(Photo by Edenpictures) The purpose of the first World Information Society Day in 2005 was to raise awareness about what the Internet and other communication technologies could offer to societies and economies, and to help bridge the digital divide. A year later, the day was combined with World Telecommunication Day (which had been celebrated on May 17th since 1969) to mark both the founding of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865 (back in the good old days of the Morse Code). Although this blend creates the tongue-twisting name World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, the blend makes perfect sense and also eliminates potential confusion between Information Society Day with the legendary 80s band. Access to information is increasing globally, thanks in part to such projects as "One Laptop Per Child" and the Technology Access Foundation. As more young people venture onto the Internet, though, new challenges arise. Perhaps that’s why this year’s theme for World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is "Protecting Children in Cyberspace." A couple of decades ago, parents were biting their nails over the mature themes and manipulative advertising their children were being exposed to on television. Today, those worries are multiplied to the Nth degree with the unfiltered realm that must seem to many like the new Wild West. Although the statistics about young peoples' experience online can be alarming, the Internet should not strike fear into one's heart. The key is to be aware of the dangers for kids, and to begin the idea of "communications" with old-fashioned talking. Many kids give out personal information online without understanding the risks. Online predators certainly exist, but cyberbullying is becoming a more common concern, with cases reaching the news cycle by the day. Just as we enjoy having unlimited access to information via the Internet 24 hours a day, this door opens both ways, so kids can no longer leave conflicts behind on school grounds. The silver lining? There are a lot of resources out there for families. Start with the Yahoo! Directory to find organizations, information, and tips for helping your kids navigate cyberspace. Suggested Sites... Yahoo! Safely - tons of information for parents and kids for staying safe online. Child Online Protection - informative brochure from ITU. SafeKids.com - offers great resources, plus a blog with current topics. Internet Safety Technical Task Force - creating a safer environment on the internet for youth. World Information Society Day - links and resources from the United Nations.

Directory categories: Child Internet Safety, Internet Safety Organizations, Internet Blocking and Filtering Software, Children's Internet Privacy, Digital Divide

Archived under: Children, Computers, Holidays, Internet, Kids, Parenting, Safety, Security, Technology, Teens

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(Photo by Thomas Frederick) The pressure cooker known as the Holiday Season is coming on -- fast! For many people, this time of year features a set of hopes, fears, expectations, and obligations that flares up like an itchy winter rash. If you're already dreading the high stakes associated with the "Season of Cheer," be warned: it all starts with Halloween. Oh, Halloween, you tease! For some, it’s a favorite holiday, full of mischief and fun; for others, All Hallows Eve holds huge potential to ruin someone's day; be it yourself, a fellow partygoer, your child, or even someone else's child. Here are some crimes to avoid, so you can make Halloween all treat and no trick: The offense: You go to a party with no costume or a very lame costume. Honestly, this just makes everyone feel awkward, doesn’t it? C’mon, get into the spirit! You think costumes look silly? You look sillier without one at a costume party. The offense: You dress your kid in a ridiculous costume. Maybe as a kid you just had to have that store-bought costume, but your mom or dad insisted on going home-made. Or perhaps it's the opposite; that you longed for your parents to put in some crafty effort, but all they did was go to the drugstore and get you a cheap plastic sheet and mask at the last minute. Hmmm -- maybe this one is a no-win situation. The offense: You pass out bad treats. Nice idea, but face it; you're not going to save the world from cavities by passing out pencils, stickers, raisins, or toothbrushes. But you will probably wake up to toilet paper streamers in your yard. The classic Charlie Brown TV special makes us give thanks each year if we manage to do better than getting nothing but a bag of rocks. So think about it; it takes just a little effort to make Halloween the best day of the year. Suggested Sites... Halloween Fun & Activities for Kids - lots of ideas for costumes, crafts, games, and snacks for happy haunting. Last Minute Costumes - don't go to the party without one! Candy Alternatives from Planet Green - instead of toothbrushes, pass out some organic treats with no trans fats. Yahoo! Celebrates Halloween 2008 - speaking of Halloween, check out the Yahoo! Halloween site.

Directory categories: Halloween, Homemade Costumes, Costume Retailers, Holiday Stress Management, Candy

Archived under: Children, Costumes, Halloween, Holidays, Junk Food, Kids, Parties

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(Photo by Graham Chastney) We're old-fashioned when it comes to games and toys. We prefer Lincoln Logs to Leapsters, Backgammon to Warcraft, and even Rock Paper Scissors to Grand Theft Auto. So when we recently learned about a traditional playground game that requires only horse chestnuts (also known as "conkers") and string, we were intrigued. The more we learned about the game of Conkers, the more we felt we'd been deprived of something wonderful as children. In Conkers (which is played mostly in the U.K., Ireland, and some former British colonies), the preparation is nearly as important as the game. Competitors -- generally school kids, although nostalgic (and sometimes inebriated) adults also partake -- select the biggest, toughest, or luckiest-looking horse chestnuts from the autumn crop. Some contestants boil, bake, soak in vinegar, or shellac their conkers in order to toughen them up -- though others insist that any conker-tampering is cheating. Players carefully bore a hole through each nut, and thread a string through it, knotting the end to keep it in place. And then the games -- and the bruises -- begin. The game consists of two competitors taking turns whacking one another's conkers with their own, with play determined by a catalog of arcane rules and traditions. The conker that breaks first is the loser, with the winning nut receiving a score that is the sum of its own victories, plus the victories of all the loser's vanquished opponents. A particularly lucky conker might have dozens of victories under its belt before being smashed or retired from competition. Once a competitor graduates from playground matches, there's only one place to go: the World Conker Championships. The annual event takes place in Ashton, England, on the second Sunday of October. If you can't make it to the games in person this weekend, grab your conkers and play along at home! Suggested Sites... World Conker Championships - official site of the world's most serious game of Conkers. Institution of Occupational Safety and Health: Conkers! - the safety group now sponsors the WCC, dispelling a myth that they once required children to wear protective goggles while playing Conkers. Conkers: A Favourite Childen's Game - detailed, illustrated instructions -- all you need to start playing Conkers. BBC: Caravan Conkers! - the boys from BBC's "Top Gear" play Conkers with cranes and RVs. The End of Horse Chestnut Trees? - BBC report on a deadly fungus that threatens horse chestnut trees -- and Conkers.

Directory categories: Conkers, Games, U.K. Games, Game Retailers

Archived under: Conkers, Contests, Games, Kids, Recreation and Travel, Regional, Sports, United Kingdom

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Porters carrying huge loads of beer (Photo by Meg and Rahul) The school year has officially begun, and if you've survived the slings and arrows of the first days or weeks, congratulations! But don't get too comfy just yet. There's potential trouble lurking just behind you -- literally. Yes, right there on your back. If you're a student, or if you send a young charge off to school each day, then Pete the Posture Parrot has an important message for you. September is Backpack Safety America Month, and the campaign is in full swing to inform students and parents about the health risks of carrying too heavy a load on developing spines. Some practical tips can help prevent kids from developing back injuries. For example, young lads and lasses who are still growing should carry no more than the equivalent of 15% of their body weight on their backs. And all the rest of us could use a refresher in the proper method of lifting heavy objects. Perhaps it's time to find ways to get these books and packs off our kids' backs altogether. Many families have made the switch to rolling backpacks, and if we could make textbooks widely available as e-books, schools could issue laptops or Kindle-style readers instead of piling the pounds into kids' packs. While we're all for keeping kids healthy and safe, we don't want to overlook the great mystery in all this: Namely, why is a parrot, of all things, the mascot for backpack safety? Parrots don't carry things on their backs (although there are backpacks for humans to carry parrots!), they never seem to stand up straight, and as cuddly as Pete is, we'd have suggested a pirate. Just think -- they could hang bookbags from their hooks and store snacks in their peg legs, removing all strain from the back for good. Suggested Sites... Mayo Clinic: School Backpacks - advice on buying and wearing packs. American Academy of Pediatrics: Backpack Safety - tips from the experts on keeping backs healthy. Backpack Safety America - home of Pete the Posture Parrot. Find out how to bring the program to your school.

Directory categories: Backpacks, Back and Spine Health, Ergonomic Consulting, Electronic Literature, E-books

Archived under: Backpacks, Children, Childrens Health, Education, Health, Kids, Parenting, Safety, School, Teens

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Ecstatic graduate with her fancy compact digital camera. (We had to wait days for our "pics" to develop) (Photo by Andy) Each August, Wisconsin's Beloit College releases their Mindset List, a gauge of average freshman experiences for that year. Aside from being interesting culturally, its main purpose seems to be making those of us who have been away from higher education for more than a year or two feel ancient and out of touch. "These kids don't remember who? They never had to deal with what?! Why, back in my day...." This year's list, compiled by Humanities prof Tom McBride and Public Affairs Director Ron Nief, profiles Class of 2012 freshman -- and yes, Grandpa, most of them were born in 1990. They grew up on "Seinfeld," video games, roller blades, and karaoke. The kids these days not only don't remember the Cold War, but they weren't even alive to see it end. Nor would they remember Apartheid, and Nelson Mandela has always been free. They might not even recognize Ross Perot, Rodney King, Anita Hill, or Jeffrey Dahmer. This year's freshman class might not be able to comprehend how horrifying it is that they could have been conceived to Richard Marx, Tone Loc, Roxette, or New Kids on the Block, but on the other hand, the poor dears won't have any recollection of Hammer Pants, Vanilla Ice's shaved eyebrows, or Poison's sparkly pink lipstick. Of course, the lucky young things also aren't likely to get the "Family Ties" theme song stuck in their heads, since it went off the air the year before they were born. These whippersnappers have never known life without the Internet, caller ID, mobile phones, and motorized scooters. When we were freshman, of course, we had to find our own way to class, without GPS, and we walked... uphill (both ways), in the snow. Suggested Sites... Class of 2012 Mindset List - go on -- make yourself feel old if you remember when WWW meant World Wide Wrestling. New Zealand's Mindset List - different cultural references, but the same result, Gramps. Beloit College Mindset List: 1918 - a fanciful look back at the days of hobble skirts and Victrolas, from McSweeney's.

Directory categories: The 1990s, The 1980s, Pop Culture, Higher Education, Student Life

Archived under: 1980s, College and Universities, Education, Kids, School, Society and Culture, Time

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