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It is a bit ironic how we get to work on projects that are very commercial on the one hand and very equitable on the other. This week at JuniorSenior we have had creative sessions about what tweens (9-12 years old) like to win in competitions and it is amazing how hard it is to satisfy a group as young as these kids. Most of them already own gadgets worth at least € 1.000,00.  They have mobile phones, MP3’s, Nintendo DS’s, cameras, computers. For less ‘cool’ gadgets they are not motivated to join in prizewinning competitions.

We also worked on another problem: how to teach this same group of tweens to manage money and become wise and well informed consumers. When we want to develop a financially sound society, the best place to start is with our youth. Make them aware that every manufacturer wants a share of their money and that it is very important to take control of it.   

Children across Europe are being exposed to online threats but remain apathetic to the risks, according to research by EU Kids Online.

The findings, collated from research published in 21 European countries, suggest that social networking is a large part of the problem. Despite the many benefits of social networking, EU Kids Online warned that the phenomenon presents a threat to teenagers’ privacy and well-being.

The research revealed that many young people are giving out personal information online which can leave them exposed to identity theft and abuse.

I am making a list of safe and friendly websites for my two girls where they can socialize in a very nice environment without risks. One of them is Girl Ambition for girls between 7 and 12 years old.

A Norwegian study pointed out the importance of children playing outside. The researchers followed 46 children aged 5 and 6 who played outside for two hours every day. Another group of 29 children of the same age did the same activities in school, but played only sometimes outside after school. All children were tested after 9 months. The group play outside children had a better result on coordination, balance and mobility. They were also more creative in their games, they had less fights and arguments, they were less ill and possessed a larger vocabulary and bigger capacity to understand others.

By Anne Marie Kelly of Mediamark

For kids ages 6-11, the Internet is much more of an entertainment platform than it is a venue for communicating, with most of the entertainment occurring within the home.

Within that age group, 71.1% of kids accessed the Internet in the past 30 days, according to the most recent data from the “2008 American Kids Stud” conducted by Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI).

Based on the results of the in-home survey of approximately 5,000 youths - along with an accompanying survey of primary adult caregivers - five characteristics emerge with regard to kids and their use of the Internet.

1. Home Is Where the Action Is

Of the 71.1% of kids who used the Internet in the last 30 days, 83.4% did their Web surfing at home. School was the second most popular location, at 29.6% of kids, followed by bookstore/library at 6.82%.

Within the household, a very small percentage of kids who used the Internet in the last 30 days (10.9%) had Internet access in their own room. Those respondents were virtually evenly split between boys (48.2%) and girls (51.8%). Only 17.0% of those with access in their room said their parents allow them to self-police their surfing activities.

2. Don’t Instant Message Me, I’m Playing Games

Kids are far more likely to use the Internet for entertainment than for any other purpose. Among those who visited the Web in the past 30 days, 81.2% reported having done so to play online games. And it’s not just the guys who are sharpening their hand-eye coordination in the digisphere. Of these gamers, 50.1% were boys and 49.9% were girls.

The incidence of game playing decreases along with age - 83.8% of kids ages 6-7, 81.5% of kids 8-9 and 79.1% in the 10-11 age bracket. Other popular activities among kids who used the Internet in the last 30 days were: watched videos (34.7%); “did stuff for homework” (32.4%); and listened to music (30.6%).

3. Style-Conscious Kids Also Among The Most Tech-Savvy

Nearly one in three U.S. kids ages 6-11 who used the Internet in the last 30 days agreed with the statement “being ‘in style’ is very important to me.” These style-conscious youngsters also tend to be the more tech-savvy. The style-conscious set is 48% more likely than all kids online in the last 30 days to download music; 33% more likely to shop or look for things to buy online; 29% more likely to say their parents let them go anywhere they want on the Internet; 34% more likely to use the Internet to listen to music; and 19% more likely to watch videos online.

4. Television Web Sites Are The Most Popular

Of the nearly 50 Web sites measured by our study, three of the top five are TV sites (Disneychannel.com, Nick.com and Cartoonnetwork.com) among kids who used the Internet in the last 30 days. When kids aren’t frequenting these entertainment sites, they’re apparently looking for other sites to visit, as the fifth most popular destination was Yahoo.com.

5. Advertising Draws Kids To The Internet

More than half (57.0%) of kids who surfed the Web in the last 30 days did so because advertising drove them there. This group was fairly evenly divided by gender: 50.9% were girls and 49.1% were boys. While advertising motivated 50.4% of kids ages 6-7 to Web sites, it did so to 62.0% of youths in the 10-11 age set.

A study published in the Journal of Chinese Medicine has found that including a Qigong exercise program helped calm and energize students, as well as improve health and reduce aggression. Teachers, school administrators and parents all desire to create an optimal learning environment for young students. In seeking a solution to this goal a unique approach was to conduct a study of using Qigong in three elementary schools and one high school.  Claudia Witt, MD, and associates from the Institute for Social Epidemiology, Epidemiology and Health Economics at the University of Berlin, did a study on 140 students to determine the result of a six-month program of Qi gong movement instruction for the students’ health and behavior.

The teachers were first instructed for eight weeks in the Qigong movements. Then they spent 15 to 25 minutes twice per week instructing students before or after regular lessons. At the end of the six months, researchers conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the teachers. The teachers were first asked, “Have you noticed any changes in your students during the qigong project?”  

The teachers reported various positive effects, including that the students seemed much calmer, less agitated or aggressive, and more able to concentrate in class. Additionally, several teachers reported that students who had previously been absent due to frequent illnesses were in class more often.