“VIDEO VIOLENCE: New research shows violence in video games makes kids more aggressive (WHO-TV 13 Des Moines)” plus 2 more |
- VIDEO VIOLENCE: New research shows violence in video games makes kids more aggressive (WHO-TV 13 Des Moines)
- Kids aren't immune to recession's lessons (Pioneer Press)
- Spreading Hope: Program utilizes education, recreation to mentor kids in Albion (The Jackson Citizen Patriot)
| Posted: 07 Mar 2010 08:30 PM PST  New research shows it's more important than ever for parents to monitor the video games their kids are playing. Craig Anderson, a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Iowa State, says researchers have known for some time the negative effects of violence in TV and movies. His latest work adds video games to the list. "It turns out that, in fact, those who play a lot of violent video games are more likely to get into fights and are seen by their teachers and their peers as being more physically aggressive," said Anderson. The results of his study also show violent video games decrease good behavior. Anderson says all too often, parents are shocked to see what their kids are playing. "Some of them will actually turn their heads away. Some of them will shield their eyes," he said. He offers a few tips for parents: -Check the ratings on games, and review the content. -Only allow video games to be played in a public part of the house. -Offer to swap violent games for new, non-violent ones. -Take the opportunity to have a conversation on violence. "Its actually a good opportunity to talk to them about your family values," he said. Plus, Anderson says there is reason to believe adults may not be immune to the effects of violent video games either. He says the idea that video games can help people 'take out their aggression' is a myth. Copyright © 2010, WHO-TV  Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Kids aren't immune to recession's lessons (Pioneer Press) Posted: 08 Mar 2010 06:18 AM PST Even kids can get rattled by the recession. Jordan Fox, 12, is a middle-schooler in Rocklin, Calif. Both his parents are working, with steady paychecks, but he's seen the headlines and heard the stories of families who have lost their jobs or homes. That's why Jordan, who really wants a cell phone, is biding his time. "I want one, but I know that it is not a 'need' for me. ... We're in a not-so-good economy, and I don't want to make my parents spend more than they have to. So I don't pester them; I'll wait until they're ready." That kind of financial sense is what Jordan's parents are trying to instill in trying times. His mom, Lynn Fox, signed up Jordan and his 9-year-old brother, Kai, for an online kids-and-money program tied to America Saves Week, which ended Feb. 28. "We wanted them to know the value of money," said Fox, a preschool administrator. "We both work and have jobs; our kids are not wanting. ... If we teach them to make wise decisions now, they'll have good habits to carry forward." Fox said she talks with her boys about spending vs. saving their $5 weekly allowances. She and her husband also match dollar-for-dollar any amount their sons want to invest, as they've done with Disney and Starbucks stocks. "Teaching children the basic rules of good money management — like 'spend less than you make,' 'pay yourself first' and 'keep a budget' — is key to their success as adults," Karen Anderson, chairwoman of the California JumpStart Coalition, which promotes financial literacy, said in an e-mail. "The economic difficulties many families are dealing with in this recession are, ironically, also an opportunity to help kids learn these critical financial concepts."Studies show children, particularly teens getting ready to live on their own, are hungry for a little more financial food. According to a Capital One survey last year, 50 percent of high-schoolers wish they knew more about personal finances. That appetite for money knowledge is all too familiar to Karyn Hodgens, a Rocklin-based personal finance educator who teaches classes at elementary and middle schools. Last month, she launched "Beyond the Piggy Bank," a free, 15-day money-management program for parents and kids on her Web site, www.kidnexions.com. It sends a daily e-mail on money-management topics designed to get kids and parents talking. About 30 families across the country are participating. One of last week's topics is the classic: "needs vs. wants." Or as Hodgens puts it: "Shoes are a need, but are Nike Air Jordans? Clothes are a need, but are designer jeans? A cell phone may be a need, but does it have to be the iPhone?" She says if the answer from your youngster or teen comes back an emphatic "Yes!" then they should learn how to earn enough to pay for those "wants." "We need to teach kids to live within a budget and make those choices themselves. It's learning life skills." Sometimes, it's as simple as talking out loud about your own choices. Eyeing a sweater at Macy's or a Target housewares item while shopping with kids can be a chance to ask: Do I need it? Can I afford it? Would I make the same choice a week from now? Kai Fox, who's the family banker for himself and his brother, has nailed that needs/wants lesson. "Wants are things you would like to have but don't need to get on in life," he said. The fourth-grader has saved up about $140 for his wants: "Maybe a new Lego set or basketball ... or a laptop." For financial teachers like Hodgens, managing money is not about how much, but how well you use it, such as giving to charity. "Kids love handling money, and they love knowing you respect what they think," said Hodgens. She suggests: talking as a family about ways everyone can pitch in to save; conducting a "money-tour" of the house to find energy savings; letting kids choose less expensive family entertainment. The country's stubborn recession, she notes, has made talking finances with kids "more in vogue than it ever used to be." And it's vividly given parents additional incentives to pass on some hard-earned financial lessons to their kids. Elizabeth Comiskey, a Pennsylvania parent who said she and her husband are just now "getting our heads out of the sand financially for the first time in 10 years," signed up for the online "Beyond the Piggy Bank" to help her two kids, 5 and 9. "Perhaps our children won't be as intimidated by finances as we were and can make sound decisions at a young age," she wrote in an e-mail. "We haven't been able to offer them many luxuries, but empowerment and education are worth so much more." ___ ADDING IT UP: Lots of Web sites offer money-management tips aimed at kids and teens. Among them: Our personal favorite, funded by the Center for Public Broadcasting, teaches kids and teens how to be smart shoppers and avoid advertising "tricks" and slick marketing gimmicks. It's even got computer wallpaper and banner ads you can download as reminders to: "Don't Buy It." Teens can get a clue on what life costs after leaving home using the "Reality Check" calculator, recently updated by the national financial literacy group JumpStart Coalition. You type in your ideal living arrangement, plus estimated costs for entertainment, food, utilities, eating out, etc. It then calculates what hourly wage _ and types of jobs _ you'd need to live on. For instance, entering a typical young adult's lifestyle yielded this: "Based on what you told us, and after deducting 20 percent for state and federal taxes, you would need to make at least $17 per hour and $680 per week to support your lifestyle." Not exactly a burger-flipping wage. Even Disney hopped on the kids-and-money bandwagon. Last year, it announced a partnership with investment management company T. Rowe Price to add an interactive financial planning game at its Disney World theme park in Orlando, Fla. There's a virtual version online. Loaded with info for kids, teens and parents on all things money: earning, saving, spending, investing and donating. Includes financial conversation tips for parents with kids from 2 to 22. What easier way to save than collecting coins? The Mint's site makes heads and tails out of coin collecting with games, puzzles and history. Lots of free "economic survival tips," including booklets on family finances and talking to kids about money, from the National Endowment for Financial Education. Launched in Rocklin, Calif., in 2007, the site sells money-saving software for kids, but also offers a free newsletter, money-earning how-tos and a new "Beyond the Piggy Bank" challenge. Geared to teens, it lets you pick a personal character and a career, then go on a "savings quest" to reach a goal, whether it's a new big-screen TV or five days at a theme park. Sponsored by Wells Fargo, it's an entertaining budgeting guide. Geared to students ages 11 to college, these Visa-sponsored video games offer multiple-choice questions on loans, credit card debt and other financial topics. The games are co-branded by the National Football League and the soccer World Cup. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Posted: 08 Mar 2010 06:30 AM PST By Justin Denig | Jackson Citizen PatriotMarch 08, 2010, 9:30AM Harry Bonner, right, talks with Kids at Hope staff members while Marcus Evans, 17, shoots pool.The young people at Kids at Hope participate in a variety of recreational activities including playing pool, foosball and basketball.But playing games is not at the heart of what's happening at Kids at Hope. Mentoring young people is. Kids at Hope is a mentoring program in Albion for middle school and high school youth that utilizes education, recreation and friendship as a means to mentor youth. Gerald Simpson is a 28-year volunteer mentor and coach of the seventh-grade girl's traveling basketball team for Kids at Hope. "The girls usually exhibit hard work and are held up to certain standards both on the court and in the classroom," Simpson said. The volunteers and youth at Kids at Hope visited East Lansing after the program received complimentary basketball tickets from a 4-H program out of Michigan State University to see the women's basketball team play Ohio State. Aside from allowing the youth to see a college basketball game, the trip was intended to show the youth the contrast between a large campus like Michigan State and a smaller, more intimate campus like Albion College. In addition to playing sports, the Kids at Hope youth are encouraged daily to excel in academics. "Our 4-H program at MSU allows the young people to take college visits to our campus," said Sherry Grice, the program's 4-H liaison for MSU and all of Calhoun County. Harry Bonner, the director of Kids at Hope, has been a volunteer mentor for more than 31 years. He understands the need to keep children involved in order to keep them on the right path. "Kids get bored. When you get bored, you get into trouble," Bonner said. "We give the young people plenty of things to do." Several volunteers from the Kids at Hope development center meet daily with Bonner to discuss and keep track of the individual academic status of each young person. "I work with the youth one-on-one to try to build a relationship with the young people so they can build self-esteem," Chanpagne said. Jalen Sanders, a junior at Albion College, also volunteers his time at the center. Sanders, who said that he originally attended the program to spend time with a girl, is now there to play pool and talk with young people about personal issues in their lives. Most of the youth at Kids at Hope are in need of positive role models. "I tell the young people: This is a marathon, not a sprint," Bonner said. "It's not how you start, it's how you finish." Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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