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Healthy lunch menu plan From the Coles Website Children need to eat a variety of foods everyday to be healthy. Choosing healthy lunch food is easy. Here are some ideas: Read on … Tags: nutrition parenting

L.A. Times Finalists Named

The finalists for the Los Angeles Times prize for young adult fiction have been named. The five nominees are:

Looking for Alaska by John Green (Dutton),

Black Juice by Margo Lanagan (HarperCollins/Eos),

You & You & You by Per Nilsson (Front Street),

The Center of the World by Andreas Steinhofel (Delacorte) and

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak (Knopf).

The winner will be announced on April 28.

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books

Bullying Among Young Children - A Guide for Parents - PDF Bullying Among Young Children - A Guide for Teachers and Carers - PDF The guides provide useful advice to parents, teachers and other carers on recognising changes in moods and behaviours that are associated with bullying. They also provide strategies to help children who bully and those who are bullied. tags: bullying parents

Potter magic reignites novel interest

News that 'Harry Potter' heart-throb Daniel Radcliffe is starring in the film adaptation of Michael Noonan's The December Boys has sent international publishers racing for their cheque books

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Harry Potter books

No more homeless pets

Pocket Pets Rats, guinea pigs, sugar gliders and other small creatures sometimes need rescue, too. But would you know how to help them? Do hamsters and gerbils use the same type of bedding? What temperatures are ideal for chinchillas? And what are the benefits of having our tiniest companions spayed or neutered? Small exotic animal specialist Dr. Mark Burgess of Southwest Animal Hospital helps us look out for the little guys. Tags pets animals

The State of the world's children - UNESCO

“The publication of this year’s State of the World’s Children coincides with the beginning of UNICEF’s 60th year. The report sheds light on lives in a world that is often hidden or neglected – a world of vulnerability and exclusion. And it calls on all of us to speak up for the rights of children and to act on behalf of those who need our protection.” Read the report Tags: kids UNESCO

Pulitzer Prize winner - are we missing something?

As is so often the case, there are the questions about why literary prizes are awarded. Are we missing something? Are we not literary enough to appreciate this book? What were they thinking? And it seems to happen all over the world and across all genres. Today it applies to the latest prize-winner – of the Pulitzer prize. Here is the announcement of the winner: From Yahoo news … NEW YORK - "March," Geraldine Brooks' novel that imagines the life of the fictional father in Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women," was awarded the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for fiction on Monday. For the first time since 1997, the Pulitzer board declined to award a prize for drama. Brooks depicted the life of John March, the father absent for most of Alcott's famed novel of four sisters growing up in Massachusetts during the Civil War. And here is the review also in the news this morning. “ …It is difficult to pinpoint where and when “March” loses its appeal. Although Brooks is a creative writer, she is missing an essential ingredient that makes readers want to continue reading and find out what happens next. Novels based on previously published materials, especially those like “Little Women,” which have found a special place in many readers’ hearts, have a lot to live up to…” Read the whole post Tags: communication books

Copyright for kids

Copyright for kids - This website is especially for kids. Go on an interactive adventure. Take part in all the activities. Discover what copyright really means. There is a test you can take at the end to see what you really do know! There are six questions with full answers provided on the next page. Tags copyright kids homework

Soy now comes in teddy bear form

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The teddy bear's fluffy, cream coloured fur looks like that of a typical stuffed animal. But this teddy's fur has something more in common with health foods than children's toys -- it comes from soy. "Tofu Bear" is part of Biltmore World Trade Inc.'s line of SoySilk Pals, stuffed animals whose fur is made out of soy fibre that is extruded from soybean cake, or tofu. The small Tempe, Arizona-based company said the dolls give toy companies a chance to offer an eco-friendly, natural alternative to the plush dolls of today, whose synthetic fur is petroleum-based."It's time for all of us to look at eco-luxury products," said Jonelle Raffino, president of Biltmore World Trade. The soy fibre for the SoySilk dolls is made by Biltmore's sister company, South West Trading Co., a yarn company that Raffino started with her mother about five years ago. Read the whole article Tags: family toys

A place for your kids online. Visit the whizz kids pages.

Brain Pop - educational for kids

BrainPOP is an educational program for kids of all ages with content spanning 6 main subjects including: Science, Math, English, Social Studies, Health and Technology. Within each subject, you will find hundreds of short, animated movies that speak to kids in a language and voice that they understand. At BrainPOP, we believe that a strong foundation of facts is the key to building knowledge. Therefore, our movies strive to provide kids with an honest and real view of whatever topic or issue we tackle. Visit Brain Pop tags: education kids

Parents support union's decision to reject reporting system

The ACT Parents and Citizens Council has supported the education union's decision to reject the controversial A-to-E reporting system. Article continues Tags: education

Coffee and Cake Comparison

Some coffee drinks, particularly the chilled, iced and frappé versions, provide a lot more kilojoules, fat and sugar than you might realise. CHOICE tested the kilojoules, fat and sugar in a range of hot and chilled coffee drinks from coffee chains. To give you an idea of just how much they, and other treats contribute to your diet, try our interactive nutrition tool.

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nutrition

families

Healthy lunchbox snacks

“Snacks help kids keep going through the day, and there are plenty of convenient prepacked snacks to choose from that kids will enjoy. But only a quarter of the snacks we reviewed met all our nutrition criteria. Try our interactive lunchbox, to see how different snacks can contribute to your diet.”

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parenting nutrition

New bill to scrap junk food ads All food and drink advertising would be banned during children's TV programs under a bill introduced by the Australian Democrats to tackle obesity. Under current laws, only alcohol advertising is banned during children's programs. Read on ... Tags parenting advertising nutrition

Bootsie Barker bites - for bullying From the Play Library blog “Bootsie Barker Bites by Barbara Bottner may be a good book to introduce to primary school children who are learning to deal with playground politics.” tags: books bullying parenting