Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a heterogeneous group of heritable connective tissue disorders, characterized by articular (joint) hypermobility, skin extensibility and tissue fragility. After hearing from the medical professionals and PenAgain users with EDS about how much our pens and pencils have helped them, we’ve reached out to the EDS community, and just got back from the Ehlers-Danlos National Foundation Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. It was a great success!

We were so excited to meet the people we help with PenAgain and hear directly from them about their challenges with writing. Here’s what they had to say…

PenAgain is in the news again, but this time in the college market. It’s unique shape, ergonomic properties and cool design make it a hit with college students. Check out the features in College Store Executive Magazine and The College Store Magazine, both hitting the streets this month.

Winter seems long gone to most of us and spring is in full bloom.  Many cities are in the midst of hosting multitudes of festivals that bring out the masses to enjoy the warmer (in some places HOT!) weather. For those of us who didn’t get an early start may have spring cleaning on our minds now! We have a suggestion to make the transition into the dog days of summer a lot cleaner and greener!

Have you heard of Conserve Cleaning Tabs? These are little tablets about half the size of your thumb which were designed to dissolve effortlessly in water. All it takes is an empty, preferably used, spray bottle and tap water to activate the tablet. One full, 32 oz bottle of cleaner is what you get to start cleaning. We recommend using a microfiber towel or just an old cloth. Make spring cleaning a breeze and inexpensive with Baumgartens tablet-based cleaning technology. Sure, if you are attached to your vinegar and water solution, we are all for that too! However, our cleaners are made of plant-and mineral-based ingredients and gentle on the environment.

Check out our website for three different types of cleaners for your home or office; and check out our Fabric Freshener in calming lavender too. It’s great for curtains, couches, and especially areas where your pets like to hang out!

Here’s to a fresh start this spring on conserving what we already have and reusing as much as possible. And to encourage your start this spring, here’s a poem to inspire your desire to clean!…..

Grab your broom
Grab the products used for cleaning
Grab a helper or a friend
Soon your whole house will be gleaming
Time for dusting
Wiping, swiping, and spring cleaning
Someone might just do it for you
I know, I know, I was just dreaming
It’s time to get it done
No more crying, no more whining
Go ahead and get it over with
I hope your home will soon be shining

by Helen Heard

Do you remember your favorite teacher and the impression he or she left on you? “My 9th grade art teacher made a lasting impression on me!” Going back in time to thank the teacher who made the biggest different in your life is a time-honored tradition for many on National Teacher Day. For those in school, it’s an opportunity to acknowledge teachers personally while still learning from them.

National Teacher Day is Tuesday of the first full week of May. Here’s the history. An Arkansas teacher, Mrs. Mattye Whyte Woodridge, began corresponding with political and education leaders as early as 1944 about the need for a national day honoring teachers. One of the leaders she wrote to was Eleanor Roosevelt, who persuaded the 81st Congress to proclaim a National Teacher Day in 1953.

In the late 1970s, the National Education Association, its Indiana and Kansas state affiliates, and its local affiliate in Dodge City, Kansas, all lobbied Congress on behalf of creation of a national day celebrating teachers. Congress declared March 7, 1980 as National Teacher Day for that year only. NEA and its affiliates continued to observe Teacher Day on the first Tuesday in March until 1985, when NEA and the National PTA established Teacher Appreciation Week as the first full week of May. The NEA Representative Assembly then voted to make the Tuesday of that week National Teacher Day.

We at Baumgartens celebrate this important day by offering a symbolic apple in the form of a red timer. We even have lanyards made from recycled plastic which says “Best Teachers Teach from the Heart.” The key ring on it makes it easy to attach an ID badge, keys or whistle. Buy one of these items  and offer your teacher a token of your appreciation. Or go to sites such as http://www.teacher-appreciation.info/ for ideas and tools for thanking your teacher. Read more about teachers on blogs like this onehttp://www.teacher-appreciation.info/blog/ and get inspired!

Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate that special woman in your life, whether it is your mother, daughter, sister or anyone that you have a maternal bond with. No mother is the same so whether you have a working mother, an at-home moms, a traditional or modern mother around you it’s the thought you put into the way you honor them that matters. Being a central figure in a child’s life and upbringing is a role that can’t be taken lightly. Celebrate Mother’s Day by honoring the special woman in your life with something that will give her the experience feeling special, loved and honored. It could be as simple as taking over the chores for a couple of days or writing her a letter to let her know how much she means to you. Not what you had in mind? Check out our Inspire brand handcrafted flowers. They’ll fit any mother’s style and stick around until next year!

Celebrate Earth Day!
Do your part to support Earth Day by implementing some of the Ways to Conserve by Conserve Brand suggested on our website. Get tips on recycling, reusing and reducing in many areas of everyday life to consider.

Did you know that Baumgartens offers many new, green product alternatives from many of its brand categories? Our Secure brand offers bamboo and recycled PET lanyards; Organize brand offers paper clips made from recycled plastic; Create brand offers erasers that are lead-and latex-free; and Conserve brand offers battery-free flashlights.

We at Baumgartens are doing our best to provide products that are people-and planet-friendly. Our green products range from using recycled materials to sustainable and annually renewable resources while keeping an eye on what we can do to reduce packaging and our CO2 footprint in our business practices.

Mark the 22nd as an important day to remember and up the ante by putting into practice some of the ways you can personally conserve.

This is Administrative Professionals Week and the official Administrative Professionals Day is on Wednesday, April 21. Let us provide a little context to show you how important these professionals are to our economy and to the global economy. According to the U.S. Department of Labor statistics, there are more than 4.1 million secretaries and administrative assistants working in the United States and 8.9 million people working in various administrative support roles. More than 475,000 administrative professionals are employed in Canada. Millions more administrative professionals work in offices all over the world. The International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) says in a recent survey, admins are taking on more work. During the current economic downturn administrative professionals are increasing their workload and expanding their roles when office staff is downsized.

We appreciate admins this week and encourage folks not to overlook the important function they serve in any size business or office. Send them a handcrafted flower from our Inspire brand and liven up any office space to inspire creativity while adding a welcomed visual for customers and guests. Alternatively, express your gratitude for their hard work by taking them to lunch, buying them a gift, or simply saying so!

Our fancy new site up. Take a look and play our Scavenger Hunt game to win prizes! Happy Hunting!

www.baumgartens.com/index2.html

Check out our most recent product review of the Conserve™ Cleaners by a busy mother of two that is committed to having a healthy home for less…..

http://mommy2twogirls.blogspot.com/2009/11/conserve-cleaners-review-and-giveaway.html

If you’re anything like me, you don’t have the time or energy to channel Martha Stewart this holiday season and have a spotless home, prepare an impeccable dinner AND arrange your own fresh flowers. Cheat a little! Flowers always add a special touch to any space, but it’s especially evident during the holidays at a time when you want to create a warm and inviting environment to entertain your family and friends. Inspire is an easy way to do it.

Autism and the Rocket Ship Pencil

By Colin Roche

For any child between kindergarten and 6th grade, handwriting is a formative component of children’s education, as teachers require written communication from students to see evidence of their comprehension of subjects. By simple observation, autistic children have an added obstacle and whether writing single words or short sentences, these children find this learning process to be a frustrating and unfulfilling experience. Autistic children tend to struggle with writing because they often grasp pens too tight and press down too hard causing most pencils to break. For most children, the basic act of handwriting is usually mastered midway thru elementary school. However, the autistic child’s learning curve is much longer as more time is needed for them to put words on paper.

Autistic children are inclined to draw letters very deliberately and take more time. For example, a 30-minute dictation exercise could take up to two hours. This can be frustrating to both child and parent as in many cases. Not properly addressed, the child may fall behind classmates even though their mental grasp of the particular lesson is proficient. This becomes a slippery slope that often affects confidence because even though the child is unable to adequately convey thoughts on paper in the time required for that grade level, they are mentally capable to comprehend and complete assignments.

This bottleneck of self-expression is further exacerbated by the physical constraints of common writing instruments. Combine that with dexterity issues which perpetuate the autistic child’s anguish and subsequently the primary caregivers and teachers’ commitment to them and their development, and the probable future remains disheartening.

There is good news and a possible solution for many autistic children and their parents and teachers to ultimately win. Recent studies scientifically confirmed that autistic children have trouble with fine motor skills. This means that it is not a mental barrier as some have thought. While many parents of autistic children have known this for years, there is now data to support the fact that students can benefit greatly from simple assistive writing aids that help to refine fine motor skills.

One product in particular is getting positive reviews as an effective solution for teaching the fine motor skill required in handwriting. The PenAgain® Twist-n-Write™ (http://penagain.com/twistnwrite.html) is an ergonomic pencil designed so the child must position the fingers into the school taught “tri-pod” grasp for a comfortable and firm grip. The shape of the pencil resembles a wishbone. The user slips the index finger thru the middle, not unlike a mini crutch for the finger. Grasping both sides with the thumb and middle finger, the pencil has greater surface area contact with its user, distributing less pressure more evenly among fingers providing a comfortable yet stable grip, even if the hold is too tight.

Many parents have commented that learning to write is a positive experience with the Twist-n-Write because children see progress as they use it. Designed to be more intricate, fun and colorful, as opposed to an orthopedic looking device, translates into a deeper sense of curiosity and attention for these children. More time and interest with a tool like the PenAgain creates an attractive experience for children and the result is more time practicing their handwriting. Even the added erasers on both “arms” of the pencil make the act of erasing fun. Many kids have nick-named it the “rocket-ship pencil.”

Word about these unique pencils spread quickly when Parents Magazine wrote, “We’re hearing raves about the easy-to-use Twist-n-Write pencil.

Originally designed to encourage kids to use the proper pencil grip, it makes writing more comfortable and fun for little hands. Parents, teachers, and occupational therapists are reporting that the ergonomic rocket-ship design is also very helpful for kids with weak motor skills, ADHD, autism, or juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.”

Once the product hit the market many parents wrote in with their own child’s experience with the pencil. Here’s one such letter:

“I am the parent of a young man with Down Syndrome and Autism. We have tried for many years to find a writing instrument that he can use with his weak grip. We have created many different kinds of items using [clay], but this pen of yours which I saw online is perfect for him. Allowing him to put one finger OVER the pen and stabilize with side fingers, giving him a strong tripod grip is genius.”

Teachers are writing in to give feedback on their experience too:

“Your pencils (Twist-n-Write) have given my most severely impaired students an opportunity to practice their writing with more independence than ever before! I need more Twist-n-Write pencils, though, because they seem to be sold out wherever I look for them! Please help!!!! Thank you so very much!”

You can find the Twist-n-Write and other PenAgain writing instruments in office supply superstores such as Staples and Office Depot, along with a growing list of school supply and stationery store retailers.

The pencil is manufactured and distributed exclusively in the U.S. by Baumgartens (www.baumgartens.com), a manufacturer of unique, useful, and human-and environmentally-friendly products for the office, school and home. The woman-owned, family business supplies products to thousands of retailers and wholesalers across the U.S.A.

For more information, please go to www.penagain.com or contact Baumgartens at 800-247-5547.

I heard on NPR this week that Purell and other hand sanitizer manufacturers are having a hard time producing enough product as people are stockpiling because of the swine flu scare.

Our hand sanitizer, Dirty Dog, is in stock and we have plenty of it. Works great, comes in a convenient on-the-go size, and has a fresh lemon scent.

Magnets are not new technology, but they still provide a great solution for many applications in the office and warehouse. “Magnets are amongst our best selling category of products” says Nakita Pope, Brand Manager of Baumgartens. “There are still many metal surfaces in the office such as refrigerators, cabinets, shelving, whiteboards and door frames  that can be used to hang  calendars, schedules, notices, etc. “ Magnetic clips and hooks provide one of the most convenient ways to turn these metal surfaces into useful areas for information in the office.

Baumgartens have a range of magnetic tapes that help the end user attach paper based products to metal. They also have write on magnetic tapes for labeling shelves in your storage room. In the next few months this range will be extended to include hooks, clips and printable magnetic sheets. The printable sheets can be turned into magnetic photos, business cards, ads, schedules, parts lists and more. Cut up, they allow you to make big bold signage that is suitable for use in warehouses. These items can be used on filing cabinets for labeling, lockers for decoration, labeling, hanging keys and clothing on and many other applications in storage facilities where signage can be made from your own inkjet/laser printer.

“We are looking forward to extending our successful range of magnets” says Pope. “We know that customer demand is already there for these products and that they willcreate a natural line extension for our existing customers.” The new magnet line has already been picked up by a national wholesaler for 2010.

Check out the most recent article on the packaging for our Conserve cleaners in Brand Packaging magazine and how the format eliminates 75 percent of waste. Click here to read the article.