PediSedate - Improving The Lives of Our Children
Guide

How To Buy A Crib Mattress

July 3, 2019 by rizrahman No Comments

If you’re going to be purchasing a crib mattress it’s important that you get a good quality one. A top quality crib mattress is going to be very beneficial to your baby. It’ll help them to get to sleep better and it’ll also help support their ever growing bones. The bottom line is a top quality crib mattress is one that’s going to keep your child very safe when their inside of it, especially when their sleeping.

How do you go about the process of purchasing a crib mattress though? Well that’s what we’re going to discuss.

You’ll want to select an option that’s going to be very firm

The first thing you want to do is avoid any options that don’t feel firm enough. One of the best ways to do this is to always make sure the mattress was created solely for babies. If you get a crib mattress that’s too soft it can pose all kinds of risks. When a sleeping surface isn’t firm enough it can lead to the possibility of suffocation and also increase the possibility of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Purchasing an option designed for older kids or even adults isn’t a good way to go.

The main things you need to consider in your purchasing choice

Things such as brand matter, but not to all parents. Certain brands have a good reputation, but this doesn’t mean you don’t have to do your homework. You need to consider the cost, the overall comfort and the quality (durability). You probably plan on your child using the mattress you purchase for them for a few years right? Well in order to make sure they can do this you need to make the right decision the first time.

Two types of crib mattresses you’ll be able to select from

There are many website explains this like bestmattress2020.co.uk that explained about the best mattress 2020 in UK. According to them, you have two main options to choose from when it comes to purchasing a crib mattress, foam or innerspring. If you decide to go with a foam option you’ll end up spending less money and it also tends to be on the lighter side. If you go with an innerspring option you can expect to spend more, but on the plus side these last way longer than foam. If you go with innerspring chances are it’ll last you the entire time you need it to. With a foam option there’s no guarantee you won’t have to replace it down the line.

Organic options

There are a lot of parents who are deciding to go with crib mattresses that are made from all natural materials, because they believe these to be safer overall. Is this true though. Organic options are going to be very expensive, because they’re designed to cater to a small niche of people.

Air mattress options

There are air crib mattress options you could choose from, but these are usually not safe for children. The main reason for this is because of how soft the surface tends to be. This increases the risk of suffocation.

Buying criteria list:

  • You’ll want to make sure the crib mattress you get is firm
  • You’ll want to make sure that the crib mattress is the right size
  • You’ll want to make sure that the cover is sturdy
  • The mattress should have some vent holes in order to allow air to come in and out
  • The crib mattress should be certified

Following this simple criteria will make it easy for you to make a choice. If you still have some doubts than don’t be afraid to ask questions before you make a purchasing decision.

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Guide, News

MakerMobile: A Travelling Tech Classroom

April 30, 2019 by rizrahman No Comments

If your kids’ school doesn’t have a technology workshop, then MakerMobile will bring the workshop to you!

Simon Lyons and Farrell Segall helped create MakerMobile, a Vancouver, BC-based mobile maker workshop founded by four teachers. They transformed an old truck into a fully kitted out tech teaching space, with screens, an ethernet network, and a mobile Internet connection. Now, they travel around the city offering technology classes to children (and the young at heart).

Lyons, who taught science and mathematics for years in schools, enjoys being able to focus on building electronics projects with kids. MakerMobile introduces them to the rapidly evolving ‘maker’ culture, that marries technology with DIY and encourages participants to explore and create their own designs. It marries technology and crafts together, with projects involving everything from fabrics to code.

Segall worries that we are failing to teach the next generation of people the necessary technology skills, and hopes that projects like MakerMobile will help to spread technology skills to kids, and get them started on the scientific path.

“One of the things that we tend to clamp down on is the cost of teaching other people,” he says. “We should never see that as a cost. We should see it as an investment.”

Inside MakerMobile

MakerMobile teaches both adults and kids the basics of electronics, programming, and physical computing. It’s a hacker space and mobile classroom where children can solder their own circuits and wire up Raspberry Pi computers for what Lyons calls “physical computing”: the manipulation of physical objects through software.

What can that lead to? How about programmable LED lights in your clothes, or on a wristband? Or a piano made of bananas that play computerised notes when you touch them?

MakerMobile offers packages for birthday parties, and longer packages for groups of kids that want a deeper dive into multiple projects. It also sells kits for some of the electronics projects that Lyons and his colleagues teach, via its Etsy store.

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Guide

Educational Video Game Systems

March 8, 2019 by rizrahman No Comments

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“Kids these days” – we’ve all heard the phrase, and no doubt most of us have spoken it ourselves. Why? Simple: technology. Kids these days watch television, browse information from around the world on the Internet, listen to literally days’ worth of music on portable music players, and, of course, play video games.

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But what sort of video game systems are out there, and which of them offer educational video games and student learning rather than just mindless entertainment?  In other words, which video game systems do you need to buy to give your children the top educational video games for kids?  Take a look at the following list of video game systems that are great for educational video games and student learning, and decide for yourself which ones you think are the most appropriate for your children.

The Old Standby:  The Personal Computer

The most basic and versatile video game system you can buy for educational video games and student learning is the good old-fashioned PC.  PCs offer a number of the top educational video games from kindergarten ages – games with loveable characters like Winnie the Pooh or Dora the Explorer – to the sorts of games young teens would enjoy, where the player has adventures designed to teach as well as entertain.  PCs are also valuable for many other things, of course, which makes them doubly important: computers these days are becoming absolutely vital in nearly every high paying job market.  Knowing how to use a computer is one of the most important things the next generation of workers can have, and owning your own PC for educational video games and student learning is a great way to give your child a corner on the market.

PCs also allow your child access to the Internet, which, properly used, can be a great educational tool – in fact, many educational video games can be found for free on the Internet.  You also have to be careful, though, when browsing online – like the ocean, the Internet is full of many wonders, but also contains sharks.  Know Internet safety, and protect your child from the many not-so-nice things that reside on the worldwide web.

Handheld Educational Video Game Systems

There are two main problems with PCs:  they are bulky, and they are expensive.  What if you just want something for a young child to play with no matter where he or she is?  In that case, you might want to look into the wide world of handheld educational video game systems.  Systems like vDeck and a number of others are generally sold most places where toys are available, such as WalMart or Target, to name two obvious examples.  These systems have the advantage of being relatively cheap – rarely more than one hundred dollars, and often only twenty or thirty – and easy to use by any child.  Again, educational video games and student learning are available on these systems for just about any student, from toddlers to the ages of 10 – 12, so this is a great place to start looking.

Standard Video Game Systems

The video game systems that one always hears about, of course, are the big ones: Xbox, Playstation, and Nintendo are the current three big contenders, with the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Wii as their respective most current platforms.  These platforms are midrange between the handhelds and the PCs; whereas, many PC’s are around six hundred to a thousand dollars, these platforms range from around two hundred to four hundred dollars, depending on where you get them and whether or not they are used.

Disadvantages of Standard Video Game Systems

The disadvantage to these systems is that their primary purpose is entertainment.  Unlike PCs, these video game systems don’t have other purposes beyond games, and unlike the handheld video game systems for educational games we mentioned earlier, most of these games are not purely for education.  Many of these games, though not the top educational video games, are still useful for children – there are music games, for instance, that are active rather than simply having the child sitting immobile on a couch, and teach things like rhythm and even harmony and singing techniques.  Many of these games, though not “educational video games” in the strictest sense of the word, are still very valuable for the child playing them – it’s up to your judgment as to what the child receives.  Of course, some of the top educational video games are available for these consoles, just as they are for the PC.  Just do some research and consider your options – some of the top educational video games for kids are available on all the platforms, while some of these great tools for educational video games and student learning are only available for one or a few.  A little research will help you make the right choice.

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Guide

Wireless Speakers For TV : Great For Kids

March 5, 2019 by rizrahman No Comments

Once you use wireless speakers for TV, you can be assured of true home theatre experience. At one time, home theatre system meant a lot of wires to connect all those speakers. These wires looked unsightly & created problems too. It is not easy to conceal these speaker wires. Besides, this kind of a wired speaker setup is pretty expensive too.


Now you have the option of eliminating these loads of cables and removing the clutter. This can be done by using wireless speakers for TV. So you eliminate the cable wires, and still enjoy incredible surround sound. Some research found that wireless speakers are also great for kids because they can watch their favorite shows without having to interfere with messy cables.

Today fairly inexpensive solutions are available for enjoying high quality audio through the best wireless speakers 2019 UK for TV. This use of technology has resulted in fairly reasonably priced off-the-shelf solutions. So you can use these wireless speakers for your home office or even to enjoy an integrated home entertainment system with surround sound.

These wireless speakers for TV can be connected to your TV or to your home entertainment system. Now you can play your digital audio as well as video files.

Hence today complete home theater integration can be achieved by installing these wireless speakers for TV.

Setting up these wireless speakers for TV is quite simple. And there is no major difference in the audio quality between wired speakers & wireless speakers.

The wireless speakers for TV need amplification. This can be done by using an integrated amplifier or by having an external amplifier. And this amplifier will require power. Hence this power is provided by connecting to an AC power supply or by battery power.

So now you have the convenience of having wireless speaker setup all across your room or your home. This setup can be applied to a rear surround sound speaker setup; or to a remote speaker system.

There are two main options for speakers for TV. You may take an Add-on Unit or opt for Integrated Wireless Systems. The transmission to the wireless speakers in both the cases is done through RF wireless transmission, or at times through infra red. It is done through 900 MHz or through 2.4GHz bands. The audio signals are transmitted to the wireless speakers by using digital technology.

A few wireless speakers for TV also operate in the 5.8GHz band. Such wireless speakers will have less interference from home appliances like microwave ovens and mobile phones. The wireless speakers systems using infra red will require line of sight between the speaker and the transmitter in order to operate. The add-on wireless speakers have to be connected to the rear-channel speaker which is on the A/V receiver or the TV. Or they may be connected to the line-level out on the TV.

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Guide

Coding for Kids: Why Teach It?

February 24, 2019 by rizrahman No Comments

From the practical to the philosophical, five reasons to expose children to programming.

The coding education movement is growing. From the Hour of code movement through to the UK’s drive to teach coding for kids in schools, teachers and parents are embracing the idea of computer programming courses for children. But why is it important?

There are practical, economic reasons. There are the connections between coding and general learning abilities. And then, there are other, more philosophical reasons.

It’s a lot to take in. If you’re a parent or a teacher that needs more information about the potential of code to change a child’s future, then you’ll be interested in our five solid reasons why coding for kids is important:

Using technology creatively increases analytical thinking

Turn on your PC to get the best Internet access so you can more fun with your kids, after that you can spend an hour coding with your children, and you’ll understand how it encourages them to think analytically. Computer programming involves understanding how a process works, by breaking it down into smaller parts. Debugging computer code (trust us, there will be bugs) is a valuable part of the process.

When kids have to walk through a computer program to find out why it isn’t working, they’re analysing logic and instruction flow, and approaching things methodically. So coding for kids promotes a powerful skill, and today’s modern, child-focused computer languages mean that you’re never too young to learn it.

Coding for kids can be a foundational skill

Coding skills can support and fuel many other skills and activities in a child’s life. The analytical skills themselves can enhance their capabilities in other areas, but coding for kids can also inspire other endeavours.

Coding their own video games encourages storytelling skills, and gets thinking about graphic design. Older kids may enjoy thinking about ways to solve social problems with code. Building web sites, as nine year-old Lauren did with Cool Kids Studio can inspire a child to think about communication, and to write from an audience’s perspective.

“This blog is for parents and teachers who want their kids to control technology,rather than to be controlled, and to create with it, rather than merely to consume.”

Let’s not forget entrepreneurial skill. Lemonade stands are great. Nothing wrong with that. But coding gives kids a shot at building the next killer app, and perhaps even selling it. This seems a little bigger and bolder somehow.

Just ask Chris Owens, who was making $700,000 from bundling Mac software online at 14. Or Nick D’Alosio who wrote Summly in his parents’ bedroom when he was 15, and sold it for $30m two years later. That’s a lot of lemonade, right there. Coding for kids isn’t about making money – but it can give them a platform to test out their business skills.

Tech jobs are in high demand

Technology skills are in short supply now, and they’ll be in short supply in the future. Two thirds of Canadian technology companies anticipated a significant skills shortage in a November 2013 survey, while four in ten leaders in London, UK’s technology sector cited a talent shortage as their biggest challenge.

Outsourcing programming work to inexpensive countries is a good idea in theory, but far harder to accomplish in practice. Teaching coding for kids now is a great foundation for their future success.

Programming computers builds self-confidence

Coding for kids builds self-confidence. It gives them the basic tools to create their own worlds, with their own rules. Children can apply their coding experience to their own creations. This gives them a sense of satisfaction, and proving to themselves that they can succeed.

Coding means control

We all want our kids to be able to change the world. If nothing else, we want them to have the control to shape their own world as they want it to. Code is one way to shape reality.

More than ever before, today’s rules are executed in code. Whether you’re being approved for a bank loan, trading shares, or even being told what to watch on your TV, algorithms control it all. Facebook’s software frames how you communicate with your friends. Software routes your voice and video calls from one place to another. No wonder tech VC Mark Andreessen said that software is eating the world.

Tomorrow’s adults will either be shaped by those rules, or help to shape them.

In his book, Program or be Programmed, Douglas Rushkoff talks about major milestones in human intellectual development: the development of text, the invention of the printing press, and then, the emergence of computing and the Internet.

Each of these developments ushered in something new. Text meant reading. The printing press meant writing. And then, finally, computing bought in programming. Except, he posits, it didn’t quite work out that way.

Each of these developments made new capabilities available to a small elite. It didn’t reach the masses until the next development happened.

When text was invented, a few people could read. The rest simply had to listen. When the printing press emerged, a few people could print their work, but most could only read what the elite printed. Finally, when the computing era came along, anyone could distribute their work via a blog or Facebook post – but relatively few people could create those platforms by programming.

Here’s Rushkoff talking about it at the SXSW interactive and film conference in 2010:

Today, there’s no excuse for a generation to lag behind a technological elite. Teaching coding for kids sets them up to take control of the technology that they use, and mould it for their own purposes.

This blog is for parents and teachers who want their kids to control technology, rather than to be controlled, and to create with it, rather than merely to consume.

Most kids in the western world will grow up knowing how to use a Powerpoint presentation (lord help us) or to watch a YouTube video, or play on an XBox. Far fewer of them will grow up understanding how the underlying technology works – and how it can be used to build other tools, for their own purposes.

The question is, which group will your kids fall into?

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Guide

Introducing Your Kids to the Computer

February 17, 2019 by rizrahman No Comments

Educational video games, student learning programs, and software are just as much fun as regular video games, and kids learn something too.  In fact, the top video games often are the educational type of video games.

Video games educational programs we knew in school, like Oregon Trail and Number Munchers, set a standard for games for students, for school, and for at home.  Educational video games for kids have been produced more readily in the past few years, and continue to be one of the more popular gifts for kids, and a preferred way for kids to learn.

Video Games For Young Kids

Educational video games for little kids can include all sorts of things.  Younger kids are starting to learn their numbers, letters, colors, and shapes, along with social skills.  More educational video games and student learning software are available now than ever before, and are priced just right.  Some top educational video games are being created from companies like Leap Frog ® and Fisher Price ®.

Video games educational programs usually say on the package what the appropriate age group is for the particular game.  A certain system, like Leap Frog ®, can have video games for younger children on up to Pre-Teen, so read the label before purchasing to determine the appropriate age group.

Many games are now available free online.  It is simply a matter of checking out the site and playing a few games yourself before you let your kids onto the site.  You can then direct them to which sites to go to for education and for fun.  Neopets and FunSchool ® have different types of educational video games, and then some that are just for fun.

Pre-Teen Educational Video Games

Educational video games for the pre-teen generation are becoming more popular.  Number Munchers can still be found online and kids love it.

Educational video games and student learning can be referenced in the same areas as the video games for younger kids.  Top educational video games include sites like I Know That and Shockwave ® which have free and paid memberships.

The educational video games for kids include games for math, language, spelling, socializing, money, language, and more.  The websites are suitable for most children, and even adults enjoy playing the games like Lemonade Tycoon and Bookworm ®.  Many of the games can be played by all ages, and new games are added regularly to many sites like the ones mentioned.

Teens and Beyond

Children catch on to educational video games for kids quickly.  Once they get used to the computer, it is likely they’ll soon be able to show you a thing or two about computers.  There are a few things you can still give to them to be able to show them new ideas and interests.  Shockwave ® continues to be a favorite for teenagers with their large variety of video games featuring word and number puzzles.  New games continue to come out from Playstation ® and other major video game makers.

The key to picking out educational video games often enough is learning through teachers and through reading about video games and what is scheduled for release.  Your local library will often have access to educational video games and will also probably know of a few you can pick up that are appropriate for any age group.  You could also ask your children what type of video games they are interested in, and do some research.  Picking out video games together helps ensure your children will actually play the video games you pick out for them.

Protecting Your Kids

If you have any questions or concerns about video games and which ones are appropriate for kids, you can consult the Entertainment Software Rating Board.  You can check whether a video game is appropriate for the age group or welcome in your home.  All games sold in the US go through the ESRB and get a specific rating, which you can learn about at the website.

With this special rating system, you’ll be able to identify which games are more appropriate for your kids, if you are letting them pick out their own games.  It is still important to read and make sure the video game is educational, if that is your goal.

A few things you could do is continue to introduce more challenging language type video games educational in whatever language selected.  You could also work with a wider variety of games that include algebra, geography, and much more.  The more challenging the educational video game, the better for kids of all ages.  Look for video games with progressive levels and perhaps a wider age range, so they can continue to play and they can still be fun for everyone.

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Guide

Are Educational Video Games Good for Kids?

February 15, 2019 by rizrahman No Comments

As most parents know, kids like video games. They are a lot of fun, and many manufacturers encourage their use for educational reasons. What are the top educational video games for children?

hat do they really learn playing educational video games? What should parents know about video games and their children?

The Top Educational Video Games for Children

There are a lot of educational video games on the market for children, as well as online. Educational video games for children are available for many gaming systems, PCs, and via flash player or shockwave based interfaces online. You will find educational video games that teach preschool skills and those that offer logic problems suited to older children and even adults.

How can you know which educational video games for children your children will enjoy, play and learn from? Some educational video games for kids are created purely by game designers and may offer limited educational value. Others may be boring or dull, and not fun at all. Look for games that not only offer educational activities, but are fun for your particular child.

Some games you may want to consider for your older children include Brain Age and Brain Age 2, city building and simulation games, such as Zoo or Rollercoaster Tycoon or historical civilization building games, like the Sid Meier’s Civilization series. Do be sure to check game ratings, but strategy games are a great learning tool for older children. Some schools are even beginning to use these sorts of educational video games and student learning projects in the classroom.

Educational Video Games for Young Children

Parents often joke that their preschoolers are more computer literate than they are. It’s not surprising given that even little ones enjoy educational video games. Many educational video games are available for very young children. You can even buy game systems, like those produced by LeapFrog, aimed entirely at this market. These may be easier for a young child to operate and allow them to play educational video games for children more independently. Handheld gaming systems may make car rides more pleasant for preschoolers and parents while allowing children to enjoy educational video games for kids. Parents may want to realize that much of the time very young children lose interest in educational video games quickly, and choosing those that are particularly appealing to your child is important.

Many educational video games for kids aimed at preschoolers rely on favorite characters, such as those on popular children’s television programs, as a teaching tool. This is typically very effective, especially if your little one has a favorite character. Educational video games for children in the preschool years often focus on teaching letters, numbers, shapes and colors. Many online sites offer a wide array of educational games for kids aimed at preschoolers, and this can be a great way to try out game options. Some also offer subscription based services to allow more access to new and different educational games for kids.

The Good and Bad about Educational Video Games

Is gaming good for your child? More and more studies are showing that children do learn from educational video games for kids. One recent study has shown significant benefit to strategy based games for older children with more information available at bbc. Young children may find educational video games for children entertaining, fun, and a good way to practice new skills.

It is important to choose good educational video games. Know and understand the ESRB rating system, and choose appropriate games. Avoid allowing your children to play games that are overly violent, as studies have shown these can increase aggression, particularly in teens. Video games, educational and otherwise, can be costly.

Some video rental stores offer educational video game rentals, and your local library may have educational video games for your PC available in the children’s section of the library. These can be great ways to try out video games, educational and just for fun. You may also want to choose two person or multiplayer video games when possible to encourage your children to socialize and interact with one another or friends.

There are drawbacks to educational video games for kids. Some children may spend too much time playing educational video games or watching television and this is a concern. Limit video game time, and be sure your children get plenty of physical activity to prevent the concerns with obesity linked to too much television and video games for children.  The answer, on the whole, is simple. All things in moderation is a good rule for educational video games. Educational video games are a great learning tool and a lot of fun, but too much of a good thing can lead to problems.

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Guide

The Importance of Keeping Your Kids Active!

February 12, 2019 by rizrahman No Comments

There is no bad time to give your children a small break from their studies so that they can enjoy active time outdoors, no matter the weather. However, unless you motivate them to undertake exercise, it’s likely that they will just use the free time to play video games and check through their social media posts.

To help you introduce small amounts of exercise into your child’s routine without them becoming bored and losing interest, below are some great ways to incorporate small bursts of exercise into a daily routine.

Take a Walk

A short walk after eating a heavy meal at dinner time is a great way to help your body digest and to also get in some incidental exercise. After dinner has been completed and the dishes have been washed, take a walk around the block or to the local store to pick up some dessert items. If walking turns into a regular form of exercise, check out some online stores to get some sports shoes to ensure you don’t cause injury during your exercise.

Play a Game

Of course, you don’t want to be playing games in the kitchen. However, if you have something simmering before it is ready to serve or some food items are cooling down, take 10 minutes to play a quick game of tag or cricket. Even just 10 minutes of running around being silly is effective at getting their muscles active and working. To keep them interested, let them choose the game on alternating days.

Home Workouts

If you already have equipment in your home that you use for a home workout routine, invite your children to learn about what you are doing and to join in on small parts of your routine. Not only is this a great way to spend some bonding time with your children but it is a great way to show them by example just how beneficial exercise can be. Again, a simple walk on a treadmill or exercise bike is enough to get their heart rate up.

Local Sports

It is likely that there is a number of sports around your area, all of which your child will be able to participate in. Speak with your child about any sports interest they have and look to register them in a local matching team. While this could mean that you will be spending your weekends at children’s sports matches, the health benefits that they will gain will be well worth it when you see their brains and bodies growing healthily.

In addition, team sports are a great way for children to learn how to interact with other children along with how to achieve a shared goal as part of a team.

Exercise is important to every child’s physical and mental development and forms part of any healthy lifestyle. If you are struggling to get your children interested in exercise and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, these are some great ways for you to do just that!

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