How Can Parents Explain UFO's to Their Children?

Parents and kids alike are often fascinated with Outer Space. Hollywood has made much of the mystery which gives the kids even more of an active imagination. There are many intriguing theories and having these discussions with your children often brings intellectual conversations, and more importantly, memory building bonding moments. Share the mystery of the night sky with your children.

The theories of UFO's become more popular year after year. Some people use their science-fiction minds to place them as alien-beings visiting from space. Some people use their politically charged minds and see them as secret government experiments, either from the U.S. or rival countries spying on us. But when did this craze start? And what might these strange objects really be?
           
There have been cave drawings of UFO's since 47,000 BC. These drawings from the cavemen are found all around the world. Even the Old Testament of the Bible says that Ezekiel saw a fiery chariot in the sky. Leonardo Da Vinci reported seeing a UFO in the sky and incorporated it in a few of his paintings.
           
But it wasn't until 1947 that the 'flying saucer' theory and the current craze came into play. On June 14th, pilot Kenneth Arnold spotted 9 circular shaped flying objects near Mt. Rainer. He reported he opened his window from his airplane, in case it was just a reflection, and the objects were still there, moving at a remarkable speed. He said it had no tail and was as flat as a pie pan. After reporting this, overwhelming reports of UFO's began. Thus, the craze and the theories of what these things are became born. The government disregarded Kenneth Arnold's experience as a mirage.
           
So, aside from the popular extraterrestrial theories, what can these phenomenons actually be?
           
There is a theory being studied and close to being proven of balls of lightening. The theory is that instead of lightning coming to the ground, it can sometimes bundle into a ball. And instead of it being a flash like most lightening, this ball floats and maneuvers a little before disappearing. This can also easily be mistaken for an object in the sky, especially since most UFO reports claim them as being bright and glowing.
           
Another fascinating theory is bugs! Insects can absorb natural bioluminescence from certain types of fungi. When insects travel in a heard or bundle together, it can give off a glowing, floating and strange appearance. Some species of owls also have a natural bioluminescence that can give a similar appearance. Witnessing this can easily be mistaken for something mysterious in the sky.
           
Also, natural gases from the ground can cause balls of light in the sky. Certain spots, especially near mountains, contain a mixture of elements that can cause strange lights. Depending on where you are standing, this can look like a floating light, like the Marfa lights in Texas.
           
There are several of scientific and meteorological explanations for these UFO phenomenon, but let's face it, they're just not as entertaining! Imagine all the weird theories people had about lightening before science proved what it really is. And, no one really wants to watch movies about how gases made the UFO's, its cooler to see alien invasions that give you a little rush of excitement.

Until such time as science can prove anything, keep your mind open to explanations because we still don't know what they are.... They could very well just be little green men!

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An Exploration of Conflict Through Logic and Nonsense in Lewis Carroll's Children's Fantasy Stories

Alice In Wonderland is well known for being both nonsensical and also logical. I love both the nonsense and the logic, like children do, because for them logic, and actually for adults too, represents a safe world, a world where there are answers, there's a correct answer, and you can move around within it, like within a square, and know what the angles are and how they bisect. When you get to the real world or the natural world or the world of the sea, everything changes constantly, and children are more aware of this than adults, because they are growing constantly, and I think Lewis Carroll was very aware of this when he had Alice grow tall and grow short, a bit like in a fun house of mirrors. But in fact that's the world seen from a child's point of view.

What was revolutionary I think about his work is that nobody had ever said "Oh my god, the world through the eyes of a child must look really crazy", and I think that is what is precious about his writing.I think it was radical for Victorians and it was maybe a first in the history of thought really. Because he was a teacher of mathematics Lewis Carroll did realize how sharply it contrasted with the logic and mathematics of the so-called adult world, but of course adults, while they use logic and mathematics are subject to this terrible evolution that's going on in themselves and their bodies, and the world around them, and ignore it by focusing on what they can mentally achieve.

In Wonderland and the Looking Glass, we become immersed in conflicts between the characters, they are very much talking nonsense and are quite concerned about the fact that they don't agree with each other and are in conflict. They're argumentative, and it shows conflict in a different light and perhaps the light of something more detached.

You see Alice being subjected to all these experiences, and she doesn't agree with a lot of them, so she's in conflict with them, but its a dreamlike conflict that is episodic and goes from one conflict to another without ever being resolved. But it still is a playful conflict, Lewis Carroll demonstrates that conflict can be very playful, absurd, if carried to extremes or even if trivialized and that's part of the wonder of his books.Its something that appeals to me as somebody who's written plays most of my life and dealt with conflict on the stage continually, sometimes very seriously, sometimes comically, with the realization that each dramatic incident I've ever written about, whether its serious or comic could also be acted as the other. For example the serious could be acted as a comedy, and the comedy could be acted seriously, and that's the kind of thing that I think Lewis Carroll was fully aware of.

In the Alice stories children, particularly, can see conflict happening in the action, but they also see at the same time that its very silly. This could be a good perspective for them in terms of understanding what happens in life and also a good perspective for us too! And of course children's lives are entirely spent in conflict from the time they open their eyes in the morning till the time they shut them at night. there's no minute in the day I don't think that the child is not in conflict with the adult world. From the time they don't want to drink their milk or go to school or go feet first down the stairs instead of head first, whatever - they're in conflict with adults.

And it must make the world seem very absurd to them, because it is spent entirely in conflict. Maybe they make it into a silly conflict just in order to be able to stand it. This gives them more perspective by seeing others (in the stories) wrestle with logic and nonsense at the same time, and they can also see that what's being said on both sides is really playful ultimately.

That's what we as adults see when we see a drama onstage, we get a perspective and we can see it could be a comedy, and we can see the tragic side of the comedy because we have a certain distance from it. And children are able to make that leap and have distance, and laugh at themselves as well as at the adults, within the conflict, and that is an amazing thing to see and to experience.

That perhaps is the key to understanding how not to be in conflict, its that one comes to a sense of one's own detachment and fullness of life. We are not emaciated by the conflict but we stay present to it and see through it, which is perhaps what the world at large misses.

Because we stop learning, we stop being beginners, I think, perhaps children do inherently know that its only through conflict that they can learn and grow, and treat conflict as a learning, growing experience and when we stop doing that and regard it as an annoyance, we stop being a child and stop learning and growing.

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Exploring The Different Typs Of Book Clubs

Different strokes for different folks. This means that all of us have different set of interests, hobbies and other things. Some may choose to spend their time swimming or dancing. There are others who love to cook or bake and experiment with different recipes. There are also others who find pleasure in reading books.
The individuals who enjoy reading as a hobby, of course, have their own set of favorite books and topics to read. These are individuals who would probably want to be part of a book club. Because of this, there are different clubs that they may join. If you're a bookworm yourself, take a look at the different book club specialties which you or anyone in the family may fancy exploring:
1. Children's Book Club
These are organizations or clubs for children between 8-12 years old. The main goal of these clubs is to develop a child's interest in reading and for him to gain more knowledge. This comes, of course, with being able to interact with fellow members. Nevertheless, children who are members of these clubs willl have the opportunity to develop their skills to better express themselves more.
2.Celebrity Endorsement
These clubs focus on famous personalities who recommend different books. Readers may share their thoughts and create and participate in forums about the book. A famous example of this is Oprah's Online Book Club.
3. Poetry
Technically, this would not qualify as a book club but in essence, it can be considered so. This club will have members sharing their thoughts or views not on books that they've read but instead on poetry or poems.
4. Science Fiction
This group is exclusive for science fiction enthusiasts who enjoy reading about and discussing advanced science literature. There are usually two types of science fiction book clubs - one for adults and another one for children. Kids who are fascinated by the idea of inventions will surely enjoy membership.
One can easily join any of these book clubs easily. If you want to join one, you may want to look for book clubs online so that you can pick the right book club that can help develop the book worm in you. Only join book clubs that you find interesting. Otherwise, you could be defeating the whole purpose of joining. Besides, you join book clubs so that you can improve and nourish your love for books and be able to build relationships with other book lovers out there. However, this can give you the opportunity to discover some of your hidden interests.

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Challenges in Education in Today's Society - Globalization and Changes in Education

The so-called "demographic winter" phenomenon, which reveals the dramatic consequences of the "modern" life, marked by familial and moral decline, by miscarriage, vulgarization and the homosexuality "normalization", by the poisoning influence of the majority of mass-media and the "Hollywood culture" are inoculating egocentrism, frivolity and irresponsibility. Considering this demographical trend offers a new dimension to the way in which abundance and resource of the world are distributed and also gives a new vision on elementary educational issues.

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$300 Writing Prize Focuses Kids on Gender Equity

"He would need some magic spell or potion to change himself from a 'Harry' to a 'Harriet,'" joked Nimmo, who is an expert on entertainment for children and young adults.





"Describing how the famous boy wizard would behave as a witch would be enjoyable for author and reader alike," Nimmo said. "And it is just the kind of fun, witty and creative submission our judges are looking for."





Nimmo, author of the emerging "Mustard Twins" fantasy series, says that trends in literature aimed at young people risk trapping kids in what he calls a "kind of reading time-warp."





"Certainly, where representations of gender in fiction heroes and characters are concerned, kids' books lag way behind today's society," he said. "A lot of popular fiction reflects outdated stereotypes of masculine and feminine roles. And books aimed at children and young adults share much of the blame. I am not only talking about mainstream books either, but Newbery and Caldecott medal winners as well."





To challenge the status quo, Nimmo is encouraging contestants to describe how a favorite fiction book or story hero would act or react in a dramatic situation. But there's a twist: Entrants are first required to swap the hero's gender role or characteristics.





With the contest, Nimmo hopes to positively attune parents and kids alike to the subtle messages being transmitted through popular entertainment.





"Readers - especially younger ones - are constantly being exposed to values that are completely out of step with modern times," he said.





Studies show that, from Harry Potter to Artemis Fowl, boys outnumber girls about four to one in books and TV shows, including those written by women. Furthermore, Nimmo points out, even books with female or gender-neutral names in their titles frequently revolve around a male character.





Why should parents be concerned?





"Society's values are largely transmitted to children through fiction," Nimmo said. "It is therefore important that parents be aware that self-esteem and personal development are influenced by the sort of book and story heroes we emulate as kids."





Nonetheless, Nimmo said, there are things parents can do to sensitize kids to the issue.





"Make sure to include books in your reading selection where individuals are portrayed with distinctive personalities irrespective of gender, where achievements are not evaluated on the basis of gender and where individuals are logical or emotional depending on the situation," he said.





To encourage young people to challenge the conventions in stories and books written for them, Nimmo is offering a $300 cash prize, plus signed copies of his latest novel, "The Ancient Egyptian Ennead," which tells the story of two spunky teenage female heroes and their exploits in ancient Egypt in the time of the pharaohs.

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A Closer Look At A Hello Kitty Store

Hello Kitty is without doubt a global phenomenon that a lot of people regardless of age in almost all countries in the whole world whether they are wealthy first world nations or smaller developing countries know a lot about. For several decades until now this simple small white cat has encouraged the imagination of children and grownups alike. And for several people, this little cat has become among the quintessential symbols of all that is Japanese and well, super cute. Hello Kitty also has broken the norms that pop culture enthusiasts go for. And this is none more evident in the numbers of Hello Kitty store that you will find nowadays. Usually, fictional characters that attain popularity and fame as well as instant recognition all over the world tend to lose recognition and fame rather quickly. And this falling into obscurity did not happen with Hello Kitty and the numbers of Hello Kitty stores that continue to flourish until these days. Year after year and several generations after, the distinctive shape and look this tiny white cat as well as every single item that it appears in have been selling quite well.

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Ways Of Writing For Money: Profitable Writing Ideas

There are many way to make money from writing, but getting started can be challenging. Writing for money can mean both fiction and non fiction. It can mean anything from 500 word articles for the internet to 100,000 word novels or text books. The opportunities are wide and varied but making a start can be daunting.

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