7 places where you can get a free online education

http://www.mnn.com/money/personal-finance/stories/7-places-where-you-can-get-a-free-online-education?hpt=hp_bn16

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PERSONAL FINANCE

7 places where you can get a free online education

Whether you're looking to brush up on your calculus or test your brainpower against Ivy League students, you can do it for free online.

By Shea GuntherThu, Feb 23 2012 at 9:43 AM EST

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ONLINE EDUCATION: Although tuition has been increasing, a plethora of free online options has become available. (Photo: Ina Peters/iStockphoto)

Anyone who has paid tuition or sent in checks to repay a student loan knows that education is not cheap. The cost of a college education can easily reach six figures, with some graduates leaving school with a diploma and more than $200,000 in debt.

 

The costs associated with higher education are climbing even faster than inflation. When you factor in the added costs of books, meal plans and housing, it's enough to make even the most frugal savers cringe.

 

Luckily, while tuition has been rising, a plethora of free online options has become available. Some websites like the Khan Academy exist to help students round out their understanding of subjects like trigonometry and calculus while top-notch universities have begun to put courses online for free. We can't all get accepted to Harvard, but we can click over and watch every lecture from an Introduction to Computer Science course and do all the assignments and tests like real Harvard students do.

 

There has never been a better time to flex your brain with free online courses, so we scoured the Web high and low and found some of the best options for increasing your brainpower from the comfort of your computer without paying a dime in tuition. Here are some of the best options to be found. Enjoy!

 

Khan Academy

Khan Academy was started when founder Salman Khan started making videos to help his cousins with math homework. As he made more videos, he began to attract an audience outside his immediate friends and family. He has since branched out into science, history and economics and he quit his day job as a hedge fund analyst in 2006. He’s created more than 2,600 videos and attracted fans and financial backers like Bill Gates and Google's philanthropic arm.

 

If you are looking to round out your knowledge of math, science, history or economics, a visit to Khan Academy is good place to start. The website has a great feature that will track your progress and test your comprehension in any given focus, giving you points for your work, just like a video game.

 

MIT

MIT is consistently ranked as one of the top universities in the world and has produced scores of Nobel Prize winners and Rhodes Scholars, astronauts, famed architects and successful entrepreneurs. The coursework is well known for being fast-paced and challenging, and the institution prepares its graduates to face a hungry sea of tech companies clamoring for their employment post-graduation.

 

MIT is highly selective and tuition and expenses will set you back around $50,000 per year. If you don't have the grades, availability or cash to shell out for a proper MIT education, you can click over to the MIT OpenCourseWare site and dive right into whatever class you'd like. The school has put nearly all of its courses online and also makes homework and tests available for virtual students. The school spends millions of dollars every year on the effort and can be credited with spurring other colleges like Harvard and Stanford into doing the same with their coursework.

 

University of Reddit

The University of Reddit is an offshoot of the popular link-sharing website Reddit and was founded by people dedicated to the idea of setting information and education free. Classes are taken and taught by anyone and cover a variety of topics, including drawing, introduction to filmmaking, beginning computer programming with java, puppy training, how to speak Korean and Arabic, and how to play the (notoriously difficult) video game Dwarf Fortress. Since the University of Reddit is open to anyone who wants to teach a course, quality can be spotty, but it's easy to view each lesson to find the best material. The class formats make it easy to learn at your own pace.

 

Stanford

Stanford University, one of the top technology schools in the world, was founded in 1891 as a West Coast answer to Harvard. The university has deep ties in the world of technology and was an early booster of Silicon Valley. It counts as its alumni founders of companies like Google, Yahoo!, Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard. Stanford has been making many of its courses available online since 2006 and has a large presence on iTunes where you can download free lectures in subjects like business, engineering, history, math, science and education.

 

Harvard

Harvard University is perhaps the best-known top-tier school in the world and was established in 1636, making it the oldest university in the United States. It's also the richest school in the world with an endowment in the tens of billions of dollars. This wealth allows Harvard students with parents making less than $60,000 a year to pay no in tuition, and those making up to $80,000 a year pay just a few thousand dollars. That money has also allowed the university to make its online courses free to the world. Visitors to the Harvard Extension School can take eight online courses in their entirety.

 

Berkeley

The University of California, Berkeley is another top school that has invested in putting its coursework online for free. The university was founded in 1866 and is one of the top-ranked schools in the world with a widely respected standing in research and technology. The institution has been affiliated with the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and its alumni have been credited with discovering 16 elements on the Periodic Table of Elements. Berkeley's online offerings cover many of the school’s courses and are recorded as videos on YouTube.

 

Yale

Yale University is the third-oldest university in the United States and was founded in 1701. Yale is another extremely rich school with a total endowment of nearly $20 billion. Yale has churned out five U.S. presidents, 19 U.S. Supreme Court justices and countless business, political and academic leaders. And now, thanks to the school’s Open Yale Courses, many of the school’s introductory level classes are available to anyone with a Web browser. Courses are available in departments like English, astronomy, music, political science, environmental studies and more, andthey are available via video, audio or transcript.

 

Five Strategies to Prevent Your Sensitive Son from Being Bullied

http://www.education.com/reference/article/strategies-prevent-sensitive-son-bullied/

By Ted Zeff, Ph.D.

Did you know that twenty percent of the population has a sensitive nervous system and the trait is equally divided between males and females? 20% of all males are sensitive, or one out of every five boys has a finely tuned nervous system. A highly sensitive boy (HSB) can be easily overwhelmed by noise, crowds, new situations and shy away from aggressive interactions. He generally reacts more deeply and exhibits more emotional sensitivity than the non-sensitive boy.

Bullies tend to target kids who seem different from others. Since the eighty percent of non-HSBs are hardwired neurologically to behave in a different manner than the twenty percent of HSBs, many sensitive boys do not fit in with the vast majority of boys and risk being bullied. Bullies also target kids who don't fight back and who react deeply to teasing. Research shows that 85% of sensitive boys react more strongly to bullying that non-sensitive boys.

How can we prevent our sensitive boys from being bullied? Here are five strategies for bully-proofing your sensitive son:

Develop Confidence in your Son by Support from Mom, Dad and Other Adults

The unconditional love and support from parents and other adults will give your son the confidence he needs to face difficult situations. Studies have shown that boys who have positive, loving relationships with one or more adults outside of the home (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) report more positive experiences as a child than those who do not have these additional relationships. So invite your extended family and friends to share their love with your son.

Some people believe that boys need stronger discipline than girls. However, your sensitive son can learn a lesson better when he is calm and receptive, so when you are disciplining your son, it's vital to talk to him in a gentle manner. When you set limits in a calm, yet firm manner his self-esteem will remain intact.

Mothers generally spend more time with their children, so they are frequently in a position to bolster their son's confidence. However, fathers (or uncles, grandfathers, or other male role models) need to spend special, positive time with their sons. While a father needs to teach his son how to stand up for himself, he also has to understand, protect, and encourage his sensitive son. Both fathers and sons benefit when dad accepts his son's trait of sensitivity instead of trying to mold him into a non-HSB. It's important to model setting limits with others, so that HSB boys can set their own limits with other bullying children.

Make School a Safe Place for your Son

Parents should regularly discuss their son's progress with his teacher, talk to other parents, and volunteer in the classroom. If you find out that a teacher is mistreating your son, you need to immediately let the teacher and principal know that the behavior is unacceptable. If your son's teacher is not receptive to changing his or her behavior, escalate your complaint to the principal and/or district office. If your son's physical safety is in jeopardy due to bullying from students and the school authorities won't intervene, you could contact the police. However, it may be more prudent to remove your son from a potentially physically violent situation if the bullying escalates to that point.

If your son gets bullied in school, it's important to teach him effective methods to handle the situation. According to the Youth Voice Project, the best solution to stopping bullying was accessing the support of adults and peers. Less effective strategies were ignoring the bullying, telling them to stop, and walking away. Learning self-defense can give your son more confidence when confronted by bullying. You could ask the P.T.A. or the principal to arrange for a professional to come to the school to offer an anti-bullying program.

If your son's public school is not responsive, an alternative could be a progressive private school (i.e. Montessori, Waldorf), which may be conducive to your son's emotional and educational needs than a large public school. Homeschooling is also ideal for most sensitive boys since the HSB thrives in a safe, quiet, less-stimulating environment where they are free to pursue both core and creative subjects at their own pace.

Help your Son Obtain Peer Support through New Friendships

Most boys prefer to socialize in large groups, yet sensitive boys usually prefer to interact with only one friend or play by themselves. Since they shy away from aggressive, combative interactions, HSBs may have difficulties making friends with other boys.

It may be better for your son to have just one friend rather than trying to be accepted by a group of non-HSBs. However, it could be beneficial for your son to learn how to navigate through the majority non-sensitive boy culture as long as the friends involved remain respectful. Take some time to discuss friendship with your son and emphasize how important it is to be with friends who respect him. It's important for your son to create a balance between spending time alone and with friends or he may not learn successful interpersonal skills.

Help your Son Become Physically Fit

When a boy becomes involved in sports, he feels accepted by his peers, which increases his self-esteem. Most boys are involved in some team sports, but research indicates that 85% of sensitive boys did not participate in team sports and most preferred to participate in individual exercise. Since HSBs often do not perform well under group pressure and may be deeply hurt by the sometimes cruel culture of sports competition, they tend to avoid such interactions.

Regardless of athletic ability, it's important for your son to participate in physical exercise since it will help him become healthier, stronger and more confident. When an HSB has someone to teach and encourage him how to play various games, he could thrive, even in the sometimes insensitive world of male sports. However, before your son joins a team, you should talk with the coach and possibly other parents to make sure that the players are treated with respect and are not overly competitive. The key is to find athletic activities that your son authentically enjoys.

Help Your Son Develop Confidence - Body and Spirit

Research has shown that the more dissatisfied a boy is with his body, the poorer his self-esteem. A sensitive boy who reacts more deeply to teasing about his physical appearance than a non-HSB is at risk for developing low self-esteem. Though the media can be a strong influence on your son, as an adult in his life, you are the stronger influence by letting him know that his body is perfect exactly as it is. Discuss how the media is perpetuating myths about what a male body should look like.

An important aspect of a positive body image involves good health. Stress affects health and since your son may be more vulnerable to stress than the non-HSB, it's important to help him develop a healthy regimen by making sure he eats a healthy diet, takes appropriate supplements, and gets enough sleep and regular exercise.

Finally, while your son's self-esteem may be diminished by his not fitting in with non-sensitive children, he can feel worthwhile with nourishment from spiritual pursuits. Since many HSBs have a proclivity toward spirituality, you can increase his self-esteem by encouraging your son to learn meditation, prayer, spend time in nature, or read spiritual books about the great sensitive and compassionate spiritual heroes like Christ, Moses or other saints and sages.

There are millions of parents of sensitive boys trying to help their sons cope in a world that does not appreciate sensitivity in males. As you begin using the suggestions in this article you will likely start seeing a positive change in your son as he becomes a strong, confident, and happy boy.

Rainsing a sensitive child

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Raising_Sensitive_Child/

He cries at the drop of a hat—or a toy, in this case. She crumbles if you raise your voice at her, even slightly. He seems to have a bionic sense of smell. Before you write your child off as a drama queen, consider the fact that this behavior may be innate.

Research by Dr. Elaine Aron shows that a high degree of sensitivity is often a physiological reality with which some children are born. Despite what other parents may tell you, it’s not due to a deficiency in confidence or social skills, and it’s certainly not something you as parents have, or ever had, control over.

Sensitive children have different, or perhaps more exaggerated, reactions to things. They don’t act the way you’d expect a typical child should in many situations. Unfortunately, in our society, this is often seen as weakness. But according to Jeremy G. Schneider, a MFT (marriage and family therapist), it’s just the opposite. Says Schneider, “The reality is that sensitive children have a gift. They are able to experience the world at a higher level than average children.”

What earmarks a child as ‘highly sensitive’? Highly sensitive children may exhibit one or all of the following traits. Schneider explains that the key is to notice a pattern of behavior, as well as the degree to which a child exhibits one or more of the following:

• Is your child highly sensitive to his/her senses? An excellent sense of smell or hearing? Very sensitive to pain?
•  Does your child get emotionally overwhelmed easily? Does she feel a wide, yet intense range of emotions? Does she sometimes get so excited she withdraws?
• Does your child have a depth greater than his peers, or even adults? Does he ask profound questions, think a lot on his own or reflect on his experiences?
• Is your child highly aware of her surroundings? Does she notice when small household items are moved or minor changes in others, like a haircut?
• Is your child very sensitive to other people’s emotions? Does he notice when someone is feeling sad and try to help him? Does he seem especially sensitive to the feelings of animals?

Realizing your child is highly sensitive can be tough. Not tough to understand, but tough to swallow. Don’t depair! It's better that you know early on, and take steps toward helping him deal with his world going forward. Schneider offers these two tips to parents to help their children maintain their sensitivity and confidence without making them feel they are not like other kids:

• Adjust your behavior, not your child’s. Don’t try to force her to adapt to society’s demands. Love and accept your sensitive child unconditionally. You cannot change who he is. He needs to know you love him no matter how he perceives or reacts to the world.
• Become partners. Work with your child to create ways to interact with the world safely. For instance, she’ll likely have an easier time interacting with classmates 1:1 than in larger groups, so set up individual play dates so she gets comfortable with several classmates.
• Focus on strengths. Sensitivity is practically a stigma in the U.S. and it’s important not to “label” your child. Help him understand that he experiences the world more deeply than most children, and help him see the strengths associated with this. He may notice things most people don't, have a better imagination, focus or concentrate better, be a gifted student, or empathize and be sensitive to others.
• Make small changes. If you need to make changes to your child’s environment, make them little by little. She will feel less overwhelmed.
• Nudge, don’t push. Most highly sensitive children get easily distressed when they have to make a decision. They often reject opportunities out of fear.  Sometimes the best thing you can do is nudge your child to take a risk or try something new. The same goes for punishment. He’ll respond better to you gently correcting his behavior, rather than yelling at him. If your highly sensitive child knows you will be there for him and love him no matter what he is feeling, he’ll have less hesitation in new situations, and will be less self-conscious or risk-averse. If he knows you’re not going to push him to be something he’s not, you’ll both be a lot more relaxed and prepared for the road ahead.

You can help your child deal with the world and all the unexpected noise and upset it can throw out at us. Highly sensitive or not, all children need that parental security blanket every now and then.

Videos

http://www.mathsinsider.com/10-cool-and-funky-kindergarten-math-videos/

Vários vídeos educacionais:

http://www.youtube.com/user/HarryKindergarten/videos?sort=dd&view=0&page=2

Video: When you subtract with a pirate

They might be giants: números pares

They might be giants: Eu posso somar

They might be giants: Zeros

They might be giants: Seven

They Might be Giants: Eneágono

Grupo Musical que utiliza temas escolares como a matemática. Este é do Eneágono.

Frase: Benjamin Franklin

Carnegie Mellon University

http://www.cmu.edu/index.shtml

Universidade Yale - Free Classes

http://oyc.yale.edu/

Programação

http://www.codecademy.com/

Site que ensina programação.

Coursera - Universidade Virtual gratuita

https://www.coursera.org/

Udacity - Universidade Virtual Gratuita

                                                                                          

                                                                                       http://www.udacity.com/

Now Sebastian Thrun, one of the world's top robotics experts, has given up teaching at Stanford University to transform what he views as a broken college education system from the outside. Last year, Mr. Thrun, also a senior Google executive, co-founded a Palo Alto-based start-up, now called Udacity Inc., to teach large groups of people through free online courses and help them find jobs.

Enlarge Image

Annie Tritt for The Wall Street Journal

Udacity's Sebastian Thrun, left, and David Stavens, in a Google self-driving car Mr. Thrun helped develop.

The 44-year-old, who helped develop Google's self-driving car, is building on his experience in offering a free online course on artificial intelligence while teaching at Stanford last October. The class attracted 160,000 students of all ages from nearly 200 countries. Around 23,000 finished the course, taking the same tests he gave to enrolled Stanford students.

"After that I could never teach at Stanford again," Mr. Thrun says. He likens the current education model—in which professors lecture several dozen or more students at a time—to "the theater stage before film was invented."

Udacity is one of several start-ups embarking on the mission of providing high-quality free education online.

Khan Academy, a nonprofit founded in 2008 in Silicon Valley, has created more than 3,000 videos on topics ranging from basic math to biology and has several million active users, including grade-school students who use it in their classroom under the supervision of teachers. Two Stanford professors who also experimented with free courses last year have launched Coursera, which is similar to Udacity. And New York-based Codecademy Inc., which launched last year, has provided free computer-programming courses to more than one million Internet users, says co-founder Zach Sims.

Udacity's seven-week courses consist of hourlong videos created by the teachers and posted every week, with frequent pauses in which teachers ask students to answer questions and solve problems. For programming classes, for instance, Udacity's website allows students to type code and instantly be graded. Students learn at their own pace, watching the videos as many times as they want. Importantly, they get access to a heavily-trafficked online forum in which they can discuss the material with other students.

More than 130,000 signed up for Udacity's first two courses—how to build a robotic car, a follow-up to the AI intro class last year, and one on building a Web-search engine—which began in January.

This month, Udacity is launching six more courses and by June expects to have 14 in total, including those taught by tenured university professors and working professionals such as Steve Huffman, co-founder of Reddit.com, who are paid an honorarium for their time.

Westley Weimer, a computer-science professor at the University of Virginia whose Udacity course on how to build a Web browser begins next week, said he considers it "charity work to help make the world a better place." He said he flew to Udacity's office for two weeks of "grueling 9-to-5" sessions at the company's video-recording studio.

Mr. Thrun, who will remain an unpaid, nontenured research professor at Stanford, says Udacity—the name is a play on the word "audacity"—is starting with computer sciences but could expand into other areas such as physics and even premed.

Making money isn't currently a priority for Udacity, a 20-person company that raised $5 million from venture-capital firm Charles River Ventures in December. Mr. Thrun and fellow co-founder and Stanford Ph.D. David Stavens, Udacity's 29-year-old chief executive, believe recruiters and corporations world-wide eventually will pay for access to recruit from its pool of talent.

"There's this amazing block of talent we've discovered outside the normal system," Mr. Thrun says. The company also is looking into charging employers to offer continuing education to their workers, he says. "I'm sure eventually we will make money," he says.

But Jacqueline Reses, who invested more than $2 billion in education firms such as Cengage Learning while working for private-equity firm Apax Partners, says Udacity will need formal accreditation to gain legitimacy as a degree-granting school and will find it hard to sustain its free model because "it's costly to deliver and maintain fully accredited education."

Mr. Thrun says it costs Udacity less than $1 a student to produce a course. Mr. Stavens adds that Udacity isn't currently focused on obtaining accreditation, which could take many years unless it buys an already-accredited school. But Udacity expects to offer its final exams at 5,000 physical testing centers run by Pearson PLC in 165 countries, after which students will receive a certificate that "carries weight," Mr. Stavens says. A Pearson spokeswoman declined to comment.

Meanwhile, Stanford is continuing to experiment with several free, online science courses but is searching for a "sustainable model," says computer-science Prof. John C. Mitchell, who oversees the program. He implied there's a good reason why Stanford's annual tuition is $50,000 a year. "Nonprofit universities are going to need to be financially viable to do what we do best," he says.

Some students who took Mr. Thrun's AI course last year say they're already on board with Udacity, even if they are skeptical about whether employers are ready to recognize its value. "This is solid, continuing education that I can squeeze into my schedule after putting my daughter to sleep," says Jon Willeke, a software tester for a database company in the Boston area.

Aplicativos IPhone e Ipad

Math: http://www.centerofmath.org/blog/free-and-affordable-ios-apps-for-math/

Vários: http://technology.yourway.net/30-awesome-kids-apps-for-the-ipad/

Catapulta de papel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIrst5oV7Qo

Albert Einstein

Vídeos - How I see the world (PBS)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVJyaJ5TNpc&feature=player_embedded

E em Gênios da Ciência, Futura:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVJyaJ5TNpc&feature=player_embedded

E em History:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnSA27a00To

E:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xWDmYC5aFM

Exploratorium

The Exploratorium isn’t just a museum; it’s an ongoing exploration of science, art, and human perception—a vast collection of online interactives, web features, activities, programs, and events that feed your curiosity.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/

Science Sparks

Experiências para crianças

http://www.science-sparks.com/

Challenging learning experiences are shared with gifted peers around the world, through an interactive digital environment. alpha+excel provides Differentiationand Enrichment services for gifted students.

http://www.alphaexcel.com/

Science Kids

Science Kids is the home of science & technology on the Internet for children around the world.

Learn more about the amazing world of science by enjoying our fun science experiments, cool facts, online games, free activities, ideas, lesson plans, photos, quizzes, videos & science fair projects.

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/

Curso de alemão grátis

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/0,,2547,00.html

22 Alternatives to Punishment

Many parents recognize the harmful effects of physical and verbal punishment. They know that yelling, slapping, hitting, and spanking teach violence, destroy self-esteem, create anger, interfere with learning, and damage the relationship between parent and child. Knowing what not to do is only the first step. But knowing what not to do is only the first step; parents wonder what they should do instead. Unfortunately, most current parenting books and articles recommend "alternatives" which in reality are merely alternative punishments. These include time-out, denial of privileges, and so-called "logical" consequences.All of these methods have much in common with physical punishment, and all give the same messages: that the parent has no interest in the underlying unmet needs that led to the behavior, and is taking unfair advantage of his greater size and power over the child. Most significantly, these approaches tell the child that someone he has come to love and trust wishes to cause him pain. This is a "crazy-making" message, because it is so alien to the child's intuitive understanding about what love should look like. Finally, all of these approaches miss the best opportunities for learning. They sidetrack the child into fantasies of revenge, where he is too distracted to focus on the real issue at hand. True alternatives to punishment are those that help the child to learn and grow in a healthy way. There are few greater joys in life than allowing our child to teach us what love is!Here are twenty-two alternatives that give positive, loving messages: 1. Prevent unwanted behavior by meeting your child's needs when they are first expressed. With her current needs met, she is free to move on to the next stage of learning.2. Provide a safe, child-friendly environment. There is little point in having precious items within the reach of a baby or toddler, when they can simply be put away until the child is old enough to handle them carefully. 3. Apply the Golden Rule. Think about how you would like to be treated if you were to find yourself in the same circumstances as your child. Human nature is human nature, regardless of age. 4. Show empathy for your child's feelings. Even if a child's behavior seems illogical, his underlying feelings and needs are real to him. A statement like "You seem really unhappy" is a good way to show that you are on your child's side. 5. Validate your child's feelings so she knows that you understand and care, and that she will never be rejected for having any particular kinds of feelings. For example, "That scared me too when I was little." 6. Meet the underlying need that led to the behavior. If we punish the outward behavior, the still unmet need will continue to surface in other ways until it is finally met. Questions such as "Are you angry because I've been on the phone so much today? Would you like to go for a walk together?" can help a child feel loved and understood. 7. Whenever possible, find a "win-win" solution that meets everyone's needs. To learn effective conflict resolution skills, consider a course in Nonviolent CommunicationSM. 8. Reassure your child that he is loved and appreciated. So-called "bad" behavior is often the child's attempt to express his need for love and attention, in the best way that he can manage at that moment. If he could express this need in a more mature way, he would. 9. Shift the focus away from a situation that has become too stressful to resolve at that moment: "Let's take a break. What would you like to do instead?" 10. Be sure that you and your child have had nutritious food throughout the day so your blood sugar levels stay high. Frequent, small meals are best. 11. Breathe! When stressed, we need more oxygen, but tend to take shallow breaths. Even a few deep breaths can help us to calm down and think more clearly. 12. We don't expect a car to start unless the gas tank is filled, and we shouldn't expect a child to function at her best if her "emotional tank" is running low. Give the three things that fill a child's emotional tank: eye contact, gentle touch, and undivided attention.13. Chamomile tea is very relaxing for both adults and children. Taken an hour before bedtime by a nursing mother, it can also help to calm her baby. Older children might like iced chamomile tea or popsicles. 14. Take a time out - with your child. A change of scenery - even if it's just a short time outdoors, can make a real difference for both parent and child. 15. Pick a Parenting Card for inspiration and encouragement or create some of your own reminder cards. 16. Offer a massage. A bedtime massage can help a child to sleep more soundly, giving her more resilience and energy for the following day. 17. Give choices. Children need to feel they have a voice. Offering choices, even if they seem unimportant to you ("Do you want the red cup or the blue one?") will help a child feel that he has some say over his life, especially if he has had to cope with recent changes. 18. Try whispering. When tensions are high, whispering can help to get a child's attention and also help to calm the parent. 19. Give your child time. A statement like "Let me know when you're ready to share the toy / climb into the car seat / put on your jacket" will give the child a sense of autonomy and make it easier for him to cooperate. 20. Give yourself time. Count to ten (silently) or ask for time ("I'm not sure what to say. Please give me a moment while I think this over." Sometimes we just need a bit of time to think more clearly and to see things more objectively. 21. Remember that children create images from our words: "Slow down!" is more effective than "Stop running!". The first statement creates an image of slowing down, while the second creates a picture of someone running (the word "don't" is too abstract to overcome the more concrete and compelling image of running). Similarly, a specific request is more effective than a general one: "Please put down the glass" instead of "Be careful". 22. Ask yourself "Will I look back at this later and laugh?" If so, why not laugh now? Create the kind of memory you would like to have when you look back on this day. In these ways, we can best bring about the genuine cooperation that we seek at the moment. But our greatest reward will be a life-long, mutually loving and trusting bond with our child.

Expanded from "Ten Alternatives to Punishment", The Natural Child: Parenting from the Heart by Jan Hunt.

Free Mathematics Books

Here is an alphabetical list of online mathematics books, textbooks, monographs, lecture notes, and other mathematics related documents freely available on the web. I tried to select only the works in book formats,"real" books that are mainly in PDF format, so many well-known html-based mathematics web pages and online tutorials are left out. Click here if you prefer a categorized directory of mathematics books. The list is updated almost on a daily basis, so, if you want to bookmark this page, use the button in the upper right corner.

http://www.e-booksdirectory.com/mathematics.php