Humpty Dumpty History

Humpty Dumpty was a powerful cannon during the English Civil War (1642-49). It was mounted on top of the St. Mary’s at the Wall Church in Colchester defending the city against siege in the summer of 1648. (Although Colchester was a Parliamentarian stronghold, it was captured by the Royalists who held it for 11 weeks.) The church tower was hit by the enemy and the top of the tower was blown off, sending “Humpty” tumbling to the ground. Naturally the King’s men* tried to mend him but in vain.
* The “men” would have been infantry, and “horses” the cavalry troops.
- From the East Anglia Tourist Board in England

Nursery Rhymes are used to teach very small children and babies how to talk and read.  Humpty Dumpty is a favorite poem but there are so many more!  Check out our special page dedicated to nursery rhymes and if you have speakers, turn them on, to hear the song!

*Keeping the TV /music turned low so that you can hear a cry or call from the child when he/she is sleeping.
*Keeping windows and outside doors locked and do not open them to see who is there.
*Be careful not to offer information over the phone. Do not tell anyone that you are alone.
*Put things away and out of reach of children when preparing food.
*Always know where the emergency exits are located.
*Look for potential hazards in the home such as open stairways, uncovered electrical outlets or sharp objects that are within reach.
*Keep gates across stairways to prevent falls from occurring.
*Keep children from playing near glass doors and windows.
*Put up pesticides, paint,medicines and plants so that they are out of reach of young children. Many of these items can be quite dangerous for young children. If there is an emergency, call 911 ( For US citizens).

One day, your child will need to earn a living.  Kids can get an edge on the work world by starting early and in doing so they will gain valuable experience working with different people, learning about managing money, have some money to spend once they get older, or save for college.

A lemonade stand, mowing lawns, baby sitting, and doing odd jobs are popular ways that kids can earn money while learning some important life skills.

But first ask yourself, is your child ready to work?  Do they have the time, and it won’t interfere with their school work?  If they are ready, then here are some ideas for kids to make money.

JOBS FOR KIDS

BABY SITTER

If you child likes younger kids, then a baby sitter is a popular choice.  Parents often need a good and reliable baby sitter to watch their kids.  This position can be even expanded into a baby sitting service, by joining together a group of people who can offer baby sitting services to all the parents in the neighborhood.

PARENTS HELPER

A parents helper is similar to a baby sitter.  However, if your child is too young to baby sit on their own, then a job helping parents is a good opportunity.  They can help watch someone’s kids, assist with the feeding, playing, or doing chores around the house.  Later, once your child is older, they would likely have gained some references for regular baby sitting work.

HOUSE CLEANING

Instead of a parents helper, your child could simply do house cleaning.  There are many chores that would be suitable such as vacuuming, dusting, etc.

LEMONADE STAND

Everyone is familiar with the old fashioned lemonade stand.  Of course, this is a seasonal business, depending on your location.  During other times of the year, it could be a warm apple cider business — but be careful if your child needs to handle hot items.  Also try selling coffee, donuts, snack bags, or other food items.  If possible, set up a booth at a local community fair, or sale if allowed.

In addition to food, there is the possibility of selling other types of items.  Is your child good at crafts?   Then have them make their own artwork to sell.  Sometimes, a combination of food and items makes a good business.

CAR WASHING

Car washing is a needed service in many communities.  Have your child get together with a few friends to offer to wash local cars.  As an addition to this business, they can sell items mentioned in the lemonade stand section above while people wait for their car to be washed.  See what other professional car washes charge in your area, and price the services competitively.

ANIMAL CARETAKER

If you child enjoys animals, then try an animal caretaker business.  This might involve walking dogs, dog washing, or general grooming.

HOUSE AND PET SITTING

If a neighbor is taking a trip or vacation, then taking care of their house and/or pets may be an opportunity.  This may include watering plants, and any other chores they may need.

LANDSCAPING

Cutting grass, weeding, trimming, planting flowers, and other landscaping jobs are abundant.  Scan the neighborhood for homes that need landscaping services.  In the spring, offer to plant flowers, or do winter clean-up.

SNOW REMOVAL

In the winter time, many people need to have their driveways or sidewalks shoveled.  This job works best when a group of kids can work together shoveling several houses.  Create a business, and make arrangements to shovel peoples houses before the snow storm.

ADDITIONAL IDEAS

- Ask what kids can do in their own home, such as writing little stories that they can sell to their family and friends.

- Kids can create their own jewelry to sell, or decorate interesting rocks.

- Raking leaves.

TIPS FOR RUNNING THE BUSINESS

For many of these jobs, have your child print and hand out flyers to be distributed in the neighborhood.  As the business grows, references or work previously done could be quoted.

Giving out free samples is always a good way to attract business.  For services, offer coupons for new potential customers.

SAFETY AND OTHER POINTS

Most important for any of these jobs, is making sure your child is safe, so make sure they are old enough to follow important safety guidelines including: 

Make sure you always know where they are.

Avoid going door to door by themselves.

Recommend that they do jobs that they like to do.  Be sure they are mentally prepared and committed to do the work they need to do and promise to do.

If there is a cost in setting up the business, make sure they have enough money and know where the money is going to come from.

All these jobs should not interfere with normal school work or completing homework for school.

Help them set fair prices for the work they are doing.

Tell them to come to you for advice if they need it.

So today, we are updating the site with an article that speaks about teacher’s pets.

PBS led the field vying for Daytime Emmy Awards in children’s programming with 18 nominations, while Discovery Kids received 15.

The nominations were announced Wednesday during the Kidscreen Summit at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers.

PBS and Discovery Kids were the only media to receive double-digit nominations. Nickelodeon was in third place with three nominations, followed by two for Discovery Channel and one each for Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, Fox, Lifetime, NBC, WarnerBros.com and Kids’ WB!

Nominated for outstanding children’s series are “Assignment Discovery” (Discovery), “Endurance: High Sierras” (Discovery Kids), “Reading Rainbow” (PBS) and “Strange Days at Blake Holsey High” (Discovery Kids). Competing for the preschool children’s series award are “Hi-5″ (Discovery Kids), “Hip Hop Harry” (Discovery Kids), “It’s a Big Big World” (PBS), “Paz” (Discovery Kids)” and “Sesame Street” (PBS).

“Sesame Street” and “Reading Rainbow” are the only shows nominated for outstanding writing. Discovery Kids has a lock on the category of children/youth/family special with the only three nominations for “A Year on Earth,” “The Great Polar Bear Adventure” and “Saving a Species: The Great Penguin Rescue.”

Five programs received nominations for outstanding children’s animated program: “Arthur” and “Curious George” (both PBS), “Peep and the Big Wide World” (Discovery Kids), “Time Warp Trio” (NBC) and “Toddworld” (Discovery Kids). Three Discovery Kids shows — “Bigfoot Presents: Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks,” “Growing Up Creepie” and “Tutenstein” — joined Kids’ WB!’s “The Batman” vying for the outstanding special-class animated program.

“Sesame Street” legend Caroll Spinney, who received a lifetime achievement award at last year’s Daytime Emmys, was nominated as outstanding performer in a children’s series for Oscar the Grouch. Also nominated was Kevin Clash as Elmo on “Sesame Street” and “Reading Rainbow” host Levar Burton.

Three performers received noms for acting in a children/youth/family special: Kero O’Bryon in Discovery’s “Christmas and the Civil War,” Eion Bailey in Lifetime’s “Life of the Party” and Elijah Woods for hosting Discovery Kids’ “Saving a Species: The Great Penguin Rescue.”

For the first time, there were nominations for outstanding achievement for children’s programming via broadband or portable delivery. The nominees for that award are PBS’ “Cyberchase,” Cartoon Network’s “The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy” and WarnerBros.com’s “Scooby-Doo: Haunts for the Holidays.”

The Children’s Emmys will be handed out June 15 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

 MIAMI (AFP) – A couple of eight-year-old twin boys have found a 2.50 carat raw diamond that could be worth thousands of dollars, according to the director of a state park in the southern US state of Arkansas.

“They thought it was a piece of mica. When they learned it was a diamond, there were many ‘woo hoos’ and high-fives exchanged,” said Rachel Engrecht of the Crater of Diamonds State park.

She said the children found the 2.50 carat diamond during the weekend in the park, where visitors are encouraged to prospect for the precious stones.

Another park official, Bill Henderson told AFP on Monday the gem could be worth several thousands of dollars.

He said the stone, named the “Duncan twins” after its young boys who found it, has a sparkling metallic look and is “almost heart shaped.”