Archive for April, 2008
Closer Than You Think
Monday, April 28th, 2008If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!As a person who loves to camp and spend time outdoors, I’ve always been a fan of the night sky. So when I had a chance to visit a university observatory during an open house Friday night, I couldn’t […]
Go TV-Free This Week
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008In case you haven’t heard, this is TV Turnoff Week — a national effort to get families to switch off the tube for one full week.
Though the event started Monday, it’s not too late to participate. Even a day without television could prove beneficial to your family as you find alternative ways to spend time […]
BPA: Are Your Kids Being Exposed to Dangerous Chemicals?
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008A preliminary government report reveals a chemical commonly found in plastic baby bottles, sports drink bottles and other products could cause serious health problems, including cancer.
Bisphenol A, also known as BPA, causes precancerous tumors, urinary tract problems and early puberty in laboratory rats, the National Toxicology Program report says.
BPA can leach into water and other […]
Are Video Games the Solution to Childhood Obesity?
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008Thanks to the popular Nintendo Wii, the newest trend in gaming may be physical movement. Though the actual health benefits of swinging a Wiimote are questionable, parents like the fact that Wii requires kids to move more than just thumbs. And with childhood obesity tipping the scales at unprecedented levels, who can blame them?
Encouraging youngsters […]
Food Dyes May Affect Kids
Monday, April 14th, 2008Are artificial colors making kids hyper? That’s the opinion of Britain’s Food Standards Agency, which last week called on the European Union to ban many of the same additives that are widely used in the United States.
The recommendation was based on a British study that found a link between hyperactivity in children and common food […]
Dance of a Lifetime
Thursday, April 10th, 2008My 9-year-old daughter is going to be a grandma. More accurately, she will be playing the part of a grandmother at the local theater Saturday in a ballet production of Little Red Riding Hood.
She’s been taking dance lessons since she was in kindergarten. In her first production, she was a ballerina puppy. It was a […]
Babies Don’t Need Video Games
Tuesday, April 8th, 2008First there was Babytv, a 24-hour television channel for children under 3. Now toymakers are producing what I would call video games for infants.
Fisher Price’s Laugh and Learn Smart Bounce & Spin Pony, due to hit store shelves later this year, is a plastic ride-on toy that connects to the television and allows children as […]
Is There a Sex Offender in Your Neighborhood?
Thursday, April 3rd, 2008The story this week of a 7-year-old girl who was allegedly kidnapped and murdered by a neighbor is a tragic reminder of the dangers that can lurk in our own backyards.
Hser Nay Moo, of South Salt Lake, Utah, was found dead Tuesday in the bathroom of a neighbor’s apartment a day after she was reported […]
Ode to PB&J
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008Today is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. As any parent knows, PB&J is the best thing since, well, sliced bread.
It’s portable, dunkable, nutritious and doesn’t require refrigeration. It can be packed in a lunch box for a trip to school or stuffed in a backpack for a day in the woods. If it gets […]
Raising Foolproof Kids
Tuesday, April 1st, 2008It’s April Fool’s Day, that dubious “holiday” when pranksters demonstrate just how gullible people can be.
On the morning of April 1, 1976, British astronomer Patrick Moore announced on BBC Radio 2 that a rare astronomical event was about to occur.
Moore explained that Pluto would pass behind Jupiter, momentarily weakening gravity on earth. He said people […]
