What are rights?



All children should have food to eat, a safe place to live, good medical care, and an education. These are called rights. A family helps protect its children’s rights.



The biggest “family” in the world is the United Nations, or UN for short. The UN makes rules to protect the rights of everyone in the world’s family. If people somewhere are being mistreated or denied food, safety, shelter, or freedom, the UN can step in to help them.



The UN members include nearly every country in the world. At the UN headquarters in New York City, leaders from those countries work together to keep peace in the world.



The world family plays together too. Athletes from around the world compete in sports at the Olympic Games every two years. The winter games happen one year, and then, two years later, it’s time for the summer games.



The world is filled with different races, different religions, and different ways of life. When the different people get together to solve problems or play sports, they learn to respect each other, help each other, and be friends.



 



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Why should we help the homeless?



Your home may be a palace, a flat, a farmhouse, a houseboat, or a mobile home. It is the place where you feel safe, warm, and loved.



But not everyone has a home. Millions of people in the world are homeless. They live in the open and sleep under bridges, in refugee camps, even in open fields.



Sometimes, people lose their homes. Natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes can wipe out entire neighbourhoods or villages and leave many families homeless.



People also lose their homes when they flee from a war or when they are starving and must find food elsewhere. Some people become homeless because they can’t find work or low-cost place to live.



Children whose families are homeless must sometimes spend their childhood working, rather than playing games or going to school.



Fortunately, many people help the homeless. When there are natural disasters, people and groups from all over the world send money, food, and medical supplies. Governments often help people who must flee a war.



Cities have shelters where people can sleep and be safe. Charities provide meals and warm clothes. Some groups build houses for the homeless, and others offer job training.



Ask a grown-up what you can do to help the homeless in your community.



 



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Who are leaders?



At school, it’s the head master. On a cricket team, it’s the captain. In an army, it’s the general. These people are leaders and it’s their job to run things.



Countries are run by leaders too. Different countries have different kinds of leaders.



Some leaders are elected by the people of the country. That means the people vote for their leader. They elect a president, prime minister, or premier. Canada, France, India, Mexico, South Africa and the U.S.A. all have elected leaders.



In some countries, the leader is a king or queen. Kings and queens are chosen by the people. They are members of the country’s royal family. When the king or queen dies, another royal family member takes over. Saudi Arabia, Brunei, and Swaziland have ruling kings.



Some countries have both a king or queen and an elected leader. The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom have queens or kings, but the real leaders of these countries are prime ministers elected by the people.



Some countries have leaders who are chosen – or who choose themselves – for life. Only when they die will a new leader take charge.



 



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What is team work?



In a tug of war, many little children pulling together can win the game. They might even drag a grown-up through the mud!



The people on a rowing team must work together, too. If the rowers all pulled their oars when they felt like it, the boat would never get anywhere, much less win a race.



Rowing teams – like many other teams – have a leader. A rowing-team leader is called a coxswain. The coxswain steers the boat and call out the timing to the closest rower. This rower sets the pace so that all the rowers pull at the same time.



People often work together to get a job done. Most of the time, they choose a leader. Then they decide on a plan of action. The leader directs the work of the group and makes sure each person does part of the work.



 



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How do kids take care of pet animals?



Water buffaloes really do love water. In Asia, people use these huge animals to plough fields and rice paddies. Buffaloes are work animals, not pets. Still, children enjoy caring for them – especially when it’s bath time!



After working hard in the sun, buffaloes need a rest. During the hottest part of the day, children ride them to the nearest lake or river. Here, the buffaloes sink happily into the water. They love to wallow in the soft, cool mud with only their eyes and noses showing. The children splash and swim around while the animals cool off. Then, they give the buffaloes a good scrub. After such a nice break, the buffaloes are ready to go on with the day’s work.



Inuit children in Northern Canada help train sled dogs. At stables in the United Kingdom, children may groom horses. On farms around the world, children feed chickens and ducks.



Do you walk your dog or feed your cat? Do you fill the feeder for the birds outside? If you do, you’re helping animals too.



It’s fun to take care of animals – whether they are work animals, pets, or wildlife near our homes.



 



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What does work sharing mean?



Sharing the work means sharing the fun.



People don’t just follow laws and rules. They have responsibilities or jobs, too. By doing these jobs, they help each other and themselves.



In some families, adults and children work side every day, planting, tending and harvesting crops in the fields. In other families, everyone helps sell goods in a small shop or on the street.



Families do different kinds of work in different places. But in every family, grown-ups and children help one another. When everybody helps, the work gets done more quickly. And everyone can share pride in a job well done.



Most children have jobs to do at home, too. Some take out the rubbish or recycling material, put away the laundry or feed the family pet. Some children help take care of their younger brother and sisters. Maybe you lay the table or wash the dishes.



As you do your share of the family’s work, you are learning to be responsible and to help others. What jobs, or responsibilities, do you have at home?



 



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What are laws?



Every family has rules. Some rules are made by parents and children together. Other rules are made by the parents alone. Once they are set, family rules must be followed.



Rules help the members of a family live happily together. If you break a family rule, what happens? Maybe you have to do extra work as punishment. Maybe you are “grounded” for a while.



Laws are the rules that help the people in a community – or a whole country – live peacefully together. The laws of a town, country, or tribe must be obeyed by all of the people there.



Who makes the laws? In a tribe, it may be the chief and a council of tribal members. In some small towns, most or all of the adults gather together to make laws. In large cities and countries, a few people make the laws for everyone.



What laws do you know? Do you have a favourite law? What law would you make if you were a leader in your community?



Laws affect everyone – even family pets. If you are a pet owner, find out what the local laws are for cats, dogs, horses or other animals you have. For example, some places have a lead law, which means you must walk your dog on a lead. Are registration tags needed? What injections are required? Can you keep a wild animal in your garden?



You may also want to ask a police officer about your local bicycle laws. Does your bike need to be registered? What lights, reflectors, and bells or horns does it need? Are riders required to wear helmets?



 



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What is Etiquette?



Do you like when people: Let you finish what you are saying? Hold a door open for you? Help you carry a heavy load? Let you join their game?



The word etiquette comes from a French word meaning “ticket”. King Louis XIV posted “tickets” telling people at his palace what to wear and what to do each day.



The first known guide to etiquette was written by a government official in ancient Egypt around 2400 B.C.



Children learn from grown-ups, such as parents and teachers, wherever they go. They learn how to behave at dinner, in school, and in different situations. For example, they learn to sit up straight. They learn to use a serviette when eating. Why do you think it’s good manners not to talk with food in your mouth?



It is almost proper etiquette to say “please” when you ask for something or need help. For example, if you ask a librarian for help finding a book, you say “please”.



When you receive something, you say “thank you” to show you appreciate what you got. It also is good manners to thank people for giving you information.



When you say “excuse me” or “I’m sorry”, you’re telling those near you that you didn’t mean any harm or that you didn’t do something on purpose. For example, when you get off a crowded lift or bus, you say “I’m sorry” if you bump into someone.



Etiquette can be tricky. Sometimes, what is polite in one country might be rude in another. In Japan, you should take off your shoes when you enter a house. In many other parts of the world, guests ususally keep their shoes on.



A tricky part of good manners includes changing your speech to fit the occasion. It would be silly and not very helpful to call, “Excuse me, please, but I’ll catch that for you” when you are playing a ball game. By the time you finished talking, the ball would be on the ground! Ball-playing etiquette requirs you to say, quickly and clearly, “Mine!” when you are catching a flying ball.



What’s the right thing to do? If you don’t know, ask someone. One way to get it “right” most of the time is to act the way you would like others to behave.



 



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How do we all get along?



More than 7 billion people call our planet home. There are thousands of different languages and many different religions. In a world so full of people and ideas, how do we all get along?



Friends and neighbours have customs that tell them how to behave. Customs are the “manner” of a country or group of people.



Families and schools have rules about how people should treat one another. The rules spell out what is fair at all.



Countries have laws that tell people what they can and cannot do. Laws show us how to treat other people and our planet with respect.



How should you treat someone from another country? Follow the laws and the rules where you are and respect the local customs. When everyone works together, people get along.



 



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What is the importance of newspaper?



“Read all about it!” the newspaper seller cries. He knows people want the latest news.



What happened yesterday? Who won the big match? Will it rain tomorrow? People everywhere are curious about events both near and far.



Most people buy newspapers to read at home or while on a train or bus. In some places, newspapers are pinned up on walls so people passing by can read the news. People who can’t read listen as others read the newspaper out loud.



Some newspapers present news on events happening all over the world. Other newspapers print stories about only one neighbourhood or area.



Millions of newspapers are printed every day throughout the world. Nearly every country has at least one daily paper. In many big countries, hundreds of different newspapers are printed and read every day.



Some newspapers have many pages and are printed on huge printing presses. Other newspapers have only a single page and are printed on small copying machines. Some little newspapers are even written by hand.



You can get up-to-the-minute news of the world at the flip of a switch. Electronic machines such as televisions, radios, telephones, mobile phones, and computers put the news at your fingertips.



You can even watch news as it happens, all around the world. Television signals bounce off objects called artificial satellites out in space. The satellites send TV broadcasts from station to station, anywhere on Earth.



Telephone conversations bounce off space satellites or travel through cables lying on the ocean floor so that people can opposite sides of the world can talk to each other.



Using a computer with a modem, a part that connects to phone wires, you can get news from the World Wide Web on the Internet. And you can send and receive news using e-mail.



You can also connect to the Internet without wires, with certain kinds of mobile phones or portable computers. These devices use radio waves to make the connection.



People can send letters, computer files, and other kinds of information from one computer to another using electronic mail or e-mail.



For up-to-the-minute news any time of day or night, people turn on their computers. On the World Wide Web, part of the Internet, electronic newspapers keep people up on the very latest news.



 



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What are picture signs?



Today, a plane can take you quickly to any place in the world. But, what if you don’t speak the language of the people there? Don’t worry. Countries around the world use picture signs.



In Afghanistan, some roads are for cars and trucks and others are for camels and donkeys. Drivers from other countries can tell which road is which by picture signs. Almost anyone can understand where to go.



Signs with simple drawings of cars, people, and objects instead of words are easy to “read” even if you can’t read at all.



You read picture signs every day. What do a fork, knife, and spoon on a road sign mean? What does a bed on a sign mean? Have you seen animal-crossing signs for deer, horses, or cows? What is the symbol for a school crossing? How do signs say “School Zone,” or “Deer Crossing”? What signs tell you that toilets and telephones are nearby? Do you know the sign for a playground? The sign for a library?



 



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What are Native American hand signs?



For many years, Native American tribes with different languages used hand signs to talk and trade together. Try them by yourself or with a friend!



“Father” – Touch the right side of your chest several times with your right fist.



“Mother” – Touch the left side of your chest several times with your right fist.



“I” – Point to yourself with your right thumb. For the sign “You”, point to the other person with your right thumb.



“Thank you” – Hold your hands chest high, palms facing out. Push your hands slowly toward the person you wish to thank, letting your hands curve downward.



“Bird” – Hold your hands at your shoulders. Move your hands up and down, like the flapping of a bird’s wings.



 



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What are hand signs?



Baseball teams in the U.S.A. have their own secret hand signs. A coach on the sideline may touch his hat, pat his knee, or rub his nose to send a message to a player on the field.



People who are deaf use sign language every day. They use their hands and faces to make signs that stand for words or ideas. They also spell out words by shaping letters with their fingers.



You probably already know a few signs yourself. How do you say “Good-bye,” “Okay,” and “Stop!” without making a sound? What other signs do you use or see?



People who are, deaf and blind can learn to feel what people say if words are finger-spelled into their hands.



 



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What is body language?



Every day, you use your arms and hands and head or other parts of your body to help you say things. Sometimes your actions say things almost better than words can.



In school, you raise your hand. This tells the teacher you are asking for a turn to speak. When riding a bicycle, you let others know you are going to turn by signalling with your arm. Once in a while, you might shrug your shoulders to tell someone, “I don’t know,” or “Hmmm, maybe”.



Babies “speak” almost from birth. They frown, laugh and snuggle. Their mothers and fathers respond to every “word”.



Everyone around the world uses body languages to speak. We all greet a friend with a smile, and we all frown or cry when we are sad. But be careful! Some body language means different things in different places.



Did you stick out your tongue? In Tibet, you’re saying, “I respect you”. In Western countries, you’re saying just the opposite!



Did you tap your forehead? In the U.S.A., you are saying “smart”. In the Netherlands, you are saying “crazy”.



Did someone tell you “Shhh”? In Australia, you need to be quiet. In Germany, you’d better “hurry up”.



Did you nod your head, then shake your head? In most countries, you said “Yes”, then “No”. In Bulgaria, you said “No”, then “Yes”.



Saying good-bye? Wave to the English with your palm facing out, fingers waving. Wave to Italians or Peruvians with your palm facing in.



Are you making a circle with your forefingers and thumb? In most countries, that means “Okay!” In France, it means “It’s worthless”. In Greece and Italy, it’s an insult.



Want to point to something? In most countries, you use your finger. In Thailand, you use your chin.



A pinch on the cheek is a friendly greeting and a sign of affection in some parts of Eastern Europe.



 



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What are the different ways to say hello?



How many different ways can you say hello? Here are seven different ways. Try them!




  • In French, you say Bon jour

  • In Portuguese, you say Ola

  • In Turkish, you say Merhaba

  • In Vietnamese, you say Xin Chao

  • In Spanish, you say Hola

  • In Lithuanian, you say Labas

  • In Swahili, you say Jambo



Now, how do you “see” hello? It depends on who’s writing it! Try copying some of these friendly written greetings from around the world.



Do you want to learn more words in another language? Find a radio station or TV channel on which people are speaking another language. Listen for a while. See if you can work out what some of the words mean. Practise saying them. Or read product labels and public signs that include your language and another language. Compare the words and see how much you can understand.



 



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