With so many going through a heat wave right now, you would normally expect people to be keeping their cool indoors.  Understandably however, many are finding relief at shore side and other cooler indoor climates.

Keeping children safe in this hot weather isn’t hard, and while most know the tips below they still bear repeating:

Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water!  As temperatures rise, drinking enough water to replenish out bodies (especially the growing bodies of children) becomes much more important.

Never leave a child in the car: There is never a quick enough trip to leave a child in a car alone.  Aside from the kidnapping or even you being arrested risks associated with ‘just a quick trip inside’ there are many other dangers when a child in inside a car alone, especially in the heat.

Sunscreen: Finding the right SPF (doctors typically advice something in the 15 through 30 range) and applying it consistently and after a child gets out of water or after strenuous activity can make a huge difference.  Just one serious sunburn can pose many problems for someone later in life.

Always be vigilant, especially near water: Water is a serious risk for children.  Keeping an undistracted eye on them when you are anywhere near a body of water (including toddler pools) can be the difference between a tragedy and safety.

The popular latest craze amongst kids is being panned by many adults, while others (myself included) just don’t get the trend (really, they are just elastics).  While not getting it is a bit different than banning them, as many community areas and schools are doing, in an attempt to avoid issues with trading gone wrong.

Yet, others are saying that the trend is outright bad or a kid’s health.  These critics have brought the panning of the bracelets to a whole new level, and others may be starting to agree with them.

Dr. Gregory Simonian, chief of endovascular surgery and director of the Heart Vascular Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center, told me that his daughter also wears Silly Bandz, and that Dr. Manny could be on to something.

“Whether it’s tight bracelets or a ring on your finger, anything that is constricting could cause vascular insufficiency—meaning the blood flow is being altered by some external force. In this case, it’s the new, hip rubber bracelets,” Simonian said.

(Source)

Are the bracelets dangerous? Or maybe, these new concerns about them are just another factor of us adults just not getting it.

Image via Wikipedia

Most people have fond memories of early Saturday morning cartoons.  Running downstairs to turn on the television to be greeted by the whole lineup that usually ran into the early afternoon.  They were a popular passtime that usually was a good way to let off some of the school week steam. 

While there aren’t really many Saturday morning cartoons blocks anymore, at least how they were in the 80’s and 90’s, a few shows from the era may be getting a facelift and be seen on your television again soon.

Voltron will be making it’s appearance very soon, re-introduced as "Voltron: Defender of the Universe" and will have a line of toys by Mattel to go along with the series. 

Warner Bros.’ animation aims to produce an anime-influenced version of "ThunderCats" for Cartoon Network to revive the ’80s property, which has had a feature treatment stuck in development.

Likewise billionaire Haim Saban bought back "The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" from Disney last month for about $100 million to reboot as TV shows on Nickelodeon and toys.

Starting next year, Nicktoons will air 26 half-hour episodes of "Voltron Force," about five space explorers who pilot robotic lions that combine to form Voltron, an invincible guardian sworn to defend the Universe.

There may even be a few more potentially coming back as well, although presently Voltron is the only one with a set date.

The latest craze to hit kids, Silly Bands (an elastic bracelet that comes in different shapes) has been experiencing some trouble in schools.  Many educators are calling the fad a distraction, and have been banning them from being worn to school.

Many parents are thinking that this is just another silly thing, especially with all the overzealous bans over children’s fads over the past years.  Many just think that the Silly Bandz (that retail at about $5 for a pack of 24), are just another craze that will more than likely be over relatively soon.

So, what exactly made the baubles bannable?

Students fiddle with them during class and arrange swaps – trading, say, a bracelet with a mermaid for one with a dragon – when they should be concentrating on schoolwork, teachers say. Sometimes a trade goes bad – kids get buyer’s remorse too – and hard feelings, maybe even scuffles, ensue.

(Source)

What do you think?  It is just another ban that is plain silly, or do the schools have a point?

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While a traditional greeting card isn’t usually thought of as a great gift idea, a new take on the normal card may change your mind, (or at the very least your garden).

The owner of Burning Bush Inside, the company that created these cards says:

Our motto is ‘Don’t be afraid to Grow’. He continues, “Simply plant the card and envelope, water and enjoy a blooming reward. Our eco-friendly products are made from recycled materials”.

It is a fun idea for a gift (think of teachers and all those people that parents do need to get gifts for), and is great for spreading an eco-friendly message.

The idea behind the company itself came out of an unusual place as well, from the Elephant Man movie and the tale of Joseph Carey Merrick (the actual man behind the movie) and what he had lived through.

It’s an inspiring tale behind a very interesting and great concept.  We all do want to give and live a bit greener, and this is one easy step we can take to start.  After all, there isn’t much else that is greener than a gift you can plan and cultivate into the soil itself.