GREENLAND, USA,Feb 4, 03- After 10 minutes and 10 inches, 7-year-old Catherine McCook stands up from the stylist�s chair holding a freshly cut braid in her hand and wearing a huge grin. She places the braid in a bag and will soon send it to Locks of Love to donate to children who have lost their own hair from an illness.
It all started one year ago when Catherine�s mother, Julie, read an article in the Portsmouth Herald about a child who donated her hair. She decided to tell Catherine about it.
"She always liked having long hair, and she told me she wanted to do it," said Julie.
Allowing her hair to grow for one year, Catherine had Brandi Ackerman from Appearances by Dawn braid her brown hair that flowed to her lower back. Then, Ackerman prepared Catherine for the cutting.
"Are you ready?" asked Ackerman, who gave Catherine her first haircut as a baby, and now was about to chop the braid.
Catherine just grinned at her and nodded as Ackerman began the snips, leaving her once-long hair shoulder length.
Catherine�s braid will be one of 15 that go into creating a wig for a sick child through Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under the age of 18 with medical hair loss.
On the Web site, Catherine looked at pictures of children around her age without hair. Catherine�s mother said that was the turning point for her daughter.
"She realized what an impact her hair could have on another child�s life," said Julie. "She realized that some kids are just not as blessed as her."
Catherine told her mother she was looking forward to bringing the hair into school on Monday in a plastic bag before they mailed it off. That way her friends would know why she looked so different.
"I�m glad someone can use my hair," Catherine said.
To learn more about the Locks of Love program, visit the Web site http://locksoflove.org.
Local fifth-graders headed to Peru through school exchange program
By Julie Marshall, Camera Staff Writer
Colorado, USA, February 4, 2003-Vanessa Briceno twirls with her long necklace, adorned with brown "jewels" that once were the scales of a fish swimming in the Amazon River. Brown lines in her skirt resemble the creeping vines of the jungle, she says. Her shirt is embroidered in bright magenta, orange and yellow flowers.
Vanessa, 12, is in costume for Izana, a cultural dance of her native Peru.
"It's from a flower," she says, explaining what inspired the dance. Izana is a type of flower in the Amazon rainforest, and it is the fruit of the palm tree that grows at the edges of the river.
She and nine other children from the city of Arequipa, Peru, came to Boulder two weeks ago to stay with children their age from Mesa Elementary School. The three-week visit is part of Mesa's cultural exchange program called the International School to School Experience.
In the spring, eight fifth-graders from Mesa will head to Arequipa, Peru's second-largest city next to Lima, and stay with host families.
Many schools have exchange programs, but what makes Mesa's unique is the fact that kids as young as 10 years old are traveling to a far-off land, says coordinator and teacher Sue Bolduc.
Ziggy Green, 10, is thrilled to be one of the eight Boulder County fifth-graders going to Peru.
"I want to go and eat a lot of spicy food," he says. Peru is known for its blend of Spanish and Indian cuisine.
Emily Narum, 11, does not get to go to Peru in April, but she has the pleasure of hosting one of the girls from Peru, Maria Veronica Zuniga.
"We've watched a lot of movies; we just watched 'Legally Blonde' in Spanish" Emily says. "And we've gone bowling. Maria loves bowling."
It's challenging too, Emily says, to communicate. "I don't always know what she likes or what she needs. But it's really neat to learn a whole different culture."
Emily's insight leads her to the whole purpose of the exchange program, Bolduc says.
And on Tuesday, there will be dancing again at school
By Jaana Laitinen
ICELAND, HELSINKI, 4.2.2003 [Feb 4 ] -Tuesday is not quite an ordinary day at school for Ilona Suomalainen, 12, and Sampo Sarasti, 12, from Kauniainen. Dancing is on the agenda for the entire M�ntym�ki elementary school again next Tuesday.
All students, from first to sixth graders, take turns dancing the twist, the waltz, cha-cha-cha, and even the recent hit The Ketchup Song in the school's gym.
At the M�ntym�ki school, one P.E. class each week is spent learning to dance.At the time, the students also learn how to greet each other by kissing on the cheeks.
Sarasti is not quite convinced that they need to learn how to kiss cheeks while still in elementary school. "Now in sixth grade we do not understand how we will feel about it when we are older", says Sarasti, choosing his words carefully.
"My big sister was in France as an exchange student, and over there everyone greets each other by kissing on the cheeks. Even the men", Suomalainen points out.
"It feels strange to me", Sarasti persists. "We think of it as a joke here. No one takes it seriously."
So far, the sixth graders have figured out that when kissing cheeks, you do not actually kiss. Just offer your cheek and make an appropriate sound with your mouth.
The nearness on the dance floor also helps deal with feelings, and it keeps the relationship between the girls and the boys natural.
"There is not much teasing here", Sarasti and Suomalainen agree. "Less than in other schools."
"And we're all just friends. We play football together during recess", Suomalainen describes the relationship between the girls and boys of the school. Sarasti nods.
What kids want: pork, guns and RRSPs It's never too early to learn about compound interest and shooting
MARY GORDON
USA,Feb. 4, 2003-From the Ontario Securities Commission to the FBI, organizations are putting up kid-geared information on their Web sites, even though the subject matter may not be particularly kid-like.
Pork4kids.com http://www.pork4kids.com -This site has recipes, games and stories, including the riveting tale of Peggy the Pork Chop.
CIA's Home Page for Kids http://www.cia.gov/cia/ciakids/index.html Ever heard of Harry Recon and his twin sister Aerial? They're two cartoon characters on The Central Intelligence Agency's Kids Home Page.
Investor e.ducationFund (established by the Ontario Securities Commission) http://www.investored.ca/en/youthmatters/youth_matters.htm -Launched yesterday, the site offers investors unbiased financial information from securities regulators. The site has resources for teachers, and offers some sound financial advice for that most crucial investor demographic � children aged 3 to 6.
SINGAPORE, FEB 5, 2003- PUPILS at Compassvale Primary School are being encouraged to donate their Chinese New Year hongbao money to The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.
For one week from yesterday, the pupils will be coaxed to give, as part of the school's community involvement programme.
Said principal K. Govindan, 42: 'I want the children to learn the value of helping others. Even in hard times they should try to give what they can.'
Ten-year-old Tan Yong Khai, who was touched by what he had heard, donated $6 from his $200 hongbao collection, even though this was half of what he normally receives.
Said the Primary 4 pupil whose parents own a delivery business: 'I usually save my hongbao money.
'But my donation can let other children buy the things they need.'
Non-Chinese children were just as keen to give.
Nursyafiqah Noorahmad, 11, a Primary 5 pupil, gave $2 from her savings.
'I hope the money can help needy children buy food during recess,' she said.
Her classmate, S. Thavanesan, 11, took $7 from his piggy bank for the fund.
'I don't want only myself to be comfortable, I want to help other children as well,' he said.
WHEN teachers at Victoria Park primary greet their classes, the pupils answer in 33 different languages.
This is because ONE in TEN kids at the school is the child of asylum seekers.
This week Ofsted�s chief schools inspector David Bell warned that many schools now face �an almost impossible challenge� because of the number of asylum seekers attending. Mr Davies said: �We have wonderful teachers here and the children themselves are very rewarding and, given time, can achieve excellent results.
In one class of eight and nine-year-olds who arrived in January the seven pupils each speak a different language � Pakistani, Somali, Afghan, Vietnamese, Turkish and two Czech dialects.
�Many of these children arrive with no English and some have no idea how to behave in a school.
�One little girl who arrived from Afghanistan having grown up under the Taliban had never seen a classroom before. �She would run around on top of the desks and pull the work off the walls.
�Sometimes the staff feel more like social workers.
One mother arrived with three children and a serious stomach complaint. We had to get her into hospital, feed the children and make sure they were looked after.� Year 5 teacher Vicky Knowles said: �These children often show exceptional intelligence and adaptability and teach their classmates empathy and understanding.
However, catering for such a high influx of asylum seekers has caused disruption, particularly in Year 5 as they are due to take their SAT tests next year.� -----------------------------------------------------
Musician beams with joy By Jane Larson, The Arizona Republic
USA, ARIZONA,Feb. 8, 2003-Jerry Riopelle calls it "the Jetsons' piano."
Where else but in a futuristic cartoon can you play music by breaking beams of light?
Called HumanBeams, Riopelle's invention is a mix of hardware and software that allows users to move amid laser beams and set off harmonious combinations of sounds.
One instrument was installed at Phoenix Children's Hospital last month, where therapists hope to use it to encourage movement and boost children's spirits.
Children have so far been captivated by the instrument, said Danette Pape, child life director at the hospital. Making music helps them express themselves and feel more at ease in the unfamiliar setting, she said.
You can play it right away, and you can't make anything bad happen," Riopelle said. "Any beam you break will do something palatable."
Riopelle envisions selling HumanBeams in music stores and over the Internet. He sees beam bands springing up, and users buying disks programmed - but not too programmed -- to play rock, hip-hop, jazz, classical or country sounds.
February 9, 2003 -- A 9-year-old Bronx boy was in big trouble last night, after sneaking off to a friend's house after a trip to the library and sparking a police missing-child hunt.
Third-grader Aaron Ward didn't come home from the Morrisania Public Library after it closed at 6 p.m. Friday, prompting his parents to frantically call cops - who alerted the media.
But Aaron had just gone home with a friend.
"I guess he figured he wouldn't get in trouble - but he was wrong," said Gladys Ward, 32, Aaron's mother.
The friend's parents do not speak English so they didn't initially question the boy on whether his mother had approved the stay-over, said Ward.
After the friend's parents saw Aaron's picture on TV yesterday, they had him call his mother immediately.
[Ed's note- This was not a good way to get one's fifteen minutes of fame!]"
News for Kids Editorial Team http://www.angelfire.com/realm2/newsforkids/index.html
