I just read this very interesting article with great tips on how to help us and out children in a Digital world:
Please follow the link to: http://www.handsfreemama.com/2013/07/23/to-love-protect-a-child-in-a-digital-world/
Category Archives: Parents
Study Finds Folic Acid May Decrease Risk For Autism | TIME.com
Feb. 13, 2013
Folic acid is already recommended to prevent birth defects, but the supplement could lower risk of autism as well.
In the U.S., grain and cereal makers have been supplementing breads and other products with folic acid since 1998, after studies showed that the B vitamin could lower the risk of neural tube defects in newborns. The latest study, published in the journal JAMA, provides another reason that moms-to-be should consume the recommended daily dose of 400 micrograms of folic acid: it may lower risk of autism in their newborns by up to 40%.
Researchers studied data from about 85,000 Norwegian children born between 2002 and 2008; in Norway, unlike in the U.S. there are no requirements to fortify foods with folic acid, so the researchers tracked the use of folic acid supplements in expectant moms beginning four weeks before they became pregnant to eight weeks into their pregnancy. Women who took the pills were less likely to have children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders than mothers who didn’t take folate supplements. By the end of the study, when the children were 3 years to 10 years old, 270 were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs); 114 were diagnosed with autistic disorder, 56 with Asperger syndrome, and 100 with pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).
(MORE: New Study Suggests Autism Can Be ‘Outgrown’)
“Mothers who took folic acid supplements in early pregnancy had a 40% reduced risk of having children with autistic disorder compared with mothers who did not take folic acid,” says study author Dr. Pal Surén of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. There was no drop in risk for developing PDD-NOS, and the number of children with Asperger syndrome was too low to be significant.
Folic acid is the synthetic form of the B vitamin folate, which occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables and is important for generating and maintaining healthy cells. That’s why it may prevent neural tube birth defects early in fetal development, and could explain why it also plays a role in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. In a previous study involving the same cohort of Norwegian babies, researchers found that children born to mothers taking folic acid supplements were less likely to show language delays by age three than those whose mothers did not take the supplements. The fact that the protective effect appears only during early pregnancy, further supports the idea that the nutrient may be preventing some of the molecular abnormalities that trigger autism, which seems to develop during the initial stages of fetal development.
“Folic acid appears to have a protective effect, and given that it only occurs when you take it early, that tells you something,” says study author Ian Lipkin, director of the Center for Infection & Immunity at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. “No one really knows precisely when autism comes about. The extent to which it comes early or later isn’t entirely clear either. This suggests the protective effect of folic acid for autism is generated early. Although we don’t understand the mechanisms, the recommendation is that people should start supplements when they want to get pregnant.”
(MORE: Behavior Therapy Normalizes Brains of Autistic Children)
The researchers acknowledge that they were not able to adjust for other factors that might account for the lower risk of autism among the mothers taking folic acid; women who take supplements, for example, are more likely to come from higher socioeconomic backgrounds and are able to take advantage of prenatal programs that could improve their health in other ways as well. But Surén and his colleagues also asked the mothers about their use of fish oil supplements, and did not find a similar drop of autism rates among these users, who presumably would be of a similar economic background as the women taking folic acid supplements.
The findings certainly raise an intriguing, and potentially simple way to lowering risk of autism, especially given the rising rates of the disorder in many parts of the world. “We have an explosion of autism worldwide,” says Lipkin. “Overall, the rate appears to be much higher than we anticipated. Some people argue the change is from a real increase while others argue it’s from more diagnosis. We still want to prevent it. Given that this is such a simple thing to do, it is inexpensive, non toxic, it is an important thing to tell anyone considering getting pregnant to take folate.”
Study Finds Folic Acid May Decrease Risk For Autism | TIME.com.
How Teachers Use Skype in the Classroom | TIME.com
When a high school mock trial team from Dallas, Texas, got stranded in New York City during the worst of Superstorm Sandy, students logged on to Skype to describe the storm to their friends and families. The Bishop Lynch High School mock trial members had just finished competing in the Empire City Invitational in downtown Brooklyn on Sunday, Oct. 28, before mass transit came to a halt. As part of the curriculum, government teachers Rick Dunn and David Post (also the mock trial coaches) had planned to continue class Monday, Oct. 29 with their students back in Texas by Skyping with them from both the 9/11 Memorial and the New York Stock Exchange, where a former student was going to give a tour. But with the storm brewing and mass transit down, they had to blow off that virtual field trip.
But “teachers are notorious for hating to miss school,” says Post. So when Post and Dunn saw their mock trial members chatting away on Skype at the DoubleTree Suites in Times Square, the duo decided class would go on . . . via Skype. Post and Dunn improvised a Skype lesson to show students in their Dallas classroom how the storm was affecting New York City — to give them a taste of history in the making. On Oct. 30, Post went outside and tried to Skype with his class using his iPad connected to the Doubletree’s Wi-Fi, while inside, on the 40th floor of the hotel, Dunn led a Skype discussion about how the storm could impact the presidential election.
“Skype in the Classroom” was created for teachers like Post and Dunn, as the Internet-based communication service kept hearing stories about teachers who had begun using the software in their classrooms so that they could introduce their pupils to cultures and experts worldwide in real time. Launched March 2011, Skype in the Classroom is a website on which teachers worldwide can post ideas for Skype lessons, connect with other classrooms and come up with ways to collaborate via Skype. Now Skype in the Classroom’s global community boasts more than 43,000 teachers and 2,400 lessons.
Post and Dunn did not even know about Skype in the Classroom before they Skyped with their classes during Superstorm Sandy. They had used the Internet calling service to host virtual office hours for their students in the evenings so that students could ask questions about homework. But the vast majority of the lessons posted on Skype in the Classroom come from teachers who want to Skype with classes abroad to expose their students to different languages and cultures — a necessity in a global economy. Think back to the old-fashioned pen pal, the tradition of writing handwritten letters to someone in another part of the country or the world. Skype in the Classroom adds video to that exchange to give students a much fuller view of pen pals’ worlds.
“Young people are so engaged with video, and it’s so much a part of their daily lives,” says Andrew Schmidt, Skype’s head of social good, the company’s corporate responsibility arm that runs the website. “Students can both learn from experts and be the expert.”
Amy Rosenstein, who teaches third grade at Concord Road Elementary School in Ardsley, N.Y., has taught geography by organizing Skype conversations between her class and people in Hong Kong, Italy, New Zealand, Kenya, Brazil, England, Albania, Israel, and soon, India. She interviews potential speakers beforehand and suggests they show items that are native to their homelands to enhance the exchange, whether it’s native garb, falafels from Israel, or Albanian instruments. A May 11 Skype session with elementary school students in Kenya turned into a singalong when her students belted out a song in Swahili and the Kenyan students belted out a song in English.
Of course, animals are the most popular Skype guests. “We Skyped with a mother and two children living in New Zealand, where there are a lot of farms, and the mother stepped away to go get her pet lamb, and then they fed some milk to the lamb,” Rosenstein explains. “The kids are still talking about it.”
Teachers may need to buy a webcam and external speakers for their computers to Skype, but the service is free to download, so it seems like a low-cost tool for educators — especially at schools where budget constraints may limit field trips and funding for guest speakers. Twenty-six states are providing less funding per student to schools districts than they did last year, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
“You’re able to give an experience to a student that you could never possibly provide otherwise,” says Allison Holland, an eLearning Coach for Plymouth Community Schools in Plymouth, Ind., where students have had Skype conversations with Indiana’s Secretary of State Connie Lawson and Shaquille O’Neal. The former Boston Celtics center, who now has a doctorate in education, addressed 600 students via Skype on October 24 and discussed the importance of reading.
Skype has 14 partnerships that help connect teachers with experts at Microsoft (which owns Skype), Penguin Books and the New York Philharmonic, to name a few. NASA’s Digital Learning Network partnered with the Internet phone service last month because web conferencing is dramatically cheaper for teachers to set up than video-conferencing systems, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars, according to Lead Education Specialist Caryn Long and fellow Education Specialist David Alexander. NASA would give out grants to certain schools so that they could purchase the video technology, but Long and Alexander hope their team will be able to reach more students nationwide via Skype, and therefore get more youngsters revved about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) — especially at a time when the STEM workforce is growing faster than the workforce overall. This month, NASA has started offering to teach aeronautics and “pulsar algebra,” which combines math with the study of stars.
All educators told TIME that frozen screens and audio that fades in and out are the most common technical glitches they have experienced with Skype — problems that can depend on schools’ bandwidth or the number of people on Skype at a certain time of day. For the Skype chat with Shaq, Holland actually shut down school computers that she didn’t need to make sure there wouldn’t be any technical glitches.
Her students are already thinking about the next star they want to Skype with. Sixth grader Mary Beatty says, “We want to Skype with the President.”
Read more: http://techland.time.com/2012/11/28/how-teachers-use-skype-in-the-classroom/#ixzz2DckRb93Y
Holiday Gift Guide 2012 | Common Sense Media
Great Holiday Gifts for Kids
No matter how much planning you do ahead of time, shopping for holiday gifts can feel overwhelming. Let us help! Our guide is packed with 100+ holiday gift ideas hand-selected to inspire, educate, and entertain kids of all ages and stages. Whether your list includes young children, tweens, or teens, now it’s easy to find presents that kids and parents will both feel good about. All of our picks are arranged by age and media type and include movies, video games, books, music, TV shows on DVD, apps, and websites.
Our expert editors are completely independent, so their selections are based solely on kids’ best interests. We’ve provided buy links for many titles, but they’re simply for your convenience.
Giving without guessing makes for happier — and more fun — holidays for everybody.
Start Your Gift Search Here!
34 Ways to Bust a Bad Mood in Ten Minutes or Less | Greatist
Bad days happen. A bombed job interview, a broken coffee machine (when you really need coffee), stepping in dog poop on the way to a date — it’s growing increasingly apparent that life can suck somtimes. We can’t get rid of a terrible commute or an intolerable co-worker (sorry), but we do have some sweet suggestions for improving a mood regardless.
So You’re Having a Bad Day…
continue reading: http://greatist.com/happiness/34-ways-bust-bad-mood-ten-minutes/
Watch Out! Family Movies That Could Traumatize Your Kids | Common Sense Media
From death and dying to loss and divorce, a guide to the movie scenes that could cause emotional scars.
I don’t mind admitting that there are movies that make me cry. Steel Magnolias gets me every time (that scene where Sally Field loses it after the funeral?), and even WALL-E left me blinking back a few tears (happy ones, but still). I come by my cinema-induced emotions honestly (my dad still tears up at Disney movies), and sometimes I even prefer a good flick that will let loose a few sniffles in the dark.
But I’m not a kid, and most of the movies that have made me cry are ones that I knew in advance I should have tissues handy for. It’s a far different experience to be settled in for family movie night — ready for a few laughs, a few “awwww” moments, and maybe a nice message or two — and then get hit by THE SCENE: the one you aren’t expecting that leaves your kids upset, teary eyed, or even sobbing. We’ve rounded up some family targeted movies that fall into a few key “watch out” categories and might make the kind of childhood memories you’d rather avoid. (Warning — lots of spoilers ahead!)
Death of a Parent
Few things are more upsetting to young children than something bad happening to a parent on-screen — separation is bad enough, and death is even worse. All of these movies include scenes in which a parent is lost (or in which the loss is recent/imminent):
- Bambi: Bambi’s mother’s death takes place offscreen, but it’s still the first thing most viewers remember, even decades later. Bambi’s subsequent frantic search for her is almost as upsetting.
- Dumbo: Dumbo’s mother doesn’t die, but she’s cruelly separated from him after she’s provoked into a scary rampage. The follow-up scene in which she cradles him with her trunk through the bars of her cage window is gut-wrenching.
- Finding Nemo: Some parents we know just skip the first scene of this movie altogether until their kids are old enough to handle Nemo’s mom’s untimely demise at the jaws of a menacing predator fish.
- The Land Before Time: Young dinosaur Littlefoot’s mother is killed by an aggressive T-rex in this otherwise generally upbeat prehistoric adventure.
- The Lion King: Not only does Simba’s dad get trampled to death by a herd of stampeding wildebeests, but Simba unfairly blames himself for the tragedy.
- Stepmom: This story about a family dealing with divorce and remarriage takes a tragic turn when the kids’ mom is diagnosed with fatal cancer.
- We Bought a Zoo: Here, the mom passed away six months before the movie begins, but the impact on her family is very much in evidence. Sometimes watching characters deal with grief can be even more painful than the death itself.
- Honorable Mention: Up: While Ellie isn’t a parent (which is another emotional aspect of the movie), her death at the end of an extremely poignant montage early in the film has a powerful impact.
Death of a Child
Many kids, especially really young ones, have no sense of their own mortality — and why should they? So seeing a young person in danger or worse can be extremely distressing. These movies deal with children’s death and the emotional aftermath.
- Bridge to Terabithia: Anyone who’s read the book that this touching drama is based on knows what’s in store for fearless, imaginative Leslie — misfit Jess’ only friend — but those expecting a fantasy adventure à la Harry Potter should be warned: Tragedy ahead!
- Grave of the Fireflies: Beautifully animated but unrelentingly sad, this heartbreaking WWII-set anime tale centers on two children — brother and sister — who sicken and die.
- My Girl: The unexpected death of preteen Vada’s best friend (by bee sting, no less) hits many kids very hard, especially since much of the rest of the movie has a sweetly nostalgic feel.
- The Odd Life of Timothy Green: Technically Timothy doesn’t die, but he disappears forever, causing pain for those who loved him, which can be just as hard for kids to deal with.
- Honorable Mention: E.T.: No, E.T. isn’t exactly a child, and no, he doesn’t really die — but for a few moments, it seems as if he has, and those few moments can be enough to send young fans of the spunky little alien into a tailspin.
Death of an Animal
Even the most hardened moviegoers can lose it when an innocent animal suffers on-screen, and kids are hardly the toughest nuts. Dog lovers, especially, beware: Many of the saddest movies on this list deal with painful events befalling man’s best friend.
- Charlotte’s Web: When Wilbur’s dear friend and constant champion weaves her last web after doing so much for others, many kids are caught unprepared.
- Hachi: A Dog’s Tale: This exceptionally loyal dog lives a long life before passing on, but much of it is spent waiting in vain for a beloved owner who has died unexpectedly.
- Marley & Me: Many families decided to watch this based-on-a-true-story tale because of ads featuring silly dog antics … and were left distraught by Marley’s sad death.
- My Dog Skip: Skip is another movie dog who ultimately dies of old age — but not before being bullied, beaten, and nearly perishing in some very sad scenes.
- Old Yeller: Along with Bambi, Old Yeller is one of the most frequently cited emotionally traumatizing movies for kids. After the brave, loyal dog has a run-in with a rabid wolf, his young owner must put him down himself. Devastating.
- Where the Red Fern Grows: Life is hard for everyone in the Ozarks in the 1930s, and raccoon hounds Big Dan and Little Ann are no exception. Their tragic end is bound to leave animal-loving kids in tears.
- Honorable Mention: The Fox and the Hound: The main animal characters in this movie don’t die, but they aren’t allowed to be friends anymore, either, and their enforced separation is really hard for young kids to take.
Whether you’re blindsided because a movie’s ads conveniently “forgot” to mention that there was sad stuff amid the kid-friendly comedy or because you just didn’t know that a certain plot twist was coming, you still have to deal with the aftermath. These tips will help:
- Before you push play or buy a ticket, check out detailed movie reviews (like ours!) to get a heads-up on potentially upsetting scenes.
- Watch with your child, and be ready to offer a comforting hug or pause the movie to talk about why a scene was sad or scary.
- For kids 7 and under, scenes that deal with loss, separation, and kids and parents in peril are particularly unsettling, so be prepared to help them deal with the tough issues they see. It’s best to answer kids’ inevitable questions with direct, simple, and honest information, and reassure them where you can. It’s also important to process feelings of sadness and grief by expressing them — mainly through play or an activity like drawing a picture, playing with dolls, or simply talking.
- While older kids may have some understanding of loss and death, they too can be upset by both scary scenes (kidnapping, for example) as well as emotional ones. They may be particularly concerned with the details of death and dying, may tend to think of death as punishment, and may worry about pain and suffering. Address their questions, and provide safe outlets for them to express themselves.
- Don’t be afraid to say no to a movie your kid isn’t ready for.
And don’t forget that, with the right context, facing emotional moments like these as a family can be really important for kids. Movies (and TV shows) can help children deal with fears that they’re bound to have at some point; if you talk about them together and help defuse these fears before they happen in real life, your kids will start to develop a solid foundation for coping with life’s inevitable ups and downs.
Watch Out! Family Movies That Could Traumatize Your Kids | Common Sense Media.
10 great fitness and weight-loss apps – The Online Mom
Smartphones and tablet computers have opened up a whole new world of on-the-go possibilities. Nowhere is that more true than in the field of health and fitness.
No longer are we tied to a gym or a rigid workout schedule. No more waiting for a personal trainer to tell us how well – or how poorly – we are doing. Mobile devices and fitness apps put all that information right there at our fingertips.
So if you want to know how far you ran or biked today, or you want to keep tabs on how many calories you consumed, then turn your smartphone or iPad into your workout buddy. Here are 10 great apps to choose from:
Endomondo Sports Trackers Pro
Endomondo Sports Tracker Pro uses GPS tracking to let you know exactly how your workout is going. You can pre-set a time or calorie burn as your goal and Sports Tracker Pro will help you beat it. You can also challenge friends, go against their personal best times, and even get encouragement along the way. With Sports Tracker Pro, you can download or plan different routes. Add headphones and the “audio coach” will help you pace your run, bike ride, or workout.
Sports Tracker Pro is available for all popular smartphone platforms.
Platform: iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry
Price: $3.99/$4.23
Fitness Buddy
Described by apptudes.com as “The Swiss Army Knife Of Fitness Apps,” Fitness Buddy features over 1,000 exercises for every part of the body. Each exercise is accompanied by detailed instructions, photos and animations, and the user-friendly interface allows you to track each exercise and know exactly how you are doing. There are also 45 full workout routines tailored to specific goals – build chest, tone butt, lose weight, etc. There are also specific routines designed for women. And you don’t need to have access to a full gym: Fitness Buddy will provide a workout routine based on the equipment that you have available.
Fitness Buddy costs just $0.99 under a limited time offer.
Platform: iPhone, iPad
Price: $0.99
Daily Burn – Calorie, Workout, and Fitness Companion
This is the companion app to Daily Burn, one of the biggest – and best – fitness communities on the Web. Once you join Daily Burn, your fitness and health goals and performance are automatically synced to the app for complete on-the-go analysis and tracking.
Daily Burn helps you find both a nutrition plan and a workout regimen to go along with it. The built-in “Foodscanner” app uses the iPhone camera to read barcodes and supply you with complete nutrition and calorie information, while the Training Plan feature helps you set goals for weight loss, cardio training, muscle building, and more.
Platform: iPhone, iPad
Price: Free
Lose It!
One of the top-rated weight-loss apps, Lose It! allows you to set goals and establish a daily calorie budget to meet them. You stay on track by logging food and exercise totals, which can be synced with a loseit.com account.
Lose It! places lots of emphasis on sharing with friends for extra support and motivation. Lose It! claims that the average user has lost more than 12lbs, and more than 85% of their active users have lost weight.
Platform: iPhone, iPad, Android
Price: Free
CardioTrainer Pro
A great app for tracking any fitness activity, including running, walking and biking. CardioTrainer uses GPS tracking to monitor workout performance, and includes voice reminders and encouragement, as well as a music player for additional motivation. CardioTrainer Pro is an add-on to the free CardioTrainer app, which needs to be installed first. The Pro version features advanced interval training and other exercises, and includes all future updates and enhancements free-of-charge. Comes with a 30-day money back guarantee.
Platform: Android
Price: $9.99
Daily Ab Workout
Daily Ab Workout is part of the Daily Workout Apps series. It contains two 5 to 10 minute daily ab routines for men and women. Each routine takes you through twenty ab-sculpting exercises. The routines are demonstrated by a certified personal trainer and target all major abdominal muscles. You can set up daily reminders and a randomize feature varies the routine so it doesn’t get monotonous.
The paid Daily Ab Workout app is ad-free and is available on both Apple iOS and Android platforms.
Platform: iPhone, iPad, Android
Price: $0.99
Nike+ GPS
A GPS tracking app for the man or woman who just likes to run. Nike+ GPS tracks your route, records your pace, and constantly pushes you to match and beat your personal best times. You can run indoor or outdoor and there are no sensors required.
Nike+ GPS allows you to broadcast your accomplishments to friends through Facebook or Twitter. You can hear cheers every time a friend “Likes” or comments on your run, or you can set up some healthy competition using the Nike+ Tag feature. The personalized PowerSong feature blasts your favorite music as you go for new time or distance records.
Platform: iPhone, iPad
Price: $1.99
Cyclemeter GPS Bike Computer
Similar to Nike+ GPS but for bikers! Cyclemeter GPS Bike Computer tracks everything you need to know about your bike ride, including time, location, elevation, and speed. You can map your routes, chart your times, and keep a calendar of performance over weeks, months or years.
There are up to 25 configurable announcements to help you track your ride, and you can even get audio updates of how far you are ahead or behind your friends or previous best times. A virtual map can pinpoint your progress. Fix your iPad or iPhone to the handlebars for the ultimate in-race companion!
Platform: iPhone, iPad
Price: $4.99
Ultimate Weight Watchers Diary
The perfect Android app for people following Weight Watchers programs. The Ultimate Weight Watchers Diary has a built-in points calculator, points tracker, barcode scanner, body weight and measurement tracker, activity calculator, and more. The easy-to-use graphing feature allows you to see your progress at a glance, and the export and e-mail features allow you to share the good news with friends and family.
Platform: Android
Price: $4.89
Daily Yoga
Another in the Daily Workout Apps series, this time for yoga. The app contains 20, 40 and 60 minute level one and level two yoga routines. Each pose is demonstrated by a certified personal trainer and the app includes audio instructions for the entire program.
If you can’t get to your regular class or just have time for a quick workout, then Daily Yoga is the perfect solution.
Platform: iPhone, iPad
Price: $2.99
Do you have a favorite fitness or weight-loss app? Share it with The Online Mom!
Your Fat Needs Sleep, Too: Scientific American Podcast
Sleep is good for you. Getting by on too little sleep increases the risk for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and other illnesses. It also makes it harder to lose weight or stay slim because sleep deprivation makes you hungrier and less likely to be active during the day.
Now, research shows that sleep also affects fat cells. Our fat cells play an important role in regulating energy use and storage, including insulin processing.
For the study, young, healthy, slim subjects spent four nights getting eight and a half hours of sleep and four nights getting only four and a half hours of sleep. The difference in their fat cells was startling: after sleep deprivation, the cells became 30 percent less receptive to insulin signals—a difference that is as large as that between non-diabetic and diabetic patients. The findings are in Annals of Internal Medicine. [Josiane Broussard et al., Impaired Insulin Signaling in Human Adipocytes After Experimental Sleep Restriction]
Looks like sleep is even more important than we thought for keeping our metabolisms running well. So consider this a wake-up call—to get enough sleep.
—Katherine Harmon
Listen to the Pod cast: Your Fat Needs Sleep, Too: Scientific American Podcast.
Cayman Moms 