Childcare and Education Essay Example for Free

Childcare and Education Essay E1- Summarise the factors which may influence the health and development of babies in the first year of their lives Environmental factors such as not having enough space in the garden for babies to move around to play and explore will influence their development as they maynot be able to expand their fine and gross motor skills. The environment can affect babies health and development as people around the baby who may smoke can transfer that smoke to the baby even if the smoke isnt directly infront of them. By having a ward and consistant home this can help the baby feel safe and secure therefore maintaining their health and development. Parents may not be able to afford toys and equipment for their child to play with, this may affect the child as the child may not get to experience different experiences. A stimulating environment for a baby is important as they will learn according to the opportunities they get, objects such as rattles, musical toys will encourage movement and interaction. Physical- This is important as babies development can be affected by this. The mother may not be able to take the baby for walks outside or carry the baby around or upstairs/downstairs due to disabilities that the mother or parents may have in general. Genetics is another factor which may influence health and development of the child as some illnessess are inherited. An example is Downs Syndrome, this is a genetic condition that causes physical and intellectual impariments. The mothers health plays a vital role in the development of a baby as women who are in good health during pregnancy are more likely of having a healthy baby, as the baby will be getting all the nurtition it needs to develop. If the mother is not healthy the baby will be affected by this. Emotional- After having a baby some mothers suffer or develop from post natal depression and this can affect how the mother and babys bond in the first few months. After a difficult birth post natal depression may develop, some women suffer generally from depression, if it has taken a mother a while to fall pregant and have children, and some women may develop this for some unkown reason. During the first month, some babies may develop faster or slower than average; this is only rarely a sign of a medical condition. Preterm babies born before the 37th week of pregnancy are physically younger than their full-term peers, so they may show signs of cognitive or physical delays. However, most preterm infants catch up to their peers during the first or second year of life. Other factors that influence a newborns development include genetics, environment and the caregivers levels of interaction. E2/C1- Describe how indoor and outdoor environments can be made safe, reassuring and stimulating Indoor and outdoor environments can be made safe by making sure children are looked after and cared for properly and never left alone, so there must be correct ratios in the setting, ratios are stated under Ofsted and the EYFS to make sure the children have the right amount of care attention they need. If theres not correct ratios the children can be put at risk, and this may cause accidents. By following all the correct policies and procedures and checking all eqiupment is safe for the child to use. Risk assessments must be done before the children can go into the environment and the environment must be adapted for all childrens individual needs so they are able to learn and achieve. From providing the correct equipment this will help develop the childrens individual skills. By having a safe and secure environment children will feel comfortable and safe which is important. The indoor environment should feel homely so the children will feel settled and comfortable in the environment. It is important to let children to give their input in the indoor areas, such as allowing them to do a display. The indoor area must have space and room for the children can move around safely, the cupboards,draws and tables must all be at the childrens level and not high up as this could cause an accident as something could fall down from above and hit the child. Radiator guards must be in setting to protect the children. Ensuring children have new experiences helps them develop in many ways, new experiences allows babies too use their imagination and copy what they see or experience in another situation. New experiences stimulate babies into wanting to learn and do more that challenges them to see what happens. The outdoor environment must provide children to have freedom and able to run around and have independance. The outdoor environment must suit all ranges of weather so the children can go outside in all weathers. All equiptment must be suitable and age appropriate, before children can go outside risk assessments must be done, if there is any unnessesary objects outdoors such as glass, litter or waste can be removed so it is safe for the children to play. The outdoor area should provide challenge as a risk is a challenge what a child can see, and are able to undertake it or not. Free flow must be introduced so children can move freely from outdoors to indoors easily. Learning activities must be provided outdoors also. Daily outdoor play is an important part of children’s learning and is required by the EYFS. It offers many new learning experiences, and boosts mental and physical wellbeing and confidence. Free-flow play adds further benefits, giving children more space and freedom to explore the world around them, letting them make decisions and assess risks while reducing the feeling of being rushed from one activity to the other. Children all have different learning styles and needs; some prefer to play and learn outside, and should be offered this opportunity wherever possible. Some may not have outdoor space at home, in which case it’s even more important. http://www. teachnursery. com/nursery-management/view/qa-free-flow-play It is important that practitoners know if children have any allergies, as children under 12 months cannot talk or communicate very well so practitioners must ask parent/carers this informaation. Having allergies on recored or on view in the setting will help anyone unfamililar coming into the setting. If practitioners do not know this information then the child/baby will be at risk. There are different things that helps reassure babies in settings which could be stability and consistancy, familar staff and practitioners, good positive relationships and things which comfort the child such as a blankets and dummies. E3- Describe the expected stage of development of babies at the chosen age and how they may be expected to develop in the next two, three months of their lives At six months babies will develop gross motor skills. When a baby is lying on their back they can roll over onto their stomach. If lyin on their stomach the child will be able to llift their head and chest, supporting themselves on their arms and hands. Babies at this age can use their shoulders to pull themselves into a sittingn position. At 6 months a baby can almost handle all their own weight. They are able to move their arms purposefully and hold them up, indicating a wish to be lifted. Babies at six months are able to kick vigersously with their legs altertaning, the baby can also lift their legs into a vertical position and grasp one or both feet with their hands. Babies at this age also have social skills as they can sime and babble when given attention and enjoy social play. Also babies will be able to mimic facial expressions and repete them. In the next couple months of the babies live their emotional skills will develop more and will be able to express pleasure and displeasure also will be able to distinguish emotions by a tone of voice. Their language will also improve as the child will be able to reconigise th ecare givers voice, and is able to respond to their name also aswell as being able to respond to other words such as mummy bye bye. Babies will be able to thurn their head in direction when spoken to. In the next few months the baby will explore more with their hands and mouth as is able to find partially hidden objects. A baby at this age will also spend longer studying and taking more interest in toys. E4- Explain how TWO different play activities/experiences can support the overall development of the baby described in E3 Treasure baskets is a good way to get babies to explore different objects and toys. From the basket having toys which are sensory this will encourage the child to use all senses. Such as having musical things in the basket which will encourage to child to listen, having toys which are colourful, and other objects in the basket which are different shapes, sizes, different textures such as a fluffy, hard, soft etc. Introducing new things will support overall experiences and have a variety of objects in basket will give the child a range of new things they can play will and learn from, having mirrors and shinny bits on the basket will attract the baby’s attention, it can help the development of fine motor skills. The child will discover that not all things are the same. This will encourage hand and eye coordination and is allowing the baby to explore and use their own imaginaton. From using treasure baskets babies will be curious and will discover that some objects feel different, look different and may be harder to hold than others, they will be curious and may try banging the toys either on the floor, the basket on against another toy. Messy play. This stimulates the senses and babies are able to use their imagination. The experience gained during messy play helps children experience a variety of textures. During messy play, babies are developing eye hand coordination and fine motor skills and is a learning experience for the child. Children can do body paint and use their bodies to do a picture or objects can be introduced such as a sponge so the child can use different materials throught the activity. This will encourage the child to see different colours and use a variety of materials. E5- Describe the role of the practitioner in meeting the particualr needs of babies in the chosen type of setting (group care or home based care) In group based care such as pre-school, Private day nursery or schools the practitioner had an inportant role. This is to ensure that all individual needs of children are met. This is so the children will develop and grow. Communication with parents/carers is important as it gives the practitoner a chance to understand what the childs rountine is at home and make sure it is as stress free and possible, as using as much as the childs routine at home as possible. This routine may include feeding and sleeping. The practitioner must be aware of the childs routine as the child will be used to certain times they have a nap and sleep, what time they have meals etc so it is important that the pracftitioner must let the child sleep and eat at what times they are used to. Routines are important for babies as it helps them know what they are doing, without routines babies can be unsettled and not sleep well. Ensuring good relationships with both parents and baby will make sure information is passed between the parents and the practitioners so that both are aware of anything that could affect the care of the child. The practitioner needs to ensure that they have an honest and professional relationship with children and parents as this is vital. Practitioners and settings also must ensure that they have stimulating activities for babies to get involved in, such as an activity which will help develop the babies senses, their sight, touch, taste, and hearing, this will help babies develop and meet important milestones. Planning is very important in settings and practitooners must be able to adapt planning when needed or if needed to suuit individual needs, babies need stimulation to keep them engaged and to ensure they develop and make progress to ensure they meet milestones in the future. The environment in the setting must be open to adaptation, indoors and outdoors. Baies must have opportunities to help their development and growth. When babies start to crawl, walk they need to have a safe environment. The safety and welfare of the children should still be the main priority of the practitioner, making sure toys are age and stage ppropriate and planning to meet the needs of all the children in the practitioners care. E6- Show how the child proctection policies and procedures in the setting protect and safeguard the babies Health and safety- This ensures all equipement and resources are safe to use and clean, sterrile for babies to use. Risk assessments must be made so all environments are safe for all children. Confidentiality This reassures parents/carers as it ensures that all the childrens information is secure and kept away, so only people who need to access it can do. Confidentiality means that all the childrens personal information must be kept in a locked cupboard or in a computter with a password to protect all the details and information. Practitioners within the setting should have up to date training to ensure they are fully aware of confidentiality and be aware if any policies and procedures have changed. Child protection policies and procedures in the settings are there to protect all children and babies. Babies cannot protect themselves so policies and procedures are to ensure children do not come to any unnessearyy harm and are cared for correctly. All babies and children must be protected from any discrimination such as gender, disability,race etc. Children must be safe and protected so practiononers must reconise abuse if they see any signs which are neglect, physical, sexual and emotional. Practitoners must know what to do if they see any of theses signs to protect the child. Child protection policies will cover all staff and those working in at setting have CRB checks, and trainign they need. Safe guarding procedures involve making sure all children are picked up from the setting by carers and not sent home with anyone without the parent/carers permission. Sharing information and team work is important when it comes to protecting babies as communication is key. If a parent tells a practitoner that another person is coming to pick their child up this must be passed on so the staff/practioners are aware of this. From working in a team this can help protect children, different professionals have different exeperiences and knowledge with children, so working together is important. It ensures a childs welfare through having knowledge from all different areas. An example is practitioners will know the childs day to day behaviour is, and will know the child well, as a GP will not know the child that well but will know medical knowledge which the practitoner wouldnt know, therefore for the childs welfare it is important for all professionals to work together. E7/D1- Explaing the importance of well planned care rountines and the key worker system Care rountines are very important for babies as by meeting babies needs carers are encouraging self-eteem and the sense of feeling valued. Care rountines are benficial as they involve identifying the needs of children so they can meet them. This can be done by observation, oberving children in groups and alsone to see how they behave. When needs of babies have been identified then you are able to move forward, planning can be done to meet these needs. If childrens needs are not met this will affect the child as the child will not be able to develop, learn and meet important milestones as they should. Care routines give babies stabiltity as having a good care routine reassures the child and gives them constiancy. By having practioners around will make the children feel more secure and safe, as the practitioner adn child will develop a relatioship and bond. This will help the baby feel settled and comfortable with a bond and may not feel safe without this bond and the babies may feel unsettled, disstressed and unhappy so a good relationship will encourage the child to develop trust and overall all will be happier and learn to develop better. Relatioships with practitoners and parents is also important as the parent knows the child best. Meal times is apart of a care routine, and the practioners must ensure children are getting the nurtition they need, and help to encourage the child to eat. Aswell as giving babies food and drink, meal times can be very enjoyable and stimualte the social and emotional development as children are able to communicate with each other during meal time and interact which is good for the babies social skills. Care routines are important for babies safety as policies will identify procedures which will ensure the children are safe and exaple is safety gates, gates must be kept shut at all times so the children cannot get out. Good hygiene is also beneficial to a good care routine as this will prevent babies and practitioners from becoming ill and prevents the spread of infection. Hygiene is a big part of a care routine for babies so practitoners must was hands after using the toilet, deadling with bodily fluids, before preparing foods and bottles. From having similar care routines at home and in settings is important as this will give children security and will understand whats happening around them and be more comfortable and confident. In every early years setting children have a key worker. Key Workers are resbonsible for their child and form good realtionships. Key worker will observe their child regualy and keep a record of how the child is developing. Planning is the key workers job and must plan to what the childs needs are. Key workers are close to their group of children and respoonsible for them, therefore will know their child more than other practitioners in the setting so key workers role is also to communicate with other professionals. The key person plays an essential role in supporting the emotional well-being of the children in their care. In doing so they take responsibility for those aspects of the child’s day which have the greatest impact on their well-being. These include personal care routines – nappy changing, toileting, rest times and meal times.

Graduate School Versus Work: A Post College Decision in America Essay

Education stimulates and develops human thoughts and wisdom. In many developed countries, people are responsible to receive fundamental education to secondary school by law. Students attending university after high school became a social trend in North America for decades. Universities develop and train student with advance professional skills and knowledge. Graduate school and work are ultimate options university graduated students consider after achieving their bachelor diploma. Although comparable high expectations are anticipated from work and graduate study, graduate school is a more advantage option for university students after graduation. At work and in graduate schools, university graduates are expected with high standard thinking and skill qualities. Critical reasoning is the main study component at the university level. University students scrutinize rudiment theories strategically, and correlate concepts together making extensive understanding of the studied subject. Practice in researches, experiments, and case studies formulate students’ independence to learn and anal...

Ethanol, A Natural Giant

The planet that we share with one another has faced some trying times over the millennia. Earth’s name, soon enough, might be mud. But we’ve got a home-grown fuel and it has a name. It’s called Ethanol. Can it save us? Do we have the resources and willpower to change what’s worked for us since the first automobile was designed and mass produced? This is not an easy undertaking, but change can start with ethanol. Ethanol is not an end-all solution, but every little bit helps in the plan to keep the Earth green and flourishing. Ethanol can help. Here are some of the troubling cause-and-effect situations belittling our planet today: †¢ Deforestation is destroying much of our old-growth forests. †¢ Landfills are bubbling near-capacity with a toxic stench. †¢ Rainforests are being depleted and with this depletion comes the utter extinction of plant and animal life that was bound to rainforest habitat. †¢ These flattened rainforest landscapes are scraped to ash and dirt, and thus destroying any chance of discovering future cures for any of the countless diseases penetrating the human race. The ozone layer is thinned out by all the pollutants humanity sends into the sky. SKIN-AND-BONES So, what’s the answer? The part of the answer can be solved if we, as a global society, get eco-conscious, eco-energetic and simply eco-global by allowing the many uses of Ethanol to become a staple in our lives. We do this, or else†¦. we’ll die. That may be a wee bit too dramatic. But the point that I’ m trying to make is that ethanol has bushels and bushels of ways to benefit this Green Earth we live on. At this point, we need all the help we can get. So, as society continues it’s sweltering pace with technological advancement via computers, we, in turn feed on this technological boom as it gels into other fields, namely: automotive, aviation, agriculture, and even recreational sports. All of these fields, as different as they are from one another, are bound to one likeness: energy. They use energy, in one form or another. Be it oil-based and wood-based fuels. And, at the rate we’re going, the oil pollutants oozing into the sky will destroy our ozone and clean us out if we don’t take affirmative action. FREE THE ETHANOL DEBATE. Ethanol can be viewed as one small stepping stone, but we need somewhere safe to step. Ethanol can be that foundation so we can move forward with change. It’s time to get pro-active against the wasting away of the earth. Ethanol’s multi-tasking capabilities are too good to pass up. Ethanol needs to become familiar as email. Fifteen years ago email was virtually unused by mainstream society. But look at its explosion today. It’s a way of life, a communication medium that we cannot live without†¦until the next great techno-advancement reaches us. Ethanol might be our email of tomorrow, our new fuel that communicates to use, â€Å"it’s time to change. One main consideration with Ethanol is simply this: it can save the environment and give us freedom—freedom to be independent, instead of co-dependent on imported oil. Along with this, it can aid in balancing our Nation’s trade. The Far East has much of the world at i ts fingertips, with its monopoly on oil. Currently, the United States imports more that half of its oil. And oil consumption continues to rise. If we support ethanol production and use it wisely, automobile drivers in the United States can aid in turning this trend around. It’s high time we rearrange the way the United States views oil consumption. In order to change a view on gas consumption—one that, unfortunately, is held by most people that own a vehicle—it’s going to take something much more than a snappy ad campaign supported by a few charismatic major Hollywood figures. For even the most catchy ad slogan only goes so far in altering an individual’s need for fuel and travel. Even in our current times of rising gas prices, the same number of people, by-and-large, still drive to work and travel, using basically the same amount of gas and burning the same pollutants into the ozone and the air we breathe. The only thing that’s changed since oil prices went through the roof is this: people’s budgets have changed so that they can afford to pay more to get where they need to go. Many don’t realize the power and gratification that could come from using Ethanol in lieu of the standard gas at the pump. Ethanol comes from a natural, renewable resource: corn. Corn, for instance, is grown in abundance in Illinois. Illinois alone produces over 685 million gallons of ethanol annually, marking it the largest ethanol producer in the United States. There are many other Plain-State regions that specialize in farming out corn as well. CORN IS GOLDEN The perks for ethanol continue to unfold. Not only can it free us from the stranglehold of international oil trade, but, because corn is the primary source in producing ethanol as a commodity, farmers become beneficiaries as demand for ethanol increases. As ethanol production supplies become a consistent demand, so too will the surplus of corn. The escalating ag-industry currently uses over 270 million bushels of Illinois corn annually. This is about 17% of corn surplus. This, in turn improves corn prices, which will please various segments of the agricultural world. Plus, there’s nothing wrong with having happy farmers tending the crops, either. This is a win-win situation. Just for numbers sake, it’s important to break down ethanol. One bushel of corn yields 2 ? gallons of ethanol fuel. Starch is the only ingredient in corn that is used to make ethanol. We can also take advantage of the unused corn protein and other valuable co-products remaining in the corn. For instance, that same bushel of corn is capable of producing the following: †¢ 1 ? pounds of corn oil †¢ 12 pounds of 21% protein feed †¢ 3 pounds of 60% protein gluten meal 17 pounds of carbon dioxide (used to carbonate soda) Technology today has sophisticated means of converting starch to sugar. This sugar is then mixed with yeast which, in turn, converts the sugar to ethanol. The benefits for ethanol, as can be seen by all this data, are great. There are, however, antagonists who believe that it takes more energy to produce ethanol than is gained in this t ransfer process. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. For, on average there’s a 33% net gain (more than 25,000 BTU’s) while the industry’s best shops yield an 87% net energy gain. Now we move to recreation. Yes—even the sporting world can benefit from ethanol’s primary source: corn. Technology on the greens has gone eco-green. Here, I’m speaking of golf. A traditional Eco-tee was developed from a blend of composite materials and natural additives. The PLA (polylactic acid) tee is made from renewable material straight from the farmer: corn. Not only is eco-tee planet-friendly but it’s more durable and biodegradable. It will also last roughly five times as long as the PLA tee. A tiny golf tee may not seem like it’d make a dent in our save-the-earth campaigns, but over 2 billion golf tees are used annually, just in the United States. By using the eco-tee you are helping to save millions of trees that are clear-cut each year. Just think, a trip to the links with a bag of eco-tees can help save a tree. So, it can be seen that the uses of ethanol are wide and varied. It’s time to take a stand, believe in the change and start to use ethanol. Not only is it a breakthrough in saving on gas consumption, but the agricultural businesses can gain from this resource, deforestation can be slowed, not to mention that fact that playing golf with eco-tees can drive us in the right direction. Take a stand, believe in this technology, become eco-conscious, and go ethanol.

Plato theory of forms Essay

Plato was a duellist and thus believed that there are two worlds; the material world and the world of ideas/Forms. The world of ideas or Forms is the true reality and the world of appearances is just reflections of world of Forms. Plato believed that our knowledge of the Forms was a priori which means that our souls knew the Forms before it was inside us, therefore we have knowledge prior to experiencing the objects with our senses. Plato believes everyone is born with an intuitive but imperfect understanding of the Forms. He also believes the philosopher is able, through using his intellect, to achieve true knowledge of the abstract Forms without using his senses. Plato’s theory of Forms can be seen as unconvincing to some who believe that abstract ideas e. g table, horse, beauty are actually names that have been invented to help people describe their experiences of the physical world. This is a materialistic view as it suggests that objects in this world are the real reality and our ideas can develop based on experience of things. Aristotle agrees with this and believes knowledge is gained through experience and that there is not an eternal World of Forms that is a priori to us. However, in Plato’s defence some believe that each variety of a Form shares a likeness for example each horse is slightly different yet they all share something that makes it resemble a horse. According to Bertrand Russell, Plato`s theory made a `very important advance in philosophy, since it is the first to emphasise the problem of universals’. Plato’s theory is often regarded as unconvincing due to the fact that Plato believes that every object and idea in the world of appearances is an imperfect copy of an image or Form in the World of Forms. This suggests that there is a perfect Form of things such as a cinema ticket, mud or an insect and so on. According to Bertrand Russell, his ideas of the Forms when taken to its extreme.

Far and Away essays

Far and Away essays As Ms. Shannon Christie and Joseph Donelly migrate from Ireland to the United States they soon found out that it was not all that they imagine. While staying in the U.S they encouter many obstacle as well as hardship from working for cheap labor to living in a unhealthy condition all provided by the ward boss Mr. Mike Kelly. When Shannon and Joseph first arrived in the United States they were greeted by a boy who claim are you Irish? you have to go see Mr. Kelly, he is the ward boss around here and hell will take care of you. After Shannon realized that she was being mugged and have no money or a place to stay, Joseph decided to seek for the help of the Irish ward boss Mr. Kelly. As a ward boss, he will provide a work, lodging, apply for citicenship and protection and in return all they have to do is vote when voting time comes. Even though Joseph and Shannon was provided a job in the chicken factory but they treated very poorly and worst of all in a very unhealthy working environment. In couple of weeks, Joshep Donnelly soon realized that he can make more money in one boxing match then plucking chicken for a whole month. So he then box at a club owned by Mr. Kelly. Mr. Kelly can provide lifes necessities to the immigrants and can also take them away very quickly. Joshep was getting very successful u ntil he lost his last match and angry Mr. Kelly, so everything was taken away from him. In conclusion, the function of a ward boss who was appointed is to generate votes and their politics does not deal with political issues. For every immigrant from any race whenever they come to the United States, they can always turn to their ward boss for jobs, lodging and protection. ...

Cold War Essay Topics, Questions, and Ideas with BestEssay.education

Cold War Essay Topics, Questions, and Ideas with Cold War Essay The cold war was a long period of extreme political tensions between Russia and its Warsaw Pact Allies, and the United States and its Nato Allies. Historians disagree about the exact years of the Cold war, but most agree that it started shortly after the end of World War II and Ended around 1991. It is referred to as the Cold War because there were never any direct military conflicts between the United States and Russia. There were however, wars and other military actions that occurred during the cold war period that were a direct result of these political and military tensions. Because The Cold War went on for so long, and because so many events happened during this time period, there are literally hundreds of potential essay topics. However, this doesn’t mean that choosing a topic for your cold war essay is going to be easy. For example, do you want to focus on the events leading up to the cold war (causes of the cold war), events that occurred during the cold war, or the ev ents that happened after the cold war was over. In order to help you decide, we have compiled a list of potential essay ideas for you to use. Please feel free to use any of the following topics. Sample Cold War Essay Questions and Prompts What role did the Soviet Union Play in causing tensions between the USSR and the United States What role did the United States play in causing tensions between the United States and Russia How did the Cold War cause the Vietnam War? How did the Cold War cause the Korean War? Describe the lasting impact that Cold War on North Koreans How did the Cuban Revolution impact the development of the Cold War? Explain the Domino Theory What was the cultural impact of the reunification of Germany How did the Cold War impact pop culture in the 1980s What were the causes and effects of the Red Scare How did the Cold War impact the space race? Explain Containment Does Ronald Reagan receive too much credit for the end of the Cold War? Write an analysis of the Cold War and the arming of Middle East extremists today Who started the Cold War? Detail the influence of the Cold War on the nuclear arms race Were there any nations that were negatively impacted by the end of the cold war? These are only a small portion of the potential essay topics that one could explore when writing about The Cold War. However, we do believe that these are some excellent ideas that will serve most students very well. As always, has many writers on our staff who are experts in history and foreign policy. In the event that you need help with your essay, please feel free to contact us for help. We can get your Cold War essay finished quickly and you can review and download your essay online.

Green Algae (Chlorophyta)

Green Algae (Chlorophyta) Chlorophyta are commonly known as green algae and sometimes, loosely, as seaweed. They grow primarily in freshwater and saltwater, although some are found on land. They may be unicellular (one cell), multicellular (many cells), colonial (a loose aggregation of cells), or coenocytic (one large cell). Chlorophyta convert sunlight to starch that is stored in cells as a food reserve. Green Algae Characteristics Green algae have dark- to light-green coloration that comes from having chlorophyll a and b, which they have in the same amounts as higher plants- the plants, including seed plants and ferns,  that have  well-developed vascular tissues that transport organic nutrients. Their color is determined by the amounts of other pigmentation, including beta-carotene (yellow) and xanthophylls (yellowish or brownish). Like higher plants, they store their food mainly as starch, with some as fats or oils. In fact, green algae might have been the progenitors of the higher green plants, but that is the subject of debate. Chlorophyta belong to the kingdom Plantae. Originally, Chlorophyta referred to a division within the Plantae kingdom comprising all green algae species. Later, green algae species living predominantly in seawater were classified as chlorophytes (i.e., belonging to Chlorophyta), while green algae species thriving mainly in freshwater were classified as  charophytes  (i.e., belonging to  Charophyta). The AlgaeBase database lists about 4,500 species of  Chlorophyta, including 550 species of Trebouxiophyceae  (mostly on land and in freshwater), 2,500 species of Chlorophyceae  (mostly freshwater), 800 species of Bryopsidophyceae (seaweeds), 50 species of Dasycladophyceae  (seaweeds), 400  species of Siphoncladophyceae (seaweeds), and 250 marine Ulvophyceae (seaweeds). Charophyta include 3,500 species allocated to five classes. Habitat and Distribution of Green Algae The habitat of green algae is diverse, ranging from the ocean to freshwater. Rarely, green algae can also be found on land, largely on rocks and trees, with some appearing on the surface of snow. They are common in areas where light is abundant, such as shallow water and tide pools, and less common in the ocean than brown and red algae, but they can be found in freshwater areas. Invasive Species Some members of Chlorophyta are invasive species. Cladophora glomerata bloomed in Lake Erie in the 1960s because of phosphate pollution. The rotting algae washed up on beaches and produced an odor so foul that it discouraged the public from enjoying the lakes. It became so offensive in sight and smell that it was confused for raw sewage. Two other species, Codium (also known as dead mans fingers) and Caulerpa, threaten native plant life in coastal California, Australia, the Atlantic Coast, and the Mediterranean Sea. One invasive species, Caulerpa taxifolia, has been introduced into nonnative environments because of its popularity in aquariums. Green Algae as Animal and Human Food and Medicine Like other algae, green algae serve as an important food source for herbivorous marine life, such as fish, crustaceans, and gastropods, including sea snails. Humans use green algae as food, too. and it has long been part of the cuisine of Japan. There are more than 30 species of edible seaweed, which is naturally rich in minerals such as calcium, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, vanadium, and zinc. Edible types of green algae include sea lettuce, sea palm, and sea grapes. The pigment beta carotene, found in green algae, is used as a food coloring. Carotene also has been shown to be very effective in preventing some cancers, including lung cancer. Researchers announced in January 2009 that green algae could play a role in reducing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. As sea ice melts, iron is introduced to the ocean. This fuels the growth of algae, which can absorb carbon dioxide and trap it near the ocean floor. With more glaciers melting, this could reduce the ​effects of global warming. Other factors, however, can reduce this benefit; if the algae are  eaten, the carbon can be released back into the environment.​​​​ Fast Facts Here are some quick facts about green algae: Green algae are also referred to as Chlorophyta and, sometimes, seaweed.They convert sunlight to starch that is stored as a food reserve.Green algaes color comes from having chlorophyll.Green algaes habitat ranges from the ocean to freshwater and sometimes to land.They can be invasive, with some species fouling beaches.Green algae are food for sea animals and humans.Green algae are used in cancer treatment.They could help reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Sources: seaweed.ie/algae/chlorophyta.php https://www.reference.com/science/characteristics-phylum-chlorophyta-bcd0eab7424da34 seaweed.ie/algae/chlorophyta.php https://eatalgae.org/edible-seaweed/