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Bruce Weinstein, Ph.D., the author of “Is It Still Cheating If I Don’t Get Caught?” left a comment on today’s post, and it’s something you all should read — so here it is:

Thank you so much for mentioning my book, “Is It Still Cheating If I Don’t Get Caught?” Your readers may order it from my website, TheEthicsGuy.com, and I’ll even sign and personalize it upon request. It may also be obtained at Amazon.com or your favorite local independent bookseller. (Let’s support the independents!)

I am pleased to mention that the book is now the #1 bestselling book on Amazon.com’s children’s book list (nonfiction/philosophy).

WIN A COPY OF THE BOOK! I will give a free signed copy of “Is It Still Cheating If I Don’t Get Caught?” to the child who writes the best response to the question posed by the book’s title. I’ll also publish the winning essay on my website. This contest will end on October 31, so let’s see those essays! All essays should be submitted through my website, TheEthicsGuy.com, not PlanetKid. You need not buy the book to enter the contest.

Here’s a book you might want to get: “Is It Still Cheating If I Don’t Get Caught?” by Bruce Weinstein (also known as The Ethics Guy). With lots of sample dilemmas for teens and tweens to resolve, this is one you ought to add to your home library.

Photo: amazon.com

On Fridays, we list the links we love and point to the hot topics at our favorite sites.

Relocating can be stressful for parents and kids alike. And in this economy, many a family is on the move. MomLogic goes into more detail.

Is the economy affecting your fashion budget? Makeover Momma says you can score a Jennifer Lopez-like outfit for as little as $70.42.

Are less attractive men more fertile? Lil Sugar has the low-down.

Another crazy question: Can swimming pools get you pregnant? ParentDish has this news.

CafeMom has the move of the week — Stroller Squats.

Chances are your kids keep some sort of journal at school — mine start each school day by writing an entry. It’s great for honing their writing skills, and it fosters creativity too. Even if your kiddo can’t yet write, drawing pictures and attempting to pen a few words is just as good. Don’ let journaling stop at school, though. Pick up an inexpensive composition book or two (we keep them in the car and in the house), arm your kids with pencils (colored ones are fun) and challenge them to write something every day. Call it an adventure journal and ask them to describe their fun activities — a trip to the zoo, afternoon at the park, family game night. Teach them to write the date on each page, and review their work every now and then. When their journals are full, stash them in a safe place and bring them out after some time has passed. It’ll be a nice trip down memory lane as you re-read their adventures, and you’ll be amazed when you look back at the progress your kids have made.

Photo: amazon.com

If your kids love the computer, and you love when they’re learning and not zoning into online games galore, I’ve got something that will make everyone happy — Starfall.com. As you can tell from the .com stuff, Starfall is found online (yay for kids), but it’s educational too (yay for Mom and Dad). A teacher recommended it to me when my now-almost-third-grader was in first grade and needed some at-home instruction. It’s what his school uses in “tech lab,” and so we’ve visited it at home now and then. Give it a once-over, let your little ones explore, and I think you’ll find it’s pretty intuitive for all involved. You can also shop around the site — they’ve got a store, materials for download and all sorts of other resources.

Photo by: Starfall.com

Here’s an interesting fact: 91 percent of girls ages 8 to 12 turn to their moms when they’re feeling badly about themselves, but only 67 percent of girls ages 13 to 17 do. More interesting stuff: 54 percent of girls ages 8 to 12 turn to their dads, while 27 percent of girls ages 13 to 17 do. That’s what the experts at the Dove Self-Esteem Fund say, and they should know. They’ve compiled a national report on the state of self-esteem in girls, and they aim to change troubling statistics like these.

You can help change them too. If you’re a mom or dad of girls, make sure you keep your lines of communication open, work on establishing trust with your daughters and let them know they can talk to you about anything. You also might want to take advantage of these free Dove self-esteem tools.

Got girls? Tell us how you’re raising them to love themselves?

Photo by: Axel Bührmann on flickr

You might have heard that video games can improve kids’ hand-eye coordination and can even help them burn calories. But don’t let that convince you that video games are all good. Family Circle magazine cites a study from Iowa State University that found the more time tweens and teens spend fighting and shooting villains on a screen, the more likely they are to get in a brawl. It all boils down to the fact that kids who view violent media get the idea that aggression is an acceptable way to deal with conflict. So, pay close attention to the games your kids are playing, particularly those labeled “M” for mature, and stay tuned in to your kids’ behavior. If they seem to be getting more and more combative, it might be time to unplug.

Oh, and the University of Iowa folks also say that one in 10 kids ages 8 to 18 are addicted to video games, and, well, there’s just no amount of hand-eye coordination or calories burned that can make that a good thing.

Photo by: kidperez on flickr

My kindergarten guy sometimes gets in trouble in school because he can’t sit still. He’s assigned to sit in a little colored square on “the rug” when his teacher is reading to the class, and from what I understand, he sometimes veers into other kids’ squares. He spins around in his square and fidgets with his hands and feet too. Sure, this is disruptive. If all 20 kids were moving and shifting around, it would be chaotic. I get that. But moving is what these kids should be doing.

“Kids these days, they just can’t seem to sit in their chairs,” says this article. “Nor should they have to, say some innovative educators, who believe that movement and exercise help prime the brain for learning.”

New research suggests that incorporating physical movement in the classroom helps student focus and attention. And some teachers are hopping right on board, trying everything from standing desks to exercise stability balls instead of chairs. Others are working in two to three-minute bursts of exercise into the curriculum during the day. Hula Hoop math sound like fun? How about jump rope bingo? A little creativity can go a long way toward fusing education and exercise. I know my 5-year-old would love to bunny hop to his cubby and jumping-jack his way to the bathroom. Might help him sit still during story time too.

What do you think: Are you a fan of letting kids bounce around in class?

Photo by: schooloutfitters.com

Maybe it’s for good reason that I’m not a lover of electronics for kids. Seems keeping children in the great outdoors, not the closed-up indoors, is best for the little bodies of the world.

Did you know there’s actually a “No Child Left Inside” bill geared towards getting environmental education into schools so that kids can learn in nature, not just learn about nature. Nothing in the bill about plugging in. Nope, just fresh air. And research reveals that our kids need lots of it.

According to a Kaiser Family Foundation study, children are disappearing from the natural world and are spending more than six hours a day in front of computer screens, video games and televisions rather than outside. In the past 20 years, the amount of time kids spend outdoors has declined 50 percent. And as we all know, our kids are getting fatter and fatter as a result of their sedentary tendencies. Our kids have what experts call “nature-deficit disorder,” and this condition contributes to poor physical and mental health.

I like that education might one day be more geared toward outdoor learning, but I’m not confident it will happen. It seems all the extras in my kids’ school (like PE, art and music) are being cut. How, then, are administrators going to work in outdoor programs when the budget doesn’t support a game of kick ball in the field behind the school? I think it’s up to us — parents — to get our children outside. No reason to wait for Congress or our schools to make it happen.

Where are your kids right now: Inside? Or outside?

Photo by: celebdu on flickr