Men Free Blog

As toys go, sidewalk chalk is pretty inexpensive. You can probably buy a pack of four pieces at your closest dollar store, in fact. So though this recipe for sidewalk chalk won’t save you any money, it definitely has all the necessary ingredients for an early childhood craft — it’s quick, it’s simple, and it’s fun.

Whether you’re caring for a large group of kids this summer or are just looking for an afternoon activity to entertain your own brood, this craft is a good choice. The recipe using plaster of Paris makes a chalk that’s softer than the store-bought version, so kids’ pictures are brighter and more vibrant. And since you’re adding the paint yourself, you can create custom colors. Finally, like all sidewalk chalks, the artwork will wash away during the next rainstorm.

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My two sons love ants. Like most children, and the lucky adults who still manage to see real wonder in things, they find these tiny insects fascinating. They enjoy learning about the ant colony’s structure, talking about their incredible strength, and the perfect efficiencies in their work.

You don’t have to stand over that sand hill on your driveway to study ants in their environment. The best way to watch ants in a controlled way is to make your own ant farm. You’ll need the following materials:

1 quart or larger clear glass jar
1 8 – 10 inch pie plate
1 2 inch deep pan, larger than the pie pan, to hold water
Soil
Pencil
String
Water
Ants
After the break I’ll explain some important considerations in creating the ant farm.
These instructions for making your own ant farm seem to be the most simple and humane way to create a controlled but natural environment where we can learn about the ants without disturbing them too much. You’ll want to collect about 100 ants to start your farm.

The ants won’t cross the moat to gather food, so under your care, it will be your responsibility to ensure their proper nourishment. They will need water once every three days and food once a week. Bits of fruit, cheese, meat, and bread all make great ant food (which explains why they crash our picnics!). If you are working with children, have them draw up a feeding chart where they can track what was given at what time.

This is just one of the many backyard science experiments you can try out this summer. Keep checking us out for more wonderful ways to explore the outdoors and learn more about the world around us.

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According to recent surveys, more parents are considering getting their children mobile phones for safety reasons. Mobile phone companies have also seen this growing market, selling kid-friendly wireless phones to busy parents for them to stay connected with their children. These phones are mostly aimed at “tweens” or kids between 8 to 12 years old.

Some mobile phones are designed for younger kids, with easy-to-use features and toy-like designs. Others work like a two-way radio, where kids can keep in touch with their parents and friends within a two-mile radius. Most phones basically allow parental control over the handset’s incoming and outgoing calls.

While most would feel weary of giving their child his own mobile phone, the kiddie cellphone packages provided by mobile phone companies mostly keep the parents from worrying too much about their kid’s whereabouts. They have the option of choosing from a range of practical features that they can activate in their kid’s mobile, while not stressing about breaking their budgets.

The following are the best kid-friendly mobile phones in the market today, as tried and tested by both child and parent. Most of the parental control of these phones are programmable over the internet. Parents can choose which calls could go through and assign which phone numbers their kids can dial and receive. Some of these phones also have GPS features where parents can set boundaries to the places where the child can go and easily locate their kid’s phone online.

Cingular Firefly. One of the first cellphones made especially for kids, the Firefly is the less complicated among kiddie mobile phones. The phone’s interface is limited to a few keys that even 5-year old tots can easily figure out how to use it. There are two programmable buttons, one that has a picture of a man and one of a woman. Parents don’t have to worry about outgoing calls as there’s no keypad. There’s also an added visual feature of on-screen animations and playful ring tones that the child can choose from.

TicTalk. This gadget looks more like a stopwatch than a mobile phone. The TicTalk doesn’t have any buttons and instead uses a rocker switch for scrolling through numbers and then pushing in to dial. Designed for kids of ages 6 and up, this cool phone also comes loaded with five educational LeapFrog games that any kid would sure get the hang of.

Disney Mobile. This phone caters to the older, stylish “tweens” as it is actually an LG flip phone. Compared to the other kiddie phones, the Disney Mobile is the real phone of the bunch as it isn’t made of plastic and doesn’t appear too rugged and toy-like. It is fully-equipped with a colored screen display, VGA camera with flash, and camcorder. Games can be downloaded and ring tones and screen displays can be customized to your kid’s liking. The phone also has voice-dialing features.

Verizon Migo. Like the Firefly, this bright green phone also has a simple interface which kids can easily understand. There are five programmable speed-dial buttons in front and when the child presses one of these buttons, a question pops up on the screen to ask if he wants to call home or call mom’s cell. Pushing the send button will automatically make the call. What the child only needs to memorize is which number would correspond to whom.

LOS ANGELES - Britney Spears’ continuing downward spiral took a devastating turn Monday when she was ordered to relinquish custody of her children by a judge who had cited her drug-and-alcohol-fueled lifestyle.

Superior Court Judge Scott M. Gordon ruled that that ex-husband Kevin Federline will take Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, beginning Wednesday “until further order of the court.”

The order stemmed from an unspecified oral motion made by Federline’s lawyers and was handled in a closed-door hearing. The judge’s order did not state the reason for the change in custody and he ordered all transcripts of the proceedings sealed.

Phone messages left for representatives of Spears and Federline were not immediately returned Monday.

Last month, Gordon said Spears engaged in “habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol” and ordered her to undergo random drug and alcohol testing twice a week as part of her ongoing custody dispute with Federline.

Spears also was previously ordered to meet weekly with a “parenting coach” who was to observe and report back to the court about her parenting skills. Both Spears and Federline must complete the court’s “Parenting Without Conflict” class.

Spears, 25, and Federline, 29, were married in October 2004. She filed for divorce last November and it became official in July. The two have joint custody of their sons, but Federline is seeking a greater share of custody.

Since Spears became single, her troubles have played out in the tabloids. First she was photographed at various Hollywood hotspots partying hard with Paris Hilton appearing drunk and out-of-control. Some photos captured the pop star without panties. Then Spears shaved her head as paparazzi captured the moment, beat a car with an umbrella and ended up spending a month in rehab.

An MTV Video Music Awards performance last month meant to herald her comeback was universally panned, with Spears appearing spaced-out and lethargic and, in some eyes, less than buff. The following week, Spears’ management firm dropped her and her divorce lawyer resigned.

She then was charged with misdemeanor counts of hit-and-run and driving without a valid license for allegedly crashing into a parked car in August.

The driving offenses likely compelled the judge to issue Monday’s orders, said New York divorce lawyer Raoul Felder.

“She was driving without a license with a child in the car,” he said. “You can put aside the in and out of rehab, the shaving her head. But this? When a judge went out on a limb for her? There’s no going back.”

Though Spears must relinquish physical custody of the children until further ruling from the court, she and Federline still share legal custody.

Los Angeles divorce lawyer Connolly Oyler said he’s surprised the children weren’t taken from Spears sooner. Judges typically remove youngsters from households where parents are ordered to undergo drug testing, he said.

“There may have been another incident and the judge had had enough,” Oyler said.

But, he added, all is not lost for Spears.

“If she picks a good counselor and gets a different set of friends, there’s a good chance she can turn things around,” he said, noting “she’s only 25.”

The couple is due back in court Oct. 3. Spears’ new album is set to be released Nov. 13.

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Raquel Maria Dillon in Los Angeles contributed to this report.