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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Reading through and Activity Books for School children

It is not easy to sort out the best reading and activity books for school going children for variety of reasons. A vast variety of publications are there on the scene and the whole task becomes very time consuming. Also, each child has his own unique way and style, which also makes it quite cumbersome to point out as to what will work across the board.

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Encouraging Your Children To Read

Encouraging your child to read a wide variety of books is probably the best education you can give them - but sometimes it seems an uphill struggle! We have put together a collection of tips and tricks to encourage reading which may give you some ideas that will appeal to your kids and will fit into your family's routines.

Library Day:

If you live near to a good library, you could designate one day of the week "Library Day". In any event, try to visit regularly and spend time browsing through the books with your kids. Getting your kids their own library cards can be a huge incentive - and many libraries run special programs to encourage kids to take out books.

Read With Your Child:

Younger children like nothing better than to snuggle up with their parents to share reading time. You could try reading a page each - it helps to keep the pace up and make the story more interesting for your child, especially if they are struggling a little. You can also practice putting lots of expression into your reading: if your child learns to do this too, it will help their understanding (and of course prove useful when reading out loud at school!)

Read To Your Child:

Even adults like to be read to sometimes - so try not to grow out of the habit of reading to your kids! Obviously it helps when the kids are similar ages and have similar interests, but with a bit of perseverance you should be able to find something which you can read to all ages and enjoy! If not, split the reading up into age-groups, or perhaps ask an older sibling to read to a younger one occasionally.

Listen To Audio Books Too:

These days it is easy to get hold of audio books for some of the best children's stories - either through your library or bookshops online and offline. You can also download audio books through iTunes or Audible for instant gratification, to be listened to either through an iPod or burned onto a CD. A good audio book can be enjoyed by all the family, whatever their ages, and can make a long car journey hugely enjoyable. Why not set up a club with friends so that you can swap and share to keep costs down?

Provide A Good Selection:

Just because a story was your favorite as a child, it is not necessarily going to be your child's favorite too. Times have moved on and there is a huge selection of children's literature easily available now. Let your kids dip into all kinds of stories and non-fiction to find what interests them. If you want them to love reading, you have to give them choice in what they read.

Finishing Books:

As adults we are not prepared to finish every book we begin - some are just plain dreary and we don't have enough interest in them to see it through to the end. Your child is the same. My kids were expected to finish every reading book they took out at school before they were given the next, and frankly sometimes even I felt like jumping off the top of a tall building rather than read to the end! I'm not saying you should let them off finishing every single book, but if they are really not enjoying their current book, consider whether the writing and story are really good enough to insist.

Fiction v. Non-fiction:

Your child may not be a fiction lover, but don't despair! Reading any well-written book is an achievement - and you can get a lot of good information and practice off the back of a cereal packet in the mornings! There are some wonderful children's encyclopaedias available now, and various magazines for kids available by subscription which they will be really excited to receive each month in the post. The library will have shelves stocked with non-fiction for them to sample, and they may well end up being a fount of useful knowledge!

Reading Time:

Older kids can enjoy having a set "Reading Time" when everybody in the family - no exceptions - finds a comfortable place on a favorite chair or sofa and reads. Put some background music on if you like, refuse to answer the phone and drop all chores for the duration!

Keep A Record:

Sometimes keeping a record can make reading more fun - for all ages. You could buy each child a special notebook in which to record all the books they have read, and any thoughts they have on them. Encourage them to set up a rating system and share it with their friends! Young kids enjoy getting a sticker on a chart when they have finished a book.

Another lovely idea is to create a "caterpillar" by cutting out colorful circles of paper. Decorate one to look like a cheerful caterpillar's face and then add circles for his body, one by one, each time your child finishes a book, writing the name of the book on the circle if you wish. You could have different colored circles for each member of the family if you like (and if your kids can cope with the competition).

One mother I know kept a notebook record of every book her son ever read, including the date started and finished, and a mark for "enjoyment factor". After a while she started to stick in a small image for each book, taken off the internet, and her son (now a teenager) loves looking through his record and remembering his favorite stories.

Provide Bookmarks:

Reading can be made much more fun for kids by simple providing an appropriate bookmark! When they are young, try to find something on the same theme as the book (perhaps you could find some images on the internet to print off and laminate).

As the kids get older bookmarks can be more creative. Get the kids to help you make some one rainy day with scraps of card and ribbon, use some of their artwork, cut up old greeting cards and postcards, make collages from magazines, or use photographs of family and friends. Older kids can leave a message on the back of a bookmark and leave it in a favorite book for a younger sibling to find when they read the book later. Perhaps the older child could write a little about the book and why they enjoyed it, and put the date they finished it too. What a lovely surprise to find a few years later!

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Why Midnight Children is Called the Booker of the Bookers

For those looking for a racy, rousing read, kindly keep your hands off 'Midnight's Children'.

Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children - Winner of Best of the Booker, needless to say is a masterpiece in magical realism, brilliantly unfolded at a snail's pace. However, the novel's beauty lies in its style and not action. Nonetheless, a little familiarity with Indian history will make the novel a tad more interesting, given the allegorical references to India's social-political events strewn all across the story.

Hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure, the story revolves are two children (in fact midnight's 1001 children) who were born at the precise instant of India's arrival at independence. Their destinies inextricably intertwined forever, thanks to the time of their births.

Saleem Sinai, the protagonist, when tumbled forth into the earth on Aug 15, 1947, was greeted by none other than Mr. Prime Minister's Letter. Yes Saleem was destiny's child. Born as an illegitimate son, he got all the good things that life had to offer, thanks to the nurse who without forethought swapped children just after their birth. Baby Saleem, naturally benefited in the process as he was entitled to all the care and riches of Shiva's household, Shiva, one of the 1001 children born at the same time, on the other end was relegated to the darkness of slums.

Noses and Knees, Nose and Knees. Saleem with his powerful nose could smell out every damn thing on this earth, be it the smell of anger or jealousy. Interestingly, he could read other minds and was endowed with the power of telepathy. Shiva on the other end had preternaturally powerful knees, knees that were exclusively used for pushing, shoving and crushing others. Though royal blood ran in his veins, his actions spoke otherwise. He turned out to be a brutish killer. Saleem, however, is portrayed as a nice fellow. His aberrations are shown in lighter vein, while Shiva's aberrations make you feel sick.

The use of the term 'optimism' is anesthetizing. The analogues employed are breathtaking. Numb as ice, clean as a slate, main fresh-water pipes which were city's lifelines began to blow fountains into the air like giant steel whales, tiny grain of grit in the sea of old age and so on. Philosophy dealt in the form of Snakes and Ladders. For every ladder you climb,a snake is just waiting around the corner; and for every snake a ladder will compensate. Very descriptive, simply explains the painstaking efforts put in by Rushdie. The story some time may seem long-winding, the language used may seem incomprehensible, but carry-on is the catchword here.

The political scenario post- Indian independence is nicely interwoven into the story. That's makes you wonder about Rushdie's brilliance. Rushdie dishes out everything history, politics, myth, food, magic, wit and dung all in one book, the partition of India and Pakistan, the power of "The Widow" Indira Gandhi, war and, finally the enforcement of martial law in the country.

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Children's Children War: Future Look On War Against Terror-1

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Writing for Children: How I Broke Into the Children's Market

"Oh, I've always wanted to write for children!"

I hear it all the time, whenever I reveal that I'm a published author of children's books. Always the starry-eyed look, the slightly wistful expression, and the inevitable, "That would be so fun!"

Fun, indeed. All the fun of slaving over getting just the right word, of collecting rejection slips, of wondering if new authors really can break into the children's market.

There is a way -- if you are willing to exercise some flexibility in your writing.

Take a stroll through the children's non-fiction section of your local library and look at the newest books you see there: books on jet planes, hot air balloons, holiday crafts, bicycles, helicopters, race cars, and more -- some of them with my name on them.

Welcome to the world of the School and Library Market.

How the School and Library Market Works

Budget cuts or not, libraries need a constant supply of new books. Library books get a lot of hard use, and the most popular titles wear out quickly. Even the nonfiction section, the part of the library that many people think is "boooring!" gets a lot of use as kids look for books to help them with reports, or books on their favorite hobbies and interests.

When librarians pull worn copies of well-loved novels off the shelf for replacement, they may get new copies of the same title. But in the nonfiction section, old, worn, or outdated books get replaced with new books with up-to-date information.

Where do they get these books? From publishers that specialize in the school and library market. These publishers produce new titles and entire new series every year to meet librarians' needs. This also means that they need authors to write new titles ever year.

These aren't books that are going to be sold in bookstores, nor are they going to make any best-seller list, so don't expect high royalties. In fact, most school-and-library books are written on assignment on a work-for-hire basis. This means that the work is purchased outright from the author. The publisher retains the copyright and all rights to the book. This might sound like a raw deal, but consider that librarians want up-to-date nonfiction titles. This means that the book you write this year may not stay on the backlist more than five or six years. These aren't books that would earn a great deal in royalties. However, that same publisher will need a new title on the same subject in a few years. If your work satisfied the editors, they may ask you to write the new book.

Approaching School and Library Publishers

So how do you find publishers that specialize in the school and library market? Start again at the library. Look through the shelves for the newest books and note the names of the publishers. You can also ask the children's librarian if you can browse through their book catalogs. Get the addresses and website of the publishers, then see if they post author guidelines on their websites. You can also find educational publishers in the Children's Writers Market, which is widely available in bookstores and libraries.

Once you have a list of potential publishers, read their guidelines and follow them carefully. There are two ways to approach school and library publishers. One is with a book idea of your own. Many will accept submissions of fiction and nonfiction manuscripts, and will pay an advance and royalties. The other way is to send a resume that lists your published works (if any) and pertinent experience (any education experience you have is helpful), along with samples of your writing (sometimes called "clips"). If the editors like your sample, you may get a phone call or an email from an editor asking if you would like to accept an assignment. Which approach you use depends on the publisher. Their guidelines will state whether you should send a manuscript, or if you can send a resume and writing sample.

If you get an assignment, be sure to ask plenty of questions to clarify the editor's expectations. Make sure you're clear on due dates, and be prepared not only to meet the due dates, but beat them. Ask if there are sample books from the series that you can see before you start writing. There won't be if the series is new, but there may be a similar series that can serve as a model. If other authors are working on other titles in the series, ask if someone else has a due date before yours, and if you can look at their outline. This helps preserve consistency in the series. Educational publishers usually have extensive guidelines to help you write according to their style, and often have outlines from which authors work.

Then go to work doing your research and writing the best book you can. If the editors are pleased, expect more assignments in the future!

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10 Tips For Choosing Storybooks Children Will Love

There are so many storybooks available it is difficult to know which to choose. You will no doubt remember stories you enjoyed reading or having read to you as a child. But today's children have different needs and tastes.

Here are ten tips to help you choose storybooks:

1. Favourite authors: If your child loves a book by a particular author or authors, look for other books by the same person.

2. Series: Look for series of books with the same topics or characters.

3. Interests: Think about your child's interests (dinosaurs, foreign places, space, animals etc) and find storybooks with these as themes.

4. Topics: Match books to topics your child is studying at school or nursery. If you don't know what these are, then ask!

5. Reviews: Read reviews of storybooks and look at the children's books' bestsellers lists.

6. Your favourites: Try books you enjoy or enjoyed reading yourself. But don't be upset if your child doesn't share your enthusiasm!

7. Meet the author: Look out for opportunities to meet children's authors and hear them read. Writers and illustrators promote their books in libraries and schools, at book festivals, on television and radio, in magazines and newspapers and on the web.

8. Friends: Find out what your child's friends are reading and what their favourites are.

9. Experts: Ask your child's teacher, librarian or children's bookseller what is popular. Go to the library regularly and allow yourself plenty of time to browse.

10. Book clubs: Join a children's book club and encourage your child to choose from the catalogues or leaflets. Children sometimes bring these leaflets home from school or nursery.

Use these tips to help you choose suitable books for your child, but don't overlook the traditional stories such as fairytales, fables, myths and legends. Every child should have some good quality anthologies of traditional stories to enjoy as well as modern books they will want to read over and over again.

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