EarthCam Shares Live Views of Giraffe Birth at Greenville Zoo in South Carolina

WHAT: The world got one baby cuter today with the birth of a sweet little giraffe at the Greenville Zoo in South Carolina. Mom, Autumn, and first time dad, Miles, welcomed the calf shortly before 12pm ET on January 31, 2018. People around the world had the unique opportunity to be a part of this incredible event with EarthCam’s live cameras located at the zoo. EarthCam is sharing a highlight reel of the live giraffe birth.

WHY: EarthCam and the Greenville Zoo have worked together since 2012 to share live views of the giraffe exhibit – both inside the barn and the outdoor paddock – with people around the world. EarthCam live broadcast the birth of Autumn’s first baby in October 2012, and since then, the cameras have remained a steadfast fan-favorite.

HOW: Say hello to the Greenville Zoo’s newest family member and relive the moment when this baby giraffe made its entrance into the world with EarthCam’s video footage. See how the happy family is doing and follow the calf’s journey with EarthCam’s live cameras at the Greenville Zoo.

Facebook Live and online credit requirements:

• EarthCam logo is not to be cropped out of the video, covered or altered in any way
• Facebook Live: “Courtesy of EarthCam” and tag @earthcaminc
• Online: “Courtesy of EarthCam” with a link back to www.earthcam.com

On-air credit requirements:

• EarthCam logo is not to be cropped out of the video, covered or altered in any way
• On screen credit is given “Courtesy of EarthCam”
• Verbal on air credit “Courtesy of EarthCam”

Connect with EarthCam!
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/earthcaminc
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/earthcam
Instagram: @EarthCam
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/earthcam
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/earthcam-inc.

ABOUT EARTHCAM

EarthCam is the global leader in delivering webcam content, technology and services. Founded in 1996, EarthCam provides live streaming video and time-lapse construction cameras for corporate, tourism and government clients in major cities around the world. EarthCam's revolutionary gigapixel camera systems deliver superior billion pixel clarity for monitoring and archiving the world's most important projects and events. EarthCam's all-weather webcams, innovative software and mobile applications enable users to showcase unique views, increase exposure and generate positive public relations.

The Webby Award winning company hosts many highly trafficked tourism cams, with views of popular locations and landmarks such as Times Square, World Trade Center, Las Vegas Strip, Bourbon Street, Eiffel Tower, Andy Warhol’s grave site, Hollywood Boulevard, Miami Beach, Atlantis the Palm Dubai, Petra in Jordan and Abbey Road Crossing in London.

To experience more of EarthCam, visit www.earthcam.com or download the Webcams app on your mobile device at http://www.earthcam.com/mobile/.

5 Reasons Pre-School Years Are A Prime Time For Learning

Much of the discussion about education focuses on the K-12 years, but some early childhood education experts suggest serious learning can start even earlier and pay dividends for the child in years to come.

 “Young children have the capacity at a very young age to be academically challenged, and we need to educate them strongly during those years instead of waiting until they are older,” says Alise McGregor, founder of Little Newtons (www.littlenewtons.com), an early education center with locations in Minnesota and Illinois.

“Children’s minds are like sponges when they are very young. Under age 5 is the most important time for development and our best opportunity to set up children for success. If we strongly educate children at a very young age, while their brains are so pliable, by the time they reach kindergarten, their brain capacity is much higher.”

Recent research confirms that the first five years of life are particularly important for the development of the child's brain. Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child reports that in the first few years, more than 1 million new neural connections are formed every second, building the brain’s architecture. 

This growth of the brain’s network establishes a fertile foundation for learning, thus an opportunity to be better prepared for grade school and beyond, experts say. One analysis of several studies, “Impacts of Early Childhood Education on Medium- and Long-term Education,” showed that children exposed to high-quality pre-kindergarten education performed better academically in later years. Early education also led to higher graduation rates, fewer special education placements and less grade retention.

McGregor suggests five reasons parents should consider ramping up their pre-K child’s education:

• Socialization. Socialization with people other than the child’s family in a safe environment is an essential foundational element. “It’s important to introduce our children to other children and support their transition into their own friendship groups, and the earlier we do this, it helps children overcome shyness and gain self-confidence,” McGregor says. 

• Personal experiences. These assist the brain’s organizational development and functioning in many situations, helping children develop learning skills as well as social and emotional abilities. “A good early-education center creates an environment where imagination, love, and innovation all come together for a daily adventure,” McGregor says. 

• Enthusiasm for Learning. Lessons can be given in a fun and exciting way that will encourage children to be effective learners. “Feeling inspired and excited to learn takes root in preschool,” McGregor says, “and can last a lifetime.”

• Learning respect for others. A fundamental building block for happiness, friendships, and success in life starts early by learning how to share, cooperate, take turns and be nice. “By carrying on conversations, following rules, listening, accepting consequences of actions, the child learns early how to start getting along in the world,” McGregor says. 

• Resilience. It’s important that early childhood educators and parents work together to develop resilience in children as early as possible. “By creating a consistent and stable environment with clear expectations and predictable consequences, children can develop skills in managing themselves and their emotions,” McGregor says. “They may experience bumps, bruises or losing a game, but this is the foundation for building coping strategies for greater challenges in life.”

“The first five years of life are the most critical,” McGregor says. “It is far easier to train a child than it is to fix a broken adult.”

 

About Alise McGregor

Alise McGregor is the founder of Little Newtons (www.littlenewtons.com), an exceptional child care center focusing on early childhood education with four locations in Minnesota and one in Illinois. She is the author of an upcoming book, Creating Brilliance. Also a nurse, she has a B.S. in Exercise Physiology with a cardiac rehabilitation emphasis.

The Most Amazing Meat Tenderizer: Brought To You By Cave Tools

Disclaimer: I received a product to review. All opinions are my own.

While we generally do not marinate meat in the winter months, we do a good bit in the summer, getting our meat ready to throw on the fire. We love cooking in our backyard fire pit in the summertime and all hanging around it. We are always sure to prep our meat a day ahead of time so that we can enjoy the time with each other and have a delicious meal. (Another tip: keep your grilling stuff together in a tote/ bin for easy grabbing so that your time is not spent running around gathering it up.)

Cave Tools sent us a meat tenderizer and we gave it a whirl before its time to fire up the pit!

We fell in love with this tenderizer very quickly. I didn't think my Father In Law's lemon pepper chicken could get any better. I was wrong. With this tenderizer, the flavor was carried throughout the meat and every bite had an amazing lemon pepper flavor. 

Very easy to use, the tenderizer works better than any I have tried. Seriously, it is even better than injecting the meat! Even better, it is super duper to clean (a mom's dream come true).

Be sure to pick up your 48 Blade Meat Tenderizer on Amazon or the Cave Tools website. Even better- use code TENDER15 for 15% off your tool.

Parent Beware: Hacked Nanny Cams Can Give A Look Into Your Child's Room

If you have followed this blog for long, you know that I embrace technology in my life and with my children. What you may not know is that while I embrace it, I'm very careful about it, especially when it comes to my children. Here are some of the steps we take to protect our children with technology.

• We have actually covered the webcams on the laptops in the house, as well as the tablets. This may seem overboard, but we do not want the kids accidentally clicking "allow" for someone to see them through the camera.
• The kids' tablets are not allowed to be online unless I or their dad are updated or adding apps. 
• If they are online, they are in the family room, positioned where I can see the screen. 
• The phones have kid modes installed, for when they are playing games. 
• These precautions and more will remain effective until they are much, much older. 

These are precautions my husband and I have taken from the beginning. We thought we had our bases covered, but after this article was posted on my Facebook page, I'm reconsidering that we have taken enough precautions. 

Yes, you read that headline right. This story appeared on Simplemost.com and expresses a true nightmare for parents. I cannot imagine finding that a tool I was using to protect my children was actually exploiting them.

Luckily, the author of this post does give tips to keep this from happening to other families. Be sure to read it and take the suggested precautions. What can it hurt? 

See the article here: https://www.simplemost.com/mom-discovers-livestream-daughters-bedroom-online/?utm_campaign=snd_gray_wdbj&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=partner&utm_partner=gray_wdbj

Easy Early Learning Games for Valentine's Day

Disclaimer: I received these items for being part of the Carson-Dellosa brand ambassador program. All opinions are my own.

Capital/ Lowercase Matching Game For Valentine's Day

This was a pretty simple project, once I got it laid out. I used a file folder and lined it with white paper. I had to add another page in and tape it to make a flap. Well, that gave me a place to put the envelope to hold the lower case pieces. 

I then traced the pieces so that I had each letter, wrote the uppercase on the traced part and the lowercase on the shape itself. Super duper easy. 

The cutouts are Heart Mini CCOs from Carson-Dellosa. 

Valentine's Day Number Match

This project was even simpler, and we can't beat that! I just took the smiley hearts and wrote a number on one side and the same number of hearts on the other with a sharpie. Then, I cut them like puzzle pieces. Now, you have self-correcting number matching! 

I hope you enjoy these and would love to hear your ideas. 

Show Kindness to Animals With Help From Eventbrite

I got a really cool email last week and really want to share this information with you guys. Eventbrite is making it even easier to donate to a cause close to your heart, especially when it involves furry friends.

I, personally, do not support our local animal shelter. All I will say about this is that they claim to be a no-kill shelter, but I have found out otherwise. Enough about that- lets get to the good stuff!

If you have followed my blog for very long, you know that we love dogs (cats and lizards too) around our house. We have lost many over the years and even added to our clan. We are also huge supporters of the ASPCA and pit bull advocates. As a family, we have even stood up against mistreatment of animals, like the bear zoo in Cherokee, NC. 

February 17th is Random Acts of Kindness day. Eventbrite would like you to participate by helping out organizations looking to help animals. (You can even share or volunteer if you cannot donate). 

You can even participate in a marathon, like the Strut Your Mutt 5k. If you participate in an event like this, make sure your dog is up to date on shots, has a proper leash, muzzle, and even think about investing in boots, so the pavement does not burn your dog's feet.