3 New (and Surprising!) Dangers to Children

We all want to protect our kids from hazards around the house. That’s why we cover outlets, put gates up when our babies start to crawl and cover sharp corners with padding. And we all know not to do stupid things, like leaving our babies alone in the bathtub or our kids in a steaming hot vehicle.

And yet, there are three stories in the news over the past few days that can leave just about any parent shuttering. Why? Because they’re a reminder that no matter how much you do to protect your kids, there are plenty of seemingly-harmless things that can result in your child requiring a visit to the emergency room … or worse.   Read on to find out more about these dangers to children...

Olivia and Jumpy, Bedtime Stories

Guest Post

There are lots of fairy tales and bedtime stories around and many of them quite violent. This made me decide to try writing something different. On a flight from Europe to Australia I watched the movie Magic on Belle Island with Morgan Freeman, where he teaches a little girl to have imagination and write her first story. This inspired me as well and in the following sleepless nights because of the West to East flight, which somehow always seems to have this effect on us, the first stories with my two characters Oliver the cat and Jumpy the kangaroo made their appearance.

I have written over 40 stories by now. There is no violence worth talking about but enough adventure to kids interested. These are 1000 word short stories and would suit pre-schoolers to primary school children. I had incredible luck to find a great young artist who is illustrating my stories successively.

There are three stories available on Youtube now and the fourth will come on presently. Depending on the illustrator, I will publish further stories in intervals of about three weeks. I hope very much that many children will find access to my videos and I will eventually create an Android App as well. Please enjoy and let others know about my videos.

God bless! Regards Werner

5 Tips for Fun Photoshoots

Getting kids to cooperate for a photoshoot can be difficult, which is why it is so important that you take the time to prepare your kids – the last thing you want is to not get any good photos because your child is trying to be difficult (or simply doesn’t want their photo taken).

Here are a few tips:
Discover the Issues
If your child has a specific issue or phobia about having their photo taken, talk to them. It may be that they don’t like flash, aren’t comfortable with what you make them wear, etc. By talking beforehand you can alleviate any fears or discomforts, as well as letting the photographer know if your child dislikes a certain type of photography.

Go for Experience
If you can find a professional child photographer (rather than one who specializes in everything) then you may have a better experience – as they know how to set kids at ease and get their best smiles. You can visit the National Association of Professional Child Photographers to find one in your area.

Avoid Studios
Let’s face it, you have a million photos of your child sitting on a stool in front of a grey backdrop, no wonder they don’t like having their photos taken, it’s boring! Find a photographer who with either come to you or shoot on location, such as at a local park or beach where your child can enjoy themselves.

Go for Natural Light
If your photographer can avoid using flash (or can bring strobes which are on all the time) then this can alleviate any “flash fear” and help you get more natural photos. Shooting outside is a great option too.

Let them Choose
Giving your child some control over the situation can help them feel better about having their photo taken. Lay out three to five outfits that are appropriate for the photoshoot and let them choose the one they want to wear. If they also have a favorite toy, blanket, or other object that helps them feel more secure, let them bring that too.

Creating positive photo session will set the scene for a lifetime of great photos, so it’s never too early to start working with your children and a professional children’s photographer to get them used to having their photo taken!

ELearning for Kids

Elearning is for kids is common place in today's classrooms. Going to school in this new age is a lot different than it was when we were kids. Modern kids are more aware of the adult world, more sophisticated and certainly more aware of technology and the internet than was imaginable even a few decades ago. So we have to take that into consideration when we begin to prepare a child for school because there is really no level of education that is untouched by computers and technology.

The first step for finding out how much your kids needs to know about computers and the internet is to visit the school and talk to the teacher. It really isn’t a matter of kids being forced to learn about cyberspace. Schools are simply using computers for teaching because kids are showing up already knowing all about them. As you look around any modern classroom, you will see dozens of computer kiosks so the kids can connect to the internet and use the internet for anything from research to communications to learning games to exploring the galaxies.

So much is made about the dangers of the internet and those are certainly real. But there are tremendous resources that the teacher will take advantage of to take that class to wonderful new places using safe and carefully prepared web sites that can enhance the a kids education.

Be sure when you begin to expose your kids to the internet that you have also made sure the internet is a safe place for her to be. You can create specific account on your computer just for your kids that is heavily restricted. You can get some excellent tools that are often called “parental controls” which will keep your sweet innocent kids from accidentally going to sites they should not see. You can even set up a set list of web sites you will allow them to be on and restrict their browser so only those sites are authorized.

Helping your kids build internet search skills will jump start her into the modern world of school wonderfully. But there are other computer skills that being online will help her develop to make her more efficient even in this very basic level of schooling. If you can open the world of email, instant messaging and chat to your child on kid safe web sites where she will be talking to other kids only, your little one will actually develop fairly well good typing skills being motivated by the fun of online conversation with other kids.

By thinking like a modern parent, you can start even at the kindergarten level to see your child’s school experience as one that will be heavily influenced by computer skills and the internet. And by equipping your child to be ready to use those tools from day one, she is jumping into school way ahead in terms of being prepared to be a big success in her academic career.