Toys talk to kids about Velvet Revolution

PRAGUE—The Velvet Revolution that kicked off in Prague 25 years ago Monday was a seminal event in the collapse of communism. Try explaining that to children who have only known democracy.

That’s the challenge tackled by two veterans of the uprising as the massive student protests faded ever further into the past. They wanted to capture the excitement of the rallies, the brutality of police beatings and the surreal repression of a nation that Vaclav Havel—later president—dubbed “Absurdistan.”

So renowned puppet designer Miroslav Trejtnar and filmmaker Tatana Markova teamed up to present the Velvet Revolution in a 30-minute movie that tells the story of more than a dozen children of the revolution—now parents—through the magic of animation.

“The parents are telling their children why they joined the demonstration, why they wanted a change,” Trejtnar said. “It’s about a turning point that they didn’t experience.”

“We used animation to present it in a form familiar to them,” said Markova, “so the story becomes lively for them.”

In the movie, the parents choose a toy—a small human figure or animal—and tell their own story by moving it on a big map of Prague. The toys are then animated to play out the drama of the events that toppled communism in Czechoslovakia.

On Nov. 17, 1989, fiery speeches at a university campus inspired thousands of students to march downtown toward Wenceslas Square. As darkness fell, police cracked down hard, beating demonstrators with truncheons and injuring hundreds in the melee. Unbowed, the students went on strike and the crowds mushroomed, something the authorities were soon unable to contain. On Dec. 29, Havel became the country’s first democratically elected president in a half-century.

“It’s really tough to explain to them the overall atmosphere—what we could do and what was banned, what could get us into trouble and how complicated everything was,” said Daniela Kramerova, who participates in the film with her daughter Mariana.

The film took about four years to make, and its creators raised the funds through a crowd-funding campaign.

Trejtnar said he hopes the movie will inspire children to take a larger interest in history. “If they don’t like something,” he said, “they should try to change it.”

One 12-year-old girl who learned the story of her parents through the movie organized a protest against billboards in her neighborhood.

“We didn’t encourage her to do it,” Trejtnar said. “She’s a clever girl.”

The film “What to Tell the Kids?” premieres on Monday. It will be screened in the open air on the same Prague street where police attacked the students 25 years ago.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Laundry soap pods dangerous for young kids – study

Washington – Laundry detergent pods could be dangerous for young children, researchers warned Monday, as reports grow of kids under six swallowing the capsules in the United States.

The detergent pods – on US shelves since 2010 – are just the right size for a single load of laundry, eliminating the need to measure out a liquid or powder.

More than 17,000 incidents from 2012 and 2013 were reported to US poison control centers of children under six being exposed to the detergent chemicals – equivalent to one child every hour – according to the new study.

“Laundry detergent pods are small, colorful, and may look like candy or juice to a young child,” said co-author Marcel Casavant, toxicology chief at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and medical director of the Central Ohio Poison Center.

“It can take just a few seconds for children to grab them, break them open, and swallow the toxic chemicals they contain, or get the chemicals in their eyes.”

In one case, the child died, while some 769 children were hospitalized, a rate of more than one a day.

Two-thirds of the cases were among toddlers – children just one or two years old.

Children who put the capsules in their mouths can quickly swallow a large quantity of concentrated chemicals, the Nationwide Children’s Hospital researchers warned.

Nearly half the children, 48 percent, vomited after ingesting the detergent, the study found.

Other effects included coughing or choking, eye pain, drowsiness and pinkeye.

Most of the detergent capsules are sold in clear, easy-to-open containers. One manufacturer last year switched to an opaque package with an additional latch and a warning label, but the study authors said this was not enough.

“It is not clear that any laundry detergent pods currently available are truly child resistant; a national safety standard is needed to make sure that all pod makers adopt safer packaging and labeling,” said senior author Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

He urged households with young children to use traditional detergent.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Mom creates phone-locking app to force kids to return parent’s calls

MANILA, Philippines—Is this an invasion of the kids’ privacy or a method of strict but good parenting?

A mother in the United States has developed a mobile application (app) that guarantees kids will answer their parents’ texts and calls. The app was launched on Saturday.

Ignore No More, an app developed by Sharon Standifird from Texas, enables parents to lock the phones of their children if they think they are ignoring their texts and calls.

Standifird revealed in a televised interview that the parents, through this app, can take away texting, calling, gaming, and internet-surfing from their kids.

In order to use the app, it must be installed first to the phones of both the parents and their children. Then, once installed, parents can open the app on their smartphone, and click the name of their child. Next, they will have to enter the unlock code twice and then click to lock their child’s phone.

The child’s phone will be locked and with a single tap, and a list of contacts approved by the parent will appear. The child should then call someone from the contact list in order to get the password that will unlock the phone.

The app will enable kids to call 911 and once installed, Ignore No More cannot be disabled.

Ignore No More is currently available for $1.99 to US citizens and will only operate on Android-supported phones. A version for iPhone is underway.

source: technology.inquirer.net

Halloween-theme holders you can DIY with your kids

Liven up your home with these very easy to make pumpkin- and bat-theme holders. They’re great for holding paper napkins at the dinner or buffet table. They may also hold the pens on your kid’s desk.

As a fun and creative do-it-yourself (DIY) project, you may do it with your kids. You hit two birds with one stone: you not only bond with your kids, you get to teach them the value of environmental conservation as well.

For this project, teach your kids how to transform their used and rinsed Tetra Pak cartons into colorful holders that are easy to create and design.









What you’ll need:

Tetra Pak carton
A pair of scissors
Cutter
Glue gun/double-sided tape
Fancy wrapping paper
Bond paper
Pencil
Coloring materials


Instructions:

1. On the bond paper, ask your child to draw his or her favorite animal. You may print out stencils or actual shapes from your computer. Color in the drawing and cut it into shape. Set aside for decorating.

2. Help your child cut open the top part of the carton.

3. Cut off half of the carton’s left, right and front sides. Leave the back part of the carton as it is.

4. Cover the carton with fancy wrapping paper of your choice. This will be the background of your animal.

5. Help your child design the pencil holder with the animal that s/he has drawn. For this project, we taped the head of the giraffe on the back board, while the body was taped on the front board for a multidimensional effect. You can also create a 3D effect by using foam tapes.

6. Use it to display and store your child’s pencils and coloring materials and set it up on his or her study desk to make study time more exciting for your little one.

DIY projects need not be complicated. Start involving your kids in simple projects and who knows, you could just spark up the little DIY aficionados in them. Bond with your kids by helping them develop their creativity by upcycling materials and encourage them to make useful items from upcycled materials.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Choose the right pet for your kids

I grew up with dogs. I still remember Che-Che, my first puppy. I was very young and had no idea how to handle a dog properly.

I remember doing foolish things, like pulling the dog’s tail when I tried to get her to come to me, and I vaguely recall getting snapped at because of this. But that obviously didn’t stop me from developing a life-long love of dogs.

I was around five or six when I came home from the hospital after a bout of pneumonia, exhausted and down from the experience of needles and tests, and who should come running with a surprise to cheer me up? Che-Che.

She had had puppies while I was gone and there, in a makeshift little home in our garage, was a litter of adorable little Japanese Spitz puppies. They were all immaculate white except for the tiniest one, who seemed to have a touch of creamy pink, or at least that’s how I remember her.

I picked her up and named her after my then favorite storybook character, Beauty.

Then, just when I thought I had found my favorite, a little puppy came crawling out of a pile of junk, covered in black dirt. I picked him up to get him cleaned only to realize he wasn’t dirty after all. I called my new little baby Blacky. So much for originality.

As the years went by, my puppies grew up. Some passed away, while others had more puppies, so there was never a time when we didn’t have an adorable four-legged creature running around the house and keeping me company in my room, despite my mom’s nonstop reminder to not let the dogs come up.

Fortunately, I married a man with the same affection for dogs, and so it comes as no surprise that we have four in our home—three yip-yapping little ones and a big oversized baby that runs straight at me every chance it can get.

My kids are growing up side by side with their four-legged friends, as well as their swimming buddies in the aquarium and our “Boom-tarat-tarat” singing cockatoo, Marvin.

Furry friend

The pets have been wonderful for all of us, especially my 3-year-old son who goes straight to the kitchen to get “his” dog, Charlie Brown, as soon as he gets home from school. He’s got his friends, but even when he doesn’t, I can see he is never lonely as long as he’s got his furry friends.

Aside from companionship, you can also count on pets to help your child develop a sense of responsibility, or in the case of excited and eager little children, over responsibility! You might find them trying to feed your fish for the fifth time or give them the food right off their spoons!

My daughter is fond of our pets, too, but I can see it’s not the same kind of love my son has for them. But just the same, from an early age, I’ve seen how the dogs can stir feelings of concern and empathy from her when they get sick or, in one instance, lost.

Perhaps I am a little biased, but I truly believe that a pet makes a great addition to any family, but of course, there are many things to consider before bringing home a new family member.

The first and foremost consideration would be your and your children’s allergies. In every home, there always seems to be at least one member allergic to animals.

A quick trip to a doctor’s office can often tell you what kind of animal you or your child may be allergic to.

Some people think that if they are allergic to one cat or dog, they are automatically allergic to all types and breeds. More often than not, this is not the case. It’s just a matter of finding a hypoallergenic breed that won’t make your allergies act up.

‘Hypoallergenic’

Bear in mind, though, that “hypoallergenic” is not “nonallergenic,” because there’s really no such thing, other than the stuffed version. Hypoallergenic cats and dogs may still cause minor reactions.

If you find yourself still wanting to be a dog or cat owner despite a possible allergy, some good hypoallergenic dogs are the Bichon Frisé, Samoyed and poodle.

All are very cute breeds and, as a bonus, have a friendly and gentle temperament which is great for families with small children.

Schnauzers and Shih Tzus are also hypoallergenic, but might be better suited to older children due to their nippy temperaments. A Yorkshire Terrier is also supposed to be a hypoallergenic breed.

The only drawback is the maintenance of their hair. Some have long hair, which will need to be washed and brushed regularly to prevent matting.

If you prefer a cat, you can  try getting a Balinese or a Javanese, neither of which has an undercoat, and, therefore, produces less of the allergy-causing Fel D1 protein that other cats produce.

According to www.catster.com, the Oriental Shorthair is also a good option, but you will have to groom it frequently to keep dander away.

The Devon Rex, Cornish Rex and Sphynx don’t have much fur but you will need to bathe it regularly to avoid oil buildup.

The Siberian is supposed to have “lower than average enzyme” in their saliva, making it supposedly a reaction-free cat for many people with allergies.

If allergies are not a problem, some of the other child-friendly dog breeds are bulldogs and Bull Terriers. They may look intimidating, but these are among the friendliest, and are often strong enough to withstand a little rough manhandling from little hands.

Two of the world’s most famous pets, Lassie and Snoopy, or the Collie and Beagle respectively, are also very good choices for families with children, though the Collie will need constant grooming.

If you have enough space and time, you can’t go wrong with a Labrador Retriever or a Golden Retriever, both of which are full of energy to match that of your children and, above all, patience and affection.

Cats

For allergy-free cat lovers, www.healthline.com recommends the Abyssinian which is relatively “friendly and sociable,” the Burmese for its “affectionate and gentle” nature, or the Birman which is supposedly the “easygoing” one.

If you have a dog at home, too, try the American Shorthair, which is “known for getting along with dogs.”

Rabbits are a popular option, too. Find me a little girl who doesn’t think rabbits are adorable. They can live indoors and are generally mild mannered and, as social animals, get along with human beings but can also just happily hop around on their own.

As a mammal, it is susceptible to rabies, but if it will be an indoor pet, it is highly unlikely that it will get the disease. Just the same, a rabbit will need vaccines and other shots regularly.

However, allergies are not the only consideration.

Consider your family’s lifestyle. Do you have enough time to play with your dog and walk it daily? For cats and rabbits, is there someone who can regularly clean out its litter box?

If you and your children are very busy, opt for a cat which has a more “independent” temperament and will not need as much cuddle or playtime as a dog, or other pets which are in cages such as little mammals like hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils and rats.

However, teach your child how to handle them gently and carefully or they may bite. Make sure your vet keeps them rabies-free as well.

Birds

Birds are also delightful pets, which do not need as much maintenance as other animals but can provide a lot of fun, especially if you get an intelligent breed such as the cockatoo which can entertain your family with its singing.

However, some birds have a chalk-like powder under their feathers and wings which may cause minor irritation or allergic reaction.

For families who prefer non-cuddly animals, you can also try raising insects and arthropods, ant colonies or fish. But stay away from turtles and other amphibians which can carry the salmonella bacteria.

The US has had a ban against the sale of turtles as pets since 1975 due to the risk of spreading salmonellosis. Unfortunately, not many people know this, and many parents continue to buy turtles as family pets.

There are many reasons to get a pet, and perhaps just as many not to, but once you have one and it becomes a part of your family, you’ll never regret getting it.

Best of all, you will provide your children with an additional family member to love and care for.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

How to plan birthday parties your child will remember

This week marks another year for me. It’s just a few days away, but I still haven’t made plans.

I remember when I was younger, I truly looked forward to celebrating each birthday. My mom used to hold birthday parties for me in the village clubhouse, or in a nearby members’ club.

But my favorite was my Jollibee birthday party. I used to love the mascot Hetty Spaghetti, with her blonde spaghetti noodles hair. Never mind that she had hotdog bits and pieces mixed in—I still thought she was the prettiest thing ever.

I don’t remember much from those parties, other than a blackout in the middle of a magic show at one party (my birthday being in October means that typhoons and power outages are always part of the equation), and singing “Somewhere Out There” for my guests during another. But I do remember that they were always fun!

I loved trying to grab the last chair while playing musical chairs, and squeezing with my partner on a tiny newspaper for the newspaper dance. There was the ever-present pabitin, and the never-ending “bring me” game.

Giveaways were pretty standard things, a paper bag with candies and chocolates, though I do remember a time when live colored chicks became a trend, and I would bring one home from a party every now and then. We ended up having a few baby chicks for a while. Of course, none of them survived, and thankfully for the chicks, the trend didn’t either.

Nowadays, many children’s parties are on a whole new level, even rivaling those of grownups when it comes to the preparation and production involved.

There are so many options to make your child’s party special that it’s easy to get carried away, until you see the total cost and realize you’ll have to sacrifice her tuition for the year!

But in reality, we don’t even have to spend to make a birthday special. A birthday is special for what it is, whether you spend money or not.

Different ways

There are different ways to celebrate a birthday without having to spend too much.

For instance, children below 3 years old usually don’t even realize that it’s their birthday, so you can opt to simply have immediate family over for lunch and cake. And with everyone important being there to celebrate, it will be a special day, thanks to all that love.

If your child is old enough to know it’s his/her birthday and wants to do something special, you can always suggest other activities, aside from having a party.

Take the day off or reserve the whole Saturday and line up some of your kid’s favorite activities.

Prepare your child’s favorite food or make a reservation in a restaurant he/she enjoys. Depending on your budget, you can invite some of your kid’s friends or keep it as a special day just for him/her and your family.

A fun way to start the day and set the mood is to wake the kid up with a birthday song and some cake!

A lot of little girls, for instance, love princess themes, and there is a princess club at Bonifacio High Street in Global City where you can spend a few hours together. Or you can make your own princess day by getting creative at Carolina’s fabric and accessories shop.

Little girls also love art projects and all things shiny, so you can try going for an arts-and-crafts day at home after a trip to National Book Store. You can buy art materials, and with a little glue gun at home, your daughter, with or without her friends, can have a royal or arts and crafts day to celebrate her birthday.

If your little boy is anything like mine, his interests probably lie in animals and moving objects such as trains and planes. Spend the day with the party animals in the zoo!

There is the Avilon Zoo in Montalban, Rizal, which is huge! Or you can opt for the Avilon Petting Zoo in Tiendesitas, Libis, Quezon City.

You can also check out the Mind Museum at Global City for the dinosaur bones and some scientific facts and fun! It’s a wonderful learning experience, and the exhibitions, such as the ongoing Leonardo da Vinci exhibit, are world-class. I am really happy and proud that there is something like that in Manila.

Old planes

You can also visit various museums. My son’s favorite in Manila is the Philippine Airforce Museum beside Naia Terminal 3. The Aviation museum charges P20 per ticket, but the hour or two you spend there with your son and his friends, checking out the different old planes, is worth much more than that.

After a certain age, the appeal of princesses and animals starts to wear off. A fun option to keep in mind for kids who want to have a celebration is a swimming party.

Find a good friend or relative who has a swimming pool, make the necessary arrangements and, voila, instant party—just add water! The kids will be entertained for hours with hardly any effort, but make sure you or someone capable is around to keep an eye on them.

With some homemade rainbow bread sandwiches, barbecue, ice cream and a cake, your child’s birthday will be very happy.

Orphanage

Birthdays are also a good opportunity to teach our children to share with others and to learn the value of the real treasures in life. It would be a good experience for him to celebrate the day by going to an orphanage or shelter and, instead of expecting gifts, to be the one bearing them, such as food and other basic necessities.

You can try explaining to him that since God has already blessed him with the best birthday gift—a loving family and comfortable life—it’s his turn to give to those who are not blessed with as much.

If you decide to have a traditional children’s party, there are party suppliers and planners you can choose from. They can handle everything for you—from the party theme to the decorations, food, program, prizes and giveaways.

All you will have to do is show up. Give them your budget, and they will work around it. Some reputable suppliers you can contact are Party Perks (tel. 0917-8780877), Jelly Bellies (0917-5312433) and Clowning Around (0917-8424171).

You can also opt to go à la carte and choose different items from different planners, since they sometimes have different prices for almost the same things.

Or you can order the things you cannot source or do yourself (such as specific party acts) from the party planner and choose to do the rest yourself. It will take more time and effort, but will definitely save you money.

If you choose to DIY, head to Divisoria. You can buy everything there—balloons, decorations, supplies and prizes—and still have enough money left to treat yourself after.

My friend recently hosted a birthday party, and rather than ordering costly personalized bags/container giveaways, she bought the eco-friendly P10 bags in Divisoria and, with a glue gun, feathers, sequins and a little creativity, sent the guests home with cute loot bags.

You can hunt around 168 Mall for some goodies to put in the bag, but it would also be great to fill it up with homemade cookies and cupcakes.

A little Photoshop and a few minutes online and you can very easily find the characters and graphics you need for invitations and even thank-you cards to attach to your loot bags. Just don’t forget to check the copyright of the photos you use and acknowledge your source.

Then there is the cake, the centerpiece of your party. Nowadays, between Goldilocks and Red Ribbon, you can find almost any theme or character for your child’s birthday cake. Just give them a lead time of about five days.

Or you can also order from home-based bakers for special customized cakes. I love Mia Austria’s cute and yummy cakes (tel. 0917-4516531) and Emily Uy’s matching cakes and cupcakes (0917-5348074).

Or, if you are talented enough in the kitchen, give it a go and go homemade! I once saw a friend of mine posting photos of cupcakes on her Instagram account for days in a row. It turned out she was preparing for her daughter’s birthday.

She cooked and baked all the food, cupcakes and her daughter’s birthday cake for her party. It wasn’t a matter of budget, but rather, principle. In terms of budget, she really doesn’t have to worry about anything, but she wanted her daughter to experience the kind of parties she had as a child, simple and made 100 percent from a mother’s love.

At the end of the day, it’s not how much you spend that makes a day special. It’s how much you put yourself into it and how much love your child feels that will make your child truly happy, and make it a day to remember.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Flexibility and peace of mind are not for grown-ups only

Yoga often conjures images of tranquil students with eyes closed in deep meditation, or strong, lithe bodies in topsy-turvy poses—quite the opposite of what you would imagine when it comes to kids at work or at play.

Constantly subjected to sensory overload, pressure from school work, and a slew of extra-curriculars, kids can have a tough time easing into a quiet space that helps keep them balanced and steady. Kids Yoga, with its fun mix of play, interaction, arts and crafts, storytelling and circle time, can help.

What kids reap from a yoga class is similar to what adults find in their practice, too—a sense of stillness tempered by some fun play, and always, that incomparable feel-good sensation that comes at the end of every class.

The rewards of bringing even just a smidgen of inner peace to kids are infinite, and many yogis, both experienced and new, delve into teaching yoga not just for what it brings to the kids, but for what the experience brings to their own lives, as well.

Whether you teach professionally and want to incorporate yoga into your grade school class plans, or are a mom looking to find new ways to give your own kids something fun and different to do at home or with their friends, teaching kids yoga can give you a sense of accomplishment not often found in other careers.

If you’re good with kids and want to tap that talent and move onto a new path, or are a yoga student who wants to share your own love for the practice with others by teaching kids, it’ll help to take cues from different professionals who’ve taken their love for both kids and yoga, and used it to forge a new career for themselves.

Rina Nakayama, Travel executive

“I started practicing yoga (Vinyasa Flow) in 2011,” says Rina Nakayama. “My practice started to shift focus after taking my first workshop with teacher trainer David Kim. I learned to recognize the subtleties and depths of yoga. After a few months of regular practice, my teachers began to encourage me to deepen my practice by taking a 200-hour teacher training program.”

Delving even deeper into her practice allowed Nakayama to be exposed to the different programs offered by her home studio, Urban Ashram Manila. “I’d already set my mind on taking the 200-hour in October last year, so taking the Rainbow Kids Yoga (RKY) teacher training beforehand seemed like a nice prelude.”

RKY offers a three-day teacher training internationally. The group, which has flagships in Spain and Japan, espouses building a safe environment for kids, where they can enjoy, release tension, explore, let unprocessed emotions go and learn to interact and communicate with others.

“I went into it with no expectations, just an open mind,” she adds.

Nakayama’s biggest takeaway after three days of intensive training was the realization of yoga’s versatility. “Yoga can be incorporated into kids’ activities in a playful and loving way,” she says.

“It can be challenging for adults to reawaken that passionate, creative and imaginative part of yourself because it’s something you tend to leave behind as you grow up,” she explains. RKY allowed Nakayama to tap into that side of her, giving her the opportunity to relate to kids without any barriers. “RKY helped resuscitate a part of me that’s always been open, fun, passionate, creative and peace-loving.

“It also helped me expand my practice, allowing me to appreciate meditation and pranayama (breath work), aside from asana (physical postures),” says Nakayama. “As I started to adapt the quieting yoga exercises for the kids, I also realized that meditation and breath work can be made fun and accessible for myself, too.”

After taking RKY training, Nakayama went full-on with her kids yoga teaching job, working as a core faculty for Kids Yoga Philippines. “The biggest challenge in teaching kids yoga is demystifying it for parents—making them see that there’s more to it than just stretching and poses,” she adds. “It is most rewarding to see kids enjoy yoga. You see it in their eyes, their smiles, their eagerness for more. To know that yoga not only brightens their day, but also helps combat their anxiety and stress is what keeps me going.”



As a yoga teacher who also maintains her job, Nakayama believes yoga has helped expand her horizons by allowing her to balance office work and yoga work. “I’m envisioning a long-term life plan with yoga,” she says. “It’s really to practice more, teach more and study more.”

Nakayama says that those considering taking kids yoga teacher training just need to keep the students and their overall development the focus of their classes. “Kids Yoga is about ‘working for a cause, not applause,’ so always remember the people you want to teach and offer them gratitude.”

Raissa Paje, Pediatrician

Raissa Paje first got into yoga as a student, but the pressures and tight schedule of med school got the better of her. “It was just around September last year when I started practicing, and I really fell in love with it,” she recounts. “Yoga became my time for myself. It was my way of being kind to my body, empowering me to do something to make myself healthier each day.”

Like Nakayama, Paje came across RKY teacher training as a student at Urban Ashram Manila. “I love yoga and I love kids, so the thought of kids yoga teacher training struck me as interesting,” she says. “I was torn between pursuing my fellowship training for pedia-GIT or pedia-hema-onco, or kids yoga. I realized I wanted to make a difference in kids’ lives by guiding them into health through yoga. It’s really what I want to do.”

Pursuing wellness in children has since become a personal advocacy for Paje, who finds yoga the perfect complement to her practice as a pediatrician. “I went home every day of training with a smile on my face despite the tired muscles. We learned by moving our bodies and doing kids yoga ourselves, which was a lot of fun,” she says. “I learned how to share yoga with kids, how to develop skills needed to handle them, and how to give them tools to help bring yoga into their lifestyle.”

The biggest challenge when going into kids yoga teacher training, she says, is your own doubts.

“Some of my colleagues’ reactions were quite discouraging, especially since I was stepping out of the doctor’s academic path. Fortunately, my friends and family were all very supportive.”

The payoff for Paje was huge, as she developed more passion for her practice and inspired her to make yoga a part of her daily life.

“The hugs and kisses from my students are the biggest perks,” she says. “RKY empowered me to teach children, whose boundless energy and perennial curiosity influence me in a big way. It’s great to play with them, and it’s a beautiful thing to mindfully share yoga with them, too. There are amazing life lessons waiting to be learned from kids, and teaching them just gives you a chance to let your inner child come out and play.”

Interested in teaching kids yoga? Join the Rainbow Kids Yoga Teacher Training at Urban Ashram Manila from Aug. 24-26. Call 661YOGA or 869YOGA for reservations or visit urbanashrammanila.com/events.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

How to Keep Your Child Safe on an iPad

Child proofing is a rite of passage for parents with young children: locks on cabinet doors, gates on stairs and clips on book shelves. And this safety-first mentality needs to extend to kids toys, experts warn, especially the iPad.

“It’s very common for kids to use iPads these days more so than using computers,” says Jinny Gudmundsen, author of iPad Apps For Kids For Dummies. “Parents unfamiliar with the technology open it up, turn it on and don’t realize they can customize it to become more user friendly to kids.

Children as young as one are learning to swipe their way to fun and games on tablets, but parents need to create safeguards to make sure they aren’t exposed to inappropriate content.

Here are ways to ensure your child and iPad are safe from each other.

Safety Tip No.1: Disable In-App Purchases

Apps are the heart and soul of tablets and they can be easily downloaded in a matter of seconds—which is convenient, until kids starting buying apps without parent consent.  Not only can this expose young users to unsuitable content, it can also rack up a  big bill.

And just because an app is free, that doesn’t mean they can’t rack up a big tab. Gudmundsen says many of the free apps make money by giving players the option to spend real money on things in the game. Those little purchases can end up to a hefty bill. The problem has become so widespread that it sparked a class action lawsuit. Late last month Apple settled a class-action lawsuit related to app purchases made by children without the consent of the account holder. Apple agreed to provide a $5 iTunes store credit to as many as 23 million people who were affected, according to Reuters.  Those that claimed $30 or more were offered a cash refund from instead.

“These in-app purchases are frequently confusing to kids who have difficulty distinguishing between buying things with in-game currency and buying them with real money,” says Gudmundsen. To prevent in-app purchases, parents need to not only enable a password but close the 15-minute window where another purchase can be made without typing in your password.

Parents can even choose to block In-app purchases altogether.  “If you opt to let your kids explore these games, make sure the In-App Purchases option is ‘Off,’ or at least make sure that you set the password requirement to ‘Immediately’,” she recoommends.

Safety Tip No.2: Set Media Parameters

The Internet offers a wealth of information—both good and bad.  but it. To prevent a child from accessing anything they shouldn’t when using the iPad, parents need to set restrictions.

“The iPad allows you to set the age appropriateness of the media your kids use,” Gudmundsen says. “The setting you want is called ‘Allowed Content’, and you’ll find it under ‘Restrictions’.

Parents can restrict music and podcasts, movies, TV shows, books and apps. Parents can choose age categories for apps including 4+, 9+, 12+ and 17+. If the parent chooses 4+ it’s essentially a G rating while 17 + can be considered a R rating.   

Safety Tip No.3: Turn Off Location Services  

Many apps ask for or rely on a user’s location, but experts say not to allow this if kids use the device.

To disable this feature on the iPad, go to ‘Settings’ and then turn off ‘Location Services’’.  This prevents strangers from being able to locate a child user and retailers from sending targeted advertisements to kids.

This restriction doesn’t prevent using any app that requires a location, if an apps needs it, say for instance one for star gazing , Gudmundsen says the app will alert the user to enable the location feature. Just remember to disable it when you are done.

Safety Tip No.4: Buy a Protective Cover

iPads are expensive and kids can be destructive, so experts advise parents find a sturdy cover to protect the gadget. These covers cost anywhere from around $30 to $80, and can be found at electronics retailers and/or through Apple. “Children drop things,” says Gudmundsen. “A protective cover puts a lot of padding around the iPad.”

source: foxbusiness.com

Cranberry juice may beat kids' bladder infections

NEW YORK - Cranberry juice rich in certain antibacterial substances may help prevent repeat urinary tract infections in kids, a small study suggests.

Researchers found that cranberry juice made with high concentrations of proanthocyanidins (PACs) cut kids' risk of repeat urinary tract infections by two-thirds, versus a comparison juice.

Since the juice on your supermarket's shelves may not have that PAC level, the researchers say their findings are not an endorsement of any product.

But the results, published in the Journal of Urology, do give support to cranberry as a UTI fighter, according to a pediatric urologist not connected to the study.

PACs are the compounds thought to give cranberries their bacteria-fighting potential. Women have long turned to cranberry juice and supplements to help prevent recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) - though studies have been mixed on whether they work.

There has been little research on kids, even though UTIs are relatively common in children. Girls have about an 8 percent chance of contracting the infection at some point in childhood; boys have a 2 percent chance.

Besides being uncomfortable, recurrent UTIs can eventually damage the kidneys in some children. So doctors may prescribe antibiotics to help prevent them.

But antibiotics can have side effects, and using them long-term can breed drug-resistant bacteria. So researchers are looking at whether cranberry products can be a good alternative.

For the new study, doctors at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, recruited 40 children who'd had at least two UTIs in the past year. They randomly assigned the kids to drink one of two juices made for the study: a cranberry juice rich in PACs or a juice free of all "cranberry products."

Over the next year, kids who drank cranberry juice had UTIs at a rate of 0.4 per child, compared with 1.15 in the comparison group.

The power of cranberries against UTIs "was initially regarded as an old wives' tale," said Dr. Hiep Nguyen of Boston Children's Hospital, who was not involved in the study.

But Nguyen said he now often recommends cranberry - either juice or supplements - when kids have recurrent UTIs.

"It can be a great alternative to prophylactic (preventive) antibiotics," Nguyen said.

That doesn't mean cranberry is the cure-all. If a child has frequent UTIs, Nguyen said, antibiotics may be necessary to "break the cycle." On top of that, many children's UTIs are related to less-than-ideal bathroom habits - like "holding it in," rather than going when they need to.

Drinking enough fluids, going to the bathroom regularly, and - if needed - tackling constipation problems are all considered important in warding off kids' UTIs.

So Nguyen cautioned parents against simply running to the grocery store for cranberry juice. "They still should see a doctor, so they can try to address the underlying problem," Nguyen said.

What's more, there's no guarantee that the cranberry juice you buy would have the PAC content that the juice in this study did.

"The findings of this study should not be construed as an endorsement of any commercially available cranberry products," write the researchers, led by Dr. Kourosh Afshar. (Afshar could not be reached for comment.)

Nguyen agreed that juice can be tricky. "Pure cranberry juice often doesn't taste so good," he noted. So manufacturers often mix it with something more palatable, like apple juice, or add a lot of sugar.

Cranberry juice mixed with other juices would likely have lower PAC levels. If there's added sugar, that means calories; drinking a lot of sugary juice can also cause diarrhea in kids.

"We do worry about the sugar content," Nguyen said.

So it would be important, he noted, not to overdo cranberry juice. In this study, the daily dose prescribed to each child was based on body weight.

Cranberry tablets are the other option. But no one knows the exact dose needed to prevent any one child's UTIs. Right now, it's basically a matter of following the product's labeling, according to Nguyen.

Six kids in each group of the study dropped out before they had completed it. The top reasons were the parents' belief that the juice wasn't working, and kids just refusing to drink it.

Getting children to drink cranberry juice can be a challenge, Nguyen noted - especially the pure variety without a ton of sugar.

Ocean Spray provided both juices used in the study. The work was funded by the Lions Gate Healthcare Research Foundation. - Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

Teaching an old 'dougie' new tricks

Feeling a little hip hop recently, I tried to convince my children and their cousins that I knew who the Cali Swag District was by asking the kids to “teach me how to dougie.” Unfortunately, even though I grew up during the disco age, I can’t even successfully execute two consecutive steps of the swing, let alone the boogie. I therefore very quickly found out that alternating my shoulders back and forth and constantly passing my hands through my hair while keeping the rest of my body absolutely still is way out of my league. It was the perfect affirmation of that old adage about aging dogs learning new tricks.

My 11-year-old son likes to occasionally refer to me as his “old man.” He does so in an affectionate manner as he is still at that age where he is constantly looking for opportunities to show how similar we are to each other. Thus he would explain, for example, that he is sometimes makulit or overly persistent because “I’m just like my old man.” Be that as it may, I think that he has recently started to use the term to frame our differences more clearly and to make more definitive distinctions between our generations. Now, when I start to sing along with a song playing in the car radio, he teasingly comments that it must be an old hit from the ’60s or ’70s. He has also been asking more questions about how things were “before” or during “my time.” It’s often about trivial matters like how his favorite athletes today compare with my own boyhood idols. Sometimes, however, he surprises me with questions about political, societal, and even moral differences of the times. At the moment, I find all this generational discussions quite enjoyable as I’m primarily sharing experiences and dispensing wisdom like some sage Yoda. Alas, I realize that all good times eventually come to an end. I know that the situation is bound to change rather quickly as he moves into adolescence and early adulthood.

As kids reach puberty, they will physically begin to outgrow us. I ponder on how playing baseball with my son has changed drastically in just two short years. Just a while back, I was afraid to throw the ball directly at him lest I accidentally hurt my boy. Now, after several incidents of broken eye glasses, black eyes, bruised legs, and reproductive organs, I literally fear catching his pitches unprotected. I now wear enough protective gear to put Iron Man’s armor to shame. In the same manner, the children also experience rapid changes at the emotional and intellectual levels. Very soon, as I am slowly encountering myself, the questions that were once mostly clarificatory in nature become more critical and sound more like challenges to parental decision-making and authority. I’m not sure when exactly the right time is but parents need to learn to adapt to their children during this period of transition so that they can stay connected with them. We need to do so because they will soon no longer blindly listen to or follow everything we say anymore. I used to think that as kids get older, they need to adjust to their parents’ set ways. While everything should certainly be a two-way street, I now think, however, that it’s really the other way around. It is primarily parents who need to adapt to the changes their kids are undergoing. Of course, we still need to guide them and to mold them in the right manner. But they are not exactly like their old man (or lady). Our kids are unique individuals with their own minds and personalities which we must allow to flourish.

I must admit that it won’t be easy for me to adapt. I’m not even sure how to go about doing it. Despite my avowals for more progressive parenting, I’m really still “old school” at heart: my way or the highway. But at least I know that this dog needs to somehow learn new tricks, so to speak. Hopefully, as rapper Smoove of the Cali Swag District says, there is no right or wrong way to dougie. Each individual performs with his or her own variation. “Everybody does it different … the way you do it defines you.” Aye! Aye!

source: philstar.com

Angry Birds Knock On Wood Game

Angry Birds Knock On Wood Game. Build, launch and destroy with an exciting skill-and-action game based on the best-selling phone application. Game features three Angry Birds, green pigs, one slingshot-style launcher, structure pieces and mission cards.

Players draw a card and build the structure shown before their opponents launch an Angry Bird in an attempt to knock it and the pigs down to win points. For 2 or 4 players.

Angry Birds Knock On Wood Game Features

Based on the on the best-selling phone app game, Angry Birds
Now kids can play their #1 favorite app game in real life
Build, launch and destroy with an exciting skill-and-action
Features three Angry Birds, green pigs, one slingshot-style launcher, structure pieces and mission cards
For 2 or 4 players
The Angry Birds Knock On Wood Game is for ages 5 and over.

Build, launch and destroy with an exciting skill-and-action game based on the best-selling phone app – Angry Birds Knock On Wood Game features three Angry Birds, green pigs, one slingshot-style launcher, structure pieces and mission cards.

Players draw a card and build the structure shown before their opponents launch an Angry Bird in an attempt to knock it—and the pigs—down to win points.

The survival of the Angry Birds is at stake. Dish out revenge on the green pigs who stole the Birds’ eggs. These wingless birds, based on the hit mobile game app from Rovio, are a little upset and need your support. Despite all their anger, they’re all just too cute to pass up. Pick your favorite character or collect them all!

The story line in Angry Birds Knock on Wood is analogous to the smartphone app on which the new game is based. The nefarious evil pigs have stolen the birds’ eggs and so it’s payback time. The idea of this game is to Build the structures on the

Mission Cards, Launch the Angry Birds in the specified order, and Destroy the pigs and structures just like in the game to score points and win.

We enjoyed the challenge of playing within the game's rules, including the ways the structures can be built and the birds that can be used during particular launches. We also had fun with the special fourth-level mission cards that allow for freestyle building for more creative play. We enjoyed experimenting with the distances from which they could shoot the birds toward castles. With so many possibilities for hands-on play, this game will keep you and your family and friends occupied for hours!

If your not sure what to give your child for Christmas, why not consider getting them, what could be a top Christmas Toys for 2011...Set to be a huge hit with the girls you can't go wrong with this Angry Birds Knock On Wood Game

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http://www.articlebiz.com/article/1051513501-1-angry-birds-knock-on-wood-game/