Unicorn princess! Angelina Jolie's daughter Vivienne gets into the Halloween spirit as actress takes her brood to a toy store
By JADE WATKINS: Getting into the Halloween spirit: Angelina Jolie was seen rounding up some of her brood, including Shiloh, and twins Vivienne and Knox, for a trip to Party City in Sherman Oaks to shop for Halloween supplies on Sunday In the past she has been known for her intrigue with the dark side - with a fetish for blood and a huge collection of knives. But now that she is a mother to six children, it is a more family friendly Halloween these days for Angelina Jolie. The 37-year-old actress was seen rounding up some of her brood, including Shiloh, six, and twins Vivienne &
Unicorn princess: Little Vivienne was treated to a unicorn soft toy which strapped around her body, while Knox got a dinosaur figurine
Knox, four, for a trip to Party City in Sherman Oaks to shop for Halloween supplies on Sunday & the children certainly got into the Halloween spirit. Little Vivienne looked
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Adorable: Shiloh held her little sister's hand as they exited the store
toy, which strapped around the youngster's body. Vivienne wasn't the only one treated with a toy, her twin brother Knox was seen carrying a large dinosaur figurine. The little lad looked dapper for the shopping expedition in a grey coloured shirt, black trousers
and black shoes. Meanwhile, the Girl Interrupted star looked stylish for the outing, opting for her obligatory black.Cute as a button: Little Vivienne looked cute in a black ruffled skirt worn over lace leggings, a black T-shirt and some fancy gold sneakers on her feet, Source: Tavelfwd, Be a star on the dance floor: By Sandip Soparrkar: The dance floor, especially ones found in pubs and night clubs, has
been a litmus test for any dancer to show off his/her skills. The small dancing platform, which is usually flooded with people, is actually the perfect place to test a dancer’s etiquette. Good dance is not just the only thing that will make you shine on the floor. It is important to develop good social skills as a dancer if you want to be a popular person at a party and keep a lasting impression on people. Here are a few tips for all dance lovers to shine at a party: Dress to kill: Wear something fashionable and flashy, but not trashy. Well-tailored and well-fitted clothes imply class and taste. Also, remember that bold outfits very easily get noticed and are very hard to forget. Make a grand entry: Enter like you are the life of the party, make some noise, let the rest of the party know what they have been missing. Greet every single person at the party with a warm hello and a smile. It is important to hobnob in the party like a society king/queen. Smile: Smile and remember to make eye contact with every person you speak to. As the party progresses, flirt. It is okay to engage in some harmless flirting as long as you know where to draw a line. Keep the flirting fun and entertaining. Walk like royalty: Thanks to dance training, you will surely have a confident and stylish walk, but most dancers forget their posture when they are not dancing. So remember to hold your posture and saunter around in style. Self-assurance is very attractive, it will make everyone at the party curious as to what gives you such an amazing self-confidence. They will be invariably drawn to you. Be witty: Wit and a great sense of humor always wins over in a conversation any day. Share a couple of funny jokes and make people laugh; remember you are already popular. Have opinions on a topic and assert them, it is immensely appealing for people to know that you can talk about anything under the sun. Shower compliments: Sound interested when you are talking to somebody and compliment him/her. Pleasing people is not a bad thing and everyone likes compliments. But remember do not overdo it and do not be fake. Mingle: Socialise with every one and break away within minutes of meeting someone and move on. You can always come back to people you find interesting, and if someone drones on, excuse yourself and walk away Be discreet: Do not discuss too much about yourself. Instead, show interest in the history of the person you’re are talking to, chat with them about themselves, try to know more about what they do and what they think. This will help you understand people better. Play host: Introduce people you meet to each other. This gives you the appearance of being popular and helps you remember names, faces and their backgrounds. Never leave last: Do not be the last person to leave the party. That will negate whatever you were trying to prove all the while. Make people yearn for more of your company. They will ask for your number or chat up with you at another party soon. Dance like a peacock: This is your trump card. Dance for a while at a party and show off your skills, but remember, do not get stuck on the floor, dance for a bit and then get back to meeting people. You can make a few rounds on the floor with your partner to get the attention of people and then again mingle with the crowd. The applause later is more encouraging. Image: flickr.com, Source: The Asian Age, Kids’ creativity on brand’s new range: Harnessing the creative minds of young
kids from NGO Aseema, Global a Desi, brand from AND Designs India, has come up with a collection which is not only unique in design but also inspiring. Available through Global Desi outlets across India, the collection features 16 exclusive designs which are an amalgamation of placement prints inspired by the drawings of four children from Aseema. The powerful aquatic theme is represented by Rajesh Jadiyar, Roshni Jadhav, Reshma Bahamaniya and Rubina Khan. These designs are themed with symbols of the aquatic kingdom that depict the adventurous and diverse water life using floating fishes, turtles, crabs etc. The colorful collection represents the free spirit and creativity of these children through its prints and motifs. Speaking about the initiative, Sangita Rohira, CEO, AND Designs India says, “Visualizing the concept and getting it on paper then making the first garment was not so difficult because everything was printed digitally. But actual production was a marathon task. For instance, getting those elements together, the detailing of the fishes, the waves, the water background, the aquatic animals, getting the colours right. We have introduced a turtle story, a fish story and there is another print where we have mixed these two. And there is an underwater element where the waves and the fish are given an Indian touch. We wanted to make these four stories with the four paintings created by kids from the Aseema and we have used all the four paintings in a different form on each and every garment.” AND Designs, is the brain child of designer Anita Dongre. She recently introduced a men’s line under AND label. Talking about their future plans, Anita Dongre, Director says, “We have launched men’s wear and kids’ and home will follow. I have three main brands -- Gobal Desi, AND and Anita Dongre. There are sub labels under Anita Dongre, which are Inter Prêt and Grassroot. I have opened a new bridal wear store. I will also focus on accessories in all the brands now.” The company has around 40 exclusive stores and the collection is available at large formats like Shoppers Stop, Pantaloons and Lifestyle. A couple of these are franchisees and the rest are company-owned. “We are present in most metros like Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Lucknow and Belgaon. But we need more penetration in Tier III towns. We’d like to double the number of exclusive outlets in the next two to three years,” says Rohira. Having brands like Global Desi, And and Anita Dongre under its umbrella, it may look at launching exclusive and independent outlets for men depending on the response. As Rohira says, “We have crossed a turnover of Rs 100 crores and are looking to grow. We also export in a small way and have a lot of buyers around the world coming over and showing interest. If we get a good offer, we would certainly open a store, say, in the Middle East, US and London. Maybe by next year, there should be a couple of them lined up. Source: Article
When world leaders meet kids
Take a look at the world leaders playing with kids. [Chinanews.com], Source: China.org.cn, Teen brain data predicts pop song success: By Carol Clark:
An Emory University study suggests that the brain activity of teens, recorded while they are listening to new songs, may help predict the popularity of the songs. “We have scientifically demonstrated that you can, to some extent, use neuroimaging in a group of people to predict cultural popularity,” says Gregory Berns, a neuroeconomist and director of Emory’s Center for Neuropolicy. The Journal of Consumer Psychology is publishing the results of the study, conducted by Berns and Sara Moore, an economics research specialist in his lab. In 2006, Berns’ lab selected 120 songs from MySpace pages, all of them by relatively unknown musicians without recording contracts. Twenty-seven research subjects, aged 12 to 17, listened to the songs while their neural reactions were recorded through functional magnetic resolution imaging (fMRI). The subjects were also asked to rate each song on a scale of one to five. The data was originally collected to study how peer pressure affects teenagers’ opinions. The experiment used relatively unknown songs to try to ensure that the teens were hearing them for the first time. Three years later, while watching “American Idol” with his two young daughters, Berns realized that one of those obscure songs had become a hit, when contestant Kris Allen started singing “Apologize” by One Republic. “I said, ‘Hey, we used that song in our study,’” Berns recalls. “It occurred to me that we had this unique data set of the brain responses of kids who listened to songs before they got popular. I started to wonder if we could have predicted that hit.” Source: eScienceCommons, Schoolboy Cracks Age-Old Maths Problem: A 16-
year-old schoolboy has solved a mathematical A 16-year-old schoolboy has solved a mathematical problem which has stumped mathematicians for centuries, a newspaper report said. The boy put the historical breakthrough down to “schoolboy naivety.” Shouryya Ray, who moved to Germany from India with his family at the age of 12, has baffled scientists and mathematicians by solving two fundamental particle dynamics problems posed by Sir Isaac Newton over 350 years ago, Die Welt newspaper reported on Monday. Ray’s solutions make it possible to now calculate not only the flight path of a ball, but also predict how it will hit and bounce off a wall. Previously it had only been possible to estimate this using a computer, wrote the paper. Ray first came across the old problem when his secondary school, which specializes in science, set all their year-11 pupils a research project. On a visit to the Technical University in Dresden pupils received raw data to evaluate a direct numerical simulation – which can be used to describe the trajectory of a ball when it is thrown. When he realised the current method could not get an exact result, Ray decided to have a go at solving it. He puts the whole thing down to “schoolboy naivety” - he just refused to accept there was no answer to the problem. “I asked myself: why can’t it work?” he told the paper. Ray has been fascinated by what he calls the “intrinsic beauty“ of maths since an early age, according to the report. The boy was inspired by his engineer father who began setting him arithmetic problems at the age of six. He recently won a youth science competition at the state level in Saxony and won second place in the Maths and IT section at the national final. Originally from Calcutta, Ray couldn’t speak a word of German when he came to Dresden four years ago – but now he is fluent. Since then, he was moved up two classes in school and is currently sitting his Abitur exams two years early. But Ray doesn’t think he’s a genius, and told the paper he has weak points as a mathematician, as well as in sports and social sciences. Ray, whose recent breakthrough may have earned him a paragraph in the schoolbooks of the future, is currently deciding whether to study maths or physics at university. Source: Sam-Daily-Times, Video games make kids aggressive: Psychologists: Tennis Going by
the observations of city based psychologists, addiction to video games has emerged as one of the key causes of behavioural problems in teenagers in the past few years. Among all the cases of aggressive behaviour being addressed by city-based psychologists, especially in the last one year, children were found to be addicted to ‘aggressive’ video games. Adarsh Kohli, professor of clinical psychology at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, said, “Gaming is almost pathological as children forget to eat, can spend hours on it and feel restless and irritated if refused. They also have withdrawal symptoms if kept away from games. It leads to social withdrawal, lack of participation in family activities and disinterest in people. Many children with autism are involved in video games because they have difficulty forming social relationships.” While being highly addicted to video games, youth claim that games are the best source of relaxation, say other psychologists. Suman Verma, a city-based child Psychologist who runs a private clinic, said, “Games can have adverse psychological effects on the minds of children. It affects their thought process and also influences their perception of reality. These games are provocative in nature and influence the youth negatively, making them immune to traumatic circumstances that may occur in life. They become aggressive and rebellious.” Several other conditions are associated with excessive gaming, pointed out Dr Sandeep Chhatwal, a physician at a private hospital in Sector 34. “Cervical Spondylitis is a common condition which is caused due to bad postures that gamers may adopt. Another dangerous problem is photogenic seizures. These are caused by flickering lights and are common in patients suffering from photogenic epilepsy. Of course, gaming is also the biggest cause of obesity among youngsters which in turn causes other problems,” said Dr. Chhatwal. The doctors also noted that video games are a big cause of weak eyesight among children. Dr Vishwaneet Singh, Medical Officer, Haryana government, said, “The Cornea is supplied oxygen through thin layer of tears in the eyes. The oxygen is replenished when we blink, but gaming enthusiasts are so focused in the game, that they forget to blink while playing. This can lead to a condition called dry eye which causes redness and itching in the eyes. ”Image: flickr.com, ”Source: Indian Express, Scientists tap baby brainpower for smarter computers: Washington, (IANS) Researchers are tapping brainpower of
babies, toddlers and pre-schooler's to nudge artificial intelligence (AI) into becoming smarter like humans. Computational models based on baby brainpower could give enable AI to overcome limitations such as handling nuances and uncertainty, said
 researchers. "Children are the greatest learning machines in the universe. Imagine if computers could learn as much and as quickly as they do," said study co-author Alison Gopnik developmental psychologist at University of California Berkeley, who authored "The Scientist in the Crib" and "The Philosophical Baby." In a wide range of experiments involving lollipops, flashing and spinning toys, and music makers, among other props, researchers are finding that children - at younger ages - are testing hypotheses, detecting statistical patterns and drawing conclusions while constantly adapting to changes. "Young children are capable of solving problems that still pose a challenge for computers, such as learning languages and figuring out causal relationships," said study co-author Tom Griffiths, director of Berkeley's Computational Cognitive Science Lab, according to a university statement. "We are hoping to make computers smarter by making them a little more like children. Your computer could be able to discover causal relationships, ranging from simple cases such as recognizing that you work more slowly when you haven't had coffee, to complex ones such as identifying which genes cause greater susceptibility to diseases," said Griffiths. Image Photibucket: Link1, Link:2, Source: News Track India, 'It's about me helping kids and blah, blah, blah': Eden Wood, 7, appears unable to focus during TV interview for her reality show: 
Eden stepped out at Planet Hollywood to launch her reality show
She is the breakout star of Toddlers & Tiaras, a show that saw mother's giving their daughter's special 'go-go juice' to help them perform in pageants. And it seems that Eden Wood was over stimulated during a TV interview to promote her new reality show Eden's World. In an interview with CBS Atlanta on Friday the seven-year-old appeared jittery and unable to concentrate as she answered questions about her new show. When asked about her new show Eden replied: 'It’s is AWESOME it’s called Eden’s World.' She added: 'Eden’s world is about me helping other kids, la, la, la, blah, blah, blah.' As she spoke to the Broadcaster it became clear that the little girl could not  Plenty of energy: The seven-year-old didn't have any inhibitions as she spoke out about her reality show with her mother by her side Why talk when you can sing? As Eden gave her interview she burst into song while her mother looked on smiling
sit still in her seat and she was seen squirming around. After breaking into song several times Eden is asked if she wants a singing career and she responds by saying: 'Yes I do and I’m going sing one to you.' Mickie pleads with her daughter to 'be serious' but Eden appears unable to sit still or control her verbal outbursts. Ms Wood is also asked about her thoughts on the controversial Go-Go juice, a unknown concoction
Weird behaviour: The little girl was seen pretending to shoot a gun from her finger while her mother was talking
given to young girls to help improve their success at pageants. She replied: 'I can only speak for us. It’s to each his own.' Mickie added: 'Two words come to mind – moderation and exaggeration.' Eden's mother also explained why Eden had decided to retire from pageants and she said: 'She wanted to move on. She was sick of sitting through hair and make-up.' While her mother was talking Eden was seen pointing her finger into the camera and pretending it was a gun making shooting noises and even pretending to blow smoke out. Yesterday the retired pageant contestant from Arkansas stepped out to promote Logo’s forthcoming series Eden’s World, which premieres on the cable network on April 16. The show's arrival was celebrated at Planet Hollywood in Times Square, New York where the tiny tot and Mickie Wood, her mother, tucked
Unable to concentrate? Eden Wood was seen giving a rather jittery interview on CBS Atlanta yesterday
into a giant ice-cream sundae before posing for the cameras. Eden waved her tiny hand in an extremely regal manner and her platinum blonde ringlets bounced around her shoulders as she blew kisses out to fans. It seems the youngster was indeed born for the spotlight. Tagged by the TV network as a documentary series, Eden’s World has followed the little blondestarlet and her entourage which includes Mrs Wood, Eden’s manager and her agent. Eight 30-minute episodes will feature all the typically catty behind-the-scenes behaviour of thebeauty pageant world as the team mentor new pageant hopefuls. Source: Article, They where conjoined twins: They play side by side, walk hand in hand to school and love dressing-up games – the
picture of happiness at seven years old. Yet these twin girls were born conjoined – bonded at the spine with a question-mark over whether they could survive. Thanks to British medical expertise, Mille and Signe (pronounced Milla and Seena) have gone from strength to strength after surgery to separate them at the age of three months. From the moment they worked out how to stand at the age of 11 months, every step has been a landmark, every year a milestone. ‘We’re special,’ says Mille, without further elaboration. Long before they were born at the end of January 2005, doctors had identified that the girls were joined back-to-back in the womb, fused at the base of the spine. The Mail told at the time how their father Simon Stephenson and his Danish fiancée Yane Christensen had to make the agonising decision either to terminate the pregnancy before 24 weeks, or risk giving birth to twins who might need lifetime care if they survived. Later Yane was diagnosed with a life-threatening liver disorder that could have killed the babies in her womb. But the couple from north-west London placed their trust in the confidence of doctors who were convinced they could separate the girls without causing permanent disability. Source: Brizzleleo, Teens turn into adventure seekers: It’s time for young viewers in India to go beyond cartoons
 and gather knowledge of the unexplored places in India. TV channel Discovery Kids is launching Mystery Hunters India, a new and exciting show that will feature hidden myths of India. Two inquisitive minds, Apoorva Arora and Himanshu Sharma, will host the show. The duo will travel all over the country and explore its hidden facets. Mystery Hunters will explore sacred and many other places of the country to discover the answers of hidden mysteries. The kids will travel the length and breadth of India to explore the places and delve into the tales which have bewildered people for ages. The kids were cherry picked for the show. Both Apoorva and Himanshu are bright kids with a bent of inquisitive mind. “We went to Peppara wildlife sanctuary in Kerala to unfold mystery behind the existence of Pygmy elephants in the jungle. It was altogether an exciting experience as we unfolded the mystery,” said Apoorva. “We took help of professionals like scientists, doctors, authors and did a lot of reading related to mysteries. We were assisted by Doubting Dev, the resident skeptical scientist, at the Mystery India Lab. He used his sense of humour to conduct fun experiments and uncover the truth,” said the duo. Unveiling the truth behind strange voice heard from Shanivarwada Fort, Apoorva shares, “I personally don’t believe in such unusual sounds. But, my curiosity led me to find out the facts behind the mystery. We found that those sounds were not of evil. Long back in 1773 after the death of the king of Shanivarwada Raja Madhav Rao, his brother Narayn Rao who was then 13 years became the successor. This was not acceptable by Narayan Rao’s uncle. One night Raghunath Rao had sent his guards to kill Narayan Rao. Since then it is believed that Narayan Rao doesn’t allow anyone to come near the fort. To find out the truth behind this mystery, we went to a nearby library to research and investigate the case.” Speaking about what drove the young ones to host the show, Himanshu said, “I was always eager to learn and participate in activities. Since my childhood, I was fascinated by television and I thought to be a part of this. My parents have played a major role in guiding me in exploring my passion.” “My enthusiasm and diligence to hone my skills led me to attend various workshops from National School of Drama in Delhi and subsequently I found myself in the advertisement arena, where I acted in several TV commercials,” said Apoorva. How do they manage academics and work? “We maintain a balance between studies and work. We don’t shoot for more than six hours a day and our entire shooting schedule was during summer vacation. Our parents and teachers are very supportive and we take home tuition on a regular basis which does not affect our studies,” said the duo. While sharing their adventurous experience, they said, “This is an exciting experience with a new concept from Discovery kids. We got to learn so many new things on our journey to unfold mysteries during the show. We are happy because we are getting a chance to share our knowledge with the kids of our age.” Catch the adventure and excitement on the show from December 22 at 6.00 pm. Source: Article, Image. Computer game teaches kids how to behave with dogs in real-life: Washington, (ANI): Image Link Flickr . My Healthy Dog
A software program designed to teach kids how to interact safely with dogs does teach valuable lessons, a new study has claimed. However, children have trouble translating their computer learning into real-world situations with a live dog.According to David Schwebel from the University of Alabama, part of the problem is that kids are active and unpredictable, and can stress out dogs. But another dog-bite risk is an issue of child development. Before the age of 4 or so, children don't understand that other people and animals have thoughts & desires different from their own. So when a child sees a sleeping dog and wants to pull its ears, that kid can't grasp that the dog might not be in the mood for ear-pulling. To try to teach kids how to well interact with their pets, the nonprofit organization The Blue Dog Trust developed an interactive
game called 'The Blue Dog'. The game sets up animated scenarios where kids can choose whether to play with a dog that is napping, eating or otherwise indisposed. If the kids make the unsafe choice, sneaking up on a dog during dinnertime, for example, the dog will growl and bark. Schwebel and his colleagues wanted to find out if the program really worked. They recruited 76 3- to 5-year-old kids from Birmingham, Ala., and Guelph, Ontario, alerting parents to their study via churches and schools. All
of the children had petdogs, as the software is designed to teach kids how to play with their own family pets. Each kid came to the psychology lab and completed three dog-related tasks. In the first, researchers showed the children pictures of dogs in different situations and asked if the child would go pet the dog in each. In the next tasks, they acted out make-believe scenes with the children using a dollhouse & dolls. The
        
children were then asked to play out what they think should happen next. Finally, the kids went into a room with a real dog, where they were rated on their safe and unsafe behaviours. All the dogs were trained therapy dogs. Those three tasks gave the researchers a score for how much each child already knew about dog safety and how well they put their knowledge into practice. After the tasks, the kids and their parents went home with a copy of one of two education software discs - 'The Blue Dog' or 'The
 Image Link Flickr . Blue Dog In School
Great Escape', a fire-safety program. Both groups were told to use the software frequently. After three weeks, the kids returned to the lab to complete the same three dog-safety tasks again. The research turned up "mixed news" for kids who played the dog-safety computer game, Schwebel said. "What we found is that children did learn. ... They did better on the pictures," he said. "They actually recognized when you should pet a dog and when you should not pet a dog," he said. But when put into a room with a real dog, those lessons went out the window. In fact, all the kids got bolder in interacting with the dog, regardless of which computer game they'd played, possibly because nothing bad had happened the first time they played with a dog in the psychology lab. The study has been published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology. (ANI) Source: Article, The Musical: Walk on by Beeage:
Watch a delightful musical video on sweet little fairy & her all joyful stuffs, so be ready to visit an amazing wonderland
Ruby Dickinson May Be Youngest Tattoo Artist: Ruby "really loves" learning tattoo art, according to proud papa Blane Dickinson. Mr. Dickinson has ordered an American-made ink gun specifically designed for small
 Ruby Dickinson is only three years old but she is already marking her mark in the world – with tattoos. The ink-credible Welsh toddler could become the world's youngest tattoo artist, according to published reports.
hands. The kit will be a present for Ruby's fourth birthday in October. That's when Dickinson hopes to break Canadian Emilie Darrigade's record of tattooing part of a butterfly on her father's arm at the tender age of five. Dickinson told the North Wales
 At an age when most kids only think about playground swings, Ruby takes tattoo lessons after nursery school. She also practices with a toy kit in her father's tattoo shop. Pioneer newspaper : "Ruby is well aware she is getting the kit, she cannot wait. She wants to be a tattoo artist when she grows up." Right now, Ruby is weeks away from being able to draw a complete spider on his right leg, The Sun reported. "The aim is to get her to tattoo my leg with a birthday message for my 40th 
birthday," Dickinson told the North Wales Pioneer. However, Dickinson, who has tattoos over 70 percent of his body, doesn't expect a very elaborate design. Blane, 36, said, "I'm under no illusions that she'll do a Van Gogh, after all she's only three-and-a-half." Although he hopes Ruby will make tattoo art her career, he told the North Wales Pioneer he will allow the little girl to make her own choices. Source: icePice, 7-year-old 'Mozart' girl composes opera: A
seven-year-old girl has become a classical music sensation after she composed her own opera, which was highly commended by the English National Opera. Alma Deutscher is not only an accomplished composer, she is also a skilled violinist and pianist. She started composing by the time she was five and wrote a sonata at the age six, the Daily Mail reported. Videos of her work have been viewed more than 300,000 times since her father shared them on YouTube - and her abilities have led to comparisons with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who by five had mastered the keyboard and violin and started composing. Alma wrote her own opera, The Sweeper of Dreams, this year. "The music comes to me when I'm relaxing. I go and sit down on a seat or lie down. I like thinking about fairies a lot, and princesses, and beautiful dresses," the paper quoted her as saying. She added that her best compositions are created when she is on the swing in the garden at her home in Dorking, Surrey, but she keeps a tape recorder by her bed for when inspiration strikes. The idea for The Sweeper of Dreams - which narrowly missed out on a place in the final of an English National Opera contest for adult composers - came in a dream. "Mozart composed this piece in my dream and when I got up, I sat down and played it and my father recorded it," she said. Alma's father realised his daughter had a connection with music when she was a baby. She was given her first violin for her third birthday and in less than a year, she was playing Handel sonatas. Source: Hindustan Times. Image Screen-Shot on video link, Physically active kids do well in studies:
 Leading a physically active lifestyle may improve academic performance in children, a new study involving an Indian origin scientist suggests. Amika Singh, Ph.D., of the Vrije Universiteit University Medical Center, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and colleagues reviewed evidence about the relationship between physical activity and academic performance because of concerns that pressure to improve test scores may often mean more instructional time for classroom subjects with less time for physical activity. The researchers identified 10 observational and four interventional studies for review. Twelve of the studies were conducted in the United States, plus one in Canada and one in South Africa. Sample sizes ranged from 53 to about 12,000 participants between the ages of 6 years and 18 years. Follow-up varied from eight weeks to more than five years. “According to the best-evidence synthesis, we found strong evidence of a significant positive relationship between physical activity and academic performance,” the researchers said. “The findings of one high-quality intervention study and one high-quality observational study suggest that being more physically active is positively related to improved academic performance in children,” they stated. They suggest that exercise may help cognition by increasing blood and oxygen flow to the brain, increasing levels of norepinephrine and endorphins to decrease stress and improve mood, and increasing growth factors that help create new nerve cells and support synaptic plasticity. “More high-quality studies are needed on the dose-response relationship between physical activity and academic performance and on the explanatory mechanisms, using reliable and valid measurement instruments to assess this relationship accurately,” they concluded. The study was reported in the January issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Image: flickr.com, Source: Hindustan Times Remark: Open images in new tab or window to find it’s source of sharing, also get connect with each source of sharing articles via specified links. Our Sites unique and other links (if there will be any) are available just for the requirement of the subject not for increasing circulations, as we are not in the promotion of any kind its all for very special issues, personalities etc. |
E-Book: Kids On The Go
