Green Options

I am not a fan of electronic gizmos for kids, but I am a Mac fan.  When offered an opportunity to review a new app for iPhones and iPod touch by Parents Magazine, I decided to approach it with an open mind.  Previously, I’d bashed such applications, but this one is different.

My own personal experience involves my five-year-old son, who has verbal apraxia.  The tracing activities are wonderful in providing him with a unique way to practice fine motor skills while engaging with letters, shapes, and numbers.  I am also thrilled to have him using the iPod touch, as soon he will be using it as an AAC device to help him communicate.

The green factor in this app may be a stretch, and for that dear reader, I apologize; however, if your are looking for an app to entertain your child on the car, airplane, waiting room, iPlay n’ Learn may be for you. Heck, you can’t beat the price.

Tough economic times have caused one school in Ireland to ask students to bring their own toilet paper. Parents received the following request last week from principal Catherine O’Neill:

Dear parent, from time to time we will request your daughter to bring in a toilet roll to her class teacher. These rolls will be specifically for your daughter’s class and will be dispensed by the class teacher. We would also request that your daughter has tissues in her sack at all times.

Recently Nestle invited several high profile bloggers to their headquarters in Glendale, California. From their site:

Nestlé understands the importance of listening directly to parents. That’s why on September 30 and October 1, we’ve invited 20 Mom and Dad bloggers to our U.S. headquarters to learn firsthand the things that are important to them and their families, and to share a little about us and our brands. Check out what they are saying by following the conversation below from Twitter. Visit this page daily from September 23 through October 7, to learn more about them, their families, their busy lives, and to hear about their experiences at Nestlé. Check out their blogs, too

What’s interesting is that they picked a group of bloggers who would clearly support their mission, and they forgot about the others.

The others include women who believe that Nestle has a history of undermining breastfeeding in many countries. I’m not familiar with the controversy because breastfeeding was never a discussion in my home. For one child it worked for a good long time, and for another child medical reasons kept us from breastfeeding.

Ask the average kid where milk comes from and he might very well say a jug. Bread? The grocery store. According to research by Kingston University in London, kids need more farm visits to dispel the ignorance and misconceptions about farming and where food comes from. Scientist Frances Harris, the author of the report, wants schools to take action to organize these visits.

Even if your child knows that milk comes from a cow, does she know that there is more than one variety of cow? A hands on approach at the farm could also help kids understand which foods are real and which ones are processed. They won’t see any Pop Tarts or red, blue and green grains that could make up their Fruit Loops on the farm. Showing your kids where food comes from could set them up for a lifelong, healthier lifestyle. And actually being able to reach out and touch a cow is invaluable compared to watching a farm DVD or playing a video game.

A friend has a daughter with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Vijay and her husband are so honest and open about their challenges with their younger daughter, and their intelligent perspectives have helped me understand a bit more about these families. She recently posted a note about acceptance and autism, and I thought it was important to share with you.

Vijay: I was asked by a friend,

Are you telling me that you would NOT be interested in a cure for autism?

And here is my answer:

Certainly dealing with Violet has been harder than dealing with a “regular” kid, but sometimes challenges are good for people to kind of push us to open our minds. It’s humbling to be faced with someone who is difficult to figure out. But that there is a lot to be learned from the experience. There’s no way to find out if Violet understands that she’s different, or if she would change that if she could. Yet.

These kids are different. So what should change? The kids? Or society?

With all the news surrounding food safety, global pollution, misguided government food policies, and the myriad of other problems faced by consumers, it’s always comforting to occasionally read some good news.  Here’s a bit of uplifting news.  An organization, Edible Schoolyard, bringing gardening knowledge to junior high school kids in urban areas.

The program strives to teach inner city youth about gardening and consuming fresh, seasonal produce.  From its own website, Edible Schoolyard specifically defines its goal of involving students “in all aspects of farming the garden and preparing, serving, and eating food as a means of awakening their senses and encouraging awareness and appreciation of the transformative values of nourishment, community, and stewardship of the land.”

Unless your children attend a really cool school with organic, farm to school lunches, you probably pack your child’s lunch each day. That’s a good thing, when considering how clean cafeteria trays are compared to toilet seats. It’s a shocker, but it’s true.

According to a study conducted by NSF International, cafeteria trays contain more germs than toilet seats!

Germ Stop reports on the NSF findings:

– Drinking water fountain spigots had the highest amount of bacteria on the tested surfaces — 2.7 million bacterial cells per square inch.

– A cafeteria tray had more than 10 times as many germs as a toilet seat (33,800 bacterial cells per square inch vs. 3,200 bacterial cells per square inch).

– A student’s hand had 1,500 bacterial cells per square inch.

– Commonly cleaned areas, such as desks and doorknobs had fewer germs (19 bacterial cells per square inch and 5 bacterial cells per square inch respectively), while computer keyboards and ear phones had significantly more at 260 bacterial cells per square inch and 740 bacterial cells per square inch, respectively.

Does your child’s school have plants in the classrooms? If not, they should. Plants could make going to school more enjoyable. A recent study published in the journal HortScience found that the presence of greenery in classrooms had a significant positive impact on the level of satisfaction students felt in relation to learning, instructors’ enthusiasm and instructors’ organization.

Since many Americans spend up to 80% of the day indoors, it’s no surprise that bringing nature inside is a good thing. Previous studies have shown houseplants can help clean indoor air, reduce tension, improve coping mechanisms, boost work productivity and help increase concentration and attention.

In its time, the MGB was one of the most modern sports cars available. Featuring some of the first crumple zones to ever be included in a production car, as well as a fast-for-its-day 0-60 mph acceleration of 11 seconds. It was also a beauty.

So it’s clear why, in 1984, an engineering professor with a brand-spanking new PhD, who had just begun his professional career at the University of South Carolina, would think it might be cool to drive a 1972 MGB around with the top down in that climatically-pleasant area of the US. And so began Professor Roger Dougal’s obsession with his MGB.

Thanks to all who entered-this contest is now closed!

Do you know that Neoprene- that black stretchy material that goes into wetsuits, laptop sleeves, and knee braces, and which encases much of the gear we use to carry our electronics, water bottles, and lunch bags- is quite toxic?

Thanks to GreenSmart there is a non toxic alternative-Neogreene.

Think that lovable, furry ol’ Elmo couldn’t get any sweeter? Well, now he’s using his helping hands by reminding kids to wash theirs in an effort to fight swine flu.

A new ad campaign, sponsored by three government agencies, will feature Elmo and Gordon teaming up. They’ll spread the message on how not to spread germs: wash hands frequently, cough and sneeze into your elbow, and keep your hands away from your face.

The best part? They don’t mention the swine flu vaccine in any of the 30-second PSAs. See?