Straight Talk

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Although, the depression has been declared over, some of us are still looking for ways to make ends meet.  One of the best ways to keep a few extra bucks in your pocket is by eliminating a high cell phone bill.  However, that doesn't mean you have to go without one.  Thanks to the wonderful genius of Straight Talk, you can now have unlimited talk, text and data without breaking the bank!  Yes, you read right.

With Straight Talk, there are no contracts, no surprise bills and best of all no credit checks.  They have great nationwide coverage as well as excellent reception and connectivity.  Think about it.  Wouldn't you love the idea that you could feel richer by cutting your cell phone bill in half?  Why be on a contract these days when you can get everything you need without one?

Honestly, with Straight Talk you can get Unlimited Monthly service for only $45!  That's unlimited calling, texting, picture messaging and web for only $499 for a whole year.  They also offer the "All You Need Plan" to meet the needs of heavy phone users that includes 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts and 30MB of web data.  411 calls are included free of charge.  There are no activation, reactivation or termination fees.

That means you can pick and choose when you want to have service without being penalized.  Just imagine the amount of cash you could be saving by switching to Straight Talk.  What would you buy with the etra money?  For me, I could use that money to buy extra diapers and baby food.  Straight Talk even has an International Long Distance Service that is a flexible, prepaid and enables you to make international calls from your home, cell or office phone at low rates.  So, now you can call a friend in China or Brazil with ease.

What about their phone selection?  Don't worry because Straight Talk only uses trusted phone manufacturers like LG, Motorola, Kyacera, Nokia and Samsung.  You can save more money with their reconditioned phones available from as low as $10 with a camera, mp3 player, mobile web access and bluetooth capability.  Also, you can check their great selection of amazing smart, touch screen and app capable phones with features like voice navigation, camera, video recorder, music player, instant messaging and Bluetooth.  You can even play games like Fantasy Fishing- hook, line and sinker.

For more information on what these phones offer, please check out this YouTube video:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKPihLfELWo&feature=related

And for real Straight Talk customer testimonials, please check out the videos below:

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx4K5aY9Wlk&NR=1
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaIMrd83feQ&feature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyZCCCPjqz0&feature=related

Early Childhood Education – Acquiring Sign Language

Let me just say that I was a little apprehensive about doing post since I didn't write it.  I've never really posted a full post submitted to me by someone else.  However, Sign Language is a subject that hits home for me and decided to go ahead with this.  I hope that you all will find this information very benecial and thought provoking.

One of the keys to surviving in a tilted economic system in which opportunities to achieve a decent standard of living will be limited is versatility – and the ability to communicate articulately in a variety of ways with the widest possible audience. This includes bilingual ability as well as the ability to communicate in non-verbal ways for the benefit of the disabled – primarily the deaf.

At the same time, a growing shortage of qualified interpreters fluent in American Sign Language has led to more career opportunities – and if current trends continue, it's likely that skilled ASL interpreters will have little problem securing lucrative employment in a society where such a commodity is destined to be in short supply.

Signing Before They Can Speak

A great deal of research has clearly demonstrated that the early years – ages 2 to five – are the best time to educate children in different modes of communication and language. This goes beyond the spoken word (though it is an optimal time for children to learn a second language); many young children have an aptitude for signing as well.

This is not as odd as you may think. As you know, many indigenous peoples around the world, including American Indian nations, have used sign language for centuries to facilitate communication with other tribes with whom they do not share a language. Some paleontologists and anthropologists theorize that Neanderthals – who apparently lacked the vocal mechanism to produce many spoken words – depended a great deal upon hand gestures to communicate.

In fact, recent research suggests that sign language is innate. An article published in the Boulder Daily Camera in 2003 presented strong evidence that babies as young as six months old communicate with their hands:

"...by 6 to 7 months, babies can remember a sign. At eight months, children

can begin to imitate gestures and sign single words. By 24 months, children

can sign compound words and full sentences. They say sign language reduces

frustration in young children by giving them a means to express themselves

before they know how to talk." (Glarion, 2003)

The author also cites study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development demonstrating that young children who are taught sign language at an early age actually develop better verbal skills as they get older. The ability to sign has also helped parents in communicating with autistic children; one parent reports that "using sign language allowed her to communicate with her [autistic] son and minimized his frustration...[he now] has an advanced vocabulary and excels in math, spelling and music" (Glarion, 2003).

The Best Time To Start

Not only does early childhood education in signing give pre-verbal youngsters a way to communicate, it can also strengthen the parent-child bond – in addition to giving children a solid foundation for learning a skill that will serve them well in the future. The evidence suggests that the best time to start learning ASL is before a child can even walk – and the implications for facilitating the parent-child relationship are amazing.

Co-written by Emily Patterson and Kathleen Thomas

Emily and Kathleen are Communications Coordinators for the network of Georgia child care facilities belonging to the AdvancED® accredited family of Primrose child care schools. Primrose Schools are located in 16 states throughout the U.S. and are dedicated to delivering progressive, early childhood, Balanced Learning® curriculum throughout their preschools.