A lot of people believe that babies see only in black and white for a number of weeks after birth.  It is not entirely clear where this rumour has come from, although it is believed it came from a quack scientist who simply managed to get a lot of exposure.  In reality, babies can see colours as soon as they are born.  However, they do have some trouble seeing a different between different shades of the same colour.  Because of this, babies enjoy black and white patterns or other contrasting colours, because they are better able to distinguish between them.  You would be surprised at how fast a baby’s vision develops however.  In fact, when they are four months old, a baby may already have a favourite colour.

Highly Contrasting Colours and Babies

It is certainly true that at birth, the visual acuity of a baby is incredibly poor.  It is best compared to the vision of an adult who is only able to read the very top letter on a vision test at the optician (by the way, this is usually an A or an E).  Their worlds, in other words, are very blurry.  However, blurry does not mean they are blind, or even colour blind (although some children are colour blind to some degree or even fully of course).  As soon as a child is born, the blur they see does have certain colours and shades.  Furthermore, they are very capable of distinguishing contrasts.  Because black and white are the most famous contrast, many people opt for this.  However, red and green or purple and yellow work just as well.

Your Baby Has His or Her Own Preference

The brain of a baby works very quickly in starting to distinguish colours.  Babies of only four months have a clear preference for certain colours and are able to tell different colours apart without much difficulty.  Most babies, however, have many preferences within the wide spectrum of colours, as they marvel at each of the different shades and tones.  Scientific researchers have suggested that even if a baby demonstrates a very clear preference for a specific colour, parents should still make sure their baby is exposed to a wide range of colours.  This is why it is actually not recommended to have a completely pink room for a girl or blue room for a boy.  Or even if you don’t believe in the whole colour-gender differentiation, it is still important to not have a room in just one single colour or shade.

If Your Baby is Colour Blind

Unfortunately, it is possible that your baby is colour blind.  If colour blindness runs in the family, it is more likely that your baby also suffers from it.  Colour blindness is a very wide spectrum, with some people unable to differentiate between specific colours (often red and green) or between different shades.  These people will see all blues, as blue and all greens as green for instance.  Then, there are the very few that truly do not see any colour, and only experience white, gray and black.  Others can see all colours except for yellow and blue.  Because of these differences, it is very hard to actually recognize a child is colour blind at a young age.  It is normal for babies to only see single colours, rather than shades, for quite some time and if they fall into the category that they cannot differentiate between shades (the most common form of colour blindness), a parent or health care professional may not become aware of this until a child is much older.

Because children love colours from such a young age, using kids wall stickers in a child’s room is a great way to allow a child to develop their knowledge and understanding of colours.

Summer is quickly approaching and while kids are celebrating long, hot days spent running around playing instead of being cooped up in a classroom with lesson plans and quizzes, parents may not have the same gusto as their little ones. Whether your kid is pulling in the top grades in the class or is struggling to keep up, it’s important to keep them active in learning throughout the vacation so that they return in the fall prepared and not behind. Sneaking little bits of education into their days is much easier than designating summer study times, and you can use any of these six tactics to put an educational spin on fun activities:

1. Sneak learning into everyday activities–Keep school lessons fresh by showing educational cartoons in the morning, asking kids to point out different wildlife and plants at the park during the days, and having kids read to you at night. They’ll be having so much fun that they won’t even notice that all their school lessons are being reinforced through their everyday activities.
2. Enroll kids in a summer class – A lot of community colleges offer fun summer courses for kids to take, such as art classes or cooking classes. Keeping kids in a classroom setting surrounded by their peers will help keep the mindset of school fresh, but they’ll have the freedom to pick the subject they want to learn more about, making it more exciting than a traditional math or English class.
3. Have them help with cooking – Every evening let your children help out with cooking dinner. Learning how to use measuring cups and figure out different conversions is the perfect math lesson hidden inside of measuring out various food and spice amounts. Ask them different questions throughout, such as if they need ¼ cup of milk then how many tablespoons does that equal, and other variations of fractions. Plus, it’s a good way to teach them about healthy eating and balanced nutrition.
4. Plan creative projects – If your child is having trouble during the school year with spelling then have them write encouraging letters to soldiers overseas or organize a pen pal for them so that they can continually practice writing and spelling. If reading is their weak spot then don’t just read to them at night, but have them read to you. Try making homemade playdough or finger paints… both are great ways to sneak in some extra science lessons. Fun projects are a great way to get kids involved and learning without the same stresses as a school setting.
5. Schedule educational field trips – Spend some of your summer days visiting museums, historical landmarks, the local zoo, and nearby farms and farmer’s markets. There are hundreds of lessons to be learned through each of these locations, and all offer a unique and fun twist on learning. Throughout the day quiz the kids on what they’re learning.
6. Send them to camp – Summer camps are a great option for working parents who want to keep their kids involved in activities and education. Most camps have educational aspects built into them and will teach kids new skills, sports, and crafts. They’ll also make new friends and be busy all day long.

There are always opportunities to teach our kids different lessons and further their education even when they aren’t in school, so you never have to worry about them losing what they learned throughout the school year or falling further behind than they already were. Make educational activities fun and you’re sure to have them excited about learning.

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About The Author:
Jenny Ellis is a freelance writer, and a regular contributor for aupair care. She welcomes your comments at: ellisjenny728 @ gmail.com.

Most moms spend lots of time looking for activities to do with their kids when they are home from school. Some may like to take kids on trips to museums and galleries, others will make do with trips to local parks and others will give their children lots of arts and crafts activities to keep them busy. They may be mothers day crafts for kids or they may be crafts and art activities that don't have a specific goal.

There are actually a few choices parents have when choosing art projects for their kids to do. They can opt for the typical, copycat arts and crafts type of projects that can be found all over the web. Or they can choose to allow their children to be more creative and allow them to think for themselves. A third option is for them to concentrate more on art activities like drawing and painting as opposed to more standard crafts

What many parents don't realize is the detrimental effect copycat cat crafts can have on their children. Children need to learn how to think for themselves, to be creative and to take initiative. The problem with those standard crafts is that they don't allow for any of those things. They do not allow children to be creative, because how can you be creative when you are copying someoen else s idea. They also don't allow them to think for themselves or take initiative. When kids have to follow projects in a paint by number type of way, then there really is not room for thinking and initiative taking.

Another negative effect of standard, copycat crafts is that children are unable to develop a good self esteem when they make projects that look like all the others plus they cannot feel good about something that did not really come from their own creativity.

So if you really want children to work with art projects that are good for them and will enhance their cognitive and social abilities, then it is best to stay away from the typical, copycat arts and crafts and to look for ones that are more creative and open ended.

 

Bio:

Faige Kobre is the creator of eduart4kids that teaches parents and teachers how to give children crafts and art that helps them develop great thinking skills, initiative taking and a great self esteem.

Many parents are not sure whether or not their children need life insurance. It has long been debated and there are various viewpoints on the subject. Although there are many experts that think it is a great, cost-effective way to protect a child’s future, others think it is outdated and a waste of money. If you are unsure about purchasing life insurance for your children, the following pointers will help you outweigh the pros and cons.

Familiarize Yourself

Before making the decision whether or not to purchase life insurance for your kids, you should familiarize yourself with the particulars. Life insurance provides a payment that is payable upon death. Although most parents agree this is a grim subject, it is something that should be taken into consideration. The death benefit can help with funeral and memorial costs, but for a child there is not much more to pay for. Life insurance is also designed to supplement income should a person die while employed. Since kids do not work, there is no income to supplement. In some cases, life insurance can also provide living benefits that can help pay for things such as college tuition. Now that you know the basics regarding life insurance, you can begin to outweigh the pros and cons.

Pros

There are several pros to purchasing life insurance for your children. The most important pro is the automatic death benefit payment you receive should one of your children pass away. This payment will help you pay for funeral and memorial costs. It can also help to pay any outstanding medical bills that may have been accumulated prior to your child’s death. Another pro is the cash value that a life insurance policy can build. This cash value can be used later on for things like college costs or down payments on a home. Lastly, purchasing life insurance for your children will ensure they are insurable later on in life. If they have life insurance at an early age, they will not have to worry about obtaining it when they get older.

Cons

Unfortunately, there are also many cons to purchasing life insurance for your children. While the death benefit will help pay for funeral or memorial costs and outstanding medical bills, there is usually little else a parent needs to pay for. This means you will basically paying monthly premiums that may or may not be used. Since kids do not work, there is no income to supplement. With no income to supplement, life insurance may seem like a bit of a waste of money. Additionally, the monthly premiums may get expensive over time. You may be able to add your children to your current life insurance policy for a smaller amount. Another reason life insurance for your kids may not be the best choice is the underlying fees that can reduce the cash value of the policy. These fees can bring the overall cash value down, meaning there is less money to borrow from later on. When it comes to future insurability, there is a very small chance that your child will not be insurable later in life. A life insurance policy for your kids is often unnecessary for this very reason.

Now that you know some of the pros and cons of purchasing life insurance for your kids, hopefully you will be able to make an informed decision. Since it is really up to every family’s personal situation, having the right information can help make the often tough decision much easier.

Guest post from Payton Price. Payton writes about term life insurance for TermLifeInsurance.org.

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