A letter to my daughter trapped by a disaster

Tonight I wrote a letter to one of my daughters – the 3 year old – that urged her to stay happy and smiling, be strong and good for the people looking after her. I told her I loved her loads and that I would with her as soon as I could.

This letter may never be read. In fact, I hope like heck it never is. Because this is a letter to go in my daughter’s emergency box at her pre-school. Following the Christchurch earthquake, the teachers reviewed their plan for looking after the children should they have to stay at the school over night, even for a couple of days, in the event of a disaster, such as an earthquake.

Parents have been asked to provide a box (ice cream container) that includes:

• a small torch and batteries
• underwear
• toothbrush
• juice
• snack bars
• a contact numbers
• small toys/games
• a picture we have drawn together
• a family photo
• …and a letter that can be read out to the child.

I think this is a fabulous idea and shows great forethought from the teachers at the pre-school. Imagine having to look after a whole group of children who all want their mummies and daddies, to go home, to go to bed.

But it’s a fabulous idea that I hope stays in little boxes, neatly stacked in the cupboard, forever unopened (except, perhaps, for interest when she leaves the pre-school).

I cannot imagine how she would feel listening to the letter should she ever be in a situation that would necessitate it being read aloud  - but I know that I was nearly in tears writing it.

Image source: matsuyuki > ‘in writing’

43 decisions: Setting your privacy settings on Facebook

43. That’s the number of decisions you potentially have to make when you review your Facebook privacy settings.

And even if you’re a ‘digital citizen’, who fully understands the implications of your choices, it’s still hard.

Many young people find it much harder – and that’s why they need the support of parents and teachers.

This privacy chart for teens is part of a Parents’ Guide to Facebook. It steps you through each decision that you make as you set up or review your settings. And A Parents’ Guide to Facebook can be downloaded here.

And once you’ve done that, run the Scan for Privacy from reclaimPrivacy.org.

Because any platform that asks you to make at least 43 decisions about what you want to share, and what you don’t, needs to be handled with care.

Review of Reading Eggs: beware the addiction!

It was when my 3 year old earned her first ‘critter’ for her animal collection – Marshmallow Mouse for the learning about the letter ‘M’ – and begged for more time on the computer that I began to see why this tool has been so successful.

Reading Eggs is a (subscription-only, although there is a trial) Australian tool for 4-7 year olds that sets out to engage children in readings, from playing games in the online playroom to moving through phonics to phrases and sentences. Children, led by an engaging wee ant called Sam, move their self-designed avatar around a map, completing lessons on the way, earning prizes and animals.

My then 4 year old collected eggs that she can exchange for prizes, read 22 books and collected nearly 100 golden eggs before she lost interest last year. The game clearly engages children immediately – it’s bright, colourful and they can see their animal collections building with every lesson. At times, the activities seemed a little similar (perhaps that’s why she lost interest?), and the busy dashboard requires a parent to work through activities with younger children, but I am intrigued to see if the second child hangs in there.

After all, who’s next, after Marshmallow Mouse? Lesson 2 is the letter ‘S’ so her new ‘critter’ might be a Super Spider, a Singing Snake, or even a Silly Sausage;-)