environments there is a stark contrast between the amount of work completed with children and that which has been completed with adults. Children climb on the wooden sculpture of a hare in the garden at Hare Hill, Cheshire. References 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Like this: Like Loading...
The Problem With Puppy Love Teaching kids that they are not entitled to anyone else’s affections may start sooner than you think. This falls into the category of “it’s never too early…” When one of my daughters was 8 a boy in her class developed a crush on her. At school, she was embarrassed by the boy’s attention and by other children talking about them being in love and teasing her. I called the teacher and explained the situation, essentially saying, it’s gone too far—she is unable to freely and comfortably attend school and should not be subject to his overwhelming 8-year-old desire. She did, but his attentions continued unabated. Their response took me aback: “Could your daughter please write him a letter?” No, I said. “But, can’t you get her to do it? No. But, he meant no harm and this would be a good lesson. The lesson, I pointed out politely, was that when a girl avoids you, does not respond to your attentions, and makes no effort to engage in communication, she is not interested. But, he would be crushed.
Help, my toddler won't eat main meals | Mindful Mum Nutritionist, Charlotte Stirling-Reed, provides helpful tips for dealing with your fussy eater at meal times. Fussy eating is incredibly common. Most toddlers will, at some point, go through a phase of fussy eating so firstly try your best not to worry too much. As long as you know how to cope with the fussy behaviour, it will, in most cases, be no more than a phase in your child’s development. At times seeing your child not eating can be difficult and stressful for mums and this stress can lead to quick and sometimes irrational decisions – which can often make the problem worse. So instead, relax, stay calm and read below for advice on how to deal with your fussy toddler at mealtimes! Tips for dealing with fussy toddlers at mealtimes Ensure you establish a good eating pattern from early on (around one year) by offering three main meals and a couple of snacks based on nutritious foods every day.Try to have “family mealtimes” where everyone eats together, as much as possible.
MY TODDLER WON'T EAT! Not a week goes by that I don’t get a question from a worried parent about a toddler who has stopped eating. What can I do, they all ask. How can I get my child to eat? The answer is nothing. Parents never win if they start food fights with their kids or try to force them to eat. I don’t mean you should totally abdicate your role. Actually, the more you focus on food the more likely your child is to stonewall and refuse to eat. OK, you decide to relax and wait it out. o Remember that every baby SLOWS DOWN IN EATING at about one year of age. o Also remember that a year-old child has a MIND OF ITS OWN and now knows that some foods taste better than others. o CUT DOWN THE AMOUNT OF MILK. o Feed your child TINY PORTIONS. o Be aware of how little food a young child needs. o Feed FINGER FOODS. o Offer NEW FOODS but make a promise to yourself that you will not get upset if your child refuses to try them. o Pay attention to your child’s HUNGER PATTERNS.
Montessori Age 6 - 12 Months - Floor Bed... Montessori 6 - 12 months Montessori Environment 6 - 12 months At this stage children are moving about more and have developed strength in the neck, arms, hands and legs. Hopefully in the early months your child has had opportunities to move freely. This can be further implemented at this stage of your child’s development. Montessori believed that movement is associated with the development of the brain. At 6 - 12 months we need a movement mat that may be placed in the family room. With the movement mat one can place a mirror in which the child can watch themselves and see their own reflection to learn more about their bodies and movement. As the child learns to move around the room and explores his own surrounding this is a time when the parents have the debate of safety versus giving the child opportunity to move. This is the time the household needs to be childproofed without the danger of confining the child into a small space (e.g. playpen). Montessori ‘Toys’ and Materials Weaning
Boys Who Cry Might Have It All Figured Out “Stop crying! Boys do not cry.” I heard it the other day at the grocery store and had to bite my tongue. A four-year-old was clearly upset and his dad was dishing out this ironic parenting gem. I wanted to tap dad on the shoulder and point out the flaw in logic. If boys don’t cry, then you shouldn’t have to tell your son that boys don’t cry. Study after study shows that boys and girls differ in some parts of their temperament, but not in others. But the unavoidable kicker is that boys do sometimes feel sad. But emotions don’t evaporate, they have to be expressed somehow. Girls, who grow up into women, experience the exact opposite socialization. Girls do it considerably more than boys do. This all strikes me as crazy (I am a psychologist, so I use the term with my most professional voice). Although politicians can’t seem to do it, maybe parents can.
Society too disconnected with nature - Home & Garden Do you notice a disconnect between the natural world and our daily life? Do you wonder why obesity is quickly becoming our country’s biggest health issue? Questions like these prompted author Richard Louv to coin the term “nature-deficit disorder” in response to the growing problems that stem from society’s dependence on the indoors. The concept that we need to unplug and spend more time outdoors is not a recent development; botanical educators have been sounding the same anthem for decades. Why is it important to connect to our natural world? While it may seem frivolous to schedule “outdoor time,” researchers are finding that it can contribute to our physical and mental health, especially in children. How can we overcome nature-deficit disorder? You don’t have to wait for a doctor to tell you to get outside — be sure to enjoy those moments daily. Safe places to play are very important. As we dedicate time to observing nature, we develop a “sense of place.”
Female Minifigure Set A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who supported this project, posted articles, and shared it on Facebook and Twitter! It has been a great ride and the final boost was absolutely spectacular! GlenBricker's excellent analysis shows how the FMS project got 10k supporters ************************************************************************************************ To to get updates as the project goes through Review follow me on Twitter For more information, images and discussion please check my blog: Alatariel's Atelier My other Lego Cuusoo projects can be found here: Alatariel's Projects Although recently LEGO® has started to design and add more female figures to their sets, they are still a minority. A small set of minifigures would provide a great opportunity to add women to our LEGO® town or city communities. Each figure comes with a 6x4 base plate and a corresponding setting to enhance the building experience and stimulate creativity.
Ten Books Every Child Should Own – First Book Blog UPDATE: The vote has ended! Over 13,000 people cast their ballots for their favorite children’s book, and we’ve announced the winner! Thanks to everyone who participated! We’ve updated this blog post with the complete list of titles, for posterity’s sake. At First Book, our mission is to provide new, high-quality books to children from low-income families. We know that books are critical to turning kids into readers and helping them become success stories – in school and in life. A Wrinkle in Time (Macmillan)Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type (Simon & Schuster)Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Abrams)Eating the Alphabet (Houghton Mifflin)Green Eggs and Ham (Random House)Guess How Much I Love You (Candlewick Press) Martin’s Big Words (Disney Publishing Worldwide)The Snowy Day (Puffin)To Kill a Mockingbird (Hachette) Where the Wild Things Are (HarperCollins) These aren’t just some of our favorites. Voting begins today, Oct. 29, and continues through Nov. 9.
Book Map - Original Open Edition H60 x W80cm A street map made up from the titles of over 600 books from the history of English Literature (and a few favourites from further afield). The Map includes classics such as Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Bleak House, Vanity Fair and Wuthering Heights as well as 20th and 21st Century works such as The Waste Land, To the Lighthouse, Animal Farm, Slaughterhouse 5, The Catcher in the Rye, The Wasp Factory, Norwegian Wood and The Road. The Map, which is loosely based on a turn of the century London street map also includes fictional areas dedicated to the works of Thomas Hardy, Virginia Woolf, Tolkien, Harry Potter and a children's literature district featuring such classics as The Railway Children, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Where the Wild Things Are. Original Open Edition litho print for £25 plus p&p
Parents and teachers help to build self esteem in children Some Thoughts on Helping Children Build Self-Esteem Good self-esteem is important because it helps children to hold their heads high and feel proud of themselves and what they can accomplish in life. It gives children the courage to try new things and the power to believe in themselves. It lets them respect themselves even when they make mistakes. To build self esteem in children is the responsibility of their parents and teachers. Sometimes a child will have low self-esteem if his mother or father doesn’t encourage him enough or if there is a lot of yelling at home. Having good self-esteem and positive thoughts is also the ticket to having children make good choices about their mind and body. Here is a link to an article on our blog. Boosting self-esteem Affirmation Weaver, as seen on ABC’s Shark Tank is available in Audio/CD on the Indigo Ocean Dreams CD and in paperback book format. “My daughter, who is seven years old, and I truly enjoyed Affirmation Weaver. —Dr. - Anna M.