How to Identify a Safe Website For Your Kids

If you have children in their tween years, more than likely they are wanting to get online and have some fun. However, it's important that you work to keep your kids safe online. There are actually some great sites out there for kids, but as a parent, it's important that you monitor your kids when they are online so you know that they are using safe websites. It's your responsibility as a parent to make sure that your kids are going to safe sites on the web. So, how do you identify a safe website for your children? Here are a few great tips that can help.

Look for a Highly Monitored Site - First of all, when you are trying to identify a safe website for your kids, you'll want to look for a highly monitored site. These types of sites are much safer for your kids. Sites with high monitoring don't allow too much personal information about the kids using the site and kids need parental permission to join as well. So, for the best and safest sites out there for your kids, ensure that the site is monitored closely.

Ensure the Site is For Kids - Another important tip to remember when trying to find safe sites for kids is to ensure that the site you're considering is actually for kids. You don't want your children out there on sites that are not specifically designed for kids today. This is definitely important, so take the time to check out the sites your kids want to use to make sure that they are really sites that are for kids and by kids.

Inappropriate Language and Pictures are Not Allowed -When looking for safe websites for kids, it's important that you make sure that inappropriate language and pictures are not allowed up on the site. Take a look at the rules of the site to ensure that language and pictures that are inappropriate are not allowed, and that if they do occur, that these episodes are handled very strictly. Pictures and language should always be g-rated on a kids site.

Talk to Your Kids About Internet Safety - Talking to your children about internet safety is important as well. You may not always be right beside them when they are on the web, so letting them know how to be safe online is important. Make sure that they know what sites are appropriate for them and also let them know basic principles of staying safe, such as avoiding talking to people they don't know on the web, and giving out any personal information. They should know that it is never okay to answer questions about their personal information, such as their full name, where they live, or their phone number.

Check Into Privacy Policies - Before you allow your child on any website, you should check into their privacy policies. A privacy policy for a website should include the information that the site collects, choosing where the information is displayed, access to the information that is provided, and security that keeps that information protected. These are important aspects to a privacy policy. You don't want your children giving their information to or getting involved in a website that may sell their information or ask for too much information from them. So, ensure that you take a good look at the privacy policy of the site before you decide that it is a safe website for your kids.

Remember, the safety of your children is in your hands and identifying safe websites is important.  

By following these tips you'll be able to rest assured that your kids are safe and having a great time.

How Kids Decals Make Learning Fun!

Wow, can you believe it's August already? Sadly, the laid back days of Summer are almost over and kids will soon be heading back to school. The school year brings lots of excitement but also a busyness. How do you stay organized during the school year? How do you encourage your kids to stay on top of their schedules and homework? As a parent it can be a full time job just keeping your family organized. In this article I hope to share with you some fun and stylish ways to keep you and your family organized this school year! I will cover some different styles of kids decals, from chalkboard stickers to whiteboard decals and educational kids decals, that can help you stay organized and encourage your children's learning all at the same time!

First on the list of helpful kids decals, are chalkboard stickers. If you haven't heard of these, you're missing out! These are one of the newest inventions when it comes to wall decor. Instead of having bulky chalkboards, you can now buy chalkboard decals! These decals are made of strong but thin, flexible vinyl. They're reusable and removable and stick to any clean, smooth surface. So your imagination is truly the limit. They aren't just stickers for walls either! You can apply them to refrigerators to help you and your kids keep track of schedules and appointments through the busy school year. You can stick them to the top of your pre-schooler's desk to encourage their practice of penmanship. Your tween or teen may find them helpful to apply to their lockers at school.

Chalkboard stickers come in all shapes and sizes. You can purchase chalkboard panels and put them in separate places or position them all together to form one gigantic chalkboard! There are fun shapes, like animals, buses and circles for preschoolers and for tweens there are guitars and fancy designs! What kid, no matter how old they are, wouldn't think it's super cool to write on the walls?

If you'd prefer to avoid the "mess" of chalk dust, then the dry erase panels and sheets would be perfect for you! Again, like the chalkboard stickers, these dry erase boards are made of that same wonderfully flexible but durable material. They are, as well, removable and repositionable and come in all different shapes and sizes too. Both the chalkboards and whiteboards are easily cleaned with a damp cloth. You can use regular chalk or dry erase markers on them, no special writing tools are needed.

Here's a fun fact to tuck away in your brain for both the chalkboard and whiteboard kids decals. You can cut any of these products to whatever object you desire! Say you're putting up a chalkboard decal in your son's room that's decorated in cars and trucks and anything with engines and wheels. Using a pencil or pen, you can trace an image of a car or truck onto the backing of the decal (before you peel it off the decal). Then carefully cut out the shape, peel it off the silicone backing, stick it to the wall, dresser, door, wherever and enjoy!

New designs and products are coming out all the time. One of these super cool items are the Dry Erase Photo frames. These are not as organizational in nature... but still very cool for the teen going off to college or for your tween that's looking to pimp out their locker at school! Dry Erase Photo Frames kids decals are sold in a pack of three and include "tacks" and "tape" kids decals. Simply frame your friends and fav places with these special frames. Then write a funny caption or title for each image.

A great benefit to both the chalkboard and whiteboard kids decals is that they're very economical and earth friendly. If you're family is anything like mine, we go through a LOT of paper. Whether it's making "To-Do" lists or the kids doodling their hearts out, we are certainly not saving any trees in our house with all the paper we use. By strategically placing these decals around the house, families could seriously cut back on the amount of paper that they go through. As well, my son, who is four, loves to practice his letters. By placing a fun chalkboard decal in his play area, I can still encourage this activity but be friendly to our earth as well!

The last group of kids decals that make learning fun are the many different styles of number and alphabet wall stickers! Because these kids decals are removable and reusable, your toddler and pre-schooler can use these fun and colorful to learn their ABC's and 123's. They can peel off the objects and match them to the letter they start with. Like move the elephant beside the "E" and so on. This is fun, interactive and a great way to encourage learning and stimulate their imagination. You can use them to teach colors and positions as well. "Which letter is Red?" or "Which object is Bigger?" or "Which object is Below the letter?". You get the idea. The ways you can use these cute kids decals is vast.

There are a number of people groups that I think could find these chalkboard stickers, dry erase whiteboards and alphabet wall stickers especially helpful.

Homeschooling is becoming an increasingly popular option for educating children. Whether it's through traditional textbooks or cyber school, more and more parents are opting to teach their children at home. If you're one of these homeschooling parents, these items could prove very helpful to you and your family. Like I said, for a very reasonable price you could provide a small chalkboard or whiteboard for each child or combine the panels to form one gigantic chalkboard to assist you in your teaching endeavors. As well, the alphabet wall stickers are a great way to start teaching your pre-schoolers their ABC's and 123's.

Other groups may be Preschools, Day Care Centers, Pediatrician offices, etc. How fun would it be for kids to doodle while they waited for their doctor visit. As well, these educational kids decals could be used to decorate the walls of these kid friendly places. This not only provides a fun decor but stimulates the children's imaginations and encourages their learning all at the same time.

Teens are the last group that could really benefit from these versatile products! If your teen is heading off to college, they'll be needing wall decor that is RA approved. Because kids decal chalkboards and whiteboards can be removed without leaving any sticky residue behind or pulling off paint, they're perfect for dressing up those drab dorm walls. Not only are they RA approved, but when your teen leaves one dorm to move to another place of residence, they can take their whiteboards and chalkboards and whatever other cool decals they have and reapply them to their new bedroom walls! Not only can your teen stay organized but they can express their unique styles and taste through their decor!

As you can see, these chalkboard stickers and dry erase kids decals can be useful no matter what age you are! The options are limitless. All you need is a smooth, dry, clean surface and you're good to go! Well, I hope this article was helpful in showing you just some of the fun ways that you and your kids can jump into this next school year with style and organization!

Things to Do With the Kids

Sometimes during school holidays or on the weekends the kids will be looking for fun and interesting things to do.

Together with other Australian Mums we have compiled a list great activities and things to do with the kids. Have a look today!

1. Meet with friends at a park and play with the kids on the playground. Push them on the swings or catch them on the slides.

2. Go to a local cycle way/bike track and go rollerblading. A great way to get out in the fresh air and enjoy the sunshine and exercise.

3. Go ice-skating - rug up in your warm clothes and head to the closest ice-rink.

4. Have a movie afternoon - great for a rainy day. Rent a couple of good kids movies, make some popcorn and snuggle up with blankets and enjoy the movies.

5. Cook some special treats or family favourites like Gingerbread men.

6. Go to an indoor play centre (if the weather's not great outside). Let the kids try out the playground and you can have a coffee with a friend.

7. Try Tenpin Bowling - make sure the bumper bars are up for the littlies.

8. Explore your local wildlife park or the zoo to see all the animals, birds and reptiles.

9. Grab your bike helmets and go for a bike ride.

10. Organise a KidSwap with friends who work. Your kids get to have their friends over for the day to play, and their are lots more participants for games.

11. Browse through your local museum, great to show the kids how things use to be.

12. Try Horse-riding lots of riding centers provide lessons or short rides for younger children.

13. Visit a farm and see all the farm animals, you maybe be able to feed and pat some of the tamer ones.

14. Take a Day trips to a historic towns or a local attractions. Sometimes we never visit the attractions in our local area.

15. Spend the Day at the beach go for a walk and play some games, take the frisbee.

16. Camp Out in the back yard - kids of all ages will love this experience.

17. Have a Picnic or BBQ lunch at the local park - let the kids help pack their favourite lunch and snacks.

18. Do some Gardening with the kids - make a herb garden pot, they are fantastic and useful too!

19. Smile! Get the camera out and let the kids take some photos - download them on the computer and create a slide show.

20. Play dough - buy some or make your own - this will provide hours of fun for you and the kids.

21. Have a Story writing competitions, of help younger children write and illustrate a story.

22. Create a Treasure hunt in the backyard - write out a list of things to find, and let them start hunting.

23. Bury a heap of old dinosaur toys and 'artifacts' in a sectioned off part of the garden and give all the kids little shovels.

24. Blow bubbles, try different shape bubble blowers for lots of fun..

25. Buy some cheap timber photo frames and get the kids to paint and decorate them for their rooms.

26. Paper mache...messy but always fun - create a bowl or a piggy bank.

27. Make masks from paper plates, with stick on ears and eyeholes.

28. Create a masterpiece - let the children express their creativity with Painting.

29. Play lets pretend - play shopkeeper or mum/baby or anything you like.

30. Teach the kids to sew or thread with lacing cards.

31. Have a theme days - make it blue day so everyone wears blue, you eat blue food, use blue paints/materials for craft work, sing blue songs, etc.

32. Have a lazy day where everyone gets to stay in their PJ's and relax.

33. Write and create a play see who is great at drama and acting.

34. Conduct some simple Science experiments.

35. Try your hand at scrap booking, with some coloured paper, kids photos and embellishments.

36. Grocery shopping - take the kids to the Supermarket and let them help you shop, cross of the items on your shopping list. Buy something easy to make for lunch.

37. Board games - Monopoly, Scrabble, Hungry Hippos, and more if there are a few kids have a tournament.

38. Card games - from the simple Snap to Go Fish to Canasta for the older ones. Have lollies or chocolates for prizes.

39. Do a Jigsaw, set up a special area and let everyone help - the harder the better.

40. Make a Kite then take it outside on a windy day to fly it.

41. Go fishing or crabbing and try to catch dinner.

42. Catch local transport - take a ferry, train or bus ride around the City.

43. National Parks and Wildlife run some great holiday programs - have a look here - Australia National Parks Links for your closest park.

44. Lots of Local Libraries hold story-telling workshops during school holidays, and then the kids can borrow some new stories to read.

45. Go Swimming head to the local indoor pool or to the beach or river.

46. See the latest Movie at the Cinema, lots of Cinema's offer Special Adult prices during School Holidays.

47. See what's on at the Theatre or a live show - the kids will love you for this.

48. Make some music, play some music instruments or sing along to their favourite tunes.

49. Dress Ups - a family favourite find some outfits and play dress ups.

50. Make Plaster Models and then paint them in your favourite colours.

51. Make a collage - go to the park or beach and collect bark, seaweed etc and make a collage.

52. Bush Walk - head of the beaten path and go for a bush or nature walk.

53. Make a Movie - grab the video camera, write a plot, dress up and film your family as the stars of your very own movie.

54. Feed the Birds or the Ducks - get some stale bread and feed these feathered friends.

55. Make Paper Dolls - make a chain of paperdolls and color them all in different colours.

56. Create a puppet show, use soft toys or make small puppets from socks or wooden spoons and put on your own show.

57. Beading - make some jewellery by threading beads, macaroni or small pieces of cut up straws on to string.

58. Build a giant sandcastle or sand sculpture - lots of fun for the beach or a challenge in the Sandpit.

59. Throw hoops - for small children try and throw a ball into a bucket and move it further away, or for older kids use a netball or basket ball ring.

60. Make juice - choose your favourite fruits and squeeze to make lovely fresh juice.

61. Have a skip-a-thon get the skipping rope out and practise your skipping - who can skip the fastest, the longest, try running in together.

62. Go bird watching at the local park or wetlands make a list of birds you see.

63. Do some leaf rubbings, collect an assortment of leaves and place them under paper then use a crayon/pencil to rub over the top.

64. Color experiments - add flowers or celery to jars of different coloured food dyes. Wait and see what colours they go. Works best with white flowers.

65. Play detectives - get some magnifying glasses and a notebook and go exploring write down what you see.

66. Face Painting is lots of fun and you can practice your skills on their trusting little faces.

67. Have a special morning/afternoon tea in the garden. With milkshakes or hot chocolate for the kids and lots of yummy treats. You could even invite Grandma.

68. Play rock, paper, scissors - have a prize for the best out of 10 games.

69. Do some colouring in - there are some great print outs in our Fun & Games Section.

70. Visit the children's grandparents or another special friend, take a picture or something the children have made.

71. Play computer games with the Kids, find out which ones are their favourites, and which ones you can beat them.

72. Have a game of hide and seek - lots of fun for the little ones.

73. Inside Treasure Hunt - make maps and have the kids follow the maps around the house to locate the prize.

74. Kick the soccer ball, set up some goals and try your luck.

75. Jump in Puddles, great wet weather fun, forget about getting wet and remember the fun of being a kid again.

76. Practise hitting the tennis ball to each other or hit it up in the air and see who can catch it.

77. Play Twister with the Kids - get the game out and start spinning.

78. Put the music on grab the kids and dance around the lounge room.

79. Have a game of t-ball in the backyard or the park.

80. - Laugh, Live, Learn and most of all have Fun!

The Importance of Natural Kids Toothpaste

Oral hygiene and dental care begins right from the age of 2. A parent has to begin and enforce this brushing ritual upon the child morning and night twice a day to make it a habit and ensure your little one's teeth are protected from plaque, carries, and also foul breath.

There are a number of toothpastes that specially mention they are toothpaste for kids. How many of us have ever bothered to read beyond the title that says kids toothpaste? Many parents don't. Some of the mainstream toothpaste for kids contains some of the most hazardous and potentially dangerous chemicals, which however should never even be a content or ingredient of any toothpaste.

Most toothpaste contains alcohol which is a natural tissue drier! Paraben is another ingredient, which is known to cause and also trigger breast cancer. Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is another such harmful ingredient which too dries the tissues and is also responsible for canker sores. Natural or synthetic salicylates which are used in tooth pastes stimulate or increases chances of allergies. Besides, most toothpastes use artificial sweeteners which are of health concern. Triclosan, an antibiotic can always lead to antibiotic resistant bacteria's.

Thus the toothpaste that we might be using so frequently every morning and evening and those that we 'carefully' choose for our kids might never be really safe and healthy.

It is very important that the toothpaste of kids is safest and formulated with the most natural ingredients. Kids need to brush after every meal, s that they never have hidden cavities that save food in corners to cause plaque and bad breath and decays further. Little kids need to be explained the importance of dental care, and why brushing is very important.

To make it a ritual, brushing can be a family activity, when parents and children al have to brush one after one, or together. Many children while brushing, many children swallow the toothpaste. If the kids toothpaste is loaded with chemicals, you are exposing the child to the dangers and side-effects of these chemical.

Therefore always choose natural kids toothpaste. If you search the stores and look for the ingredient, you will certainly find toothpaste for kids that are safe. Using a natural kids toothpaste, you need not worry f the child swallows a little toothpaste too.

Kids toothpaste has to be gluten free, SLS free and artificial sugar free. It should also not contain Salicylate. Here are the lists of safe ingredients of kids toothpaste. Baking soda is a natural stain remover, and one of the most natural cleansers. It not just removes the stains of the teeth, but also helps in neutralizing acids. Xylitol is a natural Sugar substitute. It has the ability to reduce decay of teeth and also arrest further decay. Xylitol also has the potential to reverse the carries of the teeth.

Another natural kids toothpaste ingredient can be Vegetable Glycerine which is a vegetable oil extract. It prevents drying, which is a commonly caused by toothpaste. For tartar control Dicalcium Phosphate can be used. This ingredient is also a dietary supplement. Beside purified water and sodium benzoate preservative, natural kids toothpaste includes natural thickening agent like Xanthan Gum.

Toothpaste for kids has to be safe, keeping in mind that children are tender and sensitive, and can react easily to chemicals. Besides, their tender gums can easily absorb the unwanted chemicals. The taste of the kids toothpaste should also be acceptable, since most kids are fussy about brushing. Toothpaste for kids should preferably be smooth and not cause burning in mouth, which many children dislike and run away from. Natural kids toothpaste never causes burning, and is also tastes good.

You can always make brushing more interesting by changing the color of the kids toothpaste, or having a number of colorful brushes, especially with their favorite cartoon characters.

Kids Birthday Party Places

Is it time to plan your kid's birthday party again? Every year around that time you're wondering - has it been a year already? What are we going to do THIS year? I don't think I want 20 kids at my house again... so, what other options do we have?

If you're that mom (or dad), here are some suggestions:

• Build-A-Bear Workshop ®

  For the kids who love Teddy Bears - this is the ultimate Teddy Bear birthday party. Kids get to choose a Teddy Bear (or any other animal within the price range selected) and give it a personality by stuffing it, fluffing it, giving it a voice, dressing it up, accessorizing it, and giving it a name. There is also a "Heart Ceremony" where each kid gets to choose a "heart" and make a wish, before placing it inside his animal. Each kid gets a "Birth Certificate" with his Teddy Bear's name, and a little cardboard house to take the Teddy Bear home as a goodie bag. Teddy bears, voices, clothes and accessories all vary in prices. You can designate a price range (starting at $10) for each one of the categories that suits your budget. Parties are for 6 kids or more and include a "party leader" who manages the party process and entertains the kids.

• Chuck E. Cheese ®

  Chuck E. Cheese is a chain of family entertainment centers and has been a kids' favorite for many years. It offers indoor fun activities and games for kids of all ages. From play structures, tubes, slides and small rides to Air Hockey tables and arcade games. Birthday parties at Chuck E. Cheese are fun and affordable. Parties are scheduled throughout the day, every day, and combine playtime with party time. Party tables are decorated and set up by the Chuck E. Cheese staff (as well as clean up) and are reserved for 90 minuets. Every party gets a birthday performance featuring "Chuck E. Cheese and his musical friends" who entertain the kids with a little song and dance show. In a typical party each kid gets Pizza, soft drink, cake and game tokens (number of tokens depends on the package you choose). The birthday kid gets a collector's cup, cotton candy, a crown, and a helium balloon. Additional party options such as extra cake, goodie bag, or collector's cup are available for purchase. You can also bring your own cake and/or ice cream.

• Golfland Entertainment Centers ®

  There are currently 9 Golfland Entertainment Centers throughout California and Arizona. Each Golfland has a unique theme and many combine different kinds of attractions. Birthday party packages at Golfland and SunSplash entertainment centers vary for each location. Golfland Birthday Party package ranges between $8.50 - $12.99 per kid (depending on the location) and requires 10 kids minimum. Basic package may include One round (18 holes) of miniature golf, pizza and soft drinks, arcade tokens, party supplies, and complimentary round of golf for the birthday kid. The Sunsplash Birthday Party package is for kids 14 years old or younger, and require 10 kids minimum. Each package costs $23.00 per kid Monday - Thursday, and $24.00 per kid Friday - Sunday, and may include all day admission to Sunsplash Waterpark, Hamburger & fries or Pizza and a soft drink, party supplies, and complimentary Waterpark Pass for the Birthday Kid. There are also add-ons and upgrades that can be purchased for each package (where available): Miniature Golf, Laser Tag, Race Cars, Bumper Boats, Golfland Waterslide, Golfland Arcade, Birthday cakes, Goodie bags, and Ice Cream.

• LEGO ®

  For kids 6 and older who love LEGO - this is a dream come true. This ultimate LEGO party offers 1 - 1.5 hours of creative play activity in the LEGO store. Party package starts at $10 per child, and the minimum number of kids is 5. Each kid get to take home a goodie bag with a set of LEGO, and the birthday kid also gets a LEGO Birthday Brick. Each party is customized for the birthday kid and is led by LEGO party host. There are different themes for boys and for girls to select from:

  • BIONICLE
  • LEGO Star Wars
  • Mosaics & Creator
  • LEGO Racers
  • LEGO CITY

  
  

  
  

• 
  My Gym Children's Fitness Center ®

  Each birthday party at My Gym is age appropriate and tailored to the birthday kid's favorite activities and games. Birthday party packages vary from one location to another and may run for 1.5 - 2 hours. Cost for each party also varies depending on the location and the number of kids, which can be from 15 - 25. Each package may include exclusive play in the gym and is facilitated by My Gym trained teachers. Activities include games, gymnastics, Space Flight, puppets, rides, songs and other birthday festivities, where the birthday kid is at the heart of the celebration. All kids get to participate in all activities. My Gym staff will setup and decorate the place, serve the refreshments and even clean up after the party. Party goodie bags can be added to the package at additional cost.

  
  
• 
  Pump It Up ®

  Pump It Up offers indoor birthday party packages for kids ages 2 and up and features huge inflatable play structures in different shapes and sizes for climbing, sliding, jumping and playing. There are two birthday party packages to choose from: "Classic party" is for up to 25 kids and "Mini-Classic Party" is for up to 14 kids. The kids get to spend some time in play area "a", then move to play area "b", and then at the party room. Both Party packages include Color invitations, party supplies, supervision by trained staff during play time, and Party set up and clean up. Pump It Up goodie bags and inflated helium balloons can be added to each package for additional charge.

  
  
• 
  YMCA

  The "YMCA" is a world-wide not-for-profit community service organization with a special emphasis on community development and young people. The YMCA's mission is building a healthy spirit, mind, and body and its motto is "We build strong kids, strong families, strong communities". Birthday party packages at the YMCA vary from one location to another. Depending on the facility, some parties may include swimming, games, and sports activities. Cost varies for each location.

  
  

How to Organize a Summer Camp for Kids

Winter is over and now summer is fast approaching. It is now time for kids to play outside and enjoy the outdoors. However, it would be more significant if kids can experience camping outdoors so that they can have fun with nature and bond with other kids, friends and classmates. In essence, summer camps always bring about educational experience for kids because the outdoors offers so many different kinds of discoveries. Kids can be able to realize all the things that are worth knowing even these are outside their homes and schools. They can be able to feel the value of survival, experience camaraderie and teamwork. So how to organize a summer camp for kids can be one of your agenda if you want your kids and other kids to enjoy their summer vacation.

On the other hand, you must remember that kids unlike adults are more prone to stress but have unstoppable energy that is why they must be guided accordingly when they are in their camps. This is why organizing a safe but fun camping must be properly thought about. Here are some tips that could help you along in coming up with a nice summer camp for kids.

Advice on How to Organize Kids' Summer Camp

1. If you are organizing a large group and want to indulge kids with various activities like sports and contests and you want to give away prizes to make the event more memorable, you must find sponsors to help you out with the expenses. However, have a clean budget plan before starting to solicit sponsorship from different organizations. Draft your goal so that your potential sponsors will see that your goal has a good cause. If organizing a summer camp is for the school children, the school's alumni can be asked to provide financial assistance.


2. If you already have sure potential sponsors, check for the required legal issues such as parent's waiver and insurance for all the kids including you and your assistants. You can consult a lawyer about this because as an organizer, you are most liable for each and every camper including the staff or teachers who will want to attend the camping.


3. Find the best location for the summer camp. Don't think about going to remote areas because your companions are the kids. You can consider nearby national parks, forest reserves or city-owned parks if ever the management will let you camp for free. If there are no parks available, there can be the community centers, farmsteads or even schools that don't have summer classes. These may not be part of the outside world but you can at least make the children develop their sense of teamwork, independence and comradeship with camping.


4. Think about the activities that anyone can enjoy and include activities that will enhance the physical, mental and logical skills of the kids like sports or discovering things around. There could be the study of flora and fauna around the camp, photography or just plan nature tripping.


5. Find people that can assist you. These can be young volunteers that have knowledge about supervising kids' summer camps. Teenagers or college students are ideal assistants because just like the kids, they also have lively dispositions and can get along well with the kids. If there would be no volunteers, you must at least hire camp workers to make sure everyone and everything goes well within the camp.


6. To enable many kids to participate, take your time in advertising your summer camp. You can create flyers, posters or advertise the activity in a local radio station and invite parents to include their children with the activity. You can also use the technology like the web, radio or local newspaper just to reach many people.


7. Make your registration form easy to access. You can upload a registration form online through a Facebook account or through the camp's website. You can also borrow a small office where people can personally get registration forms and file completed forms directly.


8. Inform parents and participants about the requirements needed for the camping and don't forget to tell people the exact date. If possible, you can broadcast about the number of kids that have already registered. This is to tell everybody the remaining slots. Remember that you must have a limit on the number of kids attendees because you literally cannot handle hundreds of campers even you will be personally assisting the camp activities. Around 150 to 200 kids are manageable if you have reliable staff with you. More than this, it would be hard for you to monitor each and every kid. You can group the kids once they are in the camp.


9. Advertise actively. You can post your posters inside daycares, parks, schools, community message boards or websites. You can also ask the help of your local radio station in the campaign and you must also have a ready landline phone if someone needs to inquire about your coming summer camp.

How to organize a summer camp for kids must take a lot of considerations on your part because you would not want anything bad to happen to even just one kid. Your goal is to make kids enjoy the experience. To let them be with other kids and do various fun activities so that they can learn the significance of teamwork. You want them to stay in the outside world for a while to let them know that the world needs someone like them to rely on. As an organizer, probably your greatest satisfaction will come from seeing kids enjoy the camping experience and see them learning from it.

Kid Party Idea

Kid party idea is the creator of all kid parties. Brainstorming kid party idea and kid party theme will be the most crucial stage of kid party planning and thus do it right at first time will win you half the battle.

Below are some tips for you to brain storm a kid party theme

Ask your child

It is so easy to get carried away with planning a kid party and completely overlook the needs and wants of your very own child. Therefore, employ your child as your consultant and plan the kid party with your child.

The easiest way is to ask your child what your kid want for his or her birthday party.
Your child may announce that he want to bring his whole class to watch Spider man movie. If your budget does not allowed than you might asked him to choice three of his close buddies to go for the movie and follow by ice cream and brought a birthday cake home for the birthday song.

Always Plan the party with your child ---- or at least ---- with your child in mind. Thus employed your child as your consultant for brainstorming kid party idea and planning.
You will have lot of fun with them in the process of planning and take this opportunity to communicate and understand your child better.

Hello ! My child is too young to make decision.

Yap! I heard you I didn't forget those cute toddlers under the age of 2 who might not be able to tell you what they want for their birthday parties.
For this age of group they don't have any expectation on their kid party but in general they are curious to anything that is colorful and attract to music. Brainstorming your kid party theme toward this direction and you will be on your right path.

If my child can't decide and don't know what he want for his birthday party

Observe what is your child favor?

Ask yourself the following questions.

1.What is your child favor TV show or movie?

E.g: Flintstone, lion king, spider man, etc.....

2. What is your child favor cartoon character?

E.g: Barney, Lion King, Mickey mouse etc...

3. What is your child favor story book?

E.g:Snow white, three little pigs

4. What is your child favor toy?

As a caring parent I am sure you will be able to answer the above questions
straight away. These questions will evolve lot of kid party ideas for you.

Oops ! I have too many kid party ideas and don't know which to choose

Don't forget your consultant? Choice three kid party ideas and let your consultant choose one that he/she is most excited.

Guess you should have some ideas by now. Your kid party idea might have some themes couple with it. Take a look at our correction of
http://www.kid-party-idea.com/kid-party-theme.html

Kids Bicycles for 2-5 Year Old Kids

Your 2 year old kid comes to you and asks that you get him a bicycle that looks very similar to the one your neighbor's kids have. You agree and decide to search around for an identical bicycle. Before you set off to buy the bike your kid wants, remember that 2-5 year old kids have various levels of balance and coordination. Some of them are good enough to start riding kids bicycles, and some are not. Therefore, you have got to analyze your kids preferences, look for kids bicycles that provide great support to your kid regardless of their ability to balance.

If your son has a good level of balance and coordination, it is better to buy him a balance bicycle. Riding a balance bicycle gives your kid an advantage, i.e. it can help your kid learn balancing the bicycle without him having to focus on pedaling. It is what makes a balance bicycle unique because it provides your kids with the needed skill to ride a two-wheel bicycle effectively.

On the other hand, if your 2-5 year old kid is yet to master balancing skills, the time is now to help him get his act together. Of course, you shall help him by making him use a three-wheeled bicycle or a tricycle instead, at least until he is ready for a balance bicycle. A tricycle does not need to be balanced hard and it is also easy to steer, and thus it is considered the most suitable of all kids bicycles. It goes without saying that tricycles are the most appropriate bikes for kids that can barely balance on their own. Although the extra wheels and additional frameworks make a tricycle heavier than a balance bicycle, it helps your kid rides it easily around the corners as it remains upright.

It is also important to pay attention to the size. Generally, all the kids in the age group of 2-5 years old are better off riding a 12 inch wheel bicycle. This kind of kids bicycles normally has coaster brakes or back-pedals. It is sometimes also supported by a direct drive that allows kids to have backwards pedaling. The 12 inch wheel bicycles are also normally completed with stabilizers.

In a nutshell, think about his ability to balance before deciding to buy him any of those kids bicycles. Choose the right bicycle for your kid, it helps your kid enjoy the ride thoroughly with no fear about unnecessary accidents.

Keep Your Kids' Fitness a Priority and Keep Your Kids Healthy

A kid's fitness is so important now days. Getting a kid into fitness and off of the computer or away from the TV can seem impossible. A couple of days ago, I actually heard on the radio that only one in five kids play outside anymore. I'm not sure how valid this is but it's probably not too far from the truth. The start of the school year is a good time to decide on your kid's fitness plan for the rest of the year. Many programs follow the timing of the school year, and they start in September and end in December or in June.

It's said that a kid's fitness actually decreases the chances of harmful behavior. Also it is more probable that a kid who does activities while young will continue being active when they are older. Some specialists have even gone as far as to say, that girls who are not into fitness by the time they are ten will probably not be athletic at the age of twenty-four. The incidence of morbid obesity, heart disease, and diabetes is on the rise. Our health care dollar can only go so fa r. Right now are healthcare system is stretched to the limit, there are long waiting times because there is not enough space or healthcare professionals available to meet the publics needs. And still the population of "ill" people is on the rise. Not to mention the increase in the number of elderly who require care, all those baby boomers are older and may need assistance at home or in a long-term care facility. These are probably the most important reasons why we should get our kids into a fitness plan early.

You will need to do some research on the kid's fitness programs that are available in your area. When, what day, how long and how much are the programs? It is also good to consider the competitiveness of a certain sport. For example: Hockey is very competitive and requires a lot of practice time as well as game time. Most coaches are only interested in their sport and anything else in your kid's fitness plan is mute. These types of sports will require a lot more time and dedication from the kids and the parents. Make sure you are both OK with this. There is nothing worse than paying a fist full of cash for your kid to play a sport and then have to drag them, kicking and screaming, to each and every practice.

I have, unfortunately, witnessed times where a child doesn't enjoy a certain activity but mom or dad "feels" they should do it. This can be for many reasons most of the time it is a parent who wants to live through their child, or the parents might hope that their child will excel to the point of becoming a professional. The problem with this is simple. It's not the parent's life, it the kids. If a child is forced into doing an activity, when they are young, the likelihood of them having a positive feeling about exercise when they are older is pretty slim.

Exercise has many advantages. Kid's fitness levels can actually improve their memory, their self-esteem, their concentration and their ability to focus. They will also gain life skills such as setting goals and meeting them, working with others as a team, developing leadership skills, and improving their marks in school. These kids are also able to deal with stress better. I believe that kids who are into fitness are less likely to get into drugs and negative lifestyles. They are associating with other kids who are into fitness, they want to stay healthy so they can continue to do well at their chosen sport. And they really don't have the time or opportunity to stray.

They are more aware of their physical and mental health. And they are also aware of the benefits of eating properly, getting enough rest and just keeping their bodies healthy. If their body is healthy they can excel at their sport. If a kid's fitness program involves a team sport they become very committed to their team mates and they don't want to let their team down. This is also an admirable quality to have and to take into the rest of their life.

Some kid's fitness plans don't include team sports, the child might not be interested or enjoy these sports. That's OK because parents can still get their kids involved in fitness. Your kid's fitness can also become more of a family fun time. Going for hikes, doing physical chores around the house, swimming, jogging, gymnastics or biking can be done by the child alone, or with the entire family. Not to mention just fun times with our kid's fitness, let your guard down once in a while, and actually play with your kids. Go to the park, kick a ball around, walk the dog together. Crank up the tunes and get funky, that means dance by the way, you will end up improving your fitness level as well as your kid's fitness level. This is just a win- win situation. As well, you will bond with your kids and create some great memories. Believe me, it is well worth it.

Keeping Your Kids Safe While They Are Online

The INTERNET can be a dangerous place for your kids, if you don't know the risks that can occur while being online. It is our jobs as parents, to know what our kids are doing when they are online. It is up to us to keep them safe in everything that they do.

Thousands of children use the INTERNET everyday without any problems at all, but we've all heard about the danger they could find themselves in. I am a mother ,and I always worry when my kids are online, that is why I pay close attention to what they do when online.

Here are some tips so you can be sure that your kids are safe when they are online.

1. The most Important thing you can do to keep your children safe when they are on the INTERNET is to be right there with them while they are online.

You should not let them surf the INTERNET in their bedrooms or in another room away from you. If this is not a possibility, then make sure you are often in and out of the room to keep an eye on what is going on.

Be sure you know what your kids are doing online at all times.

2. Before allowing your children on the INTERNET ,let them know what is and what is not allowed and stick with these rules. For example, you could tell them no e-mailing, no chat rooms, or whatever guidelines you decide to set for them. Also, let them know that should they decide to break any of your rules, then they will not be allowed online anymore, until they agree to follow the rules you set for them.

3. Get involved in what your kids are doing online.

Ask them to show you some of their favorite sites. Have them show you what they like to do when they are online. This will help you determine if there are any problems or concerns that need to be addressed with them.

Another way to keep a check on which websites they have visited, click on HISTORY in your browser window.

4. Down load some filtering software.

You can find software available that can stop your child giving out personal information such as their name, address, and telephone number.

Here are a couple of filtering software you can check out:

We - Blocker

Furnishes users with free software that allows parents to monitor their children's Internet access and filter out inappropriate sites.

Naomi Internet Filter 2.9.64

Naomi is a powerful internet filtering program for families, easy to use and totally free. Naomi is able to constantly monitor all internet connections, protecting kids from inappropriate material.

Stress to your kids is why it is important to keep such information private.

5. All kids, it does not matter how old they are, can be vulnerable when they are online.

For example, teenage girls, are at risk from men who lure them into meeting them face to face after chatting online with them for awhile.

Let your children know never, ever to arrange a meeting with someone they met online, no matter how safe it may seem to them.

6. Tell them firmly, never to pay money or agree to pay money for anything without your permission, and never to use your credit card details without your knowledge or permission.

You just never know who could somehow get a hold of your credit card details.

7. Also, be sure to warn your kids about online chat rooms for kids.

Sometimes, Adults will pretend to be kids in these chat rooms trying to lure kids into meeting them. Rather than chat rooms, I have set up AOL's INSTANT MESSENGERProgram for my kids.

This gives them more control over who they allow to be one of their "buddies' and they're not nearly as visible, as they would be in actual chat rooms.

AOL INSTANT MESSENGER The INTERNET can provide hours of fun for children of all ages

We, as parents should certainly monitor what our kids are doing on the NET, put safety features in place, depending on how they will be accessing the NET. AOL allows you to set restrictions on certain sites [MSN as well], so your children can surf and be safe at the same time.

To find out about AOL:

http://aol.com

To find out about MSN:

http://www.msn.com

For more information and a listing of guide lines for keeping your kids safe ONLINE, please visit these two sites.

Safe kids.com

Here are some recommended sites for you to check out for your kids:

Computer Games for Kids [http://kids.msn.com/kidz/dept.aspx?id=/kidz/content/games/]

Play new games every week with characters from DISNEY

Nickelodeon - Official Site Commercial, all-kids cable station "NICKELODEON" offers a schedule and outtakes for its popular lineup of cartoons, including" Rugrats" and "Garfield"

Official home of "SESAME STREET" ,TELE TUBBIES, and PBS's other kids shows. Play games, read jokes, and paint some of their characters

PBS Kids

Fun Brain

Interactive, Educational games (math and grammar) for children of all ages. Games include Math, Baseball, Change Maker, and Wacky tales.

Kids Games. org

Check out this collection of online games for kids of all ages.

Kids.Com

Offers Adult monitored kids chat, games like tangram, and hangman, message boards, video game cheats, contests, and prizes in a kid safe environment.

When Kids Get Violent - "There's No Excuse For Abuse"

Violence is the extreme end of aggression. Remember that not all kids who are aggressive become violent. When children and teens use violence to get what they want-whether it's punching a sibling in the stomach or punching a hole in the wall-it usually involves a scenario where they're being told "no" to something they want to do, or they're being told they have to do something they don't want to do. What actually happens is that the child gets frustrated and angry and hasn't learned any other way to deal with these feelings than to strike out-often at the adults involved.

One way of looking at this is that your child's frustration, disappointment and anger are problems that he solves by being violent. Another way of looking at this is that the kid's use of aggression and violence has worked successfully so far. It's become his primary problem-solving technique and a means for gaining power in the home. When he hears the word "no" and feels frustrated and powerless, he hits someone or something and the adults in the situation back off, give in and don't require him to comply. Striking out gives him back a sense of power.

If kids are gaining power by being violent, the first thing that you have to do is take away the power by not tolerating the violence. Now, there are different levels of violence in people's houses. And there's different power that kids get from it. I can't answer every level of violence in one article, but it should be understood that if it gains power in a family, that family is in a lot of trouble and may need outside help. Violence is a seductive shortcut to power. And once it works, it's hard to get kids to accept alternative ways of getting power. Many times, parents need a comprehensive behavioral program to manage this problem.

As the parent, you have to teach kids problem-solving skills so that they have an alternative way of dealing with these situations and feelings. The following are steps you can take to help your child:

Set Limits. Accept no excuse for abuse. Write this on a piece of paper and put it on the refrigerator. Let "There's no excuse for abuse" become the motto of your household. Hold your child responsible for his or her violent behavior no matter what the justification. Remember, being verbally provoked does not justify a violent response.

Hold Kids Accountable and Give Consequences: Make sure there are consequences attached to those limits that you set. And make sure those consequences are set up as learning experiences.

Monitor the Media in Your Home: Not all kids can listen to violent rap or metal music and then come down and be nice at dinner. Monitoring and excluding violent media, including TV, videos, music and computer, gives the whole family the theme that violence is not going to be glamorized in your home.

Be a Role Model for Your Child: As a parent, you need to be a role model. If you and your spouse are hurting one another or hurting your children to get your way, don't be surprised if your kids mimic that. Kids watch parents for a living-it's their job, it's what they do. If parents model shortcuts and poor problem-solving, it's natural that the kids are going to follow suit.

Let me be very clear: if one parent is behaving violently, it's the other parent's job to protect that child. I'll say it again-accept no excuse for abuse. This is my nice way of saying if you're locked in a relationship where your partner is being violent with your children, it's your job to protect your children no matter what the cost to that relationship. There are cases where parents will cross the line into violence when they're frustrated and angry because the techniques they're trying with their kids are not working. Sadly, that's no excuse. Children who are treated violently often grow up to be violent adults.

If parents find themselves crossing the line, that's a sure sign they need outside help. My advice to them is to seek it as soon as possible. Also, parents should understand that if they become violent because their child is unmanageable or out of control, it is still against the law. If there's a child welfare investigation or they go into court, the parents are going to be blamed for all the kid's problems whether their violence originally caused the issues or not.

Violence in Younger Kids

If you have a younger child who is displaying violent or destructive behavior, think of it as a warning sign. First of all, be very aware of violence in younger children, because kids who are five, six and seven who use violence to get their way have an extraordinarily high rate of being violent as teens and young adults. Violent behavior at this age would include hitting other kids, biting, and kicking on a consistent basis to get what they want. It's very important to hold young children accountable and to teach them social problem-solving skills they can use to replace violence. With younger children, a system of consequences and rewards that you use consistently can be very helpful in curbing violence. Many kids are under-socialized and need extra patience and teaching to learn these skills.

The Threshold between Roughhousing and Violence: When to Draw the Line

Many parents know the line between normal roughhousing and physical aggression as well as they know the line between teasing and verbal abuse, and for those parents it's very simple: listen to your gut reaction. Don't forget, we're not trying to figure out where your child thinks the line is, our job is to teach them where the adults think the line is. Kids are excessive and need adults to set limits on both the intensity and frequency of physical roughhousing or verbal teasing. So for those parents, the answer is really simple: If it doesn't feel right to you, don't let them do it. A lot of today's entertainment seems to raise the level of tolerance for violence and abuse in our society, but I don't think this is a good idea and I don't think parents should be very tolerant of physical aggression or verbal abuse masquerading as play in their home. By the way, the issue of verbal abuse and threats is also very real, and I intend to address that in an upcoming article.

For parents who are uncertain about the threshold between roughhousing and violence, here are some guidelines: If one child wants it to stop, and the other child doesn't stop, that has crossed the line. It's not playing if both parties don't have control over how far it goes. If someone gets hurt it has to stop, even if both parties want it to continue. If the physical roughhousing is in retaliation for something, it should be stopped. If the physical roughhousing is designed to dominate a younger, smaller child, it should be stopped. If the roughhousing is done at the wrong time or in the wrong place, it should be stopped. If parents sense that it crosses the line between playfulness and meanness they need to step in right away. Don't forget, we're not judging kids by their motives, we're judging them by their actions. So if one kid says, "I didn't mean to hurt my brother or sister," that's irrelevant to us as parents. You need to say, "You did hurt your brother, and it has to stop." Hold them accountable and give them consequences for these behaviors.

Kids with Learning Disabilities or Disorders

It also happens that kids with learning disabilities and neurological problems don't develop the problem-solving skills they need and may also become violent. Remember this: if someone has a disorder such as ADD, ADHD or ODD and manifests trouble dealing with educational material such as math and English, the same learning disability affects their ability to take in non-educational information such as how to accept limits read social situations and solve social problems. Parents should understand that when kids are diagnosed with a learning disability, that same learning disability affects that kid globally, not only academically. What that means is that kids who can't learn academics because of a learning disability will have trouble dealing with more complex topics like social problem-solving, getting along with others and reading social situations. Keep this important fact in mind: Often, when an adult and a child look at a social scenario, they don't see the same picture. Children with a learning disability or with behavioral disorders react differently to a situation than adults do, because they perceive and experience that situation very differently.

Violent and Destructive Behavior at School

When your child is behaving violently at school, it's very important to work with the school to find out as much about the situation with your child as you can. This will help you decide how to respond to the behavior at home. Is there something that triggers your child's violent or destructive behavior that you can help him learn how to manage? Next, set limits. If your child is violent or destructive in school, there have to be consequences at home. A lot of school misbehavior can be dealt with by just letting the school give consequences, but if violence or destruction is involved, parents have to also hold the child accountable at home. Teach problem-solving skills and connect using those skills with access to privileges. What this means is that the things your child enjoys, like television, video, computer, or cell phone, should all be connected to his or her violent or destructive behavior that day in school. Unfortunately, many kids who are violent in school are also violent at home. So parents may have a double-edged sword that they have to face. If this is the case, parents will need external help in the form of parental training or family therapy to get the support they need.

Should I Call the Police?

My experience is that the police are most helpful when dealing with pre-teens and teens. Parents may also need to call the police for younger children because the situation has become physically unmanageable. Know that with much younger children, calling the police will not have the impact that it has on older children. The police should be called when parents do not feel they can manage the violence or property destruction that is occurring in the home. I personally would not hesitate to call the police when the crimes of property destruction and violence are committed in my home.

I think that services outside the home, such as the police or therapy or social services, will be needed when kids reach the stage of violence. Parents hear horror stories about kids involved with the juvenile justice system and are often afraid to contact them. I've found that the wheels of justice turn really slowly. Getting the police involved and pressing charges for violent or destructive behavior is a slow process before the child gets to court. In that time, if that child wants to demonstrate change, he'll have plenty of opportunity.

My experience is the courts do not want to remove kids from their homes. The government simply does not want to pay for the care and treatment of children who can be managed in their homes, and they will look for any viable alternative. Sometimes this can mean that services which the family cannot afford are provided through the courts or social services. A colleague of mine encourages parents to call police when things are calm to get an idea of what the authorities will do if they're called into a violent situation. I think this is a good idea. Also, parents must understand two things: first, violence and destructive behavior is a blatant sign that the child cannot solve the problem appropriately, and is not responding to parental authority. At this point, a more powerful authority may be needed to maintain appropriate behavioral limits. Secondly, violent and destructive behavior becomes criminalized and gets teens and adults into severe legal trouble. The earlier a successful intervention is made, whether using outside authorities, treatment or education, the more it enhances the chance that the child will change and save himself and others a lot of grief.

"Is There Hope for My Violent Child?"

Of course there is hope. But hope is a tricky word. I believe hope without an observable change in behavior or action is misguided. Parents can hope for change in all kids, but if change doesn't happen in the home, my experience is that that hope is fruitless. If you have a child or a teen who is using violence to get their way, you need help to learn how to do something about it. There are behavioral management programs which are available to parents, as well as cognitive behaviorally-oriented therapists who can work with families. Without outside help or intervention, my experience is that excessive hope is unfounded.

Kids Socks

Your little ones' feet need to be protected from the damp cold of winter and hot, dry summer. Kids socks may be only of practical concern to you, but kids have a whole different take on the subject. The plain white sock doesn't cut it. Kids look at socks as a fashion statement of sorts, colorful, cartooned, lacy and patterned exposes of personality. Pay attention! There's more than meets the eye when it comes to buying kids socks.

Naturally, you'll want warm and bulky socks for winter and thinner, cool socks for summer. That's the practical side. Kids, on the other hand, think nothing of these practical considerations. They want kids socks that are fun!

As most parents know, kids get great pleasure at looking down and seeing, protruding from a sneaker, their favorite cartoon character, a bit of lace or just plain bright color. Kids socks should display part of the ankle, for their viewing pleasure. Otherwise, what fun is a pair of socks? As a parent, your objective is a protected foot. As a kid, you won't be convinced to wear this clothing item unless it's fun.

In the children's clothing departments, you'll find patterned socks, thickly striped or pinstriped kids socks as well as polka dots and geometrical shapes. The best fun in the kids socks assortments, are the cartoon characters. Portraits of their favorites are readily available. Look for characters suited to your child's' age group. Characters like Dora the Explorer and Blue from Blues Clues are well received by younger children. This doesn't mean they won't enjoy some of the same characters as the older kids. Sponge Bob Square Pants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Lion King, the Little Mermaid and Boobah are loved by children of every age group. Children always love the classical characters, like Bugs Bunny, Tweety, Sylvester the Cat, Mickey Mouse, and Donald Duck.

Kids sock designs go beyond patterns and cartoon characters. There are amusing little variations. Pom-pom socks are quite popular today, with fluffy little balls attached at the back of the ankle. Some kids socks come with teeny-tiny stuffed, detachable cartoon characters on the back. These little fellas do double-duty as a plaything and cozy, fun wear.

When buying kids socks, a common mistake parents make is assuming the sock will fit into the shoe. Not necessarily. While summer socks easily slide into a sneaker, winter socks can be so thick that your kids feet become uncomfortably "smooshed". Make sure your kids winter shoes are just a tiny bit bigger to accommodate the thicker sock.

When buying whimsical socks for your kids, make sure that their fun won't be foiled by little feet stuffed too tightly into their shoe. In addition, don't make older kids feel like "big babies" with cartoon characters only suited to preschool and kindergarten kids. If you want to make absolutely sure your child will love their socks, let them do the shopping, according to the season.

How To Find the Best Kids Bedding Online

Shopping for kids bedding can be lots of fun for you and your children. Yet all the fun can turn into disappointment is you are not happy with your purchase once you begin using it. It gets even more disappointing when your kids love the bedding but it shrinks or tears, fades, stains easily or simply does not hold up to the wear and tear kids give their bedding. How can you avoid this disappointment? The best way is to become an informed, cautious shopper when choosing bedding for kids.

You'll want to create a sleep environment that's fun and makes the bedroom a cozy, comfortable place for your child to fall asleep easily. Comfortable sheets and blankets are a must. Hard, scratchy bedding can result in your kids having difficulty falling asleep.

You'll also want the child's personality to be reflected in the bedding you get. Sometimes your kids will want bedding that isn't what you would select for them as far as patterns or colors. But it is the kids who have to sleep there. As long as the bedding your kids want is not objectionable for some reason and is well-made, why not allow them to have bedding themes that interest them?

By selecting several bedding themes for kids that you have determined to be of good quality construction and materials, you can allow the kids to choose the bedding they like best from this selection.

You want everything well made so that they will hold up through long, hard use. Most bedding for children is made of cotton or polyester cotton blend fabric. As an adult, you may be very concerned with bedding that has a high thread count but kids very don't really care about such things. They want bedding that looks interesting, is brightly colored and is smooth and soft. While high thread count sheets are soft, just about any bedding made from percale, which has a thread count of 180 or more, will be soft and smooth. Even sheets with thread counts of 120 are readily accepted by most kids. Kids care more about the patterns and designs on their bedding.

The material quality used to create bedding for kids depends on the quality of the raw materials used, the density of the fabric weave, the finishing processes involved and much more. The quality of the final kids product depends on how the bedding is sewn, hemmed or, in the case of comforters, how and what is used for fill material.

While there is no need to purchase extremely expensive bedding for kids, many of the cheaper choices are made using shortcuts. If you buy fitted sheets that are not sewn securely at the corners and don't have quality elastic that extends far enough, the fitted sheet will quickly come off the mattress as your kid moves about on the bed.

If comforters are made with fabrics where the weave is not dense, the filling can begin to work through the outside fabric. Buy purchasing well-respected kids brands of bedding, you can avoid these problems.

It is important to obtain bedding in the correct size. Trying to keep a standard fitted sheet on a thick mattress is nearly impossible. Select deep pocket fitted sheets for thicker mattresses such as pillow-top and those that have egg-crate padding added to the top.

Kids sometimes have allergy problems which must be considered. If your kid is allergic to dust mites or has asthma, you'll want to select bedding that is mite-proof and anti-allergy. Top quality mattress covers and pillow covers can be a great help in controlling allergies. While this certainly won't solve all the allergy problems, it will make a big difference in allergic reactions. Some kids are also allergic to the latex used in some bedding. Most bedding does not include latex in their fabric, however those rare selections containing Lycra do. Also, the elastic used to hold fitted sheets onto the mattress has latex. Consider allergic reactions when choosing bedding for your kids.

The next issue to consider when choosing bedding for your kids bedroom is cleaning. Children often spill things on their bedding, no matter how careful they try to be. Stains can result from kids becoming ill or having an 'accident'. Choosing kids bed sheets that are machine washable and states that clearly on the label will ensure that the inevitable spill or accident will not ruin the bedding your kids love.

Always read the cleaning directions on the label so that you wash the bedding properly. Using hot water on bright colors can result in fading even the most fade-resistant dyes. If the label directions state that no bleach should be used, it is very important to follow that direction. Beautiful, brightly colored bedding that your kids love can be ruined very quickly if laundered improperly.

Kids often remove tags or repeated launderings may result in missing laundry instructions. One way to prevent this is to note the bedding description and laundry instructions on a note card that you keep on file or tape to the wall inside the linen closet. This will remove any possible guess work should a label be lost.

There are so many great designs in bedding for kids. Olive Kids, Dan River, California Kids, Kids Line and dozens other fine bedding companies create beautiful bedding ensembles for kids.

You can find Bed-in-a-Bag bedding selections that feature your kid's favorite action hero or other themes or you can select the bedding for your kids' ala carte. Design names like Men at Work, Garden Bouquet, Farm Friends, Hats and Purses, Moon Gaze, Watercolor Hearts give you an idea of the whimsical, colorful designs you'll see in the broad selection of bedding for your kids.

Kids at Sea

Water slides, magic shows, pizza parties, scavenger hunts, karaoke, kids-only shore excursions, and disco parties. Who said parents get to have all the fun on a cruise? Well-trained staff, extensive facilities, and coordinated activities, mean cruising with kids can be smooth sailing for the whole family.

Most cruise lines offer private and group babysitting options from around 9am until the wee hours of the morning. They also provide age-specific, organized programs run by trained professionals. Although there are slight variations by cruise line, age categories for organized programs are generally geared to 3-6, 7-9, 10-12, and 13-17 year olds.

100,000 kids were kept entertained last year on Carnival Cruise Lines with 114-foot water slides, video tournaments, talent and puppet shows, ping-pong, and scavenger hunts.

Celebrity Cruises features a full children's program during the summer and on holidays. All other times of the year, they offer a reduced program.

The Princess kids' program on Princess Cruises offers young cruisers their own deck space complete with the whale tail splash pool. Teens get their very own jacuzzi and sunning area. There's also the video arcade, computer games, and other activities such as bingo, name that Disney tune, ring toss, and mini-Olympics.

Club HAL on the Holland America Line provides fun and games for cruisers ages 5-17 and serves up movies, putt-putt golf, late-night pizza, and disco parties.

Royal Caribbean's Adventure Youth program offers its unique brand of Edu-tainment where participants enjoy educational and culture-based activities blended with the daily itineraries, ports of call, games, and team sports.

With Norwegian Cruise Lines, your kids can be circus trained and present a show for the proud parents. Other activities range from magic shows and poolside, root beer float parties to wacky cooking classes, pajama parties, line dancing, and volleyball.

Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, and Holland America Line also offer supervised shore excursions ranging from an afternoon on the beach to gold panning to canoe trips in Alaska.

Whether you are cruising with your toddler, tween, or teens, your Cruise Consultant can help you select the perfect family vacation. Best of all, you'll never hear the phrase "I'm bored" while you're away!

Carnival

Carnival Cruise Lines' award-winning children's program is called Camp Carnival. Available year-round, the program provides elaborate facilities, age-specific programs/activities, youth playrooms with computers, children's water slides and wading pools, as well as special dining menus. The counselor-guided programs are divided into four categories, Toddlers (2-5), Juniors (6-8), Intermediate (9-11), and Teens (12-15). There is also a playroom for children under three.

The Carnival Elation and Carnival Paradise house is a 2,500 square-foot children's world giving them the largest children's facilities in the Carnival fleet. Divided into three sections, the facilities offer educational computer labs and computer games, an arts and crafts section, and an indoor play area complete with a climbing maze and video wall where kids can watch movies, music videos, and cartoons. An outdoor play area has a schooner-shaped playhouse and wading pool for toddlers. The Carnival Spirit, Pride, Legend, and Miracle also offer Real Virtuality - a high-tech, game room housing video and arcade games.

Age-Specific Programs

Toddlers (2-5)

Fun Ship Bingo

Sega and Nintendo

Cartoon Time

Sponge Painting

Sing-Alongs

Face Painting

Arts and Crafts

Drawing Contests

Juniors (6-8)

Puppet Shows

Cookie Decorating

Beach Party

Disney Trivia

T-Shirt Painting

Sega and Nintendo

Outdoor Games

Sea Animals

Intermediate (9-11)

Ping-Pong, Foosball, Basketball, Air Hockey

Dance Class

Jewelry Making

Scavenger Hunts

Backstage Tours

Photography Workshops

Talent Shows Teens (12-15)

Pool Parties

Volleyball

Pizza Pig-Out

Hairdressing

Talent Shows

Slide and Sun

Ping-Pong Tournaments, Ping-Pong, Foosball, Basketball, Air Hockey

Photography Workshops

Babysitting

Babysitting is also available on Carnival's ships for children of any age for around $6/hour for the first child and $4/hour for each additional child.

Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises features a full children's program during the summer and on holidays. All other times of the year they offer a reduced program. The full program is offered for four age-specific groups: Ship Mates (3-6), Cadets (7-9), Ensigns (10-12), and Admiral Ts (13 - 15 and 16-17). Children under three years of age are not allowed in counselor-guided programs. They are, however, welcome in the playroom if accompanied and supervised by a parent at all times. All of the program's counselors are specially-trained in fields of child psychology, child development, education, or recreation.

Programs are offered 9am-noon, 2-5pm, and 7-10pm. There is also an optional slumber party from 10pm-1am. On port days, there is an afternoon party from 12-2pm. On formal evenings, the program offers a complimentary slumber party and counselors take the children to a pizza party for dinner.

Age-Specific Activities

Ship Mates and Cadets

Painting

Drawing

Songs

Dances

Movies

Other Age-Appropriate Activities.

Ensigns and Admiral Ts

Theatrical Shows with Dances and Costumes (during the summer season)

Water Volleyball

Basketball

Golf Putting

Ping-Pong

All children have an opportunity to meet the captain and learn how to navigate a ship by the stars. At meals, kids can get together for the Celebrity Breakfast club, or eat dinner with the family and order off a special kids menu. Finally, all kids can participate in a masquerade parade.

Babysitting

In-stateroom babysitting is available on all Celebrity ships on a request basis. Requests must be made at least 24 hours in advance and the charge is $8/hour for two children. Children must be at least six months old.

Disney

Disney Cruise Line has some of the most extensive children's facilities sea. Both Disney Magic and Disney Wonder offer an elaborate Walt Disney Theater that resembles a plush, Broadway house. Buena Vista Cinema features Disney flicks. Studio Sea is styled like a television sound stage and offers a forum for G-rated floor shows. These ships also offer a children's program called Oceaneer Adventure for children aged 3-17 and a nursery facility, Flounder's Reef, for children age three and under. All onboard programs are organized and run by caring youth counselors and have both scheduled and surprise visits by Disney characters every day.

Age-Specific Programs

Oceaneer Adventure is divided into three age-specific categories: Oceaneer Club (3-7), Lab (8-12), and Teen (13-17). The Club program is further divided into ages 3-4 and 5-7, while the Lab program is divided into 8-10 and 11-12. Oceaneer Club facilities resemble Captain Hook's pirate ship with plenty of places for activity. Oceaneer Lab allows participants to experience high-tech interactive programs, hands-on science experiments, and ship-wide treasure hunts. Kids 11-12 can compete in a marine biology, knowledge-quest game show and send digital post cards to friends. Teens (13-17) have their own private club, occupying a large portion of deck nine, called Common Grounds - a New York-style coffee house complete with game arcade and Internet Cafe.

In Port Activities

Every cruise with Disney stops at the 1,000-acre private island, Castaway Cay. Here, parents can relax under a palm tree on a white sand beach while their children play in a supervised area or wade in a protected lagoon. The adventuresome can go snorkeling on a course littered with tropical fish, treasure chests and faux shipwrecks (one with Mickey Mouse riding on the bow). Children are automatically enrolled in the island's activities of volleyball, biking, nature hikes, etc. once signed in on the ship.

Babysitting

Children's facilities are open from 9am to 1am. Flounder's Reef nursery has afternoon and nightly hours available on a first-come, first-served basis according to babysitter availability. Rates are $6/hour for the first child and $5/hour for additional children.

Holland America

Holland America offers families a year-round program called Club HAL with counselors and age-specific activities for three age groups (5-8, 9-12, 13-17). Holland America also administers Just for Kids adventure and learning shore excursions while in port. While the largest facilities can be found on Maasdam, Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, and Westerdam, kids will be fully-entertained on all ships in Holland America's fleet.

Age-Specific Programs

All children are treated to pizza and cocktail parties, ship tours, special menus, activities rooms with video games, and wading pools. Children aged 5-8 years can participate in storytelling, candy bar bingo games, arts and crafts, charades, and ice cream parties. The 9-12 year age group is entertained with golf putting lessons, dance lessons, deck sports, scavenger hunts, ping-pong, and karaoke. Teenagers have a teen disco, dance lessons, arcade games, sports, card games, and trivia contests.

In Port Activities

Just For Kids offers supervised shore excursions for kids while in port. While in port on Holland America's private island Half Moon Cay, kids can join a real island treasure hunt while teens participate in their own beach party and volleyball game.

Babysitting

In-stateroom babysitting is available on a request basis. Requests must be made 24 hours in advance and the charge is $7/hour for the first child and $5/hour for additional children from the same family.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Along with providing an unlimited Kids Soda Package and various activity rooms for children, Norwegian Cruise Lines offers a program called Kid's Crew that is divided into four, age-specific categories: Junior Sailors (2-5), First Mates (6-8), Navigators (9-12), and Teens (13-17). The programs and facilities vary from ship to ship, with the broadest programs found on the Star, Sun, and Dawn. Every cruise treats children to a Coke-tail party with the Captain. Norwegian also publishes Kids' Cruise News and Teen Cruise News daily, outlining the activities available to them on the ship. All of NCL's kid counselors attend a training course prior to coming on board that features team and confidence building, safety, communication skills, and working with children who have special needs.

Age-Specific Program

All Kids Crew kids get to meet the ship's captain at a special Coke-tail party, participate in treasure hunts and sand castle building competitions while docked in Great Stirrup Cay, and enjoy the ice-cream bar, chocolate buffet, and children's menu. There are a host of other activities arranged for kids based on their age. Below is a list of some of those activities:

Junior Sailors (ages 2-5)

Activities include: storytelling, t-shirt painting, arts and crafts, face painting, magic shows, Circus at Sea, and numerous other indoor and outdoor activities.

First Mates (ages 6-8)

Activities include: wacky cooking classes, decorative t-shirt painting, sing-alongs, and poolside, root beer float parties.

Navigators (ages 9-12)

Activities include: Sega and other video games, treasure and scavenger hunts, pajama parties, movies, and camp-outs with flashlights and tents.

Teens (ages 13-17)

Activities include: pool parties, volleyball and basketball, The Newlymet Game, and trivia contests, line dancing, teen disco, and special theme parties.

Every ship also publishes Kid's Cruise News and Teen Cruise News daily, so parents, kids, and teens know the activities planned for each day.

In Port Activities

While docked at Norwegian's private island, Great Stirrup Cay, children are entertained with supervised activities ranging from water sports to volleyball matches to treasure hunts.

Babysitting

Group babysitting is offered for kids ages 2-12 years in the evenings from 10pm-1am and in port from 9am-5pm. Cost is $5/hour for the first child and $3/hour for each additional child. Private babysitting is not available.

Other

Norwegian Cruises also sells Kids Crew souvenir packages including a cup, soda pass, t-shirt, luggage tags, baseball cap, and sunglasses. For teenagers, the package is Teen Passport and includes 20 non-alcoholic specialty drinks, dance and pizza parties, and a farewell bash!

Princess

Princess Kids, Princess Cruise's fleetwide, youth program provides age-specific activities for children aged 3-17 years. The program is divided into three categories: Princess Pelicans (3-7), Princess Pirateers (8-12), and Off Limits (13-17). Princess partners with the California Science Center and uses National Wildlife Federation educational materials on wildlife and conservation with the children. Their Mexican Riviera program includes studies of the stars, ocean, and coral reef as well as building and racing sailboats, marine biology studies, and squid dissection. In Alaska, the Save our Seas environmental program teaches participants about endangered species like white pelicans, manatees, and sea turtles.

Princess offers extensive children's facilities on all vessels except the Royal, Tahitian, and Pacific. The Sun, Dawn, Grand, Golden, Coral, Island, Diamond, and Star Princess offer a toddler's play area. And Princess Kids programs on the Royal, Tahitian, and Pacific only operate when 20 or more children ages 3-17 are on board.

Age-Specific Activities

Princess Pelicans and Pirateers (3-12)

Arts and Crafts

Movies and Cartoons

Video Games

Scavenger Hunts

Afternoon Ice Cream Parties

Backstage and Galley Tours

Hall of Fame Tournaments

Discos

Exclusive Kids-Only Dining

Edu-tainment Programs

Karaoke and Lip-Sync Shows

Pizza Parties

Shipboard Olympics

Pajama Parties

T-Shirt Coloring Off Limits (13-17)

Nintendo

Movies on a Giant Screen TV

Karaoke and Lip-Sync Shows

Casino Night

Card and Board games

Shipboard Olympics

Ping-Pong Tables

Jukeboxes

Pizza Parties

Separate Jacuzzi and Sun Deck (on Grand and Golden Princess)

Babysitting

Group babysitting is available 10pm-1am for children ages 3-12 years old on all vessels except the Royal, Tahitian, and Pacific Princess. The cost is around $5/hour.

Other

Youth and Teen Centers on the Grand, Golden, Star, Sea, Ocean, Dawn, Sun, Coral, Island, Diamond, and Regal Princess offer complimentary scheduled activities to youth passengers ages 3-17 from 8am-5pm while in port. A special, supervised, complimentary lunch service is also available with parental consent.

Royal Caribbean

Adventure Ocean, Royal Caribbean's kids' program, offers activities in-port, at sea, and in the evening. There are five categories to Adventure Ocean: Aquanauts (3-5), Explorers (6-8), Voyagers (9-11), Navigators (12-14), and Guests (15-17). Using edu-tainment, Royal Caribbean blends educational activities, daily itineraries, ports of call, games, individual and team sports, art, performance, and a general good time into a unique, onboard experience for children, teens, and parents. There are kids-only activities as well as those for the whole family. And Royal Caribbean also offers kids a special menu of hamburgers, pizzas, and other kid-friendly meals.

Age-Specific Activities

Aquanauts: Ages 3-5

Science Experiments

Art Classes and Projects

Un-Birthday Parties

Cookie Creations

Ice Cream and Rock-N-Roll Parties

Talent Show

Pajama and Carnival Parties

Explorers: Ages 6-8

Science Experiments

Art classes and Projects

Wacky Olympics

Name That Tune

Pirate and County Western Night

Movie Mania

Voyagers: Ages 9-11

Science Experiments

Art Classes and Projects

X-Games

Rockin' Through the Decades

Reggae Beach Party

Scavenger Hunts

Backstage Tour

Sports Tournaments Navigators (12-14) and Guests (15-17)

Pool Party, Toga Party

Mix and Mingle

Sports Tournament

Scavenger Hunts

Prom and College Night

Battle of the Sexes

Dancing Under the Stars

Tae Bo

Talent Show

In Port Activities

Aquanauts, Explorers and Voyagers can participate in sandcastle building, family water-balloon toss, relays, parachute games, and tug of war.

Babysitting

Group babysitting is offered at a cost is $5/hour. In-cabin sitting can be booked through Guest Relations and fees start at $8/hour and children must be at least six months old. Children must be potty trained (no diapers, no pull-ups).

Other

On a Royal Caribbean Cruise, cruisers 18 years and younger can have as many fountain soft drinks as they like for a fixed price with an Ocean Potion Card. This card is available for purchase in the ship's lounges and beverage service counters. Kids-only dinners hosted by expert youth staff give children the opportunity to meet and mingle while parents enjoy a quiet dinner alone.

A Word Or Two About Kids Injury Compensation Claims

In this world full of impurities, kids are considered to be the purest forms of a human being. Kids are also considered to be the most lovable ones in this entire vast earth of ours. Also, they are known to be the most precious form of mankind.

The parents earn more and more mainly for one common purpose: For the betterment of their kids and their kid's future. It is the happiness and security of the kids that the parents always like to see and think about. This extreme caring nature of the parents also protects their kids from all the dangers and mishaps from falling over the kids.

But, no matter how caring a parent you may be, sometimes all sorts of efforts to protect your kids from dangers go in vain when your kids face with fatal accidents and injuries. No matter how tough you may be, but watching your kids suffering from pain and injury will make your world severely shaken. You will move up to do all the things that are possible to undergo in order to make your kids heal the injuries and remove the pain from which they are suffering.

You run towards the best possible doctor you know for the best treatment for your kids. But sometimes after undergoing all the treatments you find, that the money spend was a huge one. Although you may be saying that money is nothing in comparison to the kid's health and I do agree with this fact also, but there are certain times when money plays a very important part.

Say for example, your kid suffered from an accident and require a surgery in order to recover. The cost will be around something that is almost impossible for you to afford. What will you do? And you also know that your kid's accident is not because of his irresponsibility. It is because of someone else's foolishness and stupidity. But your kid and family are the sole sufferer, isn't it?

Someone else does a mistake and you are going to pay for it, is it called justice?

So, you need money to get your kids health restores in the previous healthy form but you also need to teach those person's a lesson for their horrid acts.

As soon as your kid starts to recover, you consult some experienced kids injury compensation claims lawyers in order to proceed in a legal way for demanding kids injury compensation. The kids compensation claims lawyers knows the exact procedures required to approach and the documents needed as proof in order to make the accused person guilty of the charge.

Most of these kids compensation claims solicitors try to settle the matter without extending the matter to the courtroom act. The compensation amounts are negotiated with victim's family and then given back as kids injury compensation.

Young Kids and Money

One of parents' frustrations is kids wanting things without understanding that "money does not grow on trees". The dilemma of whether or not to explain to kids about money, bills and finances grows as the kids develop and have more requests and greater needs.

Unfortunately, handling money is not something we learn at school. Just like many other life skills that we find necessary in adulthood, money management is also neglected while lots of energy is wasted on high levels of math.

If you examine the curriculum your kids are covering from prep to year 12 you can understand why many of them will go to university or get tertiary education but only one kid per class will be wealthy. Are you ready to make sure it is your kid?

Handling money is something we all need long before we leave home. When friends have brand-name shoes or a computer game and your kid wants them too, your kid's ability to understand money is going to be very handy. So if you wonder when it is the right time to learn about money, my answer is: the minute your kid can count to 10.

Children can be taught at a young age that money is their way to get the things they want in life. It is, after all, your way of getting the things you want in life.

Tips to teach kids about money
A bit of history

The first thing you need to do in order to teach your kid about money is to explain the history of money. Tell them about how people used to trade with their neighbours: "I will give you apples and you will give me carrots". Then they realised that some things take longer to grow, so they decided that some things are worth more. This evolved when they came to the market to trade for the things they wanted. Money came to be when people weighed pieces gold or silver and would trade for it by weight (just think of the British currency called "Pound", or the Israeli currency called "Shekel", which means "something that is weighed"). Explain to your young kid that money was a great thing that happened to us because we can buy whatever we want and not just what our neighbours grow.

Pocket money - weekly or in return for chores

Decide if you want to give your kids pocket money every week or as a reward for doing chores. Stick to at least once a week, because young kids' perception of time is not fully developed and 7 days seems to them like a very long time.

Some believe that giving pocket money should not be a reward. Others think that it is a good way to teach kids that money does not just fall from the sky and that we need to work for it. If you have difficulties finding chores for young kids, remember that small things like making the bed, helping clear the table after dinner and helping with the laundry can be fun chores that will teach kids responsibility and sharing.

Whatever you choose, stick to your schedule and always, always hold a ceremony of giving your kids their money.

Emotional chores

If you do choose to give money based on chores, remember you do not have to reward your kids for things they do for you. You can always reward them for things they do for themselves. "Emotional stretches" are a good reason to reward young kids (and older kids and teens and even adults...). Give them coins each time they manage to do something that was hard for them. Being nice to a sibling, doing their homework without being told, taking a shower by themselves, waiting patiently when mum or dad are on the phone... Every time they do something that is hard for them, reward them to promote their good behaviour and personal growth.

Pocket money rules

When you choose to give pocket money as a reward, remember that the rules must be understood by everyone involved. Kids must understand how much you give and for what. If your child can read, make a list of the chores (and/or emotional stretches) with their matching reward amount. If your child is younger, draw pictures or cut them from a magazine and draw circles to represent the coins they will get for each task. Having an understanding will prevent bargaining and allow both parents to handle the situation in the same way.

Money management

Kids must know what falls into the category of what they need to purchase and what comes out of mum and dad's budget. Think about this before you start teaching your kid about money. You must be clear with yourself whether you pay for food, for snacks at school, for sweets, for treats or for anything else the kids ask for. Whatever you decide is good, as long as you have a good explanation for yourself and you stick to it.

Piggy bank

Get your child a box to put their money in. Any piggy bank that does not allow the kids to take the money out is a cruel thing for your kid. It does the exact opposite of what money management is all about. Money is not there to keep. It is there to use wisely.

Less is sometimes more

Young kids find it hard to understand that a $1 coin is worth more than 20 coins of 5 cents each. It takes a while for them to understand that the value of the money is not measured simply by the number of coins. Therefore, always use the smallest coins to give them money, to give them the feeling they have plenty of money. Around the age of 6, when they learn the arithmetic of money at school, they will learn the value of each coin. When they do understand this, start exchanging single cents for 10 cents, 10 cents for 25 or 50 cents and 50 cents for dollars, etc.

Wallet

Get your kid a wallet to take with them whenever you go out. When a young kid takes a wallet with them for shopping, this is the greatest lesson about money management. When you go shopping and your kid asks for you to buy them things, refer them to their wallet and explain what they can buy with the money that they have. Always show them the options, "This costs this many coins, the other thing you want costs that many coins", and teach them to choose. When they see the money going out of their own wallet, they are not so enthusiastic about buying things, and if they are still enthusiastic, the feeling disappears after the first time when they realise they have no money left in their wallet.

Loans

If you go with your kid somewhere and they did not bring their wallet, use the opportunity to teach them about lending and let them borrow some money until you get home. Only lend them amounts they can return and make sure they give you the money back the minute you get home. If they have their wallet with them, but not enough money and they ask for a loan, make sure they understand what this means. Again, time is not something they understand and if you tell them, "That means that next month I will not give you your pocket money", they might not understand. Just like in real life, teach them that things that require loans also require more time to think about. In these cases, not giving them the loan, or giving part of the loan is better for your kids than being nice and giving it to them whenever they want.

Savings

The first time your young kids ask you for a loan, be happy, because now you can teach them about savings. Only when kids want something beyond their financial means can you explain why saving money is a good idea. Teach them to always put 10% of their money aside. At a young age, they will not understand what 10% is but tell them it is a tiny piggy bank in the piggy bank of money you keep there for emergency. This is the money you keep for something big or special that you want later. Tell them to put 1 out of every 10 coins in the tiny piggy bank. Saving is a good lesson in waiting, something that is hard for young kids, because their perception of time is not fully formed.

Young children can learn about money from as early an age as 3. Having a healthy attitude towards money is important to help your kid grow with skills that school is not going to give them. They are going to need them desperately the minute they leave home. If you think they are too young to know about money, remember that one day they will have to pay for your nursing home...