Author: Julie Lang

Public anxieties over youth and media may be unfounded

Public anxieties over youth and media may be unfounded

Posted by | Nov 25, 2017 | , , |

No, the internet is not actually stealing kids’ innocence Popular claims about media harm don’t always stack up against the evidence. Shutterstock The news is constantly awash with stories reporting on – and arguably amplifying – public anxieties over youth and media. The anxieties concern violence and video games, gaming addiction, internet and mental health, and teen suicide. For example, child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg recently linked the sexualisation of children and their easy access to online pornography to an increase in sexual and indecent assault allegations at school. His argument reprised some familiar problems that are common in media panic...

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4 Tips to help limit kids screen time over the holidays

4 Tips to help limit kids screen time over the holidays

Posted by | Nov 22, 2017 | |

Sweet summertime is here and the battle to limit kids screen time is on! The kids can let their imaginations soar and entertain themselves all day long. Unfortunately, the reality of summertime may not be so sweet. First, kids aren’t always that great at entertaining themselves. Then, with all of the technology that surrounds us, getting kids away from the screen can be difficult. And keeping kids completely disconnected from technology is unrealistic and not even necessary. Unrealistic because when we aren’t going to disconnect completely, why should we expect our kids to? And unnecessary because technology offers many learning...

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How Toys Impact Children’s Development

How Toys Impact Children’s Development

Posted by | Nov 22, 2017 | , , |

Children Learn Quickly: a Short Lesson in Neuroplasticity Children’s Development: Children are extremely fast learners. For newborns, the world is a flood of information and they absorb it like a sponge. Connections between neurons in the brain called ‘synapses’ form, and because children have the ability to take in large amounts of information, the number of connections in a young child’s brain (particularly babies and toddlers) are far greater than an adult’s. Unlike adult brains which ignore irrelevant information, the developing brain takes in everything, and forms neural connections that are virtually useless. As the child develops, certain synapses...

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5 Kids Birthday Party Theme Ideas

5 Kids Birthday Party Theme Ideas

Posted by | Oct 24, 2017 | |

We know that coming up with kids birthday party ideas gets tiring year after year.  You want something easy to create but that your kids will love. Here’s 5 kids birthday party themes that combine minimum cost with maximum fun. LEGO LEGO has always been a favourite with the younger generations so take the guesswork out of party ideas with a theme you know they’ll love. If you can’t bear the thought of finding enough LEGO blocks for a whole party of kids then outsource the tough stuff with a Bricks 4 Kidz LEGO party. Everything from invites to games...

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What children learn from working in 3-D

What children learn from working in 3-D

Posted by | Oct 18, 2017 | |

Human achievement has been built in the real world — we learn from things we touch, see, experience and feel. We all know children learn and build their brains through play and by interacting with the world around them. We also know how much they love technology. But what if something drawn on a screen can become real? 3-D printers have become cheaper and easier to use, making them more available to even very young children at science camps, in classroom and in museums. By conceptualising and experimenting with these printers, children can better understand STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and math). Better...

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