Catherine Biete is the winner of our Children’s Book Giveaway! She will be giving her 8 year old son a copy of The Castle Adventure!

Congrats Catherine

We have another Giveaway coming next week, so make sure to come visit again.

We are excited to offer Kids Email readers a fantastic opportunity to win your own copy of The Castle Adventure Book - An exciting and fun adventure book, that is sure to be a hit with your kids!

The Castle Adventure is a fun story that should appeal to boys and girls, ages 8-12.

You can purchase it for your kindle on Amazon for only $2.99!

Entering is SUPER Easy!

How to enter:

1. Just leave a comment stating who the book would be for, and why you think they would like it!

Extra Entries:

2. Tweet or FB about this giveaway and leave a separate comment with a link to your post!

Good Luck!

Contest ends on 05/17/13, winner will be notified via e-mail.

Thank you to those of you who entered our latest Giveaway!

We are excited to announce that Traci Huntsman has been chosen as the winner!!!!

We have another Giveaway planned very soon, so keep your eyes out!

Here is a fun game you can do with your kids! It’s a guessing game with shadows, this will help your child learn more about light.

Materials Needed: Flashlight, Small Household Objects (for example: rubber duck, comb, wooden spoon, fork)

In a dark room, have your child face a wall. Standing behind them shine the flashlight on the wall above their head and then hold an object in the beam of light. Can they figure out what the item is by looking at the shadow? Take turns and let your child do the same to you, and you guess. Ask your child “How do you think a shadow is made?”

You can try doing different things with your child such as holding the items closer to the flashlight. What happens?

Its a fun activity, your kids are sure to love it!

It’s time for another Giveaway!

We are giving away a copy of

 AVS4YOU Unlimited Subscription to a lucky blog reader which totals an amount of 59$

**woot woot**

AVS4YOU provides a Complete Multimedia Solution consisting of 18 Tools so that you don’t have to buy any other software for any of Audio and Video needs. Package has tools required for Editing, Converting, Burning and so on. You can  read some reviews of the popular tools here (http://avs4youreview.com)

You are also eligible to get a AVS4YOU at a discounted rate, just by visiting this site: AVS4YOU Coupon

Entering is EASY! 

For your chance to win this awesome editing software, do the following:

1. Visit http://www.avs4you.com/ and check out all the awesome tools they have, come back here and leave a comment with something you found useful on their site.

Extra Entry: 

1. Share this Giveaway on Twitter or Facebook, and leave a separate comment with a link.

Good luck to all!

Giveaway ends on Friday, May 3rd at 12:00 Midnight EST. Winner will be notified via e-mail. 

]]> http://blog.kidsemail.org/2013/04/giveaway-time-editing-converting-burning-software-valued-at-59-00/feed/ 6 http://blog.kidsemail.org/2013/04/kids-fair-success/ http://blog.kidsemail.org/2013/04/kids-fair-success/#comments Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:37:27 +0000 Brittany Oler http://blog.kidsemail.org/?p=906

 This past weekend we attended the East Idaho Kid’s Fair! It was 2 fun filled days. We handed out over 3,500 balloons over the two day period and met a lot of fun people.  We plan on attending a few more events this summer, and hope to connect with a lot more people!

This Friday April 12th and Saturday April 13th we will be attending the East Idaho Kids Fair!

Learn more about the Kids Fair here.

If you are located in Eastern Idaho, we’d love for you to stop by and say hi!

“Say thank you.”

“Cover your mouth.”

“Be nice.”

“Treat others how you’d like to be treated.”

“Use your manners.”

Most every parent has had to correct their kids in one way or another in regards to manners and how to treat others.  There is a certain underlying etiquette in our society when it comes to manners and behaviors when around others.  We have moved on from caveman ways and have adapted a modern approach to dealing with others…well, most of us anyway.

But, when it comes to the internet, we still have caveman tendencies.  Technology has  moved above and beyond what, I personally, ever thought possible.  Just 10 years ago there was no way I’d ever thought I could watch movies on a phone, have my kids download game apps, and connect with old friends via social networking.  With the rapid rise of these amazing abilities and with all of the forums, boards, and FaceBook hype that surround us, manners  have gone out the window.  Internet bullying has become extreme.  Our internet manners and etiquette haven’t quite caught up to our technological advances and parents need to stay ahead of the game.  It is our responsibility to teach our kids that their internet life will follow them in real life and there are certain do’s and don’ts.   So, here are some “netiquette” (internet etiquette) suggestions.

• When a website has a list of rules, obey those rules.  There is a reason the rules are in place.  Obeying the rules and regulations gives those visiting the most out of the website. Plus, not adhering to the rules can put your use of that site at risk.

• Spell check anything written.

• Do not use all caps.  This indicates shouting.

• Honesty is the best policy, both IRL and online.

• Never ever give out personal information online.  There should never be a good enough reason to do so.

• Don’t send texts or emails late at night.  It can wait until the next day, especially if its not an emergency.

• Only shop on sites that are secure.

• When posting pictures, make sure its nothing that will haunt you for the rest of your life.  Everything that is posted online DOES NOT DIE WHEN IT GETS DELETED.

• Just be yourself.  If you wouldn’t say it to someones face, just don’t say it at all.  Your online reputation is just as important as IRL.

• The Golden Rule applies online too.  If you wouldn’t want it done to you, don’t do it to someone else.

• Always re read everything before posting, and if it violates any rule, don’t post it.

As parents, we need to realize that our online persona may as well be our “in real life” persona.  If they aren’t one in the same already, they will be very soon.  It doesn’t take much to Google a name and see what kind of information we can gather from anyone.  We need to teach our kids that their life is out there for all to see, deleting does not make it disappear, and what kind of person do we want to be online?  Is it what we are really?  Would a college or future employer find us honest and credible?

Netiquette is now a part of raising kids.  We need to raise a generation of internet respectable kids and make this thing called technology safe and enjoyable for all of us to use.

Ensuring your child is getting enough sleep and maintains a regular sleep pattern is vital to their development. Proper sleep allows for better concentration and reduces the risk of mental illness and physical health problems such as diabetes, heart problems, depression and substance abuse.

As children are spending more and more time online, on the phone or in front of the TV their sleep patterns are beginning to be interrupted suddenly they are at risk of sleep disorders, mood swings, anxiety and depression as well as various physical health problems long term.

What can you do? 

Limit Screen Time
Having an hour of “Wind down” time before bed can be helpful in helping your child’s brain slow down enough to allow for a proper sleep. They will often find they drift off quicker and their sleep is of a much higher quality. It is also important that phones/iPods/etc aren’t kept near or in the bed as they emit energy that trigger brain activity and make it hard for your child to sleep.

Have a Routine
By creating and sticking to a regular sleep routine, we allow our children’s circadian rhythms (sleep-wake cycle) to develop. By ensuring they are in bed and wake at the same time each day, their body becomes used to this and they recognise that time as the time to go to sleep. This also helps in reducing sleep dept and preventing any long term effects caused by sleep deprivation.

Create a Conducive Sleeping Environment
Make sure your child’s room is cool, dark and they have all they need (such as their bear, or their favourite blankets). Ensure they’re not too hot as this will interrupt their sleep. If they’re scared of the dark a nightlight in the next room or dimmed in the corner will help them feel settled.

Avoid Stimulants
Try to limit the amount of stimulants your child consumes before bed. Sugar, soft drinks and caffienated beverages will cause your child to be restless and wake during the night. Excessive beverages could also cause them to need to wake to go to the bathroom through the night, interrupting their sleep.

How do I know if I need to get help for my child? 
Sleep problems may often be about something other than poor sleep hygeine and their may be an issue that needs to be investigated properly. If you’re concerned that your child isn’t sleeping properly or they are showing signs of poor sleep, it may be beneficial to seek help. Your GP, paediatrician or local family health nurse is often a good place to start. They will be able to advise you on the appropriate processes needed to help.

Consistent tiredness, restless sleep and anxiety around bedtime are often an indication that there may be more to your child’s sleep troubles than poor sleep hygeine. Discussing any concerns your child might have is a good place to start and will help you get an idea of what might be going on.

A BIG Thanks to all of you who participated in our Safe Kids Browser “My Kids Browser” Giveaway.

The 5 Lucky Winners are:

Heather Bowen

Robb Terresa Foreman

Misty Mathews Castelton

Donna Higley and

Christy L. Scott

Winners: Please contact Brittany at brittany.oler@kidsemail.org to claim your prize!

You can check out My Kids Browser, and try it for free by visiting http://mykidsbrowser.com/