Choose the Right Nannie
By Parents
Jan. 8, 2010
Nannies provide in-house, personal care for your little ones. But finding a trustworthy nanny requires time, effort, and patience.
Consider hiring a high-quality nanny agency to perform thorough background checks.
Also conduct in-person interviews and contact references. Most important, trust your instincts. If you don’t feel right about a particular candidate, move on with your search.
It may be that you’re going back to work after a maternity leave, or it could be that you’re taking on part-time work and need to find someone to watch your children while you’re out of the house.
Whatever your situation, it’s not enough to just wish for Mary Poppins or Nanny 911— you need to do your research.
Unlike other professions, there are no national standards in the United States for nanny training, and there is no state or national group in charge of regulating job performance.
Therefore, it is imperative that parents thoroughly interview and screen a potential nanny before she begins caring for their children.
The easiest way to verify the background of a candidate is to hire a high-quality nanny agency.
If possible, seek out an agency that belongs to the Alliance of Professional Nanny Agencies, a professional group that requires members to conduct rigorous background checks. Agencies usually charge 10 percent of a nanny’s first-year salary, plus a $100 to $300 application fee.
If for whatever reason you’re going to search on your own, it’s imperative that you know what to look for and what to ask about.
And even if you do use a nanny agency, you should know what makes up a good background check.
When hiring a nanny or homesitter for your family, don’t ever employ anyone without checking references and employment history. Additionally, always trust your instincts.
Don’t worry if you’re alone in your hesitation; if you’re not feeling completely satisfied with any single aspect of your nanny’s application or it just doesn’t feel right, move on to other candidates.
Some tools to help you narrow down your search:
Use our Checklist to Verify a Nanny Candidate’s Credentials >>
Print a Nanny Candidate Interview Guide >>
Print a Nanny Reference Interview Guide >>
Print a Nanny Employment Agreement >>
Source: Parents
Editor’s Note; We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
Help Your Baby to Sleep in Seven Days
By Stephanie Wood
Jan. 4, 2009
During the early days of life with a newborn, you’re focused on what’s best for the baby, so sleepless nights seem like a small price to pay.
Until about week six, that is, when waking up every few hours starts to get old.
By month three, you’re pretending to be asleep, hoping that your partner will get up first and fetch a bottle. You can’t remember what it feels like not to be tired.
The good news is that most babies do begin to sleep through the night between 3 and 4 months of age if you let them, says Charles Schaefer, Ph.D., author of Winning Bedtime Battles: Getting Your Child to Sleep (Barnes & Noble Books, 1998).
But many parents unwittingly encourage bad sleep habits that can continue for years. If your baby is 6 months or older and is still a night owl, it’s time you get with the program.
And even if you have a young infant, it’s never too early to teach smart sleep skills. Our expert seven-day plan will guarantee a good night’s sleep for you and your baby, with a minimum of crying along the way.
Day 1: Start a Regular Routine
Many babies get their days and nights mixed up, napping for long periods in the afternoon and waking up to play at bedtime. But today you’re going to fix that.
“The latest research shows that infants can be taught the difference between night and day from the get-go,” says John Herman, Ph.D., clinical director of the Sleep Disorders Center at the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas. You simply need to provide the cues that will allow this to happen.
Wake your baby up early tomorrow, and get into the routine of always rising at the same time every day. Position her crib near a window and keep the blinds up.
“The natural light helps babies organize their circadian rhythms,” says Dr. Herman.
Letting her nap with the blinds up also promotes this process. “If they wake from a nap in the daylight, they understand it’s time to get up. If they wake at night in the dark, they’ll learn to go back to sleep,” he explains.
At nighttime, begin some quiet rituals. “Decide on a specific bedtime routine,” says Claire Lerner, M.S.W., a child-development specialist at Zero
To Three: The National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families, in Washington, D.C. Dress your child in her pajamas and put her down in her crib for the night with the lights out.
Just prior to tucking her in, you may want to read a story or sing a song, which helps your baby’s motor and sensory system slow down
Day 2: Practice Makes Perfect
Today you’re going to build on the consistent routine you began yesterday. If your child still requires nighttime feedings, that can be a good time to accentuate the difference between day and night, says Robert Ballard, M.D., director of the Sleep Health Center at National Jewish Medical Center, in Denver. “Keep night feedings very relaxing, with the lights low.
Do everything you can to avoid stimulating your baby,” he says. “And during the day, make feedings a time of high activity, when you tickle her feet or sing songs, so she begins to perceive the difference.”
Continue to pay careful attention to what soothes your baby in the evening too. “A bath may be calming for one child and invigorating for another,” Lerner says. You might also want to try adding white noise, says Carl Johnson, Ph.D., a psychologist and pediatric sleep researcher at Central Michigan University, in Mount Pleasant.
“The hum of a fan or air conditioner or a radio set on static works well for many infants. The good thing about white noise is that you can fade it out over time, once your baby begins to sleep more predictably.”
Day 3: The Crying Begins
Steel yourself: Tonight you start putting your child down in his crib while he’s still awake. “It’s the single most important thing you can do,” says Dr. Schaefer. “If he falls asleep at your breast during his bedtime feeding, for example, arouse him enough that his eyes are open when you place him in the crib.” Of course, a little — or a lot of — crying may ensue.
But rest assured, it will be tougher on you than on your baby. Parents naturally find crying agonizing to listen to, but just keep reminding yourself that the end result — sleep! — will be good for the whole family.
“Get over the worry that ignoring your baby while he cries will do psychological harm,” emphasizes Dr. Schaefer.
If you’ve been meeting his every need in other ways, this situation certainly won’t lessen his sense of security.
Nor should you worry about letting a very young baby cry. In fact, the younger the infant, the easier the process will be. “Babies older than 5 or 6 months are naturally going to be more upset because you’ve changed the rules on them,” Dr. Schaefer says.
A 3-month-old, on the other hand, knows only the routine that you create. “With younger babies, parents always think the crying is going to go on longer than it usually does,” agrees Pamela High, M.D., medical director of the infant development unit at Women & Infants’ Hospital, in Providence. “Infants under 5 months often last only for 15 or 20 minutes.”
If a battle royal does ensue, go in periodically to check on your baby and reassure him that you’re there — aim for every five minutes the first night. But keep your visits brief:
Don’t turn on the light, remove him from the crib, or offer him a pacifier or a bottle. “If he falls asleep with one of these crutches, he’ll cry for it again if he wakes up or at bedtime tomorrow night,” Lerner says.
Day 4: Tough It Out
So last night was a long one. Expect an improvement tonight. Your baby will remember a little sooner that crying doesn’t produce results. When she protests, lengthen your response time to every ten minutes.
And whatever happens, don’t give in. “If you’re inconsistent, the baby learns to hold out — she’ll just up the ante and cry twice as long tomorrow night,” says Deborah Givan, M.D., director of the Children’s Sleep Disorders Center at Riley Hospital for Children, in Indianapolis.
Day 5: Baby Settles In
Most babies get with the program in three to five days, so tonight could be your lucky night. If your child is still holding her own, lengthen your response time to 15 minutes.
“Some babies need the frequent reassurance that you’re checking on them, but others find it a tease,” Lerner says.
“Checking on the baby is really for the parents’ benefit,” says Dr. High. “If you notice that you’re fueling your child’s reaction every time you go in and you can tolerate staying away, it’s fine to do so.
Just peek at him through a crack in the door instead so he doesn’t actually see you.”
The other frequent problem at this point is night feedings. At about 12 pounds or 3 to 4 months, most infants are ready to give them up. Obviously, you can’t just decide to cut them out with a younger infant.
But you can keep them as brief and quiet as possible: Cuddle your baby but don’t sing to her, keep the lights out even during diaper changes, and settle her in the crib as soon as she’s done. Don’t fall for the myth that bigger babies wake up because they’re hungry.
Heavier babies actually have less need for night feedings if they weigh more than about 12 pounds, so they’re likely to be waking up out of habit. Bigger babies are sometimes night owls precisely because they’re being overfed, Dr. Givan points out.
“Overfeeding means they’ll have wet diapers, which makes them wake up again.”
Day 6: Baby Sleeps Through
Sounds like bliss, doesn’t it? But chances are you’ll be wandering the halls a little anyway. You may find yourself getting up to check on the baby. Relax.
Dress him in warm PJs so you don’t need to worry about kicked-off covers, and turn the monitor down so that you hear him only if he’s really in distress.
Now that you’ve made so much progress, don’t wreck it by rushing in too quickly. Let your child soothe himself. You also need to relax so that you can fall asleep.
Day 7: You Sleep Soundly Too
Give yourself a big pat on the back. You’ve not only regained your sleep but given your baby an important gift: Good sleep habits are as critical as good hygiene to a child’s well-being.
Of course, there will be setbacks, such as an illness, a new sibling, or an unfamiliar hotel room.
“Even children who are good sleepers will have problems now and then,” says Dr. Givan. But fall back on our foolproof plan whenever you need to.
Your child will respond with even less difficulty the second time around because she already knows the drill.
Source: Parents
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
National Zoo Gets Ready to Say Goodbye to Tai Shan
By Robbin Friedman
Jan. 5, 2009
Sometimes it’s hard to say goodbye—especially to an adorable panda bear. Last month, the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., announced that its 4-year-old giant panda, Tai Shan, will leave the zoo in January or February and go to live in China.
Under an agreement with China, which owns all the giant pandas living in the United States, any panda born in the U.S. belongs to China and must be sent there to live. Tai Shan was born at the National Zoo in July 2005.
He was originally supposed to go to China when he turned two, but an agreement was reached allowing him to stay in Washington for two more years.
Cub on Camera
Tai Shan, whose name means “peaceful mountain,” captured hearts all over the world after his birth. The National Zoo set up a “panda cam” to record little Tai Shan and his parents, Tian Tian and Mei Xiang.
Over the Internet, animal lovers around the globe watched the pandas as they ate, napped, and romped with plants and toys.
Zookeepers and panda lovers in Washington know that Tai Shan will be safe and cared for at his new home in Wolong, in China’s Sichuan province. But they will also miss him.
“Tai Shan leaving Washington is terribly sad for the zoo, the community, and his fans around the world,” said Steve Monfort, acting director of the National Zoo. “He has become so special to the staff and the public—and we have learned so much from him in just four short years.”
Pandas in Peril
Giant pandas are endangered. Scientists think that only about 1,600 giant pandas still live in central China, the only country where pandas live in the wild and where many more once roamed.
Pandas have been threatened over many years by poaching, or illegal hunting. They have also lost much of their habitat. Adult pandas eat 40-50 pounds of bamboo a day.
As humans have cleared bamboo forests, the black-and-white bears have struggled to survive.
Scientists Working Together
China loans pandas to zoos in the U.S. and other countries to raise awareness of the endangered animals and to help scientists study them. Currently, 14 pandas live in the U.S.
Scientists in China and the United States hope that by learning more about the animals, they can help protect them. More than 160 giant pandas live in zoos and conservation centers around the world.
A number of these live in the Wolong Nature Reserve, where Tai Shan is headed.
Scientists at the Wolong reserve study pandas and also breed them to help the population grow. They hope that with greater numbers of pandas and more knowledge about the bears, they may one day be able to release giant pandas born in captivity into the wild.
Tai Shan, a “teenager” in panda years, is a good age to become part of Wolong’s conservation program.
Tai Shan will never live in the wild. But perhaps one day his children can roam freely in the bamboo forests where giant pandas belong.
How Pandas Grow
- At birth, baby pandas weigh only 3 to 5 ounces—and are about the size of a stick of butter!
- Adult pandas grow up to 6 feet tall and weigh as much as 300 pounds. Tai Shan weighed 168 pounds in December.
- Pandas can live at least 30 years in captivity.
Source: Scholastic News Online
Editor’s Note: Robbin Friedman is a contributing writer for Scholastic News Online.
We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
Kids that Love the Earth
By Toni Klym McLellan
Jan. 3, 2010
My children — like many of their peers — spend far less time in the fresh air than kids did in the past. That’s unfortunate, experts say, since communing with nature offers so many benefits.
Outdoor time helps kids get exercise, stimulates their senses, and promotes cognitive development. And it can also make children more relaxed. “Kids experience tremendous stress reduction from even a little contact with nature,” says Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods.
A University of Illinois study found that just a 20-minute walk in the park reduced symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Teaching kids to appreciate nature is as easy as it is fun. Our outdoor action plan will help you trade screen time for time beyond the screen door.
Play in the Yard
While kids often venture outside for organized sports or recess on paved playgrounds, unstructured playtime in nature is scarce. “Put away the Purell and let your kids learn to touch dirt again,” suggests Les Stroud, host of the TV show Survivorman, who credits his adventurous adulthood to summer days he spent at a family cottage in the woods.
You don’t need to head to the hills to find the pleasures of the wild — you can do it in your own backyard. “My boys once spent hours watching a wasp repeatedly carry mud from a puddle to build a nest,” says Jennifer Joyce, a Westminster, Maryland, mother of four boys, ages 4 to 9.
“Afterward, they wanted to learn more, so we spent some time researching the insects together.”
Give your kids a magnifying glass so they can take a bug’s-eye view and explore. (Check out the book In the Tall, Tall Grass, by Denise Fleming, which looks at the yard from a caterpillar’s perspective.) Some other ways to help children incorporate nature into their games:
For young kids, make bingo cards with pictures of things — a round rock, a small twig, a big tree — they can hunt for in the backyard.
Send older kids on a scavenger hunt around the neighborhood to help them develop teamwork and strategizing skills. For a more advanced version of the game, use a regional field guide to trees, wildflowers, and critters.
Frolic in the Rain
Anyone who’s tried keeping children from stomping through every puddle in a parking lot knows that kids love water. Ditch the myth that rainy days cause colds (viruses, which are actually more readily spread in dry air, are the real culprit).
If there’s no thunder or lightning in the forecast, send your children out in rain boots for some serious splashtivity. Have towels and dry clothes ready when they return, wet and happy from their visit to nature’s water park.
The world smells and looks different when it rains. Ask your kids what they notice: Are the birds quiet? Do the clouds look different?
Does a downpour sound like sizzling bacon? Check out the book Rain Play, by Cynthia Cotten, which evokes the sounds and sights of rainy days for prereaders.
Stimulate your child’s sense of touch by letting her squish her toes in the mud. Grab an umbrella and walk toddlers around the block, counting the earthworms gathered on the sidewalk.
(Don’t worry, they’re not drowning; scientists believe they surface on wet days to quickly migrate above ground without drying out.)
Let older kids compete to see who can make the biggest splashes out of even the tiniest of puddles.
Take a Hike
Trekking through the woods may seem daunting, but most kid-friendly day hikes require no special gear aside from sturdy shoes and a backpack to carry water, nourishing snacks, sunscreen, and insect repellent.
Get your kids in the hiking spirit by reading Follow the Trail: A Young Person’s Guide to the Great Outdoors, by Jessica Loy.
Setting off on a family trek is a great way to build strong bonds. “You don’t usually have the kind of interruptions outdoors that you have at home,” says Parents advisor Michael Thompson, PhD, a psychologist and author specializing in children and families.
“It’s a different quality of experience for kids when their parents’ heads are clear of distractions.
Jennifer Bebensee, a single mom from Corvallis, Oregon, started hiking when her daughter, Sami, was 2.
“With no video games, TV shows, or ringing phones to disturb us, long walks in the wild allowed us to focus on ourselves,” says Bebensee.
“Now 16, Sami sees nature as a sanctuary from school or other teenage concerns. It centers her and gives her comfort.”
Find an easy, kid-friendly trail through a local park or preserve. If you have a very young child, use a jogging stroller, if permitted, or carry him in an infant carrier or a baby backpack.
Take along a digital camera and snap photos to help older kids focus on details they otherwise might not notice, Bebensee suggests. And make a game of counting trail markers, butterflies, or wildflowers.
Families with school-age kids can try geocaching, a high-tech outdoor treasure hunt using a GPS to find “caches,” small containers that have been filled with logbooks and trinkets by other hikers.
Visit a Nature Center
Joann Philpott, of Houston, started going to the Hana & Arthur Ginzbarg Nature Discovery Center — a slice of the wild tucked away in nearby Bellaire, Texas — when her kids were toddlers.
“The exhibits encouraged them to touch, feel, and participate,” she says. Now on the center’s board, Philpott still visits regularly with her kids, ages 7 to 11.
She credits the exhibits with turning them into nature lovers who prefer spending time at the family’s small farm to, say, going to an amusement park.
To find a center near you, Google “nature center” and the name of your hometown. Most offer kid-friendly activities and easy-to-understand displays on endangered species, rescued animals, and the local flora and fauna.
If you can’t find a nature center nearby, pick up a copy of Take a City Nature Walk, by Jane Kirkland, an urban field guide for children. It can help your kids pay attention to the often unnoticed wildlife that’s around them all the time.
Plant Something
A love of gardening runs up and down Stephanie Hein’s family tree; she grew up on the rural Colorado vegetable farm her great-grandfather worked in the late 1800s.
Today, Hein grows veggies with her children, Justin, 6, and Ellie, 3, in Boulder, Colorado. “All kids can participate on some level,” she says. Younger children can dig holes or water plants, and older children can label plant markers.
“My son is particularly proud when he sees vegetables from our garden on the dinner table. ”
Don’t fret if you don’t have a back 40 to plow: “Start small and work up to a larger garden,” says Hein.
Try growing cherry tomatoes in a planter on a porch if you’re a beginner or have limited space. Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children, by Sharon Lovejoy, will get the whole family excited about gardening.
Climb a Tree
Finding a great jungle gym doesn’t require making a trip to a playground. Instead, encourage your child to climb the limbs of a sturdy tree.
It’s a great way to give kids a dose of adventure while they work on building their strength and dexterity.
Make sure your child stays safe; don’t let him climb beyond your reach! But keep things in perspective: Louv points out that kids today are at higher risk for repetitive stress injuries — and those take longer to heal than most broken bones do.
If your kid loves climbing and is ready to branch out, tree-climbing is growing into a hobby sport with specialized gear that lets kids as young as 5 reach greater heights. Check out treeclimbing.com for more info.
Children too young to climb can learn to love trees, too, when they sit in the shade or collect leaves. Tot-friendly field guides like Diane Burns’ Trees, Leaves, and Bark show the many ways that trees benefit other living things.
Go Camping
For a complete nature-immersion experience and a vacation that doesn’t break the bank, try pitching a tent. Roy Scribner and his wife, Lisa, take monthly camping trips with their three children, ages 4 to 8.
“The kids always come home excited and worn out, and they talk about the trip for weeks afterward,” says the dad from Morgan Hill, California.
“They’re picking up on the fact that there’s this bigger world out there, and they’re curious about it.”
If you aren’t quite ready to sleep in the woods, try a backyard campout using borrowed or rented gear, or seek out ranger-led clinics at local parks or conservation areas.
“Know your comfort zone and look for places where you’ll feel confident taking the kids,” says Stroud. It’s important to have the right supplies, but you don’t need much beyond a tent, sleeping bags, and a lantern or flashlight.
Prepare your kids for their stay in the wild by reading S Is for S’Mores: A Camping Alphabet, by Helen Foster James. Then light a fire, pull up a log, and make some s’mores of your own.
Originally published in the March 2009 issue of Parents magazine.
Source: Parents
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
How to Choose a Pediatrician
By: Peter A. Gorski, M.D., M.P.A.
Jan. 1, 2009
The advice of other parents. The atmosphere of the doctor’s office. Office hours convenient to your work schedule. Gut instinct.
All are important things to take into account when you choose a pediatrician.
Your child’s pediatrician is your partner in promoting your child’s health and development.
That means you should feel comfortable with your choice. Interviewing several pediatricians at their offices is the best way to pick your partner.
When to start? When you’re still pregnant. With all of the excitement and physical changes during pregnancy, it’s easy to overlook the fact that you’re about to become a parent!
In the last trimester of your pregnancy, your baby is growing rapidly and you have lots to think about. But feeling comfortable with the person you choose to be your baby’s doctor is as important as finding a safe crib.
Beginning Your Search
Sometime after the 30th week of pregnancy, make an appointment for you and your partner to meet with a pediatrician or a few pediatricians in their offices.
Be sure that the individual is board-certified in pediatrics or family medicine and has had at least three years of training in pediatrics or family medicine.
The state medical society or the staff at the physician’s office could give you this basic information.
To get a list of prospects, ask your own health care provider, your parents, or friends you respect.
Ask them why they like or dislike a certain doctor — their reasons may not be the same as yours.
You could also call your local medical society, board of health, or hospital for some references.
The Interview
You can find out a lot about a doctor during this prenatal pediatric visit. He or she should be a person with whom you would feel comfortable discussing any issue concerning your child and your family.
Each appointment should last 15 or 20 minutes. It’s not a good sign if a doctor won’t meet with you — scratch him or her off your list!
Some of what goes into your decision may simply be based on impressions, personality, and instinct. You may want to:
Pay attention to the office setting. Is the waiting room clean, bright, and playful? Is it calm and safe?
Get a sense of how much the members of the staff enjoy working with children.
Notice how interested the pediatrician is in you and your expectations about your child.
See how the doctor’s style and personality blend with yours.
Here are a few general things to talk over with the pediatricians you meet:
The doctor’s or the medical group’s availability in an emergency.
How their office hours work with your schedule.
How they would support your choices about feeding your baby.
What they think about your plans for child care.
Their special medical interests or expertise in children’s health and development.
Here are some specific questions to ask:
When are your office hours?
How can we see someone after hours?
When can I reach you and your staff by phone?
What do we do in an emergency when the doctor isn’t available?
Can we call with questions that wouldn’t require an office visit? Do you charge for such “telephone time”?
How much time do you allow for office visits? (A good answer would be 15 minutes or more.)
What hospitals do you use and what HMOs do you work with?
How do you support breastfeeding?
When will I bring my baby for the first office visit? (A good answer would be within the first week, especially if you’ve had a short maternity stay in the hospital.)
How can you help me understand my child’s development?
If our child has behavior problems that we can’t control, how comfortable will you be in helping us with them?
What’s your advice about working and parenting?
How well do you know the infant and toddler programs in the community?
A Switch in Time
If your HMO or birth center has already assigned you a pediatrician, it’s not too late to make sure he or she is the right choice for you.
Interview him or her. You can ask your health care plan for its list of pediatricians and interview one or two others, too.
If you have already brought your baby to a pediatrician you don’t feel comfortable with, it’s not too late to switch.
Even if your health care plan has a list of doctors you must choose from, that list is probably quite long.
Ask your health plan what steps you can take to find a pediatrician within the plan that meets your needs, your schedule, and your style.
Once you begin a comfortable relationship with your pediatrician, you will feel more relaxed and confident about childbirth and the lifelong devotion of parenting.
Source: Pampers
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
America’s Everyday Heroes
By Katherine E. P
YC/Staff
Jan. 2, 2009
Editor’s Note: The following article was written by a 15-year old, while she was giving a speech at her school.
All Americans should read her words of wisdom as we face an upcoming year of possible New Depression being brought on by Obama’s financial policies.
What follows is the relevant excerpt from her speech.
We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
“Our generation has had no great war, no Great Depression. Our war is spiritual. Our depression is our lives. Author Chuck Palahniuk makes this grim observation of younger generations in his book Fight Club.
We are sometimes referred to as “Generation Me” – those of us born in the 80’s and 90’s. We have the best education, technology and conveniences available to us.
“So what makes us different from our grandparents and great-grandparents? All the books and movies portray that group of people born just before the Great Depression as heroes; strong men and women who never complained about almost unbelievable ordeals of the Great Depression and WWII.
In his best selling book, Tom Brokaw names them ‘The Greatest Generation.’ These ordinary men and women, people like my grandparents, have amazing stories full of sacrifice and a sense of purpose.”
“Grandad saved up enough money to start college with one pair of pants, two shirts and a jacket. A year later he was drafted out of college. Grandad never talked much about the war.
He stepped on a landmine and was blown against a tree and filled full of shrapnel. The next four months he spent in army hospital, lucky to have both arms and legs. For this he was awarded the purple heart.”
“GranMary illustrated the quality of Depression era off-base housing: ‘Two walls of the so-called garage apartment were cement blocks. The others were cardboard boxes stapled together.
The place had a rusty iron bed, a cracked mirror, a little table, and a two burner gas stove. A light bulb hung from a wire from the ceiling and the water came from a spigot outside.
In those days people were used to their lives being temporary and uncertain and we didn’t know what else there was.
We sure didn’t expect anyone to take care of us – we just did what we had to do to survive.’ ”
“This generation of veterans and survivors of the Depression and WWII is dying. Every day we lose over 1000 of these great men and women; these everyday heroes.
They have stories we could be learning from that are going unheard.
President Ronald Reagan said ‘Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation.’
My generation needs to listen and learn quickly before these people are gone. We could learn their humility, their loyalty, their responsibility, their frugality and their hard work. All the things that make them the greatest generation.”
Memorable Stories of 2009
By Sean Price
Jan. 1, 2009
To mark the close of a history-making year, join Scholastic News in taking a look back at some of the most notable news stories of 2009.
A Historic Inauguration
On January 20, Barack Obama became the 44th U.S. President—and the country’s first African-American chief executive. Obama’s swearing-in ceremony drew a record crowd of 1.8 million people.
That made it the biggest event ever held in Washington, D.C. The crowd stood for hours in freezing cold temperatures to witness the event. “We gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord,” the new President told the nation.
A New Justice
In May, President Obama chose Judge Sonia Soto mayor as his nominee to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court, the most powerful court in the land. Soto mayor replaced retiring Justice David Souter and became the first Hispanic, and the third woman, to sit on the high court.
There are only nine Supreme Court justices. All of them serve for as long as they’d like. Together, their decisions carry the weight of law. So Obama’s choice of Sotomayor could affect U.S. laws for decades to come.
The U.S. Senate confirmed Obama’s choice, and she was sworn into office on August 8.
Moon Walk’s 40th Anniversary
On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon. “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind,” he said. About 600 million people worldwide watched on television. Putting men on the moon was a huge accomplishment for the United States.
The success of Apollo 11—and later Apollo flights—increased our knowledge of the moon, the sun, and Earth. NASA, the U.S. government space agency, observed the 40th anniversary of this event by discussing plans for future exploration. They include setting up a base on the moon and making a journey to Mars.
Tough Times at Home
For all of 2009, the U.S. economy has been in a recession, or sharp downturn. Millions of Americans lost their jobs. More than 1 million families lost their homes because they were unable to make their monthly payments on loans. President Obama moved to reverse this downturn.
In February, he signed into law what he called “the most sweeping economic recovery package in our [nation’s] history.” The law pumped hundreds of billions of dollars into the U.S. economy over several months.
It was intended to help create jobs, help companies stay in business, and lower taxes for the middle class—but many people thought the money spent was too much. Unemployment was beginning to ease just a bit by the end of the year.
At the same time, Obama and Congress went to work on improving the country’s ailing health-care system.
The President and many members of Congress are trying to create new laws that will reduce health-care costs and allow more people to get health insurance. No law has yet been passed.
First Pup
As Sasha and Malia Obama waited for their dad, the President, to keep his promise of a getting them a puppy, a nation of pet lovers waited with them.
In April, both the girls and the American people were rewarded for their patience when the new First Pet, a Portuguese water dog named Bo, moved into the White House.
A Scare from the New Flu
This year’s seasonal flu bug came with an unwelcome friend—a new strain of flu that scientists call H1N1. H1N1’s rapid spread in several countries last spring caused fears of a massive outbreak.
A vaccine for H1N1 is now available. Health officials have also stressed that prevention is key: Cough and sneeze into a tissue or the bend of your arm, they advise, and wash your hands often.
Conflicts Overseas
The first decade of the new century has been a time of war for Americans. The U.S. has been fighting in Afghanistan since 2001 and in Iraq since 2003. This year, with violence decreasing in Iraq, President Obama announced plans to pull out all U.S. troops from that country by the end of 2011.
In Afghanistan, where violence is on the rise, the President plans to send an additional 30,000 troops.
The goal there is to defeat the Taliban, an extreme group that has supported Osama bin Laden and his terrorist group, Al Qaeda. Bin Laden and Al Qaeda are responsible for the terrorist attacks against the U.S. in 2001.
World Series Wins, Big and Little
The New York Yankees won the World Series for the first time since 2000, beating last year’s champions, the Philadelphia Phillies. Victory was especially sweet for the Yankees and their fans because 2009 marked the team’s first season in the new Yankee Stadium.
And in the Little League World Series, California’s Chula Vista team won the championship, coming from behind to beat the Chinese Taipei team from Tao Yuan, Taiwan.
Source: Scholastic News Online
Editor’s Note: Photos, clockwise from top left: Judge Sonia Soto mayor during the Senate hearing to confirm her appointment as Supreme Court Justice; Sasha and Malia Obama’s puppy, Bo; the H1N1 virus; astronaut Buzz Aldrin, during his moon walk with Neil Armstrong in July, 1969; U.S. troops in Afghanistan; Barack Obama takes the oath of office, becoming the 44th President of the United States; Chula Vista celebrates after winning the Little League World series championship in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
The year in review: scroll to the end of the story for photo captions. Photo credits, clockwise from top left: Christy Bowe/Corbis; AP Images; Visuals Unlimited/Corbis; NASA; Peter Byrne/PA Wire; Reuters/Jim Bourg/Landov; Gene J. Puskar/AP Images.
We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
New Year Resolutions Your Family Can Keep
By Mark Stackpole
Dec. 30, 2009
There is an excitement about the start of a new year, with all its promise and possibility.
Traditionally, people celebrate this holiday by making resolutions and pledging to change for the better.
The arrival of the new year is a good time to reflect on the past and plan for the future, especially for parents who want to make positive changes not only for themselves but also for their children.
Instill an Attitude of Gratitude
Erin E. Mitchell is an educational consultant in San Jose, Calif., and the mother of two. She and her husband, Clifford, a school administrator, lead busy lives and are concerned that their children will get caught up in the whirlwind.
A New Year’s goal for the Mitchell family is to simplify. “We started today by going through the toys we have collected in the last three years,” Mitchell says.
“We took the time to explain to our son, Matthew, that we were going to find things that he could give to other kids who don’t have toys.
He actually helped us out, which is funny because he won’t even give his sister a moldy Cheerio from the bottom of his toy box.
We are planning to do this at least once a year, in hopes that even when the ‘me stage’ is over, the kids will be more appreciative, grateful and respectful.”
Relax and Enjoy.
Mitchell also wants her family to be able to take a collective deep breath and spend more time enjoying the moment.
“Our children know that we love them, but I want to show them that they are truly the most important thing in the world to us,” she says.
“Our family traditions will start, and their memories will form, in the unhurried quality moments that we are able to spend with them. This year it is all about that ‘slow time.'”
Teach As You Play
Mark Victor Hansen is a world-renowned professional speaker and author. Best known for co-creating the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series and author of The One Minute Millionaire (Harmony, 2002), Hansen has dedicated his life to making a positive difference in people’s lives.
For parents looking to get their message across to young children, Hansen has some straightforward advice.
“Be involved in your child’s life,” he says. “Develop age-appropriate activities that exemplify family teachings. Use these activities to teach them as much as possible at an early age.”
Set 101 Goals
Hansen and his family begin each year by creating a list of things they want to accomplish during that year. “What I teach, believe and practice is for each member of the family to begin each year with 101 goals,” he says. “These goals are both individual and family-oriented.
When we sit down to write them, the question is, ‘What are we going to do together this year?’ We break our goals down into categories and consider financial, social, spiritual, mental and health-related issues.”
Keep a Record of Your Life Together
In addition to setting goals together as a family, Hansen believes that there are a few very important gifts that parents can give to children in order to provide a sense of what is important.
“Give your children family pictures,” he says. “Create family memories and leave a pictorial family history. Keep a journal so that your kids can really know you. My children got to know me by knowing what I was thinking at any given time. Maintain a library.
The books you keep will give your children an idea of what you read, what was important to you and what you found influential. Kids can see where you have dog-eared a corner or underlined a sentence.”
No matter how well last year’s plans worked out, it is important to enter this year armed with the best of intentions. Life will always be busy and change will always be difficult.
For her part, Erin Mitchell believes that she has found a key to a healthier and happier new year. “When I am more balanced mentally and physically, it affects me emotionally,” she says.
“It makes me happier, more flexible and even more loving with the kids. Better balance on my part will help me teach my children better habits overall.”
Source: Family
Editor’s Note: we would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
God’s Gift to the World: A Boy who Paints Like an Old Pro
By Patrick Barkham
Dec. 28, 2009
His pictures cost upwards of £900, there are 680 people on a waiting list to buy them, and his second exhibition sold out in 14 minutes. Patrick Barkham meets the gifted artist Kieron Williamson, aged seven.
Kieron Williamson kneels on the wooden bench in his small kitchen, takes a pastel from the box by his side and rubs it on to a piece of paper.
“Have you got a picture in your head of what you’re going to do?” asks his mother, Michelle.
“Yep,” Kieron nods. “A snow scene.”
Because it is winter at the moment, I ask.
“Yep.”
Do you know how you want it to come out?
“Yep.”
And does it come out how you want it to?
“Sometimes it does.”
Like many great artists, small boys are not often renowned for their loquaciousness. While Kieron Williamson is a very normal seven-year-old who uses his words sparingly, what slowly emerges on the small rectangle of paper in his kitchen is extraordinarily eloquent.
This month, Kieron’s second exhibition in a gallery in his home town of Holt, Norfolk, sold out in 14 minutes. The sale of 16 new paintings swelled his bank account by £18,200.
There are now 680 people on a waiting list for a Kieron original. Art lovers have driven from London to buy his work. Agents buzz around the town. People offer to buy his schoolbooks.
The starting price for a simple pastel picture like the one Kieron is sketching? £900.
Kieron lives with his dad Keith, a former electrician, his mum, who is training to be a nutritionist, and Billie-Jo, his little sister, in a small flat overlooking a petrol station.
When I arrive on a Saturday afternoon, Kieron and Keith are out. When Kieron returns in football socks and shorts, I assume he has been playing football. But no, he has been replenishing his stock of pastels in Holt, a chichi little place where even the chip shop has grainy portraits for sale on its walls.
From Jan Lievens to Millais, there have been plenty of precocious geniuses in the art world. Excitable press coverage has compared Kieron to Picasso, who painted his first canvas, The Picador, aged eight.
“We don’t know who Picasso is really,” says Keith.
“I know who Picasso is,” interrupts Kieron. “I don’t want to become Picasso.”
Who would he like to become? “Monet or Edward Seago,” he says.
These days, however, we are often suspicious of child prodigies. We wonder if it is all their own work, or whether their pushy parents have hot-housed them.
People who don’t know the Williamsons might think Kieron is being cleverly marketed, particularly when they hear that Keith is now an art dealer.
The truth is far more innocent. Two years ago, a serious accident had forced Keith to stop work and turn his hobby – collecting art – into an occupation. The accident also stopped Keith racing around outside with his son.
Confined to a flat with no garden, surrounded by paintings and, like any small boy, probably influenced by his dad, Kieron decided to take up drawing. Now, father and son are learning about art together.
Kieron is rubbing yellows and greys together for his sky. “There’s some trees going straight across and then there’s a lake through the centre,” he explains. Is this picture something you have seen or is it in your imagination?
“I saw it on the computer and every time I do the picture it changes.” he says, handling his pastels expertly.
Keith ducks into the kitchen and explains that Kieron finds pictures he likes on the internet. Rather than an exact copy, however, he creates his own version.
This winter scene is imagined from an image of the Norfolk Broads in summer.
At first, Kieron’s art was pretty much like any other five-year-old’s. But he quickly progressed and was soon asking questions that his parents couldn’t answer. “Kieron wanted to know the technicalities of art and how to put a painting together,” says Michelle. Hearing of Kieron’s promise, one local artist, Carol Ann Pennington, offered him some tips.
Since then, he has had lessons with other Norfolk-based painters, including Brian Ryder and his favourite, Tony Garner.
Garner, a professional artist, has taught more than 1,000 adults over the last
few decades and Kieron, he says, is head and shoulders above everyone. “He doesn’t say very much, he doesn’t ask very much, he just looks.
He’s a very visual learner. If I did a picture with most students, they will copy it but Kieron is different. He will copy it and then he will Kieronise it,” he says.
“It might be a bit naive at the moment but there’s a lovely freshness about what he does. The confidence that this little chap has got – he just doesn’t see any danger.”
Garner says his parents have been brilliant at shielding Kieron from the business side and the pressure this invariably brings. Keith and Michelle are extremely proud, and protective, and perhaps slightly in awe of their son. They insist that Kieron only paints when he wants to.
“We judge ourselves every day, wondering whether we are making the right choices,” says Michelle. “Kieron is such a strong character you wouldn’t get him to do anything he didn’t want to do anyway.
\It’s a hobby. Some could argue he’s got such a talent, why aren’t we doing more for him in terms of touring galleries every weekend. We are a family and we’ve got Billie-Jo to consider; you’ve got to strike a balance.”
With all the people wanting paintings, I ask Kieron if he feels he has to do them. He says no.
So you only paint when you want to? “Yep.”
Do you have days when you feel you don’t want to paint?
“Yep.”
So you only do it when you’re in the mood?
“Yep.”
How many paintings or drawings do you do each week? One or two? “About six.”
Is he a perfectionist? “You’ve got a bit of an artist’s temperament, haven’t you?” says Michelle, softly, as Kieron continues wielding his pastels. “You get really frustrated if it doesn’t work out.
You punched a hole in the canvas once, didn’t you?”
That was rare. Sometimes, however, Kieron will produce “what we classify as a bag of trosh,” says Michelle. “He’s just got to go through the motions. It’s almost as if it’s a release.
It’s difficult to explain – it’s the process that he enjoys, because there are days when he is not really focused on his work but he just enjoys doing it.”
Sometimes, when they have taken Kieron out on painting trips in the countryside, the little boy has had other ideas: he has gone off and played in the mud or a stream. He is still allowed to be seven years old.
What do his school friends think? Are they impressed? “Yep.” A few moments later, Kieron pauses.
“I am also top of the class in maths, English, geography and science,” he says carefully, rubbing the sky in his picture.
Kieron explains he is sticking to landscapes for now but plans to paint a portrait of his 98-year-old nan when she turns 100. What does he think about people spending so much money on his paintings? “Really good.” Would he like to be a professional painter? “Yep.”
So he doesn’t want to be a footballer when he is older? “I want to be a footballer and a painter.”
Kieron enjoys playing football and, like his dad, supports Leeds United (“I haven’t ever pushed him into it,” says Keith quickly).
What other things does Kieron like doing? “You played on the Xbox but then you got bored of it didn’t you?” says Keith.
“You said I could have it out when Christmas comes,” says Kieron.
“You can have it out in the holidays,” promises Michelle. “He’s a bit all-or-nothing with whatever he does, like the artwork.
You have to pull the reins in a bit because otherwise he’d be up all night.”
What would his parents say if Kieron turned around and told them he was not going to paint any more? “Leave him to it. As long as he’s happy. At the end of the day, he’s at his happiest painting,” says Keith.
“It’s entirely his choice,” says Michelle. “We don’t know what’s around the corner. Kieron might decide to put his boxes away and football might take over and that would be entirely his choice.
We’re feeling slightly under pressure at the moment because there is such a waiting list of people wanting Kieron’s work, but I’m inclined to tell them to wait, really.”
I doubt many artists could paint or draw while answering questions and being photographed but Kieron carries on. When he finishes, we lean over to look.
“Not bad. That’s nice,” says Keith, who can’t watch Kieron at work; I wonder if it is because he is worried about his son making a mistake but Keith says he just prefers to see the finished article.
“Is it as good as the one I did this morning or better?” asks Kieron.
“What do you think?” replies Keith. “It’s got a nice glow on it, hasn’t it?”
Kieron nods.
I would love one of his pictures but, I tell Kieron, he is already too expensive for me. “I can price one down for you,” he says, as quick as a flash.
No, no, I couldn’t, I say, worried I would be exploiting a little boy who is eager to please. I thank him for his time and hand him my business card. And Kieron trots into his bedroom, comes out with his business card and says thank you back.
Kieron’s tips for landscape painting
1 “Go on holiday to where you really want to go, and be inspired.”
2 “Start with acrylics, then watercolours, then pastels and then oils”
3 When you set out to do a landscape, “start with the sky first, top to bottom.”
4 “When you do distance, it’s lighter, and when you do foreground it comes darker.”
5 “If you’re doing a figure in the winter, do a brown head, leave a small gap, do a blue jacket and brown legs. Then with the gap get a red pastel and do a flick of red so it looks like a scarf.”
6 “Keep on painting.”
Source: Guardian
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com
Save Power with These Green Tips
by Emily Busch
Dec.26, 2009
It’s easy to protect the planet! These tips help save energy. So get green and give the tips a try. Make sure to ask your parents before trying any of these tips!
Keep those fans buzzing in summer instead of turning on the air conditioner?
Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones. They last up to ten times longer and can use a quarter of the energy.
Plug electronics into a power strip and flip off the switch when the gadgets aren’t in use. (Make sure this won’t mess up clocks and recordings.)
Commit to turning off your computer before bed each night and before you go out for the day. Also set the computer’s sleep mode for when the computer is idle for just a little while. By doing these two simple acts, you will use about 85% less energy each day.
Switch off the light every time you leave a room.
Set the thermostat to no lower than 78°F in the summer and no higher than 68°F in the winter.
Place your desk next to a window and use natural light instead of a lamp.
Close your curtains to keep out daytime summer heat or keep in nighttime winter warmth.
Turn off the TV or video game console and play outside.
Ask Mom or Dad to turn off the car instead of letting it idle while you’re waiting.
Ride a bike or walk instead of using the car.
Carpool.
Source: Kids National Geographic
Editor’s Note: Play outside instead of using electricity. Photograph by Lori Adamski/Sport/Jupiterimages
We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com