Back to Middle School- a guest post

[This blog post was written by my nephew Danny who will be heading back to middle school soon. Thanks, Danny, for being a guest blogger!]

School - some kids have shivers sent down their spines just by the sound of that one word!

As the school year comes closer parents will be going to department stores, malls, and clothing stores to get their kids what they want.. You know what that is like - crowded aisles with small children and mothers screaming “WHAT KIND OF BINDER DO YOU WANT JOHNNY, COME ON MAKE UP YOUR MIND!” Yep, that is what it is like around here in August.

This year my classmates and I are going to a higher grade which can be very stressful for them and their parents. I am going into 8^th grade which is the highest grade in my middle school. We like to call ourselves the Head Leaders at the school.

But what is really scary is kindergarten. I was scared to death when I was going to kindergarten! I didn't want to even get on the bus, but once I got to the school I had the time of my life. Kids are not going to get any sleep the night before school, especially if they are going into the High School. The High School is the granddaddy of all the schools (except colleges and universities, of course) .

So I guess I’m happy to be going to middle school – right in the middle of it all!

Memorial Day 2009: Children of Fallen Patriots

As the war continues, more children are being left behind with parents who died in military service. On this Memorial Day we can honor those who lost their lives by helping their children.

In this video David Kim tells the story behind starting the organization Children of Fallen Patriots, which helps take care of college expenses for children of those who die in the armed forces. He explains where the funding goes and how people can become involved.

If you'd like to help, please go here.

It's all good....

and her happiness is contagious.

As she answers questions right, this toddler does a "smartypants dance" - found over at Gimundo, where good news happens every day.

Lola Smarty-Pants
by funnytoo

NothingButNets

Instead of writing about March Madness and nothing but net, I'd like to draw attention toward a drive for providing bed nets for refugees to protect them from malaria. The cause is called Nothing But Nets. Ruth Riley of WNBA Cares speaks in the video below about the devastation caused by malaria that she saw on her trip.

Each net protects a family from malaria, lasts four years, and costs ten dollars. It can prevent transmission up to 90 per cent. Malaria is the number one killer of children in Africa.

Nets are distributed through the Measles Initiative, a "partnership of the American Red Cross, the U.S. Center for Disease Control, the UN Foundation, the World Healt Organization, and UNICEF. Since this integrated campaign began in 2001, nearly 400 million children across Africa have been vaccinated against measles and the number of measles cases reduced by 68%."

To purchase a net, please go here. To learn more about it, please watch the video below.

Lollipop Theater Network

via its site:

"Lollipop Theater Network is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to bringing the magic of movies currently in theaters to children confined to hospitals nationwide due to chronic or life-threatening illnesses. Our goal is to create a fun escape from the daily reality of the illnesses these children face and to offer them and their families a moment of normalcy in an otherwise stressful environment."

There are lots of ways to help, which you can find here at their site. You can also spread the word about this organization, like I am, to let people know how they can help.

Lollipop Theater Network also has a Facebook page.

Knit One, Save One campaign

Charlie is a fifth grader who is knitting caps, along with many others in his school, for the Save the Children Knit One, Save One campaign.

For more information visit their site.

Talking to kids about a parent's illness

This past weekend, when my brother in law had a heart attack, I was greatly concerned about my nephews. One is 17 and the other, who is 11, has several disabilities which make coping more difficult. Although there are articles written about how to talk to children about a parent's illness, the important thing I found is to communicate in a way where children and teens are told the information as they can handle it at an age appropriate level while being reassured that their day to day needs will be taken care of. As this cartoon emphasizes, it's important to remember that children and teens may put very different meaning to the words you say. Taking the time to make sure that they haven't misunderstood what was said is important. Some children, depending on their ages, will blame themselves for their parents' illnesses. Others will be concerned about issues you might not even think about. My youngest nephew expressed the most concern to me that his father had to stay in the hospital, away from home for a number of nights, because "the hospital is scary". Because of the number of medical tests my nephew has had during his short life, his father's hospitalization triggered his anxieties. Explaining that his father would be taken well care of by the nurses and doctors seemed to help lower his anxiety level.

[visual description: In the first box of a cartoon, in front of a castle, a cartoon figure says "Raphunzel, sweet Raphunzel, let down your hair". In the second box, a giant rabbit hare is dropped and lands on the cartoon character.]

Childhood obesity and advertising

In the UK, a ban on ads for junk foods during programs where the majority of viewers are under 16 has been imposed to address childhood obesity. The ban seeks to address the issue, among others, of encouraging excessive consumption of food.

In the US, schools have instituted healthier choices in cafeterias. Some have removed vending machines that contain high sugar sodas and candies or chips and other junk foods, imposing junk food bans with legislation begun in California.  The statistics show that childhood obesity has more than doubled in our country for preschoolers and more than tripled for children aged 6 to 11.

The UK has similar bans in their schools, but limiting ads during children's programs is a step further than we've taken. It's reminiscent of the cigarette commercials that were removed from television.  The ban took place on January 2, 1971. Why? To allow the cigarette companies one last time to advertise on New Year's Day.

What do you think? Is it appropriate to police junk food ads for a young audience? Or not?  To see what's being done in the U.S., visit the FCC site for the Task Force for Media and Childhood Obesity. Back in June, food firms were urged to follow the socially responsible lead of Kellogg's company.