Archive for February, 2010
Feducam’s Centro Myra is a childcare center situated in the south of Quito, in a neighbourhood called the Mena Dos. This neighbourhood has a lot of families who are struggling to feed their families with the very low wages offered to labourers in Ecuador, sometimes less than $100 a month. Adults who have small children therefore have no other choice but to work. In a neighbourhood desperate for childcare options, Centro Myra provides a safe and hopeful alternative. This center provides free and subsidized childcare for more than 80 children. The center is crowded, but the atmosphere is nurturing, and provides parents with supervision options for their children. Volunteers must be of age 18 or above with minimum education of high school.
 Volunteers with the following special skills are preferred for the placement:- Standard First-Aid Child & Youth Worker Early Childhood Education Recreational Programming Social Worker (BSW) Social Work Student Psychologist Psychology Student Day Care Work Teacher – English Teacher – Physical Education Organic Farming Practices Educational Games Guitar Social Worker (MSW)
Volunteers can assist by doing following tasks:- Volunteers will help with the daily routine at the daycare center, create activities and projects for the children, give simple dancing or music lessons, and will help to further structure the centers programsVolunteers can also help in the kitchen, and with the maintenance and cleaning of the center.
Basecamp International welcomes all the interested volunteers from around the world to volunteer and make a difference. If you are interested in this placement then please contact us for the details: Email: info@basecampcenters.com Website: www.basecampcenters.com Mailing Address 298 Bagot Street, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, K7K 3B4 Phone: 613.541.7862 Toll Free : 866.646.4693 Fax: 613.541.1604
Basecamp International Centers
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/volunteer-at-feducams-centro-myra-in-ecuador-733345.html
Encouraging learning helps boost children’s development and understanding of the world around them. To do so, parents should provide toys that allow for hours of discovery and exploration, as well as areas where children can practice their newfound skills. There are also ways that parents can set up these areas to be more conductive for children’s needs. Having a pile of stuffed animals or a bucket of an assortment of toys available for play is good, but there are better ways to encourage active playtime and learning at home. Try these ideas to get started:
Providing an assortment of toys that allow children to manipulate materials, such as sand, clay or water, teach youngsters many things. Children can create structures or learn about measuring when they have something to mold, fill, and pour. Put a sandbox or a small wading pool in your backyard and toss in a few cups and spoons. Don’t bother with expensive toys on store shelves, as children tend to explore more with simple tools.
Set up areas where a child can read books. A corner of a bedroom or an area in your living room is the perfect place to place a small rocking chair and a bookshelf with reading material. By choosing furniture scaled down for children, parents will provide a more comfortable arrangement that encourages youngsters to use the area.
Offer toys and items that encourage creativity and freedom of personal expression by providing arts and crafts materials for your child. Most children love painting and drawing, so an art activity desk is a smart purchase for parents looking to provide long-term value and is a good investment. Art activity desks allow your child to paint, draw, or color with all the tools he or she needs at his fingertips.
Storage centers for toys can be both helpful for cleanup time and a great way to teach children about sorting. Structures that have multiple bins or drawers at easy reach are good choices. Storage centers encourage children to learn things such as grouping like items together or counting as they dump out the toys and put them away one by one.
Have different areas set up for different activities. A table and chair set with some crayons and paper can go in one place and a rocking chair with books in another. Arts and crafts might be set up in a different room, and storage bins placed where they’ll be most used and appreciated. Having different “sectors” for learning and play helps your child to stay focused on one thing at a time, which means youngsters will play longer and take the time to process information instead of leaping from toy to toy.
Other things you can do is spend a few minutes with your child for some one-on-one time. You can start your child off in a sorting game or ask your youngster to talk to you about his artwork. Pick up a dinosaur from the bin and talk about the creatures, or choose two puppets and have an impromptu show. Remember that even though parents often wish children would amuse themselves, people of all ages are social creatures. While it’s good to set up areas that encourage learning and play, it’s also important to spend time with your child while he or she explores and discovers.
Lily Morgan
http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/does-your-home-encourage-your-childs-learning-135446.html
Honesty and dishonesty are qualities that a child learns at home. Often parents are perturbed when their child lies.
It is common for young children to tell tall tales and make up stories. This is a normal tendency as kids enjoy telling and hearing stories that are fun. Children often tend to confuse the difference between fantasy and reality. This is perhaps more as a result of an extremely active imagination than of an attempt to hide the truth. As children get older, they may tell lies to suite their needs, like shirking responsibility and avoiding work. Parents should treat each instance of lying as an isolated one and respond by teaching the child about the necessity of trust and honesty.
Sometimes adolescents feel that it is alright to lie in certain situations like not telling ones girlfriend or boyfriend the real reason for a breakup as they are afraid of hurting someone else’s feelings. Adolescents might also lie to retain a sense of privacy and feel psychologically independent of their parents. The main role models in a child’s life are his or her parents. When parents catch their child lying, they should approach the matter gently but firmly, emphasizing the difference between a lie and the truth and the necessity for honesty. They should try to communicate to their child and find out the reason for dishonesty and help the child find an alternative. It is best to lead by example and a parent should never lie, and if they do, emphasize the inappropriateness of it. Consequences of lying must be discussed clearly and in a comprehensive manner with the child early in his or her life.
There are, however, some forms of dishonesty that should cause concern and might be a symptom of some underlying emotional problem. Sometimes children know the difference between a lie and the truth but choose to make up elaborate stories to gain attention.
Other adolescents or children, who seem to be sensible, can also fall prey to repetitive lying. It is common for them to feel that a lie is the most convenient method of dealing with the expectations of teachers, parents and friends. Here the child is not trying to be malicious or bad but just falls into a habit of repetitive lying. If the repetitive lying goes beyond a point, it is best to take it seriously and consult a professional child or adolescent psychologist who can provide help in time.
Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/parenting-articles/teaching-your-child-honesty-how-to-deal-with-a-lying-child-740356.html
I have a project in English class that we have to create our own Childrens books. We have to come up with our own plot, theme, title, etc. for the book.
Does anyone have or know any unique ideas that I could get inspiration from? Maybe some title suggestions as well?
TITLE: Chompers
Plot: A young child learns about the importance of eating well to prevent major problems in the future with teeth… Through the book, the child meets a tooth, an apple that is healthy for his teeth, a piece of candy that is bad for his teeth, a dentist who is gentle, a dentist who is mean, a tooth brush, and a tube of toothpaste… The characters include the tooth, tooth brush and toothpaste in "human-like" fashion… They talk, move, walk, and are an intricate part of the message being delivered to children…
TITLE: Gazuntite!
Plot: A bunny named Gaz learns the importance of not spreading around germs, especially since the bunny is sick and causing all of his other friends and family to get sick too… Gaz realizes that it’s not only best to cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, but to also try and cough into your sleeve instead of into the air or into your hand, or paw because if you sneeze on your hand you will spread germs around when touching faucets, door handles, pencils, crayons, etc… The bunny learns that the best thing for a cold are hot soup, veggies, and plenty of rest… Gaz’s friends all visit him and lecture him on why he got sick in the first place – because he went outside in the cold without a coat… The story ends with Gaz feeling much better and playing outside and having learned the importance of saying "bless you" after someone sneezes…
TITLE: Riches to Rags
Plot: A wealthy lion cub has it all… All the toys a kitty could want, all the food in the grasslands, friends, and money… However, the lion cub keeps losing all of his possessions b/c he gambles them away, making bets on things like "what branch will that butterfly land on next?".. .He loses everything and becomes an angry and scary lion when he hits rock bottom… Hiss friends help him realize the error of his ways and help him to regain his pride, pun intended…
I am 15 now and want to leave at the end of the year (this year) I will be 16 in july. Is it possible for me to leave school and do a course in Early Childhood Education (kindergarten teacher) this is in New Zea land by the way. Can i do it that way?
Take a step back and look at it from a potential employers point of view. You left school early to get a degree for teaching because you value education? Kind of a dichotomy don’t you think.
Committed to enhance the education levels and knowledge of children, Boston Children’s Museum is positioned on Children’s Wharf beside the Fort Point Channel. It is recognised as the second oldest childrenâ??s museum in the United States. The museum houses numerous exhibits and activities which are meant to provide children both pleasure and awareness.
Boston Children’s Museum is a museum for children and families. Its collection mainly emphasises on science, environment, culture, health and arts. Boston Children’s Museum is well known for offering its little visitors hands on experience; and this special feature has inspired many museums across the world. At present the museum features more than 50,000 objects. The educational Kits Program operated by the Boston Children’s Museum lends objects to schools.
This exceptional Children’s Museum commenced in 1913 and was initiated by Boston Public School teachers. In early 1913 the museum got the youth involved in discovering and marking nature walks, preparing specimens and creating clay and wax models for exhibits. During 1920 and 1930 the museum started to sponsor clubs that offered children the chance to travel around the unfamiliar with environmentalist hikes and bus trips. In 1960′s, during the time of director Michael Spock the museum changed its traditional museum experience in to what it is today. Currently objects are given to childrenâ??s hands for them to work together, experiment and follow their own inquisitiveness.
The main focus of this non profit, educational institution is teacher resources, visitor programs and Early Childhood Education.
Some of the most intriguing exhibits at the Boston Children’s Museum include the Art Studio where both children and parents can create their own art together. The Common offers a one of kind experience of a massive chess game, light shows and musical chairs. Kid Power educates children on how to live and eat healthy.
Families from all across the world visit Boston to explore this noteworthy tourist attraction. There are numerous hotels in Boston that are positioned in close proximity to the Children’s Museum. This wide selection of Boston hotels include Langham Hotel Boston that offer stylish accommodation complete with some of the most up to date amenities.
Naveen Marasinghe
http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/a-big-experience-for-the-little-ones-729743.html
There are a number of facts that those involved in affiliate marketing should never forget. First, they will be successful only if visitors will be coming to and returning to their website. You need to have a website that has something to offer and that is able to attract people’s attention. If you can’t make them actually interested in your website, then you are not going to see much traffic. For more details go to www.myspace-marketing-secret.com Without traffic you have no one to sell to. That’s why the vast majority of affiliate marketing is affiliate niche marketing.
What is niche marketing? We are dealing with niche marketing when the marketers concentrate on very small and specific areas of a market or on products, develop a loyal customer base and specialty services.
The successful affiliate niche marketing companies and websites are those whose owners have realized that they cannot compete with large companies like Amazon if they want to sell say books in general, however, if they concentrate on children’s books, or books about dogs for instance, they have a chance of developing a degree of success and market leadership. They have good chance to become a market leader for that niche.
Many smart affiliate niche marketers have realized that there are certain highly significant and lucrative areas that large companies and operators have failed to establish themselves in as yet. For example, most of the large markets and markets with mass appeal have been dominated for some time by large companies.
For a small affiliate niche market to break into such an area will be very difficult. is successful in identifying some segments of the market that have genuine customers, real demand and the chance to develop revenue, but that the larger companies have not yet gotten into the area, then they can become a leader in this niche before anyone else gets there. Remember this important key to real success in affiliate niche marketing — you have to get to the market before anyone else does.
Anyone who has been involved in affiliate niche marketing will tell you that being the first to arrive on a specific market and develop customer loyalty and following have a huge advantage. For more details go to www.master-affiliates-marketer.com This is because niche markets have a strong tendency of going mainstream. Small niches are always the next big thing. But once they become big, they are no longer a niche.
They will soon start attracting larger companies who have a lot more resources to invest in capturing the market. Their next step will be to attempt to take over the market place. However, if you manage to get there before the big boys, then you stand a chance of competing with them and staying one step ahead — at least for some time. This is really the only way of beating the large companies, by getting to the market and establishing yourself as the niche market leader before they arrive with their resources and promotion.
If you are serious about being a successful affiliate niche marketer, then you have to identify a market that has not yet been developed and taken over by large companies and become a leader in that small segment.
Rinku Kumar
http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-articles/how-to-win-the-affiliate-niche-marketing-game-683251.html
When blues chase away every color from your life and the merest hint of smile evades you, you desperately need some â??happiness toolsâ?! Â You may be wondering what are these â??happiness toolsâ?, well they are simply some do it yourself techniques to bring those bright colors and smiles back into your life!
Try using the following â??happiness toolsâ? whenever you need to cheer yourself up:
*Exercise or yoga: When you exercise â??feel good chemicalsâ? called endorphins are released in your body. Endorphins induce a feeling of euphoria and change your mood from sad and dark to happy and bright!
*Writing down your blessings- No! Itâ??s not like one of those school punishments where you had to write a hundred times that you would never repeat a mistake again. Penning down your blessings is in fact an enjoyable exercise! When you start counting your blessings it takes your mind away from what you donâ??t have and focusing on whatâ??s right in your life; changing pessimism into optimism, dread into anticipation.
*Prayer- Remember when you were a child, how comforting it was to know that your parents would take care of your problems. When you pray you become like that child again. Placing your trust and faith in the almighty can help you feel better about any situation. Moreover, every place of worship is infused with positive energy; therefore just visiting can have calming effect on the mind.
*Children- Ever noticed how your face breaks into a smile when you hear a childâ??s innocent laughter? Or how you canâ??t stop chuckling when you listen to a childâ??s far-fetched stories? Children can be the most entertaining companions and the greatest teachers. Your worries disappear into thin air when you become a part of a childâ??s wonderful world! When you see life from a childâ??s eyes, it suddenly seems more beautiful! With their disarming innocence children teach us how to live in the moment, how to look for a miracle in everything and most of all how to be happy. Children never fret about what theyâ??ve lost, they may cry over a broken toy or a physical hurt for a few moments and then move on, children are unaware of the concept of ego, they therefore forgive and forget! Even if you donâ??t have any children, visit a park and observe little children busy in their innocent games; it will cheer you up within minutes!
*Sleep- The clichéd phrase â??sleep on itâ? actually makes a lot of sense! Sleeping gives you a welcome break from stress. You are aware of your blue mood when you are awake, sleeping helps you forget (at least for the time being) the reason for your sorrow. Moreover, sometimes sleeping on a problem actually helps you put it in perspective.
*Take a bath-Water can cleanse not only your body but also your mind. A few drops of essential oils like lavender or sandalwood will help you wash away your stress along with your dark mood.
*Dance- Dancing your blues away is a great way to de-stress. It doesnâ??t matter whether you are a good dancer or not, swaying to music is extremely invigorating. Itâ??s an exercise which involves your body, mind and soul. With all three involved in one act, stress canâ??t do much to distract from the pursuit of happiness.
*Visit boomeryearbook.com â?? Connect with old friends or simply browse through its vast library of self-help and coaching articles. In all probability youâ??ll find the solution to the problem thatâ??s bogging you down and by the time you log out you will be smiling!
Care to chime in? Come join Boomer Yearbook and get simple and effective daily self-help coaching techniques.
www.boomeryearbook.com is a social networking site connecting the Baby Boomer generation. Share your thoughts, rediscover old friends, or expand your mind with brain games provided by clinical psychologist Dr. Karen Turner. Join today to discover the many ways we are helping Boomers connect for fun and profit.
Andrew clinton
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/how-to-cheer-yourself-up-690928.html
Will learning to play a musical instument make you more intelligent? Could the brain grow larger than normal by learning to play a musical instrument? Questions such as these have been arising everywhere over the past few years and not only in science journals either. The interest of the general public in these studies involving music and the development of the brain has led to the publishing of many articles, to the delight of music-lovers everywhere. But all the information gathered, the reliable and the questionable, has left many still confused about how much importance should be put on use of musical training for brain development.
If your feeling confused about what you have learned, certain valid points considered may help clear your thinking. It seems that the most benefit is derived from early musical training when it comes to strengthening the connectors in the brain and creating new pathways. Research demonstrates the definite influence that music training has on the long-term development of specific parts of the brain. The research findings of Gottfried Schlaug, Herman Steinmetz and their associates were published in Discover magazine in 1994. They did a comparison of 27 classically trained right handed musicians with 27 right handed non-musicians using a technique called MRI, abbreviated for magnetic resonance images. Their findings revealed that the planum temporale (the brain’s auditory processor) was larger in the left hemisphere and smaller in the right in comparison with the group of non-musicians. Musicians who started training before the age of seven had even more outstanding differences. The differences were especially notable among musicians who started early training, specifically before the age of seven. Shlaug claims that the study of music also promotes enlargement of the corpus callosum, a bridge of sorts between the brain’s two hemispheres. He discovered that among musicians who began their musical education before seven years of age, their corpus callosum was thicker by 10-15% compared to non-musicians. It was suspected that a larger corpus callosum improves motor control by making a faster connection between the hemispheres of the brain.
Later research published in a 2002 issue of Science magazine showed the results of a study conducted by Dartmouth music psychologist Peter Janata which confirmed that music is one of the best stimulants for improved connectivity between the right and left hemispheres of the brain and between areas responsible for emotion and memory. A team of scientists led by Janata reports that with musicians, they have found certain areas of the brain to be 5% larger, and specifically the auditory cortex in expert musicians, up to 15% larger than people with little or no musical background. In addition, those who started studying music early in childhood have increased development of up to 15% in the brain area called the corpus callosum, which is a four-inch bundle of nerve fibers connecting the left and right side of the brain. There is growing evidence that detailed and even skilled motor functions are enhanced, besides the growing evidence from research studies that some brain region connectivity, as well as some types of reasoning functionality is improved by music training. The corpus callosum in musicians is evidently essential to the performance of such tasks as the coordination of fingers. As any muscle must grow to accommodate the tasks at hand, this portion of the brain also grows to make one more proficient at these necessary musical skills.
In a study conducted by Dr. Timo Krings and reported on in Neuroscience Letters 2000, non-musicians and pianists of the same age and gender were asked to complete a series of intricate finger movements. In this study, pianists and non-musicians of the same age and gender were asked to perform sequences of complex finger movements. Correct movements were noted by both groups, but less activity was seen in the brains of the pianists. The conclusion drawn by the researchers was that the pianists’ brains make skilled moves with less effort. There are a staggering number of ways that the human brain and its development are affected thanks to the study of music. With all this research at your fingertips, how do you decide what type of musical studies will benefit yourself or your children?
An article by N.M. Weinberger published in Musica Research Notes in 2002 made an interesting point about how the Mozart Effect, although not living up to it’s musical hype, has raised the public eye to the research being conducted in the field of music. Listening to just a few minutes of Mozart invites a whole new world of musical possibilities to the listener. The academic evidence discovered for using music study as a tool to aid brain development is compelling, even with the hype regarding the Mozart Effect. Dr. Frank Wilson from the University of California’s School of Medicine in San Francisco says his research reveals improvement in coordination, concentration, memory, eyesight and hearing when a person engages in practicing the art of music.
According to Frank Wilson’s research, learning to play an instrument brings about these benefits: better coordination, improved concentration, memory, eyesight and hearing. According to Wilson, all other activity pales in comparison to musical training which refines the entire neurological system by improving connections and motor skills in the brain. Dr. Wilson says that he believes musical instruction is vital for total brain development.
The conclusion we draw from what we’ve learned is that studying music can be an important tool to enhance various important functions of the brain. Therefore, if you are a lover of music, pick up that musical instrument you have always wanted to learn and get started today – you have much to gain.
Duane Shinn
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/will-learning-to-play-the-piano-or-keyboard-make-you-smarter-688463.html
There is no question about it; you can earn an excellent income through Internet marketing. However, some people work hard and don’t make anything at all. The difference can almost always be traced back to the effective use of Internet marketing tools. If you are serious about Internet marketing, you must consider it a legitimate business. For a traditional business to generate the most success, it must have a good location, an effective marketing system, a communication system to keep them in front of their customers at all times, products or services that people want, a selection or products that appeal to various customers, and an attractive, inviting place of business.
If you are serious about Internet marketing, you must look at it like a business that is simply located online. For more details go to: www.page-brand-generator.com that means that you should take the time to meet all of those same criteria online. This may seem impossible, but through the use of quality Internet marketing tools, it can be accomplished easily and effectively.
By using link popularity software, you can determine what the best places to sell are by locating ideal link partners, analyzing links, and monitoring the continued popularity of links that you are using or considering using.
There are several Internet marketing tools that are excellent at advertising you r products and services. The use of video marketing is one of the fastest growing marketing methods there are. With a basic digital video camera and video production software, you will easily be able to add video to any site.
Article marketing is another very popular way to promote your business. You can write your own articles or buy articles from freelance writers.
For can visit to: www.text2speech-converter.com deciding on the content of your articles is easy by using search engine optimization, SEO, software to tell you what key words are searched for the most.
You definitely want your business to grow so much that it would be impossible for you to keep track of all of your customers. With the effective use of autoresponder software, you can not only stay in touch with your customers and prospects through their email program, but you can also automate the management of ezines, newsletters, and replying instantly to incoming email communications.
If you are, for example, selling children’s books, the prospect that visits your website may or may not be interested in your children’ books, but they most likely would not be at your site unless they had children close to them, so you can still profit from customers by offering other products that may be appealing to them, such as educational software, children’s specialty clothes, toys, parenting help books, magazine subscriptions, etc. This can all be accomplished by the use of affiliate programs. If you are not using affiliate program software, you are leaving a lot of money on the table.
Even if you are an expert web site designer, the use of site building software will save you time, energy, and guarantee a great looking website that is easy to navigate.
I congratulate you on capitalizing on the wide open potential of the Internet. Fill up your Internet marketing toolbox, and get ready for wild success.
SUNEET KUMAR
http://www.articlesbase.com/software-articles/use-of-site-building-software-will-save-you-time-and-energy-738164.html