Kids often start using the Internet at about the same age they go to primary school, or perhaps a bit later. If your son or daughter is new to the Web it means he or she is relatively young — and you, a parent, are an indisputable authority. Your kid tries to imitate you, bombards you with questions, listens to your advice (and sometimes even follows them), asks you for help, appreciates your tutoring him. It’s the best time to tutor your child how to avoid various online dangers.

Kids and young teens can freely access the Internet from computers at school, at their friends’ homes and in public places such as libraries and even from cell phones and video game consoles. Internet is everywhere, that is why kids and teenagers (and their parents, too) should be well aware of its perils and know how to avoid them.

Searching and Surfing

Kids and young teens are usually content with resources aimed at kids and teens and rarely look for more — in case you don’t make one mistake. Introducing these search engines to kids for the first time,don’t contrast special search engines for kids and those which you use. Don’t say that they are “clean” — unlike those used by grown-ups. Don’t just declare that dibdabdoo or Yahooligans are “cleaner” than Yahoo or Google.

You’d better say that their search results on dibdabdoo will be more interesting. People who know what kids like and what they are looking for built these engines SPECIALLY for them –isn’t it nice? You certainly will have to mention explicit sexual content, porn sites, gambling sites and other junk one can meet while surfing the Web. But please show no fear of it — just disgust. And don’t overwhelm your kids with plenty of negative info all at once.

There are plenty of search engines and resources for kids. Here is just several links to look for them:

http://www.ivyjoy.com/rayne/kidssearch.html

http://www.kidinfo.com/Search_Engines.html

http://www.searchability.com/children.htm

Look for more links. A simple search will bring you plenty of information.

Chats and Strangers

Even before your kid reaches his teens, he or she will be actively mixing with other kids in chat rooms and probably will start a blog as well. It is YOU who must warn your son or daughter about the risk of posting private information for everybody (both good and bad people) to read.

What kids and teens say in chat rooms, whom they communicate with and what they post on web logs and other public Internet places can get them into much more serious trouble than just viewing some inappropriate websites.

These figures are taken from the telephone survey made by the Pew Internet and American Life Project:
81% of parents of online teens say that teens aren’t careful enough when giving out information about themselves online and 79% of online teens agree with this.

Unfortunately, kids and teenagers carelessly post online their first and last names, postal addresses, phone numbers, pictures and give lots of personal information about themselves. It enables an online predator easily identify and find any of them.

Unfortunately, sex predators teem in cyberspace. Sometimes they immediately start sexually explicit conversations with children in chat rooms. If a kid or a teen is forewarned and taught to end such a conversation immediately, he or she is relatively safe, except for moral damage from such a talk.

But there are others. They gradually allure their future victims by attention, affection, kindness, and even gifts. These individuals usually devote much time, money, and energy to this process. They listen to and empathize with the problems of children. They are aware of the latest music, hobbies, and interests of children. Some time later this person may succeed in arranging a face-to-face meeting with the kid offline — you can guess what for.

What you can — and should — do for your kid not to become one of these victims?

The most important is to maintain trust and mutual understanding in your family. Listen to your son or daughter. Encourage your kid tell you about his or her online acquaintances — freely, without fear of being scolded or punished.

There are simple rules any kid should learn by heart from the very beginning of his or her online experience:

Don’t believe everything you are told online, never reveal your name, age, birthday, nickname or any other personal information while chatting. Think twice before posting something personal in a blog, too.

Should You Monitor Your Kid?

To monitor or not to monitor kids online — that’s a question millions of parents face. On the one hand,software for monitoring kids’ behavior in the Web and other computer activities is a relief for ever-busy Moms and Dads. On the other hand, parents should be very careful when relying on technology in uch a delicate matter as parental control.

Should everybody who has a child apply software for monitoring his or her computer activity? Not just checking browsing history, but monitoring every keystroke the kid makes?

Monitoring software isn’t a panacea, though advertising sometimes tries to prove the opposite.

My opinion is that monitoring software is a VERY “strong medicine”. Like any medicine, it has its own side effects which can be worse than the disease. Any medicine, if overused, can do harm.

Using monitoring software will be appropriate if you feel you are losing control of the situation, or have lost it already. Please think more than twice before you install such a program.

It’s always easier to prevent a problem. Do it in time.

Alexandra Gamanenko currently works at Raytown Corporation, LLC — an independent software developing company that provides various solutions for information security, including software for parental control.

Learn more — visit the company’s website
http://www.softsecurity.com

“Roses are red
Violets are green
I’m really sorry I hit my brother
But he was being mean.”

Kids not only say the darndest things, they write them, too. Whether this poetry springs out of creative writing exercises in the schools, or in HEARTSONGS, HOPE THROUGH HEARTSONGS and JOURNEY THROUGH HEARTSONGS 13-year-old now-deceased-but-never-forgotten writer Mattie J.T. Stepanek’s case, out of special circumstances, degenerative muscular dystrophy, that bring forth a remarkable gift, the rhymes can easily be lost through time, moving, throwing away of school papers, or just simply forgotten.

While our children’s poetry may not become best-selling books and CDs (Stepanek teamed up with young country star Billy Gilman to produce a CD), those sweet or questioning verses of childhood and angry, angsty teenage songs bring pleasure, joy and comfort. They are as much a part of history as official family records. How many of us wish we had saved our poems form clutter, neglect, forgetfulness, or the (we hope) well-intentioned suggestions of parents that “You just aren’t a poet”—or even a parent throwing away our written longings? You can bet Mattie Stepanek’s mom would never throw away his first poems!

Whether we have the gift to become a poet or not, whether or not our children are Emily Dickinsons, those scribblings and typings are part of our life, our thoughts, our feelings. They are gifts in themselves, and loving children everywhere have the creativity to give them as presents. Mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers, are moved beyond words when they receive a card on construction paper, or even computer-created by a junior Bill Gates or Charles Schulz. That card may contain a poem about “The Greatest Dad in the World.” Do you want to throw it away and keep all the store-bought greetings you take for granted? It may even move your spouse to wrestle with love poems, and you want to save those too.

The answer is scrapbooking. Poetry on paper is perfect for preserving in the pages of scrapbooks. You may want to create a scrapbook for family poems and created cards, or several scrapbooks if you have more than one poet in the family. You can organize the family scrapbooks by writer, poem subject (Dad, mom, the family dog or cat) or by occasions: birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, graduations, new homes, weddings, births, and so forth. Or you can include poems in scrapbooks you’ve created to record these occasions, scrapbooks that contain decorations, invitations, announcements, pressed flowers, and so forth.

Some tips for successful poem preserving:

* While it’s tempting to include the yellowing paper your son wrote his first poem on, consider recopying it on pretty paper and include it. You can include the original paper if you wish, but do so beside the typed or handwritten version.

Do the same if a poem has smudges or spills.

* If you haven’t dated a poem by your child, look at the writing and compare it to different ages. Always list your child’s age.

* Always date family poems, either on paper or by making a note on a printed label or in handwriting.

* If you can’t guess when a family poem was written, look at the occasion. If it was your 50th birthday or a particular wedding anniversary, you know the date (unless your memory is like a man’s!)

* When you’ve started scrapbooking family poems, always choose heavy paper for future poems, or paper that holds up well.

* If the poem goes with a photo, include the original even if the image of the photo is on the paper the poem is printed on. Or include a photo from the event or a photo of the family member the poem is about for an illustrated poem!

* Consider typing up a page that includes sample quotes from family poems, a kind of “Best Of the Jones Family” list.

* Finally, if anyone in your family doesn’t mind hearing their recorded voice, record a CD or cassette of the poems and include it with the scrapbook.

You may never get your poems read nationwide, but you and your family will treasure the memories they bring. So start writing, and happy scrapbooking!

Kristin Johnson composes personalized poems, speeches, toasts, vows, and family memories. Visit http://www.poemsforyou.com to order your personalize memories. She is also co-author of the Midwest Book Review “enthusiastically recommended” pick Christmas Cookies Are For Giving: Stories, Recipes and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts (ISBN: 0-9723473-9-9). A downloadablemedia kit is available at our Web site, http://www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com, or e-mail the publisher (info@tyrpublishing.com) to receive a printed media kit and sample copy of the book. More articles available at http://www.bakingchristmascookies.com

In an age where children spend a huge percentage of their free time playing with expensive computer games, it’s nice to know that some old-fashioned games are still being played outdoors and cost absolutely nothing.

During the fall, wherever you find horse chestnut trees you’ll find children playing conkers. It’s a game that was enjoyed by their parents, their grandparents, and even their great grandparents and, hopefully, their own children will one day enjoy it, too.

What is A Conker?

A conker is a hard brown nut that’s encapsulated in a green, prickly case produced by the Horse Chestnut tree. The cases fall from trees when they’re ripe and can easily be collected from the ground.

In contrast to the nuts produced by the Sweet Chestnut tree, conkers are NOT to be eaten by humans.

Choosing A Conker

If you’re serious about your game, choose your conkers carefully. The best ones are symmetrical in form, firm to the touch and should be uncracked.

Use the water test. If a conker is damaged inside it will float in water so this is a good way of testing the density of your nut. Floaters should be discarded while those that sink to the bottom will be the hardest and the best.

Preparing A Conker for Play

Make a hole through the middle of your conker, going from the dull area at the top and down through the bottom. A thin skewer or hand-drill is useful for this.

Choose string that doesn’t break easily and thread a length about 12 inches long through the hole and tie a knot at one end to stop it from pulling through.

There are several ways to make your conkers harder, including:

Whether your child wants to be a future geologist, archeologist, chemist or scientist there are a wide variety of excellent science and discovery toys for them to have fun and learn with. There is an endless array of kits, toys, play sets and devices available to experiment and explore some of which include; animal kits, archaeology and geology toys, astronomy tools and play sets, bugs and insects, chemistry and physics sets, electronic and robotic kits, geography and globes, habitats, microscopes, telescopes and binoculars.

Most children are enchanted by anything to do with animals. There are plenty of fun and exciting habitats and play sets to keep your child entertained for hours. Frog habitats, horse and stable play sets, plastic dinosaur kits, a variety of sea monkey habitats from magic castles to mini aquariums, creature keeper (for catching beetles, butterflies and praying mantis etc.), farm animal play sets, plastic wildlife animals, hermit crab kits, reptile habitats, sea life plastic toy sets, plastic reptile sets, foam t-rex dinosaurs, foam lizards and foam great white sharks to name only a few.

The archaeology and geology sets and educational toys offer wonderful educational experiences for children, allowing them to have fun while enhancing their learning skills. Some of the great toys and ideas for play are; rock polishing kits, metal detectors, wooden dinosaur bone building kits available in different sizes (no glue or hardware needed), volcano making kits, outdoor adventure equipment kits (available with flashlight, compass, working camera, binoculars, digital watch and telescope) and 3D wooden dinosaur puzzles.

For a future aspiring astronomist anything to do with the planets, stars, galaxies and universe causes excitement. Some of the great astronomy items that can be found for children include; telescopes (if this is something your child is very interested in, be sure to find a quality telescope that will last and work properly), rockets (complete with sound effects and vibrations), 3D solar systems that glow in the dark, binoculars, space mission play sets, glow in the dark stars and planet sets, solar system mobiles and hand held star navigators (electronic devices used to locate and identify stars and their constellations).

Bugs and insects are interesting to children and adults alike, there are some excellent kits and observatories great for viewing and keeping critters. Something to note with most kits is the larvae or bugs will only be sent separately once the kit is purchased). Some of the exciting kits available are butterfly gardens (complete with supplies for feeding and observation chamber and informative booklet), ant farms, lady bug gardens, butterfly flowers seeds and net sets, silkworm sets, plastic bug play sets, creature viewer (magnifying scope) and special bug jars. The butterfly kit allows a child to see the complete metamorphosis from larvae to butterfly, both an exciting and wonderful learning experience.

Aspiring chemists and physicists will love the great snap circuit kits which allow your child to build an array of exciting projects from radios to light bulb testing set ups. Other great chemistry and physics kits available include; science kits (color mixing, making soft crystals, or rainbows in test tube), water wizardry kits (allowing children to make snow, gels and rainbows in test tube all with the addition of water), and wonderful chemistry sets complete with microscope, accessories, material and equipment allowing first time scientists to conduct simple and fun chemistry experiments.

The electronics and robotics choices for children come in several exciting devices and kits. Metal detectors are one device that offers children a sort of “treasure hunt” experience through use on a beach or the backyard where they will find all sorts of lost treasures and trinkets. There are great electronic kits which allow children to build everything from clock radios to robots and aliens that will respond to sound. Other fun and educational toys available are walkie-talkie kits, snap circuit kits and moving robot kits for building an endless array of moving vehicles and robots. These wonderful kits teach your child a variety of great skills while proving that learning really can be a lot of fun.

One of the most practical and great learning aids for geography is without question the globe. Globes today come in all sorts of different designs some with raised relief land formations and others with lovely prism designs. Popular electronic globes come with geographical facts, trivia, national anthems and world clock times. There are electronic interactive books available with talking maps giving names of states and capitals offering children excellent and fun learning opportunities. Puzzles are also another popular learning aid made in a variety of designs and sizes. Regardless of the globe you choose for your child it is sure to be of use for years to come.

Lastly there is a vast selection of children’s microscopes, telescopes and binoculars available for viewing bugs, stars and wildlife. Microscopes offer future scientists and biologists a view of the physical world through magnification. While telescopes give a glimpse of the wonderful night sky and binoculars bring wildlife up close. All these devices will change the way your child looks at the world. These toys are made in both plastic sets and higher quality metal sets. Which set you choose will depend on the age of your child and how often they will be using the device. An older child will probably prefer a better quality set that will withstand wear and tear and be more optically correct.

Science and discovery toys, sets and devices should inspire fascination and inquisitiveness in your child helping to encourage a love and desire for learning. All the wonderful toys in this category are sure to provide any child with hours of entertainment while providing an awareness of science and how it works. These toys are sure to open doors and teach skills on a variety of different levels. The endless array of choices can at times be a bit overwhelming, it’s always a good idea to do a bit of research before making your purchase. Reviews and recommendations on toys are a great way to get a bit of an idea on what to expect.

Valerie Giles owns and operates Toys-4-Kids; Educate your child through play. Toys-4-kids is a web site full of resource information and online toy stores. Purchase the right educational toys for every child throughout their growing years. The site focuses on many categories of toys from baby toys to outdoor toys and bikes for kids, as well as Barbie Collectibles. http://www.toys-4-kids.com

So, there is a bully that you just can’t catch! You have been trying for years and no luck!

Well, I have learned with good documentation, anything is possible - even building a great case for catching that hardcore bully.

1. I keep a large file card on each student that I speak with, and the bullies are usually referred to me at some point.

On this card, I make note of the date of the conference and generally what the student and I spoke about. If the student is referred to guidance for peer mediation, that is documented also.

2. If this bully is tormenting tons of kids, I put out a memo to the team of teachers who have the bully in class, and ask them to jot down any bully or teasing behavior they see or hear from the bully.

3. The students who are reporting that the bully is bothering them are asked to write down “exactly” what the bully is saying with the date. Even if what the bully is saying is obscene or gross, I ask the students to write verbatim what the bully is saying to them.

4. Most schools have students for more than one year. Our school has 5 grades, so we have students from 4th to 8th grades. You can pull out documentation from previous years to add to your information from the current year.

5. In my opinion, a bully does not start the school year with a “clean slate.” Pull out your notes on this hardcore bully from past years and add it to your current facts for this school year.

Amazing documentation for zapping a hardcore bully might take you a few months to accumulate.

But, as we all know a bully “bullies” and eventually the staff will catch them and document their bullying.

Getting adequate documentation might take some time, but you will eventually get enough to either remove or rehabilitate the bully.

So, get out your file cards and start documenting! The more incidents of bullying you can cite, the better. And, thanks for helping kids deal with bullies!

Paula McCoach invites you to subscribe to the Bully Zapper Newsletter, which is published weekly with tons of tips on how to effectively deal with bullies in elementary and middle school. You will receive a free special report for your subscription. To subscribe, go to http://www.bullyzapper.com

Purchase the latest Bully Zapper publication, 11 SIMPLE STEPS TO ZAPPING BULLIES! Discover tips on working with the bully as well as the victim, talking to parents effectively, using behavior checklists with success, enabling teachers to deal with bullies in their classrooms, and much more practical and useful information you can use immediately to Zap the Bullies in your school! To order, go to http://www.bullyzapper.com

©2005 Permission granted to reprint this article in print or on your web site so long as the paragraph above is included and contact information is provided to the email coach@bullyzapper.com and http://www.bullyzapper.com

By Paula McCoach
http://www.bullyzapper.com

Paula McCoach invites you to subscribe to the Bully Zapper Newsletter, which is published weekly with tons of tips on how to effectively deal with bullies in elementary and middle school. You will receive a free special report for your subscription. To subscribe, go to http://www.bullyzapper.com

Nothing touches the heartstrings of a parent or teacher more than the plaintive cry “nobody likes me” or “I don’t have any friends.” We wish there were something we could do to insure the child will be, if not the most popular, at least included in the games on the playground. Actually, there is something we can do to increase their acceptance by the group and become more approachable to others.

New research shows that all likeable children behave in certain ways. These skills are not in-born but can be taught by parents, teachers and other caring adults. There is a language of likeability that some children cannot pick up by osmosis, but must learn. It has been called a “shorthand” to making friends. Not only does fitting in and having friends feel good, it has numerous other advantages including better grades, healthier bodies, less stress, and more opportunities to learn social skills. Children who feel like they have friends tend to stay in school longer, make wiser decisions, and are generally happier.

Parents, teachers and other caring adults: Here are 7 secrets to assisting your child to be more likeable. Teach and model them on a daily basis and you will find your social circle enlarging.

1. Look for opportunities to assist others. Studies show that helpfulness correlates more strongly than any other attribute to being liked. Teach them to be aware of other people’s needs and to offer assistance spontaneously, before they ask for it.
2. Find something that makes you feel special. Encourage your child to find an activity, hobby or interest that they really enjoy. They don’t have to excel at it, just enjoy it. Do you enjoy drama, dance or railroads? Join a group of enthusiasts.
3. Say “hello” first, and smile. People who smile are perceived as nice and approachable. Friendly and optimistic people act as a magnet to others. Have you ever gotten mad at someone who smiled or said hi to you?
4. Don’t stand out from the crowd. Whether we like it or not, kids are judged by the way they look. Try to help them fit in socially.
5. Don’t take it personally. Help your child understand that another person may just be having a bad day and may not be mad or dislike him or her. Teach them that people are really less concerned about us than we would like to think.
6. Watch your body language. Verbal communication is the language of information. Body language is the language of relationships. Appear open, friendly and eager to join in and make friends. Stand up straight and look people in the eye. Respect other people’s space by not standing too close.
7. Recognize the difference between friendship and popularity. Friendship is more important and will last a lifetime. Popularity is fleeting and dependent on the group. You really only need one good friend.

Judy H. Wright is a Parent Educator and author. Parenting books, workshops, teaching aids and FREE e-zine: “The Artichoke-finding the heart of the story in the journey of life” are available by going to www.ArtichokePress.com.

© Judy H. Wright, www.ArtichokePress.com

Judy H. wright is a Parent Educator, author and international speaker and trainer. She lives in Missoula, Montana but travels extensively working with parenting and school groups to enhance the lives of families. Her website is http://www.ArtichokePress.com

Need some fun child birthday party game ideas that will turn your child’s party into an instant success? Here are some great games that your party guests will love.

The Secret Of The Mummy

Divide your party guests into two teams… Have each team choose a player to be “the Mummy.”

Then give each team three rolls of toilet paper… Then start your party theme music and see which team is first to wrap up their Mummy from head to toe… To make things more fun, you might want to give them a two minute time limit… A great child birthday party game idea!

Whats That Smell

Blindfold each party guest one at a time, then place something in a paper bag for them to smell and see if they can guess what it is…

Try a peppermint, gum, toothpaste, cheese, a slice of pizza, cherry candy, grape candy, a banana, peanut butter or something milder like a slice of bread.

The Great Detective

A child birthday party game idea they’re sure to love.

Have your birthday child go into another room and make a slight change in their appearance… Put on something different, one different sock, reposition their hat, or take off or add some jewelry… Then have them come back in the room with their party guests and see which guest is “the great detective” and can figure out what’s different.

Quick Change Artist

Give each child a bag that contains a big over-sized shirt, big pants, big socks and a big knit or floppy hat… Start your party theme music and say “ready - set - go!”

Each player starts putting the baggy clothes over their own clothing.,.. The first one to put on all the clothes from the bag is “the quick change artist.”

You might want to have your party guests remove their shoes to make it easier to get the big socks on their feet.

Sneak Attack

Have your birthday child sit in a chair in the middle of the room and place a blindfold over their eyes… Place an object under the chair. It can be a stuffed animal, a toy, a small bag of candy or a wrapped gift.

Keep everyone quiet as your party guests try to sneak up (one at a time) and take the object under the chair… If your birthday child tags them, that player is out and the next player must try and take the object… Your birthday child can move their arms around, but don’t let them use their feet.

Silly Dress-Up

A great child birthday party game idea for everyone.

Take lots of wild - colored shirts, pants, hats, socks, scarves, jackets and anything else you can think of and have your party guests see who can come up with the silliest, funniest, craziest costume.

Wild Animal Act

Write the name of an animal on a piece of paper, fold the paper in half (so you can’t see what’s written) then put all the pieces of paper in a bowl… Have one party guest take a piece of paper out of the bowl and act out that animal… The first player to guess the animal correctly then takes a piece of paper from the bowl and acts out that animal… Keep playing until all your party guests have had a turn.

Wacky Balloon Race

Divide your party guests into two teams… Have one player from each team put a balloon between their knees… When you say “go,” start your theme music and both players race to the finish line without dropping or popping their balloon.

If a balloon pops or the player drops their balloon, that player has to start all over again with a new balloon…

Every player on each team must race with the balloon. The team that finishes first wins.

Child Birthday Party Game Ideas

You can vary each of these games to make them appropriate for the age group of your party…

Have fun, laugh, enjoy, take lots of pictures and shoot plenty of video!

Mike Dougherty is a grandfather with lots of experience putting together birthday parties for his children. For more great information and tips on kid birthday party ideas take a quick look at http://fun-kid-birthday-parties.com and take a look at his movie themed web site, http://best-dvd-movie-club.com

You have had so many meetings on these bullies, but none of them ever seem to be effective.

You waste time and energy, and the bullies keep bullying.

Follow these 5 steps and have a meeting that produces results.

1. Be sure you have the decision makers at the meeting. It is fine to meet with the team of teachers, psychologists, social workers in attendance. But, in order to get anything accomplished, you need the staff members present that can make the decisions.

Be sure you have the principal or vice-principal of the building present, so decisions can be made and carried out.

If the bully is a hardcore bully, you will need the Pupil Services Supervisor or Alternative School Principal from the Board of Education present. If your plans are to remove the bully from the school, be sure to have the appropriate staff members present.

2. Be sure to invite the parent(s) or guardian of the bully. When you contact them, you should spell out exactly why the meeting is being held. Parents like administrators and Board of Education staff, are the people that can make and/or carry out the decisions make to help this child.

If the parent or guardian is unable to attend, make sure you call them following the meeting and let them know the team’s recommendations as well as get their input.

3. Have a basic idea of what recommendations would be effective for possibly making a difference with this student. Check out these ideas and be sure they are feasible. For example, if you are thinking of putting this student in an alternative program, you need to make sure there is space in these programs before the meeting.

Another example, if you want to recommend a mentor to work with this student, be sure there is a mentor available, when they would be able to start working with this student and what their current relationship is with this students.

4. You may think this step is a no-brainer but be sure to schedule the meeting at a time when the key players can attend. Moreover, you want the decision makers to be able to attend if possible, so tailor your schedule your meeting around them.

5. Another no-brainer step but one that is often overlooked, be sure to have the school records file at the meeting, it is a good idea to have reviewed and discussed any pertinent information from the students past history.

So, use your meeting time wisely and profitable. You want to solve this bully problem quickly and effectively, and a PST, Child Study or whatever your team meetings are called, will be not only effective but efficient as well. Thanks for helping kids dealing with bullies.

Paula McCoach invites you to subscribe to the Bully Zapper Newsletter published weekly with tons of tips on how to effectively deal with bullies in elementary and middle school. You will receive a free special report for your subscription. To subscribe, go to http://www.bullyzapper.com

Purchase the latest Bully Zapper publication, 11 SIMPLE STEPS TO ZAPPING BULLIES! Discover tips on working with the bully as well as the victim, talking to parents effectively, using behavior checklists with success, enabling teachers to deal with bullies in their classrooms, and much more practical and useful information you can use immediately to Zap the Bullies in your school! To order, go to http://www.bullyzapper.com

©2005 Permission granted to reprint this article in print or on your web site so long as the paragraph above is included and contact information is provided to the email coach@bullyzapper.com and http://www.bullyzapper.com

Paula McCoach invites you to subscribe to the Bully Zapper Newsletter published weekly with tons of tips on how to effectively deal with bullies in elementary and middle school. You will receive a free special report for your subscription. To subscribe, go to http://www.bullyzapper.com

Having been a teacher and raising three children I have seen just about everything a child can throw at you good and bad and I have loved my journey with them.

When you are involved with children 24-7 you certainly get to see the different personalities and you can usually visualize what each child could be like in the future with the right guidance. And let me tell you, taking on the responsibility of raising children is something I definitely consider a daring adventure.

Most animals have their young for a year or two before they grow to adulthood and leave to make their own way, but for us, it is a commitment of 18 to 22 years!!! (Some even longer). Still, we love them even though they can behave badly sometimes.

There is a motivational poster that I love called “Purpose-Boy (and also Purpose- Girl), and it states: A century from now it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in or how much money I had in the bank, but one hundred years from now the world may be a better place because I was Important in the life of a child”.

We as parents really do shape their lives even though they have their own personalities; we instill in them the family values, morals and ethics.

“Give the children roots but also give them wings”. This is another saying on one of our motivational prints. I love these pictures and sayings because it reminds me of my grandmother and her needlepoint with her favorite quotes of wisdom, which she would pass down from daughter or son to grandchild to great grandchildren.

Raising children a worthy endeavor? I think so!

Willie Jones

Willie is a freelance writer, researcher, floral designer, and artist. Thanks very much for reading this far.
“Make sure you enroll in the free motivational poster drawing at http://www.artinspires.com/. All winners receive a free framed print.”

Lights! Camera! Action!

Now with our exclusive movie party theme, your birthday child can star in their own movie!

That’s right, with fun kid birthday parties one-of-a-kind movie making adventure, you can turn your child’s birthday party into a movie making party they’ll never forget.

Imagine how excited your birthday child will be when they get to tell all their party guests that everyone is going to be in a movie… Wow! This is going to be super fun.

“The Great Birthday Treasure Hunt” is an original 3 minute mini-movie script exclusively from Fun Kid Birthday Parties and it’s yours absolutely FREE.

And when you order your free movie script we’ll even send you our easy to follow tips on how to put together this super fun one-of-a-kind movie party theme that everyone will love… And you’ll have a great time too!

Movie Party Theme

Everyone has dreamed of starring in a movie… And now your birthday child can star in “The Great Birthday Treasure Hunt” a fun 3 minute movie production.

Movie Party Invitations

Make your invitations into a “Movie Star Contract.” You might write something like this:

Movie Star Contract

“You’re so talented and glamorous that (your family name) Productions would like for you to sign this fun contract to appear in our latest blockbuster movie production titled “The Great Birthday Treasure Hunt.”

We’re celebrating (first and last name of birthday child)’s birthday on (day and date of the party) at our (your family name) Productions movie studios from (start time and end time of your party).

(First and last name of birthday child) will be starring in our movie adventure and wants you to be one of the movie’s co-stars.

“The Great Birthday Treasure Hunt” will be filmed on location in and around our movie studio.

Our movie party theme will include time for autographs, movie games and activities, movie screenings and our studio commissary will be providing delicious movie production treats for our entire cast.

Please sign this Movie Star Contract and call your agent (name of agent to ask for) at (telephone number) to RSVP for your movie star roll in our original movie production.”

The (family name) Productions movie studio is located at (address).

Come dressed as your favorite movie character. (or you can have everyone show up in whatever costume you’d like, western, The Incredibles, Princess, fashion, or whatever theme you want).

Movie Party Theme Decorations

Your decorations can include a director’s chair, a megaphone, scene slate, light cut outs, camera cut outs, studio signs like “Hot Set”. “Birthday Movie Set”, “Hollywood Studio”. .

Movie Party Theme Games And Activities

You can make your movie production your entire party or you can set up some movie related activities and games.

Movie Party Theme, Screen Your Dailies

After you shoot the scenes for your movie, “The Great Birthday Treasure Hunt”, you can screen the raw unedited footage. Your guest will love seeing everything, including all the fun out-takes and bloopers.

Movie Party Theme, Snacks And Refreshments

Movie sets always have lots of snack food nearby for all the actors and crew… Favorites include M & M candies, Gummy Bears, nuts, fruit slices, veggie slices, chips and dips and any other finger snacks your birthday child might like.
Have fun and put a sign on your table that reads “Studio Commissary”.

Kid Movie Party World Premiere

One of the fun things about shooting a movie as a special birthday party is that you can have a second party as well. We’ve done this and everyone loved it!

Once your movie is edited, you’ll want to have your movies “World Premiere.”

Print out some movie ticket invitations, roll out a red carpet, invite the “paparazzi” (photographers) to snap pictures and video as your stars arrive.

Have some popcorn, screen your movie!

Follow your movie’s world premiere with an Academy Awards style party. Hand out awards (special best actor certificates) to all your actors! And let everyone make an acceptance speech. This is a lot of fun. This will be a movie premiere that everyone will remember!

To get you started on this unique, one-of-a-kind movie making adventure, Fun Kid Birthday Parties will send you a copy of our 3 minute movie script, “The Great Birthday Treasure Hunt” absolutely free. And we’ll include our easy to follow tips on how to put together this fun movie production for your birthday child.

To get your free kids movie party script visit us at Fun-Kid-Birthday-Parties.com and fill out the easy form at the bottom of the page.

Mike Dougherty is a movie and television writer, producer, director, video editor and regional Emmy award winning videographer. Most recently as a Hollywood screenwriter “the Long Ride Home” a western movie starring Randy Travis is based on Mike Dougherty’s short script. Mike is now webmaster of his site http://www.fun-kid-birthday-parties.com and the blog http://fun-kid-birthday-parties-blog.blogspot.com