When my daughter started school her backpack was nearly as big as her! It's really important to choose the right backpack for your children, given that most of them are lugging round a small home office these days. Here is an interesting piece supplied by Intel Australia. ......

School goes high tech!

By Intel Australia

Times are a-changing and technology really seems to be making an impact on our children’s school environment these days. Firstly, we used to lug around backpacks filled with heavy text books and more recently students have been carrying heavy text books AND a heavy laptop. You’ve got to be thinking that can’t be good for your child’s back, and you’d be right. The Chiropractor’s Association of Australia says that adult back pain and spinal disorders may stem from childhood activities including carrying a heavily loaded backpack for twelve years or more of schooling[i].

So much work seems to be done on a computer these days and laptops are getting lighter. An Ultrabook, which is a thin and light notebook computer, can weigh as little as 1kg. Now that’s better than a bag filled with text books – or having to fork out for two sets of text books so your child doesn’t have to cart them from home to school every day!

Back in our day (seriously, I thought that was something only our parents said), we didn’t have things like interactive whiteboards or school intranets, let alone back packs with built in laptop compartments and smartphone pockets. The first point of call for assignments was always the family set of encyclopaedias or the library, not the internet. Technology is really making its mark on our children’s schooling.

Kate Burleigh from Intel Australia says Ultrabook computers are a great option for students. “They are thin, light and powerful enough for older students who may be looking for a device that can last them through university. They have at least five hours of battery life, and some have up to eight hours which is plenty to get children through the school day.”

Here are some additional tips on how to prevent back pain associated with carrying heavy back packs from The Chiropractor’s Association of Australia[ii]:

• - Backpacks should  ideally be no heavier than 10% of a student’s weight when packed
• - Make sure the backpack is sturdy and appropriately sized - no wider than the student's chest
• - Put comfort and fit at the top of the priority list, rather than good looks
• - Choose a backpack with broad, padded shoulder straps
• - Use both shoulder straps - never sling the pack over one shoulder
• - Use waist straps attached - they are there for a good reason
• - Don't wear the backpack any lower than the hollow of the lower back
• - Don't overload the backpack - use school lockers and plan homework well in advance
• - Place all heavy items at the base of the pack, close to the spine, for a better distribution of weight

To download a fact sheet with more information about carrying back packs click here.

For more information on choosing the right computer for your child, visit the Intel website.

My daughter is five and started school last year. When she started school she was only 4, but we thought she was ready. I am very proud to say we were right and she got through kindy with flying colours.

I know all children are different, some are ready for school sooner than others and some need to wait a little longer. My son and daughter were born in the middle of the year, so for both we had to make a decision as to put them in early or hold them back. With my oldest (my son) we waited that extra little bit before starting school but my daughter just seemed ready, especially after watching her older brother go off to school every day.

Over the school holidays my five year old daughter and seven year old son have been road testing some of the wonderful LeapFrog educational products.  Now lets not fool anyone, these products are sneaky devices that actually make kids think they are playing (ie having fun) when all the while they are also learning - BRILLIANT! Who would of thought - a toy that you actually want them to play with all the time. And that's just what both of them did.

My daughter can now always be found within a 2 metre radius of her Leapster Explorer. This little beauty is a hand held "gaming" device which I like to call the Nintendo DS for 4-9 year olds. Personally, the difference for me is that hand helds like the DS are focused on gaming, where as the Leapster has found that balance between fun, gaming and learning. The Leapster has games, e-books and a whole range of other features and add-ons. The games and software (purchased separately RRP $44.95) contain licensed characters such as Dora, Fairies, Scooby Doo and Ben 10. The Leapster comes with a preloaded game which my daughter loves - woo hoo (we all know that buying add-ons and games can get expensive so it's great when they actually like the pre-loaded one!).

Although he liked the Leapster (if he could ever pry it from his sister), my son took a shine to the LeapFrog Tag Reading System (RRP $59.99) and in particular the Interactive Map (RRP $29.99) we purchased for it. This was a surprise actually because at least 50 times a day my son requests a Nintendo DS..."you know what I want, I want a DS" over and over, he tells us. By the way he did have a DS until he learned the harsh lesson that when you "leave" your Nintendo DS somewhere not many people will hand it in or try and return it to it's (very distressed) owner. But back to the story...So I was shocked that he was more interested in the Tag and I can't really blame him, it's quite impressive. I would have a loved a pen that talked to me when I was a kid! And that is essentially what it is.

To be a little more technical, there is a small infrared camera at the tip of the stylus which 'reads' letters, words and symbols printed on the special dot-patterned pages of the books in the Tag library. Like the pre-loaded game on the Leapster, the Tag comes with a Disney book called 'Let's Play Tag' which teaches kids how it all works. The Tag will read an entire book out loud in character voices and as skill levels increase you can read word by word or just play activities. This is where it was great, totally suitable for both my children. For my four year old daughter, she enjoyed the reading aspect, where as this didn't challenge my seven year old son so much, and he enjoyed the activities.

Straight up - I don't get paid to do reviews, so when I say this I am totally honest...the Interactive World Map is fantastic. My son and I stayed up way too late one night trying to get to "Super Dooper Voyager" level playing the Map Racer game which is a timed quiz that tests your knowledge of the world's countries. I can tell you I was embarrassed at how bad my geography knowledge was. My son can now instantly point out any country on the globe within a nanosecond (well close to it). There are other great learning activities and I was quite amazed at how much fun we had with what seems like a map printed on a bit of cardboard. The Interactive World Map (pictured below) RRP $29.99 is sold separately to the Tag Reading System.

There are heaps of great books available for the Tag which include Dr Seuss' Cat In The Hat as well as activity storybooks with popular characters SpongeBob SquarePants (popular - my kids think this yellow guy is a god!), Disney Princess and Toy Story.

The other great feature of all the LeapFrog products is the free online LeapFrog Learning Path. The LeapFrog Connect Application is the gateway to all the online features for your LeapFrog products.

Via LeapFrog Connect you can:

- see what your child is up too, the skills they have engaged and their progress

- download learning apps (these aren't free and will set you back around $10)

- download books for the tag reader

- redeem rewards for completed activities and games (rewards include printable activity sheets).

The LeapFrog products are an investment (let's face it they are big ticket items and then there are the books and games etc etc) but I think they are a worthwhile investment in my children's education: short story - money well spent. Now whilst these products are great, the down side is they "chew the juice" and by that I mean get a battery charger or you will go broke replacing batteries. I suppose I could always see this as a positive that they are constantly using them and learning as they do!  If you want to find out more about LeapFrog products visit www.leapfrog.com

Thanks to LeapFrog we have a Tag Reading System (RRP $59.99) and a Tag Interactive Map (RRP $29.99) to give away.

To enter tell us in 25 words or less, in a comment below, which LeapFrog product would help your kids leap into the new school year and why.

Oh and don't forget to share this blog on Facebook so all your friends can find out all about LeapFrog and our fab giveaway!

Competition ends midnight 5 February 2012