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Cat Fountain Pump

Balancing The Water In Ponds And Large Outdoor Fountains

If you have a pond, you will need to know how to keep the water clean. Small fountains have recirculating pumps which makes keeping the water clean much easier. Regardless of pond or fountain, it is useful to have a basic understanding of how to keep the water clean and balanced.

The term "biological balance" simply means establishing a healthy eco­logical balance between plants, fish, and other aquatic life in the pond. Various factors affect ponds, includ­ing the size and depth, the amount of sunlight or shade, water tempera­ture, water movement, pollutants in the water, and the kind and number of plants and fish. Depending on how these factors affect your pond, it may take anywhere from several weeks to several months to achieve this balance. Once the pond water is balanced, it will remain relatively clear provided you don't add fish, plants, or other pond life. Of course, if you do add any of these, you will need to take other measures to keep the water clear. Usually, you can do this just as you would with a swimming pool, by incorporating a mechanical or biological filter, using chemicals periodically, and routine cleaning.

How it Works

Think of your pond or outdoor fountain as a small, self-contained ecosystem. When you introduce aquatic plants, they draw nutrients (nitrates and phosphates) directly from the water and also the soil-if the plants are potted. These nutrients, combined with sunlight, cause the plants to grow and release oxygen into the water in a process known as photosynthesis. When fish are introduced, they consume the oxygen produced by the plants. To some measure, the fish rely on the plants as a source of food, and so keep excessive growth of the plants in check. In turn, the fish provide nutrients (carbon dioxide through breathing and nitrogen from fish wastes) to promote plant growth. Surface plants such as water lilies also benefit fish by providing shade during the hot summer months and controlling the water temperature. Plants give fish a place to hide from other fish, cats, raccoons, birds, and other predators. For their part, fish help control populations of plant-eating insects. Scavengers such as snails and tadpoles also help balance the pond by consuming excess fish food, algae, and organic debris. When the numbers of fish and plants in the pond are stabilized (not too many of one or the other), the pond is in biological balance. The reason balanced ponds are relatively clear is because the plants and fish in tandem help control the algae growth that can turn the water cloudy.

Controlling Algae When you first add water to your pond or Water Fountain, it will be crystal clear. After a few days, however, the water will turn murky, taking on a greenish tinge. This is caused by microscopic single-celled free-floating algae. Unless you take measures to control these creatures, you will end up with pea soup.

Starting the Process To achieve an initial balance in a new pond, follow these procedures:

Testing the Water When you first fill the pond with water, it may contain chemical and mineral pollutants that are toxic to fish and plants. The chemicals include chlorine, chlorine dioxide, chloramines, ammonia, and others present in tap water. Also included are various pollutants from pond-building materials, and poison­ous chemicals that may have been washed or blown into the water from outside sources. Free chlorine in tap water usually dissipates after the water has stood for a few days. Other chemicals, such as a combi­nation of chlorine and ammonia, take much longer to break down.  Before introducing plants or fish to the pond, test the water. After filling the pond, wait at least one week before testing. You can detect the presence of most toxic substances in water by testing for pH, ammonia, chloramines, nitrites, and water hardness. The pH is a measure of acidity or alkalinity. The scale ranges from 0 (highly acid) to 14 (highly alkaline), with 7 being neutral (indicating pure water). Healthy pond water ranges in pH from 6.5 to 8.5 Water-testing kits are available to test one or all of the conditions above. You can buy these kits at pet shops, garden suppliers, and pond dealers. Or you can order them from water-garden catalogs. The kit instructions usually tell you which water conditioners to use to correct the problem. Some pond dealers and pet shops also provide compre­hensive water-testing services, and can advise you on proper treatment.

Correcting Water Conditions A variety of water-conditioning treat­ments are available to balance the pH and remove toxic substances from ponds. But you should use them only if tests indicate that they are needed.  Test the water for pH and presence of chlorine, ammonia, and other toxic substances. Simple tests kits for monitoring water quality are available at pet shops and water garden suppliers or your favorite online dealer.  If necessary add a water conditioner to remove chlorine and other harmful chemicals in the water. Follow label directions. If algae is present, treat the water with algaecide. Remove leaves and other debris from the pond with a leaf skimmer.
There are some great fountain care products that will work in outdoor fountains and ponds that are safe for fish and wildlife. Some recommendations are Care Free Enzymes and Fountain Fresh. It will also help control algae if you keep the water moving in your pond with a pond aerator.

About the Author

Amber Liddell is resource for the website Serenityhealth.com, your one stop shop for any type of water fountains and water fountain information. You will find many outdoor fountains for your garden, wall fountains, tabletop fountains and even custom fountains. Visit Serenityhealth.com or call to talk to one of our water fountain experts.

water fountain for cat?

just purchased a petmate deluxe freeflow water fountain and was wondering do you keep the water pump on continuesly or shut it off at nite ? and how often do you change the water in it ? thank you very much !!!!!!

Leave the pump running all night it wont hurt it at all. I have a water fountain for my cats and they just love it. If you have a filter for your water fountain your water does not have to be change daily. Just keep on refilling it with water when it needs it. Then put a new filter in about every 3-4 weeks if you have one.

Handmade Ceramic Cat Water Fountain with pump $118.00

Via Aqua 80 Submersible Water Pump Cat Bowl Fountain $11.99

Via Aqua VA 80 Water Pump Cat / Dog Water Bowl Fountain $9.95

Pump (#33517) for Animate Pet Fountain $16.95 Replacement pump for the the number 335 Cat Mate Pet Fountain. This is a replacement unit not a full fountain....

Super Cat Ferry

Bodybuilding Nutrition - How Does A Super Combo Diet Sound?

Let us ferry first to the Tropics for basic build up and bodybuilding nutrition. You are sitting in the middle of 45,000 acres of jungle woodland, littered with teeming plant life, perhaps a multitude of shimmering pot-herbs, vile ivy-like creeping albizzas, exotic magic mushrooms waiting to be evacuated and robust pomegranates, Umeboshi plums twinkling with decadent aroma. How to discover and arrange permutations of this bounty for healthy muscle gain, a life-time of freaky big muscles plus most importantly, a top of the feeling balance of the mind? How is this the business of the conscious grocery picker in Manitoba?

In the following sections, we will be having a 3 step-by-step discussion of how to catch the wind in your diet, put on fine and calming nerves during your workouts, produce terrific anti-bodies and maintain a healthy balance of body P.H.

The first step would be to set apart the functional qualities in say your vegan diet from its mere nutritional value. This is to isolate in your diet functions which server more than a mere supply of the basic ingredients of what you need to efficiently drive your metabolism. To include functional foods in your diet would mean to include foods that target specific functions in the body.

A functional food may also be one from which components have been removed, such as harmful saturated fatty acids. For instance, beneficial organic compounds produced almost exclusively by members of the Leguminosae (bean) family can now be extracted from Soya and added to products designed to help reduce osteoporosis (a bone disease) and as well promote cardiovascular health.

Same for some commercially produced extracts of garlic bulb which specifically promotes the build up of healthy fats and promotes circulation of blood to the muscles and the brain. Also, some specialty teas such as roobios (Aspalathus Linearis) and honeybush (Cyclopia Intermedia), two tea species widely grown in South Africa are rich in antioxidant flavonoids-substances which boost immunity to allergies, viruses and cancer.

Put in a more straightforward manner, in a single meal of periwinkles ( a miniature kind of clam) gathered from the littoral waters of the Atlantic coasts of West Africa, one could crave its meaty juice for their rich protein content while adoring the chitin enriching flakes made from the shell. Chitin specifically enhances muscular agility and superb nervous co-ordination so that you can fly like a butterfly, sting like a bee and prance with the awesome lithe agility of a Manx cat. Well, the meaty juice of the periwinkle, all good for the packs but the chitin richness of the shell, good for those exclusive Harta Yoga stunts.

The second step would be to access the psycho-pharmacological value of your diet, which also serves different purposes other than the functional value of your diet. Staying in a strong capable body also involves cultivating stable and balanced mental and emotional environments.

The Ayurverdic nutritionist tradition of the Indian civilization holds that food beyond supplying you with the calories, vitamins and proteins, should enhance your bouyant humors states of well being. Your buoyant humors would reflect in your sense of timing during a workout, how effortlessly you are able to satisfy the mental demands of physical exercises, a state of relaxation as you relate with your partner(s) and the exuberance of the emotional colors or vibrations you exude during these moments.

In the Ayurverdic nutritionist tradition of Indian Civilization, vegetarian diets like that of the Soma plant supply you with the "Tapas": motivating immeasurable bouts of energy that allow you to accomplish your tasks while at the same time giving you etheogenous radiance.

The third and final step we will be discussing as so to do with incorporating some degree of body PH measurement into your diet. The basic head on this has to do with shifting your body's PH towards the Alkaline. The PH scale is from 0 to 14, with numbers ranging from 0 to 7 acidic (low in oxygen) and numbers above 7 and through to 14 alkaline. Acidic bodies are sickness magnets.

While there are no strict rules as to combining acidic foods and alkaline foods, it is advisable that a great percentage of the food one consumes should come from the alkalines. I will run a cute list of some acidic and alkaline foods though it is by no means exhaustive.

Alkalizing Vegetables: Alfalfa, barley grass, beets, beet greens, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, chard greens, chlorella, collard greens, egg plant.

Acidic Vegetables: Corn, lentils, olives, winter squash.

Alkalizing Fruits: Apple, apricot, avocado, banana, blackberries, cantaloupe, dried dates.

Acidic Fruits: Cranberries, currant, blueberries, canned or glazed fruit

Alkalizing Proteins: Almonds, chestnuts, millet, tempeh (fermented), Tofu (fermented).

Acidic Proteins:Bacon, beef, carp, clams, cod, fish, haddock, lamb, lobster.

Bodybuilding nutrition such as getting a correct proportion of alkaline foods that suits your body's needs is important to maintaining a healthy bodybuilding lifestyle. So remember, arrange your diet for a super combo mix of functionality, psycho-pharmacological values and a healthy PH balance.

Copyright 2008, Masszymes Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Join and tens of thousands of dedicated natural bodybuilders on the quest to achieving freaky big gains without steroids. Go to
http://bodybuilding.freakygrowth.com
and you'll learn some amazing secrets about bodybuilding, muscle-building supplementation, bodybuilding and much more. Take action NOW!

Bed Small Olive

Dan Lipsky Shares Easy Green Tips for Dorms or Small Spaces

Shared By Dan Lipsky

It seems that almost everyone is trying to do something to help the environment these days. Whether you are taking online classes to reduce the number of papers generated and to eliminate commute time or are trying to find ways to live greener, there is something you can do-even while living in a dorm. Take a look at the following tips to learn what you can do to green your dorm life.

Decorating and Furnishing

Your dorm room is a reflection of your personality, so how it looks is important to many people. Learn how you can decorate and furnish your dorm room so that it looks great and is good for the environment.

1. Live plants. Unless it is against your dorm rules, invest in a few live plants for your dorm room. Not only will it add a personal touch, but plants are a great way to improve indoor air quality.
2. Go used. While the shiny new stuff at the big box stores looks enticing, it is so much better to go retro and get used stuff instead. Visit a thrift shop or check out craigslist to see what is available.
3. Buy locally. Don't mess with shipping or otherwise transporting a ton of stuff from your parents' house to your dorm. Instead, buy locally to save on the transportation to and from each dorm move.
4. Get it free. Check out listings such as Freecycle or Freesharing that provide free classifieds full of stuff people don't want anymore.
5. Recycled furniture. Get creative with your furniture and use recycled parts to make awesome, unique furniture. One idea is to place an old door across two file cabinets for an instant desk.
6. Photos. Decorate your walls with personal photos. Either tack them up on their own or create easy and fun frames out of anything from tin cans to leather belts.
7. Bulletin board. Make a bulletin board out of old wine corks for a one-of-a-kind board that costs almost nothing and keeps corks out of the landfill.
8. Organic bedding. Find sheets, blankets, and pillows that are organic when purchasing bedding for your dorm room.
9. Convert a halogen torchiere lamp. A simple conversion can turn a hot halogen lamp into a cool, green compact florescent one that looks great too.
10. Love your small space. Dorm life means you have limited space. Use this situation to practice reducing waste and curbing consumerism. You'll find your space is not only cleaner, but you are living greener.

Conservation

These tips offer great ways to conserve energy and water in your dorm.

11. Hang dry clothes. Not all your clothes need to be dried in a dryer. In fact, some clothes actually do better when not dried that way. Buy a sturdy drying rack and use it for drying t-shirts, cotton and linen clothes, and lingerie.
12. Cold water. Wash laundry in cold water to save on the energy needed to heat water. Unless you have stubborn stains or odors, cold water will get your clothes clean. Cold water also preserves the life of your clothes so they last longer.
13. Full load of laundry. Throwing a blouse or a pair of pants alone into the wash is a waste of water, energy, and detergent. Make sure you are running a full load of laundry each time you use the washing machine.
14. No air conditioning. If you can, try to get by without air conditioning. If this isn't possible, turn down the A/C while you're away instead of turning it all the way off. It will take less energy to get it back up to a comfortable temperature.
15. Energy-efficient refrigerator. Refrigerators run constantly and require lots of energy to stay cool. Be sure the refrigerator you purchase for your dorm room is energy efficient.
16. Showers. Save both water and energy when you take shorter showers.
17. Report leaks. Immediately report any leaks such as dripping toilet, sink or shower to maintenance. A leak can waste incredible amounts of water in a short time.
18. Water off. Don't keep the water running while brushing your teeth or shaving. Instead, turn off the water until you need it again.
19. Power strips. Connect all your electronic devices to power strips, then turn everything off with the flip of a switch when you are not in your room.
20. Sleep computers. Use less energy to power your computer by putting your computer in sleep mode after 15 minutes and turning it off at night.
21. Light bulbs. Whenever possible, switch the light bulbs in your room to energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs.
22. Natural light. If you get natural light from your windows, make sure your overhead lights are turned off whenever possible.

Personal Care Products

While making your own toothpaste and hair conditioner might not appeal to everyone, these tips are great ways to save the environment by eliminating packaging, transportation, and harmful chemicals.

23. No dryer sheets. If you want your laundry to smell fresh without the chemicals of the dryer sheets, put a few drops of an essential oil on a wash cloth and throw it in with your clothes.
24. Cleaning products. Clean your dorm with simple and all natural products such as baking soda, vinegar, tea tree oil, or lemon juice.
25. Dusting. Use an old piece of clothing or old towel to dust. Instead of one-time-use dusting clothes full of chemicals, these reusable rags can easily be thrown in the laundry with your clothes. If you miss your furniture polish in a can, try a natural version using olive oil instead.
26. Toothpaste. Skip the tube of toothpaste that uses manufacturing, packaging, and transportation to your store and use homemade toothpaste with baking soda and water.
27. Body scrub. Make a simple, yet luxurious, body scrub with just a bit of oil, sugar or salt, and a few drops of essential oil for scent.
28. Shampoo. No matter what hair type you have, there is a recipe for eco-friendly shampoo you can easily make right in your dorm room.
29. Hair conditioner. Another way to save on packaging and manufacturing is to make your own hair conditioner with simple ingredients such as eggs, avocado, honey, or yogurt.
30. Facials. For the ultimate in pampering, make your own facial scrubs that are also earth-friendly.
31. Mouth wash. Make your own eco-friendly mouthwash using herbs, mineral water, and essential oils.

Purchasing, Preparing, Disposing of Food

From buying organic food to spearheading a community garden for the whole dorm, these tips will have your dorm eating green in no time.

32. Crock pot. For simple cooking in your dorm room that uses very little electricity, try a crock pot.
33. Organic. You can be even greener by purchasing organic foods to cook in your crock pot.
34. Buy in bulk. Bulk products usually have less packaging material and cost less. Even better, split up the bulk products with other students and share costs.
35. Drink tap water. Bottled water not only requires manufacturing of the plastic bottle, but shipping that sometimes takes those bottles from half way around the world.
36. Water bottle. Use a reusable water bottle for that tap water you will be drinking instead of paper or styrofoam.
37. Purchase locally. Purchase from local grocery stores. If the local stores don't have a location within walking distance, ask them to consider a campus-accessible store.
38. Skip the packaging. Some stores already have stopped packaging their produce. Try foregoing the produce bag and take a reusable produce bag for those times when you really need one.
39. Whole foods. Whole foods are those not processed that come straight from the source. These foods require less manufacturing and don't have lots of added chemicals.
40. Eat locally. When you choose locally grown food, you are cutting out tons of transportation and handling that may harm the environment.
41. Community garden. Put your leadership skills to work and organize a community garden at your dorm. The food grown in the garden can be supplied to the dining hall.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Follow these tips to reduce, reuse, and recycle around your dorm.

42. Compost. Create a compost for food scraps for the dining hall and the dorm. The compost generated from this project can be used in a community garden or donated to a local charity.
43. Community board. Set up a community board for your dorm that facilitates swapping items so that used furniture, clothes, and gadgets don't end up in the landfill.
44. Recycling bin. If your dorm doesn't have a recycling program, set up one complete with bins throughout the dorm and a way to get the recycling picked up or delivered to a recycling center.
45. Batteries. Old batteries that go to landfills leak dangerous chemicals into the soil, so set up a collection bin in the dorm and take them to a recycling center instead.
46. Cartridges. Used ink jet cartridges are also harmful for landfills. Put a recycling bin next to the battery bin so you can collect cartridges to be refilled and reused.
47. Rain water. If your dorm doesn't have a rain water collection system, work with the school to start one. They are simple to install and provide free water for your community garden or any other landscape usage.
48. Recycled paper. When purchasing paper for your schoolwork, make sure it is recycled. Also, when you are finished with the paper, put it in the recycling bin.
49. Bags. Take reusable bags with you to the store. If you forget and end up with plastic or paper bags, reuse them in creative ways.
50. Rechargeable batteries. Whenever possible, select rechargeable batteries in your electronic devices. This reduces the number of batteries that need to be recycled or might make their way to the landfill.

Shared By Dan Lipsky

About the Author

Dan Lipksy

Was this healthy? is it a lot of food? too much?

breakfast: small amount of bran flakes with rasions and apple pieces and i cut up a bannana in it, with semi skimmed milk (cant have dry cereal)
150ml orange juice freshly squeezed (wakes me up)

Sounds okay to me but we don't know portion size. If you are recovering maybe you don't wanna count calories but you should maybe add it up every once in a while to make sure you are not vastly undereating. There is like no chance you are over-eating.

Sounds almost perfect. Remember to make sure you are getting complete protein, no non-meat can do it on it's own so... Not telling you to eat meat, but to eat 2 types of protein.

"Good Dog" Logo Round Pet Bed Olive Green Small $120.00

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My Good Dog Olive/Gray Small Summer Crate Dog Bed Hear that panting? Okay, so it means your dog is hot, but what are you going to do about it? My Good Dog Summer Creat Bed uses Dryz Intellitemp technology combined with Sheehan's Etcetera to dissipate both heat and moisture keeping Fido as cool and dry as possible. Anti-microbial materials attack odor-causing bacteria. Sleep well my good dog....

Comfort Research Twill Olive Drab Small 36W x 36D x 32 High Fuf Foam Filled Poof Foof Frameless Chair $298.00 What`s a Fuf Chair? Well its definitely not your parent`s bean bag. Instead, the aptly named Fuf Chair is the original patented U.S. made frameless foam filled chair. At first glance the Fuf Chair appears to be a bean bag chair. But nothing could be further from the truth. Take a seat & odds are you`ll stay there for a long, long time ... talk about comfortable furniture! The difference between a ...

Comfort Research Twill Olive Drab CUBE BEAN BAG 16W x 16D x 16 High Frameless Chair $108.00 Comfort Research has applied all of their creative talents to bring new and innovative colors, fabrics, and products to their lineup. All Comfort Research bean bags ship for free. In addition to their famous Fuf line, Comfort Research has introduced a new line of Bean Bags, filled with traditional polystyrene bean bag filler. If you are looking for a high quality bean bag to make your living room,...

Comfort Research Twill Olive Drab CUBE BEAN BAG 16W x 16D x 16 High Frameless Chair $108.00 Comfort Research has applied all of their creative talents to bring new and innovative colors, fabrics, and products to their lineup. All Comfort Research bean bags ship for free. In addition to their famous Fuf line, Comfort Research has introduced a new line of Bean Bags, filled with traditional polystyrene bean bag filler. If you are looking for a high quality bean bag to make your living room,...

bebe Camo Flip Flop You're ready for any adventure in these fun flip flops with a camouflage printed foot bed. Rubber straps with rhinestones spell "SPORT" on left foot, "BEBE" on right. Textured sole provides traction. XS=5, S=6, M=7/8, L=9/10....

If you don't talk to your cat about catnip, someone else will Men's tee Shirt in 12 colors Small thru 6XL ...

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Cat Hdr

Do you think she is adorable?

I am getting her tomorrow

Adorable is a word that is meant to be for her ! ))

What breed is my cat?

I guess my cat is an American Shorthair but I'm unsure of his breed. His name is Tiger and he's 11 or 12 now.

He doesn't look like an American Shorthair - they have a shorter and rounder face. Like 97% of the cats on this planet he doesn't appear to be any breed. His colour is Brown Classic Tabby.

FYI Jesse M - that's a rather harsh thing to say about shelters. Not all of them are run by people that know nothing about cat breeds. In fact, some are run by people that were once breeders. And yes, many do put a "breed" even if they don't have any proof that the cat is any breed. But most of them DON'T - including all the shelters that I've volunteered with over the last two decades. If a cat is an obvious breed - like a Persian or Exotic Shorthair (a bit hard to fake a flat face!) or if it's been surrendered to us by someone that bought it from a breeder then we put that breed on the card. Otherwise it's usually just "Breed Unknown" or "Mix".

I think the reason some shelters put a breed even when they're not sure is sadly people are so "label conscious". As you'll see on here so many are asking about their cats that are obviously no particular breed "What breed is he?" And if a shelter puts "Persian" or "Persian mix" the cat just may end up adopted quicker because it's got that "label".

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The Watcher [HD DVD] $0.01 James Spader stars as Joel Campbell, a former detective traumatized by the death of his lover at the hands of a serial killer he'd been hunting--a psychopath who has taken their combative relationship a little too personally, and has now tracked the retired Campbell down in Chicago. The killer, who methodically studies his victims before killing them, starts sending Campbell photographs of prospec...

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Atlona HDMI CAT5 Receiver to be used with AT-HD19SS and AT-HD50SS (Receiver Only) $132.62 Atlona HDMI CAT5 Receiver to be used with AT-HD19SS or AT-HD50SS. Model: AT-HDRS The Atlona AT-HDRS is an HDMI over single Cat5 receiver unit which is designed to work with 1x9 HDMI Splitter (Model: AT-HD19SS) or HDMI Transmitter (AT-HD50SS). The AT-HDRS is capable of extending high resolution video and audio from the 1x9 HDMI splitter up to 1080i @ 200ft and 1080p @ 110ft over single Cat5 or Cat...

Cat Embroidery Kit

Have Great Fun Teaching your Child How to Cross Stitch

Cross stitching is a great hobby for children. It can help to develop hand to eye coordination, shape and colour recognition, as well as encourage cooperative behavior, patience and creativity. Most of all, it can be good fun for you and your child -- an interest to share together, and become a hobby that your child can enjoy without an adult being present, and a passion for life!

The first experience of cross stitching is important. You'll want this to be a happy experience for both of you. If it isn't, the child may be reluctant to start again. Children usually want to see fast results, and especially to finish their first sessions on a positive and successful note.

Let your child choose a simple design, perhaps a favourite animal or character that contains only two or three colours, and in whole stitches only. As for fabric, tiny hands may have difficulty with aida or evenweave, so you may want to consider using plastic canvas or 6-count Binca. As your child becomes more experienced, 11- and 14- count fabrics will be the next step.

You'll also need to provide appropriately sized needles. A size 22 tapestry needle will do the job very well. An easier option is to choose a kit designed and manufactured for children (see below). Choosing a kit together can create a lot of pleasure and anticipation for the project ahead.

Gentle supervision will be necessary during the child's first attempts. Make sure the child washes hands carefully before stitching begins. In the early days eating must be discouraged, as anyone who has tried to remove melted chocolate from fabric will testify.

Arrange things so that all items are within easy reach. The child must also appreciate the need to keep track of the needle and scissors, as these are potentially dangerous items to lose. You can stress the importance of returning the scissors to its special place, perhaps in the middle of the table.

Sessions should be short enough to keep the child's attention and enthusiasm, but long enough to achieve some sort of noticeable progress. Starting the first stitches can be the most difficult part of the project, and it's advisable to help your child by starting off the stitching yourself, anchoring the thread carefully at the back. It's probably unnecessary to give too much information at first, but there are certain tips that can help your child enjoy stitching.

You may decide to let your child practise the basic cross-stitch on a piece of scrap material before attempting the real thing. You'll need to explain and demonstrate that the square in the fabric matches the square in the design. You can also demonstrate allowing the needle to dangle and spin around, at regular intervals so that the thread untwists itself.

You may also encourage making each stitch in the same way, so that the top legs of the stitches go in the same direction. It's also a good idea for children to complete each stitch before attempting the next one. The child can then see the picture growing in a satisfying way.

As with all new tasks, children learn best by having their efforts praised at regular intervals (don't we all?). Stitching must be fun rather than being a test, a chore or a battle of wits. It's rewarding for the child to finish the piece, rather than have you take over, even if this means that you may do some of the more difficult parts of the design and leave the last, easier stitches for the child to complete.

The finished article should be commented on in positive terms by all the family, and you could consider ironing the piece and then placing it in a frame and displaying it so that everyone can be reminded of the achievement. As well as giving the child added confidence, this can also mean that the next project will be eagerly anticipated.

Kits for children can be bought in the UK from:

Crafts Unlimited Link to: http://www.crafts-unlimited.co.uk/system/index.html

The Coleshill Collection Link to: http://www.coleshillcollection.co.uk/shop.asp?mode=cat&item=17

Chunky cross stitch for children by Pako Link to: http://www.sewandso.co.uk/ran1768-0.html

About the Author

John Wigham has been a professional author and editor for 20 years and is a co-founder of http://www.patternspatch.com an online cross stitch club dedicated to counted cross stitch. The website has a small team of writers who are devoted to our cross stitch club and enjoy writing about their hobby.

Feline Love Counted Cross Stitch Kit $7.83 These delightful kitties are plumb tuckered out. Stitched on 18 count ivory Aida, this design features Cross and Half Cross Stitch to create wonderful shading and a realistic effect. Kit contains fabric, thread, needle and instructions. Frame/mat not included. Size: 7" x 5"....

Favorite Pony Mini Counted Cross Stitch Kit - 5X7 $5.51 DIMENSIONS-Mini-Favorite Pony. Counted Cross Stitch. Kit contains: cotton thread 14 count black Aida needle and easy instructions. Finished size: 5x7....

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