American Children Made History Too

Young people are fascinated by the courageous stories of people their own age throughout history. Young people, after all, no less than adults, helped make our nation's history. Consider the following historical contributions from young Americans, and share their stories with your youngsters:

• John Darragh was fourteen when he acted as a Revolutionary War spy. When he got important information, his mother sewed messages inside large cloth covered buttons that she then sewed onto John's coat. Once he was behind British lines, he cut off the buttons and sent them straight to George Washington.

• Sacagawea was a teenager when she helped to guide Lewis and Clark and the Corps of the Discovery on their journey to the Pacific Ocean.

• Young sisters Abbie and Rebecca Bates of Scituate, Massachusetts, became famous for saving their town from the enemy British during the War of 1812.

• Thirteen- year- old Emily Edmonson and fifteen-year-old Mary Edmonson, sisters, were among the 77 enslaved Americans who participated in the single largest known Underground Railroad escape attempt. Although the escape attempt failed, the girls were eventually freed from bondage, and they attended Oberlin College in Ohio.

• Teenager Adam Lowry Rankin and his family helped more than 2000 slaves to freedom. One of the fugitives they helped was an inspiration for Harriett Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.

• Nine-year-old Johnny Clem joined the Union Army, was a lance corporal by age 11, and later became a major general.

• Ten-year-old Gilbert VanZandt was ten years old when he signed on with the Union Army as a drummer boy. After the war, the President offered him a commission in the U. S. Army, but Gilbert chose his pony instead.

• Young Belle Boyd was a brave spy for the Confederacy during the Civil War. She is credited with providing information that helped General Stonewall Jackson win victories in the Shenandoah Campaign of 1862. She was captured and imprisoned multiple times.

• As a nineteen-year-old teenager in 1888, Minnie Freeman led her young pupils to safety through one of history's worst blizzards. As many as 200 people or more, perished during what became known as the Children's Blizzard, because so many of the dead were children.

• Fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat---nine months before Rosa Parks took a similar stand!

These examples offer role models to contemporary youth who are similar in age and gender, and perhaps, circumstances, so that they too can be inspired to one day make a difference in their world.

Secondary school is a taxing time for Victorian students, as it is for students in other parts of the world. Secondary school, and in particular the final year, can often be a huge determinant in how a student will do in following years.

Students who stay at school through the final year will be required to undertake exams, known as VCE exams, during year 12. These exams are extremely important in the life of a secondary school student, and for this reason year 12 is a difficult year for both students and parents.

The acronym VCE stands for Victorian Certificate of Education, and it is the final year of study for Victorian secondary students. Students who successfully complete their examinations in their VCE year will qualify for a score, known as an ATAR score.

A student's ATAR score is very significant. It is calculated on a compilation of examination results for individual VCE subjects, and it is the ATAR score which is the primary factor in determining a student eligibility for entering many university courses.

For this reason year 12 for Victorian secondary school students is extremely important. And in particular their examination results for the year are very important as well.

However it is possible to commence VCE subjects before year 12, and even to qualify in these subjects. It is also possible to study the VCE subjects outside of the formal secondary school system, and this is often undertaken by students who wish to pursue niche subjects not commonly offered by the secondary schools.

If a student wishes to pursue a subject not offered by their school, VCE dance for example, though there are many others, they can do so through what is known as an "private provider".

A private provider is an organisation or person who is registered to provide teaching services to secondary school students in a VCE subject.

Students who elect to study a subject not offered by their school in year 12 will normally approach a private provider and study for that year under that provider. The provider will put the students into their exams.

Year 12 is a taxing time, and many secondary schools offer a limited range of subjects for year 12 students. There are many who wish to study outside the system so that they can study subjects more to their liking, and possibly more relevant to their preferred career.

Fortunately the Victorian school system is flexible enough to cater for these students by supporting private providers to provide a range of off campus VCE subjects.

Transitioning from the middle school to the high school is an awesome experience but it can also be a bit scary especially if the two schools are not combined. There are many middle school students who are about to make this transition so here are a few tips to prevent you from being labeled a Greek.

Number one: Get familiar with the high school. It might be a good idea to visit the campus a few times before you enroll there. Get familiar with the principal and staff; know the location of your classes before school start because children can be cruel and insensible at times. They will laugh at you for getting lost even though you are new to the surroundings.

Number two: Dress according to the trend as closely as possible. A lot of schools now require students to wear uniforms so this should make it a lot less stressful because everyone is wearing the same type of clothing but do not make your accessories too different from the other students.

Number three: You might have been the big fish in the small pond when you were in middle school but now you are about to start the beginning of high school so your position has changed; there are other big fish in the pond so adjust your attitude otherwise you will be labeled a geek because the other children will not be willing to hand over their position to you.

Number four: Try not to act childish because your behavior will be watched. It is a normal thing; although it is not right but older children will single out newcomers to pick on so do not be in that number because of your childish behavior.

Number five: Keep the friends that you already have but do not neglect finding new ones that is ahead of you because they can be a big help to you getting accustomed to your new environment.

Number six: Follow the rules and regulations of the school. The school district has set rules but each school has its own set of guidelines so get acquainted with the rules as quickly as possible.

Number seven: Parent should attend open house. This is a good way for parents to meet their child teachers and principal. It is also an opportunity for them to meet the parent. You as a parent will get first hand information of what is expected of your child and you can give needed information to them about your child.

Number eight: Make sure you have all the material needed for your class. You would not want to be in class without it because it will cause a distraction in your attention. Your mind will be on what you do not have instead of paying attention to what is taught.

Number nine: Get to your classes on time, you do not want to be tardy and sent to the principal's office because the principal is aware of all newcomers and a first impression is often a lasting one; that means that the principal may not think well about you and that might cause you some problems later on.

Number ten: Although you will have new teachers but do not be bashful in class. Participation in class is important because words get around and your participation in one class can pave the way for you in your other classes.

Hopefully these few tips will help your transition be a smooth and enjoyable one; so enjoy yourself and I wish you the best in your upcoming adventure.

Moving Overseas As a Student

It's more difficult than ever to choose where to study these days, especially if you're in the fortunate position of being able to afford to look abroad, or perhaps studying abroad is essential for what you're looking to do once you graduate.

Language skills are in great demand in business these days, and many courses in this field entail spending up to a year studying and working in the country or countries in which you want to specialise.

In such an instance, you'll want to make sure that during that time, you can be surrounded by as many home comforts as possible, in order to be able to concentrate of your studies, and to make the most of the experience of living in another country and a different culture.

Rules in place governing whether countries will accept someone coming to study there vary from country to country, so it's essential that you check what restrictions are in place, and whether you are likely to fall foul of any of them.

For instance, while studying in Australia may be a wish for many young people, you need to be able to demonstrate that you have enough funds to pay for your accommodation, air fares, tuition fees, and overseas student health cover in the event of you falling ill.

That sounds quite a tall order, so unless you have substantial funds behind you, studying here may be out of the question.

In New Zealand however, the requirements are less rigorous, and state that you should simply be able to prove that you are a genuine student when you apply for your visa. You should also be sure to arrange to use the services of a trusted New Zealand shipping company. With experience of helping many similar people make the move, they will be able to advise you on many matters to do with going abroad to study.

Canada in particular has a tradition of welcoming foreign students, believing that their presence enriches the country's culture. More than 130,000 people take them up on this offer every year, and it's common for them to be made to feel very welcome.

Learning a widely-spoken language can, of course open many career doors for you, so perhaps you aspire to earning a place at a Spanish university. If you do, you will need to report to the local police within a couple of weeks of your arrival, and take all of your supporting documents with you. Once they are satisfied of your purpose for being in the country, you can expect to be issued with a 'tarjeta de estudiante', which will entitle you to live and study in the place of your choice.

Moving overseas to study is quite different from taking off to a new town or city to do the same in the UK. You will need to ensure that you have all your essential belongings before you leave, and if you are travelling outside the European Union, you will, of course, need to check the requirements for obtaining a student visa. Your place of study will no doubt be able to provide plenty of guidance, along with the British Embassy, but a first port of call must be the government's Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which offers advice for all Britons either living or considering moving abroad.

You will need to ensure that you have all your essential belongings before you leave, and finding an international shipping company is vital. If you are travelling outside the European Union, you will, of course, need to check the requirements for obtaining a student visa. Your place of study will no doubt be able to provide plenty of guidance, along with the British Embassy, but a first port of call must be the government's Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which offers advice for all Britons either living or considering moving abroad.

Kids and Teens Article Category

Robert Fulghum wrote a monster best seller called All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten that was published in the 1980s. Fulghum's book suggests that we do learn a great deal of important simple things when we are young-and we should hang onto them. Even in the most complex of times, these simple truths are important.

Of course, kids may disregard basic principles that they are taught in the normal course of a day. They may not accept them or just refuse to believe them. Parents and teachers know that repetition is key, but sometimes it seems to take a village to convince kids of the simplest of truths.

There is a popular television commercial in which an attractive young woman chats with an insurance agent out on the street as he is using a mobile application to take care of some business. Despite the fact that the agent is using the app right in front of the woman, she "knows" that there is no such app because she heard it on the Internet. Seconds later, the conversation turns to the woman's date who is coming towards them on the street. He is a dumpy-looking bearded man that she insists is a French model. Where did she meet him? She met him on the Internet, of course. The French "model" greets her with a dreadfully pronounced "bonjour" and the audience knows that the man is no French model. This woman will learn her lesson in the school of hard knocks.

Parents often feel like the insurance agent as they attempt to instruct their children. Yet, adults know that in many situations, kids have to learn by experience. But do kids have to learn everything from the school of hard knocks? No.

In many cases, kids can learn something quickly in an activity they love, where the learning comes easy, and apply it to other circumstances where learning comes hard. Oh, the power of metaphor!

For example, kids often accept lessons they learn from sports. In the annals of baseball, there is something called the 10 Commandments of Baseball-a list of baseball principles that are taught in little league. Principles like "run them out," "never quit," "respect authority," and "maintain self-control" are the essence of these commandments that were written back in 1921 by legendary manager Joe McCarthy. Although most coaches do not know the origin of these principles, they still teach them today. Kids need to be reminded of their application to their life outside of sports.

A child who studies ballet or has a part in the school play will learn the importance of practice, taking instructions, proper exercise, diet, sleep, etc. These are all seemingly basic common sense kinds of truths, but they take hold when tied to something the child loves. But the parent, teacher, or coach will need to help the child "connect the dots" to see how the lessons learned in these pursuits can be applied to other activities as well.

Tips For Introducing A Toddler or Older Sibling To The New Baby

My 2-and-a-half year old daughter fell instantly in love with my newborn son. After months of declaring, "Me no share cars with boy!" the moment she set eyes on him, she accepted him in to our family. Introducing the new baby to our toddler was easy. I will never forget the moment.

I was watching the mandatory "shaken baby" video in the hospital when they told me my husband and daughter had arrived. I literally ran from the room (much to the surprise of the two c-section moms who witnessed it!) to spot my daughter with her face pressed up against my son's clear plastic bassinet. She paused from gazing at her brother to look at me.

"Your baby?" she asked.

Before I could reply, she asked, "My baby?"

Then, her voice got even higher pitched as she declared, "OUR baby!"

No problems here. It wasn't until her brother began to crawl and steal her toys that sibling rivalry began.

Nonetheless, like many moms, I was concerned about introducing a newborn baby to a toddler. Here are some tips I picked up along the way.

1. Keep the first meeting private, with no other visitors. - Jill DeLuca, a teacher from Long Island, NY, had two preschool age sons when she gave birth to a third son. "I made sure other family wasn't around when my two oldest were there so they could bond with the baby without a ton of visitors."

Melissa Mazzarella of Holbrook, NY, agrees, "We took our two older boys in first to see the baby before anyone else had a chance. They loved having a private meal in the hospital room with the new baby, as it was an adventure."

2. Use analogies your toddler understands. - If you have pets at home, explain that the new baby is helpless and needs to be treated very gently, like your dog or cat.

3. At the hospital, let your toddler touch and hug the baby as much as he or she wants. - Hospital staff might cringe, but your kids will be sharing toys, food and germs very soon, anyway. If your toddler has an interest in their new sibling, let them show affection openly.

4. Make your toddler feel important. - Empower your toddler by giving him or her big brother or big sister jobs like helping to open presents for the baby or handing you diapers and wipes. The novelty may wear off and your toddler may not want to help all the time -- that's okay, too.

5. Let your older child play Mommy or Daddy, too. - When she was expecting her third son, Mazzarella gave her two older boys dolls to pretend to pamper and feed. Preparation is key. Mazzarella read books on welcoming a new baby and prepared her sons for the day by explaining that the new baby would be here "soon." Experts say that since preschoolers don't have a good concept of time, you can wait until the second or third trimester to tell them about the baby.

6. Bring an activity to keep your toddler busy in the hospital. - Toddlers and preschoolers have short attention spans and while everyone else might enjoy fawning over the baby for hours, young children want to move on to the next activity quickly. We didn't think to bring toys to the hospital, but we used the wifi connection to find "Wow, Wow Wubbzy" episodes, which kept my daughter from running up and down the maternity ward halls.

7. Bring a gift from the new baby to your first child. - Jill DeLuca was one step ahead of me, and did bring toys to keep the older siblings busy. Better yet, she had her oldest children pick out toys to bring as a gift to the baby, and then the baby gave them a gift, too. "To this day, my oldest still talks about the presents his little brothers gave him."

Green Activities for Kids

Children play an important part in safeguarding the environment for future generations. Just as local businesses impact local communities as well as the international community so too can kids impact the earth. Their actions can have an impact at home, in school, in their local community, and worldwide.

School's out for the summer, but it does not mean that educational activities have to stop. There are a lot of great green activities that you can introduce to your child.

Observing the Great Outdoors!

One great activity for kids and parents is to take a walk on the beach, in the woods, or in a park.

•     Needed Materials

        Recyclable bag, Paint, Crayons, Glue, Scissors, Smock, Pen or paper, Construction paper, Ruler, and a Large sheet of paper

•     Needed Skills

        Communication, observation, and motor skills

•     Grade Level

        This activity is great for younger kids and can be completed by those as young as K-1st grade and lower ages.

•     Before you go, have your child think of all the things you might see on your walk. Make a chart listing items you might see as the headings, using the ruler to draw lines in between items.

•     Take your recyclable bag with you on your walk and make it a scavenger hunt, placing all found items in the bag. Try to find everything on the chart. Remember to only take items that are on the ground or dead. Use this as an opportunity to get your child talking about nature and making observations, about colors, textures, smells, etc.

•     Once you get back home have your child lay out everything they found. Get your child to place everything into categories (for instance rocks, sticks, leaves, etc.) these should match the items on the chart. Ask for observations on the things they found. Have children place at least one of the items you found underneath each item on the chart you've started.

•     With the rest of the items have your child create an artwork that depicts the environment you explored.

•     Let it dry and prominently display their work.

•     Recycle the items after you are finished with them.

•     You can also schedule a field trip to a nature museum to reinforce what your child has learned.

Get up, get out, and get environmental!

Read a book in the backyard, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. My child and I love this book. He loves it because he likes Dr. Seuss and I love it because it teaches about the perils of not taking care of the environment.

•     Needed Materials

        The Lorax and a comfortable place to sit.

•     Needed Skills

        Communication, reading, observation, problem solving, and storytelling

•     Grade Level

        This activity is great for younger kids in 2nd or 3rd grade as well as lower ages.

•     Go in the backyard and find a comfortable place in the shade for you and your child to sit and read.

•     Take turns reading from The Lorax.

•     Ask questions about the story and ask for observations. Some sample questions may be:

        - Why did the Once-ler use all the Truffula trees?
        - Why wouldn't the Once-ler listen to the Lorax?
        - What are ways that thneeds could be made without destroying the Truffula trees?
        - What are thneeds that we have such as clothes)?
        - How can we consume less thneeds (buy recycled goods, etc.)?

•     Have your child rewrite The Lorax and come up with an alternative ending in which the Truffula trees are saved.

Get Trashy!
Create trash art.

•     Needed Materials

        Construction paper, glue, tape, scissors, old magazines, markers or crayons, paint, glitter, and clean trash that can be made into art.

•     Needed Skills

        Motor skills, communication, and creativity

•     Grade Level

        This activity is great for younger kids in 2nd or 3rd grade as well as lower ages.

•     Look around the house for items that can be recycled to make art (like empty jelly jars or shoe boxes).

•     Have your child create a sculpture or whatever type of work of art they want.

•     Have your child make observations about the type of materials they used and whether they can be recycled. Ask what else they use in their daily lives that can be recycled.

•     Make observations about your child's creation and have them explain it to you.

•     Let it dry and prominently display the artwork.

•     When you are finished with the artwork recycle whatever you can.

Reasons Children Can Be Taken Into Care

The number of children taken into child care in the UK has risen recently. Sometimes the authorities are accused of too easily taking children into care but in the majority of these cases they are being removed from unsafe environments for their own safety. Circumstances whereby child care is considered the best option includes situations of abuse, neglect, abandonment, parents being incapable of looking after their children, parents with addictions and children being offenders.

Physical Abuse

When there are instances of physical abuse towards children it is imperative that they are immediately removed from their environment. If parents are involved in this abuse then they are removed for their safety and parents will be dealt with by the legal system. Children may also be taken into care if parents are implicit in abuse by others, are aware of the abuse but have ignored it, or are seen to be putting their child into dangerous situations. This can include where a single parent has a partner with a history of abuse, whether toward children or adults.

Mental Abuse

While physical abuse is more obviously harmful, emotional abuse can be just as serious. In fact, it is the more common reason of the two for children being removed from their primary carer. Mental abuse includes being insulted and being made to feel worthless due to the actions of parents. It can lead to depression as well as behavioural problem, having a significant impact on a young person's life, especially if it has been occurring over a long period of time.

Neglect

Neglect is where children are not cared for properly, whether they are being completely ignored or simply not being cared for the way that they need to be. As well as emotionally difficult it can also be unsafe, especially for small children who need to be supervised closely. This can include anything from not being fed properly, which has obvious ill effects on their health, to not been given attention, something which is more likely to impact their behaviour. Poor behaviour in some children is a cry for help with many children diagnosed with behavioural conditions due to being neglected by their parents.

Abandonment

This covers parents who have literally abandoned their children in the case of leaving them in the street or at school, for example, as well as where parents have died or been sentenced to time in prison. In all of these cases parents aren't there to look after their children and they have to be taken into child care. Sometimes they are taken on by other relatives, such as their grandparents or aunties and uncles, while in other cases another suitable home has to be found.

Parents Incapable of Looking After Children

There are wide ranging reasons for parents being incapable of looking after their children. Mental or physical illness making it impossible to carry out parental responsibilities is one reason, but there are many other circumstances that will be deemed a reason for children having to be taken into care.

Addictions

If parents are addicted to drugs or alcohol it severely limits their capability of being a good parent. It can make it dangerous for children to be around, for example in cases where parents turn violent. Even where this isn't the case, though, parents may be incapable of doing everything that is required in looking after children.

Children Become Offenders

In some, but not all circumstances, children can be taken into care if they have committed a criminal offense, particularly where it has become an on-going problem. Parents can be seen to blame, especially where they are not willing or able to prevent these instances from happening. A lack of discipline or lack of attention can be reasons given.

One the face of it increasing numbers of children being taken into care is a worrying trend. However, as some of the above reasons highlight, there are many circumstances where children are better off in care.

3 Factors To Consider For Choosing A Good School

There is no secret that can be used for choosing a good school and if this is your first time when you have to choose a school for your kid, the task will be even harder for you. Choosing the right school is highly important as the school decides how the child will turn out in the future and how his or her mind will be developed. School is considered to be more important than the home environment and good surroundings, experienced teachers and well-off peers who can provide the required challenge to your kid are highly important in their over-all development and conditioning. If the seeds are planted right, then the child will definitely become a good student as well as a good human being. These are the reasons why parents have to be extra careful while choosing a school for their kid. Here are 3 main factors to be considered while choosing a school for your child.

The first thing you need to consider before you short list schools is the academic and teachers. Academics include everything from books to syllabus to the board of education and the teachers' method of teaching. Do your research well and look for a school that offers a board that is accepted all around the world and holds validity in most national and international universities. Do not go with a school that is not registered and make sure it follows all the standardized guidelines related to the board that is being taught by the school. Consider the syllabus that is being taught in the school and refer to the books of the school by consulting other parents and compare them with other schools to understand the level of education and syllabus. Once you are sure that the syllabus is up-to-the-mark, now is the time to check on the teachers, their qualification and experience. Remember, teachers are very important for your child and they should be well qualified to teach the class your child is going to study in. Look for a good experience and consult other parents to know if the teacher is able to teach well and inculcates moral values as well as better methods of learning while teaching. This is very important for your child's learning.

Second and equally very important thing that you have to consider before the admission are co-curricular activities the schools teaches to its children. In today's globalized environment, good marks are not enough and the children need to be all-rounders to excel later. For this, activities like sports and performance arts are very important as they help in opening up the child's mind to new fields and thoughts. Make sure the school has an active sports background and encourages children to take part in different games. Every child should be encouraged to choose something or the other and excel in it. Other activities include drama, dance, arts and craft, singing, playing instruments, debates and oration and other similar activities. These will help children in growing in every way possible.

Third most important thing us the infrastructure of the school. Take a round of the school and make sure it has a good infrastructure and is equipped with world-class facilities. Remember to check the sports supplies, the computer labs, the science labs, the playground and the classrooms. This will help you get an idea if the school will be able to provide whatever your child needs in the process of learning. Once you are sure all the above mentioned factors are approved, you can get your child enrolled in the school.