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CHILDREN AT PLAY in the PHILIPPINES


Image by Okinawa Soba
This is beautiful in 3-D.

Although Okinawa, Japan has been my home for over 35 years, and I have looked at tens-of-thousands of vintage Meiji-era photos of Japan, this 100-year-old image from the Philippines is much closer to the memories of my childhood in the USA, and shows something not seen in any old Japanese photos I have come across — a PLAY HOUSE.

We always had Play Houses as kids. Either our parents built them for us, or we made them ourselves. I don’t know if that was "normal" in America as a whole, but it was "normal" where I grew up.

Here, some Filipino dad(s) made one for their own kids, and the kids of the neighborhood.

The kids are playing house, reading a book, having fun, and creating things.

In all of my years traveling through Japan, I never saw Japanese parents get together to build anything in their yards for their own kids or others. They only had highly impersonal "playgrounds" at public parks. And some parks did not even have that !

Of course, I assume that there were some Japanese fathers who did things like this, but they would appear to be the exception rather than the rule….and I never met one.

I lived in many locations in Japan for years at a time, and built playgrounds, playhouses, and "forts" all the time. Our yards were always packed with Japanese kids from all over….while the sterile pipes and chin-up bars of the so-called "playgrounds" in the communal zones remained devoid of children.

I thought that the local folks would pitch in and help, but they never did. Sometimes fathers would come by at the insistence of their kids, only to look, shrug their shoulders, and leave.

As I post these pictures, they inevitably stir up memories of comparative life and culture as I traveled between East and West.

I once spent many years helping staff or direct some bilingual "International Friendship Camps" in Okinawa — sometimes over 100 kids at a time. Imagine breaking off a group of 30 kids, and sitting around in a big clearing in the woods. 15 kids are "Military Brats" from all over the USA and elsewhere. 15 are Japanese kids from all over Japan. We talk about many things, and family topics come up……

"HOW MANY OF YOU KIDS LIKE YOUR DADS ?" (Only the Western kids raise their hands enthusiastically…Japanese kids all stare at the ground).

Ok.

"HOW MANY OF YOU KIDS HATE YOUR DADS ?" (The Japanese kids all raise their hands, while still staring at the ground……the Western kids all turn their heads and quietly look at them, wondering "why?").

The above never changed, even with a hundred kids or more. Year after year after year.

I am sure that there are plenty of great dads in Japan, and plenty of Japanese kids that like their dads. I can offer no explanation here for the above Camp experiences, except to say that it left an unforgettable impression on me. Now, after many years, the above photo of the little playhouse in the Philippines brings back memories of kids and culture in different places…..some that are far from the days of my youth.

If you are a Japanese dad reading this, and were interactive and creative with your kids in an "outdoor" sort of way, I’m glad for that, and sorry that I never met you.

www.tulane.edu/~rouxbee/japan/problems.html

Tough life for kids in Japan (or "safety" isn’t everything) : japanfocus.org/products/details/2507

A Black man’s experience in Japan : joelasso.blogspot.com/

Wierd, Sad, and Interesting entry…with a few warts : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori

Programming-related Books at Home, RHS


Image by fogus

countdown — the book


Image by Raymond Yee
Count Down : Six Kids Vie for Glory at the World’s Toughest Math Competition.

I’m attracted to books such as this since I did ok but not super at math competitions such as the Mathematical Olympiad.

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Yellow Pages
Family schedules are getting crammed full of sports activities, teachers are cleaning rooms and preparing lessons, kids are shopping for new clothes, cooks are making final adjustments to breakfast and lunch menus, janitors are racing the clock to finish the final touches, school staff members are busy sending out last minute letters to parents, and administrators are making adjustments to …
Read more on Advocate Tribune

Condo For Kids Can Pay
Like a lot of parents, Jim Berarducci and his wife had to make a tough financial decision when their daughter moved out of her college dorm two years ago. Do they let her rent an apartment or do they buy her a small condo?
Read more on Investor’s Business Daily via Yahoo! News

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A few nice wimpy kids books images I found:

Diarrhea of Wimpy Kid


Image by morgantj
My sons have read all of the "Diary of Wimpy Kid" books. They really like them. But anyways, I decided to design a parody book cover for what they would like the next sequel to be. The design theme is consistent with the previous series books, but changes "Diary" to "Diarrhea," a matching slogan, image, and book color.

Mini Books and Magazines


Image by Enokson
My library assistant Reenie is a talented artist and miniature hobbyist. She made these amazing mini magazine bundles and mini “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” books. I’ve placed a penny in the photo so you can see the small scale of the work.

She taught our Library Fun Club how to make books like these, and the kids had so much fun. I’m hoping she’ll display them in the library real soon to show the rest of the school these cute new library collection additions.

Mini Books and Magazines – side view


Image by Enokson
My library assistant Reenie is a talented artist and miniature hobbyist. She made these amazing mini magazine bundles and mini “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” books. I’ve placed a penny in the photo so you can see the small scale of the work.

She taught our Library Fun Club how to make books like these, and the kids had so much fun. I’m hoping she’ll display them in the library real soon to show the rest of the school these cute new library collection additions.

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by stevendepolo

Decorating Kids Rooms Ideas – Simple, But Creative!

Thinking up decorating kids rooms ideas can be problematic, we know. Do you go with the tried and true (but somewhat dull) avenues or step out on your own?

How much attention do you pay to your five year old who insists that pink, orange and red are the perfect colors for her walls, or your young son who wants a suspending bed because he saw it on a movie?

The truth: decorating kids rooms ideas should be a mixture of what your child wants now and what you know he or she will need later on. But, leaving out the practical focus, we use this article to offer some ways for you to express your creative side. Use these suggestions to add extra touches of fun to all
of your decorating kids rooms ideas.

One: paint. As obvious as it sounds, you would be surprised how many people fail to utilize colors. They settle for painting the room one shade and let it drop. Why not try something more inventive?

If your child has two favorite colors, you could use those shades in compliment of one another (assuming they do, of course. You don’t need to indulge colors that don’t go
together). Popular decorating kids rooms ideas include using the primary colors of red, blue and yellow together to create a festive new room.

It is bold and offers something better than the usual one hue on the walls.

Two: wall paper and borders. If you do not want to paint, or just want to use one color for a more neutral background, then do suggest using wall paper or borders. These decorating kids rooms ideas can make any wall pop.

The options are limitless and you can carry out any theme you want. And, if you want to change directions later on, they can be removed.

Three: stencils. Never underestimate the importance of drama, and stencils rank among the best decorating kids rooms ideas to do that. Whether you want to achieve a 3-D effect of a suit of armor for a castle theme or just do something as simple as the alphabet, stencils will make the job easier and add so much to a room.

Four: wall stickers. Similar to stencils, these can definitely add the right touches of uniqueness. Unlike stencils, however, no painting is involved. If you do not trust your skills with a brush, then we suggest simply applying these stickers to the walls. They can be as extensive as any stencil, if not
more so, and will simply peel off when you want them gone.

Five: personalized wall coverings. For these decorating kids rooms ideas, you just need to use your son or daughter. Let their artwork hang around the room (this is especially helpful if you are not going with a real theme) or let them make a cluster of hand prints on the wall to border the door or
windows.

Use their photos to make special collages to hang. Get the picture? Make the room a tribute to them.

These are just a few decorating kids rooms ideas that you can use to create a truly magical room for your child.

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Some cool childrens music books images:

NZ Music Month Display


Image by Christchurch City Libraries
NZ Music Month 2009 at Christchurch City Libraries

File Reference: 2009-05-20-CE-DSC02111

From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries

NZ Music Month Display


Image by Christchurch City Libraries
NZ Music Month 2009 at Christchurch City Libraries

File Reference: 2007-06-20-CE-DSC02113

From the collection of Christchurch City Libraries

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Dog Days (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 4)

• ISBN13: 9780810983915
• Condition: New
• Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

It’s summer vacation, the weather’s great, and all the kids are having fun outside. So where’s Greg Heffley? Inside his house, playing video games with the shades drawn.
 
Greg, a self-confessed “indoor person,” is living out his ultimate summer fantasy: no responsibilities and no rules. But Greg’s mom has a different vision for an ideal summer . . . one packed with outdoor activities and “family togetherness.”
 
Whose vision will win out? Or will a new addition t

Rating: (out of 190 reviews)

List Price: $ 13.95

Price: $ 4.00

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DuneCraft Windowsill Greenhouses – Desert Hothouse

• Seeds
• Planting mixture
• Natural gravel
• Natural stones
• Instructions and information sheet

Create your very own Desert Landscape. The Desert Hothouse comes complete with greenhouse, boulders, critters, sand gravel and potting mixture and over 20 types of cacti and succulent seeds including Giant Saguaro, Pincushion Cactus, Joshua Tree, Century Plant, Organ Pipe Cactus, Yucca, and more. This kit is easy to grow and lasts for years! Seeds will begin sprouting in about a week and only need water every 6 months! The perfect give for any not so green thumbed friend!

Rating: (out of 6 reviews)

List Price: $ 14.99

Price: $ 7.99

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Some cool write childrens books images:

Happy World Book Day 2010


Image by Caro Wallis
The shot is an homage to a favourite book of mine from when I was a child, by possibly the greatest children’s writer of all time. The first person to guess the book from the clue in the shot, wins a prize (to be discussed). Kez, you are NOT allowed to guess, or give any further clues… since I already told you my idea a few nights ago! The book itself has rather dark undertones (hopefully my processing has given it a bit of a sense of that…) as have a number of the children’s books the author has written, plus the ones written for adults. All of them have pitch perfect humour, though… and I’m sure this blend is what makes them all so successful Hope you have a fantastic World Book Day. Feel free to tell me a few of your favourites, from your childhood or from now, recently published or classics

Pretty Monsters. Pretty Book


Image by Robert Burdock
If I were looking for material to read around Halloween time, then it looks like this upcoming UK release from Canongate, Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link (published October 15th), may well fit the bill.

Gorgeously shrouded in its gothic Victorian-esque cover – the creation of killer graphic designer Will Staehle – Pretty Monsters is a collection of nine unique stories from the award-winning American author (Kelly’s official website), which all contain an element of the macabre. Here’s the publisher blurb:

Weird, wicked, spooky and delicious, PRETTY MONSTERS is a book of tall tales to keep you up all night. Blending fairytale, fantasy, horror, myth and mischief in a delicious cocktail, Kelly Link creates a world like no other, where ghosts of girlfriends past rub up against Scrabble-loving grandmothers with terrifying magic handbags, wizards sit alongside morbid babysitters, and we encounter a people-eating monster who claims to have a sense of humour. Combining the imaginative brilliance of Borges with the madcap escapades of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and more than a pinch of macabre humour, this is writing to come back from the dead for.

Although Pretty Monsters is aimed primarily at a Young Adult audience (YA), it has to be considered that this title will appeal to all ages. I remember getting out of my ‘comfort zone’ last year and reading Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book (Bloomsbury), and enjoying it immensely (you can read my afterthoughts HERE), and I envisage Pretty Monsters being on the same kind of ‘wavelength’ with regards to ‘audience appeal’.

Of course I’m not just making an unqualified guess that Pretty Monsters will appeal to all age groups. The book has been out in the US since October 2008 (published by Viking Children’s), and the general consensus seems to be that it does indeed have ‘across the board’ appeal, with people from all age groups raving about it.

Moving back to the aesthetics of the Pretty Monsters book itself, and aside from Staehle’s glorious cover work, there are a couple of other design elements I really like with this book. Firstly is the use of black on the edges of the pages, which not only complements the cover, but adds to the gothic feel. I can only think of one other fairly recent release that employs similar black-edged pages, and that’s the UK hardback edition of Chuck Palahniuk’s Snuff (Johnathon Cape). A completely different book of course, in terms of content, but in terms of design the use of black page edges are as equally as effective.

The second design element I like about Pretty Monsters is that all of the stories are fronted by a piece of illustrative artwork from Shaun Tan, the award-winning children’s book illustrator and author, which of course adds to the aesthetics and the appeal greatly.

So that’s Pretty Monsters, and I do indeed like the look of it, even before reading it. I said at the opening to this Daily Bookshot post that if I were looking for material to read around Halloween time, then this would be a perfect book for consideration. The fact is I am looking for material to read around Halloween time, because as I did last year with taking part in Memory of Stella Matutina’s excellent 31 Tales of Terror reading challenge, I intend to read 31 horror-flavoured short stories again this year, throughout the month of October, in the lead up to Halloween. And the nine stories found in Pretty Monsters look to offer a unique and wholly different starting point. So I have my first 9 of the 31 stories. Expect to hear more from me on Pretty Monsters very soon.

Canongate Books | 15 October 2009 | £12.99 | HARDBACK | 389 PP | ISBN: 9781847677839

Author


Image by almostincognito
Can’t recall her name, but she writes and illustrates childrens books.

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by mahalie

Seven Designer Kids? Clothes Your Girl Cannot Be Without

Are you scratching your head for what fashion items to buy the most important little girl in the world? When it comes to children clothes for girls, there is so much to choose from. Of course you should always consider her personality and attitude when choosing designer kids’ clothes for her, but there are a few pieces that no fashionista, no matter her age, can be without!

Respectable denims, such as the Joes Jeans Dark Wash Rockstar Jeans, are must-have items in any girl wardrobe. This season you should choose a darker cut to combine with floral prints on her top, or bright block colors of her 1980’s inspired, cool girl clothes. For the little lady who loves to sparkle a bit more, choose the Aristabrat London Dark Indigo Denim Jeans – accented with 382 gem-like blue zircon crystals and gold embroideries, designer kids clothes like these are luxury treats for any princess.

Versatile dresses, like the Misha Lulu Herringbone Dress or the Kaos Recycled Lucky Charms Long Sleeve Babydoll Dress are great examples of playful kids dresses that can work for a casual outing with the family, as well as for more glamorous birthday parties – it is all in how you accessorize (like every smart girl knows).

Comfy hoodie sweatshirts, from a quality label should always be in a comfortable set of basic necessities for a girl. The soft Little Lovelies Couture Purple Velour Baby Doll Hoodie Sweatshirt (also available in other colors) is a cozy option, while the Christian Audigier Kids Charcoal Pink Madonna Hoodie will make her look and feel like a celebrity wherever she goes. The comfy hoodie is a must when shopping for designer kids clothes for her, any season – not just this one.

Leggings are another piece of clothing she will need for her dresses, her long shirts and t-shirts – and anything else really. Choose a stylish yet soft pair that will work with a variety of outfits, such as the Crib Rock Couture Black Calf Length Clam Diggers or any pair of leggings from Misha Lulu, Moppit or Ooh La La.

Cool t-shirts to go with her denims or with her leggings are a must for her wardrobe. Go through designer kids clothes collections such as Christian Audigier Kids, Misha Lulu and Kids Ink and you will find playful, fashionable t-shirts that she can be herself in any day.

Hip baby or girl shoes, depending on her age of course, will pull her outfit together in a stylish way. For the really young girl, a pair of Heathers Treasure Box Pink High Top Sneakers are excellent for causal days while some fun Heelarious Sophie Pink Satin Infant High Heels complement cool baby clothes really well. The slightly older girl should consider some of the really cute sandals – they’ll make a real impression when combined with edgier designer kids clothes this spring!

Accessories and hats complete any unique baby clothes or children clothes outfit. Consider how some sparkling, luxurious accessories can turn any casual outfit into runway worthy, trendy baby clothes – for example, the glittering Aristabrat Guardian Angel Swarovski Crystal Pacifier can make her relaxed-fit sweats or denims look a million dollars. Or, pair some of her more over-the-top items with a pair of Moppit Pink Polka Dot Footless Tights and achieve that cozy, kid-friendly look and feel.

When in search for these crucial designer kids’ clothes items, browse children’s boutiques that specialize in the kind of hip, trendy baby couture your girl deserves. For example, children fashion gurus R&S Avenue is a must-stop destination – from denims to pacifiers, they are unbeatable when it comes to princess wardrobes!

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Writing Children’s Books for Dummies

• ISBN13: 9780764537288
• Condition: New
• Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

The fun and easy way to write a childrens book that will impress any publishing house The childrens book market can be difficult to crack for first-time authors. This friendly guide shows would-be J. K. Rowlings how to maximize their chances of success, offering practical, proven tips on developing book ideas, attending publishing conferences, writing a winning proposal, finding an agent, submitting to the right publisher, working with an editor, and more. It describes the differences b

Rating: (out of 53 reviews)

List Price: $ 19.99

Price: $ 8.64

US $2.99 End Date: Friday Sep-10-2010 5:41:53 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $2.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list

US $10.95 End Date: Wednesday Sep-15-2010 15:33:22 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $10.95 Buy it now | Add to watch list

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