I was invited to visit three separate After School Programs this week for United Cerebral Palsy of South Florida. This generous organization serves over 1,800 children and adults in South Florida with Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, autism, spina bifida, prematurity, hearing, intellectual disabilities and speech delays with a variety of programs such as occupational, speech and music therapy, skills courses, respite care, counseling, after care and much more.

I discovered that most authors decline invitations to visit organizations that serve those with special needs. I suppose it is because they feel their books are not geared toward that type of audience. I was happy to visit these children knowing  they would simply enjoy listening to my cartoon voices, looking at the colorful pictures and dancing to the music. Some may not understand the story I am telling, but that’s not what enrichment is all about.

All the participants enjoy my world map and were proud to use the pointer to show others where their favorite places are in the world.

We learn about the animals of the Costa Rican rainforest.

The kids cheer when I tell them the book is recorded on CD with music and sound effects, and of course they want to know all about the story.

What I realized this week while spending time with the program participants is that they teach us how to live in the moment and be truly happy from the inside out. Dancing is the best!!!

And they sure like to give great hugs!

Teacher, Mr. Albert wanted to get in on the hug action too! LOL!

Ah, learning about the magic of watercolor pencils!

The teachers and assistants who work in the UCP After School Programs are equally as inspiring as the children. Their energy, dedication and love for what they do are truly remarkable. I wish to thank Allyson Nanny for inviting me and Site Directors Pat McGee and Lakeya Hariott as well as all the other wonderful staff members.

For more information about UCP programs, be sure to visit the United Cerebral Palsy of South Florida website.

This entire week is dedicated to Teacher Appreciation, and today is National Teacher Day! As an author who has met so many teachers, I have often thought about how much I appreciate all they do. The responsibility of a teacher is far far greater than the recognition or pay. If you think about how much teachers can influence their students, thus helping them shape their futures, it really is remarkable. I’m not saying that all teachers are outstanding, but I do believe that the vast majority care about what they do and set out every day to make a difference in children’s lives.

So go out and thank a teacher today!

While conducting research for an article about colleges in Broward County, I was overwhelmed by how many choices there are for schools in my community. Times have certainly changed since I graduated from Florida State University in 1983. Back then there was a small community college in Broward County and a few nondescript vocational programs promoted with tacky TV ads.  College trends have changed drastically in many ways to meet the ever-changing needs of the business world and job market. Here’s what I noticed about local college trends:

1. More people are seeking to get a degree while working full time.
2. Many students in local colleges are older, having worked for quite a few years after high school.
3. Colleges have adapted better to schedules, providing online courses, night classes and flexible class hours to accommodate working people.
4. Colleges are offering more focused majors that apply directly to the work force, like Network Systems and are shying away from general degrees like Philosophy.
5. There’s a great demand for workers with technical degrees.
6. More workers are seeking graduate degrees than ever before as more jobs are requiring them.
7. Colleges are putting more effort into their job placement programs to attract more students.
8. Community colleges are adding four-year bachelor’s degrees to their academic programs.
9. Adults currently working prefer to attend colleges with smaller classroom size (number of students).
10. The cost of obtaining a higher education has gone way, way up.

As parents who currently pay tuition for our daughter, who attends one of the nation’s top-rated universities, we are all too familiar with the ultra high cost of a quality college education.  But after researching schools for my article, I’ve learned that it’s not just the top schools in the nation that are costly. Most colleges – big or small, prestigious or not – are now ultra costly.  So it’s important to weigh the pros and cons when choosing a local college education. Ask yourself:

1. Is the tuition affordable?
2. How am I going to pay for it?
3. Do I want a long term loan I will not be able to pay off for many years to come?
4. Is the college/university’s reputation worth the tuition?
5. If I were to move to another city or state, would the college be respected (or even known) by potential employers there?
6. Is it best to attend an in-state school to keep costs down?
7. Am I choosing a major that has a good long-term outlook as far as job placement?
8. Will going back to school now really boost my pay at work or future promotion potential?
9. Do I really have time to work, take care of family, attend classes and study?
10. What are my long-term career goals?

There’s a lot to think about when deciding whether or not to go back to school. But the good news is that there are more choices than ever before, and you don’t have to love or give up your job to get a decent education in many places in the US.

Today is Encourage a Young Writer Day. What do you do to encourage your child to write? Here are 10 ideas you can use any day of the year:

1. Ask your child to write a review of a book he or she enjoyed reading.
2. Teach your children to write thank you notes every time they receive a gift.
3. Encourage your child to write and illustrate his or her own book.
4. Search together for writing contests for kids.
5. Suggest that your child write a snail mail letter to a friend, near or far.
6. Encourage your child to write a short play and act it out for the family.
7. Teach your child how to write a haiku for fun.
8. Give your child a topic and challenge him or her to write a story (i,e. “The funniest thing I ever saw was” or “If I could do anything at all I would…”
9. Encourage your child to write a letter to a local politician or newspaper editor about a subject he or she is passionate about.
10. Ask your child to write a nice thank you note to his or her teacher at the end of the school year.

Click here to read the list of the lowest paid college majors.

Click here to read the list of the highest paid college majors.

What is your child majoring in? What will her prize be for her diploma?

http://school.discoveryeducation.com

Improve your grades in English

And have fun while your you’re doing it.

Debbie tutors students of all ages, elementary through college.

• Writing Assignments
• Grammar
• Punctuation
• Spelling
• Vocabulary
• Reading Comprehension
• Test Prep (FCAT, PSAT, SAT)
• College Application Essays

Debbie Glade is the author of the award-winning children’s book/CD The Travel Adventures of Lilly P Badilly: Costa Rica. She visits South Florida schools with her reading and writing programs and has been a freelance writer since 1988. Her publishing company sponsors and judges writing contests. She is a book reviewer for LA Parent Magazine and a travel editor on www.wanderingeducators.com. She blogs daily on www.smartpoodlepublishing.com/blog, where you’ll find her weekly comic strip. Her credentials include a BA in Writing from Florida State University.

In addition to working with children, Debbie is very familiar with the grueling college application process, as her own daughter is now a freshman at an Ivy League University. She has helped countless students of all ages with their writing challenges and does so with humor, taking the frustration out of the reading and writing process.

Learn to Write Right, Right Now!

Call tutor Debbie Glade Today

954-328-7465

[email protected]

www.smartpoodlepublishing.com

This morning I sat in a Starbucks, drinking iced tea (and trying to ignore a loud, obnoxious man sitting near me) while reviewing a book about Teddy Roosevelt for LA Parent Magazine. Roosevelt’s life was fascinating – his passions, ideals, tragedies and triumphs.  I really got into reading about him when it suddenly hit me that there’s so much to learn about everything. No matter how many books I read, how much research I do, there’s an infinite amount of intriguing facts I just don’t know, but desperately want to know.

http://school.discoveryeducation.com

A person could spend two lifetimes just becoming an expert on US Presidents alone. But I cannot focus on just one thing. There are too many fascinating subjects. For instance, I’d love to be an entomologist and study insects in detail. Or a forensic scientist and solve crimes using DNA. Of course I want to know all about the world – people, places, cultures, natural wonders and mysteries yet to be solved. And I long to discover facts about famous artists, scientists, writers and successful business people. And the list goes on.

Until I can figure out how to get an endless amount of knowledge into my brain, I’ll keep absorbing as much information as possible about any and everything I can get my hands on.

http://school.discoveryeducation.com

You may have read a story about a boy who is 13 and is trying to reach the peak of Mount Everest. Here’s an article about it in thr NY Times. This young man is risking his life to stake the claim that he is the youngest person to ever reach the peak (his father is on the journey with him). Is it worth it? I suppose if he safely makes it there and back, he’ll sure think so. But soon after he celebrates, someone will come along and blow his record away. “Toddler Climbs Mount Everest Alone in One Week in Diapers.”

There’s another story about a young man named Adam Wheeler who allegedly faked all of his academic records (and claimed to have a perfect SAT score) to get into Harvard and obtain scholarships and grants. He allegedly lied about where he went to college and faked transcripts. He even falsely claimed to author and co-author a long list of books. His ability to fool the pros (for a while) gave him opportunities that should have gone to other authentically accomplished students. Rather than achieving, this young man seemed to be spending his energy scheming. Just imagine if he had put all this effort into actually doing well in school rather than lying! Was there pressure on him by his parents to achieve? How did they not know he was lying to get in? Is he just an extreme example of what the pressure can do to be the best and the brightest?

As a parent of a child who just graduated from high school and survived the college app process, I can tell you that competition among children is getting fiercer and fiercer. When I was graduating from high school, outstanding students never paid for college; they received countless scholarship opportunities. Now there are so many superstar students, not only do colleges not need to offer them scholarships, they don’t even need to accept them into their schools. Students graduate from high school today with a long list of AP credits, academic distinctions, perfect test scores, essay awards, thousands of community service hours, music and dance competitions and on and on.

When is there time to be a kid when you are spending so much time trying to be perfect? Attempting to be better than everyone else in some way? Does all this overachieving really pay off or is there a price to be paid for it?

“The Coming Melt-Down in Higher Education”

(as Seen by a Marketer)

Read it here.

Now that our daughter has completed the college application process, and has accepted an offer from UPenn, we can take a humongous sigh of relief. The process was so exhausting that we all have taken a vow not to use the “C” word here any more. (Yes, “C” word = College.) Applying to college is an arduous, stressful process no matter what you do – even if you take a laid-back approach. What am I saying? There is no laid-back approach to applying to college! The more advanced your child is academically, the more competition she will face, because most of the top universities are small and the demand is high. Here’s what I know from my experience:

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1. Don’t Brag – No matter how talented (you or) your child may be academically or in his extracurricular activities, save the bragging for your own ears. There is someone else who is smarter, more talented, more outstanding in some way. Yes, your child is wonderful, as is mine and countless others. Today, the truth is that brainy, accomplished kids are a dime a dozen. Colleges are not going to be astounded when you visit and list your child’s accomplishments (unless perhaps, she has cured cancer. FYI – if this were the case, she would not need to go to college). The admissions people have heard and seen it all already. Your child may be the top student at her school, but there are tens of thousands of high schools in the US alone.
2. Weed through stacks of info and brochures – Excellent high school students receive an outrageous amount of college brochures, postcards, letters and emails. Even not-so-great students will receive these. You will get onto mailing lists as you take the PSAT. It can be overwhelming and flattering to receive this much mail from top colleges. Save the info from the places that interest you, but be realistic. Just because you get an invitation to apply does not mean you will be accepted.  You are not the only one receiving stacks of mail. (We just recycled over 50 lbs of brochures, and that does not include the hundreds we tossed as they came in the mail over the past 3+ years.)
3. Stay ahead of the game – Each college app takes a great deal of time to complete. Check the colleges’ essay topics at the end of your junior year, and start writing a few good essays about yourself during the summer. You can tweak and rework them later, but at least you will have the basics down.
4. Get with it about the Acceptance Numbers -  According to the US Census Bureau, the population of the USA in 1950 was around 161 million. Today it is around 310 million. That means a whole lot more students are graduating from high school than ever before. Ivy League and many other top universities today still have the same number of spots for students as they had way back then. This year around 30,500 students applied to Harvard (as written in the Harvard Crimson) as compared to half that number some time in the late 1990’s. This means, due to the sheer rise in numbers, many of the students who got accepted 10 years ago, today would be rejected with the same credentials. Only around 2,000 get accepted each year for a class of around 1,600. Thousands of valedictorians and perfect 800 SAT scorers get rejected in top schools. There are 8,000 National Merit Scholar Finalists each year in this nation, yet total student acceptances at the top 25 schools are a mere fraction of that number And no college is going to fill up its class with all valedictorians, all merit scholars or all football players for that matter. There is a desire for d
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Clip art copyrighted by Bobbie Peachey,
http://webclipart.about.com

I thought it would be interesting to research many different statistics about American children. Here are some of the countless fascinating facts I discovered:

Health

Obesity

In a NHANES II survey of the Prevalence of Obesity in Children ages 2-19 years

• Ages 2 through 5  -  In 1976-1980 study, 5% were obese. In 2003-2006 study, 12.4% were obese.
• Ages 6 through 11  -  In 1976-1980 study, 6.5% were obese. In 2003-2006 study,17.0%were obese.
• Ages 12 through 19 – In 1976-1980 study, 5% were obese. In 2003-2006 study, 17.6% were obese.

Source: http://www.cdc.gov

Autism

Experts estimate that two to six children out of every 1,000 will have autism. Males are four times more likely to have autism than females.

We can estimate that up to 500,000 individuals younger than 21 have autism.

Source: http://autism.emedtv.com

Education

Gifted

The National Association for Gifted Children estimates there are around 3 million academically gifted children in grades K-12 in the U.S. That’s about 6% of the student population.

Source: http://www.nagc.org

Students who study music test better. Those who took courses in music performance and music appreciation scored higher in the SAT than those who did not participate in the arts. Music performance students scored 53 points higher on the verbal and 39 points higher on the math.

Source: http://www.childrensmusicworkshop.com

Literacy

One child in four in the US grows up not knowing how to read.

85 percent of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate.

Source: http://www.begintoread.com

Attendance

The number of elementary school-age children (ages 5 through 13) declined by 381,000 while the number of their high school-age counterparts (ages 14 through 17) increased by 329,000 between 2003 and 2004.

Graduation

The last census shows that high school graduation rates for women (ages 25 years and older) continued to exceed those of men, 85.4 percent and 84.9 percent, respectively. But 28.9 percent of men had a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 26.5 percent of women.

Utah, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire and Alaska continued to have the highest proportions of people 25 years and older with a high school diploma or higher (around 92 percent).

Source: http://www.census.gov

Smoking, Alcohol and Substance Abuse

Cigarettes

About 40% of adolescents ages 12–17 years have tried smoking cigarettes, including a few puffs, in their lifetime.

Overall, Mexican American adolescents (41%) and non-Hispanic white adolescents (41%) had a higher prevalence of ever having tried smoking cigarettes, compared with non-Hispanic black adolescents (34%)

Alcohol

Sixteen percent of adolescents aged 12–17 years had their first alcoholic drink before age 13. Among those adolescents who had an alcoholic drink, 37% did so before age 13

Eighteen percent of males and 14% of females aged 12–17 years reported drinking before age 13.

Overall, 21% percent of adolescents

Parents with children of different ages talk to me about school. The most common concern among these parents is homework; their children are not self disciplined enough to get the work done on their own.

Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Galleryon www.DiscoverySchool.com

The question is, when should you, as a parent stop reminding your child to get his homework done and when should stop helping him actually do it? I asked this question of 1st-3rd grade Montessori teacher, Rachel Pulido, who has more than 30 years of teaching experience.  “By third grade, an average student should be able to do her homework on her own, without being reminded. It’s normal for parents to want to step in, but it is better if children in third grade and higher suffer the consequences of not getting their work done. Otherwise they will not learn to be independent and self motivated.”

This is great advice. While it may be upsetting for parents to watch a child’s grade slump, this is the best way for the student to learn self discipline.”Middle school students should be completely self sufficient about managing their assignments. It’s fine for them to ask for help at times, but they should not be guided by their parents or reminded about deadlines.”

As far as children with learning disabilities, Ms. Pulido said, “This is a different story. No matter what the age of the child, you will have to be more involved. If not, the student may disconnect and lose interest, because the work may be too overwhelming.”

Not long ago, I watched a news segment about a healthy, normal 6th grade boy, who severely lacked confidence. It turned out that his mother was obsessed with him getting everything correct on his homework and excelling on all his tests. She laid out his work on the dining room table, sat him down and watched and pointed as he filled in worksheets. She checked every answer, read his textbooks, quizzed him excessively and called teachers often to ask questions. The stress this created for him was insurmountable. He was afraid to try anything on his own without the approval of his mom, including making the simplest decisions (like what flavor of  ice cream he should order). His well-meaning, yet controlling mother created a helpless, insecure, unhappy child. A counselor worked with her to show her how her controlling actions were detrimental to her son.

While this is an extreme case, it is representative of a common problem. So unless your child has a learning disability, let her face the consequences of slacking off with homework. There’s nothing wrong with setting boundaries and communicating exactly what your expectations are and what the repercussions will be if her grades start slipping. But rather than doing the work for her, let your child learn the the best way – by making old fashioned mistakes and suffering the consequences.

Being book smart does not make a person a genius. It takes much more than that – creativity for one. Do you know someone who is precise and rigid, yet flat in the creativity department?  This is the sort of person who is excessively organized and gets everything done on her list. She has perfect handwriting. Her grades were perfect in school. Her home is always tidy. She always knows where everything she owns is located.

http://www.school-clipart.com

This is what I call the “Overachiever.” But she is not a true genius. She is devoid of creativity. She cannot go with the flow; she is inflexible. If her plans change, she is nervous. She needs to have things “just so.”  She is the kind of person you’d want to have as your surgeon, your organizer or your hair stylist. But she would not be a good president of a company, the President of the United States or a teacher.

The Overachiever can be an accomplished musician, playing Chopin flawlessly, exactly the way it was written to be played. But he is not a genius like Chopin because he is a technician, rather than an artist. Don’t get me wrong; the overachiever is to be well respected for his diligence, reliability and commitment to excellence. Who ever said one must be a genius to be respected? There is a lot to be said for doing a job well, and many overachievers are super successful. Yet they are not geniuses.

My own definition of a true “Genius” is one who is well-rounded rather than lopsided. A math whiz with no social skills in my definition, is not a true Genius. A true genius possesses all these factors:

• Has a naturally high IQ
• Is curious about everything
• Is creative
• Is flexible and open-minded
• Has people skills
• Is mature
• Has a sense of humor
• Has the drive to get things done
• Is a non-conformist (and no, this does not mean tattooing and piercing your face)

Possessing all of these factors is rare. How many do you have? How many do your children have? How many people do you know who has all of them?

Geography is Anything But Boring!

Have you ever thought about where our basic food comes from? Have your kids ever asked you about it? Just about every time I go to the grocery store, I think about how grateful I am for our farmers who grow all this stuff we eat – the wonderful abundance of fruit, veggies and grains (especially organic!) we have to choose from. I think we all take for granted the work others do to make sure we have healthy food to eat! I grow a few tomato plants in buckets every year and know how much works goes into that. So I can surely appreciate what it takes to feed the world!

One great way to explore the world with your kids is to learn about crop production. The US Department of Agriculture offers some great tables that list crop production from countries all around the world.

http://www.cksinfo.com

I learned some interesting things:

• The US produces the most corn, but India produces a lot more cotton than we do.
• India produces about 66% more rice than China.
• There is a lot of peanut production in the nations of Sub Sahara Africa.
• The US leads the world in soybean production.
• Russia produces more wheat than the US, but India produces more than Russia.

If you look at the data with your children, talk about the reasons different countries grow more of  a crop than other countries do. (Climate, population, land size). Discuss how we all help each other out by supplying food with others.

With Thanksgiving just one week away, this is a great time for us all to be thankful for our food!

I have been reviewing a lot of children’s books about famous men – Ben Franklin, Marco Polo, Charles Darwin. Three men who have changed the way we think and live.

Marco Polo

I realize that what they all have in common is a magnified level of curiosity. It is not that any of these men were born knowing any more than others. It is simply that they had a thirst for knowledge. That is truly the definition of intelligence – curiosity.

So you must ask yourself, how curious am I? What about my kids? Are they always asking and searching for answers? If so, you’ve got intelligent kids, who perhaps someday may be another Darwin or Ben Franklin or Marco Polo.

It may seem like there isn’t much left to be discovered. But we just don’t know yet what we just don’t know. And I am desperate to learn all about it.

Figure out how many world leaders you know from the countries listed below. (See answers below.)

How many do your children know as well?

Countries

1. Afghanistan
2. Argentina
3. Australia
4. Brazil
5. Canada
6. China
7. Costa Rica
8. Cuba
9. Egypt
10. France
11. Great Britain
12. Greece
13. India
14. Indonesia
15. Iran
16. Iraq
17. Ireland
18. Israel
19. Italy
20. Japan
21. Monaco
22. North Korea
23. Mexico
24. Russia
25. South Africa
26. South Korea
27. Spain
28. Sweden

http://www.freshfreestuff.net

Answers*

1. Afghanistan: Hamid Karzai (President)
2. Argentina: Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (President)
3. Australia: Quentin Bryce (Governor General)   -  Kevin Michael Rudd (Prime Minister)
4. Brazil: Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva (President)
5. Canada: Michaelle Jean (Governor General)   -  Stephen Harper (Prime Minister)
6. China: Hu Jintao (President)
7. Costa Rica: Oscar Arias Sanchez (President)
8. Cuba: General Raul Castro Ruz (President of the Council of State)
9. Egypt: Mohamed Hasni Mubarak (President)
10. France: Nicolas Sarcozy (President)   Francois Fillon (Prime Minister)
11. Great Britain: Elizabeth II (Queen)  James Gordon Brown (Prime Minister)
12. Greece: Karolos Papoulias (President)  -  Konstandinos Karamanlis (Prime Minister)
13. India: Pratibha Patil (President)
14. Indonesia: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (President)
15. Iran: Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamanei (Supreme Leader)  -  Mahmud Ahmadi-Nejad (President)
16. Iraq: Jalal Talabani (President)
17. Ireland: Mary McAleese (President)
18. Israel: Shimon Peres (President)   -  Binyamin “Bibi” Netanyahu (Prime Minister)
19. Italy: Giorgio Napolitano (President)  -  Silvio Berlusconi (Prime Minister)
20. Japan: Akihito (Emperor)  -  Yukio Hatoyama (Prime Minister)
21. Monaco: Prince Albert II (Chief of State)  – Jean-Paul Proust (Minister of State & President of Governing Council)
22. North Korea: Kim Jong Il (General Secretary, Supreme Commander of Army and Chairman of National Defense Commission)
23. Mexico: Felip de Jesus Calderon Hinojosa (President)
24. Russia: Dmitriy Anatolyevich Medvedev (President) -  Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Premier)
25. South Africa: Jacob Zuma (President)
26. South Korea: Lee Myung-bak (President)  – Han Seung-soo (Prime Minister)
27. Spain: King Juan Carlos de Borbon y Borbon  (Chief of State) – Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero (President)
28. Sweden: Carl XVI Gustaf (King) -  Frederik Reinfeldt (Prime Minister)

How many did you know? How many will you remember?

*Source:  https://www.cia.gov

I just returned from the National Council for Geographic Education Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The purpose of this conference is for geographers, teachers of geography and those who have businesses related to or a passion for geography to get together to share information, research and experience about teaching geography to students from elementary school through college.

This was my first conference with NCGE, and quite a fascinating experience (especially from the perspective of a children’s travel book author.) Over 500 people attended from all over the USA and Canada and more than 210 workshops and sessions were offered over the course of 3 days. Here’s the gist of what I learned with the sessions I was able to attend:

1. Lack of geography knowledge in the USA is an epidemic from elementary school, through the university level and beyond.
2. Global and spacial thinking are paramount to not only education but to our nation’s political relationships with other countries.
3. There are many exceptional software programs, lesson plans, books, events and more to help teachers and parents teach geography.
4. Geography is not just about finding places on a map. It’s about people, cultures, plants, animals, weather, space, distance and so much more.

Specific sessions I attended:

1. Rand McNally has just released a brand new and extremely impressive 22^nd Edition of Goode’s World Atlas, the most phenomenal teaching atlas ever. Every geographer and teacher must have this. I’ve got one!
2. National Geographic Society offers an extraordinary program for schools called Giant Traveling Maps. Floor maps the size of rooms are rented out to schools all over the USA for unforgettable lessons in geography.
3. ESRI offers the world’s most comprehensive and advanced Geographic Information Systems to teach geography. You’ve got to try their software products to experience the benefits yourself.
4. 3^rd Grade teacher, Marilyn Pineda from Comanche Pubic Schools in Oklahoma shared how music and literature can be used effectively to teach geography. (This was right up my Lilly Badilly alley!)
5. Two teachers, with great senses of humor, from the Mississippi Geography Alliance, Sandra K. Morgan and June Hollis, demonstrated how to use a large floor map, nursery rhymes and songs to teach US geography to elementary age children.
6. Through Coppin State University and a generous grant from NASA, Dr. Doug Reardon told us how geography education is being transformed in West Baltimore, a low income area. The stories of the teachers in this district are inspiring and will set a standard for all those who long to bring geography into the classroom, for all schools in the USA.
7. Dr. Cynthia Resor from Eastern KY University talked about how Place Based Education can help students learn about geography, starting in their own communities.
8. Dr. Jimmy Dunn from the University of Northern Colorado wrote about Setting New Geography Standards for Colorado. He spent a lot of time quizzing his students about geography using different methods and tracking the results. Fascinating!
9. Venice, Italy is sinking due to excessive flooding, which is cased by a number of factors. Geographer, Dr. Denise Blanchard of Texas State University gave a fascinated session on the causes and possible solutions to the problem.

FYI – I hosted a workshop called “Fun with Geography in the Classroom.”

These were just a small fraction of the many learning experiences to be had at this year’s NCGE conference. I would have loved to attend every one of the sessions, but that would be impossible. I’m looking forward to next year.

To join NCGE, click here. Remember, you don’t have to be a geographer or teacher to care about geography education in America.

Cme back tomorrow . . . it’s all about Puerto Rico.

Geography Matters More than You Know!

Today President Obama spoke to the nation from Wall Street about our financial crisis, undoubtedly the worst since the Great Depression. It is one year since the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The word is that we are making progress, but the economy is nowhere near stable. For the millions out of jobs and losing their homes, there is no sense of stability yet.

Listening to Obama speak made me think about financial responsibility. Our nation did not get into this mess overnight. And no one person or organization is to blame. Families did not lose their homes to foreclosure overnight either. We all know there has been exhaustive discussion in the media regarding just exactly it was that put us in this catastrophic financial mess. Now we need to focus on making significant changes so history does not repeat itself.

http://classroomclipart.com

Here’s what I know:

1. Growing up in a middle class family in the 1960s, most kids did not receive nearly the volume and cost of gifts kids receive today-  not even the “rich” kids. At Christmas, there were 1 or 2 gifts for each child.
2. If a child wanted something, he had to work for it.
3. Most people did not live in huge homes like they do today.
4. Many families had only one car. Very few teens had their own cars.
5. Americans did not consume nearly the volume of goods they do today.
6. People were more grateful and seemed happier to me then.

So what happened?

1. We got sucked in by mass marketing efforts.
2. We wanted what others were having.
3. We lost our focus about what is important.
4. We got greedy.
5. We got used to having much more than we need.

So what can we do today to make sure our children do not become a credit crisis statistic when they are young adults?

http://classroomclipart.com

1. When they are in elementary school, talk to them about money and how difficult it is to make for most people.
2. Set up some type of a savings plan for your kids from birth.
3. By the middle school years, show them your check book and explain the simple facts about paying bills.
4. Explain how credit cards work and how the interest multiplies when you do not pay off your balance each month.
5. For high school age kids, talk about the basics of our mortgage crisis and how homeowners signed loans they did not fully understand and how their lack of control of spending led them down a destructive path. Tell them about the bad decisions banks made.
6. Be frank with them about the statistics of debt in America. It is easy to find data online.
7. If you are an overspender yourself, show your kids how you are making changes – no matter what their age may be. If your kids see that you buy everything you want when you want it, and you overbuy for them, they will be under the false impression that there are no spending limits.
8. Give your children chores and reward them in small ways when they do their jobs well.
9. Have your children work toward special gifts – a new computer, musical instrument, ipod, etc.
10. Raise your kids to be grateful for what is important. Achieve this two ways: 1) by you being grateful yourself and 2) by you and other family members not spoiling them with gifts and goods.
11. Work as family on downsizing. Less clothing, less gadgets, less shopping, less consuming. Less waste. My saying is that “More should be taken out of your house than is brought in.”
12. Experience the rewards of giving as a family. Rather than buying every member of the family 10 or 20 Christmas gifts, buy 1 or 2 modestly priced gifts and spend some time or money on needy families in your community. You don’t have to wait for the holidays for giving. People need food and clothing year round.
13. Shift the focus of your family from consuming to enjoying the simple things. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to have a lot of fun together.

There’s that cliche: “The best things in life are free.”

Something we should all consider.

If someone had said to me 20 years ago that people all over the world were soon going to share intimate details, photos and videos about every aspect of their lives with anyone and everyone on the planet, my first reaction would have been, “Why would anyone want to do that?”

Flash forward to the present day. Not only are adults offering up personal information in epidemic volumes, but so are teens and children. Obviously, being a writer myself, I’m all for personal expression, but how much is too much information? Safety is certainly a big issue, and there is some great info out there to help parents. Check out this fabulous FBI website to help you get started.

http://www.school-clipart.com

But how else can the internet hurt you and your kids?

I watched a program a few months ago about a 20-year-old college student who filmed herself drinking, stumbling like an idiot and violently vomiting. Then she posted that video on her social networking page. The scariest part of all this is that she really did not see anything wrong with her behavior, and she thought it was fun to share her experience with the world. This poses several questions:

1. How will that video affect her chances of getting into graduate school, a scholarship or getting a job?
2. What makes that girl think that anyone wants to watch her puke? (I’m afraid to know this answer.)
3. Why would this girl go on TV to discuss this so that millions more people can watch her make an ass of herself?
4. What sort of IQ are we dealing with here? (Don’t want to know that either.)

The truth is that the first place EVERYONE goes to get information about someone else is the internet. Colleges, employers, scholarship and awards organizations, background checkers and more will all search your name when you are applying for their services. And they indeed will find you if you or anyone else has posted info about you. You can rest assured that whatever they do find will influence their opinions of you as well. They want to see the good as well as the bad – the really bad. And the bad will be used against you.

So make sure there is no bad. If there is a single person out there on the planet you would potentially be horrified to see what you have posted, don’t post it. Take it off! Search the names of the people in your family and see what is out there about them. Take action if it is inappropriate. Read your children’s social networking pages. Know who they are connecting with on the internet. Look for inappropriate photos, personal info like address, home phone or cell phone and too many personal details. Other things to look for are negative comments or opinions your child may have posted about other students or teachers - and negative comments others may have posted about them. Ask your children about this as well. Explain to them how postings can hurt them. Tell them they can be interesting without exploiting themselves or others.

Sure, the internet can be a wonderful learning tool. But don’t let others learn something about you this way that can be detrimental to your future. Even if what you post is not that terribly negative, it still can be inappropriate.

Does anybody really need to know that you just burped up the peppers you ate for dinner and have an unpleasant taste in your mouth? Too much information is too much information.

ContestForMoms.com - This extensive website was created by Amanda Compton in 2003. What started out as a hobby has turned in to the leading contest & sweepstakes site for moms online! She offers an expansive list of contests and sweepstakes available for moms everywhere in the world. So if you are a contest junkie, this is the place to go!!! In addition to contests and sweepstakes, you will find parenting articles, giveaways, Holiday ideas, recipes, crafts, safety info, everything for babies and much more. I got addicted to the site when I found and kept on clicking page after page. She has 3 blogs on the site, the buzz blog (parenting crafts, frugal tips & more), the contest & sweeps blog, and our very own mom blog - Petite Mommy, where Amanda openly blogs about her daily life as a home business mom/ small town mom. Do check it out!

YoungPupil.com -  I am all for websites that promote education, and here is an excellent site. The creators of Young Pupils set out to give parents the tools they need to ensure their kids get the best education possible. They know that the first 8 years of a child’s life are extremely important to their future development. There is a blog on the home page with informative, well-written articles, info about homeschooling and links to other important educational websites. It is an uncomplicated website (Yeah!)  and easy to use, something we can all appreciate.