Our curated list of kid-related news for April 22, 2016.
- By
- Parker Barry
- 1. Sugar and spice, not so nice. Toddlers with a sweet tooth may be more inclined toward gaining excess weight in later years compared with toddlers who prefer salty snacks, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics. The results, reported Monday by CBS News, suggest “some people may be genetically predisposed to have a sweet tooth, making them more likely to gain unhealthy weight.” One of the researchers who conducted the study advises parents of kids with a natural love of sweets to monitor their kid’s intake of sugary foods and steer them toward healthier sweet options, such as fruit. (Cookies or Chips? Kids’ choices may predict weight gain, study finds)
- 2. Kids dig into presidential politics. Scholastic’s Kids Press Corps reporters have interviewed presidential candidates, gone behind the scenes at debates and are spreading the word that kids care about who will become their president, too. Scholastic’s election news website publishes information for kids to learn about the primary process as they read the most recent election news and see real-life kids working the election media scene. Check out the kid-reporter election blogs for a kid’s-eye view of the debates, primaries and the media’s influence on the elections. (Scholastic News Election 2016)
- 3. Competitive spellers, take note. Kids will need to work even harder for a spelling bee victory, according to Thursday’s Time magazine: “After two straight years of ties, the Scripps National Spelling Bee is adding more sting: The championship rounds will last longer, and the words will be harder.” Prior to the past two years, there hadn’t been a tie in more than 50 years. But the ESPN-televised event now needs to up its game. Break open that dictionary. (The National Spelling Bee Is About To Get Harder)
- 4. Go beyond “Money doesn’t grow on trees.” It’s never too early to start teaching kids about money management, no matter how little money your kid actually spends in these early years. This week, Learnvest columnist Deborah Skolnik posted tips for teaching three important money concepts to 6- to 10-year-old kids, including understanding the differences between wants from needs and recognizing ad traps. (3 Key Things Kids Age 6 to 10 Should Be Able To Do)
- 5. Play leads to professions? WIRED magazine reported this week that STEM jobs will be among the most in-demand professions in the near future, with millions of openings in the field. To get kids excited about toying with STEM concepts, WIRED published a list of top learning kits. Eric Rosenbaum, an electronics kit designer and has a Ph.D. from MIT’s Lifelong Kindergarten group told WIRED, “It’s important that we create learning experiences for kids that help to see what’s possible for them, what they can do, who they can be, and the changes that they can make to what’s around them.” (Teach your kids to hack electronics)
