Sunday, October 28, 2012

Team Building Activities

Team Building Activities


Team Building Activities are stimulating problem-solving tasks designed to help group members develop their capacity to work effectively together. Many team building and initiative tasks are like kids games, others are novel, complex tasks and designed for specific needs. More elaborate initiative tasks can involve ropes courses, night-time activities, and exercises lasting over several days.



Team Building Activities


Several work environments require somewhat a bit of teamwork in order for things to run smoothly and with motivation to each in everyone. Team building activities are usually used to create a relationship between coworkers or co employee. On the other hand, various work environments want teamwork but the employees work separately. Employees working jobs like these really need team building activities to help them stay related with other workers.


Puzzle Quizzes

Team Building Activities


Team building activities are often used in meetings, presentations, workshops, training seminars, education programs, corporate training, with college, high, middle, elementary and pre-school school groups, sport teams, teacher training, youth work, and correctional settings. Team building exercises can be adapted for virtually any setting, young or old, large or small, and across cultures. An important part of team building exercises is participants' reflection and discussion about the activity, how they approached the situation, and possible points of learning. For example, a group could be videoed during an activity and the video watched, analyzed, and discussed, to help extract potential learning from team building exercises.



Team Building Activities

Team Building Activities


As the head of the sales department of a large company, I'm the one responsible to all, especially for the performance of all my employees. When sales are slow moving, I try to use different incentives to motivate everyone. I used to offer them bonuses and prizes for top performers to work well in order to come up improvement on productivity for a short period of time. But, this type of idea resulted to competitive atmosphere around the office, which is not what I wished for them to do. I want to utilize a team building activities in order to work in the office, so that my sales force work together to come up improvement on productivity, not to work as individual.

The first idea that I was made is contact the human resource department to let them know of my wants to implement team building activities among my sales force. The head over there told me that they don't have anyone employees there that had that kind of experience in teaching them team building activities, so she suggested that I used outside or other consultants for that kind of job. I started to contact the names of a few local firms to find out about their services. I was very overwhelmed by the selection of team building activities these consulting firms proposed for my sales force.

Employee motivation benefits from team building games, exercises, activities, puzzles and quizzes. I try to use free team building games and exercises ideas to warm up meetings, training, and conferences. These free team building games are also great ice breakers for training sessions, meetings, workshops, seminars or conferences. Team building games and activities are useful also in serious business project meetings, where games and activities help delegates to see things differently and use different thinking styles. To ensure these team-building activities comply with equality and discrimination policy and law in respect of gender, race, disability, age, etc. Although some of the team building activities seemed way too intense for our particular needs, many sounded like they would be perfect for us. Best of all, he could teach us these team building activities over the course of a two-day workshop held right in our offices. This sounded pretty good, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to get approval from my boss for the budget expenditure.

I didn't give up on this; still I started searching for affordable or free team building activities online that contained excellent team building activities. I decided to try a couple of these first that I found online with a proof that this team building activities work well. And I have a better chance to my boss of getting approval for this kind of training in the upcoming.

In the end, I've programmed the first round of team building activities for next week. I'm taking in the process very seriously and am spending a lot of time in preparing on this so that I can be fit as a facilitator. I'm very optimistic about the effects of these team building activities will have on my sales force. If you help people with their life-balance and personal fulfillment they become more emotionally mature, tolerant, positive independent, self-sufficient, etc. When the person is okay, so is everything else, including their relationships and communications at work. Developing people involves more than behavior, relationships, skills, knowledge and processes. It's often more about helping people feel better about themselves; helping the person to feel happy and fulfilled. A good leader can facilitate this. Team building doesn't have to involve games and exercises - team building might be better achieved by arranging other things which appear to be unconnected to work.

Jobs like this include service oriented professions in places like restaurants and doctors' offices. The focus of some team building activities involves taking the customer's perspective. Anyone who has visited a restaurant and received excellent service only to return and not receive the same treatment is more likely to leave disgruntled than someone who had ordinary service to begin with.

Here's my experience when I was working in one of the establishment as a waitress and I made sure to take extra time to accommodate customers special requests. While this worked well for me independently it really worked against my coworkers and there are times that you simply cannot accommodate every request. There's an incident happened that, one of my regular customer encountered a different waitresses they were upset when special accommodations were not made. The manager handled this situation by introducing new team building activities that involved taking the customer's side. I thought this accommodating approach would win over the "treat everyone equally" approach.

I've learned that through team building activities I know how to maintain a consistent front for the customer is far better than making special accommodations that can not always be encountered. Mainly, the team building activities centered on inconsistencies. People like consistency. Surprises, especially when it comes to meals, are not well received. One of the team building activities concerned in a taste test. It was a cooking work of art. After we done the test, the chef brought out the same dish. It had sour undertones that didn't suit the taste of the food.

The second cooking work of art does not match the process of a nice testing, and the chef repeated it. He sent the second and the same dish and it tasted exactly like the original. I know that this second-rate dish wasn't nearly as good as the initial sweet dish but we flavored the second because we knew what to expect.

The other side of team building activities can also help healthcare workers maintain consistent information to patients. I get frustrated when one nurse told me to stop breastfeeding after 12 months while a second nurse in the same pediatrician's office suggested that I continue. The conflicting information communicated to me that this staff seriously needed team building activities.

Exciting and innovative team building activities are tailored for our clients to powerfully illustrate the importance of strong teams, and a strong culture. High impact and challenging, yet safe and inclusive, these signature events can be delivered for the entire company, specific business units or any project team or group within an organization. The mixture of action and learning is developed to suit your team and your needs.

Team Building Activities






Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Fifteen Advertising and Promotional Ideas

Fifteen Advertising and Promotional Ideas


Every successful company uses some sort of promotion to influence certain audiences, usually customers or prospects, by informing or persuading them. Reasons for promoting a business include: increasing visibility; adding credibility to you or your company; enhancing or improving your image and bringing in new business. The following cost-effective, easy-to-execute ideas have the power to increase sales in a way that conventional advertising cannot. The key is to find the methods that are appropriate for your business, marketplace and professional style.

Fifteen Advertising and Promotional Ideas

Fifteen Advertising  and Promotional Ideas

Fifteen Advertising and Promotional Ideas


Fifteen Advertising and Promotional Ideas



Fifteen Advertising and Promotional Ideas

1. Contests

As one example, a cookware store decided to sponsor Cooking contests. After sending out a press release announcing a competition for the best cookie or chocolate cake, a mailing went out to the store's customers soliciting entries. Food editors, professional chefs and Cooking teachers were invited to be judges. Both the winners and the winning recipes were publicized. Essay and design contests are also possibilities, such as a furniture store establishing a prize for student furniture design. Pie-eating, pancake-flipping, oyster-shucking and grape-stomping contests make sense for restaurants. Dentists can hold smile contests, while video rental stores can sTAGe movie trivia quizzes.

2. Newsletters

Another good way to promote, particularly for brokers, banks and business consultants, is through newsletters. Newsletter articles demonstrate how much you know about your field and do so in a low-key, informative way. They also help keep your company high in the consciousness of your prospects.

3. Demonstrations

Demonstrations are an option to attract people to your place of business, to show them how to best use your product and to establish your credibility. A retail-wholesale Fish outlet holds Cooking demonstrations twice a week, featuring a different restaurant chef each time and attracting substantial crowds. Recipe cards are even given out. Wallpaper demonstrations, fashion shows, gift wrapping, refinishing and Computer demonstrations have all worked well for retailers who were selling products associated with them.

4. Seminars

Often more appropriate for business-to-business marketing, seminars are the commercial side of demonstrations. If you hold a seminar, follow these rules for success:

1. Schedule the event at a time that is convenient to most attendees.

2. Be specific in the invitation about when the event begins and ends, who will be there and what the agenda is.

3. Follow up the invitations with personal phone calls.

4. Charge for seminar entrance to give it a higher perceived value.

5. Follow up after the event to get people's reactions.

5. Premiums

Also called an advertising specialty, a premium is a gift of some kind that reminds your customer of you and your service. There are thousands of premiums from which you can choose: key chains, coffee mugs, refrigerator magnets, baseball caps, paperWeights - just about anything that can be engraved, imprinted, silk-screened or embroidered with your company name and phone number.

6. Speeches

Depending on your topic and your market, you might want to speak before chambers of commerce, trade associations, parent groups, senior citizens or other local organizations.

7. Articles

Another possibility is to write an article for a trade journal, reprint it and mail it off to your friends, customers and prospects. Well-crafted articles position you as an expert and are a particularly good way to promote a consulting business.

8. Bonuses

If you have a restaurant, give away a glass of wine with dinner to introduce a new Menu. If you sell to retailers, give them a display fixture with the order of a gross. If you sell office Supplies, give away a new pen with a sizeable purchase. If you're in the cosmetics business, offer customers a free sample blusher when they buy mascara and lipstick.

9. Coupons

For best results, the price break should be significant - at least 15 percent. Coupons are one of the least expensive ways to develop new trade and are an excellent tool for evaluating advertising. However, one theory holds that coupons draw people who only buy discount and never become regular customers, so be sure to monitor the results.

10. Donations

Donating your product or service to a charitable cause often results in positive exposure to community leaders, charity board members, PTAs and civic groups. While consumer products are desired most, many organizations also look for donations of professional service time. If you have a restaurant or a large meeting facility, consider hosting an event for a charitable organization. This strategy works best if volunteers for that charity are potential customers.

11. Samples

No matter what you do to promote your business, giving potential customers a sample is an excellent way to attract attention and make a positive impression. In many cases, it makes just as much sense to spend your marketing and advertising Dollars on giving out your own products instead of buying advertiseMents - especially if cash is tight. The key is to give samples to the audience you want to reach (i.e., software packages to Computer user groups or nutritious snacks to health-oriented consumers). In the Food arena, where one taste is worth a thousand words, firms now exist that test market new products for large and small companies alike through in-store demonstrations. A good demonstration company not only keeps track of how much of your product was given away but also submits detailed reports on what people said about the product and how much of it was purchased.

12. Free Trials

If your product is too big or expensive to give away outright, why not offer a free trial to qualified customers? Try shipping it out to prospects with no strings attached. Most people will appreciate the opportunity to try the product, and many will like it enough to buy it.

13. Free Services

If you can't afford to give away products, offering your services as a way of generating new business can also pay off. For example, if you own a retail Clothing business, send out a flyer offering customers a free fashion consultation to draw them into the store.

14. Special Benefits, Rates or Notices

Smart organizations go out of their way to make customers feel important and appreciated. Frequent flyer clubs are the most pervasive example of loyalty-building benefits for customers only that are now being adapted by many kinds of businesses. Most software companies sell program updates to customers at discounted prices. And advance notices about sales or other changes or opportunities can help ceMent customer ties.

15. Say "Thanks"

One of the best ways to let customers know you value their business, and to simultaneously encourage their continued patronage, is also one of the easiest. It boils down to saying "thank you" in letters, mailers, surveys, stateMent stuffers, receipts and invoices, and in person.

Learning how to persuade and influence will make the difference between hoping for a better income and having a better income. Beware of the common mistakes presenters and persuaders commit that cause them to lose the deal.

Conclusion

Persuasion is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life. Ask yourself how much money and income you have lost because of your inability to persuade and influence. Think about it. Sure you've seen some success, but think of the times you couldn't get it done. Has there ever been a time when you did not get your point across? Were you unable to convince someone to do something? Have you reached your full potential? Are you able to motivate yourself and others to achieve more and accomplish their goals? What about your relationships? Imagine being able to overcome objections before they happen, know what your prospect is thinking and feeling, feel more confident in your ability to persuade. Professional success, personal happiness, leadership potential, and income depend on the ability to persuade, influence, and motivate others.

Fifteen Advertising and Promotional Ideas

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Building Games For Kids

Building Games For Kids


Why are so many kids playing online and video games when there are so many wonderful 'physical' building games for kids like LEGO, Meccano, Mega Bloks, jigsaw puzzles etc out there. As good parents don't we need to be a little more selective about the games we give our kids? Isn't it important to retain a good balance between 'old and new' when it comes to the games we give our kids for presents?

Building Games For Kids

Building Games For Kids

Building Games For Kids


Building Games For Kids



Building Games For Kids

There is a huge amount of evidence to show that LEGO, for example, encourages design and creativity skills in children. They are educational as they teach all sorts of eye and hand coordination skills. It is arguable that kids can get some of those skills with Computer games but it surely is no replaceMent for creating structures that require hundreds of small, tiny or larger building pieces to be physically constructed with fingers that are still developing.

I have always given my kids jigsaw puzzles, LEGO, Meccano etc for their presents even though they also play Computer games. I think it's a good balance of traditional and modern game playing for them. I don't believe in refusing my kids Computer games that are popular as long as they aren't harmful.

Many parents will agree, I suspect, that if you try to ban something from the home, kids will somehow manage to get hold of or do it elsewhere. Better to know the kids are playing non-offensive computer games in the living room than x-rated video games at their friends houses.

The best construction games I've purchased over the years have kept my little ones interested for hours. I've purchased Building blocks, LEGO, Jigsaw puzzles, Erector Meccano and more over the years for my kids. I only pay for toys and games that have a good reputation and will encourage independent play. The 2011 Lego sets are just as challenging as they have always been. Building and construction games also have to have some form of educational value. For me, the best building games will educate as well as giving hours of fun.

Building for children is an essential educational activity. Sometimes building games for kids or construction games are known as brain building games. A good brain building game will usually educate whilst also being excellent fun.

Examples of good brain building games for kids are jigsaw puzzles, LEGO bricks, Meccano, quizzes etc. Anything basically that requires a child to reason and make decisions or remember and recall information for future reference. Brain building games really help children to develop future skills and abilities.

For the average parent Watching their baby or toddler construct and create is a wonderful thing to see. And that wonder continues as we all Watch our children grow into adults. Teenagers and adults love LEGO and Meccano too believe it or not! You can also look outside of the box more to find educational games for your family.

My kids love astronomy for example so we purchased the best beginner telescope we could find and now we have a great recreational outside game for the nights. A telescope for kids is building education of our solar system so it's a fantastic option.

So, maybe we should just take a leaf out of our own childhoods, and get out there and buy a few more 'real' building games for kids that will also bring the family unit closer together at the same time.

A great website to buy some of the 'classic building games' is www.buildinggamesforkids.com and is well worth checking out.

Building Games For Kids

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Play Scrabble Online For Free!

Play Scrabble Online For Free!


Play Free Scrabble Online Today

Play Scrabble Online For Free!

Play Scrabble Online For Free!

Play Scrabble Online For Free!


Play Scrabble Online For Free!



Play Scrabble Online For Free!

One of the World's most beloved games is available now online and you can play for Free! Not only that, you can win some money. Continue reading this article, and I will give you some history on the game of Scrabble, as well as some great information on the natural progression of this game to the internet. Grab a cup of coffee and let me tell you a little about this game...

The History of Scrabble

The game of Scrabble is for word lovers. Points are scored by making words from individual letter tiles. Words can be formed up, down and across on a grid-like game board. The origins of the game go clear back to 1938 when a similar game called Lexiko was invented. In 1948, the manufacturing rights were purchased by James Brunot. He revamped the rules and changed the name to "Scrabble." The game got its big break in 1952 when the president of Macy's, Jack Strauss discovered the game. He decided that everyone should have the game and began to sell such large quantities that Brunot could no longer keep up with the orders. The rights of the game were then sold to Selchow & Righter. The game has changed hands several times but the concept is still the same. Scrabble even became a TV game show in 1984.

Scrabble Board Game Set Up

The game board is made up of a 15-by-15 grid of cells or squares. Each one will accommodate a single letter tile. There are 98 letter tiles ranging in value from 1 to 10 points. Common letters are worth fewer points, whereas harder letters to use such as Z or Q are worth the highest points. There are also 2 blank tiles that can be used to substitute any letter, but they are worth 0 points. Some of the squares on the board are colored differently. The tile that lands on these special cells can cause the points of that word to be doubled or even tripled.

To decide who will get to go first, each player must draw a letter tile. The letter closest to the beginning of the alphabet will go first. Each player then draws seven tiles. During each turn, a player can decide to both pass and forfeit the turn, exchange one or more tiles for an equal number from the leftovers in the bag, or form a word on the board and scoring the accumulative points. The first player starts in the center of the board and words are formed from there. After playing a word, the player draws more letter tiles from the bag to once again have seven tiles on his rack. According to the rules, the game is over when either someone plays all seven of his tiles and there are no more left in the bag, or when six successive scoreless turns have occurred and the score is not zero-zero. The scores are then tallied, but each player must subtract any points remaining on his rack.

Scrabble Goes Online

A fAirly recent phenoMenon has been born - Free Online Scrabble. A number of sites offer the possibility to play Scrabble online against other users. Many websites have the game available to play free. Some companies have had to change the name slightly to avoid lawsuit from Hasbro and Mattel, the current makers of the game. However, regardless of the controversy, online Scrabble has taken off exponentially. Mattel has its own version of free online Scrabble, as well as The International Scrabble Club, http://www.pogo.com, and hundreds of others. By simply googling Free Online Scrabble, one can bring up over a half a million hits. However, you decide to play, whether it is the old-fashioned way or using the latest of modern technology, you are sure to learn something when playing this game.

Summary

Scrabble has a very interesting history and now people are playing free scrabble online as well...

Play Scrabble Online For Free!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

The Advantages of Video Games

The Advantages of Video Games


Despite common belief, video games could be more than just addictive forms of entertainMent and diversion. Although a lot of people say that these games could keep people from functioning as responsible and productive members of society, they could actually prove to be very beneficial.

The Advantages of Video Games

The Advantages of Video Games

The Advantages of Video Games


The Advantages of Video Games



The Advantages of Video Games

Some people say that video games usually bring about tendencies of being more violent in different people in various age groups. However, this is not all true. Of course, other eleMents are present - the environment and community that people are in, music, family and peer conditions - which could all also have an effect to the behavior of people of all ages.

And so, it would only be fAir that the benefits and advanTAGes from playing video games are also brought to light. A lot of experts say that there are several video games which require linear thinking, dexterity, as well good coordination which could exercise the eyes and the brain, that would be effective and useful in keeping progressive illnesses at bay. These progressive illnesses would include Alzheimer's disease.

Today, children could have access to educational video games as they study in school, as a lot of educational institutions make use of video games as auxiliary materials. These games actually work great and are effective in teaching children various academic skills. There are also video games which have been developed and designed that require skills like remembering, inducing, memorizing, deducing, solving problems, recognizing patterns and mapping.

Other benefits of video games for kids would include its ability to contribute to the enhancement of their motor skills, socialization skills and perseverance skills. Such games were also found to help in the management of the challenges brought about by ADD or attention deficit disorder.

The Advantages of Video Games

Friday, July 27, 2012

Winning Dinosaur Party Food-Great Ideas For Dinosaur Themed Party Food For Your Little Monster

Winning Dinosaur Party Food-Great Ideas For Dinosaur Themed Party Food For Your Little Monster


Dinosaur Themed Party Food

Winning Dinosaur Party Food-Great Ideas For Dinosaur Themed Party Food For Your Little Monster

Winning Dinosaur Party Food-Great Ideas For Dinosaur Themed Party Food For Your Little Monster

Winning Dinosaur Party Food-Great Ideas For Dinosaur Themed Party Food For Your Little Monster


Winning Dinosaur Party Food-Great Ideas For Dinosaur Themed Party Food For Your Little Monster



Winning Dinosaur Party Food-Great Ideas For Dinosaur Themed Party Food For Your Little Monster

When it comes to organising that dinosaur themed Party for your dinosaur obsessed youngster, one of the many questions we get asked is how to customize the Food to fit the dinosaur party theme.  It is not easy to find dinosaur shaped sandwiches and tit-bits in your local supermarket, but you needn't spend a fortune to make sure that your dinosaur themed party buffet cuts the "Mesozoic mustard".

For example, dinosaur shaped cookie cutters are inexpensive to purchase and can be used to create cookies shaped like prehistoric animals.  However, don't be limited to just the sweet eleMents of your buffet when it comes to using the cookie cutters.  We have used both the plastic and tin cookie cutter types to createdinosaur shaped savoury snacks.  With a cookie cutter, it is simple and easy to make your own dinosaur shaped sandwiches.

Using soft bread (we find that a quality white or wholemeal loaf works best); and a series of simple fillings such as spreads-peanut butter, jam, honey, Pasta, chicken or dinosaur shaped sandwiches and light bites can be created by simply using the cookie cutter to cut out the slices once the sandwich has been prepared.  A firm push into the sandwich with the cookie cutter is all that is required, but have a pAir of kitchen scissors or a sharp knife handy in case you need to trim off any bits.  This is a simple and straight forward way of theming up your dinosaur party platter.

The majority of dinosaurs known from the fossil recordwere vegetarian so don't forget to put plenty of salad out for the young dinosaur fans.  They are used to seeing strange plants such as cycads and tree ferns alongside dinosaurs in their picture books and you can use this to encourage them to eat their greens.  A mixed green salad containing such delights as rocket and a little water cress can resemble the most exotic of ancient prehistoric plants.  For added spice to handful of washed dandelion leaves can be put into the salad bowl.  Dandelion leaves are edible, but don't forget to wash them and use them sparingly as they are a diuretic.  The "toothed" edges of the leaves make a great prehistoric addition to any salad, we have even called them "t. rex jaws, it is fun to Watch the young party guests tryingto find a green t. rex jaw and put it onto their plate at feeding time.

Take a cocktail stick and a coloured piece of paper, prepare a label for the sandwiches using simple dinosaur vocabulary.  A quick peek inside your child's dinosaur book should provide you with plenty of names for inspiration, for instance we have created "Jurassic Jam" and "Hypsilophodon Honey sandwiches in the past.  The cocktail stick can be used to stick the label securely in the plate of sandwiches, but don't forget to blunt the end that points upwards, we don't want any of your little monsters pricking their fingers.

Winning Dinosaur Party Food-Great Ideas For Dinosaur Themed Party Food For Your Little Monster

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Early Years Foundation Stage Teaching Reception and Using Dinosaurs

Early Years Foundation Stage Teaching Reception and Using Dinosaurs


Using Dinosaurs and Fossils to help Educate Nursery to Foundation STAGe

Early Years Foundation Stage Teaching Reception and Using Dinosaurs

Early Years Foundation Stage Teaching Reception and Using Dinosaurs

Early Years Foundation Stage Teaching Reception and Using Dinosaurs


Early Years Foundation Stage Teaching Reception and Using Dinosaurs



Early Years Foundation Stage Teaching Reception and Using Dinosaurs

Within the United Kingdom, a series of strategic learning goals have been established for all school children from nursery sTAGe through to reception/foundation and beyond to key sTAGes one, two, three and four. These learning goals are incorporated within the National Curriculum and provide assistance and guidelines for teachers and teaching assistants to ensure educational standards are met across the country. Key learning goals are built around concepts such as developing knowledge and understanding of the world, building communication skills, language and listening skills. The use of dinosaurs, dinosaur information, prehistoric animal drawing materials and real fossils of prehistoricanimals can make an excellent contribution to the teaching curriculum. In addition, such activities lend themselves to extension and topic work.

The Early Learning Goals-The Link with Dinosaurs

The Early Learning Goals are a fundaMental eleMent of the Early Years Foundation STAGe (EYFS) statutory framework. These establish the expectations and standards of children ages 3-5 years of age in readiness for the move from nursery to the formal reception/foundation stage of Primary education. Some children will exceed the standards that they are expected to attain, other children depending on their own particular learning needs and learning style will be working towards the standards. However, the key aim of these criteria is to establish a broad teachingthe framework enables young learners to progress from nursery through to more formal education.

The use of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals can make a contribution to the learning goals and permit teachers and teaching assistants to develop extension activities that permit young children to learn through imaginative and creative play.

For the early years foundation stage, and the key learning outcomes are divided into six specific sections:

Personal, Social and Emotional Development Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy Physical Development Creative Development Communication, Language and Literacy Knowledge and Understanding of the World

Teachers can utilise dinosaurs and prehistoric animals in a variety of ways to ensure that these key learningoutcomes are attained. For example, when considering the development of young children's knowledge and understanding of the world, fossils can be used to introduce concepts such as finding out about living and extinct animals and observing similarities and differences between them. Most children have knowledge of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals from children's books, films and television. Dinosaurs have a high media profile and since a new species is named and described every four weeks or so, dinosaurs are frequently featured in newspapers and magazines.

When our qualified teaching staff visit a nursery or reception we work to a formal lesson plan and build our teaching programmes around the key learning objectives. The main benefit of such outreach is that it can kick offrange of extension topics and related activities to help reinforce learning. It is important to maintain the interest of all the class, this can be difficult due to the attention span of children this age. As a result, teaching sessions are limited to around 45 minutes and aim to accommodate a range of learning styles.

Palaeontologists Visiting a Nursery/Reception Class

When a qualified teacher/palaeontologist visits a class it is important to engage all the children. Working around key themes related to the learning objectives different materials can be used to help young children learn about the similarities and differences of objects, for example between cast fossils, models and real fossils. Children can handle and feel objects and establish that they arewarm, cold, soft, hard, heavy, light and such like. This encourages them to use describing words and communicate with others. Crucially, such sessions should be limited to around forty-five minutes to allow effective engagement, but dinosaurs and fossils lend themselves to a range of extension activities such as model making, painting and drawing, drama, story telling, creative play and expression.

Each session would be normally broken down into ten minute teaching blocks, for instance, the first part of the teaching session would involve introductions, overview and explanations. Some of the materials used by palaeontologists such as knee-pads, hard hats can be passed round allowing the children to handle the objects. It is best if the children can form a circle so that thepalaeontologist/teacher can stand in the middle of the ring and bring in objects so that all the children can feel that they are part of the lesson.

The second part of the session involves the first handling and passing around of fossils and models. It is best to have some dinosaur toys so that the children can make the link between the model and the fossil of the actual animal. The teacher and teaching assistant can be brought in to help describe and handle objects and supervise object handling. Teeth and casts of meat-eating dinosaurs work effectively and there is normally one child to class that will prove to be very knowledgeable. The lesson can be then be concluded by summarising what objects the children have handled and what they have learned. It is helpful to ask thechildren what their favourite part of the session was. A quick word with the teaching assistant and staff to discuss extension ideas following the session is always welcome.

Dinosaurs and prehistoric animals do lend themselves to helping engage young learners and provide excellent motivation to help children at the nursery and reception stage gain knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Prehistoric animals and fossils can help with young children's communication and learning skills as well as helping them to use creative and imaginative play to engage with others and develop a knowledge of animals alive and extinct.

Early Years Foundation Stage Teaching Reception and Using Dinosaurs

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Skeletal System Quiz-Pass Your Exams With Ease

Skeletal System Quiz-Pass Your Exams With Ease


The Skeletal System is an extremely important part of the body as it serves many essential functions.

Skeletal System Quiz-Pass Your Exams With Ease

Skeletal System Quiz-Pass Your Exams With Ease

Skeletal System Quiz-Pass Your Exams With Ease


Skeletal System Quiz-Pass Your Exams With Ease



Skeletal System Quiz-Pass Your Exams With Ease

Learning this body system can be very tough so it is advisable to have a good Skeletal System quiz which you can use to test your knowledge throughout your studies.

Aspects of the Skeletal System that must be covered include;
Names and types of bones
Composition and categories of bone
Functions
Diseases & Disorders

Based on my experience the best way to learn any body system is to use multiple choice questions. A good Skeletal System quiz will include these type of questions plus quizzes and puzzles which are excellent for revision purposes.

Some multiple choice question examples are as follows;

1. Whichbone contains the upper teeth?
a) Mandible
b) Sphenoid
c) Maxilla-Answer
d) Vomer

2. How many bones does the coccygeal contain?
4-Answer)
b) 12
c) 5
d) 7

3. The fibula is what type of bone?
a) Short
b) Irregular
c) Flat
d) Long-Answer

4. Where is cancellous bone found?
a) Ends of long bones and irregular bones
b) Ends of irregular bones
c) Ends of long bones and in short, flat, irregular bones-Answer
d) Ends of long and flat bones

The best way to revise is to write your questions on some record cards, learn about 20-30 questions per day and then test yourself at the end of each week. If you are consistent with this technique your knowledge of this subject will grow enormously.

Skeletal System Quiz-Pass Your Exams With Ease

Friday, June 1, 2012

Fun Learning With Cool Math Games

Fun Learning With Cool Math Games


Mathematics or often called Math is a subject that studies the concepts of quantity, structure, space, and change. In learning this subject, people will also be taught how to analyze patterns, conjectures, and probabilities. It is a very important field of study that most of its concept can be impleMented on daily life. But many people find it very difficult to learn or hard to understand. Because of these reasons, many people don't feel like to studying it. Nowadays, there is a great fun way to learn this interesting subject; cool math games.

Fun Learning With Cool Math Games

Fun Learning With Cool Math Games

Fun Learning With Cool Math Games


Fun Learning With Cool Math Games



Fun Learning With Cool Math Games Fun Learning With Cool Math Games

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Top Pomeranian Dog Health Problem Issue

Top Pomeranian Dog Health Problem Issue


The Pomeranian is a cute little breed of dog similar to other little breeds. They make wonderful housedogs because of their loving nature and the way they behave when around people. They act like a little child who wants everyone to know they are welcome. These fluffy little dogs can be a bit aggressive if their owner is upset or in trouble.

Top Pomeranian Dog Health Problem Issue

Top Pomeranian Dog Health Problem Issue

Top Pomeranian Dog Health Problem Issue


Top Pomeranian Dog Health Problem Issue



Top Pomeranian Dog Health Problem Issue

Their cute fox like face and pointed ears with soft and silky looking hAir make them a beautiful show dog as well as a house pet. The eyes are blackish colored with a bright glimmer of shine. The teeth are very sharp yet thin by nature. The tail resembles the tail of a Pekinese as it crusades forward over the back of the dog. The average height is up to twelve inches with a weight of about fifteen to twenty pounds.

The topPomeranian dog health problem is the teeth. This concerns owners because if the teeth break or fall out, the dog will have no way to consume Food. Feeding hard dog Food helps to strengthen the teeth and gums, but many people make the mistake of feeding only soft dog Food, which does not benefit the teeth or gums in any way. The overall health of the teeth needs to be clean and you need to take every precaution against tooth decay.

The Pomeranian dog breed does suffer some health problems, but not all bloodlines are at risk. The Pomeranian dog health problems might be a slipped stifle or "dislocated patella, which is a small bone by the knee joint. The slipped stifle affects the moveMent of the dog and can cause pain and depression in the little dog. If you notice signs of legproblems, contact the vet for further tests to determine the exact cause of the problem.

The Pomeranian dog health problem during birth can be saddening if proper knowledge and care is not given. When a female is ready to give birth, a vet may be required due to the size of the female. The puppies will be extremely small fitting three puppies into a man size hand is common. Extra care for the puppies because of their size requires helping the mother with daily care of the puppies. These puppies require extra care until the age of three months in order to properly grow and achieve adulthood.

The ears and eyes need cleaning on a daily business. This dog breed loves to go for walks, but like all little dogs, they do not need to take long walks, as they tend to get Tiredbecause of their short legs. These little pups with love and touching strive as they grow into beautiful little companions.

The Pomeranian dog health problem follows suit with other canine breeds. They are susceptible to many other health conditions such as skin disease, allergies, infections and parasites. Keeping the dog healthy requires proper grooming and diet along with exercise.

Top Pomeranian Dog Health Problem Issue

Saturday, April 7, 2012

How to Hold Effective Team Meetings

How to Hold Effective Team Meetings


Many people believe that they conduct effective meetings, when all they really do is
host a Party. Or worse, they deliver a monologue. In either case, their meetings
produces little.

How to Hold Effective Team Meetings

How to Hold Effective Team Meetings

How to Hold Effective Team Meetings


How to Hold Effective Team Meetings



How to Hold Effective Team Meetings

Here's how to hold an effective staff meetings.

1) In general. Keep them short. Most staff meetings should last less than an hour.
You want your staff to spend their time working on things that earn money for your
business, not sitting in meetings. Keep them positive. Negative meetings contain
insults, ridicule, and attacks. These activities create caution and .resentMent, which
always costs your company money. Keep them interactive. Your staff consists of
intelligent people. Put them to work in your meetings to advance the effectiveness
of yourorganization.

2) Share news. Give the members of your group one minute to report on progress
made in their area of responsibility. You'll find that this results in bullet point
reports of essential information. It also prevents people from philosophizing,
explaining, justifying, criticizing, and engaging in other unproductive activities. Plan
a time budget: 8 to 10 minutes.

3) Teach something. Invite a guest expert to give a 10 minute presentation on some
skill or technology that benefits your group. Tell the expert that you want a logical
explanation of practical ideas. You can also ask members of your group to take
turns delivering brief tutorials on topics that benefit the others. Plan a time budget:
10 to 15 minutes.

How to Hold Effective Team Meetings

Monday, March 19, 2012

What Makes a Person Intelligent?

What Makes a Person Intelligent?


In traditional intelligence theories when one is asked the question What makes a person intelligent? the most common responses will often note a person's ability to solve problems, utilize logic, and think critically. These typical traits of intelligence are sometimes grouped together under the heading raw intelligence. A person's intelligence, traditionally speaking, is contained in their intellect. In other words, how we each understand, evaluate or respond to external stimulations, regardless as to whether it is a mathematical problem or anticipation of an opponent's next move in a game, is our collective intelligence. Therefore, Our intelligence is our individual, collective ability to act or react in a continually changingenvironMent.

The principal problem in traditional intelligence theories is that they promote fractured learning. Many educational reformers have clearly stated that taking tests merely shows that a student is skilland at taking tests. At best, traditional tests focus on only about one tenth of an individual's intellect. Note that Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison, two of history's most famous examples of brilliant minds, were terrible at taking traditional tests, therefore terrible at school in general. Multiple Intelligences theory then, demonstrates that the ability to take traditional tests is almost enTirely in the realm of the Logical Mathematical
intelligence. This intelligencewill be detailed later along with the Interpersonal intelligence, which imparts in some students the ability to second guess a teacher's structuring of test. Betweendithional IQ tests predict school performance with considerable accuracy, but they are only an indifferent predictor of performance in a profession after formal schooling.

In an interesting but controversial study conducted during the 1960 s by Biologist Marion Diamond, of the University of California at Berkeley, two sets of rats were raised in different environMents; One set had toys to play with, playmates to romp with and a roomy box that was kept clean and fresh. The second set was put in solitary confineMent; all alone in a much smaller cage with no toys to enjoy. After several weeks, Diamondmeasured the size of each rat's cerebral cortex, the brain area which is responsible for higher nerve functions. The rats in the sociable, friendly and stimulating environMent grew brains bigger than the rats with the impoverished surroundings. Does the enriched environment increase the dimensions of the brain, and does the impoverished environment decrease the dimensions of the brain?, asked Diamond. The answer, clearly, is YES. Similar results were replicated with Cats, monkeys and later with humans. So a stimulating, enriched learning environment is crucial to mental development. If we likewise incorporated the varying student intelligences in our teaching activities, our success as well as our students success, will be markedly improved. That each of uspossess all the intelligences, that they can each be developed further, that these multiple intelligences work together in a complex manner, and that there are, in fact, many different ways to be intelligent are inclusive in a study by Armstrong. Here briefly, in retrospect, are eight of the major intelligences of Howard Gardener's theory and their related traits:

Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence:
The capacity to use words effectively, either orally or in writing. It is highly developed in the story-tellers, orators, politicians, poets, playwrights, editors, language teachers and journalists. Students with a high degree of this intelligence think in words; learn by listening, reading, and verbalizing. They enjoy writing, like books, records, and tapes, and have agood memory for verse, lyrics, or trivia. Getting into discussions, telling jokes and debating are also characteristics of this intelligence. Maya Angelou is strong in this intelligence.

Visual-Spatial Intelligence:
The ability to perceive the world accurately and to perform transformations upon one's perceptions. This is highly developed in guides, interior designers, architects, artists, fashion designers and inventors. Students with a high degree of spatial intelligence think in images and pictures, like mazes and Chadw puzzles. They like to draw and design things, and enjoy films, slides, videos, diagrams, maps, charts. The daydreamers and those who may have strong opinions about such things as colors that go together, textures that are appropriate andpleasing and decorating are included in this intelligence. Pablo Picasso was strong in this intelligence.

Musical Rhythmic Intelligence: The capacity to perceive, discriminate, transform, and express musical forms is most highly developed in musical performers, music aficionados, and music critics. Students with a high degree of musical intelligence learn through rhythm and melody, play a musical instrument, or May need music to study. They notice nonverbal sounds in the environment: the chirp of a cricket, rain on the roof, varying traffic patterns, and usually learn things more easily if sung, Hooker out, or whistled. These people love music and rhythmic patterns and can often reproduce a melody or rhythmic pattern after hearing it only once. Various sounds, tones, andrhythms may have a visible effect on them (that is, you can see a change in facial expressions, body movement, or emotional responses). They enjoy singing and listening to a wide variety of music, and are often quite skilled at mimicking sounds, language accents, and others speech patterns, and recognizing different musical instruments in a composition. Paul McCartney is strong in this intelligence.

Logical-Mathematical Intelligence:
The capacity to use numbers effectively and to reason well. This intelligence is highly developed in tax accountants, mathematicians, statisticians, scientists, Computer programmers, and logicians. Students with a high degree of this intelligence often reason things out logically and clearly; look for abstract patterns and relationships;brain teasers, frequently like logicl puzzles, and strategy games. They also like to use Computers and to classify and categorize. These people think abstractly and conceptually and are able to see patterns and relationships that others often miss. They like to shitt, solvand puzzles and other cosmic questions problems, ask and think. They love the challenge of complex problems to solve and always have a logical rationale or argument for what they are doing or thinking. Albert Einstein was strong in this intelligence.

Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence: Consists of expertise in using one's whole body to express ideas and feelings, and facility in using ones hands to produce or transform things. A highly developed intelligence actors, mimes, athletes,dancers, sculptors, mechanics, and surgeons. Students with a high degree of bodily-kinesthetic intelligence process knowledge through bodily sensations; move, twitch, tap, or fidget while sitting in a chAir or at a desk and learn by touching, manipulating, and moving. They typically like role playing and creative movement and generally like physical games of all kinds and demonstrating how to do something. They communicate well through body language and other physical gestures. They can often perform a task only after seeing someone else do it. They find it difficult to sit still for a long time and are easily bored if they are not actively involved in what is going on around them. Michael Jordan is strong in this intelligence.

Interpersonal Intelligence:
The ability toperceive and make distinctions in the moods, intentions, motivations, and feelings of other people. This Intelligence can include sensitivity to facial expressions, voice, and gestures, as well as the ability to respond effectively to such cues. Students with a high degree of interpersonal intelligence understand and care about people; like to socialize; learn more easily by relating and cooperating and are good at teaching other students. These people learn through person-to-person interaction. They generally have lots of friends; show a great deal of empathy for other people and understanding of different points of view. They are skilled at drawing others out in a discussion, conflict resolution and mediation when people are in radical
opposition to each other. Mother Teresa andMahatma Gandhi were strong in this intelligence.

Intra-personal Intelligence:
Self-knowledge and the ability to adaptively act on the basis of that knowledge define this group. This is an intelligence which can include having an accurate picture of one's strengths and limitations, awareness of one's moods and motivations, and the capacity for self-discipline. Students with a high degree of this intelligence seem to be self motivating; need their own quiet space; may march to the beat of a different drummer and tend to learn more easily with independent study, self-paced instruction, individualized projects and games.
These people like to work alone and sometimes shy away from others. They are self-reflective and self-aware and thus tend to be in tune with theirinner feelings, values, beliefs, and thinking processes. They are frequently bearers of creative wisdom and insight, are highly intuitive and are inwardly motivated rather than needing external rewards to keep them going. They are often strong-willed, self-confident, and defined, well thought-out opinions on almost any issue (although they are sometimes off-the-wall). Other people will often come to them for advice and counsel, but others will sometimes view them as distant or weird. Emily Dickinson and Stephen King are examples of this intelligence.

Naturalist Intelligence:
Environmental knowledge and the ability to identify and categorize plants, animals and nature on the basis of that knowledge. The Naturalist Intelligence can include having an accurate picture of theambient environment, awareness of the interrelationship of natural elements, and the capacity for self-analysis of these elements. It is found most highly developed into archeologists, animal handlers, animal trainers, veterinarians, biologists, zoologists, racehorse jockeys, environmentalists, wilderness guides and naturalists. Students who have a high degree of the naturalist intelligence seem to be nature-oriented, seek to be outdoors or in the elements and learn more easily with nature-related studies and environmental projects and activities. They like to collect items from nature, study them, and group them. They tend to be aware of subtleties in appearance, texture, and sounds that those weaker in this intelligence may not grasp. Charles Darwin, Jacques Cousteau, and John James Audubonwere strong in this intelligence.

One of the great promises of Multiple Intelligences theory in education is that it will help us to find individual pathways into and out of our students minds. Recent advances in educational psychology and research in applied MI theory offer educators a real possibility of developing the potential of all students. Both educators and students should derive from Gardner's Multiple Intelligence theory that all people are different and learn differently, and that we should respect, value, and nurture that diversity.

What Makes a Person Intelligent?

What Makes a Person Intelligent?

What Makes a Person Intelligent?


What Makes a Person Intelligent?



What Makes a Person Intelligent?

Reference Websites:
Reference website for multiple intelligences links and activities:
[http://surfaquarium.com/im.htm]

Exploring Multiple Intelligences: New Dimensions ofLearning
[http://www.multi-intell.com/]

Multiple Intelligences Resources
http://www.theatreinmotion.com/resources.htm

Basic MI Theory
http://edweb.gsn.org/edref.mi.th.html

Multiple Intelligence Theory: Principles
http://www.harding.edu/~cbr/midemo/prin.html

Multiple Intelligences: Theory and Practice in the K-12 Class
[http://www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/ieo/bibs/multiple.html]

Task Card Overview/Multiple Intelligences
[http://www.metronet.com/~bhorizon/teach.htm]

Association for the Promotion and Advancement of Science Education activities website-http://discoverlearning.com/forensic/docs/index.html

What Makes a Person Intelligent?

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

ITEC Anatomy and Physiology Past Papers-Sample Questions

ITEC Anatomy and Physiology Past Papers-Sample Questions


ITEC Anatomy and Physiology past papers can be very difficult to find as ITEC do not allow the distribution of sample exam papers. But it is essential to have sample questions when you are revising for your exams.

ITEC Anatomy and Physiology Past Papers-Sample Questions

ITEC Anatomy and Physiology Past Papers-Sample Questions

ITEC Anatomy and Physiology Past Papers-Sample Questions


ITEC Anatomy and Physiology Past Papers-Sample Questions



ITEC Anatomy and Physiology Past Papers-Sample Questions

ITEC use the format of multiple choice questions on all of their theory papers so these are the type of questions that you should use during your studies.

As there are a lot of body systems to cover under ITEC Anatomy and Physiology it is advisable to review each chapter as it is completed in class. One excellent way of doing this is to use your revision questions. Some examples include;

01. The supratrochlear nodes are located;
a) Behind the ears
b) Armpits
c) Behind the knees
d) Elbows-Answer

02. What is the nerve centre of thecell?
a) Synapse
b) Axon
c Cell body)-Answer
d) Neurilemma

03. The stomach is responsible for which type of digestion?
a) Protein digestion-Answer
b) Fat digestion
c) Carbohydrate digestion
d) Fat and carbohydrate digestion

04. Nephritis is a term which describes;
a) Inflammation of the bladder
b) Inflammation of the gall bladder
c) Inflammation of the kidney-Answer
d) Inflammation of the pelvis

So, for example you finish learning The Skeletal System. To revise it, take a number of multiple choice questions each day and learn them, about 20-30 questions. Repeat this for 4-5 days and then at the end, give yourself a test on what you have covered.

ITEC Anatomy and Physiology Past Papers-Sample Questions

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

An Adventure Story

An Adventure Story


The other day while trying to make sense of the world, specifically my own, a client was telling me about a charity Christmas Party- having lots of toys left over he did not know what to do. His friend suggested he take them to an orphanage where he knows the children are in desperate need of love and toys. On a normal Christmas day he and his wife would run a soup kitchen but decided to visit the orphanage instead. As they arrived 50 wide eyed forgotten orphans dashed to greet them, with only one special teddy bear they asked the "mother" who they should give it to as they didn't want a riot on their hands. She pointed to a room and said "there's a little baby in there who has just been brought in by the police after being found abandoned in a field, I think he needs something to cuddle tonight!"

Shocked and dismayed by the malnourished baby his wife swept the tiny frail body into her arms to hug him and could not let go, a 15 minute deed of goodwill turned into 3 hours, Christmas day turned to a restless night as the abandoned gift of god did not leave their thoughts. When they called the next day to see how he was doing the "mother" suggested they give him a name, St Nic of Santa Claus fame came to mind - So Nicholas it would be.

Nicholas really needed love and help, after visiting the orphanage a couple times they asked if they would be allowed to look after Nicholas at weekends, to take him out on trips and give him the love he so desperately needed. After a few weekends it was getting harder and harder to give Nicholas back on Monday mornings he always became so quiet when they had to say goodbye. The wife asked her husband if they might consider adoption, initially he was against it, because of responsibility, financial ability and fear.

God and Nicholas had chosen them, deep down he knew it was gods miracle and will, they became his parents they had fallen in love with him - so Nicholas went home.

Nicholas is now three years old, causes major feuds as all friends and family stand in line to baby sit as much as they possibly can - He touches the soul and heart of everyone and fills their world with delight

The miracle doesn't end there.....

Nicholas was diagnosed with Autism his parents had taken him to a specialist who diagnosed him in about 30 seconds flat. BS they thought - furiously they researched all they could find about Autism believing Nicholas could overcome this 30 second diagnosis. After all the specialists believed he was not 'off the scale Autistic'. Eventually they came across a society based in the U.S., with a representative in Johannesburg, which does not believe Autism exists, instead they believe it is to do with the internal organs.

After numerous tests they also found Nicholas had leaky gut syndrome and Lymes disease (parasitic infectious disease causing disability which is difficult to treat) To repAir leaky gut syndrome Nicholas was prescribed various medication and vitamins which takes half an hour every morning to swallow. Wondering what all these pills taste like his father swallowed a couple and promptly threw up, yet Nicholas swallows them with minimal fuss. To treat advanced lymes disease you use a specialized machine which literally shakes the parasite from your blood cells, this takes 2 hours every night, not easy with a 3 year old.

Nicholas now sits and does puzzles like every other 3 year old. For his parents it's like winning the world cup, as lack of concentration is one of his many "problems."

Nicholas' parents joined a group called the smartie kids and found many people in this land of beauty and splendour finding themselves white parents to a black child in a country that was torn apart by racism, hate and apartheid, that is now been torn apart by politicians drunk on power.

As you'd imagine, the father tells the story much better than I have here, requiring days, not a 1 page brief. It is an adventure story, a miracle, a gift, a story worth telling. Which is my point. At the moMent, we all confront incredible uncertainty, even chaos in the world economy, in our own markets, and by extension, in our lives and minds. Everyone's world is topsy turvy, our political leaders continue to allow followers their mindless hate rhetoric and the call to "kill" of their political adversaries - while they run the country like a bunch of drunken pirates. You may be tempted to wish for stability and security and predictability, you may loathe the urgent need to creatively reinvent, to zig, to zag you may resent recent investMent losses, a loved one or the turmoil and chaos you think your life has become. All that is natural, understandable and shared; some minutes of most days I too indulge in such thoughts, sometimes for way too long. But if sailing was always smooth and a success status quo could be arrived at, each trip boring, each destination de-valued, there'd be a lot fewer great stories. Ultimately, the living of your own great adventure story is its own achieveMent, success and reward. Enjoy every triumph as you should.

An Adventure Story


An Adventure Story


An Adventure Story