Kids Computer LeapFrog My Own Leaptop
Kids Computer
LeapFrog My Own Leaptop
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Brand:LeapFrog Model :19150 List Price :$24.99
Sale Price :$19.70
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LeapFrog My Own Leaptop Feature
- Kids Computer Personalize pretend computer play with My Own Leaptop
- Choose and download songs for a custom playlist (Internet connection required)
- Choose from 8 email messages and personalize for your child to enjoy (Internet connection required)
- Explore the alphabet, pretend play, music, animals and computer literacy with 6 learning activity stations
- Parents can connect to the online LeapFrog Learning Path for customized learning ideas and insights from LeapFrog
LeapFrog My Own Leaptop Overviews
Personalize pretend computer play with My Own Leaptop™! Choose and download songs for a custom playlist, explore 6 learning activity stations and personalize emails for your child to enjoy! Parents can connect to the online LeapFrog® Learning Path for customized learning insights and ideas to expand the learning.
Kids Computer Appropriate for children ages 2 years and up.
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LeapFrog My Own Leaptop Specifications
Toddlers will enjoy six modes of pretend computer play with LeapFrog’s My Own Leaptop. This durable and user-friendly play laptop introduces children aged 2 years and up to animals, shapes, letters, music, and more. With a Leaptop, you’ll give your child a fun yet instructive introduction to using computers.
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 Designed for small children, this play laptop helps familiarize kids with technology.View larger. |
 You can help your child personalize the laptop by connecting it to your computer. View larger. |
A Cool and Colorful Kids’ Laptop
The Leaptop takes the spirit of a real laptop computer and infuses it with an appealing, kid-friendly design. This durable and organically-shaped plastic case opens like a laptop. The Leaptop’s lightweight and convenient handle makes it a travel-friendly toy.
Above the large alphabet pad, you’ll find the E-mail, Music Playlist, and Blog function buttons. Around the LED screen, you’ll see computer-like icons displaying all of the Leaptop’s interactive features. Kids will love switching between the Animal, Music, and Alphabet modes, which are accessed with the moveable mouse switch.
Each Leaptop has one of two puppy hosts, Violet or Scout. Depending on which Leaptop version you buy, one of these adorable puppies will accompany your child through all of the activities. Kids will even have access to Violet or Scout’s personal blog by pressing the Blog button.
An Introduction to Letters, Animals, Music, and More
The Leaptop’s three play modes and three function buttons will help your child learn the basics while having fun. Alphabet mode teaches letters and phonics; Music mode turns the alphabet pad into a music sampling machine, so your child can contribute musical animal noises and funny audio effects to songs; and Animal mode teaches kids to identify animals and their sounds.
The Email, Music Playlist, and Blog functions help children build vocabulary, and practice listening and reading skills. And they’ll enjoy receiving emails and singing along with Leaptop’s preset and downloadable songs. With the Leaptop, you’ll be confident that your child is exposed to activities that help develop essential skills.
Personalize the Leaptop Online
You’ll want to personalize your child’s Leaptop by connecting it to your computer with the included USB cable. After connecting to the Leapfrog Web site, you can create a parent account that allows you to customize this toy laptop by creating a profile for your child.
You’ll also be able to select songs for the Music Playlist and set up personalized emails from Scout or Violet and other friends and relatives in your child’s life. Additional Scout and Violet downloads are available for purchase, and printable coloring sheets are available for free.
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What’s in the Box
Leaptop with three AA batteries, USB cable, and quick connect guide/parent instructions.
Available at Amazon
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LeapFrog My Own Leaptop
LeapFrog My Own Leaptop
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kids Computer Fisher-Price Fun 2 Learn Color Flash Laptop
Kids Computer
Fisher-Price Fun 2 Learn Color Flash Laptop
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Brand:Fisher-Price Model :N3682 List Price :$29.99
Sale Price :$20.45
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Fisher-Price Fun 2 Learn Color Flash Laptop Feature Kids Computer
- The Fun 2 Learn Color Screen PC combines classic laptop roleplay.
- Six modes: Letters, Phonics, Numbers, Music, Games, Typing
- Big, bright light-up screen changes colors?red, green and blue
- Cordless mouse stows away underneath
- Silicone rubber keyboard is kid tough.
Fisher-Price Fun 2 Learn Color Flash Laptop Overviews
Brand new in factory sealed box
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Fisher-Price Fun 2 Learn Color Flash Laptop
Fisher-Price Fun 2 Learn Color Flash Laptop
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kids computer Oregon Scientific Tinkerbell Laptop
kids computer
Oregon Scientific Tinkerbell Laptop
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Brand:Oregon Scientific Model :ON69 List Price :$39.99
Sale Price :$29.95
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Oregon Scientific Tinkerbell Laptop Feature kids computer
- kids computer Real QWERTY keyboard
- 80 learning activities
- Large LCD screen with backlighting effects
- “Holographic” laptop lid
- Learning is fun with Tinkerbell
Oregon Scientific Tinkerbell Laptop Overviews
- Real QWERTY keyboard- 30 learning activities- LCD backlight- “Holographic” lid design- Large LCD display- Ages 5+ORON69 kids computer
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Oregon Scientific Tinkerbell Laptop
Oregon Scientific Tinkerbell Laptop
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Fun Facts About Circulatory System for Kids
Circulatory system is more like a delivery system in our body. Blood moves in the human body from heart through blood vessels. The task of the blood is to carry oxygen as well as nutrients to each part of human body. It also carries wastes products of body to clean them. This is all, which is called as circulatory system of the body. We will explain several fun facts for kids about circulatory system here:
Heart
First, we will discuss about the heart. It is muscle of body and its size is almost equal to clenched fist. It has four hollow chambers. Task of each chamber of heart is to pump blood around the organs of the body. The weight of an adult heart is just about 9-12 ounces that is almost equal to the weight of a can of soda. The weight of the heart is just.5% of the weight of human body but the tasks that it does are big. The heart of an adult pumps about 6000 gallons of blood in a day and that is pretty much when compared to its size. Do you know that our heart beats about 30 million times in a year?
Blood
The function of blood is not just to carry oxygen from heart to the cells of the body. Blood consists of three main parts these are white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets.
The task of the white blood cells is to defend the body against any infection and disease.
The task of red blood cells is to deliver oxygen to the organs of the body. These also carry carbon dioxide and other wastes out of the body.
The third part of the blood is platelets. These help the body in repairs after any injury or illness.
Do you know that in one drop of blood there are 8000 white blood cells, 5 million red blood cells and 25000 platelets?
The thickness of blood is more than water.
Circulation
The blood starts circulating from the left ventricle of heart into aorta. When it leaves heart, blood is full with oxygen. This oxygen spreads throughout the human body starting from aorta. It then passes to the arteries system and after that to the smallest arterioles of the human body.
Aorta is largest artery of human body. The task of arteries is to carry blood out of heart.
The task of veins is to carry blood back to heart.
Do you know that if you strung all the blood vessels of the body and measure them, then you can circle the globe with them for about two and half time!
It takes just two minutes for the blood to circulate through the human body. In this short period, it brings oxygen out and carbon dioxide back and it keeps on repeating this process through out the whole span of life!
About the Beats
You all must have heard about heartbeats. These are nothing but the sound of the valves that are present in heart closing. This sound comes as the valves push blood throughout the chambers of the heart and you can hear this with the help of stethoscope. Beats come when the muscles of the heart contract and pump blood out of heart. At first, the right and left atria contracts and pumps the blood to left and right ventricles. After it, the ventricles contract and collectively work to push the blood out of heart. The pause between the beats is the time when the heart again fills up with the blood to start the process all over again. Pulse rate of the body changes as per the physical activities of the body. It increases when you do some exercise or physical labor. It also changes according to age. For example, the heartbeat of an adult is 60-100 beats per minute and on the other hand, the beat of a newborn baby is 130 beats per minute.
The Top Twelve Threats No Computer User Should Ignore
The internet is undoubtedly a fantastic resource for families and offers a rich vein of educational content.
However, there are potential dangers – welcome to the seedy world of viruses, spam, trojans, pornography, spyware and other nasties.
These are the Top Twelve Threats No Computer User Should Ignore.
1. Viruses – A computer program that copies itself. They often disrupt your computer system or damage your data. Viruses are usually received by email attachments so be careful opening anything from a dubious source. They can affect anyone, for example, the destructive Mydoom worm affected one out of three small and mid-sized businesses.
2. Spyware – Sends information about you and your computer to somebody else. Spyware may send the addresses of sites you have visited or worse still, transmit personal information. With today’s concerns about identify theft this is a real worry. For example, CoolWebSearch may hijack web searches, home page, and other Internet Explorer settings. Spyware is normally received as part of shareware or freeware downloaded from the web.
3. IP Spoofing – A technique to gain unauthorized access to computers, whereby the intruder sends messages to a computer with an address indicating that the message is coming from a trusted host.
4. Trojans – An apparently legitimate computer program that is really intended to disrupt and damage computer activity by sending information, perhaps even passwords onto a third party without you knowing. As an example, recent emails entitled “Osama Bin Laden Captured” attempted to download the “Trj/Small.B.” Trojan if the embedded URL was clicked. This trojan attempts to hijack the PC.
5. Spam – Unsolicited mail often promoting products of a dubious financial or sexual nature. Don’t leave your email address on websites and internet bulletin boards as they are harvested by spammers.
6. Adware – puts advertisements on your screen. These take many forms including popups, popunders and advertisements that appear later, even if your browser is closed. Some are sent using the Windows Messenger service which allows a spammer to direct an advertisement straight to your computer by sequentially sending messages to IP addresses. Always irritating, they are also often of a pornographic nature.
7. Diallers – for those of us still with dial up modems, dialler programs redirect calls to a very expensive number. You won’t know until you get the bill.
8. Hijackers – Hijackers take control of your web browser and may reset your home page, search bar and search pages. They can redirect you to undesirable sites or stop you going to particular sites.
9. Hackers – With so much personal data available online to anyone with a password you must be sure your password is secure. If you are using your mother’s maiden name, your cat’s name or your birthday then your password is at risk. Here are two tips for making a secure password. Method One – pick two random unrelated three letter words and two digits. Mix them up and what do you have? A secure password such as “red19cat” or “hotpin73″. Method Two – pick a short sequence of words such as Now Is The Winter Of Our Discontent Made Glorious’ and you have a password of “nitwoodmg”. You could even change the I’s and O’s to digits.
10. Phishing – Emails purporting to come from reliable sources such as Paypal, Ebay or your bank. Often wanting you to verify your account details, they can look very realistic but are generally scams to harvest usernames and passwords. Always open a new browser winder and type the address there, rather than clicking on the link provided.
11. Hoaxes – Chain letters, scams, false alarms. At best they take up time and bandwidth but at worst vulnerable can be victims of fraud. Pass it on!
12. Stranger-danger – For those of us with children – do you know what they actually do when they are online? Are they working on homework tasks, downloading illegal music or pornography? Or are they chatting to strangers in chat rooms? You should consider blocking access to undesirable sites and logging their activity with a surveillance tool. Oh, and don’t forget that where children are concerned, computers should always be kept in a family room and never in their bedroom.
Three Step Action Plan
There are three basic, essential steps that should be taken to ensure your PC is kept threat-free.
Firstly , be sensible when opening attachments or following email instructions from apparently reputable sites.
Secondly , make sure you are using the latest service pack of Windows as Microsoft is continually closing loopholes to tighten up security.
Finally, there’s a range of low cost tools such as firewalls, antivirus, spam blockers and spyware killers available. Like everything else they vary in quality and you tend to get what you pay for so always do your research first and perhaps try a free trial before getting your credit card out.
Understanding Short Term Memory in Children
Did you know that it is not just adults who suffer from short term memory loss our children do also? Short term memory loss is quite prevalent amongst children who have low self esteem or suffer from a lack of self confidence. It is also a fact that children who have hearing or site problems are also potential sufferers of memory problems. Unlike adult short term memory sufferers, young children with the same problem are often quite unaware that they have a problem so it is important that the child’s carer monitor their situation.
Short Term Memory and Learning Difficulties
There have been countless scientific studies conducted which have explored the connection between language and speech development problems and short term memory skills in children. Many of these studies have found that there is indeed a connection between problems with short term memory in children and the way these particular children progress their speaking, reading and learning skills.
Treatment Options
As is the case with many mental problems there is not one single remedy for the treatment of loss of short term memory in children. The most effective way you, as a parent, can help your child improve their short term memory is to combine a number of well documented techniques to help improve the retention of what they are learning.
First of all it is important that your child is both mentally and physically active and that they interact with other children. These days a lot of children spend literally hour upon hour sitting in front of a computer playing games or chatting on the web. While using the computer is generally quite educational and useful there are other activities which are likely to be more effective with assisting in the improvement of short term memory in children.
A great way of improving short term memory in children is to encourage them to participate in a range of games and activities that have been specifically developed to stimulate the child’s mind. These games and activities are not necessarily expensive or complex and include doing crosswords, jigsaw puzzles, match the picture cards as well as other trivia games. Children of all ages can participate and on the whole they find these style of games quite enjoyable and stimulating.
As a parent you should be mindful that problems with short term memory in children can often be an indicator of a more serious problem which could possibly require medical attention. A number of studies have identified that some children who suffer problems with memory loss can in fact be suffering from a form of dementia. This does not mean you should go in to an instant panic, but you definitely need to follow through with a medical examination if you notice your child is difficulties in this area.
If you notice that your child is continually forgetful or for no apparent reason has a marked deterioration in their school work you are encouraged to take your child to see your doctor as soon as possible so that they can have a check up to ensure that nothing more serious is wrong with their health.
Easy Earthworm Science Projects For Small Kids
Did you know that earthworms are some of the most important and useful animals? They are very important to human life and here is an experiment to see how they survive and why it is useful to us. Please handle the earthworms with care and make sure you do not harm them at all!
Here are the supplies you will need for your earthworm science project:
A large and wide-mouthed, clear glass jar
Gravel and small pebbles
Soil
A tin can
About 6 earthworms from your garden or anywhere you can find them
Dark construction paper
Sticky tape
A camera
Now this is what you have to do:
First of all, the camera is to take photos of your experiment, every step of the way as you go.
Place the tin in the middle of the jar
On the bottom of the jar place a layer of gravel and pebbles of about half an inch
The layer of gravel and pebbles needs to be between the can and the glass of the jar
Now you fill the jar with garden soil up to the height of the tin can and place the earthworms on top of this layer of soil
Take the dark construction paper and wrap it around the jar to make sure you keep out all light.
Secure the construction paper with the sticky tape to keep it in place
Now you have to check the soil every now and again to see what happens
Remember to replace the dark construction paper every time and of course you have to take a photo every time for your display
The idea is to observe the behavior of the earthworms for a while and once you are done, you have to place them back safely in the garden, they are very precious
Make very sure you do not harm them in any way
Now, why did you do this experiment or project and what did you see?
The earthworms feed on the soil by taking it through their bodies. In this way the worms form tunnels that aerate the soil. This aerated soil provides the plants with the oxygen they need to grow.
This is why they are such an important part of the animal world. Without the earthworms many plant species will not be able to survive and we will not have enough food.
The conclusion of our easy earthworm science project is that earthworms aerate the soil and is vital to plant life.
Internet Computer Addiction Among Teens
A growing trend is internet computer addiction among teens. It is not a positive trend, unfortunately, but negative. This kind of addiction among teens is very often destructive and one that could have a major impact on not only the computer addict, but on his or her family and friends also.
Teenagers of today find that the internet and computers are a necessity if they are going through high school. They need the internet and computers to do research for their assignments. If you don’t have a computer you will get left behind in this information age. Internet addiction among teens is not specifically targeted towards the teens themselves, even children in lower grades will require a computer to research their assignments, but it all leads to one thing – computer dependency.
If a parent needs to combat internet computer addiction among teems, how are are they going to do it without confiscating the computer and depriving their children of it? It is not going to be possible to stop their teens from going anywhere near a computer. Computers are at schools, internet cafes and with friends. These are just some of the challenges faced by the parents of teens who are suffering from computer and internet addiction.
So, what sort of signs do parents of teens addicted to the computer have to look out for? Internet computer addiction among teens ranges from being addicted to games to spending hours and hours in chat rooms. Either way, the teenager is living out a fantasy life. The internet and computer is often an escape from reality for teenagers who feel they do not fit in with the real world. Either in chat rooms or with games, the teenager can be whomever they choose to be. All it takes is a click of the mouse and they are in their fantasy world living out their dream life, either in the form of a hero in a game to being somebody they are not in a chat room.
It is unfortunate that for a minority of teenagers, role playing of this kind turns into a full-on addiction. Internet computer addiction among teens is very often the cause of family arguments because the teen will forgo social and family events preferring to use their computer instead. Very often an internet addict will stay up all night playing games or using a chat room. In the worst cases, teens will quit school or college favoring their computer and internet addiction.
Internet computer addiction among teens is very similar to other teenage addictions, such as alcohol or tobacco. Symptoms can include mood changes, they can become withdrawn, bursts of anger and a huge impact on their social relationships.
To prevent, and end, internet computer addiction among teens is somewhat a challenge. A parent of a teenager suffering from internet and computer addiction should act upon it as soon as they see the symptoms by trying to limit the amount of hours the teenager spends on the computer. Encouraging the child to take up other pastimes or hobbies can in most cases turn their attention away from the computer.
An organization specifically set up to combat internet computer addiction among teens, and has helped many thousands of teens and indeed, people of all ages, with their computer and internet addiction. The organization is called The Center for Internet Addiction Recovery and can be found online at http://www.netaddiction.com.
Online Electric Guitar Lessons For Kids
Learning how to play a guitar can change the life of a youngster. With electric guitar lessons for kids, which can be accessed online, the experience can be awesome. Kids are ridiculously in tune with technology and new media, and know how to use a computer better than adults. Turning to the internet for online lessons, kids can learn to play the electric guitar and amaze their parents and friends.
In the past, the only kinds of lessons available were in person lessons, meaning that your child could only get instruction by visiting a music instructor and taking formal lessons. Now, by investing in a good DVD course and online electric guitar lessons, your child can learn how to play on their own schedule and at their own pace, without the pressure of an in-person instructor. With online electric guitar lessons for kids, which often have video and audio clips that show the correct way to play, your child can learn how to play in a short period of time. So if you really want to children to play electric guitar, turn to the internet and to some great online lessons.
When your child learns to play guitar online, they can access a variety of resources, including a comprehensive library of chords and chord progressions, and they can discover step by step, how to progress from major chords into minor chords, how to read guitar “TAB” and how to quickly build the strength and agility they need to advance beyond the beginner stage. With online electric guitar lessons for kids, and the easy to follow video and audio clips, it is not difficult to learn how to play guitar in a short period of time. So if you really want your kids to play guitar, turn to the internet and you can start playing like a pro in a short period of time.
Children At Work: Looking at Child Labor in the Victorian Age
Today, it isn’t that uncommon for some children and teenagers to work. They may earn extra money by baby-sitting, doing yard work, or maybe even walking dogs. Others, once they go on to high school, may go to work in their local grocery store, malls, or food chains. However, in the Victorian Age, it wouldn’t seem at all strange to see children as young as five or six, go to work full-time (sometimes sixteen hours a day!) in often dangerous conditions.
As you read, ask yourself questions. Why do you think children so young were working? What type of jobs do you do for extra money? What types of jobs did the Victorian Age children have to do? What would you do to help stop child labor? How do you think your life would be different if instead of getting an education, you had to go to work in a paper mill, or on an assembly line?
Why Did it Happen?
During the first United States Census it was reported that the number of children working in 1870, equalled nearly 750,000. This only included children under the age of fifteen, and didn’t count those children who were working on their family farms, or in the family’s business. The number of children working continued to increase as new technology and the Industry grew. What were some of the things that caused families to send their children to work? What about the employers that hired them?
Poverty
One mother in the Victorian Age, Mrs. Smith, was quoted as saying:
“I have three children working in Wilson’s mill; one 11, one 13, and the other 14. They work regular hours there. We don’t complain. If they go to drop the hours, I don’t know what poor people will do. We have hard work to live as it is…..My Husband is one of the same mind about it…last summer my husband was 6 weeks ill; we pledged almost all our things to live; the things are not all out of pawn yet… We complain of nothing but short wages…My children have been in the mill three years. I have no complaint to make of their being beaten…I would rather they were beaten than fined.”
Another roadblock to change was that most people thought that by letting children have jobs, it would serve to help the poor families to make more money.
There were many ways that children entered the workforce. Orphaned children were often sent to a distant mill or factory owner to be fed and cared for while working to earn their keep. Others were indentured, or sold to a business owner by their parents for a certain number of years. Other, more fortunate working children lived with their families while working full-time.
Industrial Needs
While some factory owners and leaders of the industries spoke out against putting children to work so young, others hired children because they didn’t have to be paid as much as adults did. Children were also hired for factory and mill jobs because many of the machines that they used were very small. Children were seen as the ideal candidates to work the machines, and to fix them when they were broken.
It’s also important to remember that children were raised and treated differently in the Victorian Age. There were some employers who didn’t think that there was anything wrong with hiring young children to work. They believed that by hiring these children, the children would eventually grow-up as responsible, hard workers.
However, as you will see in the next section, many of the jobs that children were hired for were often very hard, at times even dangerous.
Working for a Living
When teenagers go to work today, they can choose from many types of work. They can be cashiers, fry cooks, baby-sitters, front desk clerks, stockers or create their own lawn service. Children of the Victorian area didn’t have these options.
So, what did these kids do for a living?
The most fortunate working children were hired on as apprentices for the major trades of the era. Some of these trades would include:
*Blacksmith
*Tinsmith
*Cooper
*Iron foundry
*Cobbler
*Lace making
*Leatherworking
While the children were still required to work, and sometimes required to work long hours, they were at least lucky enough to be learning a profitable trade, which offered hope to them for their future.
Younger children might have started out working as street sweepers, “scavengers” or by selling newspapers. Scavengers were children who searched through trash, rubbish and refuse for items they could sell to junk stores, or even to their neighbors. Some of these items might have included pieces of rope, or metal scraps.
Still other children were put to work in more dangerous conditions.
Glass factories
Textile mills
Coal fields/mines
Cotton mills
Shipyards
These are only a few examples of the hard work children would face, sometimes working up to ninety hours a week!!
Sometimes the children who went to work and were often away from adult supervision would fall into criminal activity. They would wind up involved in things like gambling, stealing, and sometimes even prostitution.
Making a Difference!!
Many people worked very lard and hard to help protect children from being taken advantage of by the industries. Some key people who fought to control child labor were:
Charles Loring Brace – created the Children’s Aid Society
Lewis Wikes Hine – photographer who exposed the child labor problem to the public at large
President Woodrow Wilson – created the Keating-Owen Act (see below)
Lord Ashley – created the Children’s Employment Commission in 1842
Charles Dickens – wrote and spoke out against child labor. For more information, read Oliver Twist
Karl Marx – helped incite public opinion
Michael Sadler – worked on the “Ten-Hour Movement”
Organizations that were involved in gathering support from individuals and law makers to control child labor include:
“Short Time Committees”
The Children’s Aid Society
The National Child Labor Committee
Progress was sometimes slow, but always encouraging. Several Factory Acts (1819-1878) were created in England, which increased the minimum age of children who were able to work. Along with the Factory Acts, there was the “Ten-Hour Movement” which limited shifts to ten hours, with a weekly limit of fifty-eight hours. Other laws in England that influenced the change of child labor laws included Lord Ashley’s Children’s Employment Commission (1842), which was followed by the Coal Mines Act in 1843. This Act stopped the Coal Mines from hiring women, or boys under the age of ten.
In America, activists joined together in groups and coalitions to work for labor law and reform, or change. They received a small victory in 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson created the Keating-Owen Act, which banned the interstate (between two or more states) sale of any items produced by child labor. However, this Act was later found to be unconstitutional. The real victory came in the year 1938, with the Fair Labor Standards Act. This Act created a national minimum wage and set the national working age to sixteen (eighteen if the job was dangerous). Children aged 14 and 15 were allowed to work under certain conditions and fields of work, but only after school hours.
Because of the efforts of the Victorian people and the new laws it created for the children of England and America, child labor isn’t as large of a problem….for us. But child labor hasn’t disappeared! According to some recent surveys and studies done by the International Labor Office, it was estimated that there are about 250,000,000 kids between five and fourteen working. Of these children, 120,000,000 are working full-time, often in dangerous conditions. Take some time to think of ways that you can help with the modern day global child labor reform!!
Valentine’s Gifts from Kids to Mom and Dad
Looking for some great Valentine’s Day gift ideas for your parents? Some kids write captions like “We treasure you”, “We scored big with you” or “We love you” on a chart paper. Others prepare a photo frame, carrying the words “You are the Best Mom/Dad in the world”. Let’s look some more gift ideas.
Valentine’s Gift Ideas
A green ‘Valentine’ tree with heart-shaped ornaments and topped with an “I love you” note and can make a festive gift for your parents. So does a magnet boasting tiny photos of family members that are pasted on magnetic paper to stick on the refrigerator.
Children of all ages, even adult children, can collect recent photographs of the family members and prepare a mini scrapbook. A ‘Kiss Jar’ is a fun gift, too, prepared by painting the outside of a jar with hearts and kisses and adding Hershey’s candy kisses inside. Another neat gift is a puzzle pin is prepared by arranging old jigsaw puzzle pieces.
Mother and children statues are an apt Valentine’s Day gift. So are themed gifts like giving a small box that represents a room where inside the box the recipient will find stuffed teddy bears sitting on a sofa with “We Love our Parents” written on a tiny picture hanging over the sofa, and a ‘bears family’ with the family names written on each bear drawn on an accompanying card.
To go along with the gift, or as a gift in itself, a cake that is shaped like the word DAD or MOM can be prepared at home.
Don’t forget that greeting cards and flowers are traditional gifts, always good for recipients of any age. And fingerprint cards can be prepared at home if you’re looking for more unique gift cards.
Valentine’s Gifts for Mom
Kids can present the following Valentine’s gifts for mom – House Helper Card, I Love You Card, Photo House Card, Thumb Bunny Card, Pop-Up Bouquet Card, Wheel of Affection, ABC Book of Mom, Bagel portraits, Brooches to Brag About, Cameo Necklace, Handprint Apron, Handprint Towels, Kitchen Angel, Button Bracelet, Paper Blossoms, Spa Door Hanger, Sparkling Sun Catcher, Treasure Box, You and Me Book. A necklace or bracelet or earring will evoke memories everyday. Diner style mug is good for daily use. Three cubical candles that together spell MOM, which have a 46-hour burning time is ideal for celebration. A Pacific Revolution Waist Bag can also fit within the budget.
Valentine’s Gifts for Dad
Kids can present the following Valentine’s gifts for dad - A Pup for Pop, Computer Frame, Daddy Duct Dollars, Funny faced refrigerator Magnets, Family Key Keeper, Golf Ball Mobile, Family Key Keeper, 5 Fab Crafts for Dad, Formal Greetings, Me and You Book, Painted Pebbles, Personalized Hobby Boxes, Treasure Box, Chore Card, Collage Card, Photo House Card, Thumb Bunny Card, Picture Puzzle, Memo pads & Paperweights and Best Dad Certificate. The Hairy Daddy Longlegs Cupcakes can be prepared at home. Kids may make a dessert or bake a cake at home. Kids can honor their dad, a breakfast of Omelet, Cheese Tart or Baked French Toast.
Tags: Valentines
Computer Cookies: Are They Good or Bad?
Explaining “Cookies” (the non caloric ones that reside in your computer!)
You can’t talk about all those nasty ‘things’ that can ‘attack’ your computer while you are surfing the Internet, like viruses or spyware, without talking about ‘Cookies’. But what are they and are they really bad for my computer?
Ok, first let’s define the term, and then we’ll explain the good and the bad about it.
Cookie(s):
A small data (text and numbers) file (piece of information) created by a Web server (large computer that stores web sites) that is stored on your computer either temporarily for that session only (the time that you spend on a web site) or permanently on the hard disk (persistent cookie). Cookies provide a way for the Web site that you visit and go back to visit again, to identify users and keep track of their preferences. Amazon and Barnes and Noble online are very creative in the use of their cookies that get generated when you visit.
Here’s an example from my computer from visiting the Disney.com website:
CP null*disneyworld.disney.go.com/1088 1761935360 30785590 403215680 29726670*
Notice that the only thing in that string of text and numbers that you can recognize is the name of the website. The rest of the information is simply a set of numbers that only a computer can understand.
Why are cookies important to you? Well, you would not be able to browse through the Web as you are currently used to if you had cookies restricted on your computer.
The Good “Cookies” (non calorie type)
Cookies are commonly used to “maintain the state” (the current or last-known status) of the session (time that you spend on a site) as a user browses around on the site. For example, if you filled out a form and decided to leave that for a moment to view another page, when you come back to that form, the information that you already filled in would still be there. Without cookies, the site would not know who you were.
On the 2 web sites that I mentioned, Amazon and Barnes and Noble, they both use a combination of cookies and online database to recognize you when you return to the site as well as “remember” your earlier choices and from those choices recommend possible book or music choices for you on your current visit.
Imagine, if you will, walking into a local Barnes and Noble store where a clerk immediately recognizes you, walks up to you as she calls you by name and walks you over to your own table of books and music. You see that they have put all of your favorite kinds of books and musicians on the table, both new and old works, all laid out for your quick viewing pleasure!
And, on the next table, is a sign saying “Other people who bought these items also purchased these items” so that you may find interesting items that you may never have seen but might find interesting. Wouldn’t that make shopping a great experience?
Well, that is exactly what it is like to shop online with a sophisticated shopping web site like Barnes and Noble and Amazon! And it’s only because of cookies remembering who you are that allows this type of service to occur.
The Bad Side of Cookies
Actually, as you have just seen, cookies on your computer are not a bad thing; it’s just that the information that they contain can be quite enticing to unscrupulous people. Quite a bit of personal data may reside in the cookie files in your computer, such as ID and Password information. As a result, this storehouse of private information is sometimes the object of attack, which is what happens with some types of spyware.
The default (Default refers to a value automatically assigned to a computer program or device), settings in your Web browser typically allow “first-party” cookies that do not contain any personal information, but not “third-party” cookies.
First-party cookies are ones that are created by the Web site you are visiting. Third-party cookies are created by a Web site other than the one you are currently visiting; for example, by a third-party advertiser on that site (pop-up or banner). The purpose of such cookies is usually to track your surfing habits, which is why third-party cookies are considered an invasion of privacy and riskier than first-party cookies. In some instances cookies are used to consolidate and track user behavior across different sites, which provide marketers with private information about you without your knowledge. These are what are referred to as Tracking Cookies.
Aha, now we’re getting somewhere!
Because, a Tracking Cookie is a somewhat new term for a cookie that has been design by the above mentioned ‘unscrupulous’ people that do business on the Web. It is part of the unfortunate phenomenon known as Spyware! But, that’s a topic for another whole article!
Plants Vs Zombies – Tips and Tricks Part 1
Plants vs zombies is a great game created by PopCap Games. It is a tower defense game, where you build structures to prevent the enemy from going through the line. In Plants vs Zombies, you get to build plants, a very wide variety of them, using solar power from the sun and your sunlight producing plants. The objective of the game is to prevent the zombies from eating your brains, which is consider a great delicacy to them. The game has a light hearted feel and very creative in the implementation of the gameplay. Not only that, there are more modes to play after you completed it once, giving very high re-playability and fun.
As you go through the adventure mode, I find that it is very straight forward. Basically, before every match, you will be given more than sufficient plants to succeed the level. Therefore, this tips and tricks will be mainly about the things that you can explore after you completed the game, like new plants, plants upgrade, money earning tricks and etc.
Here, I list down the note worthy plants that are worth mentioning. Part One will be about the plants that I find to be useful and highly recommended!
Instant kill “bombs” plants:
Cherry Bombs, Jalapeno, Potato Mines, Squash, Tangle Kelp, Doom Shroom, Blover
These types of plants almost instant kill anything. Cherry bombs destroys zombies in a small radius. Jalapeno destroys everything in a lane and melts ice paths. Squash will destroy all zombies in a grid, given that they are close enough to each other. Tangle Kelp kills water zombies, with the drawback of long cooldown. Doom Shroom can kill an entire wave of zombies, if you plant in at the right time, with the drawback of leaving a hole in the ground where you can’t plant for a certain period of time. Blovers instant kills all balloon zombies without mercy. Potato Mines kills a single land zombie and underground miners, with the drawback of taking very long to ready itself. Although potato mines take a long time to load, it is a must have for many stages, because in early game, you want to build as many sunflowers as possible and dropping a potato mine or squash to deal with a zombie instead of using a peashooter will save you 75 sun, to build another sunflower. This advantage will accumulate very quickly. Try it out to see.
Attack plants:
Repeaters: They shoot two peas at once. Very good when behind touchwoods. If you want a secure lane, upgrade it to a gatling pea to shoot 4 fireballs at once. Very good in dominating a lane, given that the zombies are not extremely tough, like a horde of Gargantuars. Once you get this, don’t even bother about the peashooters.
Threepeater: It shoots 3 peas, one in the above lane, one in lane and one in the below lane. I find it to be very useful in pool levels, when you have 6 lanes to deal with instead of 5. Works with touchwood well. In other levels, it is not so great since there are always better stuff to use.
Snow Pea: Slow! Very useful! Hates Touchwoods though.
Gloom Shroom: The most underestimated plant ever! This baby is very powerful! Not only it has a fast attack speed, it attacks in all the directions! Not to mention the piecing ability towards screen doors! Although it has short range, it is very devastating when combined with a pumpkin and maybe a garlic!
Melon-Pult: The Superman of the plant empire. This guy deals massive splash damage to zombies and shoots relatively fast, although slower than the normal peashooting types. However, its projectile can hit screen doors zombies and snorkel zombies directly! To see true ownage, upgrade it to a Winter Melon!
Cob Launcher: The Nuke of the game. Expensive and has a long reload time though. Not to mention that you need to operate it yourself.
Other Plants:
Magnet Shroom: Very useful and essential in some levels. It removes a lot of stuff from buckets to pogo sticks. This can really make your life easier by removing special zombie abilities, reduce the defensive power of zombies and you can even upgrade it to get money for you if you are lazy to click manually!
Wallnut, Tallnut, Pumpkin: Essential in most games. No player can live without them!
Spikeweed and Spikerock: Very useful in several levels with vehicles. It can also be a good source of damage when your main defense line is built! This plant cannot be taken away by bungees zombies! Another great use for Spikerocks is that Gargantuars will stop by and smash it. Unlike other plants (Even Tallnuts with Pumpkin, the super tank in the plant empire) that dies in one hit, it takes around 5 to 6 smashes from a Gargantuar to get it in pieces.
