This Week's Facts:
-
Children's Eye Safety in
Focus this August
-
Federal Funds to Makeover
Indiana Communities
-
Vote for Winner in Annual
Environment Contest
-
Resources Help Students
Improve Math Skills
National Archives Sponsors Constitution Day Contest
Constitution Day is coming up – it’s celebrated every year on
September 17. If you’d like a quick and easy way to involve
your young patrons in learning about the Constitution, get them
involved in the Constitution Day Poster Contest! Sponsored by
the Gov Doc Kids Group out of Kansas, the contest encourages
K-12 kids to design a poster showing how they and their families
benefit from freedoms outlined in the Constitution. Winners
will be selected in five age-group categories. For complete
contest information, including an entry form and contest flier,
check out the
National Archives webpage.
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Friday Facts is a production of the Indiana State Library
Friday Facts Editorial Team:
Katharine Springer
State Data
Center Coordinator
Elisabeth
O’Donnell
Federal Documents Librarian
&
Kim Brown-Harden
State
Documents Coordinator
-------------------------------------
Join the
FDLP-IN
listserv
to get the latest
government information |
 Would
you know if a child you’re serving has an eye injury or vision
problem? As August wraps up, help recognize Children’s Eye
Health and Safety Month, sponsored by Prevent Blindness America.
Check the list at the bottom of their
Play it Safe website for indicators of injury. The
National Eye Institute also has excellent lists of
Resources for Parents, Teachers, and Coaches, and
Resources for Children, including an informative
Eye Safety Calendar with 31 days of fun facts about eye
health. For more information, see the
Children’s section of the Medline Plus webpage for Eye
Diseases. It provides links to articles from the American
Academy of Pediatrics, the Nemours Foundation, and more. In
addition, the Indiana State Library houses the
Talking Book and
Braille Library, which provides free services to Indiana
citizens who cannot use regular print because of a visual or
physical disability.
Federal
Funds to Makeover Indiana Communities
 Indiana
neighborhoods are expected to get makeovers and improvements
from the
federal government. Lt. Governor, Becky Skillman has
announced that
21 communities and community organizations share $50
million in a variety of ways: demolish or redevelop vacant
properties; purchase abandoned or foreclosed homes; and
assistance for homebuyers looking to purchase their dream home.
Home ownership and revitalization is vital to a growing
community. For more information about the
Neighborhood
Stabilization program or about home ownership, please
visit the Indiana
Housing and Community Development Authority’s website.
Vote for Winner in
Annual Environment Contest
 For
the past three years, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
has held the Rachel Carson
Sense of Wonder Contest. The poetry, essay, photo and
dance contest showcases entrants’ feelings of wonder in the
great outdoors. While the initial submissions were due in June
of this year, people still have time to
vote for their favorites! The entries you will be
viewing have already passed the first round – a panel of judges
looked reviewed the initial submissions. There are five
categories for entries. In addition to the four listed above,
there is also a multi-media entry, comprised of essays
accompanied by photographs. You can vote for one entry in each
of the categories. All you have to do to vote is register then
take your pick!
The contest is named for naturalist
Rachel Carson. She is most famous for her book Silent Spring, which
documented the effects of DDT on wildlife. This book helped launch the
environmental movement and she is credited with jumpstarting American awareness
of the environment. Voting ends October 1. You’ve still got some time,
but be sure to get your vote in!
Resources Help
Students Improve Math Skills
 As
adults, we are each at a different level of comfort when it
comes to numbers. We may remember either struggling or excelling
in certain (and maybe all) areas of Mathematics. As time goes
by, newer generations find more fun and enjoyment in learning
Math; and several resources exist to help them along. The
Math
Teaching and Learning Resources from the Federal
Resources for Educational Excellence (FREE) cover subjects such
as Algebra, Geometry, and even Data Analysis. Start with
Helping Your Child Learn Mathematics for students in
preschool through Grade 5. Move on to
InterMath,
designed for Middle Schoolers. End with
Seeing
Math, designed for Grades 6 -12. The National Center for
Education Statistics also has a Kids’ Zone with fun
Math Teasers,
Create a
Graph, and a
Mathematicians Quiz. Don’t forget to direct kids to
careers to consider if
you are good at Math. |
