Category: Free Essays

Socialization is generally thought of as being an essential part of human development in that its importance is often times disregarded. However, understanding socialization can be a complicated and enduring process. “Sociologists use the term socialization to refer to the lifelong social experience by which people develop their human potential and learn culture” (Macionis, 2011, 68). Humans need social experience to acquire the skills needed to learn their culture and for survival. “Social experience is also the basis of personality, a person’s fairly consistent patterns of acting, thinking and feeling. We build a personality by internalizing – taking in – our surroundings” (Macionis, 2011, 68). When an individual is lacking social experience, personality seldom develops. People usually rely on others for assistance when their children are growing physically and emotionally but most importantly as their personality is developing. Many theorists have focused on childhood as being the most critical time when personality is formed; however, Erik H. Erikson’s eight stages of development have set apart that focus and places emphasis on socialization throughout the life course as being the most influential (Macionis, 2011). Erikson centralized that challenges are faced throughout the life course fluctuating from infancy, toddlerhood, preschool, preadolescence, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood to old age even though not everyone faces these challenges in the exact order (Macionis, 2011). In summary, Erikson’s stages of development model calls attention to how several factors, including the family, school and peer groups, shape our personalities.

Since socialization is a learning process that begins after birth and is learned throughout an individual’s life span, a common question is how can people be socialized? Looking around the world, we see that different cultures used different techniques to socialize their children both formal and informally through school and peer groups. As we age, we enter new statuses and need to learn the appropriate roles for them. Across America, there are many national organizations that have been organized to provide programs for young people that help with maintaining socialization skills that have been embedded amongst our youth. “The Boys & Girls Clubs of America is a national organization of local chapters which provide after-school programs for young people” (http://www.bgca.org). The first Boys’ Club was founded in Hartford, Connecticut in 1860 after a group of women noticed how young boys from needy families would hang out on the streets after school because they didn’t have anywhere else to go. The club was created to provide them with a safe place to play. By 1906, there were fifty-three independent Boys’ Clubs that came together in Boston for form a national organization known as the Federated Boys’ Clubs. After many years, the organization renamed itself Boys’ Clubs of America and in 1990 renamed itself to Boys & Girls Clubs of America. There are currently over 4,000 autonomous local Clubs, which are affiliates of the national organization and serve over four million boys and girls. Clubs can be found in all fifty states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and on US Military Bases. In 2010, member percentages included: 65% are from minority families, 5% are 5 years old and under, 43% are 6-10 years old, 19% are 11-12 years old, 21% are 13-15 years old, 12% are 16-18 years old, 55% are male and 45% are female (http://www.bgca.org).

The Boys & Girls Clubs are a safe place to learn and grow. “It is the place where great futures are started each and every day” (http://www.bgca.org). The goals set forth by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America basically includes their mission statement which reads “to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens” (http://www.bgca.org). The organization gives young people a safe and supervised environment, an especially important task as more and more families have needed to work multiple jobs and cannot be home for their children. They also encourage kids to get involved in activities, learn team skills, and associate with people they might not meet at school or in their neighborhood. Many clubs offer an after school program as well as an extended summer program, giving kids a real opportunity to make friends and be involved in the programs and services offered at the clubs (http://www.wisegeek.com). Their core beliefs are for “The Boys & Girls Club to aspire to provide all young people with a safe place to learn and grow, and establish ongoing relationships with caring, adult professionals by providing them with life enhancing programs and character development experiences” (http://www.bgca.org).

There are many strategies that have been implemented by The Boys & Girls Clubs of America each help youth in distinctive ways. The Education & Career Programs which help youth create aspirations for the future, providing opportunities for career exploration and educational enhancement. The Character & Leadership Programs which help youth become responsible, caring citizens and acquire skills for participating in the democratic process. The Health & Life Skills Programs in which those initiatives develop young people’s capacity to engage in positive behaviors that nurture their own well-being, set personal goals and live successfully as self-sufficient adults. The Arts Programs which are programs in this core area that enable youth to develop their creativity and cultural awareness through knowledge and appreciation of the visual arts, crafts, performing arts and creative writing. The Sports, Fitness and Recreation Programs which help develop fitness, a positive use of leisure time, reduction of stress, appreciation for the environment and social and interpersonal skills. The Specialized Programs in which these initiatives focus on meeting the significant and specific needs identified within the Boys & Girls Clubs. This broad scope complements several or all of their core program areas within the organization.

According to Kidzworld, the Boys & Girls Clubs are community based and building centered. “Since 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. is the time of day when children are usually unsupervised, The Boys & Girls Clubs run their programs after school, and on weeknights and weekends” (http://www.kidzworld.com). The Clubs provide a safe and affordable place for these programs to run; all the while, clubs do charge a monthly or seasonal fee and some assistance may be available to families in need (Ellis, 2003-2012). The Clubs are led by trained, paid youth-development professionals. Signing your child or young friend up for the club can make a positive impact in every area of their life.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of America provide young people with a safe learning environment and opportunities to build new skills that raise each child’s belief that he or she can succeed and receive recognition for personal accomplishments. They also assist in building ongoing relationships with caring adults and connections to new friends in a positive environment, reinforcing a sense of belonging, personal accountability, civility and civic responsibility. Finally, they offer generation-changing programs that support a commitment to learning, positive values, healthy habits and high expectations for success as an adult. Many people credit The Boys & Girls Clubs with changing their children’s direction in life or teaching them vital skills. “The Chronicle of Philanthropy ranked Boys & Girls Clubs of America number one among youth organizations for the 13th consecutive year, and number 12 among all nonprofit organizations” (http://www.bgca.org).

Philosophy. Both Montessori and Waldorf education view the child with utmost respect and reverence as an individual, spiritual and creative being. Both methods believed in the education of the whole child, to teach it how to think for itself, with the goal of producing a better society living in respect, peace and harmony. According to Maria Montessori, “establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war.”

Both methods based their education on satisfying the needs and capacities of the child, believing that this will lead to responding to the needs of the community they belong. Both methods also believe in alleviating and protecting our children from the stresses of modernization.

Curriculum. According to Maria Montessori, “one test of the correctness of educational procedure is the happiness of the child.”

Both methods adhere to developmentally appropriate principles and provide a variety of art, music and other creative means in their curriculum. Waldorf education is divided into the three phases of growth: the imitative nature of the young child, the imaginative undertaking of the middle childhood and the thoughtful age of the adolescent. Montessori education, on the other hand, is according to the child’s sensitive years where they easily master particular learning skills. They adopt a three-year age grouping called the Planes of Development, which corresponds to the child’s natural stages of development (three-six, six-nine, nine-twelve and twelve-fifteen). While Waldorf curriculum moves with changes of the season, Montessori education is set at the pace and will of the child.

Both emphasize on spiritual, mental, physical and psychological development rather than academics. Waldorf education, however, introduces academics at later ages, particularly when the child “changes his teeth.” During this time he is deemed ready to take on more intellectually-oriented activities but prior to this, play, both indoor and outdoor, which they hold as the highest integral part of learning, enhanced by the arts, music and cultural beliefs, takes an enormous part of a child’s learning regime as it is believed to develop children emotionally, mentally and actively. While Waldorf emphasized on the cultivation of imagination, Montessori education, however, shifted from make-believe play to real life work, when children prompted that they are more interested in such activities. They now offer children mathematics, manipulative language and academically oriented materials that would introduce them concepts and certain functions.

Although Waldorf education is more of an integrated-approach, or what they call spiraling, and Montessori education more child-directed, both methods have great regard for the hands. Both believed in that education should be highly experiential and sensorial. According to Dr. Maria Montessori, “the hands are the instruments to man’s intelligence,” while Rudolf Steiner proposed education through the art with the hands, heart and head as mediums to achieve its goals. Both believe that the use of the hand and the development of fine motor flexibility lead to the development of the brain.

Intellectual development. Both Montessori and Waldorf education emphasize on the importance of imagination in education. According to Maria Montessori, “we especially need imagination in science. It is not all mathematics, nor all logic, but it is somewhat beauty and poetry.” Montessori education sees the child as having an absorbent mind. They believe that to fully educate the child, she must be offered intellectually challenging tasks even from an early age, that is why at casa level (nursery), children are already being introduced to subject matters like botany, zoology, geography and history.

Waldorf education on the other hand, sees the child as growing and evolving and aims to nurture the child’s imaginative and creative potentials. They believe that the key to critical and scientific thinking is through creativity and imagination. Quoting Albert Einstein, “The greatest scientists are artists as well. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination circles the world.”

Interactions. In a Montessori prepared environment, children work individually, sometimes in groups, according to their interests, while in Waldorf, children work as a class on activities prompted by their rhythm, the natural flow of the day. Both methods implement multi-age classes, most especially during pre-school years. Both methods see the benefits of employing mixed groupings like older children providing scaffolding for younger children and acting as models for younger children to imitate. However, Montessori teaching emphasizes on socialization as a form of respect; children are not to bother each other while doing their work, that they should help a younger child to perform a new task and that each would take turns in the activities they want to engage in inside the classroom. Waldorf on the other hand encourages that children should play together, move together and to solve conflicts together.

Montessori teachers facilitate interventions by offering children new materials when she deem the child is ready to move on to more difficult tasks, while Waldorf teachers orchestrate children’s rhythm and learning activities and act as mediators for all children to socialize. Both Montessori and Waldorf encourage the looping of the students, or that the children and teachers stay in a class for a certain number of years to provide stability, ease of communication and familiarity in the class. However, this may be optional for some schools under these methods.

Both methods emphasize on the importance of nature, its part in the children’s lives and the roles of children in nature. They highly encourage keeping in touch with the environment and to make use of natural materials. Montessori education has specific subjects for getting in touch with nature. Waldorf, however, has designated outdoor playtime for the children to devote themselves in appreciating their environment. Furthermore, while in a Montessori setting, the children are encouraged to make use of materials especially designed for their learning purposes, Waldorf encourages children to create their own toys and materials as they go about their imaginative and creative activities.

Maria Montessori Children’s School Foundation Inc.

I visited Maria Montessori Children’s School Foundation Inc. It is actually one of the original Montessori schools here meaning the founder of the school and the first batch of teachers trained in Italy. While other Montessori schools use the Montessori method they still mix it with other learning methods. This school is one of the few schools in the country that are true to the Montessori teaching.

The point that struck me most is that when a child is at “work,” they are not to be disturbed so as not to lose the momentum of learning. It is also notable how they leave the child to learn for himself and that learning takes place in a manner that is child-centered, sensorial, active and child-directed. It teaches kids practical stuff to learn how to survive on his own in the world. They have a relatively advanced curriculum like as early as four, they were already learning about basic botany, zoology, history and geography.

They also started to learn how to multiply and divide and how to write in cursive. Aside from the academics, they also learned practical things like how to button up shirts, wash dishes, do the laundry pour water into a glass from the pitcher and transferring food from one bowl to another. It provides an excellent foundation for children. It is individualized and the children get to choose what they want to learn and how to learn it.

They assure that even though they are highly progressive, the children will not have a hard time adjusting if you transfer him to a traditional school in the future that is because Montessori children are highly adaptable. There are no written periodical tests because what the teachers do is interview and ask you to explain in your own words how you understand concepts. The teachers have a checklist, and if the teacher thinks that you have mastered it, then you will move on to your next lessons. One is deemed to internalize learning in the hope that one will not forget what she learned.

The three main qualities that make Montessori teaching unique are: first, the use of specially designed materials and the prepared environment they set up for the children. Montessori schools are proud of their materials inside the classroom that are especially made for the purpose of learning and are to be manipulated freely by the children. Maria Montessori intended that the children made use of their hands in exploring these materials. She believes that the hands are the instruments of man’s intelligence. It is through them and their other senses that they achieve the growth and reap the fruits of normalization. The prepared environment is set up to assist the children as they occupy themselves with work, equipping themselves with experiences they need in the present. However, it is truly the initiative of the students that keep them learning and their innate thirst for knowledge that drives them to master their work.

Second is teacher training. Mainly, the Association of Montessori International and Association of Montessori Schools certify true Montessori teachers. They undergo training in different parts of the world, while some are trained in house. This training is rigorous and all the fruits of which are highly personal meaning during the course of such training, the teachers acquire experiences and make albums that document they journey, all of which only belong to the teacher and the teacher alone.

Third is the curriculum. They mainly adhere to the principle of learning by doing, which is the most crucial part of their teaching. Some schools deviate from this by incorporating traditional methods into their curriculum. Maria Montessori designed her teaching method originally for children with learning disabilities but she figured that if special children are able to learn from the method, using it for regular children will make them extraordinary. Montessori also made it’s mission to educate not only the parents but other people surrounding our children as well, for they believe that these people are those who have great influence on them too; and that in some sense, they too are parents to our children.

It was an Open House, and so I came with the group of parents that were to observe their children. I was lead into the classroom by teacher Aida Borres, who was telling me that classes are already ongoing. Curiously, I peered inside only to be shocked by an astounding silence. It was like watching a silent movie. There were children going about tasks while being observed by their parents. The parents were equally silent, probably keeping their end of the bargain – to be supportive audience of their kids.

This silence was not just in one class, but is ever present in the entire school. My curiosity was answered by teacher Aida, “we do not disturb the children as they go about their “work,” so as not to lose the momentum of learning which is essential as they make meaning in their experiences.”

Teacher Aida never used the word “study” to describe what the children were doing. She calls them “work” or “occupation,” that each child is engaged in, which is an activity introduced by their teacher from one of the 4 corners of Montessori education: Practical Arts, Sensorial Arts, Language and Mathematics.

What caught me was the discipline that was already fortified in the children even at a very young age. They would not touch any material unless offered by the teacher. This offering is some sort of introduction, which is not only about how the materials are to be cared for and properly stacked when their occupation is done, but also includes the workings of how the activity is of value to creating various experiences to the child. This is why, despite the number of students in each class, their materials remain in tact and properly maintained.

With the thought that I cannot disturb the child at work, I moved to the side to observe a young boy busy completing a puzzle. The puzzle is made of wood, and the pieces are of various colors. The picture on the puzzle seemed to be a turtle, and the tiles on the shell have the letters of the alphabet.

When I came into the room, he was already working on his task and was still working on it when I left. He was sitting there quietly, trying to figure out where each piece falls. His concentration was so intense, that he didn’t even mind others going around the room, including strangers like me. When he completed his task, he repeated it again on his own initiative. I was so impressed that he did not tire nor got bored with what he was doing.

This task was probably part of the Language Area. And the young boy was probably mastering the order of the letters of the alphabet and at the same time trying to figure out the pattern being made by the colors and how the whole picture will turn out. He was also learning about discipline and concentration to accomplish his task. He was also probably learning about himself, that he can do what he is doing and that what he is doing is part of learning.

I noticed that it was not really how well the children manipulate the materials in front of them, but how they strive hard to get to know these materials, how they put their effort into mastering and re-mastering what they were learning.

Manila Waldorf School, Inc.

I visited Manila Waldorf School, Inc. at Timberland Heights, San Mateo, Rizal. The first few instructions I got were not to wear makeup, to remove anything fancy on me and not to wear black. I was also instructed not to bother the kids but instead busy myself with hand knitting. Good thing, they allowed me to take pictures, document everything and even ask all the questions I want.

They hardly use plastic materials inside the school premises. They want everything to be all-natural. Toys and furniture are made of wood. Some children even make use of bags that are bayongs and baskets. Dishes are glass and ceramic. Everywhere there’s thread and cloth. And they use citronella oil as insect repellent.

Their early childhood curriculum is focused on the physical well-being of the child. They want them to be “malusog, matatag at matibay.” This is their path to learning – to nourish first the body, then the heart and then the mind. Children engage in indoor and outdoor play, with creativity and imagination as their core concepts. To engage the children in activities that would train their concentration and nurture their love for learning are what they offer to prepare them for life.

They advocate that the child be taught in a calm manner. Children are taught life lessons and values through rhythmic activities and instructions. Teachers sing songs and make birdcalls to mark the transitions from an activity to another. By the end of the day, teachers write notes on each child and come up with a narrative detailing the development of the child and particular instances that the teacher thinks are noteworthy. These narratives become basis for assessing how and what children are learning and how they are applying what they learned. In their classroom, children make bread, weave baskets and are taught to pray as they play. They go home with a book in hand and a plethora of talk about so many things.

Teachers, as well as parents, caregivers and other adults surrounding the child, play the active role of creating an environment for them to make meaningful interaction. Teachers consciously and continuously strive to be “worthy of imitation” – for it is during these formative years that we make imprints on our children that would last them a lifetime.

I arrived at Waldorf E. Rodriguez, which was an old house, to catch the shuttle that would take us to San Mateo. I met some people who work at the school, both faculty and non-teaching staff, and noticed how simple and humble they are and their presence will truly make one step back and look at herself. One of the teachers in kindergarten, Tita (), went inside the old house first to change into her working clothes, comprised of a white undershirt, a white skirt and a yellow apron.

I sat at the back, not wanting to cause any distractions on the incomers. I immediately noticed most of the kids were carrying library books. A sight I really don’t normally see in regular school. And they were discussing a mystery they have in class. Teachers and students, alike, were conversing about regular school things until they started talking about weird food they like to mix and match. They went on until we were near the school. They even had a game determining what time they would exactly arrive at the front steps of the school.

The view from there was amazing. One can almost touch the sky. The fresh air was so good to breathe. And the greens were simply breathtaking. The school was big and situated magnificently down the slopes of the mountain. We then drove up to where the preschool classrooms were located. The grounds were clean and the grasses were trimmed. I also noticed native chickens running around the parking area and across the fields. I was asked to wait outside the administrators’ office but I took it as my chance to take pictures of the scenery.

I was then met by one of the secretaries, Miss Dina, and was brought to the class that was about to start. It was 8:00am.

The door to the classroom swung open taking in the students who already was in queue, and the teachers wearing yellow aprons immediately greeted them while rubbing “citronella oil” on their arms.

I was welcomed by the teacher, but was not formally introduced in class, rather I was given the task to busy myself with finger-knitting. They requested me to keep to myself and not to disturb the ongoing flow of their class. I can only take short glimpses and was requested not to talk to any of the children.

They proceeded with their “rhythm.” One of the “titas” was already working with the other kids on their bread. They were kneading the bread and were shaping them, getting them all ready for the oven. The other children on the other hand were conversing with each other trying to decide what they want to play. They settled on singing and acting out a scene from a play. I noticed how their play was deeply rooted on singing. The children took turns being the “Anghel.” The teachers on the other hand were busy with preparing things in the kitchen and baking the bread. Once in a while, the titas would call the attention of the students asking them questions about their play. Other times, they would discipline some students causing any disturbance in class by saying that it is better to take such behavior outside.

When time came, one of the “titas” sang a song to mark the transition of the class, and then lead all the children into more songs and group movements. The children then washed their hands and readied the tables for eating and the mats for sleeping.

Once done, the children again were rubbed with citronella oil and were lead outside to play. They decided to stay at the sandbox under the tree house. Each child was given a spade and a pail to use for water. One was tasked to help in getting the big pail for water and each child was asked if they want to use some of it. Others were building sand castles, others were looking for shells while others were absorbed in their building things they can imagine.

When time came again, the teachers sang a song to get the attention of the children and to signal for them to start packing up. Each child was responsible for his own things and shoes, and after removing the sand from their clothes, they immediately went inside the classroom to wash their hands and change their clothes. Again, they were rubbed with citronella oil.

After cleaning up, the tita sings a song to invite everyone to take their places on the mats, signaling the time for silence and rest. Even the titas and I stayed on the mats to get some rest. After a while, one of the titas sings the names of the kids to rouse them up. Immediately the children arise and take their pillows and help put away the mats.

Once the floors were cleared, the titas sings their instruction to take their places at the table. A prayer was sung, and then they marked that all the grownups will be the ones to serve. Each child was given a bread each but they can get more if they like as long as they will finish everything that’s on their plates.

Once finished, the children took a drink from their glasses. Then, a few children were chosen to help out clear the tables, put away the mats and move the tables and chairs to the side. While some of the children were clearing up, the others were given the signal that they can again engage in play, this time with the toys. The toys were made of wood, cloths, rattans, threads and other woven materials. The children engaged in play, transforming areas of the room into places one can only guess. While the children were busy with play, the titas busied themselves weaving.

When time came, the titas again sang songs to mark the transition of the class, signaling the children to put away all the toys and the wooden planks used. While they were clearing up, some of the children were setting up the chairs into a semi-circle, and one of the children set up a place for on of the titas. A chair and a table with candle, a match box, and a candle extinguisher.

Once they were done clearing up and setting up for the next phase of class, all the children took their places and one of the titas signaled for silence, while the other one readied herself with an instrument.

The titas then lead the children into a recitation of a poem and some songs, and then signaled the children to keep quiet. The tita in the center, with a wooden harp, started to play the harp. She then told the children a story she knew by heart.

After the story was told, the tita put out the candle then sang her instructions that the class was over.

The children were then lead to the door, again rubbing each with citronella oil.

During the course of the day, I think the children were learning about everyday living, about themselves, about each other, how to play and be in harmony with each other, how to conduct one’s self, the rhythm and natural unfolding of life, the things that take place inside and outside their classroom, how to be at peace with the world, how to fully appreciate life and nature, and all its intricate details, and the roles they play and everybody else’s.

The Montessori Teacher

Teacher Aida Borres explained that the Montessori teacher is a guide for the children. “The greatest sign of success for a teacher… is to be able to say, “The children are now working as if I did not exist.””

“Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.”

“The task of the educator lies in seeing that the child does not confound good with immobility and evil with activity.”

“To aid life, leaving it free, however, that is the basic task of the educator.”

The teacher must derive not only the capacity, but the desire, to observe natural phenomena. The teacher must understand and feel her position of observer: the activity must lie in the phenomenon.”

“And so we discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being.”

“The greatness of the human personality begins at the hour of birth. From this almost mystic affirmation there comes what may seem a strange conclusion: that education must start from birth.”

“We teachers can only help the work going on, as servants wait upon a master.”

The Waldorf Teacher

Tita () explained that a Waldorf teacher should be worthy of imitation.

“All of nature begins to whisper its secrets to us through its sounds. Sounds that were previously incomprehensible to our soul now become the meaningful language of nature.”

You have no idea how unimportant is all that the teacher says or does not say on the surface, and how important what he himself is as teacher.
I leave this paper with Rudold Steiner’s words, “receive children with reverence, educate them with love, and let them go forth with freedom.”

“If help and salvation are to come, they can only come from the children, for the children are the makers of men.” MM

A cold storage chain is a temperature-controlled supply chain. An unbroken cold chain is an uninterrupted series of warehouse and distribution activities which maintain a given temperature range. It is used to help lengthen and make sure the shelf life of products such as marine products, frozen, fresh agricultural produce, photographic film, pharmaceutical drugs and chemicals. The chain needs to begin at the production/farm level (e.g. harvest methods, preprocessing, Pre-cooling) and cover up to the consumer level or at least to the retail level. A well managed cold chain reduces spoilage, retains the quality of the perishable products and guarantees a cost efficient delivery to the consumer given adequate attention for customer service. The main characteristic of the chain is that if any of the links is missing or is weak, the whole system fails.

The Cold chain logistics and supply chain management system’s infrastructure generally consists of:

Pre-cooling facilities

Refrigerated Carrier

Cold Storages

Warehousing

Packaging

Information Management systems (Traceability and Tracking etc.)

Fig: Outline of a typical Cold Chain

Some Snaps of cold storagesaˆ¦

Global Situation Analysis

Today shippers of perishable products face an array of challenges in getting their products to market in the most efficient and cost effective manner, but lack of capacity in the logistics and warehouse service industry isn’t one of them. The need for temperature controlled storage systems for storing both food and non food is increasing in many traditional and emerging markets worldwide. The producers and retailers are moving to emerging markets like Latin America and Asia, along with the changing preferences and tastes of customers in older market places, is having a strong impact on the logistics industry. This has led to high levels of investment by logistics companies and their associated suppliers as they have:

They have gone for acquisition or entered into alliance with local companies for getting access to these markets

They have established cold storage enabled operations in the areas to serve the growth in affluence of local consumers

Simultaneously, demand for perishable products from these emerging markets is increasing, with a higher level of both perishable food and non food products being transported to the more traditional western markets of the US and Europe. This is causing problem on the already jam-packed shipping routes .Increasing volumes are leading to congestion issues at major ports of the world. Cold chain industry is showing tremendous increase in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Brazil. Total capacity for these countries for 2008 is 6,350.32 million cubic feet (179.82 million cubic meters).The industry is growing globally at approximately 15 percent (IARW Report 2009).The growth rate for China and India are higher compared to global average. Both have almost doubled their capacity in last ten years

A phenomenal transformation is currently occurring that may significantly affect a multi-billion dollar global cold chain industry. The projected annual wastage of perishable products worldwide is 35 billion dollars. There are enormous opportunities for companies to distinguish themselves in the market place through effectively leveraging the upcoming technologies that improve logistics and supply chains. Most agribusinesses and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies are not just considering process improvements of their logistics and supply chains but they are investing in and overhauling the entire business model and strategies to survive in the continuously changing competitive environment. Especially for manufacturing and retailing companies handling temperature sensitive food and non food products, the substantial challenges may be emphasized by the additional cold-chain logistics involved with effectively preserving and handling these products.

Other converging and substantial problems such as fierce competition, strict government regulations and global standards for product identification, security, and tagging; and the need for enhanced traceability to improve quality and operations are influencing important transformation in the Retail and CPG industry. The implications of resisting these changes and other related upcoming challenges are potentially lost delivery channels and a weakened competitive position. By allowing information & computing power available anywhere and anytime, companies can more quickly adjust to these challenges and the continuously changing external environment. Apart from this, they can considerably improve what they deliver, how they operate, and potentially their profitability.

Indian Situation Analysis

The Indian cold chain industry is very large and estimated to be around Rs 10,000 to 15,000crore, which is growing at a rate of about 20-25 percent and is expected to touch Rs 40,000crore by 2015.It was about a century ago this Industry came into existence. In India majority of cold storage facilities are under-utilized or completely unused for most of the year. There is a large gap of around 60% in cold storage infrastructure and 80% in mobile cold storage facilities like refrigerated trucks and rail wagons. By the year 2012, the cold chain industry expects to see a huge capacity addition as there is an expected increase in the cold storage investment.

Current status of cold storages in India:

The cold storage infrastructure in India was built way back in 1960’s mainly for potatoes and potato seeds and even the investments in cold storage were very less during that time. Nationwide provider of cold storage facilities is nonexistent at that time. The number of cold storages in India is about 5316 and the total capacity is around 23333694 mTs. The number of Private sector cold storages in India account for 4820 with a capacity of 222343607mTs, cooperative sector 363 numbers with 989445 mTs, Public sector account for 133 numbers with a capacity of 100642 mTs. The existent cold storage facilities mainly serve the potato products. There is a lack of facilities such as cold storage vegetable, cold storage fruits, cold storage tamarind, cold storage fish, cold storage meat, and cold storage milk and dairy products.. Cold storage services are available for only 10% of the produce. In India Transportation of fruit and vegetables through cold chain is almost negligible, whereas in US it is around 80-85% in the US and for Thailand it is around 30-40%. In India, due to the current inefficiencies in the supply chain around Rs 1 lakh crore worth of fruits and vegetables are wasted every year.

Cold chain in India -Reality:

Modern Post Harvest Management is non existent

Lack of World Class Integrated Cold Supply Chain Across the Country and also Isolated Stores without Logistics Support

Using Services of Cold Stores with Archaic Storage Technology

The cold storage facilities are used mainly for low value products like potatoes

The present cold storage facilities lead to Loss of quality and hence value of the perishables

The duration time for storage largely influenced by the market imbalances

India cold chains potential and opportunities:

India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world which contributes for about 10% of the total fruit production in the world. India is the largest producer of fruits (32mT anually) in the world, which is about 8 per cent of the global production; India is also the second largest producer of vegetables in the world (first being China), producing around 71 mT anually, which is about 15% share in the world market. The key area in India is Food processing and it processes about 1.3% of its total fruits and vegetable where as it is 80% in USA, 70% in France, 80% in Malaysia and 30% in Thailand. To become a top exporter and processor of fruits and vegetables, India needs a high quality cold chain. Due to lack of cold storage facilities and energy infrastructure about 40 percent of the fruits and vegetables grown in India (40 mT worth $13 billion) gets wasted every year, which is huge enough to feed countries like Brazil and Vietnam.

The reason for this huge wastage is the wide gaps that are existing in the cold chain and there is no well equipped cold chain for the preservation of fruits and vegetables. The Infrastructure for Cold chain is not existing for the produced capacities and same is the case with storage, also these close storage facilities are not available close to the farms, in addition to these the transportation (temperature controlled) is also inefficient. So it is important to establish world class cold storage logistics, which play a crucial role in reducing the global foods shortage by eliminating wastages, which would provide us enough scope to feed many parts of the world.

The major initiatives which government of India has taken to improve this sector are

Allowing 100% Foreign direct Investment

Provided full excise duty exemption on cold chain refrigeration equipment (consisting of compressor, condenser units, evaporator), which reduced the costs substantially by around 16%.

These policy initiatives taken by the government have signalled the existing cold chain majors in India to setup their own back-end logistics.

Existing Players in India

The Leading Cold chain companies in India with established cold chain infrastructure are as follows:

Container Corporation of India (Concor),

Indraprastha Cold Chain,

Glacio Cold Chain.

Bulaki Deep Freeze

Snowman

Refcon Carriers

Kausar

Gatia

Gateway Distiparks

R.K. Foodland

Adani Group

Future Group

Bharti

ITC

Reliance

Godrej

Tata

Cochin. Mumbai, Delhi International airports

Aditya Birla Group

Apollo Everest kool Solutions

The existing players are taking major steps in expanding their capacities, which are as follows:

Snowman and Kausar, two major names in the cold chain Industry have been bought over. Gatia ,a logistics company in Hyderabad acquired Kausar India, Gateway Distiparks, the Transportation & logistics major acquired a controlling stake in Snowman Frozen Foods.The Future Group has carried backward integration, from food retailing to storage and transportation; with the launch of Future Logistics. Ahmadabad based Adani Group revamped its cold chain logistics facilities recently. Major players like Bharti, ITC, Reliance, Aditya Birla Group, Bharti the Godrejs, the Tatas and the Future Group has announced billion dollar investments which offer a ready market for third-party cold chain logistics players. Apart from the Global giants and the Indian corporate the airport infrastructure companies and the railways are also planning to build refrigerated warehouses and perishable products cargo centres across the country in capture the share in the booming retail sector.

The major airports like Cochin International Airport, Mumbai International Airport, Delhi International Airport and Greenfield international airport projects such as Bangalore and Hyderabad are also setting up refrigerated warehouses for perishable cargoes next to the airports and started to tap the cold chain market. Cochin International Airport is building a state-of-the-art centre for perishable cargo, which can handle about 40,000 million tonnes perishable cargo annually and which would help the farmers of the state who are cultivating such products.Apollo Everest Kool Solutions, which is a joint venture of Spire Group and Apollo has plans to set up at least 15 temperature-controlled warehouses in India. The other major companies showing interest in cold chain market in India include Snowman Frozen Foods (sold out), a joint venture between, Nichirei Logistics Group, Mitsubishi Corp & Gateway Distiparks. Fresh and Healthy Enterprises has set up a 100 per cent subsidiary for cold chain logistics with an initial capacity of 12,000 tonnes at Rai in Sonepat, Haryana and has further plans to expand it to over a dozen cold storages in the near future, Apollo-Everest Cool Solutions a joint venture formed by the Delhi-based Apollo Tyres and the Spire Group of Canada have plans to construct 15 temperature-controlled warehouses in India with an investment of $250 million; Adani Agrifresh one of the Top retail chain sold its retail business to start a cold storage supply chain for fruits and vegetables in over a dozen top cities of the country.

Cold Chains in Different Industries

Special features of Indian Cold chain market for important product segments are given in the table below.

Product
Characteristics

Potato

– Amounts upto 90% of existing cold storage capacity

Chocolate

– High outsourcing demand.

– Seasonal-Large variation in peak and non-peak demand.

– No dominant player among service providers

Poultry

– All the market is captured by Snowman and RK Food-both pan India players

Fruits & Vegetables

– Predictable, Stable and High demand throughout the year.

– No dominant player in the market.

– Market dominated by Domestic players. More than 60% demand met by small/ local/regional players

Dairy products

(Butter & Cheese)

– High demand throughout the year.

– Major players not very active

– Significant share of small players

Ice Cream

-Seasonal High demand in peak season

– High growth

– 35% demand shared by small players

The major products are Potato, apple which contributes Rs 16050 million to the cold chain market.

Other products are:

Segment
Value(Million)

Imported Fresh Fruits & Vegetables

1.67

Exports By sea (Seafood, Meat, Poultry, Fruits & Vegetables)

46

Chocolate Industry

2

Dairy Industry

2.67

Meat & Poultry (domestic)

1.33

Ice-cream Industry

4.9

Processed potato

4.45

Emerging segments (flavoured milk/yoghurt)

13.33

Cool Chain Transportation

40

Source: Global AgriSystem Ltd

Cold Chain in Pharmaceutical Industry

In the pharmaceutical supply chain, the chain members have different requirements to meet for material handling, warehousing, storing, packaging and distributing the pharmaceutical products which are sensitive to the environment. The ideal pharmaceutical cold chain should be capable of dealing with changing product portfolios, the requirements for Good Storage and Distribution Practices, current regulatory trends, quality management, risk assessment factors, and temperature monitoring.

Pharmaceutical cold chain trends:

Manufacturers are being held responsible for any defects in the product in cold chain management. E.g. determining, maintaining and monitoring temperature levels during shipment.

The management and control of environmental factors across the supply chain is being given greater emphasis. E.g. Vacuum packaging , Transportation choices in cold chain, etc.

Temperature control and monitoring is being employed to reduce the risks and increase efficiency. 36% of all major and critical defects registered by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency during 2003/2004 were related to the control and monitoring of storage and transportation temperatures.

Heightened priority of patient safety due to the presence of multiple uncontrolled variables in the distribution process, developing an appropriate temperature and humidity monitoring program is essential to protect the quality of environmentally sensitive pharmaceutical product and ensure patient safety.

Increased Importance of the Pharmaceutical Cold Chain

In 2003, out of the $400 billion products, 10% were biopharmaceuticals.

The biopharmaceutical market’s compound annual growth rate(CAGR) was 21% which was notably more than the roughly 11% CAGR of the traditional pharmaceutical market in the period 1999 to 2003The biopharmaceuticals are highly sensitive to temperature. This increases the importance of the pharmaceutical cold chain.

The standard procedures normally followed in the cold chain are:

Information of shipping configuration and the type of packaging used, should be declared.

In the labeling part, the storage rules and particular precaution that should be taken should be included.

Mode of transportation should be approved by respective authorities.

The finished products in the shipment are verified to check any tampering or damaging of the containers.

The manufacturer should obtain the evidence that the requirements for shipping e.g. temperature control have been fulfilled.

Some important aspects of Pharmaceutical cold chain are:

Some leading logistics companies and carriers which have sophisticated infrastructure e.g. electronic tracking, online export documentation provide can assists the shipping party.

In cold chain, the use of refrigerated warehouses, refrigerator trucks, refrigerated containers, refrigerated ships and refrigerator cars is common.

Another important facility required is the insulated shipping containers or other specialized packaging.

The role of Temperature data loggers and RFID tags is to help monitor the temperature history of the warehouse or truck etc. and also the temperature history of the product being shipped. They also help in determination of the remaining shelf life of product.

The key part is documentation. There are set of rules for each step in the chain to maintain proper records. Incomplete or Inaccurate paperwork in customs can lead to delays. So all the established protocols should be followed e.g. number of copies and other information details.

Quality Management Process (QMP) and Risk Assessment Process (RAP)

Factors to be considered for the QMP may include but are not limited to the: Organization, roles and responsibilities, process, trained resources, implementation plan, compliance change control, on-time delivery of right product, quality metrics, continuous enhancements, and monitoring customer satisfaction.

Areas to be assessed in RAP include: Compliance with regulations, guidances and quality standards product profile, physical and chemical stability environment (temperature

Mapping, temperature control, temperature and humidity monitoring), mode of transportation (ground, air, sea), shipment destination (domestic, export), package (primary and secondary), people (standard operating procedure, training, communication, documentation, recognizing, addressing, correcting adverse events, and change controls).

TMS- Temperature Monitoring System

The determining factor of a temperature monitoring system (chemical, mechanical or electronic) is the amount of information required. Generally the temperature monitor equipment is the main part of the Cold chain system. If the suppliers are having the infrastructure for high quality checks, the firm may use more complex, precise and sophisticated temperature data loggers which provide all the relevant information in prescribed format. The data includes record of temperature and humidity including time and date as well as specific identification.

All equipment used for recording, monitoring and maintaining temperature and humidity conditions should initially be validated and thereafter calibrated on a regular basis. The certifications are provided by the leading suppliers in the industry indicating the grades about the quality required for the monitoring.

Cold Chain in Floriculture Industry

Flowers are perishable in nature. It is observed that small temperature differences can bring about very significant flower quality changes. There is a negative effect on the useful life of the flowers with the increase in temperature in transportation. It is further affected by increase in the duration for which the flowers were exposed to such high temperature. In India, due to inadequate cold-chain management, the postharvest losses are very high. The estimated losses are 40%, depending upon the commodity at various stages. Flowers should be cooled to temperature ranging in 330 F to 410 F without any delay. Higher temperatures not only reduce the useful-life but also increase the respiration-rate. It is found that the respiration of cut flowers increased exponentially with increase in storage temperature. Proper cold-chain management of flowers improves the flowers’ marketability. Cold storage enables quality stems to be held for longer periods before sale and ensures that the flowers still have a good shelf life(called as vase life ) when they reach the market-place.

Cold Chain in Dairy Industry: Amul Case Study

Life cycles of various product lines of Amul are different, for example products like milk, lassi and flavored milk needs to be refrigerated from procurement, processing to end distribution stage. Milk is procured from regional cooperative societies or contract procurers. Pasteurization, refrigeration and packaging are done in regional centers itself. These centers are fully owned by Amul in some places and outsourced in other places. Thirty to forty SKU’s of packaged milk, flavored milk and other similar products are supplied in plastic crates filled with ice for end mile distribution to the nearest market i.e. different parts of cities, suburbs and even to rural areas. Since crates are small loading and unloading is done manually, so it does not require complex equipments. Empty crates are brought back as a part of Reverse Logistics for next day dispatching of milk. For ice creams, Srikhand, Butter and other such products High-Tech refrigerated transportation system is used. Amul is first mover in India for tetra packed milk products. It sells these under the brands Amul Sakthi and Nutramul. It has also introduced products like cold coffe, butter milk and Lassi in tetra packs. These have a life span of six months to one year. These do not require cold storage facilities and delivered in corrugated boxes in combination with stretched plastic. Amul has the largest cold storage network in India (more than 18000 facilities).

Challenges & Issues

Cold storage industry is facing following challenges

1. Lack of Uniform Technology standards: There is lack of uniform electronic and bar code standards. International standards vary widely, and domestic standards are almost as disparate, creating unnecessary paperwork and profit-eating delays.

2. Consolidation: The trend toward consolidation sprung from the growing tendency for warehouses to act as shipping venues, as well as the entry into the market by warehouse holders. Though consolidation spurred overall industry growth, smaller warehouses have struggled to compete with larger industry players.

3. Capital Investment and Technology: The cold chain Storage and logistics is a capital-intensive industry (investment for refrigeration equipments and real estate) with a large capacity cold storage chain has a high payback period of around five years.

4. Incumbency advantages independent of size: Existing players like Snowman have built expertise by operating in this industry for longer periods in time & use imported hi-tech equipment, which new entrants find difficult.

5. Economies of scales: It is a largely untapped, fragmented & full of unorganized small size players. No player has achieved economies of scale and thus a new a new entrant with deep pockets can enter this industry and still be at a major cost advantage.

6. Human Capital and Domain Skills: It requires skilled human resources for operating and controlling the cold storage facilities. Lack of technically qualified employees is also one of the hindering factors for Indian cold storage industry.

7. Lack of logistical Support: Small land holdings remain a challenge because it requires multiple farm gate collection centers. Also Fragmented cold chain industry has not encouraged the growth of cold logistics for horticulture produce. Standard refrigerated systems are inefficient and poorly designed. Also, domestic market for fresh perishable produce is underdeveloped.

8. Uneven Distribution of cold stores: Available capacity is mostly focused on single commodities. Problem of financial viability is also their due to seasonality.

Other pertinent issues are

1. Erratic power supply

2. High operational costs and low yield models.

3. High insurance/ Risk coverage premiums.

4. Large gap in demand supply conducive to small unorganized service providers.

5. Government tax and commercial regulations.

Role of Government

Government policy acts as a catalyst in this industry. Following are the salient features of Government policies for cold storage sector:

1. Encourages Investments – Agri food is identified as priority sector.

2. Encourages organized sector- ECB route opened, Import duty relaxed.

3. Liberalizes Marketing Norms- Focus on increased retail, improved supply chain.

4. Rationalizes Tax Laws- Moving towards uniform VAT/GST.

5. Provides Grants and subsidies- VG funding, Grants, Infrastructure status

6. Eases foreign investment- 100% FDI in food sector. ECB for cold chain.

Government of India Initiatives

1. Excised waved on F&V, meat preparations, ice-cream, other RTE food mixes.

2. Automatic approval for 100% foreign equity in processed food items. External commercial borrowing opened (except in beer, alcohol etc.)

3. Priority lending status; Duties reduced on imports; Zero service tax on installations.

4. EOI floated for 30 mega food parks- allocated US $ 1.02 billion by 2012. Objective of the scheme is to provide backward and forward linkages as well develop reliable and sustainable supply chain.

5. GOI initiating National Highway Development Program and partnering with Indian railways to establish cold chain infrastructure. Indian railway is planning to invite private parties to run refrigerated container trains for transporting agricultural products across the country.

6. Integrated food law(FSSA) notified and ready for implementation.

7. Task force on Development of cold chain established and national centre for Cold Chain Development (NCCD).

In Budget 2011- Cold chain Industry

Industries like fertilizer and cold-storage chains will benefit, with capital investment in fertilizer being treated as infrastructure investment. Hyderabad based express distribution and supply chain solutions provider Gati logistics has said the endowment of infrastructure status to cold-storage chains & logistics in the Budget will help in realizing its plans to build cold storage units across the country. Gati is setting up 10 cold storage plants across the India at an investment of about Rs 200 crore in the coming four years.

Ghosts from the Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence written by Robin Karr-Morse and Meredith S. Wiley offers the reader an in-depth look at child abuse and neglect. Karr-Morse and Wiley (1997) discuss the effects of abuse and neglect, looking specifically at violence in children. The book follows a young man, 19 year old Jeffery, who is on death row for committing a murder when he was 16 years old. Jeffery serves as a beautiful case study for the authors and readers to analyze and apply theories to. By looking at Jeffery and other children who kill, Karr-Morse and Wiley(1997) begin to discover the truths about the delicate and important years of infancy and early childhood.

The authors look at child development and behavior particularly from conception to age two. With development and behavior in mind, they investigate the effects that abuse and neglect have on children’s trust, empathy, conscience, and learning during these pivotal years. Throughout the journey of this book, the reader learns a plethora of interesting facts about human development and how it is influenced by abuse and neglect. Throughout the chapters the readers are also given an opportunity to see the implications of such behavior with real life cases and studies. By taking the time to read Ghosts from the Nursery, one will not only have a better understanding of infancy and early child development but also understand why negative experiences affect children as they do and what it means for society as a whole. Upon the completion of this text the reader will have an appreciation for quality parenting and know the devastating effects abuse and neglect have on children and its influence in creating violent children.

Critique

This text offers knowledgeable contributions to the reader’s understanding of infancy and early childhood abuse and neglect. Karr-Morse and Wiley (1997) do an excellent job of explaining why “the interaction of biological variables with environment variables results in pro-social or antisocial outcomes” (81). Examples of this interaction are presented in every chapter with different situations and scenarios. The reader will quickly deduct that this is the most important connection to make and that “children reflect what they have absorbed biologically and socially” (Karr-Morse & Wiley, 1997, 183). The text does a great job assessing a number of issues related to child abuse and neglect including but not limited to early brain anatomy and development, exposure to drugs in the womb, the interaction of parenting and temperament, and the impact of early trauma, head injuries, and emotional deprivation. Each chapter within this text takes a profound look at these issues and how they relate back to childhood violence. Along with providing new and essential knowledge, each chapter is opened by reconnecting with the case study of Jeffery and providing the reader with a personal account of the implications of the issues being discussed. By reading each section carefully and deliberately the reader begins to understand all the variables involved in producing a violent child and the impact these variables have on the way the child processes information, or does not process information as it may be.

Along with presenting valuable information to the reader and deepening the readers understanding of the child abuse and neglect, the text does have its downfalls. While reading, one will observe that ideas are repeated too often causing the reader to begin skimming the material. The authors have a tendency to be repetitious in their writing to a point that it hurts the overall affect of the book. Karr-Morse and Wiley also like to provide in depth explanations which detract from the main point they are trying to convey by shifting the focus to a minute fact, thus losing their reader’s attention. Along with in depth explanations, Karr-Morse and Wiley have a tendency to include too many supporting facts. Though interesting, the facts tend to distract the reader from the main arguments the authors are attempting to make. With these three issues in mind, the overall book is difficult to get through and a relatively slow read. With shorter, more to the point chapters, the authors may have been able to retain their reader’s attention for longer amount of time. These improvements would also place more emphasis on the purpose of each chapter and how it influences the making of a violent child, rather than emphasizing the supporting facts.

Overall, this text is very educational and a valued contribution to any mandated reporter’s collection of knowledge. It is suggested however, that Ghosts from the Nursery be read like a textbook and not like a book one would read before bed. With the knowledge of the writing style the authors express themselves in, one can successfully navigate their way through this book and come out the other side with considerably more knowledge in the field of child abuse and neglect.

Implications

There are numerous implications for anyone, particularly a teacher, after reading Ghosts from the Nursery by Robin Karr-Morse and Meredith Wiley. First and foremost, one must begin to understand the pervasive effects of child abuse and neglect and how important those first two years of life are on development. Abuse and neglect have many faces, some of which are well hidden from the public’s eye. As a teacher, especially in preschool, it is imperative to be sensitive to these issues and the repercussions if not detected and treated.

As an elementary or preschool teacher, one will be able to assess a child’s basic physical, social, emotional and intellectual development in comparison to the child’s peers and determine whether the child is on track or not. It is during the preschool years and prior that developmental delays as a result of abuse or neglect will begin to show up in the child. This information may contribute to the teachers inclination that abuse is or is not occurring. It is essential to know that abuse and/or neglect from the time the child is inside the mother’s womb to present day can display itself throughout various times in the child’s development, and in any one of the developmental domains. This text specifically assists the reader in their quest to better identify and understand the less obvious forms of abuse and neglect and comprehend what it means particularly for a child’s social/emotional development.

Looking more closely at the disruptive behavior disorders chapter in the text is also beneficial to an individual entering the education field. Children who have such disorders will become obvious during the early school years as they are overwhelming our preschools and child care centers. With children who have disruptive behavior disorders their “parents often feel exhausted and angry, their feelings of affection stretched thin or greatly compromised” (Karr-Morse & Wiley, 1997, 104), placing the child at a higher risk for being abused or neglected and later developing oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder. Some of these children “may be experiencing abuse at home, or come to school out of chaotic and neglectful circumstances that leave them physically and emotionally malnourished” (Karr-Morse & Wiley, 1997, 105). For a teacher, seeing a child who has a disruptive behavior disorder may be a warning flag to keep an eye on the child and family and offer them additional resources to ease any additional stress they may be experiencing.

Consequently, from reading this text, one will have a thorough understanding of how child abuse and neglect affects a child’s development and what that will look like in the child’s behavior. For anyone entering the education field whether it be in the public school district or in a childcare center, those individuals will find themselves mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect. By reading this text, and having a solid foundation of what abuse and neglect look like, one will have the knowledge to better be able to advocate for a child’s needs when necessary.

There are many different theories by different theorists about Birth Order and The Effect on Personality. Alfred Adler was a psychologist and theorist that were well known for his theories about birth order determining a person’s personality. Adler was classified as the “Individual Psychology” theorist. The birth order plays a very large role in determining personality. There are many other factors as well. The size of a family, a child’s gender (boy or girl), disabilities or physical needs, the child’s temper and the families’ financial status are all determining factors. Also, a person’s cultural beliefs, religion, and traditional values are proven factors that affect personality due to ones’ birth order. Each of the birth orders have characteristics that makes everyone different. The position that a person has in their family gives certain attributes to a child’s development. “Adler believed that a person’s birth order was one of the most important factors in a person’s life and that the place a person occupied in his family was one of the best predictors of the kind of person he would become. For each position in a family, Adler believed that there were positive and negative repercussions, depending on how a person responded to his position.” (Roberts, Holly L. 2011, March 9). Cite

The Only Child

There are many couples that choose to have only one child. The only child will typically develop tendencies to be introverted due to not having siblings to socialize with. The only child may develop some extroverted characteristics when trying to make friends and learning how to socialize with other children. Attending daycare or school usually helps the child learn how to socialize. The only child does not develop good social skills early in their childhood which results in the child having difficulties in learning, having good social skills and interacting with others. Though there are many advantages of being an only child such as receiving all of the attention from both parents. The only child does not have the competition of having to receive better grades in school or being more disciplined. “The only child is always the center of attention and usually prefers it that way. Since they are never “dethroned”, they are spoiled and can be self-centered. They miss out on the social skills learned by sibling interaction, so they may find it difficult to share or compromise. A great positive trait is that they can be very mature intellectually.” (Guilbeau, n.d.).

The First Born

The first born child usually has characteristics of being a leader. They seek high achievements in everything they do. They also conform to standards and are very conservative. The first born child shows a high degree of organizational skills. The first born is typically well behaved and display exceptional manners. The oldest child or the first born child feels a sense of responsibility to mentor or guide their siblings. The oldest child may also try to take control over their siblings or be an authority figure. Some firstborns will try to nurture their siblings and teach them in an appropriate fashion. Firstborn children have been shown to have the best leadership qualities. Firstborn children will tend to feel dethroned due to the birth of a sibling and be more compliant to their parents. They will also feel the need to please their parents even more and prove their reliability and dependability. “They are often given responsibility for younger siblings and may take on the role of a surrogate parent. Through this role they accept their position of leadership and the power that comes with it. Firstborns may become overachievers in order to set the example for younger siblings and meet the expectations of parents. They are also known to be authoritarian (or bossy according to their siblings). A great positive trait is that they can be very responsible and helpful.” (Guilbeau,n.d.).

The Middle Child

The middle child has characteristics of being attention seekers. They may feel as though they are stuck in the middle, left out or even forgotten about. “Whatever personality trait has been adopted by the first born child, the second child will become the opposite. “The first two kids in any family are night-and-day different,” Leman says. The middle child will often excel at something that the first child is not good at. For example, a first born may be good in school, while the second child is gifted in athletics. Middle children often play the role of the peacekeeper in the family, mediating between the older and younger siblings. The practice that the middle children get negotiating their place in the family typically means they have strong social skills and get along well with others.” (Vowles,2012). The strong social skills allow them to have a lot of friends due their ability of showing compassion and empathy and being good listeners. The middle child has trouble in finding their role or position in the family. They want to feel the recognition for what they have accomplished. The middle child has tendencies to rebel due to the feelings of not measuring up to their other siblings accomplishments. Most middle children do not receive the proper recognition for their achievements because of the parents expect high achievements as those of their siblings. Most middle children have feelings of being unloved due to having to use hand me downs such as clothing that once belonged to their older sibling. The middle child seems to have more independence and is easy going. They do not express their needs or wants to their parents because they feel a lack of importance. The middle child will also behave inappropriately in order to receive some attention from their parents.

The Last Born or Baby

The last born has characteristics of being idealistic, self-centered, and very competitive. They take on more extroverted traits and are very outgoing, friendly and funny. “Frequently spoiled by the entire family. Never “dethroned” and may be accustomed to getting their way. They may seem as irresponsible and a rule breaker. A great positive trait is that they can be very charming and adventurous.” (Guilbeau, n.d.). The last born always demands attention from their parents and siblings. Parents typically do not discipline the last born as they had done with the older children. The last born is viewed as being more affectionate towards others than and not as complicated as their siblings.

Birth Order and Gender

The gender of siblings can also affect a person’s personality and characteristics. If the first-born child is a boy and the middle child is a girl, then the first-born will feel more compelled to protect his younger sister. The middle child being a younger sister to her older brother may develop characteristics of a “tomboy”. She would try to imitate her older brother in a sense of wearing boy’s clothes and playing the same sports as he does If the first-born is a girl and the middle child is also a girl, then they would form a closer bond and be more alike. Though if the middle child were to be a boy, then he may try to imitate his older sister and possibly have more female characteristics.

The Parents Role

Alfred Adler believed that parents must provide the proper attention to their children, but let them make their own mistakes and choices. By allowing children to have some independence, but not neglecting them would teach the child to be successful and thrive to be superior. Children should have feelings of significance and have a sense of where they belong in the family. Parents of first-born children tend to devote more quality time to them and as a result the first-born will have higher intellectual levels. First born children speak on a higher maturity level than their siblings and typically have higher IQ scores. “The best approach, according to this theory, is to protect children from the evils of the world but not shelter them from it. In more practical terms, it means allowing them to hear or see the negative aspects of the world while still felling the safety of parental influence. In other words don’t immediately go to the school principal if your child is getting bullied, but rather teach your child how to respond or take care of herself at school.” (AllPsychONLINE,2002).

Conclusion

“Adler believed there were four types of birth order positions. The oldest child is supplanted by the younger child, which can lead negatively to insecurity or positively to responsibility. A middle child has an older sibling to model his behavior after, which can lead positively to healthy ambition or negatively to rebellious behavior. The younger child is typically showered in attention, which can lead positively to confidence or become spoiled in the negative and confident in the positive.” (Roberts, Holly L. 2011, March 9). Birth order does play a very important role in the developments and effects on a person’s personality. A family’s size, financial status, cultures and traditions also are contributing factors to consider. A child’s gender and temper play a role of the birth order and the effects on personality. They may share many traits and may exhibit some of the same personality characteristics. The parents, role also plays a very large part of their children’s’ personality characteristics due to the birth order of the child. Alfred Alders’ theories on the birth order and effect on personality has shown the different characteristics that develop in the only child, the first-born, the middle child and the last born.

Reference/Cite Page

Roberts, Holly L. (2011, March 9). Adler Birth Order Theory.

Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/73327-adler-birth-order-theory/

Guilbeau,N. ( n.d.). The Birth Order Theory.

Retrieved from http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art22888.asp

Voo,J. (2006,August). Birth Order and Personality.

Retrieved from http://www.parents.com/baby/development/social/birth-order-and-personality/

AllPsych ONLINE. (.n.d.). Personality Synopsis.

Retrieved from http://allpsych.com/personalitysynopsis/adler.html

Vowles, A. (2012, October 25). Does Birth Order Affect Personality?

Retrieved from http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/974203/does-birth-order-affect-personality

In recent years the amount of pregnant teenagers in the United States has skyrocketed; free contraceptives should be available and provided for middle and high school students within schools around the country in order to help prevent the amount high school students that experience unintended pregnancies before graduating from their high school.

The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate (nine times higher) of any other country in the world. In New York, teen pregnancy costs taxpayers at least $421 million dollars per year. Most of the cost is caused because of the negative consequences for the children who are born to teen mothers or parents. The costs are made up of health care costs for Medicaid, child welfare, public assistance, foster care, lost tax revenue and incarceration. Teen moms are more likely to drop out of school and live in poverty; their children are more likely to be delivered at low birth weight, grow up poor, and live in single-parent households, experience abuse and neglect, and enter the child welfare system. Daughters of teen mothers are more likely to become teen parents themselves and sons of teen mothers are more likely to be incarcerated (Hoffman, “By the Numbers: The Public Costs Of Teen Childbearing In New York”).

“The consequences of teenage pregnancy are both far-reaching and cyclical. They are far-reaching in the sense that teenage parenthood circumscribes the lives of young people and has severe implications for the education, health, and well-being of both parents and offspring; and also in the sense that both parents and offspring may never recover sufficiently to become productive members of society. They are cyclical in the sense that the children of teenage parents frequently become teenage parents themselves and thus become subject to the same consequences that their parents faced (“A young woman who has not developed a sense of autonomy will have difficulty establishing a relationship with her infant because of her impede ability to empathize with the child. An egocentric teenager cannot possibly tune into her infant’s needs or respond to its cues; she therefore lacks the ability to provide an appropriate nurturing environment” (Compton and Hruska 14.)

In Sullivan County, The percentage of births to teens (10-17 years old) from 2006-2008 was 2.3%, compared to the New York State rate of 2.2 (Family Planning Indicators, 2011.) Lewin (2010) states that the pregnancy rate among teenagers increased 3 percent from 2005 to 2006, after it had declined 14% between 1990 and 2006. There was a slight decline again in 2008 until the present. Social programs for the purpose of decreasing teen pregnancy have slowly started to disappear during the recession; President Obama is still providing some limited financial investment but for “evidence based” programs only. These programs are gradually become non existent, like BOCES’ Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, have been taken away and the service providers have gone out of business. Programs like Planned Parenthood, which provide free or low cost birth control and sex education for teenagers, have been the victim of repeated cuts caused by conservatives, religious groups and Republicans. “For the decades, our primary means of preventing teenage pregnancies was to demand that teenagers not have sex, a tactic akin to ordering a hungry tiger not to maul you,” states Greg Fish (Fish, “Schools Should Give Kids Free Contraceptives.”)

Miller (1973) stated that 50% of unwed women have had sexual intercourse by the age of 19. At that time, over 30 years ago, most of the respondents in his research revealed that their parents and doctors were not an good source of information about sex, and that they did not consistently use contraception. In 2002, the National Center for Health Statistics, Fertility, Family Planning, and Reproductive Health of U.S. Women conducted a survey of women from the ages of 15 to 54, which showed that the average age of teens starting to have intercourse, was 17.3 years, with men averaging at the slightly younger age of 17. Those who lived with both parents or who were involved in religion tended to be slightly older. Boys and girls were equally likely to have engaged in sex. Omran et al. (2006) studied the initiation of sexual behavior among 2,300 urban teens in Baltimore, and found that 42 percent had engaged in sexual intercourse by the age of 14, and that the average age for teens to have sexual intercourse was 14.8 years. In 2008, more than 10,000 girls participated in an anonymous survey on the Tyra Banks TV show (Coffey, “Survey, Unprotected Sex Common Among Teens”). The results showed that on average, girls had lost their virginity at 15 years of age. Fourteen percent of teens who were having sex said they were doing it at school, and 52 percent of survey respondents said that they did not use protection when having sex. Only 2% of girls were using long-acting reversible contraceptives (Vital Signs, 2011). “More than 6 in 10 high school students will have sex before they graduate” (Get the Facts, NY, 2011.)

Why are sexually active teenagers failing to protect themselves from pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections? In Risky Business, a 2000 poll, 3 out of 10 teens admitted they had not used protection the last time they had sex, although 9 out of 10 said that they believed it was important to use protection every time. Half of them stated that they didn’t because their partners didn’t want to, and they felt pressured to have sex without it. Half also said that drugs or alcohol were the reasons they didn’t use protection. Brown and Guthrie (2010) interviewed English women between the ages of 16 and 24 who had just had an abortion. They explained that all the women had been fully aware of the importance of contraception and knew where they could obtain it, but had “forgotten” to do so, gotten carried away in the moment, or gave into pressure from partners who did not want to use a condom.

Some teenagers choose to get pregnant. There have been a number of recent films like “Juno” and reality shows, which both normalize and glamorize teen pregnancy and teen parents. For teens unsure about themselves and their relationships, the desire for some form of unconditional love leads many to think motherhood will satisfy that longing, and that it will bring the attention from others that the teen may want. For some, they are carrying on the tradition of multi-generational poverty; they may have themselves been the child of a teen. Childbearing may be a role that they feel they will bring attention, success and social status as a “baby-mama,” also giving themselves a adult role as a mother, helping them to escape the confusion of the teen years. Teen-age girls also feel that getting pregnant is a way to secure their relationship with their partner (Lowen, “Teen Pregnancy Pact – Teens Choose to Become Pregnant”) However, “A young woman who has not developed a sense of autonomy will have difficulty establishing a relationship with her infant because of her impeded ability to empathize with the child. An egocentric teenager cannot possibly tune into her infant’s needs or respond to its cues; she therefore lacks the ability to provide an appropriate nurturing environment” (Compton and Hruska)

In rural schools, teens face obstacles in obtaining contraception. Within smaller towns and counties, there are very few services for the prevention of Teen Pregnancy. Places which are in greater need receive the small amount of money for such programs. Which leaves the duty of teen pregnancy prevention is on the schools staff. Planned Parenthood clinics could be located very far away in these rural areas and their hours could be very inconvenient to students. Bringing up the problem of getting there, because of the lack of transportation. The local general stores do carry condoms, but students are unlikely to buy them there, due to their concerns about their privacy and confidentiality in a small town where all the store staff know most customers by name. Also in a poor rural community, the students have very few opportunities for employment so that they can’t afford to buy their own birth control. Depending on when a student elects to take Health Class, they may have little or no accurate information about sexual health issues or contraception until their senior year.

According to the Guttmacher Report on “School-Based Health Centers and the Birth Control Debate (2000), there were 1,135 school based health centers in the United States, located in 45 states; there are now 230 approved and operating School-based health centers in New York State, 64% of which are in urban areas (School-Based Health Centers Fact Sheet) Services are paid for by Medicaid, private insurance, Child Health Plus, and 23% of services are provided free for the uninsured. These clinics offer services on site, including reproductive health services, such as pregnancy testing, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, and gynecological exams. However, 3 out of four were prohibited from dispensing contraceptives (besides condoms) per school district policy. They were at least able to provide birth control counseling and referrals to outside agencies.

An AP Poll taken in 2007 indicated that 67% of Americans favored letting schools provide contraceptives (CBS News, “Birth Control at School? Most Say It’s OK”). However, most also preferred that the contraceptives be given to children who had their parents permission. The poll was given after much attention in the media to the events at King Middle School, in Maine, where middle and high school students (aged 11 to 18) were allowed to have free access to birth control pill prescriptions through their onsite health center (Fox News, “School Board Approves Birth Control Prescriptions at Maine Middle School”.) Although there was a lot of disagreement to this proposal from opponents who felt that birth control was the students’ parents’ responsibility, that giving out birth control was giving “permission” to teens to have sex, and that it violated parental rights, more people felt that the policy was needed in order to protect those students who didn’t have strong support from their parents.

In conclusion, at many schools within the country nurse practitioners and doctors conduct health exams for students with parental permission. The existing program should be expanded to also provide reproductive care and education, and the school nurses could be aloud to promote and provide information about contraception and protection from sexually transmitted infections and non-prescription birth control methods. It is very important that schools and the communities develop new strategies which will prevent unintended teen pregnancy and promote health.

The control that people have over their bodies is quite remarkable, and yet most people take it completely for granted. Watch a young baby struggling to pass a rattle from one hand to another and you will soon see how skilled you have become. Physical development like many other areas of development is a journey, but interestingly it is a relatively fast one, and by the age of 5 years most children have a good level of control over their bodies. Physical development looks principally at the skills that children acquire, but it is important to understand that there is a link here to growth and maturation. For example, young babies can suck their toes, but this becomes difficult as the body’s proportions change. In the same way some physical development cannot take place until some maturation processes have occurred. Physical development builds children’s confidence when children can do things for themselves, they are more likely to gain in confidence, and they can do things how and when they want. It allows children to express themselves, physical movements are one in which babies and young children can express themselves. Babies may signal with their arms if they wish to be listed .Physical development is also linked to cognitive development, in children’s early stages , a significant amount of learning is practical and requires physical movements, early physical movements also help to develop the brain. To gain control over their movements, children need to master different types of movement and

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Skills. These types of movements are fine motor skills and gross motor skills. Fine motor skills cover small movements that are usually made using the hand, fine manipulative skills are movements that require the fingers and thumbs to carry out co-ordinated small tasks, fine motor skills are movements that involve the wrists and hands.

According to Arnold Gessel an American paediatrician the central nervous system underpinned development with stimulation not necessarily having a significant role. He suggested that they are 3principles of physical development

1. Development follows a sequence, as children develop and grow a sequence emerges and certain things have to be in place before others can follow.

2. Development begins at the top at the head and moves downwards, babies gain control of their head and top of the spine before any other part of the body. This is a survival mechanism which allows the baby to feed.

3. development begins with motor movements which are uncontrolled which then become refined and precise, they have uncontrolled arm and leg movements but most control is quickly gained, by 6 months most babies can take an offered toy relatively easily .

The first year of life is amazing in terms of physical development, babies begin with a range of reflexes, the reflexes are actions that happen without the baby thinking about them, these are swallowing and sucking reflex -these ensure the babies can feed and swallow milk. Rooting reflex -the baby will move its head to look for a nipple or teat if its cheek or mouth is touched, this helps the baby to find milk. Grasp reflex- babies will automatically put their fingers round an object that has touched the palm of their hand. Startle reflex – when babies hear a sudden sound or see a sudden bright light, they will react by moving their arms outwards and clenching their fist. Walking and standing reflex- when babies are

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Held upright with their feet on a firm surface they usually make stepping movements. Falling reflex- this is known as the Moro reflex – babies will stretch out their arms suddenly and then clasp them inwards in any situations in which they feel they are over falling. Over the first few months some of these reflexes begin to disappear and instead babies learn to control their movements, muscle tone also increases and the body grows stronger. By the time babies are one month old they have changed already, they appear less curled up and more relaxed. Babies at one month old have usually started to settle into a pattern, they sleep quite a lot of the time but will gradually try to spend longer time awake. They cry to communicate their needs and parents are beginning to understand the different kind of cry’s , they start to learn more about their parents : they may stop crying when they hear their voice ; they also try hard to focus on the face of who is holding them (they can focus at a distance of 20-25cms ).When they get to 3 months they have grown in height and weight , they have grown out of all their early clothes and have changed in many ways, Some babies have learnt the difference between day and night and are able to sleep through the night . They are likely to cry less and most parents are getting better at knowing what their cry means, they are also starting to sleep a little less and are far more alert .They may smile quite often and show that they know the sound of their parents voices and movements .Babies bodies are also developing, they are able to lift their head up and look about when put on their tummies. As a child reaches 6-8 months they have learnt many skills, they are very alert and move their head to see what is happening, they enjoy playing and show it by squalling in delight .They can now reach out and grab a toy and move it from one hand to another, they are able to focus on an object and explore it if it seems interesting .They also start to show that they understand a little of what is being said to them and they try to communicate. They usually enjoy their food and are beginning to feed themselves by grabbing a spoon .They are also getting stronger they can sit up with support in a highchair and are able to roll

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over from their backs to their fronts, they can push themselves up on their hands if they lie on their fronts and hold this position for a while .As they reach 9 month Baby’s physical development is now very noticeable, many babies will be crawling or finding other ways of being mobile, they are able to sit up without any support; these new movements mean babies can explore more. Children at this age spend a lot of time sitting and playing, when they are mobile they can move quite fast .As well as large objects babies are also picking up objects handling them and becoming more skilled at touching things. Objects still get popped into the mouth.

1.2. Summarise the intellectual development of a child aged eight to twenty months.

At this age your child’s attention span is beginning to lengthen, he is beginning to develop memory through repeated activity; touching objects made of different textures and materials to see what they feel like provide him to explore different ways of using his hands. He explores and experiments by touching different substances and textures such as different fabrics like velvet and felt which provide soft and hard textures. Baby’s begin to say there first words such as mamma and dada which are evidence of his cognitive development and the beginning of a fantastic new stage where communication develops into verbal language. As this age he might be able to say a few words such as mamma and dada or simple words which they recognise from parents communication with them but children are quite different, some pick up language fast and others don’t, some children don’t talk until later into their development. By 20 months they can understand simple requests like “pass your bottle”. His developing language may still be restricted to one word at a time and he hasn’t quite established putting 2 words together and he may just point at things when he wants them and his vocabulary may vary between 50-100 words.

Language development and memory are closely linked and memory are closely linked he will soon begin to realise that language will help him in the world around him, by communicating he will start to learn a few concepts , like tidying up after playing , this helps him take care of his possessions .

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There are different theories of how he gets to these stages theories that look at the way children think and learn are extremely important as they can be applied to so many situations in everyday life .This also means that when Studying other aspects of child development , such as language behaviour management, or aggression you will find that the same terms and theories keep reappearing .Currently learning theories can be grouped into 3 bands The behaviourist approach suggests that learning is influenced by rewards, punishments and environmental factors .The term “conditioning “is often used by behaviourists, it means that you learn to act in a certain way because past experiences have taught you to do or not to do something. B.F Skinner is recognised as being a key figure in developing the behaviourist approach by learning theory. Skinner suggested that most humans learn through exploring the environment and then drawing conclusions based on the consequences of their behaviour. Jean Piaget was a zoologist who became interested in children’s cognitive development as a result of working on intelligence tests. He noticed that children consistently gave similar “wrong “answers to some questions and began to consider why this was. Piaget used his own children to make detailed observations and gradually developed a theory that has been very influential. His theory of learning is sometimes referred to as constructive approach because he suggested that children constructed or built up their thoughts according to their experiences of the world around them. He felt that learning was an on-going process with children needing to adapt (hence piagets term adaption).For example a child aged 15 month may come to believe that milk is served in blue beakers , because their experience of having milk is linked with it being served in a blue beaker. If one day they are given juice in the blue beaker instead of milk they will reconsider the theory and thus come to the conclusion that milk and other drinks come in blue beakers. Piaget used specific vocabulary to describe the process of children learning in this way. Assimilation- the child constructs a theory. (Schema). Equilibrium – the child’s

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Experiences seem to fit the schema (everything balances). Disequilibrium – An experience occurs that casts doubts on the effectiveness of the schema. (Things don’t add up anymore). Accommodation – the child changes the original schema to fit the new piece of experience or information; he grouped child development into 4 broad stages Sensori-motor, pre-operational, concrete operational, formal operational. Although Piagets work is well known there are 2 other approaches which are in some ways similar to Piagets, Vygotsky Jerome bruners work was influenced by Piaget but particular by Vygotskys work. Bruners is not a stage theory as such but he suggests that children gradually acquire cognitive skills and he refers to these as modes of thinking. Enactive-0-1 years, iconic 1-7 years, symbolic 7+ years. Bruner believed that cognitive development can be speeded up if stimulated, he also believed that adults had a very important role in developing children’s cognitive skills by working alongside them and asking questions helping children to vocalise their thoughts.

1.3 Summarise the language and communication development of a child aged 16-26 months.

Much of an 18 months old toddler’s speech is jargon is unrecognisable but with emotional content. A child at 18 months should be able to use 5-20 words most of which will be nouns. Examples include mamma, dada bath, and nana. At this age when he learns a new word he will repeat it over and over. 20-25 percent of an 18 month olds vocabulary should be intelligible to outsiders; they are learning every object has a name. A baby’s vocabulary includes things like names of food, animals, family members, clothing and toys. 18 months may be able to point at parts of the body when a parent names it. A child’s vocabulary explodes between the 18-24 month marks, maybe 2/3 of what he says is intelligible and his vocabulary may contain 150-300 words. He should be able to name lots of objects in his surroundings like, chair, bottle, and cup

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He should be able to form small sentences like “want cup “he will be able to understand the words “my and mine”. There are quite a few theories as to explain how children Learn language. Theories of language development fall into 1 of 2 camps; empiricist and nativist. Empiricist believes language is a learned behaviour. Nativists on the other hand believe we are born with some innate language ability. Empirical researchers focus on learning theories to understand how children acquire language skills while nativists look for biological components responsible for the universe rules underlying all of the language spoken by people. Lev vygotsky a Russian psychology researcher who began developing his empirical theories of cognitive development after the Russian revolution in the early 20th century. Children learn by solving puzzles with the help of other people such as parents or siblings. Language develops a tool for helping them solve problems more effectively. They learn the skill by practicing or modelling language behaviours they hear being used around them.in his theory, language development is closely tied to social behaviour putting him in the empiricist camp. B.F Skinner, an American psychologist best known for his work in behaviourism, proposed behaviourism as the basis for language development in a book published in 1957. The core behaviourism is learning through reinforcement. the reinforcement takes different forms ,for example if the parent says to the child ” can you say mummy? ” and the child responds accordingly the parent provides positive reinforcement . If the child uses language to make demands such as asking for a cookie and the demand is granted, the child receives positive reinforcement for using language. This approach places skinner in the empiricist camp of language development. According to empiricist Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist known for studying how knowledge develops in children and adults during the first half of the 20th century, language

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Development is connected to a child’s cognitive development. As the child moves through the different stages of cognitive development. For example, during the pre-operational stage children can grasp the existence of things even when cannot see those things, likewise they can use language to think about those non- present things. Naom Chomsky , an American linguist and cognitive scientist believes children are born with innate knowledge of the rules governing language. This makes him a nativist, his research during the late 20th century also suggest that the rules are universal among the known human languages. For example Japanese and English seem very different, but both languages include verbs and in both languages verbs take an object. The difference is where the object of the verb is placed in the sentence. According to Chomsky the reason the children learn language so quickly is because they already know the rules. Jerome Bruner, a nativist and American cognitive psychologist believed language development comes easier to most children because of a combination of innate biological “endowments” and social encouragement. Bruners research on the subject began in the 1960s. Bruners notes that even children who cannot distinguish between their thoughts and things attempt to use language suggesting they are born with an inclination towards communication. The role of encouragement is to provide necessary support as the child develops linguistically.

1.4 summarise the emotional development of a child aged between 30 and 50 months.

A child’s emotional development is hard to monitor because self-concept, gender identity and social status are developing as well. The

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Way they behave is usually a clear indicator of what they are dealing with on an emotional level. At this age lessons are being learnt which will form a child’s personality, the child’s personality as influences on emotional development. Children who are more adaptable will progress a lot faster than children who are far less adaptable, things like meeting new people and being in new environment will be more daunting for them. During this age children’s emotional needs are shown through their behaviour, understanding their needs and dealing with them as necessary will help the child’s emotional health as the child progresses. Also during this time every experience the child encounters helps to develop the child’s self-concept, spending time with parents and other children will give the child a sense of who he is by emotional interactions and will start to develop his independence. Parents are the best role models the help the child develop his sense of gender identity, as a result of the child studying the parent, emotional characteristics of the parent become a part of the child’s gender identity. Frustrations and tantrums in a child this age are very apparent; tantrums occur for no apparent reason but are often due to insecurities and not being able to get what they want. By 3 years old this behaviour will have calmed down and he will be beginning to develop interests in feelings towards other people and is starting to feel a lot more secure in his environment , he can keep his frustrations under control , by the time he reaches 4 he will have developed a definite personality and loves to explore everything new , he has excitement for adventures and can show sympathy and concern towards other children his behaviour might start to become erratic , for example he will like things and hate things in the space of a few minutes , he will exaggerate things and become extremely bossy and may begin to start telling lies. Theorist erik erikkson proposed that “emotional development consisted of 8 crisis and that each crisis consisted of a specific window in a child’s individual development for example the crisis for this specific age according to Erickson is initiative versus guilt according to errikkson a child should develop a sense of purpose by being able to do things on his own , such as dressing himself , if a child is not allowed to do this the child may become afraid to try new things and develop a fear of disapproval.

1.5 Summarise the social development of a child aged between 40 and 60 months.

At this age a child interacts with other children very easily but only usually in a small group or with familiar adults. they are beginning to make massive leaps in socialisation which helps them develop a lot more friends .they don’t need as much attention from adults because they understand that attention is there when needed. They will show friendship preferences but mainly based on play interests. Children will also now be aware of their own social backgrounds and strive to be accepted for who they are. They understand the difference in culture and gender and enjoy making friends and love being in the company of others. there confidence is building and they begin to understand the concept of sharing and taking turns and also begin to understand the difference between right and wrong. Lev vygotsky proposed that children thrive through interactions with their surrounding culture is theory is known as “the cultural perspective ” in this theory it states that cognitive development of children is enhanced when they work in their zone of proximal development (zpd). Children need help off adults to support them as they learn new things to reach (zpd). According to vygotskys theory children can do more with the help and guidance of an adult than they can do themselves. In conclusion vygotskys theory of cognitive development states that interactions with other people are essential for maximum cognitive development to occur.

1.6 Analyse treasure baskets and discuss importance of child development.

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Treasure baskets an idea originally created by Elinor Goldschmeid. A treasure basket is a shallow sturdy basket containing a selection of everyday items, none of which are plastic. Most of the objects are in everyday use by adults and are made of natural materials. The item in the basket vary in weight, size and texture, colour, taste temperature and sound and all the items are chosen to stimulate one or more of 5 senses. Children explore the treasure basket using their senses to discover what an object is, what it is like and perhaps what it does when shaken or manipulated. Children learn by exploration and experience a treasure basket brings many items within reach that a child may not have had the opportunity to handle. A child can feel items with their hands, feet, fingers and mouth, by having this opportunity a child discovers weight, texture and size. Does it have a smell? Can you taste it? Wave it does it make a noise? Drop it and what happens? Can I put it inside another object? Can I join 2 items together? What happens when I bang one item against the other? Elinor Goldschmeid spent time observing children and their parents she looked at how children gain knowledge of the world around them and how parents often give children objects to explore. For example, if when out, a child or baby gets upset, we often give them something to play with that is to hand a makes a noise or can be fiddled with, such as a bunch of keys. When we are busy in the kitchen a child sitting on a floor will often reach for the spoon we have dropped or the pots and pans in the cupboard. These observations led Elinor goldschmeid to the development of the treasure basket as a way of helping children to learn, explore

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And have fun. Treasure basket ideas were originally designed for babies who were sitting but not yet on the move. The basket is a good exploratory resource for babies and children who are not yet independently mobile “babies given safe, Stimulating and supportive opportunities will use their senses to learn about objects they encounter. In doing so they will enter into a world of discovery puzzlement, social encounter and communication. As babies suck, grasp, touch and feel objects they rehearse behaviours which foster their earliest learning “(Goldschmeid E 1989). The reason they don’t use plastic in the treasure baskets is that many objects made of plastic are similar in many ways , they are often all smooth, have no smell and no taste. In our manufactured world adults and babies use plastic objects every day and a child gains experience of these objects through handling bottles, cups, toys and rattles. By offering a whole range of objects which are not plastic we increase the opportunities for a child to explore and learn. The items contained in the baskets fall fewer than six headings.

Natural objects e.g. pumice stone, a lemon and a natural loofah

Natural materials e.g. little basket, wooden nail brush and a paint brush.

Wooden objects e.g. curtain rings, clothes pegs and egg cups

Metal objects e.g. spoons, bunch of keys, and bunch of bells.

Leather, rubber, textiles e.g. leather purse, bath plug and chain, ribbon and lace.

Paper/cardboard greaseproof paper, boxes, tubes.

More objects that can be put in the basket are objects that rattle, objects that fit inside one another, such as boxes and pegs or graded measuring spoons,

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building and demolition articles which fit together and take apart, such a wooden blocks, zipped leather purse, a box with a lid, also objects to follow such as wooden eggs, balls and tubes that roll. When choosing a treasure basket there are plenty of points to consider, such as the safety of the basket, you need to make sure that you choose a basket which is strong and durable, without jagged edges and the objects should be washable, disposable and replaceable. For example pieces of fabric. Each object should be clean and safe, always check the basket regularly and be watchful of painted and varnished items, check they are non-toxic and if any doubts do not include them. you may also need to maximise play opportunities you need to aim for a variety of textures ,weight and colour and also be wary of including “soft toys” as their information and interest value can be limited . Also needed to be considered is where to place the basket in relation to the child. For example would the child find it easier to reach in front or at the side? The child needs to be observed how he interacts with the basket. Do you need to offer more objects for him to explore. How can you make it more interesting? Is there an object the child doesn’t like? Children all develop at different rates with regard to exploration be aware of the stage the child is at. Treasure basket ideas can also be adapted for children who are not sitting. Items can be put in a “be active box “or a “little room “or suspended from a play gym. The little room is an idea developed by Lilli Neilson for children with sensory difficulties. You can make a little room from a cardboard box, place the box down on its side with the child lied just inside the opening, line the sides with textured materials and suspend objects from the ceiling so that they hang down within the child’s reach.

1. 7 Explain what is meant by holistic development

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Holistic development is when all areas of development e.g social, emotional, physical and intellectual and communication development, work as a whole to develop the child’s overall development. Holistic development sees the child as a whole person that’s why it’s important when you observe a child’s development so you can observe it as a whole so you can see what progress is being made (or not being made). A good example of this is to observe a child playing hopscotch as this uses all areas of development combined together. Children must be able to understand to take their turn and must cope with their feelings if they do not win. This is personal, social and emotional development. The child must also be able to understand what is happening and understand the rules of the game and be able to count, this is cognitive development. The child must be able to throw a stone, have strength in their legs to support their weight and also be able to balance and have sufficient coordination, this is physical development and finally the child needs to be able to say numbers out loud, arrange turns and be able to chat whilst waiting for their turn, this is communication and language development. If a child lacks in one of these areas of development he may struggle to play hopscotch, so observing the child as a whole can help practitioners or parents give the child support in the areas he lacks ability.

Child labor is one of the biggest problems around the world because it puts children in danger. It is basically utilizing that under aged children in any form forcing them to work which abuse, harms or violet them. This abuse may be physical, mental or sexual denying the children of their rights of basic education. This problem is increasing in many countries that are because of poverty and other issues, but poverty is the most reason for causing child labor. (1 2 3 Help Me. Internet resources.)

There are many different causes of “bad” child labor around the world. Parents are one of the causes for child labor especially illiterate parents. Some parents are not able to work so they force their children to work instead of them. Hence, children are more easily employed because they get less money paid than adults and they are easier to get abused. Other cause that is the seedbed of child labor and the biggest cause for child labor is Poverty. In some poor countries, the government doesn’t help poor families by providing education, health care or find for them work to get money. So, in this case parents are forced to send their children to work and get money to their parents. Ignorance for the rights of child to be educated and not to be abused, so there are some parents that are rich but they spend their money on drinking, buying drugsaˆ¦ they force their children to work. Otherwise, the children can be beaten or can be abused by their parents so children are forced to leave the home. And when they leave home also they are forced to work because they lost the protection and they need to get me to survive alone in this hard life. (“Child Labour”. OVC Support. Internet resources.)

Most societies expect children to do form of work. So, children are expected to play a part in family work from an early age. This will lead to harmful effects of child labor including low pay. Employers think that abusing children is easier than adults, so children are often paid much less for work done than adults. Long hours, some children are expected to work excessive hours that will result by physical harm. Also, one of the effects of child labor is losing education and taking their rights. Working children will lead for physical harm in many ways, because of long hours of working the body of the child cannot hold hard work as man therefore they will suffer from physical harms. Also, Children working in factories that contain big machines may cause the children to cut their hands or hurt themselves. Children that work in the street are also at risk of physical violence from police officers. Also, they may face in the street strangers or thieves that would steal their money. Children that work in street may get sick because of the bad weather and they don’t have money to buy clothes. Also, children that work in factories that contain toxic gases may lead for bad diseases for children. children that work in any place but especially in factories and street may be abused sexually. Physical, sexual or emotional abuse can leave severe impact on the child for years. It can cause several problems in the in the physical and emotional development of the child. Some other common psychological effect of child abuse is behavior problem attention problem, or drug abuse. These all psychological abuse for child will lead to be a bad person in future when he/she grows up. They will make bad things because when they were children their rights were taken from them and they were abused. Therefore, they will hurt other people abuse them, steal, taking drugs, poor relationship with the opposite sex, and do bad things that with done for them when they were children. (Buzzle. Internet resources.)

Exploitative child labor is a huge problem affecting the world today. Some people think it impossible to end exploitative child labor. There are possible solutions, though. One step towards eradicating child labor is creating international laws that countries can adopt in order to stop child labor. Governments can play a key role in eliminating child labor by passing laws that ban child labor under a certain age. But in some countries these laws aren’t enforced. So, government must work more to enforce these laws so that it can make a positive impact on decreasing child labor. Sometimes, child labor is caused because parents do not have steady jobs or enough income. Therefore, governments must support these poor countries in order to decrease the number of children working in streets. Children need to learn and write. Also, governments must make education free and compulsory up until the minimum legal age for employment. Hence, governments of all countries must take harsh measure against child trafficking. Replacing child worker by adult workers is a solution for child labor. (library.thinkquest.org/03oct/…/globalsolutions.htm)

Child labor is a complex problem that requires comprehensive, multifaceted solution. The most important solution is to give children their right to be educated, protected, and to ask actual child labor what they think the best solution would be, since it is they who would actually be affected. Child labor is a repulsive problem that must be faced to save the future of those children. (library.thinkquest.org/03oct/…/globalsolutions.htm)

References

1 2 3 Help Me. Internet resources. 23 January 2010.

“Child Labour”. OVC Support. Internet resources. 23 January 2010.

Buzzle. Internet resources. 23 January 2010.

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< library.thinkquest.org/03oct/.../globalsolutions.htm>

7.1 Summarise the benefits of working in partnership with parents and others.

The importance of building relationships and making links with parents is crucial. The old fashion attitude towards parents by early year’s workers was definitely wrong i.e. ‘we know what is best for your child’. This was an unhelpful attitude and created an atmosphere where parents did not feel at ease. Talking to practitioners parents felt that their views were not important. Parents did not feel comfortable coming into early years setting (nursery, school) unless they had been invited or had an appointment to attend.

This approach and situation has nowadays generally changed and early year’s workers recognise that working with parents is very beneficial to children’s learning and development. As children come into settings with different experiences and many different needs, the main source of information about children is very often from their parents or main carers.

Parents should be treated as partners as they are the children’s first and most influential educators. Working together the long term benefits of a constructive partnership between parents and practitioners will have a positive impact on a child’s development and learning experiences. Parents may also feel more encouraged and supportive towards the school.

There are many ways in which children benefit when parents and practitioners work together:

Children will definitely settle more easily and feel more secure if they know that their parents and practitioners (childminder, nursery or school teacher) ‘get on’ really well.

Children will gain from having a similar routine or approach – for example, parents are able to tell practitioners what time a child normally needs a rest, eats or feels tired, dealing with difficult tantrums and what to expect, or the use of a EpiPen if a allergic reaction is trigged and any difficult toilet issues.

Practitioners and parents can work together to help a child who has a particular developmental need for example, a child with a language delay may need extra help in nursery or school with speech and some sign language enforcement i.e. Makaton which is a language program designed to help communication between individuals who cannot communicate efficiently by speaking or a child with poor pencil grip may learn the proper way of holding a pencil at school and will also help them at home when writing or drawing.

Parents/ main carers are usually the first to notice that something is bothering a child, they can pass their concerns to practitioners who can recognise and help to resolve. Small unsolved problems or situations may become big ones if not treated promptly.

Diabetes and insulin dependency is another very important area that needs to be discussed and completely covered so everyone’s aware of a child’s needs. Early year’s personnel should have an understanding of diabetes and must be trained in its management and in the treatment of diabetic emergencies.

There are many ways in which staff in settings can try to build up a good relationship between a child’s home and the setting:

In order to work effectively with parents most settings introduce an ‘open door policy’. The idea is to assure parents that they are able to talk to staff or teachers whenever they have any concerns.

This means that instead of having to make an appointment or waiting until for example parents evening, any particular concern or worry can be raised straight away. The open door policy builds trust as parents know they are always welcome to pop in and have an informal chat or view their children’s work whenever they wish. Children also benefit from this very casual approach as they can sense that parents and practitioners are work closely together.

Children can show their parents what they have been doing in their nursery or school. It is extremely important as children are excited to show off their work and achievements and they want their parents to be proud of them too.

Getting to know the parents is essential in early years setting. Workers need to be welcoming and understand the importance of parents so that avenues of communication are established. Once the relationship is build it is easier for both parents and practitioners to bring up concerns that may arise for example, child has been diagnosed as asthmatic and a pump needs to be used, parents have separated from their partner and the child is aware, a family pet has just died. These are very personal and sensitive issues so the relationship needs to be close and comfortable for both parties.

All the children are different and have different needs the same relates to parents. For example parents may be slightly anxious as they leave their children in school for the first time from parents who are experienced and comfortable with leaving their child. We have to remember that relating to parents well is just as much a skill as working with children. Some parents will be uncomfortable talking to members of staff while others will be friendly and feel relaxed. Early years workers will learn how to listen and talk to parents as their experience and confidence grows.

There may be times when parents will need to be contacted quickly for example, child is not feeling well, had an accident etc. Exchanging emergency information its extremely important. It is vital that early years workers have the correct and update information to hand i.e. emergency numbers and addresses are usually exchanged during the admission procedure.

We should encourage parental involvement as parents often have a lot to offer settings in terms of their knowledge, interests, experience, and in volunteering for activities. Working together can also help bring the community closer together; especially in areas where there are different cultural groupings.

Many setting find that parents who come to help are able to bring in many skills and different areas of expertise. Some parents offer to help permanently i.e. ‘reading mums’ in school one a week for an hour; others may help occasionally i.e. school production. Some parents find that working as helpers boost their confidence and give them the chance to meet other parents. We have to remember that nowadays for a parent to be able to work/help in a setting he/she needs to have a current CRB check by the police.

A good working partnership between parents and settings should mean that parents enjoy coming in while the setting appreciates their time and help and the children are able to benefit from having extra adult attention. We have to realise that being friendly with parents is not the same as being friends as this may cause unnecessary problems i.e. parents asking for confidential information, or asking to let unwell child to stay in setting. Professional boundaries must be maintained at all times to avoid misunderstandings.

It can be beneficial for early years setting to establish liaisons with other agencies. As a part of the process of helping children to settle in it can be helpful to exchange or gain information from other agencies for example, a previous nursery that the child has attended or from a childminder. Other professionals might be able to give us advice as how to meet that child’s needs or might suggest strategies they used which were helpful. They may have also some information or observations or even notes about a particular child, which will be appropriate for us to see and know. Whatever information we receive from agencies should be referenced with parental consent. (The only exception – case of suspected abuse).

Working with Healthcare professionals.

If a child has a disability or emotional issues it is likely they will meet with a variety of healthcare professionals, from Doctors, Physiotherapist, Social workers, Occupational therapist, Dieticians, Orthotics, Speech or language therapist.

Parents must inform and communicate to practitioners if their child is seeing a healthcare professional, as for everyone to better understand the child’s behaviour.

For example if a child is being treated for anxiety or depression and the school is unaware of their condition, the child might be looked upon as being shy or a bad mixer when asked to participate with others, wrong diagnosis can be more harmful as the child is being left out or ignored. These experiences can cause a lasting impression on a child’s life, as can a good experience with a caring early year’s worker or teacher. Working closely with parents, teachers and healthcare professionals can only improve a child’s overall achievement and wellbeing to optimise their development and growth.

The most important relationship you can develop will be with your general practitioner (GP). Doctor’s train for at least five years after medical school to become GPs and have an extensive knowledge base with regards to many health conditions .Getting your child used to seeing your GP from an early age will have major benefits as they grow older. Being in known surroundings and seeing a familiar face will help any anxiety they might have about visiting the doctor.

Your doctor can provide a wide range of services and give advice on health issues. GPs will also refer you to hospital for treatment or to other specialist healthcare professionals. The relationship with other healthcare professionals is equally important as we need to build trust and confidence with each one.

When dealing with patients, health professionals should be truthful and respect the privacy and dignity of any patient young or old. We have the right to information about the condition of our health and any diagnosis or illness. We also have a right to be involved in any decisions with regards to any treatment or care we may receive and warned about serious side effects. Our consent must be sought after and medical records should always remain confidential.

Physiotherapists

Physiotherapists are experts in the physical treatment and the improvement of certain conditions. Physiotherapists help to restore lost movement and function to someone affected by illness, injury or other disabilities.

Social workers

Social workers are professionally qualified health professionals who assess people’s needs for care or social services. They will support and find solution, to issues people find themselves in. They have good knowledge of the law, and the social welfare system.

Occupational therapists

Occupational therapists work with patients who have a physical disability, mental health issues, learning disability or medical conditions. Patients with difficulties doing everyday tasks, such as preparing a meal, going up stairs, taking a bath, or getting into bed.

Dieticians

Dieticians are health professionals who explain and treat diet, they assess and diagnose any nutritional problems a patient may have.

Prosthetist and orthotist

Prosthetist and orthotist provide care for anyone requiring an artificial limb, splints, braces or special footwear to assist in movement, they work with other healthcare professionals to provide treatment.

Speech and language therapist

The role of a speech and language therapist is in treating someone who has problems communicating with speech or language, by helping people of all ages, to communicate better.

A patient’s beliefs or views should be respected during their healthcare, and they should receive treatment regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

It is very important our healthcare professionals work as a team as they are from a variety of disciplines and have to work together to deliver a professional service for all patients. Good communication is essential for effective relationship development.

Source:

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

www.daycaretrust.org.uk

www.ofsted.gov.uk

www.alt.org.uk

www.hertschs.nhs.uk

www.nhscareers.nhs.uk

Television viewing is an unavoidable part of the current modern culture. Most people depend on their televisions for news, education, weather, culture and sports. Under parental supervision and limited viewing time, television can provide numerous benefits. If you want to discover the benefits of TV for children continue reading below.

Develops analytical skills

Through asking questions and determining what may happen in a certain program enables children to learn how to think, predict and solve problems. This also makes television viewing an active experience and enables them to develop analytical skills that will be of benefit for a long time to come. In addition, television time can be considered like a learningexperience where the children can discuss programs and compare shows or characters.

Positive influence

Kids are largely influenced by the people and things they watch on television, particularly other children. This can either have a positive or negative effect on them. Recently, children’s TV programs have started to promote some positive topics like environmental awareness and healthy living. As children see their beloved characters making good choices, they will also be influenced to perform similar actions.

LONDON – Television, when appropriately managed and supervised, can be a positive influence in a child’s life, and its impact is likely to be improved through the use of a digital TV recorder, according to a report by top psychologist Dr Tanya Byron

In the report, Children and Television today, commissioned by Freeview, the clinical psychologist applies the term “Viewtrition” to the support that should be available when it comes to managing kids’ TV experiences.

Despite the negativity often associated with children watching TV, eight out of 10 parents questioned believed it has a positive effect on their child’s development, including helping them to expand their imagination (63%) and broaden vocabulary (60%).

The research also shows that 50% of parents said having a digital TV recorder has revolutionised their child’s viewing in a positive way, and parents recognise that having one, makes it easier to control and plan what their child watches around busy family routines.

Byron said: “I, too, believe that television has a positive role to play in a child’s development, but it does need to be monitored and managed responsibly.

“Each parent knows their child best and the Freeview Viewtrition Guide is about giving parents information and advice that they can then adapt and use to help provide their children a balanced TV diet.”

Other key findings include 66% of parents identifying the positive effect TV is having on their child’s numeracy and musical skills.

The research includes surveys with 1,880 parents of children aged between two and 11, courtesy of Mumsnet.com.

Television does, in fact, have a positive influence on children, because it is quite educational.

There’s no denying that television has a potentially damaging influence on children in teenage and college years, if it leads to sedentary lifestyles. But, in early years, it can really help. Educational programming, like Sesame Street and related shows, can help teach kids letters, numbers and important concepts that will help them thrive and take care of themselves later in life. Also, much of children’s programming can help stimulate and develop their imaginations, leading them to lives of creativity.

I believe that television can have a positive influence on children, when the parents are involved.

There are several educational programs on television today, including Sesame Street and Super Why, that do teach children numbers, letters and other subjects. When a parent is able to sit with a child and use these shows as a teaching tool, then children can benefit positively from the use of television.

Positive Effects Of TV On Children

Preschoolers can learn the alphabets, colors and numbers from television.

Children can get information on wildlife and expand their knowledge with quiz contests and others games on TV.

With television, children can keep a track of the latest happenings and the current events.

Television comes across as an excellent form of entertainment for kids, in the form of cartoons and kids programs.

Learningopportunities

If there is a subject your kid enjoys, it is highly likely there is an entertaining and educating movie or TV show that explores that subject in depth. Actually, you may be amazed to find that most children love and watch educational TV programs aimed at grown-ups. For instance,nature and documentary shows are not only entertaining, but they are also very educational for children. Furthermore, through watching television shows, children can discover animals, things or places that they could not have seen otherwise.Nonetheless, children should not watch too much television, instead they should engage in active things such as sports and other hobbies. Excessive TV watching can cause weight problems like obesity and also affect the intellectual skills of children.

Educational and Informative – With cable channels such as Discover, National Geographic and the History Channels, watching TV can be as educational as going to school. Plus, how many times have you learned something while watching a regular TV series? If it weren’t for all the police and lawyer shows on TV, would anybody other than lawyers know what Miranda rights were?

Where kids are concerned, TV and movies get a bad rap, but with healthy viewing habitsand parental supervision, limited “screen time” can be a positive experience for children. Here some ways children can benefit from watching TV and movies:

TV can help kids learn about a variety of subjects.

If there’s a subject your child enjoys, more likely than not, there is a TV show, movie, or educational DVD that explores the subject in detail. You might be even be surprised to find out how many kids watch and love educational shows aimed at adults. Rachael Ray, for example has a huge following among kids and tweens, and herprimetime show often features kids in the kitchen.

Children’s shows, whether they bill themselves as “educational” or not, may offer opportunities to spark learning. For instance, was your child wowed by the Red Eyed Tree Frog on Go, Diego, Go!? Go online to look at pictures and read about the frog. In this way, kids are able to see how fun learning can be and establish a habit of finding out more when things interest them.

Documentary and nature shows are also entertaining and educational for kids. A great example: Meerkat Manor, on the Animal Planet, makes a soap opera out of meerkat life and has kids hooked on the drama.

Through media, kids can explore places, animals, or things that they couldn’t see otherwise.

Most kids are not able to visit the rain forest or see a giraffe in the wild, but many have seen these things on TV. Thankfully, educationally minded producers have given us many shows and movies that allow viewers to see amazing footage ofnature, animals, society, and other peoples. Kids and adults alike can learn from this type of media and gain a greater appreciation for our world and the animals and other people who inhabit it.

TV shows can inspire kids to try new activities and engage in “unplugged” learning.

When kids see their favorite characters engaged in fun learning games, they want to play too. Kids also like learning activities more if they involve beloved characters. Preschoolers’ shows are especially effective for generating ideas for learning activities and using characters to motivate kids.

If you have a child who loves Blue’s Clues, for example, you can create clues and a riddle for them to solve at home, or challenge your child to create the riddle and clues. Or, turn a regular activity into a challenge and encourage your child to solve it like the Super Sleuths do.

TV and movies can motivate kids to read books.

Of the new movies that are released each year, you can bet that several of them are based on books. Parents can challenge kids to read a book with the promise of going to the theater or renting the movie when they finish it. Or, kids may see a movie and like it so much that they decide to read the book. Discuss the differences between the book and the movie to help kids develop thinking skills.

Kids can build analytical skills by discussing media.

What do you think will happen next? Who did it? What will the result be? What could that character have done instead? Asking these types of questions as you co-viewwith your children will help them learn to think, problem solve, and predict, making TV viewing a more active experience. More important than just memorizing facts, developing thinking skills will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

Also, remember those compare/contrast tests in school? You can help prepare kids for this type of literary thinking by discussing programs with them. Compare and contrast characters or shows. Who is the main character? Describe the plot. What was the setting and main idea? What was the conflict and how was it resolved? Use TV time to help kids practice for all those essay tests, and they might find that talking about this stuff can be interesting and fun!

Parents can use TV to help kids learn the truth about advertising.

Advertising may be annoying, but it does present yet another opportunity to develop kids’ thinking skills. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, young children may not even know the difference between programs and commercials. They are just soaking it all in and applying it to their reality. As a parent, you can explain the purpose of advertising to your kids and alert them to any deceptive tactics. Allow them to analyze the methods used by advertisers to sell a product.

Good role models and examples on TV can positively influence kids.

Children are influenced by people they see on television, especially other kids. Obviously, this can have a negative result, but it can be positive too. Lately, kids’ TV shows have begun promoting some positive agendas such as healthy living andenvironmental awareness. As kids see their favorite characters making positive choices, they will be influenced in a good way. Parents can also point out positive traits that characters display and thereby spark valuable family discussions.

Daniel Anderson, a prominent researcher on the subject, sums up the situation with children and media perfectly stating, “I hope the broader impact of my research will increase awareness at many levels so that we can be cognizant of both the promise and the peril of what we are doing.” Media truly can have a positive effect on children, but it is up to the parents, caregivers and educators in their lives to ensure that kids’ viewing experiences are enriching and not damaging.

http://kidstvmovies.about.com/od/healthytvhabits/a/tvgoodforkids.htm