The Grandkids Blog

A Favorite Saying by Lou Holtz

2010-06-10T11:32:00.000-05:00

Mind Map for How to Take Effective Notes

2010-04-02T13:13:00.002-05:00

Here is a mind map using XMind that gives instructions for taking notes - something good to know.

2009-11-14T11:12:00.003-06:00

"Daily Motivation" is a feature in my sidebar on Garry's Blog. It has really good

Image by jesuscm via Flickr

sayings and this was the one for today:

Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer the goal.

Elbert Hubbard
(June 19, 1856 – May 7, 1915)
American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher.

Kids News

2009-08-31T11:09:00.008-05:00

Kids News is a section on this blog in the sidebar to the right. It has regularly updated stuff for kids and things pertinent to parenting. Over 10 RSS feeds are reviewed to pick these best articles.

Spring is Here

2009-03-17T13:20:00.004-05:00

I love the seasons, but I've become more aware since I hung the blue birdfeeder a couple of years ago. The pesky squirrel, the woodpecker, the doves, the rain - all, technically, data visualizations in a digital world telling a story.

Got a Question?

2009-01-16T15:07:00.000-06:00

Here are four free Q&A sites:

Yahoo Answers
Largest Q&A site. Has point system and excellent features.

Live QnA
Microsoft's Q&A site.

Askville
Easy and friendly site. Uses a star rating system.

Answers.com
Has features for improving, discussing and watching specific questions

Others worth trying

Ask.com
Almost as large as Yahoo.Answers. Somewhat different from regular Q&A sites, but very powerful.

Disability from A to Z

2008-10-18T13:25:00.003-05:00

Image via WikipediaBesides Vicki's blog, Down the MS Path, she is a regular poster on Disaboom.com. In one of her Disaboom posts, Vicki ran through the alphabet with words about disability but with a positive approach.

Read Disability from A to Z

I think we can all appreciate and understand better the strength obtained by maintaining a positive attitude.

How are you doing?

2008-07-13T11:38:00.006-05:00

Image by amyliagrace via FlickrAre you taller than average? How's your weight compared to others your age?

Your Body Mass Index (BMI) will tell you if your weight is appropriate for your heigth.

Check your BMI at the BMI Counter, thanks to About.com on their Pediatrics page. It has a setting for Adults also.

Where kids get ideas for books to read for fun

2008-06-16T17:31:00.005-05:00

Where do kids get ideas for books to read for fun?

Swivel has the answer in the form of a visualization. It shows that (1) mom does a great job and (2) grandparents can do more to further the cause of kids' bookreading.

Success and Discipline

2008-06-06T11:21:00.005-05:00

Something in human nature causes us to start slacking off at our moment of greatest accomplishment. As you become successful, you will need a great deal of self-discipline not to lose your sense of balance, humility, and commitment.

Ross Perot (1930 - ), American businessman and philanthropist from Texas

technorati tags: ross perot, american, businessman, texas, grandkidsblog, grjenkin, success, discipline, kids

Your Identity is Showing

2008-05-11T10:32:00.002-05:00

An IP (Internet Protocol) Address is a unique numerical address assigned to your computer and every other computer on the Internet. It's like your street address but for the World Wide Web.

You should know that your IP address is automatically shown to every website you visit, including this one. Even if you just view an image from a website, your IP is broadcast to that site. It shouldn't be a problem for you, but if it is, then you need inexpensive anonymous Internet browsing software.

Sign by Danasoft - Myspace Layouts and Signs

Tips For Life from the Dumb Little Man

2008-05-10T12:49:00.002-05:00

A very valuable resource, the Dumb Little Man blog has a bagload of helpful hints for life.

Blog It, SuprGlue or RSS Feeds?

2008-04-26T12:15:00.001-05:00

I'm testing this BLOG IT application on Facebook.

When I blog using BLOG IT, it automatically posts to six of my other blogs plus my Facebook minifeed and Twitter.

This is like a reversed SuprGlue, in which I post to any of six sites and they all show up on Garry's Blog via SuprGlue.

I think my RSS feeds might accomplish the same as either of the above, but I'm giving it a try.

technorati tags: blogit, suprglue, aggregate, rss, garrysblog, grjenkin, facebook

Typing is Important in This Computer Age

2008-04-13T15:29:00.002-05:00

Speedtest on 10-fast-fingers.com is an online application that tests your typing speed. It uses the most-used english words so it's especially helpful (to english speakers). Take the Speedtest. As you can see, after a few tries I made it up to 60 wpm.

60 words

Music for Kids

2008-04-10T12:52:00.006-05:00

The playlist, Baby Einstein - Playtime Music Box, by Greatest-Hits Albums is really cute.

Not just for babies, we hear the best of youngster's favorites.

Quintura for Kids

2008-03-26T10:10:00.005-05:00

To the right are search results using a tag cloud by Quintura for Kids, an innovative search engine.

Rather than entering a number of search terms, Quintura uses a tag cloud to help you refine your search with related terms.

This is a test. I developed the search string being used. Sometimes I get great results, sometimes it's confusing. Let me hear what you think.

10 Ways to Control Your Cravings

2008-03-17T09:43:00.004-05:00

Good News!

It’s not that hard to break a craving – 10 Ways makes it a piece of cake.

10 Ways to Control Your Cravings gives you tricks-of-the-trade by the experts, thanks to Paula Dranov's article in Readers Digest.

Rules of Life for Kids and Everyone

2008-02-15T13:20:00.011-06:00

Using Yahoo Answers, I asked for a good Rule of Life, but maybe something different than the Golden Rule (Treat others as you want to be treated). I received many good ideas, and you can see my Question and Answers here.

A few of the best Rules of Life I collected -

Respect yourself and others
Don't lie, steal or cheat
Don’t believe all you hear, don't spend all you have, don't sleep all you want
Learn to say no to yourself
Learn a deep breathing exercise
Think of things you’re grateful for
You're only as good as your word
Winners never quit and quitters never win

On behalf of my grandkids, thanks to Yahoo Answers for contributing some important lessons of life.

What do you want to be? Top Jobs and Salaries

2008-01-15T10:44:00.002-06:00

Hey, Kids. Do you know what career you want?

Here's a chart showing what different jobs paid in 2005. Click to Interact below.

And...to help plan your future, do a little research on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Web Site for Kids.

Instant Learning for Kids

2008-01-12T11:47:00.000-06:00

These two posts give us Roice Krueger's 5 easy-to-learn steps to instant learning.

Instant Learning of Conceptual Knowledge - Steps 1 and 2
Instant Learning of Conceptual Knowledge - Steps 3 to 5

This article is very valuable. I wish I had known this in my youth.

Another Comic Generator

2008-01-10T13:25:00.000-06:00

Breaking Grampa's Rules

2008-01-10T13:08:00.001-06:00

Better yet, get funny by clicking on the image and trying out your own comic with Custom Sign Generator as well as many other amazing Image Generators.

Important Birthday Reminders

2007-12-31T11:05:00.000-06:00

Best Parenting Blogs by Two Voting Systems

2007-12-30T08:43:00.001-06:00

Best of Blogs

2006

Winner: I Think This World is Perfect
1st Runner-up: Motherhood is Not For Wimps
2nd Runner-up: Mental Tesserae

Bloggers Choice Awards

2007

What Do Kids See?

2007-10-07T14:06:00.000-05:00

Vicki has a new blog called Vicki's MS Path. It concerns health and healthcare matters and especially multiple sclerosis and disabilities.

A recent post by Vicki called What Do Kids See? is about kids' reactions to those with disabilities.

The blog is accessed through Disaboom.com's, a healthcare and disability web site.

technorati tags: vickismspath, vicki, grjenkin, garrysblog, disaboom, health, healthcare, disabilities, multiplesclerosis, ms

Exploring Career Information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

2007-09-22T10:42:00.000-05:00

For kids to plan their future, they should do a little research on the Bureau of Labor Statistics web site for kids.

Thinking about being a teacher? Check out the BLS's Back to School page.

technorati tags: labor, bls, kids, employment, occupation, garrysblog, grandkidsblog

A Favorite Quotation - Self-respect and Discipline

2007-08-30T13:53:00.000-05:00

Self-respect is the root of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself.

Abraham J. Hesche

A Favorite Quotation - Science and Learning

2007-08-26T13:56:00.000-05:00

The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" but "That's funny..."

Isaac Asimov (1920-1992)

technorati tags: quote, quotation, saying, learning, science, asimove, garrysgrandkids

Age Accomplished Generator For Motivation

2007-08-05T11:56:00.000-05:00

GenFun's Age Accomplished Generator is like an automated motivator.

Just type any age and see what others have accomplished at the same age. You can send in your own personal accomplishments also.

It's amazing what we can do despite our age or disability or situation. Examples...

At age 11, Pilot Victoria Van Meter became the youngest girl ever to fly across the United States.
Kathe Smith of south Georgia is raising her two-year-old grandson, taking care of house, yard, swimming pool, five dogs and three cats, walking two miles a day pushing said grandson in a stroller, and doing yoga with cats and grandson crawling all over her, despite having nerve damage on the left side of her body and being 'disabled' for twelve years.
Three-time Olympic gold medal-winning runner Wilma Rudolph was unable to walk until she was eight.

Thanks to GenFun for such a helpful tool.

technorati tags: grjenkin, grandkidsblog, generator, age, accomplishments, grandkids

Internet Search Tools

2007-07-03T00:04:00.000-05:00

The following four search engines are useful additions for anyone searching on the Internet.

Ujiko
Determine and save your personal preferences with Ujiko for intelligent searches. Helps to develop effective key words.

Kartoo
Mind mapped search engine including a 3rd dimension for relationships.

Quintura
A mind mapped search engine. Similar to Kartoo but different also. Like Ujiko, Quintura helps to develop effective key words.

TouchGraph
Search Google using this unique mind map search engine

technorati tags: garrysblog, grandkidsblog, ujiko, kartoo, quintura, toughgraph, searchengine, search, visual, visualization, mindmap

Cool Math at Coolmath.com

2007-06-26T09:45:00.000-05:00

Cool math at Coolmath.com has been around for over 10 years. It has so many interesting things - all related to math - it's hard to believe.

You might start with their navigation page just to see how much is waiting for you. Coolmath.com is totally cool!

technorati tags: garrysgrandkids, coolmath, math, mathematics

Being a Character Advocate for Kids

2007-06-23T10:23:00.001-05:00

A recent article in Russell Williams' column of the Albuquerque Tribune was about being a character advocate with kids. I added it as one of the posts in my side bar, Latest and Greatest, because it has golden information for kids and others about ethics and character.

Thanks also to the Character Counts Coalition.

technorati tags: garrysblog, russellwilliams, albuquerquetribune, character, integrity, honor, kids, garrysgrandkids

What is Your Favorite Cookie?

2007-06-02T15:27:00.000-05:00

Gifted Children Information Blog - Gifted Kids Need to Take Risks

2007-06-01T10:05:00.000-05:00

Carol Fertig has an interesting and important concept for gifted kids and grandkids.

Gifted Children Information Blog - Gifted Kids Need to Take Risks

technorati tags: garrysblog, grandkidsblog, kids, children, gifted, risktaking

Little Miss Manners by Karissa

2007-05-31T17:19:00.000-05:00

A few years ago, when my grandaughter, Karissa, was seven, she agreed to play Little Miss Manners in her video, Excuse Me.

technorati tags: garrysblog, grandkidsblog, video, excuseme

Texas Wildflowers in Dallas

2007-04-14T09:49:00.000-05:00

Chris, my son, took this great photo of Michael, Jessica and Philippe.

The bluebonnets are blooming in Dallas near DFW Airport at 635 and Royal.

technorati tags: garrysblog, photography, dallas, dfw, wildflowers, bluebonnets

Hugs for all

2007-03-31T09:34:00.000-05:00

Shared
by Taylor

Search Engine for Kids

2007-03-10T13:43:00.000-06:00

Quintura for Kids is a very cool and unique search engine by Quintura. Try it out.

technorati tags: garrysblog, garrysgrandkids, quintura, kids, search, searchengine

Visualization and Running

2007-02-20T09:42:00.000-06:00

Visualization is an important part of being young. Admit it. Kids like bright blinking lights. It also means they can learn to understand visually.

For example, here is the the word Running from Visual Thesarus. I've never seen a better way to understand a word than this visual mind map.

And then there's my visual of Student Debt. I used IBM's ManyEyes which is free to subscribers.

See how the cost of being a doctor or lawyer will put you at $100,000 in debt. That is information you can act on. Information you can plan for.

Just be careful and openminded with any visual information and how you understand it.

technorati tags: ibm, manyeyes, visualization, information, understanding, learning, education, garrysblog, grjenkin, grandkidsblog, grandkids, visual, knowledge, knowledge_management

The KYVL for Kids Research Portal

2007-02-04T11:20:00.000-06:00

I was making notes about how I can help my grandkids understand the art of research when I came across The KYVL for Kids Research Portal.

I was the research guru for an IT company for a number of years. I quickly learned the importance of such things as understanding, focus, preparation, deadlines, expectations and presentation.

KYVL's Research Portal for Kids goes far to cover the research process. It's very creative and well done. It puts research into a language for kids, and It uses an interactive flow chart to help map the adventure of research.

It won the 2002-2003 Golden Web Award. Well done!

technorati tags: garrysblog, garrysgrandkids, research, visualization, process, flowchart, kids, kyvl, portal, grandkids

Who's a First Place Prize Winner?

2007-01-26T15:44:00.000-06:00

Shelby's a member of the 4-H Club. She took First Place for Best of Breed with her white New Zealand Rabbits.

The other winners were all high school students. Shelby is in the 4th grade.

We're very proud of her.

(That's one lucky bunny she's holding.)

technorati tags: garrysblog, garrysgrandkids, grandkidsblog, shelby, bunny, rabbit, newzealand

Virtual Businesses for Kids

2007-01-07T11:54:00.000-06:00

These three online games are free. Each gives the player a good hint at what it's like running a sales or service business:

Mansion Impossible
Buy and sell real estate. Reinvest any profits until you can purchase the mansion. Introduces investing, timing, risk and financial issues.

Restaurant Waitress
Work the tables while keeping the customers happy. Introduces responsibilities for waiting on tables and the importance of customer service and efficiency.

Lemonade Stand
Sell lemonade rain or shine while managing inventory and keeping the customers happy. Introduces sales, inventory, risk, financial, customer service and planning.

technorati tags: entrepreneur, waitress, lemonadestand, mansionimpossible, realestate, games, kids, grandkidsblog, garrysblog

9 Things to Ask a Grandparent

2006-12-12T08:26:00.000-06:00

Very Best Kids had a cute article about questions kids can ask a grandparent.

It's not that my grandkids don't ask questions - in fact, I'm impressed by the questions they ask. Anyway, here are a few more grandkids can ask.

technorati tags: garrysblog, grandkidsblog, grandkids, questions, verybestkids

Visual Thesaurus

2006-11-29T12:57:00.000-06:00

A thesaurus can really help with any writing you have to do. A thesaurus is a book of synonyms (words with similar meanings) and often includes related and contrasting words and antonyms (words with opposite meanings).

If you try the Thinkmap's VisualThesaurus.com, you'll easily see how valuable a thesaurus can be.

technorati tags: thesaurus, visualthesaurus, tool, writing, garrysblog, mindmap, visual, visualization

Anyone 9 Years Old?

2006-11-26T16:19:00.000-06:00

Nine years old and nothing to do? Remember . . .

Mozart wrote his first symphony at the age of nine.
Peter Jennings hosted his first television show at age 9.
PJ Spillman, at age 9 was the youngest gymnast ever to qualify to the U.S. National Championship.
Beyonce Knowles, at age 9 in 1990, formed the group Destiny's Child which went on to sell 33 million albums worldwide by 2002.

technorati tags: grandkidsblog, garrysblog birthday

Fatherly Advice About What's Important

2006-10-19T11:47:00.000-05:00

I have some of my photos in Flickr, and someone marked one of my photos as their favorite.

Actually it was one of my cartoons and not a photo, but still this person obviously has good taste. So I went to see what else this person likes.

He only had three favorites. One was mine, one was a confusing technical chart and one was the above image with the following quote:

Remember then that there is only one important time, and that time is now. The most important one is always the one you are with. And the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side. For these, my dear boy, are the answers to what is most important in this world.

I don't know who actually gave this fatherly advice, but it sounds very good to me - good enough to remember.

technorati tags: advice, photography, importance, grandkidsblog, garrysblog

Succeed by Reducing Errors

2006-10-16T15:32:00.000-05:00

Carpenter's Rule:
Check twice, cut once.

Reduce mistakes by rechecking your work. When you make an occasional mistake, think about how can you prevent it from happening again.

And don't forget to pay attention to your successes. How can you do as well or even better next time?

technorati tags: success, grandkidsblog

Grampa's Three Tips

2006-08-27T15:29:00.000-05:00

Be Grateful
Think of three things to be grateful for each day.

Add to the Team's Effort
When you're in a group, add to it more than expected. Look around and see what needs to be done. Do your share, and then looks for others that may need help.

Respect, Courtesy and Discipline
Learn the meaning and importance of respect, courtesy and discipline and develop habits to practice these traits.

technorati tags: grampagarrysblog, grandkidsblog, tips, grampa, grandkids

Remember a Phone Number

2006-08-24T14:21:00.000-05:00

If you have to remember an important phone number, maybe PhoneSpell.org can help.

Type in 3 to 8 digits and if anything is spelled, PhoneSpell will let you know.

My mobile phone number is 972 - justdoit

technorati tags: remember, phone, phonenumber, number, phonespell, grampagarrysblog

GoodExperience Games

2006-08-22T13:36:00.000-05:00

Some good games, thanks to GoodExperience.com a marketing company that cares about the customer's experience.

technorati tags: games, customers, experience, grampagarrysblog, goodexperience

An interesting take on stereotypes

2006-08-22T11:42:00.000-05:00

A stereotype is a belief held about a group of people. Usually the belief is wrong and so not a good thing.

An interesting take on stereotypes: "Stereotypes Eric Myer uses some creative photography to highlight the idea that maybe people aren't so different after all."

technorati tags: stereotype, faces, photography, grampagarrysblog

How to Take a Test

2006-08-14T10:17:00.000-05:00

With school starting, I'm determined to provide my grandkids with some serious tips on How to Take a Test.

I searched the Internet for quite awhile before coming up with this entry from a Student Handbook, Test Taking Strategies. Tips are given to develop test taking skills - before the test, during the test and after the test. They also have a Test Taking Checklist to see how your doing.

These strategies were written over 10 years ago but are still excellent. Thanks to the University of Minnesota in Duluth.

technorati tags: test, taking, strategies, checklist, UMD, grandkidsblog

What does lovestruck look like?

2006-08-07T13:46:00.000-05:00

Thanks, Karissa and Vicki.

technorati tags: grampasblog, photos, humor, faces

What does hopeful look like?

2006-08-07T13:31:00.000-05:00

Thanks, Karissa and Garry.

technorati tags: grampasblog, photos, humor, faces

What does disgusted look like?

2006-08-07T13:09:00.000-05:00

Thanks, Karissa.

technorati tags: grampasblog, photos, humor, faces

A Mighty Fine Short Story

2006-07-15T13:44:00.000-05:00

A Mighty Fine Short Story
by
Karissa (7 years old)
December 2004

on yesterday i road my bike for 30 minits.

on Tusday i fed the dog water and ham.

when i told the dog to sit the dog sat. when i told the dog to run after me it ran after me.

im glad to whach the dog because it was a good dog. the oner was very very happy. she said thank you for wachen my dog.

The end

technorati tags: grampa, grampasblog, writing, kids, story

Putting Things in Perspective

2006-06-28T09:21:00.000-05:00

Comparing the sun to our planets - thanks to Rense

technorati tags: solarsystem, planets, kids

Need Help with Math?

2006-06-15T17:24:00.000-05:00

If anyone isn't comfortable with math, now's the time to get caught up and maybe even get a head start. There's usually plenty of time during summer vacation.

Here are two links that should help out:

A+ Math
Includes both Java Flash Cards and non-Java Flash Cards - each offering nice features

Math Magician

A great flash card tool with timing and printable awards.

Introduction to Musical Instruments

2006-02-28T15:55:00.000-06:00

Here are two sites offering a great introduction to musical instruments for kids:

Check out the Dallas Symphony Orchestra - Kids site with a clever Music Room. Click on the piano's music sheets to listen to various musical instruments.

PBS has PBS: Instruments of the Orchestra with a fun matching game. Click on the "Listen" button, listen to the instrument being played, and then select which instrument below is the one you heard.

My First Job - a Newsboy

2006-02-27T11:18:00.000-06:00

I was 12 years old 50 years ago. That was when I got my first job. It was a newspaper route with the Buffalo News, then called the Buffalo Evening News. I had it for three years.

Just imagine - a kid delivering newspapers on a bicycle through 3 Buffalo winters, not to mention the rain, shine, sleet and hail throughout the other seasons. And besides that, I had a huge route with over 230 customers.

Did it make a man of me? Well, it taught me courtesy, discipline and respect. It also taught me about responsibility and maybe even a little about money management. Not bad for a first job.

Over the years that followed, I often relied on the lessons I learned as a newsboy. I like to think I was industrious, hardworking and honest. I also had learned to be sensitive to customers. And, I tried to always be polite and remember to say, "Thank you."

Thank you, Buffalo News, for your contribution to my upbringing.

Request for feedback and comments

2006-02-23T11:02:00.000-06:00

As The Grandkids Blog progresses, I would love to hear from you. Post a comment to just say "Hi" or to tell me what you think. Have an idea or a question? Let me know.

technorati tags: blog, grandkidsblog

First Post on The Grandkids Blog

2006-02-23T10:50:00.000-06:00

The Grandkids Blog is dedicated to my wonderful grandkids and to grandkids everywhere.