Clever Copper Copper is a micro-nutrient vital for all forms of plant and animal life, required in agriculture to ensure soil fertility. In us humans it helps maintain a healthy heart, liver, bones and brain. We can find it in milk, nuts, seeds, chickpeas, oysters and .... chocolate! Yippee!! (Source: copperinfo.com) Awe-dio Us! Children and conscious living – do they go together? Your thoughts on conscious childcare on an mp3 and uploaded to www.traydio.com will be welcome. The most inspiring may be included in our next Air to Share. Ode-io! Kids - what are you like? Got a one line answer? Email it to me and I'll pass it on to our wickedly humorous poet in residence Matt Harvey, who'll sculpt a unique reader poem for us. To read some examples click along to www.wondermentalist.com Let's face it, till such time that baby obliges you by getting toilet trained, she is going to spend most of her time wetting the bed and soiling that carpet...while disposable diapers are the scourge of the environmentally conscious, the fact is that their convenience is undeniable... See.. They say that if you're fussy about your food, odds are, so will your baby. For tips and tricks on feeding fussy eaters, See... Let our children remain children for as long as possible...one fun way of doing so is ensuring they go out to play everyday. They get much more than their dose of Vitamin D, they learn how to play with their peers, develop their social skills and more See.. Many believe that bullying or being bullied is an intrinsic part of growing up. But such behaviour has far-reaching negative effects, both on the victim and on the perpetrator. Read more here ... See.. If children in secure families can be susceptible to bullying, imagine the plight of those who live on the street, unsupervised and uncared for. It is estimated that the children living on the streets of Delhi have all been abused, one way or the other, regardless of their age. For more See.. We Want Your Inner Child! Our CopperStrings community is developing beyond its babyhood – join, meet, express, play and create with us. Who said 'Life is a daring adventure - or nothing?' See what we're all about, and meet Harun, Hans, Terrance and Sheba, click here . Keeping Kids Safe Online Share your thoughts, anxieties and solutions in our new Group dedicated to this subject, click here . J.K. Rowling - a Failure? Well, she was. In her eyes. If you have ever worried that your children (or you for that matter) may experience failure and believe that's too terrible a prospect, listen in to JK Rowling's phenomenal talk. What are you doing now? Is it what you always wanted to do? Have you conformed through fear of failure? What concerns are you passing on to your children? This is food for the soul! Click here Of Birds, Bees and Yoda Our children may be less likely than our generation to live in harmony with nature, seeing as most of them can identify the Jedi Grand Master Yoda, but only half of them can recognise an oak tree! According to a poll taken by the UK's National Trust recently only 29% of children can recognise a magpie and 50% are unable to differentiate between a bee and wasp. (Source: planetark.com) Be Amazing - Be Very Amazing... Harun Rabbani is a dedicated 'Amazing Dad'; full of passion to help other Dads raise themselves out of any self-imposed exile (whether that's physically or emotionally) and into full communication with their children. Not only can you benefit from his enthusiastic tips here but you can participate in his next endeavour. He's on the lookout for Amazing Dad stories. If you know an Amazing Dad, or if you are one and have a story to share please contact Harun at children@touchingbillionsoflives.com Works of Art 'It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child'. I found this Picasso quote on ArtKids, a site developed By Hans Anneveld, which for some reason I only visited for the first time this morning. It is wonderful. To see the transformation from childs painting to work of art, follow the link below. Buy them, gift them, and get your own childrens work immortalised in oils. Let them know they're amazing. (Source: artkids.nu )   Riches for Kids This is a new site, under development by Australian based CopperStrings member Terrance Fullerton. I've heard many people discuss setting up a University like space through which to share financial wisdom with our youngsters. So far, this is the first one I've come across which is getting close to launch. Reading Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki is an inspiration and if Terrance's site can help offer such a healthy wealth perspective I'm all for supporting it. Terrance is very keen to find further collaborators, so please email him on fpcompt@ozemail.com.au . Let us know what you think? (Source: richesforkids.com).   Happy Birthday to the Queen of Caricature! Sheba Cassini, my sister, CopperStrings member and caricaturist extraordinaire is forty something today! So please email her a Happy Birthday wish and commission your own quirky, caricature avatar for your network profile. She's exaggerated the features of some of the most well-known figures from Diana Ross to our ex-Prime Minister, so why not let her loose on yours? You can reach here tight.briefs@hotmail.com   Happiness Bug 'When you're spending time with children, as well as watching out for their safety, just take a moment to notice how they react and play. Their sense of adventure and curiosity is amazing. The reality is that they have a great deal to teach us and remind us about. Make your life an adventure too!' For more happiness insights go to www.alexandrawatson.com   Empath Man on Childhood 'They say it's never too late to have a happy childhood, but surely for most of us the priority should just be to grow up...' grumpily but sincerely, Empath Man For more words of compassion and sustenance click to www.wondermentalist.com   Demartini Insight "Supposedly in the 21st Century, most families are dysfunctional. Really? Compared to what? For an interesting group exercise, I asked each of my children to make lists of everything they liked and loathed in each other. When I examined the lists, there was a balance of positives and negatives. When I asked if they wanted to delete the sibling that they loathed there was a resounding NO of course not! Families’ fight and hold onto pain and our children develop sound life strategies from this process. It may look like our family sucks however the reality is that our heart instinctively KNOWS this divine order is perfectly in balance." For more info contact Nichola Burton at www.howgoodisthis.com.au I wanted to find an event which embodied the spirit of childhood and what better one to choose than 5 days swimming, playing and communicating with dolphins in the gorgeous Indian Ocean. more