If you're considering taking your kids to see a movie this weekend, you may want to check the movie reviews from Common Sense Media. Ratings and recommended ages for a few current movies are found below. Check out more at the Common Sense Media site.
Did you sign up for the text messages from Park Elementary and now you're receiving junk texts from the 40404 account? This is because Twitter is trying to predict things you may be interested in following. To stop these messages, send a reply text saying SET DISCOVER OFF and that should be the end of the junk texts.
Get the latest news and announcements from Park Elementary by following us on Twitter (@parkelem) or signing up to receive the updates via text message (send a text to 40404 with the message "follow @parkelem".
You can also get the updates by watching the Park Elementary homepage at http://www.hutch.k12.mn.us/pageView.cfm?pageID=20. CommonSenseMedia brings up some good points and helpful tips for parents regarding watching the Super Bowl. It's not the game itself, but the commercials. These infamous ad spots are well-known for being memorable and expensive, but have you thought about what's being advertised? Some of the products may not be age-appropriate for your children. You also have to be aware of what the commercials may be advertising besides the product.
In TechTime students have learned about being media-smart when it comes to advertising, but they're still kids. We all get tempted by advertisements, but as adults we need to help young people become more advertising-smart and be able to distinguish between reality and gimmick. Check out the CommonSenseMedia information and helpful tips for parents regarding watching the Super Bowl here: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/super-bowl-2013-ads-sexy-violent-and-shocking Common Sense Media has a list of recommended apps for kids of all ages. Check out the list for both free and paid apps organized by age and mobile device. You can also print out the guide if you'd like.
Check it out here: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/guide/best-first-kids-apps Want to get your kids to fall asleep faster at bedtime? Turn off the TV. For that matter, turn off the tablet and the laptop too.
Researchers in New Zealand found kids who had difficulty falling asleep at night were exposed to more screen time within 90 minutes of bed than those with earlier sleep onset. Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/01/16/tv-time-before-bed/ Thanks to NetSmartz for sharing these great Internet safety rules for adults. Click on the image to see a larger version. Read more here. By Dan Olberg, Park Elementary Principal I think I can speak for all of us that getting children to stop watching TV can be a struggle sometimes. With all the research about screen time, parents are very aware of the damage too much TV and video time has on children. Most of the research I have read suggests that children who have more than 10 hours a week in screen time had lower achievement than those who watch less than 10 hours a week. It is surprising how quickly the minutes add up. Children in the United States are ranked number 1 in the world for the amount of time they watch TV. So how can we use this technology that children love to benefit their learning? Click the closed captioning button! It seems so easy, but parents around the world are seeing incredible benefits from this simple act. Parents are finding that when children watch TV with the closed captioning on, their children are learning to read at an earlier age. Some parents are noticing quick results just after a few weeks of having the closed captioning activated on the TV sets in their house. When adults watch TV, our brains can tune out the closed captioning on the screen if we choose not to read it. In children, their brain is still like a sponge, picking up all that is on the screen. Their mind will see the words, hear them pronounced, and comprehend what is going on through the show without discretion. Close captioning can help with fluency in young readers. Children have motivation to read the words quickly knowing that the words will soon disappear. It can help with word recognition for those children who have a stronger speaking vocabulary than reading vocabulary. Captioning can build the vocabulary words and definitions through quality TV programs. The presence of the words on the screen can help familiarize the child with print, sounds and meaning at a very young age. In essence, the characters are reading aloud the story to the child. Having words running across the screen at times is a nuisance to many adults. Remember the days of accidentally hitting the closed captioning button only to spend the next 3 days trying to figure out how to change it back? The new TV’s seem to make this easier for us. Most models have the button right on the remote control labeled “CC”. Today’s sets all have this option thanks to legislation many years ago. The children in some countries watch many reruns from the United States through closed captioning because English is not their first language. The children of Finland are some of the heaviest users of closed captioning and you should see their reading scores! Quality TV shows with the closed captioning activated may be the best electronic gift we could give our children this season – and least expensive! Reposted from ISD423 Tiger Pride Press - January 2013 During our last rotation of TechTime students reviewed online safety and learned about all of the gimmicks and tricks that advertisers use to get us to want their product or service. We looked at advertisements, watched video clips, and played online games to learn more about all these tricks.
This time of year is the perfect time to have a conversation with your child about this topic. An easy way to start the conversation is to look at packaging of products, ads online or in the newspaper, or commercials and ask your child about the advertisement. The holiday season is upon us -- and so is a pretty painful economy. Whether it's family entertainment, gifts for the kids, or gifts for relatives and friends, the costs of video games, DVDs, and presents can quickly add up. But if you know where to look, you can find some pretty sweet deals. Check out these ideas: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/new/6-ways-to-save-money-this-holiday |