Barbie was first introduced in 1959 and since then they have been in the hands of children for over fifty hears. Since they were officially launched, over one billion Barbie dolls have been sold all over the world. Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel, was behind the concept of Barbie and her ideas led to its creation

Ruth's daughters were playing with two paper dollars, when she finally had a great a idea. Her idea was that she could make dolls that were older and more mature than the traditional baby dolls. She thought that an adult doll, like Barbie, would be a big seller and popular amongst teens and children.

First, Ruth's husband and the Mattel directors thought that her idea would never work out. However, Ruth did not give up. She decided that she would continue to try persuading them to help her build the Barbie doll. Eventually, they caved in and the Barbie had begun.

A fashion designer, Charlotte Johnson, was hired by Ruth to create Barbie's first wardrobe. With her design complete, Barbie was ready to be introduced to the world in 1959 at the American Toy Fair in New York City.

After being introduced in New York City, Ruth decided that Barbie needed to be brought to the mass American audience. She began to ran a high budget television advertising campaign. Barbie began to appear on television all over the country.

Ruth's marketing strategy worked and 350,000 Barbie dolls were sold within the first year after launch. Since then, Barbie has been seen as a doctor, lawyer, nurse, astronaut, firefighter and more. Furthermore, Barbie was joined by her boyfriend Ken in 1961.

The popularity of Barbie has grown since her first years as a simple, yet innovative doll. Now Barbie is sold with accessories, purses and backpacks. She is featured on animated television shows and movies. This goes to show that the world is still in love with Barbie!

Hermit crabs make an unusual and very interesting classroom pet. But don't let the hermit crab's name fool you - they are not "hermits" but prefer the company of other "hermies" to be at their happiest. In the wild, hermit crabs travel in packs of up to 100 crabs. One of the reasons hermit crabs need to be around other crabs is because it provides possibilities for new homes as they switch shells.

The best habitat for your classroom hermit crabs is a spacious aquarium big enough to hold food and water dishes, extra shells and things for your crabs to climb on. There should also be some open space for roaming. The bottom of the habitat should be covered with clean sand or coconut fiber substrate.

Hermit crabs are a great addition to your science curriculum. These crabs require their water to be treated with a dechlorinizer that can easily be purchased in the aquarium section of your pet supply store. A sponge or small stones can be added to the water dish so that smaller crabs don't drown in the dish. Hermit crabs require consistent temperatures and humidity, so you may want to add a shallow dish of water with a natural sponge in it to create a more humid habitat. You can actually purchase a humidity gauge, which should always show at least 70% humidity.

Cholla wood, coral, and specially designed elements for hermit crab habitats are all needed to provide an enjoyable and interesting habitat for your crabs.

Hermit crabs can have different personalities, which is another great reason to have more than one crab in your classroom habitat. Some will be more outgoing and curious than others. To hold a hermit crab, put the crab in the palm of your hand and keep your palm flattened so the crab can't grab onto it. The warmth of your hand can encourage them to come out of their shell. You can also mist the crab lightly with dechlorinized water, but don't overdo it!

It's interesting to watch crabs interact with each other. Crabs can fight over shells, and you will know if things are escalating if you hear the crabs "chirping". Crabs will push and climb over each other, and wave their feelers at each other.

Crabs also like to choose their own shell to live in, so be sure that you provide them with choices as they grow. Shells should be cleaned with boiling water before being put into the crab habitat. Crabs don't just change shells, and if you see your crab digging a lot, it might mean that he is ready to molt. When the crab is ready to shed his skin, it's important to have a special isolation tank ready so the newly molted crab is safe and sound.

Hermit crabs are fascinating pets and there is a lot to learn about these amazing little creatures. http://hermit-crabs.com has a variety of informative articles on how to keep classroom hermit crabs thriving and providing learning opportunities for your students.

We know many school teachers have very limited resources for the support of classroom animals. That's why the Pet Care Trust is sponsoring a grant program to help teachers support pets in the classroom through direct, no-hassle grants. You can obtain a grant or coupon for the purchase of new pets, pet environments or pet food and supplies for existing classroom pets-even hermit crabs! Go to www.petsintheclassroom.com

School fundraising is a brilliant way to raise the much needed funds to purchase things such as new sports equipment or maybe to refurbish an area of the school. However, coming up with the perfect school fundraiser can be a real headache; maybe you don't have the resources or the time to put together a great fundraising event at your school or perhaps you are struggling to gain support from the PTA.

If you are in this situation then fear not! Raising money for your school doesn't have to be difficult! So long as it's fun and interesting you're bound to get a great response. Below is a list of great fundraising ideas for you school. They are all easy to plan and execute and will not only help raise more money but are engaging too.

Non-School Uniform Day - This is an easy and effective way of raising lots of money. Encourage pupils to come into school wearing their own clothes in return for a donation. This is a popular school fundraising idea as it's easy to plan and requires no overheads. You could also run a number of other fundraising events on the day to raise even more cash for your school!

Cake Sale - Another classic school fundraiser! Simply bake some cakes and sell them at your school. You could even encourage parents and pupils to either donate their own cakes or the ingredients - this will lower upfront overheads. You could either have set prices for the cakes or ask for donations. Remember to advertise the cake sale ahead of time so teachers and pupils come prepared with lots of change!

Sponsored Sports Day - Encourage pupils to gain sponsorship from friends and family to take part in an all-day sponsored sports day. This will require a fair bit of planning, you also need to ensure that the pupils are given sponsorship forms weeks before the event to ensure they have enough time to raise the money. You could also offer incentives in the shape of prizes for those who collect the most sponsorship - this will motivate your pupils to really push for sponsorship.

Battle of the Bands - Get musical with this great school fundraising idea. Persuade everyone who thinks they have got talent to take part in a ‘Battle of the Bands' competition at your school. You can encourage participation by offering a prize to the best band. You can raise funds by charging people an entry fee. This is a great way to raise money and bring the entire school together.

Slave Auction - Why not organise a staff or pupil slave auction. People can volunteer themselves to be slaves for the day and are offered to the highest bidder. This is a fun and exciting fundraising event that has the potential to raise lots of money for your school