Cackleberries.com is back with its Children’s Stories and Bedtime Stories Series.  We showcase our unique characters and wonderful town through our eye-catching stories while providing parents with a great way to encourage children to read!  To read other stories we’ve released, check out the ‘children’s stories’ category on the right side of the page.  Make sure you check back each and every week as we offer a brand new story every Friday!

For today’s Children’s Story, we’re visited by Oville’s oldest resident!  Today, we’re pleased to share with you……

The Chronicles of Cack

A Video Storybook

Thanks for watching today’s Children’s Stories and Bedtime Stories feature!

We’ll see you all next week!

Surfing the Internet for important news and articles related to you and your children, Cackleberries.com has located some recent news stories that we feel you should know about.

Once again, Cackleberries has found some important stories coming out of the medical world concerning our children.  The first story we’ve located discusses the fitness habits of young children and the resultant benefits later in life.  The second news item we have for you is about the effects of anesthesia on babies during childbirth.

Story # 1

Being active at age 5 helps kids stay lean as they age

This study, out of the University of Iowa, focused on a group of over 300 children and their level of activity throughout childhood.  The research used the latest in technology including body scanners and accelerometers allowing for more in-depth, reliable, and accurate results then previous related studies could provide.  The conclusion of the study was that activity levels at the age of 5 had a definite impact on the amount of fat and overall shape a person was in later in life.  To read the study in greater detail Click Here

Story # 2

Anesthesia not harmful for babies during birth process

In a new study coming out of the highly regarded Mayo Clinic, researchers have found there is no greater likelihood of birth defects resulting from a child born via cesarean section versus those born via a regular birth.  Since anesthetics are required for cesarean births, it was thought that a greater risk of birth defects existed for children in later years due to potential brain damage caused from anesthesia.  This new study has dispelled this notion.  By comparing birth records, IQ results, and academic achievements, the Mayo Clinic determined that c-sections were just as safe a method of birth as regular ones.  What was even more interesting was the fact that c-section babies who only received localized anesthetic were 40 percent less likely to develop learning disabilities later in life.  A report on the study can be seen by Clicking Here

Be sure to check back tomorrow as we release our latest Children’s Stories and Bedtime Stories feature!

Back again with a brand new posting, Cackleberries.com provides yet another article in our How-To Series to help you answer any questions you might have about the world of parenting.

Today, we discuss….

The Benefits of Volunteering at Your Child’s School and in Their Classroom

Deciding to volunteer at your child’s school can be a highly rewarding and challenging experience. You’ll be able to help contribute to the education process, alleviate some of the stresses of your child’s teacher, have a valuable and rewarding experience and witness your child interacting in a whole new light.

If you decide to volunteer, it would be most beneficial to start at the beginning of the school year. You should speak with the teacher prior to the start of school in order to allow them to incorporate you into their class planning. If you do this however, be sure to provide ample notice of any scheduling conflicts that may arise. Depending on your level of commitment, the teacher may come to depend on you and your regular attendance and help.

Besides teaching a class full of children for the morning and afternoon, teachers also have many more tasks to complete. Whether it’s helping run school sports, marking exams and homework, photocopying class materials, tutoring children needing after school help, or supervising detention, a teacher’s job encompasses many different duties. If you made yourself available for volunteering, your child’s teacher would probably jump at the opportunity. Depending on your time commitment, you’ll be able to work out with the teacher what tasks you could help out with to the greatest benefit of all in involved.

By deciding to volunteer at your child’s school, you’ll be able to help make an impact on not just your child’s life but on the lives of other students as well. By adding another adult presence in the classroom, you’ll be able to provide one-on-one support and help supervise unruly students to ensure the best learning environment possible. You’ll be an extra set of eyes, ears and hands that will be of great value to the school community.

Here are some guidelines for making your volunteer time something you will enjoy, something that will be of benefit to the teacher and the school, and something that will help your child as well.

* If in doubt, always defer to the teacher. Remember that it is their classroom, you are just there to help. Never undermine the teacher’s authority or you’ll run the risk of causing a rift in the class and the children will try to take advantage of any discrepancy they perceive. You’ll need to be ok with taking direction from the teacher. After all, your there to help support the teacher and students, not to co-teach.

* A second benefit will be that you’ll have an insider’s understanding of your child’s homework expectations, allowing you to review their habits and effort. By knowing their assignments, you’ll be able to use your first hand knowledge to provide help at home.

* Make sure to talk with your child about your intentions before you begin volunteering. It is important for them to understand why you’ll be in their classroom and what you’ll be doing there. You don’t want your child to resent you for being involved in their life outside the home. Try to stress that it is strictly an educational endeavour and that your there to support the teacher and help out with your child’s learning progress, not to spy on them at school. Ask your child how they feel about the experience once you’ve started and whether there is anything that is bothering them. If you keep an open dialogue, it will benefit your child’s relationship and education in the future.

* Once you work out a schedule with the teacher, do your best to stick to it and be accountable to your decision. Not only will it help the teacher plan for their week but it will also help you organize your activities as well. If your child takes issue with your presence in class, try to work out a part time routine that will allow your child to have a bit of time of on their own to interact with their friends and be themselves.

So if you’re thinking of volunteering at your child’s school, take a minute to review the pros and cons involved. If after your deliberations, you decide that you want to go ahead with volunteering your time, make sure you speak with your child’s teacher. Any amount of time you can find to help out at the school and in your child’s class will be greatly appreciated. Whether it is simply helping the teacher with mundane tasks or taking part in organizing sporting leagues, your help will be invaluable to the overworked school staff.

Good luck and happy volunteering!

Each and Every Tuesday, Cackleberries.com is pleased to bring you our ‘Drawing lessons and Drawing for Kids’ feature by providing new and exciting drawing lessons for your children!  Every week, our head artist offers completely original, top quality step-by-step tutorials with his characteristically unique style.  Every offering in our drawing series will feature fun, new drawing lessons as we progress and improve our talents together.  Enjoy!!

Today, we venture into new territory as we showcase another brand new drawing lesson.  Today, we follow up on last week’s video of Oville’s own Cackasaurus with a fun new video tutorial of…..

How to Draw a Cartoon Dinosaur

A Cackleberries Video Drawing Lesson

We sure hope you liked today’s drawing lesson & drawing for kids feature!

We welcome you back to our snack-tastic feature where we showcase easy kids snack recipes and other recipes for kids right here in this very place on this very day, every week.  In our ongoing efforts to make life easier for you, the under-appreciated and over-worked parents of the kids we cater to, we offer our regular Monday initiative in our blogging repertoire to help you be the best parent you can be!  As usual, we give to you, the Monday Munchies presented by Cackleberries.com

With today’s new snack recipe, Oville’s librarian Ms. Honeybun takes a minute away from her books to offer up one of her preferred daytime snacks.  Ms. Honeybun presents her recipe for……

Honey, Peanut Butter, and Banana Quesadillas

Ingredients

• Peanut Butter
• Honey
• Bananas
• Wraps

Directions

1. Spread Peanut Butter and Honey on one side of the wrap
2. Cut the Banana into slices and place on top of Peanut Butter
3. Cover with another wrap
4. Place in a Panini press (if you have one) otherwise, broil until the wrap starts to brown slightly
5. Flip over and repeat
6. Serve and Enjoy!

One of Ms. Honeybun’s personal favourites, this easy to prepare snack recipe is a great treat to serve your children!  We hope you liked today’s snack recipe feature and look forward to providing you with another great recipe next Monday.