“For kids, video games top saving nature: survey” plus 3 more

For kids, video games top saving nature: survey
Golf course to hold Kids Day
Kids learn art, become junior museum guides
Survey Indicates Kids Think Videogames More Important Than Environment

For kids, video games top saving nature: survey

Posted: 19 May 2010 07:35 AM PDT

PARIS (AFP) – Ten times more children around the world rank watching television and playing video games as more important to them than saving the environment, according to a survey released Wednesday.

Earth's flora and fauna are disappearing 1,000 times faster than the natural extinction rate, but only nine percent of kids gave a top priority to protecting the planet's animal life.

Many did not even know what is meant by "endangered species," reported the survey, released by the UN Convention on Biodiversity.

"The survey confirms the alarming disconnect of our children with nature," the Convention's Executive Secretary, Ahmed Djoghlaf, said in a statement.

He called for "urgent action to close this growing gap between tomorrow's citizens and their natural heritage."

Sponsored by European aircraft giant Airbus, the survey was conducted among 10,000 five-to-18 year olds in 10 countries.

When asked which type of animal or plant they would most like to save, nine percent cited birds, 23 percent favoured reptiles, and 50 percent gave mammals top priority, with the snow leopard given as an example.

Only six percent chose plants and less than one percent opted for insects.

The participating countries were Australia, Britain, China, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, Spain and the United States.

UN Convention on Biodiversity

Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Golf course to hold Kids Day

Posted: 20 May 2010 05:19 AM PDT

Thursday, May 20, 2010

AMHERST - From kids' games and first-light birdwatching to studying erosion and rare plants, the Amherst Country Club golf course and its companion Ponemah Green Family Golf Center will take on a much different look for most of the day Saturday.

The special events are all part of the facility's first Kids Day, which runs from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and features a long-drive competition, closest to the target game, a mini-golf tournament and free clinics at the driving range for kids of various ages.

But that's not all that will be going on at the facility, which is at 72 Ponemah Road.

Saturday being National Audubon Day, a group of birdwatchers will set out at 6 a.m. to walk the course and identify birds that visit and hang out in the sanctuary on the grounds.

The tour will be led by Jay Berry, a member of the local Audubon Society's board of directors.

A little later, a group of local Cub Scouts will arrive to begin an erosion study on the property.

The session will be led by plant ecologist Dr. Eric Berry, a St. Anselm College biology professor and the man who recently discovered a population of rare Senna hebecarpa (wild senna) wildflower plants growing on the country club grounds. ACC events and business director Heather C. Ignaszewski said the senna plant was believed to have been extinct until Berry's discovery, and the country club has the honor of being the only place in New Hampshire where it grows.

Meanwhile, the Kids' Day, which club officials hope to make an annual event, will also offer free club fittings for all children accompanied by an adult, along with free driving range balls, free miniature golf, and, of course, free ice cream.

Children will be divided into three age groups for the golf competitions. Mini-golf tourney participants can play their round, which will be an 18-hole, best-ball format for teams of two to four players each, anytime from 10-2.

At the driving range, PGA pro Lionel Dupuis will be giving free clinics every hour, starting at 10:30. Those who happen to be at the range between noon and 2 p.m. may see radio people and their equipment around, as the Granite State Golf Show will be recording a show at that time.

For more information on any of the events, contact the club at 673-9908.

– DEAN SHALHOUP

Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Kids learn art, become junior museum guides

Posted: 19 May 2010 11:54 PM PDT

MANILA, Philippines – "Do not touch the back or front of a painting," instructed Susie Garcia, museum assistant at the Jorge B. Vargas Museum and Filipiniana Research Center at the University of the Philippines in Diliman.

Eight kids aged 8 to 14 years old then eagerly watched Garcia as she proceeded to demonstrate how to hold and carry a painting properly: use gloves, carry the painting with both hands, one hand beneath and one hand on the other side of the frame, or with one hand on either side, whichever seems more stable.

Then the kids took turns holding artworks, stacking them on padded blocks, and piling them face to face, back to back, with only the frames touching each other with the assistance of Garcia and museum assistant Ryan Reyes.

This lesson on handling museum objects is just one of the many topics the eight kids learned this summer in the 8-day Junior Museum Guides Program of the Vargas Museum. Already on its 6th year, the program has catered to a total of 42 kids since 2005.

"The Junior Museum Guides Program was created to promote art appreciation and museum awareness for kids. It aims to teach and train kids on museum activities and functions such as giving guided tours for visitors, planning and setting up an exhibit and other basic responsibilities of a museum as a public institution that gives services to the community," said Garcia.

Aside from museum work, the participants also attend art workshops "to further kindle the kids' interests in art, [and help them] understand art production and appreciate art as a whole. It became an annual program of the museum (every May) in celebration of the International Museum Day," added Garcia.

This year, the kids enrolled in the program studied drawing under Marcelo Baldomar, clay art under Aba Lluch Dalena, and print-making under Ambie Abano of the Philippine Association of Printmakers.

Sabina Santiago, 10, a grade 4 student, shared she made a little piggy sculpture using terra-cotta for the clay art workshop. She said the program is "fun. You get to learn new kinds of art. Art is important because it's a kind of style and it's to express oneself."

At the time of the interview, Sabina was excited to see her works on exhibit, which was to be held on the day of their graduation last Friday. She was to exhibit her oil pastel work entitled "The Nice Apple" and monotype prints "Stars" and "The Hands."

Jeffrey Noel C. Agustin, 14, a 3rd year high school student, revealed he has been into art since he was small. His favorite workshop in the program is print-making. He did three prints: "One is entitled 'Fuzzy Lights' and it's about a boy sitting in the meadows staring at the stars. The other one is 'A Familiar Drawing', showing the cartoon characters Pon and Zee." He did an angel for his clay sculpture project.

Although Jeffrey wasn't sure yet if he will study fine arts in college, he is all praises for art since it lets people express themselves and communicate in a way that words cannot express.

"Most of the parents appreciated the workshop and recommended it to their friends. They are also very supportive in promoting the program," said Garcia.

The next Junior Museum Guides Program will be offered in May 2011. For details, call 928-1927, 981-8500 ext. 4024 or e-mail vargasmuseum@gmail.com.

Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Survey Indicates Kids Think Videogames More Important Than Environment

Posted: 19 May 2010 09:41 AM PDT

YSTEM "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"/>

GameSpy.com Advertisement

Five Filters featured article: The Art of Looking Prime Ministerial - The 2010 UK General Election. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.