Your child can be a Philanthropist NOW! :)

This is WAY cool! It would be great to start preparing now so as to host a great summer activity for your kid(s): Milk + Bookies -

Milk + Bookies^TM is a nationwide charitable organization that inspires children to give back, using books as its currency.

• At Milk + Bookies^TM events, boys and girls are provided the opportunity to select, purchase and inscribe books that are then donated to their peers who do not have access to books of their own. The fun-filled events feature music, story time and, of course, milk and cookies.
• We facilitate these events creating more and more experiences for children to be exposed to giving. Please visit our host-your-own page to read about the M+B class project, M+B birthday party and contact us for information on a book fair at your school.
• Milk + Bookies^TM combines two essential and worthwhile efforts: literacy promotion and service learning. While the book donations are imperative to our mission, just as important is instilling the seed of giving into each host and their young guests, sparking feelings of importance, self-confidence and the desire to give and give again.

This is such a great way to teach your kids about giving back. It seems especially important in today's society where kids seemed way more entitled. As much as secular education is important, I feel that this spirit of giving far surpasses any knowledge you can gift or teach your child. What other kinds of service activities do your children engage in?

Spotlight Interviews at Education Nation with Warren Buffett, Susie Buffett, and Melinda Gates

I watched an interview with Bill Gates and Warren Buffet on CNBC once and I've grown to love their opinions and how smart they see things. Education Nation (NBC) got to interview the Buffets and Melinda Gates this time! Such an insightful interview! Have fun watching!

Google to give $1 Million

According to this article, Google is planning on donating $1 million to local elementary and middle schools to help improve students math and technology skills.


According to the article,
"The district's statement noted that math is a key indicator of future academic success and that the grant would go toward helping socio-economically disadvantaged students in Mountain View's primary and middle schools.
"We really want to help level the playing field in math and make sure that all the kids in the district are getting a strong foundation in math," 

The grant is part of a broader Google campaign geared toward improving science, technology, engineering and math education -- often referred to as "STEM."
"There are a lot of jobs in technology, (and) there are going to be a lot of jobs in the future in technology," Spain said, explaining the importance of STEM education. "Not only that, but we will also all be using technology. We all need those skills."

Great to see a company like Google give back to the community!

Operation Backpack

A friend in Japan posted this link.  Local boy scouts and girl scouts of Camp Zama, Japan are putting together "care" backpacks for the kids of Japan that were affected by the earthquake and tsunami.

According to the site:
"Our mission is to provide comfort and a message of love to the kids of Japan who have lost everything in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.  We will distribute the packs after transportation and mail delivery becomes available in the affected areas.  Members of our community are in Sendai, Japan, directly helping with relief efforts.  They will personally help distribute the backpacks for our Scouts."

They are accepting donations up until April 30th, 2011.  If you are interested in helping out toward this good cause, check out the website for more information on what you can donate.

Japan Earthquake Tsunami - Horrifying but can it be educational?

As I poured through the images and videos posted about the current Japan Earthquake/Tsunami disaster and hear about personal accounts from friends in Japan, I couldn't help but wonder if my child was old enough, would I share these stories and accounts with him or would I shield him from the horrors of such a disaster? I think I would want my child to know that these disasters happen. At the same time, I would want him to know that he doesn't have to be afraid. I thought a bout a list of things I could do to make the best of such a situation.

My List of Disaster Education for children:

1. Pull up a map. Show your child where the disaster had occurred and show them where they are in respect to the disaster. This can help assure the child that he/she is safe.

2. Gather your family for an emergency checklist session. Go through what needs to be done should something like this happen. Your children should understand your family's emergency plan as best as they can. This way if you happen to be separated during the course of such an event, your child will not be scared. Instead, they will be comforted because they have the knowledge of what to do.

3. Have your children memorize emergency numbers and your cell phone numbers. Teach them how to use a pay-phone. You'll be surprised to learn that many children don't even know what a pay phone is nowadays. Have them learn your full names (as well as their own of course!) and important addresses.

4. Agree on a Family Emergency Meeting venue should any of you be separated. Show your kids where that venue is and how to get there from places they would usually be at, such as from home, from school, from the playground, from grandma's, etc...)

5. Start an emergency kit or backpack for each member of your family. Have your kids help you put together the backpack. Show them how to use the items in the backpack!

6. If your kids are old enough, learn how to do CPR as a family. The American Red Cross provides CPR classes. Contact your local chapter for more information. Do note that usually only teenagers and up will be effective in doing CPR because strength is needed. However, it is always good for younger children to learn about CPR as well. Here are some fun tips!

7. It's a great time to learn about nature and science. Teach your kids how and why such disasters occur. When kids understand how it happens, they are less afraid. FEMA has an awesome website to teach kids about natural disasters!

8. If you have the resources to do so, have your family engage in a charity that helps people affected by these disasters. Even having your kids do extra projects, have their own lemonade stands, mow grasses, and chores to earn $10-$20 to donate to a charity is sufficient. It's a great feeling when a child feels like he/she has contributed to something as big as a full scale natural disaster.

If you guys have any thoughts or ideas, please feel free to share them. I would love to hear them all!!!

Save the Children and Zynga Team Up to Help Japan Disaster Relief Efforts

Media Contact: 
Eileen Burke, 203-216-0718

WESTPORT, CT (March 12, 2011) – Save the Children and Zynga, Inc. are teaming up on a fundraising initiative across more than seven games to support the global humanitarian agency’s relief efforts following the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Zynga is giving its 250 million players a chance to donate 100 percent of the purchase price of newly created virtual items to Save the Children’s Japan Earthquake Tsunami Children Emergency Fund. The fund will support the urgent and ongoing needs of quake- and tsunami-affected Japanese children and families. Facebook is donating all of its Facebook Credits generated through the purchases to support the fundraising efforts.

"It's inspiring to see the Zynga teams spontaneously take action to partner with our game players worldwide to help Japan," said Mark Pincus, CEO and Founder of Zynga. "We hope that the millions of people who connect through our games every day will also take action to connect with Japan as we saw them do with our Haiti relief efforts."

Game Promotions

Zynga players have the opportunity to donate in the following games, with 100 percent of the purchase price of these virtual items donated to the fund:

• Café World: Players cans place Japanese inspired decorations in their Café to benefit the initiative.
• CityVille: Citizens can plant a limited edition sweet potato crop to feed their population and stock their restaurants.
• FrontierVille: Players can buy a limited edition Kobe cow to place in their frontier.
• FarmVille: Farmers can plant a limited edition daikon radish crop that never withers.
• Words With Friends: Players can donate directly by clicking on a Save the Children button inside the game.
• YoVille: Players can purchase homes and furniture inspired by Japanese architecture and design.
• Zynga Poker: Fans going for a royal flush can donate by purchasing access to a VIP table.
• zBar: Players can donate directly by clicking on a Save the Children button inside the bar that sits across the top of their game on Facebook.

Family Challenge

This article - "First Grader Proves "Yes, We Can" Isn't Just for Adults" by Megan Cottrell has been nothing but inspirational. A teacher, Sue Veni, read her students the book "The Goodness Gorillas" that was about a group of school kids who try spreading kindness around their school and community. Veni then gave each of her students an envelope with $10 in it, asking them to "think outside the envelope," to use the money to do good in   their own community.  One of her students, Jake Levine, took the challenge. He took the $10 plus a little of his own to buy stamps. He proceeded to write letters to his friends and family, asking for donations for the Leukemia Research Foundation. It was a cause close to his heart as his own grandmother had died of Leukemia in 2009. Jake raise $1501 for the foundation. This is truly amazing!  This might be a fun project to work together on as a family and it will only cost $10.  Come up with something fun and share it with us via email! Tell us what you did and send us pictures! We will feature every project on our blog!


 

Jake Levine poses with his Certificate of appreciation at the LRF office in Wilmette. Photo courtesy of LRF  Credit Fruzsina Eordogh 

Read Free Books and Give to Charity!

This site is pretty awesome: http://www.wegivebooks.org/ . It's a site by Penguin Books where they have free online childrens' books for you to read. For each free online book you read, Penguin Books will donate an actual book to 1 of 4 charities. Pretty Cool! Bring your laptops with you and have a fun bedtime reading session with your kids!!!