Best Education Possible

Teen Drivers: A Parent's Guide: Part 1

2012-01-28T14:00:00.000-08:00

Teen Drivers: A Parent's Guide

According to an article from http://www.msn.money.com/ , your insurance will spike when your youngster gets a license, no question. But your kid's grades, the type of car, driver training and other factors affect what you'll pay. Adding a teenage driver to your car insurance policy will raise your rates. But you can control how much they'll climb.

1. Having teens drive a Camry rather than a Corvette, encouraging them to make good grades, and urging them to keep their driving records clean can all have a major impact on rates.

"Putting your teen in a big, boring vehicle is going to be a lot easier on the wallet than giving them the zippy small car they may want," says Russ Rader, spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

There is a reason teenagers cost more to insure.

2. New drivers are among the most dangerous on the road, racking up tickets and accidents at rates several times the rate of a typical driver.

Teen drivers likelier to crash in first month of driving
A teenager does not have to drive. Bicycles and bus passes are cheaper, if you live in a place where that's feasible. But if it's not, here is what every parent needs to know about the cheapest ways to insure a teenager.

Yes, you have to insure your teen driver
3. Virtually every insurer will require that all licensed family members in a household be included on your policy, whether they drive your cars or not. You should let the insurer know when the child gets his or her learner's permit, but typically the teen isn't listed (or your policy charged) until he or she is licensed.

If you are divorced and have only part-time custody of your child, you'll have to consult your insurance company. Each company has its own rules. The best case is that the parent with primary custody adds the new driver; the worst case is that both parents do.

The only way to avoid paying the premium for a teenage driver on your own car is a named exclusion. Through an endorsement to your policy, you and your insurer agree that the driver is not covered. Any claim caused by that driver isn't covered, either.

Your teen could insure his or her own car, but state laws governing teen ownership of cars differ widely. In general, a minor cannot own property or sign contracts, such as an insurance agreement, without a parent's consent and signature.

Tomorrow will continue the tips for teen driving safety.

Tip #51: Take Your Children to the Public Library and Get Them a Library Card.

2012-01-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

There is a gem right in your mist. It is the public library. That brings us to tip #51.

Tip #51: Take your children to the public library and get them a library card.
Children need to read in order to be successful throughout life. There is a great resource for finding what your child is interested in reading without spending a whole lot of money, and that's going to the public library. Throughout the year, many libraries across this country have special events for families. There will be visiting authors, story tellers, arts and crafts, poets etc., but more importantly there are BOOKS! Your children will be able to find books on whatever interest them. Sign them up for their own library card and get them excited about exploring the world through books. Public libraries are funded through tax payers money and your family should take full advantage of this service. There is no better way to enhance your child's reading ability or love for books then a visit to the public library. Many libraries have computers that your children can use. If you don't have a computer at home this is a way for them to get practice. There are also books on tape and DVDs with music and movies for loan. So, get in the car and take your children to the public library and take advantage of all the resources.

A New Vision for Teaching Science

2012-01-26T14:00:00.000-08:00

A New Vision for Teaching Science [Preview]

Recent studies from neuroscience and psychology suggest ways to improve science education in the U.S.
By J. Randy McGinnis and Deborah Roberts-Harris
September 16, 2009

We face a real crisis in science education in America. Representative Bart Gordon of Tennessee, chair of the House Committee on Science and Technology, has warned that countries sTwo recent reports from the National Research Council call for significant changes in the way science is taught in elementary school. Unlike previous recommendations, the new suggestions reflect recent findings about how young children think and how they acquire knowledge.

Research shows that children learn best when they regularly revisit topics, moving from basic to sophisticated views. In keeping with this knowledge, education experts advocate curricula in which students deepen their understanding of a topic—and hone their abilities to practice science—across many grades.

The most effective teaching expands both the knowledge and the skills needed to engage with science authentically—that is, in a manner akin to how scientists work. To practice science in the classroom calls for problem- and project-based lessons, as well as considerable social interaction. As is the case among scientists, argumentation and discourse help students to refine one another’s ideas and to articulate their own.

uch as China and India will trample the U.S. economy in the near future without major improvements in teaching. Indeed, our schools are falling behind. In the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)—a respected measure of achievement around the globe—the average science score of U.S. 15-year-olds dropped below that of teens in 28 out of 57 participating countries. (In math, U.S. students fared even worse, lagging behind their peers in 34 nations.)

Despite decades of reform, America has made only modest gains in the science classroom, particularly in high schools. Two recent reports from the National Research Council (NRC), however, offer novel strategies. Entitled Taking Science to School and Ready, Set, Science!, they call for changes in the way science is taught beginning in elementary school. Unlike previous recommendations, the new suggestions reflect recent findings from neuroscience and psychology about how young children think and how they acquire knowledge.

Two recent reports from the National Research Council call for significant changes in the way science is taught in elementary school. Unlike previous recommendations, the new suggestions reflect recent findings about how young children think and how they acquire knowledge.

What Are the Five Branches of Earth Science?

2012-01-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

What Are the Five Branches of Earth Science?

By: Rachel Mork

What are the five branches of Earth Science? What should your child know about each of these branches of Earth Science? How can you help your child understand the basics of this discipline?

We study science to understand how the world around us works and how to better our lives. Some fields of science can seem very dull and academic to children. By pointing out the practical, everyday uses for Earth Science and its branches, you'll encourage children to see beyond their textbooks and discover the interesting lessons science has to offer.

Astronomy: Astronomy is the study of the universe. You and your child may enjoy studying the solar system, space travel, the possibility of life on other planets and how our planet may one day use resources from nearby planets, moons or asteroids. You can use a telescope at home or visit Web sites for huge telescopes like the Hubble station to look at distant astronomical objects. You can also look up some of the things that space technology has brought to our everyday lives, such as advanced computers and memory foam mattresses.

Geology: Geology is the study of the Earth's substance. While teaching your child about the layers of the Earth's crust, you can explore theories about past civilizations and how the Earth was formed. Kids love to look for fossils or go to sites where they can see the actual rock layers. You can explain how rocks are used for fuel and building materials, how humans have mined the Earth for resources and how we are now learning new ways to use those resources.

Meteorology: Meteorology is the study of the Earth's climate, atmosphere and weather. Kids love learning about natural disasters, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis and other powerful weather events. Your child may be interested in experimenting with a wind sock, kite or rain measuring-device; she may also find old-fashioned weather predictors interesting.

Oceanography: Oceanography is the study of the Earth's oceans. Kids are amazed to learn about the terrain underneath the surface of oceans, especially when they learn about the mountain ranges, valleys and trenches deep under the sea. You can explore the fascinating wildlife, the challenges of ocean travel, the changes in eco-systems related to human activity and the vast resources available under those blue waves. Talk with your child about how we need to protect the ocean and the animals in it for future generations. Explain how fishing provides food and study the many ways that ocean plants are used in manufacturing.

Glaciology: Glaciology is the study of glaciers, massive rivers of ice found in the coldest places on Earth. When studying glaciers, you can talk about how glaciers and ice ages have affected the formation of the Earth's surface and how glaciers interact with other elements of our delicate global ecosystem. You may want to read up on the things scientists are learning from ice core samples taken from glaciers and the predictions made regarding the melting of glaciers.

All five branches of Earth Science are easily related to children of all ages. Pique your child's interest and you'll find many topics to study together.

Science and Health

2012-01-24T14:00:00.000-08:00

Science and Health

SCIENCES

According to an article from http://optimallearningcenters.com/, the science component is based on our understanding that children develop science concepts as they investigate and interact with real objects and phenomena. They are natural scientists in that they are curious, observant, and always questioning. Their knowledge of science grows out of an attempt to find meaning in their environment.

As they plan the themes and supporting activities in science, teachers know that children construct their own meaning from their experiences in order to make sense of the world around them.

By incorporating children’s ideas into instructional strategies, teachers guide children toward accommodating their experiences into a more scientific view. Concrete, hands- on experiences using everyday objects, children’s objects, and outdoor experiences permit children to construct their own realistic understanding of what science is.

Teaching approaches include the use of real- life experience and manipulation of materials and equipment. Since modeling a positive attitude toward science by adults fosters love for science by children, our teachers are open minded and enthusiastic about science. Thus, all children are challenged to pursue their interests to the fullest of their potential.

HEALTH

The governing goal of this component is “health literacy.” Under this subject, children learn to obtain, interpret, understand and use basic health information.

Tips for Teaching Children Science

2012-01-23T14:00:00.000-08:00

According to an article from http://www.infobarrel.com/TeachingChildrenScience, the question was asked, are you trying to find out the best ways of teaching children science? Here are some important things you need to incorporate in your teaching style and children will definitely respond to that. All children have the ability to learn - the teaching routine has to be right.

Tips for Teaching Children Science

•You need to ensure the kids stay interested in learning by making use of interesting activities that makes them feel like they are being active. They will not even think about getting bored.

•Teachers and parents need to have an understanding and positive attitude with the children, especially while teaching. If you are frustrated or agitated the child realizes that and they get agitated too.

•Children will not respond if they feel that the study time is full of frustration and boredom. You need to make study time exciting in order for the children to respond well to the teaching methods.

•Science is an interesting subject and you should make the child develop and interest in it. Help them understand how science is important in real life and how many inventions could not have been made without it.

•Any every day question can become a science leaning experience. For instance when a child asks you what the moon is like or why the stars are so bright? From cooking questions to questions related to the environment, everything can be turned into a science revelation.

•You can also make children get involved with science by making them get out in nature and collect favorite objects like rocks, leaves or flowers. Of course the difficulty level of the activity should also be determined according to the child’s age. If an activity is too easy or too difficult, you

•according to the child’s age. If an activity is too easy or too difficult, you risk having the child lose interest.

•Astronomy is a very interesting field of science and it is something a lot of children actually enjoy learning about. Make things seem like a story and pique their interest by taking trips to the nearby planetarium. The children are sure to stay engrossed.

Vitamin D

2012-01-22T14:00:00.000-08:00

According to an article from the February 2012 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, a new review of 75 studies found that not getting enough of the sunshine vitamin raises your chances of a heart attack and ups many cardiovascular risk factors, including high blood pressure, general inflammation, and metabolic syndrome (a triple whammy of hypertension, high triglycerides, and extra weight around your middle). You can get D from sun exposure, but depending on your skin tone and how far north you live, that can be tough in winter months (plus, too much sun ups your risk of skin cancer, and wrinkles).

Getting vitamin D from food is also a challenge - fortified milk, fatty fish, and eggs are recommended sources. Most of us will have to rely on supplement to meet the goal of 600 IU a day set by the Institute of Medicine, or the higher amount - 1,000 IU - that many other experts advise.

Just Say No.....to Soda

2012-01-21T16:42:00.000-08:00

According to an article in the February 2012 Good Housekeeping magazine, sugary drinks aren't on any one's good-health list, but in data reported last November, researchers noted that sweet sodas are particularly risky for women. A University of Oklahoma study of 4,166 women, age 45 and over, found that those who drank two or more sugar-sweetened beverages a day were nearly four times as likely to develop high triglycerides, as those who drank one or fewer. They were also more likely to add to their waist sizes and develop impaired glucose levels, setting themselves up for diabetes. The researchers aren't sure why females are harder hit than males, but it may be as simple as calories, because women need fewer, two sodas make up a greater proportion of their daily calorie intake. But don't wait for the definitive why: women should quench thirst with water or unsweetened iced tea, and get your fizz from seltzer (add a spritz of lemon or lime if you like a little favor.

Tip #50: Don't Take Your Child's Sporting or Extra Curricular Activities too Seriously.

2012-01-20T14:00:00.000-08:00

Just about anyone who has witnessed a youth sport these days has had a bad experience. A survey of 3,300 parents published in an issue of "SportingKid" magazine found that 84% had witnessed "violent parental behavior" toward children, coaches, or an official at kids' sports events. This brings us to tip #50.

Tip #50: Don't take your child's sporting or extra curricular activities too seriously.

Children should not be victims or witness adults behaving like their child is participating in the "World Series" or Olympic Games and the family's life savings depends on the outcome of the child's performance. There is too much pressure put on little children and it takes away the love of the game or activity. More than half of the parents end up removing their children from youth games because they felt that youth sports were too competitive. Team sports should teach children lesson in life, such as, sportsmanship and cooperative outcomes, while developing skills to become competitive in the future. Some parents need to RELAX, stop living through their child, and let their child develop their athletic skills, and enjoy the games.

Tip #49: Make Sure You Take Your Children to the Dentist.

2012-01-19T14:00:00.000-08:00

When we think about being healthy, how many people think of their dental health? It has come to light that many of the health problems people experience started with poor dental hygiene and dental care. That brings us to tip #49.

Tip #49: Make sure you take your children to the dentist.

Parents should try to take their children to the dentist when they are between the ages of 2-4 years old to make sure their baby teeth are healthy and developing properly. Also, it will help the child have a positive attitude early on with the dentist. Children should brush their teeth in the morning and before going to bed, but someone must show them the proper way to clean their teeth. Flossing and getting fluoride treatments should be a routine part of your child's dental care. Dentist are very expensive, but very necessary in our overall health plan. This country must come to terms and make sure every child is receiving proper medical and dental health care, but we as parents must teach them the routine of caring for their teeth, so that they can smile without hesitation.

Sleep: The Secret Weapon for School Success: Part 3

2012-01-18T14:00:00.000-08:00

Sleep: The Secret Weapon for School Success: Part 3

By GreatSchool Staff

Seven ways to be your child's sleep advocate

Talk to your child about sleep. Have a conversation with your child about the importance of sleep. "Educate your child about how much sleep he needs and how it will affect his performance," advises Kurcinka. "If he wants to do well in his soccer game, or on a test, make him aware that he will do better if he gets more sleep."

Encourage your child to establish a sleep routine. Encourage your child to stick to a regular sleep schedule. School-age children need an average of 10 to 11 hours of sleep each night. Insist on a regular bedtime and wake-up time. Have a regular quiet, relaxing bedtime routine such as reading to your child or reading together to help him slow down before going to sleep.

Say no to late-night TV and computer use. Keep the computer and TV out of your child's bedroom. It's a good way to monitor his screen activities and make sure he doesn't stay up past his bedtime. If he insists on watching TV right before bedtime, you can tell him to start getting ready for bed during the commercials and to record "must-see" late-night shows and watch them at another time.

Check in with your child's teacher. Ask your child's teacher if your child is alert or sleepy in class. If he is frequently sleepy in class, that's a sign that you need to help him get more sleep.

The pros and cons of naps. A short nap after school (no more than 30 minutes) may be refreshing, but don't let your school-age child sleep for hours during the day as this will throw off her natural sleep schedule. It may be a stretch to convince your school to provide a time for naps, but it is done in Japan. Schools there encourage "power naps" at lunchtime, when students put their heads down on their desk for 20 to 30 minutes.

Exercise plays a role in keeping a regular sleep schedule. "Exercise is very important, particularly getting outside and getting morning light," says Kurcinka. "But exercise raises the body temperature so it is not a good idea to exercise right before going to sleep. That means it's important to regulate organized soccer and baseball games so they are not scheduled too late into the evening."

Be a role model. Show your child that you make sleep a priority in your own life. Children are more likely to follow your advice if you follow the same rules for yourself.

Sleep: The Secret Weapon for School Success: Part 2

2012-01-17T14:00:00.000-08:00

Sleep: The Secret Weapon for School Success: Part 2

By GreatSchools Staff

Lack of sleep is linked to a multitude of problems

Several studies presented at Sleep 2007, the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, highlighted some of the adverse effects caused by lack of sleep - aggressive behavior and bullying, poor grades, poor attention span, disruptions in cognitive and linguistic function including the skills necessary for reading and language development. A few scientists theorize that sleep problems at a young age can cause permanent changes in a child's brain structure.

Lack of sleep may be the cause of behavior problems

Sometimes lack of sleep will be the reason behind temper tantrums, morning meltdowns and irritable behavior. Your child may not be able to tell you that's the problem and you may not see it because a tired child may become a wired child-full of energy. "It's as though their body is out of control," says Kurcinka. "And it is."

Kurcinka says parents need to set limits on extracurricular activities and computer time, and become advocates at their school for reducing the amount of homework, and encouraging schools to adopt later start times.

More and more children lack sleep — a disturbing trend

Kurcinka argues that lack of sleep among children is more common now than ever before and attributes this trend to three factors: science, safety and achievement.

"Science - The research on early brain development and the importance of brain stimulation has meant kids are overstimulated starting at a young age. They begin by watching 'Baby Einstein' videos and continue from there. Safety-parents are afraid to let kids go out and play so they provide more structured activities which tend to be organized around adult hours and schedules. Achievement-so much is competitive and overly achievement oriented for kids, from soccer to gymnastics to academics."

To counter these factors, Kurcinka says, parents should "create an environment that values sleep and is conducive to it. The bottom line is that parents of children who are successful have a secret weapon - they protect their kids' sleep. Kids who get more sleep have higher grade-point averages. In a study reported in the journal, Child Development, in 2003 entitled 'The Effects of Sleep Restriction and Extension on School-Age Children: What a Difference an Hour Makes,' Tel Aviv University researcher Avi Sadeh found that even 41 minutes less sleep each night can affect memory and attention."

Managing sleep patterns begins in the morning

Kurcinka says managing sleep problems and controlling stress levels begins in the morning by making time for a peaceful family breakfast. She sees it as a way to take time to sit and talk, to "check in" and connect with your child. By starting the day without rushing, you set a calm tone for the rest of the day.

Avoiding bedtime battles

To avoid bedtime battles at night, Kurcinka advocates establishing a calming, predictable bedtime routine attuned to your child's needs that will help her wind down. In her book, Sleepless in America, she compares the process of getting your child to bed to landing a jumbo jet:

"Landing a jumbo jet is not a simple process. Miles from their destination, the pilots begin to prepare. They check the weather, determine which runway to utilize, the level of instrumentation to use on approach as well as the optimal speed. Once those decisions are made, they start to configure the aircraft appropriately…What the crew is trained to know is that conscientious preparation and a gradual descent lead to a soft landing and satisfied customers. When it comes to bedtime, most children are like those jumbo jets. Their days are often spent 'flying' from one activity to another, and they need to gradually 'glide' from the 'high' of their day to a 'soft landing' in bed."

Spending 20 minutes with your child before bedtime in a soothing activity, such as reading, quietly catching up on the day's activities, or telling stories, can help provide the calm that will help your child transition to going to sleep. Adjusting the routine, depending on your child's mood and needs, (just as the pilot adjusts the plane's landing pattern depending on the weather) will help, too. Some days kids just need a little more connection and attention.

Sleep: The Secret Weapon for School Success: Part 1

2012-01-16T14:00:00.000-08:00

Sleep: The secret weapon for school success

By GreatSchools Staff

Lack of sleep is a national epidemic for today's children, and the consequences are serious.

Is your child having behavior problems and trouble in school? Making sure she/he gets enough sleep may be the solution.serious.

Sleep deprivation can affect cognitive skills and academic achievement. A continuing lack of sleep is linked to serious health problems including diabetes, obesity, heart disease, depression and a shortened life span.

Why aren't kids getting enough sleep?

Children ages 5 to 12 need 10 to 11 hours of sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Yet studies show that most kids are getting about an hour less sleep each night than they did 30 years ago.

Why? Extracurricular activities, such as sports teams and arts programs, may schedule events at night. Working parents who get home late may feel guilty and want to spend time with their children in the evening. Too much homework and the many distractions of television, video games and computers all play a role. In addition, all the pressures and stresses of today's frenetic lifestyles may make it difficult for kids to calm down so they can fall asleep.

Catching up on sleep is not a good option

Parents may think they'll let their children catch up on sleep on the weekend. But sleep experts at the Mayo Clinic advise against this practice as irregular sleep schedules can affect the biological clock, hurt the quality of sleep and cause greater irritability. Children who sleep in on the weekend may have an even harder time getting up for school on Monday morning, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. It's better, the experts say, to keep similar schedules during the week and on the weekends.

Make sleep a priority

Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, teacher, parent educator and author of Sleepless in America, says parents can play a key role by placing a high value on their children's sleep. She says the first step for parents is to "make sleep a priority."

"Scientific research links heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity with lack of sleep. There's also a study out of the University of Michigan," adds Kurcinka, "that shows that 20 to 25 % of kids with ADHD have sleep disorders. Sleep is not a luxury. This is about health and well being."

Some parents may think that their child isn't sleeping much because he just doesn't need as much sleep as other children. But Kurcinka doesn't buy that argument. She says, "When I hear a parent say, 'He is a kid who doesn't need sleep,' generally this means he is a kid who can't sleep. He needs help learning to calm himself to get to sleep. If I see a child who has behavior problems, can't focus or pay attention, a child who's getting sick a lot, craving carbohydrates, I'll want to look at how much sleep he's getting. Maybe the child is just exhausted."

Winter Cold, Meet Your Match

2012-01-15T14:00:00.000-08:00

Winter Cold, Meet Your Match

By Samatha B. Cassetty, M.S., R. D., GHRI Nutrition Director

Sip a berry smoothie, and fight the sniffles. While recent roundup of more than 30 research studies conclude that taking vitamin C supplements doesn't decrease the number of colds people are hit with, a new study from Karolinska Institute in Sweden found that getting the nutrient from food helps a lot: Women whose diet includes more than 200 mg of vitamin C per day had a 49% lower chance of coming down with a cold or the flu than those who consumed less than 100 mg. Reaching the virus-fighting level is as easy as having a smoothie made with 1 cup of frozen strawberries for breakfast (61 mg), three red pepper rings in a lunchtime turkey wrap (38 mg), and a cup of cooked broccoli at dinner (101 mg).

Happy Birthday Dr. King

2012-01-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Dr. King

You fought for liberty and justice for all, and believed that all God's children had the right to receive the "Best Education Possible"!

Happy Birthday Dr. King

From: Best Education Possible, Debra West

Tip #47: Help Develop Your Child's Self-Esteem.

2012-01-14T14:00:00.000-08:00

Kids with healthy self-esteem tend to enjoy interacting with others. They are comfortable in group settings and independent activities. That brings us to tip #47.

Tip #47: Help develop your child's self-esteem.

Everyone needs to have a healthy self-esteem in order to be successful and that is no different for our children. We all have strength and weaknesses that we know about, accept, and work toward strengthening. But jow can parents help their child in building a good self-esteem? According to the article, "Developing Your Child's Self-Esteem", from KidsHealth.org, you need to:

1. Watch what you say to your child
2. Be a positive role model
3. Identify and redirect your child's inaccurate beliefs
4. Be spontaneous and affectionate
5. Give positive, accurate, feedback
6. Create a safe, loving home environment
7. Help you child become involved in constructive experiences

Developing Your Child's Self-Esteem: Part 2

2012-01-13T14:00:00.001-08:00

Developing Your Child's Self-Esteem

An article from kidshealth.org

How Parents Can Help

How can a parent help to foster healthy self-esteem in a child? These tips can make a big difference:

•Watch what you say. Kids are very sensitive to parents' words. Remember to praise your child not only for a job well done, but also for effort. But be truthful. For example, if your child doesn't make the soccer team, avoid saying something like, "Well, next time you'll work harder and make it." Instead, try "Well, you didn't make the team, but I'm really proud of the effort you put into it." Reward effort and completion instead of outcome.

•Be a positive role model. If you're excessively harsh on yourself, pessimistic, or unrealistic about your abilities and limitations, your child may eventually mirror you. Nurture your own self-esteem, and your child will have a great role model.

•Identify and redirect your child's inaccurate beliefs. It's important for parents to identify kids' irrational beliefs about themselves, whether they're about perfection, attractiveness, ability, or anything else. Helping kids set more accurate standards and be more realistic in evaluating themselves will help them have a healthy self-concept. Inaccurate perceptions of self can take root and become reality to kids. For example, a child who does very well in school but struggles with math may say, "I can't do math. I'm a bad student." Not only is this a false generalization, it's also a belief that will set the child up for failure. Encourage kids to see a situation in its true light. A helpful response might be: "You are a good student. You do great in school. Math is just a subject that you need to spend more time on. We'll work on it together."

•Be spontaneous and affectionate. Your love will go a long way to boost your child's self-esteem. Give hugs and tell kids you're proud of them. Pop a note in your child's lunchbox that reads, "I think you're terrific!" Give praise frequently and honestly, without overdoing it. Kids can tell whether something comes from the heart.

•Give positive, accurate feedback. Comments like "You always work yourself up into such a frenzy!" will make kids feel like they have no control over their outbursts. A better statement is, "You were really mad at your brother. But I appreciate that you didn't yell at him or hit him." This acknowledges a child's feelings, rewards the choice made, and encourages the child to make the right choice again next time.

•Create a safe, loving home environment. Kids who don't feel safe or are abused at home will suffer immensely from low self-esteem. A child who is exposed to parents who fight and argue repeatedly may become depressed and withdrawn. Also watch for signs of abuse by others, problems in school, trouble with peers, and other factors that may affect kids' self-esteem. Deal with these issues sensitively but swiftly. And always remember to respect your kids.

•Help kids become involved in constructive experiences. Activities that encourage cooperation rather than competition are especially helpful in fostering self-esteem. For example, mentoring programs in which an older child helps a younger one learn to read can do wonders for both kids.

Finding Professional Help

If you suspect your child has low self-esteem, consider professional help. Family and child counselors can work to uncover underlying issues that prevent a child from feeling good about himself or herself.

Therapy can help kids learn to view themselves and the world positively. When kids see themselves in a more realistic light, they can accept who they truly are.

With a little help, every child can develop healthy self-esteem for a happier, more fulfilling life.

Developing Your Child's Self-Esteem: Part1

2012-01-12T14:00:00.000-08:00

Developing Your Child's Self-Esteem

Article from kidshealth.org

According to an article from kidshealth.org, healthy self-esteem is a child's armor against the challenges of the world. Kids who feel good about themselves seem to have an easier time handling conflicts and resisting negative pressures. They tend to smile more readily and enjoy life. These kids are realistic and generally optimistic.

In contrast, kids with low self-esteem can find challenges to be sources of major anxiety and frustration. Those who think poorly of themselves have a hard time finding solutions to problems. If given to self-critical thoughts such as "I'm no good" or "I can't do anything right," they may become passive, withdrawn, or depressed. Faced with a new challenge, their immediate response is "I can't."

Here's how you can play important role in promoting healthy self-esteem in your child.

What Is Self-Esteem?

Self-esteem is the collection of beliefs or feelings we have about ourselves, our "self-perceptions." How we define ourselves influences our motivations, attitudes, and behaviors and affects our emotional adjustment.

Patterns of self-esteem start very early in life. For example, a toddler who reaches a milestone experiences a sense of accomplishment that bolsters self-esteem. Learning to roll over after dozens of unsuccessful attempts teaches a baby a "can-do" attitude.

The concept of success following persistence starts early. As kids try, fail, try again, fail again, and then finally succeed, they develop ideas about their own capabilities. At the same time, they're creating a self-concept based on interactions with other people. This is why parental involvement is key to helping kids form accurate, healthy self-perceptions.

Self-esteem also can be defined as feelings of capability combined with feelings of being loved. A child who is happy with an achievement but does not feel loved may eventually experience low self-esteem. Likewise, a child who feels loved but is hesitant about his or her own abilities can also end up with low self-esteem. Healthy self-esteem comes when the right balance is reached.

Signs of Unhealthy and Healthy Self-Esteem

Self-esteem fluctuates as kids grow. It's frequently changed and fine-tuned, because it is affected by a child's experiences and new perceptions. So it helps to be aware of the signs of both healthy and unhealthy self-esteem.

Kids with low self-esteem may not want to try new things, and may frequently speak negatively about themselves: "I'm stupid," "I'll never learn how to do this," or "What's the point? Nobody cares about me anyway." They may exhibit a low tolerance for frustration, giving up easily or waiting for somebody else to take over. They tend to be overly critical of and easily disappointed in themselves. Kids with low self-esteem see temporary setbacks as permanent, intolerable conditions, and a sense of pessimism predominates.

Kids with healthy self-esteem tend to enjoy interacting with others. They're comfortable in social settings and enjoys group activities as well as independent pursuits. When challenges arise, they can work toward finding solutions and voice discontent without belittling themselves or others. For example, rather than saying, "I'm an idiot," a child with healthy self-esteem says, "I don't understand this." They know their strengths and weaknesses, and accept them. A sense of optimism prevails.

Do Uniforms Make Schools Better?: Part 3

2012-01-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

Do Uniforms Make Schools Better?

By Marian Wilde , GreatSchools Staff
What's a uniform?

One school might require white button-down shirts and ties for boys, pleated skirts for girls and blazers adorned with the school logo for all. Another school may simply require that all shirts have collars.

In Toledo, Ohio, elementary school students have a limited palette of colors that they can wear: white, light blue, dark blue or yellow on the top half and dark blue, navy, khaki or tan on the bottom half.

Toledo girls are allowed a fairly wide range of dress items, however: blouses, polo shirts with collars, turtlenecks, skirts, jumpers, slacks, and knee-length shorts and skirts. Boys have almost as many choices: dress shirts, turtlenecks, polo or button-down shirts, pants or knee-length shorts.

When Toledo students reach junior high, they are treated to one more color choice: maroon.

What Research Says About School Uniforms
Virginia Draa, assistant professor at Youngstown State University, reviewed attendance, graduation and proficiency pass rates at 64 public high schools in Ohio. Her final analysis surprised her: "I really went into this thinking uniforms don't make a difference, but I came away seeing that they do. At least at these schools, they do. I was absolutely floored."

Draa's study concluded that those schools with uniform policies improved in attendance, graduation and suspension rates. She was unable to connect uniforms with academic improvement because of such complicating factors as changing instructional methods and curriculum.

University of Missouri assistant professor, David Brunsma reached a different conclusion. In his 2004 book, The School Uniform Movement and What It Tells Us About American Education: A Symbolic Crusade, Brunsma reviewed past studies on the effect of uniforms on academic performance. He also conducted his own analysis of two enormous databases, the 1988 National Educational Longitudinal Study and the 1998 Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. Brunsma concluded that there is no positive correlation between uniforms and school safety or academic achievement.

Meanwhile, the movement toward uniforms in public schools has spread to about a quarter of all elementary schools. Experts say that the number of middle and high schools with uniforms is about half the number of elementary schools. If uniforms are intended to curb school violence and improve academics, why are they not more prevalent in middle and high schools, where these goals are just as important as in elementary schools? Because, says Brunsma, "It's desperately much more difficult to implement uniforms in high schools, and even middle schools, for student resistance is much, much higher. In fact, most of the litigation resulting from uniforms has been located at levels of K-12 that are higher than elementary schools. Of course, this uniform debate is also one regarding whether children have rights, too!"

It's a Big Issue
A new trend is the mounting pressure to establish dress codes for teachers. Apparently the same casual mind-set toward revealing outfits is cropping up in the ranks of our teachers.

The debate over uniforms in public schools encompasses many larger issues than simply what children should wear to school. It touches on issues of school improvement, freedom of expression and the "culture wars." It's no wonder the debate rages on.

Additional Resources
Books:
The School Uniform Movement and What It Tells Us About American Education: A Symbolic Crusade, David Brunsma. Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2004.

School Dress Codes: A Pro/Con Issue, Barbara C. Cruz. Enslow Publishers, 2001.

Do Uniforms Make Schools Better?: Part 2

2012-01-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

Do Uniforms Make Schools Better?

By Marian Wilde , GreatSchools Staff
Uniforms vs. Dress Codes

Schools and districts vary widely in how closely they adhere to the concept of uniformity.

What's a dress code?
Generally, dress codes are much less restrictive than uniform policies. Sometimes, however, dress codes are nearly as strict, as in the case of a middle school in Napa, California. This particular school's dress code required students to wear solid colors and banned images or logos on clothes. When a student was sent to detention for wearing socks adorned with the image of Winnie-the-Pooh's friend Tigger, the girl's family sued the school district for violating her freedom of speech. In August of 2007, the district announced it would relax its dress code - for the time being - to allow images and fabrics other than solid colors. The district superintendent, while admitting that banning images on clothes raises concerns about the restriction of political and religious speech, announced his intention to move soon toward implementing uniforms in the district.

Uniforms are certainly easier for administrators to enforce than dress codes. Consider two recent examples of students challenging dress codes through the courts.

In June of 2007, the United States Supreme Court upheld a lower court's decision affirming a Vermont student's right to wear a T-shirt depicting President Bush surrounded by drug and alcohol images. The school had suspended the student, not for the anti-Bush political statement, but for violating a dress code that prohibits drug and alcohol images. The courts, however, disagreed with the school and found that, because the images referred to Bush's alleged past use of cocaine and alcohol, they were protected as free political expression.

In March of 2007, the Supreme Court "vacated" or set aside the decision of a lower court upholding a San Diego high school's suspension of a student for wearing an anti-gay T-shirt. The school argued that the T-shirt was hateful and inflammatory. The Supreme Court's action essentially struck down the school's argument and upheld the student's right to free speech.

In both of these cases, the schools' attempts to protect students from drug and alcohol images or hateful speech were reversed in favor of free speech. To clarify the matter somewhat, the Supreme Court ruled in June of 2007 in favor of a school in Alaska that had suspended a student for displaying a banner reading "Bong Hits 4 Jesus." The court ruled that the reference to drugs in this case had no political message and could indeed be seen as advocating drug use.

Check with your school to see what the dress code is, as they can be fairly specific. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, for example, the dress code prohibits:

-Decorations (including tattoos) that are symbols, mottoes, words or acronyms that convey crude, vulgar, profane, violent, gang-related, sexually explicit or suggestive messages

-Large or baggy clothes (this prohibition can be used to keep students from excessive "sagging")

-Holes in clothes

-Scarves, curlers, bandanas or sweatbands inside of school buildings (exceptions are made for religious attire)

-Visible undergarments

-Strapless garments

-Bare midriffs, immodestly low-cut necklines or bare backs

-Tights, leggings, bike shorts, swim suits or pajamas as outerwear

-Visible piercings, except in the ear

-Dog collars, tongue rings and studs, wallet chains, large hair picks, or chains that connect one part of the body to another

Do Uniforms Make Schools Better?: Part 1

2012-01-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

Do Uniforms Make Schools Better?

By Marian Wilde , GreatSchools Staff

Yes and no, say the experts. The heated debate over school uniforms shows no signs of cooling off.

For the past decade, schools, parents and students have clashed over the issue of regulating student attire. In 2007, cases involving an anti-Bush T-shirt in Vermont, an anti-gay T-shirt in San Diego and Tigger socks in Napa, California, made their way through the courts, causing many to wonder whether this debate will ever be resolved.

Meanwhile, researchers are divided over how much of an impact - if any - dress policies have upon student learning. A 2004 book makes the case that uniforms do not improve school safety or academic discipline. A 2005 study, on the other hand, indicates that in some Ohio high schools uniforms may have improved graduation and attendance rates, although no improvements were observed in academic performance.

Why Do Some Public Schools Have Uniforms?

In the 1980s, public schools were often compared unfavorably to Catholic schools. Noting the perceived benefit that uniforms conferred upon Catholic schools, some public schools decided to adopt a school uniform policy.

President Clinton provided momentum to the school uniform movement when he said in his 1996 State of the Union speech, "If it means teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms."

The Pros and Cons of School Uniforms
According to proponents, school uniforms:

-Help prevent gangs from forming on campus
-Encourage discipline
-Help students resist peer pressure to buy trendy clothes
-Help identify intruders in the school
-Diminish economic and social barriers between students
-Increase a sense of belonging and school pride
-Improve attendance

Opponents contend that school uniforms:
-Violate a student's right to freedom of expression
-Are simply a Band-Aid on the issue of school violence
-Make students a target for bullies from other schools
-Are a financial burden for poor families
-Are an unfair additional expense for parents who pay taxes for a free public education
Are difficult to enforce in public schools

Your Child's Cough: Part 2

2012-01-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

Your Child's Cough: Part 2

When to Call the Doctor

Most childhood coughs are nothing to be worried about. However, call your doctor if your child:

-has trouble breathing or is working hard to breathe

-is breathing more quickly than usual

-has a blue or dusky color to the lips, face, or tongue

-has a high fever (especially if your child is coughing but does NOT have a runny or stuffy nose)

-has any fever and is less than 3 months old

-is an infant (3 months old or younger) who has been coughing for more than a few hours

-makes a "whooping" sound when breathing in after coughing

-is coughing up blood

-has stridor (a noisy or musical sound) when breathing in

-has wheezing when breathing out (unless you already have a home asthma care plan from your doctor)

-is weak, cranky, or irritable

-is dehydrated

What Your Doctor Will Do
One of the best ways to diagnose a cough is by listening. Knowing what the cough sounds like will help your doctor decide how to treat your child. The treatment for different types of coughs can vary, based on the cause.

Because most coughs are caused by viruses, doctors usually do not give antibiotics for a cough. A cough caused by a virus just needs to run its course. A viral infection can last for as long as 2 weeks.

Unless a cough won't let your child sleep, cough medicines are not needed. They might help a child stop coughing, but do not treat the cause of the cough. If you do choose to use an over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicine, call the doctor to be sure of the correct dose and to make sure it's safe for your child.

Do not use OTC combination medicines like "Tylenol Cold" — they have more than one medicine in them, and kids can have more side effects and are more likely to get an overdose of the medicine.

Cough medicines are not recommended for children under age 4.

Home Treatment
Here are some ways to help your child feel better:

If your child has asthma, make sure you have an asthma care plan from your doctor. The plan should help you choose the right asthma medicines to give.

For a "barky" or "croupy" cough, turn on the hot water in the shower in your bathroom and close the door so the room will steam up. Then, sit in the bathroom with your child for about 20 minutes. The steam should help your child breathe more easily. Try reading a book together to pass the time.

A cool-mist humidifier in your child's bedroom might help with sleep.

Sometimes a brief exposure to the cool air of the outdoors can relieve the cough. Make sure to dress your child appropriately for the outdoor weather and try this for 10-15 minutes.

Cool beverages like juice can be soothing and it is important to keep your child hydrated. But do not give soda or orange juice, as these can hurt a throat that is sore from coughing.

You should not give your child (especially a baby or toddler) OTC cough medicine without first checking with your doctor.

Cough drops are OK for older kids, but kids younger than 3 years old can choke on them. It's better to avoid cough drops unless your doctor says that they're safe for your child.

Your Child's Cough: Part 1

2012-01-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

Your Child's Cough

According from an article in KidsHealth.org, coughs are one of the most common symptoms of childhood illness. Although a cough can sound awful, it's not usually a sign of a serious condition. In fact, coughing is a healthy and important reflex that helps protect the airways in the throat and chest.

But sometimes, your child's cough will warrant a trip to the doctor. Understanding what different types of cough could mean will help you know how to take care of them and when to go to the doctor.

"Barky" Cough

Barky coughs are usually caused by a swelling in the upper part of the airway. Most of the time, a barky cough comes from croup, a swelling of the larynx (voice box) and trachea (windpipe).

Croup usually is the result of a virus, but can also come from allergies or a change in temperature at night. Younger children have smaller airways that, if swollen, can make it hard to breathe. Kids younger than 3 years old are at the most risk for croup because their airways are so narrow.

A cough from croup can start suddenly and in the middle of the night. Often a kid with croup will also have stridor, which is a noisy, harsh breathing (often described as a coarse, musical sound) that occurs when a child inhales.

Whooping Cough

Whooping cough is another name for pertussis, an infection of the airways caused by the bacteria Bordetella pertussis. Kids with pertussis will have spells of back-to-back coughs without breathing in between. At the end of the coughing, they'll take a deep breath in that makes a "whooping" sound. Other symptoms of pertussis are a runny nose, sneezing, mild cough, and a low-grade fever.

Although pertussis can happen at any age, it's most severe in infants under 1 year old who did not get the pertussis vaccine. Pertussis is very contagious, so your child should get the pertussis shot at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 15 months, and 4-6 years of age. This shot is given as part of the DTaP vaccine (diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis).

The Tdap vaccine (which is similar to DTaP but with lower concentrations of diphtheria and tetanus toxoid for adults) is given to children at 11-12 years and once again in adulthood as a part of one of the tetanus boosters. Adults are recommended to receive this pertussis vaccine since immunity to pertussis lessens over time. By protecting yourself against pertussis, you are also protecting your kids from getting it.

Since pertussis is very contagious, it can spread from person to person through tiny drops of fluid in the air coming from the nose or mouth when people sneeze, cough, or laugh. Others can become infected by inhaling the drops or getting the drops on their hands and then touching their mouths or noses.

Cough With Wheezing

If your child makes a wheezing (whistling) sound when breathing out, this could mean that the lower airways in the lungs are swollen. This can happen with asthma or with a viral infection (bronchiolitis). Also, wheezing can happen if the lower airway is blocked by a foreign object.

Nighttime Cough

Lots of coughs get worse at night. When your child has a cold, the mucus from the nose and sinuses can drain down the throat and trigger a cough during sleep. This is only a problem if the cough won't let your child sleep.

Asthma also can trigger nighttime coughs because the airways tend to be more sensitive and irritable at night.

Daytime Cough

Cold air or activity can make coughs worse during the daytime. Try to make sure that nothing in your house — like air freshener, pets, or smoke (especially tobacco smoke) — is making your child cough.

Cough With a Fever

A child who has a cough, mild fever, and runny nose probably has a common cold. But coughs with a fever of 102º F (39º C) or higher can sometimes be due to pneumonia, especially if a child is weak and breathing fast. In this case, call your doctor immediately.

Cough With Vomiting

Kids often cough so much that it triggers their gag reflex, making them vomit. Also, a child who has a cough with a cold or an asthma flare-up might throw up if lots of mucus drains into the stomach and causes nausea. Usually, this is not cause for alarm unless the vomiting doesn't stop.

Persistent Cough

Coughs caused by colds due to viruses can last weeks, especially if your child has one cold right after another. Asthma, allergies, or a chronic infection in the sinuses or airways also might cause persistent coughs. If the cough lasts for 3 weeks, call your doctor.

Tip # 46: Teach Your child to Resist Peer Pressure.

2012-01-06T17:24:00.000-08:00

It is really tough for children today! Peer pressure has always been a problem for children, but it seems that it is even more difficult to walk away from temptations because of strong peer influences, and the technology that is available to children everyday. That brings us to tip#46.

Tip # 46: Teach your child to resist peer pressure.

Some kids find it difficult to resist peer pressure because they want to be liked and accepted. Others just find it fascinating and want to be adventurous and curious. The media and music industry do not help by making children think that elude behavior is normal and everyone is doing it, and at times glorifying drugs, sex, and violence.

The most important thing a child can have to resist peer pressure is a strong moral foundation, supportive and loving parents, and friends that have the same moral standard or higher. Know your child's friend, where they are going, and what they are doing. (especially on the Internet and the music they are listening to) If you find your child does not make good choices or is a follower, try to redirect them in a firm but caring way, and seek help from other parents who seem to be successful with their children. Do not hesitate to get professional help if needed. Start early, it can save you and your child heart ache and pain.

Tip #45: Teach your Children the Importance of Being Neat and Organized.

2012-01-05T14:27:00.000-08:00

We must help our children to get and remain organized. They must understand that everything has a place and everything should be in its place. That brings us to tip #45.

Tip #45: Teach your child the importance of being neat and organized.

It is extremely important for our children to be neat and organized. One possible reason we are late for appointments or engagements is because we can't find everything we need. My husband always taught our five children that, "Clutter causes depression". Now clutter does bother him, but I, (who clutter doesn't bother) feel better when I can find what I need and things are in their place.

In school, the student who keeps a neat desk and locker is usually able to get started and turn in assignments sooner then the student who can not find papers, pencils, or textbooks. Teaching our children to neatly organize their personal space with help them continue to keep their lives organized into adulthood.

Tip #44: Teach Your Children the Importance of Being on Time.

2012-01-04T13:02:00.000-08:00

We must teach our children the importance of being on time and time management! In order to instill this in our children we must make sure we get them to school, sports events, movies, church, and any extra curricula activity on time. That brings us to tip #44.

Tip #44: Teach your child the importance of being on time.

You must teach your children the importance of being on time. Teach them to be 10 or 15 minutes early, giving a little time for traffic or other deterrents. It is also important for children to be at school on time, to settle down and get in the route of the day. Studies show that children that are chronically late or absent usually don't do as well in school. Being on time will teach our children the importance of time management and will help them with future employment or business transactions. There is nothing that will discourage a future employer from hiring a person then missing an interview or showing up late. So, talk to your children about being on time and teach them time management, because it can be the difference in a successful career.

What Makes a School Effective?: Part 7

2012-01-02T14:00:00.000-08:00

By David Miller Sadker, PhD

Karen R. Zittleman, PhD
McGraw-Hill Higher Education

What Makes a School Effective?Beyond Five Factors

New effective-schools findings offer us insights beyond these original five factors of effective schooling:

•Early start. The concept that there is a particular age for children to begin school needs to be rethought. The earlier schools start working with children, the better children do. High-quality programs during the first three years of life include parent training, special screening services, and appropriate learning opportunities for children. While such programs are rare, those that are in operation have significantly raised IQ points and have enhanced language skills. It is estimated that $1 spent in an early intervention program saves school districts $7 in special programs and services later in life.

•Focus on reading and math. Children not reading at grade level by the end of the first grade face a one-in-eight chance of ever catching up. In math, students who do not master basic concepts find themselves playing catch-up throughout their school years. Effective schools identify and correct such deficiencies early, before student performance deteriorates.

•Smaller schools. Students in small schools learn more, are more likely to pass their courses, are less prone to resort to violence, and are more likely to attend college than those attending large schools. Disadvantaged students in small schools outperform their peers in larger schools, as achievement differences for the rich and poor are less extreme. Many large schools have responded to these findings by reorganizing themselves into smaller units, into schools within schools. Research suggests that small schools are more effective at every educational level, but they may be most important for older students.

•Smaller classes. Although the research on class size is less powerful than the research on school size, studies indicate that smaller classes are associated with increased student learning, especially in the earlier grades. Children in classes of fifteen outperform students in classes of twenty-five, even when the larger classes have a teacher's aide present.

•Increased learning time While not an amazing insight, research tells us what we already suspect: more study results in more learning. Longer school days, longer school years, more efficient use of school time, and more graded homework are all proven methods of enhancing academic learning time and student performance.Assessment. Investing time is useful, but assessing how effectively the time is spent is also important. Testing student performance has been tied to greater achievement, and some districts have gone so far as to pay teachers incentives for improvements in student test scores.

•Teacher training. Researcher Linda Darling-Hammond reports that the best way to improve school effectiveness is by investing in teacher training. Stronger teacher skills and qualifications lead to greater student learning. Conversely, students pay an academic price when they are taught by unqualified and uncertified teachers.

•Trust. Trusting relationships among parents, students, principals and teachers is a necessary ingredient to govern, improve, and reform schools. As trust levels increase, so does academic performance.

•And what about technology? School districts that are hesitant to spend funds on teacher training, class size reductions, or early childhood education programs nevertheless are quick to invest significant sums in computers and upgraded technology. Research says very little about the impact of technology on school effectiveness and student performance. Studies are few, sometimes contradictory, and long-term results are still unknown. It is a sad commentary that the glamour of cyberspace is more persuasive than decades of research.

What Makes a School Effective?: Part 6

2012-01-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

By David Miller Sadker, PhD
Karen R. Zittleman, PhD
McGraw-Hill Higher Education

What Makes a School Effective?

A Note of Caution on Effective Schools Research

Although the research on what makes schools effective has had a direct impact on national reform movements, it has limitations. First, there is disagreement over the definition of an effective school. Researchers use varying descriptions, ranging from "schools with high academic achievement" to schools that foster "personal growth, creativity, and positive self-concept." Although the five factors we have described are helpful, they do not really pro-vide a prescription for developing successful schools.

Another problem is that much of the research has been conducted in elementary schools. Although some researchers suggest applicability to secondary and even higher education, caution must he used in carrying the effective-schools findings to higher levels of education. The generalizability of the re-search is also limited, since several of the studies were conducted in inner-city schools and tied closely to the achievement of lower-order skills in math and science. If one wanted to develop a school that nurtures creativity rather than basic skills, another set of characteristics might be more appropriate.

Happy 2012

2012-01-01T12:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year

From: "Best Education Possible"

I pray that 2012 brings you nothing but joy and peace. I also hope that every child in your reach receives the "Best Education Possible", so their future will be bright and full of promises.

Yours in education,

Debra West

What Makes a School Effective?: Part 5

2011-12-31T14:00:00.000-08:00

By David Miller Sadker, PhD

Karen R. Zittleman, PhD
McGraw-Hill Higher Education

What Makes a School Effective?
Factor 5: High Expectations

The teachers were excited. A group of their students had received extraordinary scores on a test that predicted intellectual achievement during the coming year. Just as the teachers had expected, these children attained outstanding academic gains that year.

Now for the rest of the story: The teachers had been duped. The students identified as gifted had been selected at random. However, eight months later, these randomly selected children did show significantly greater gains in total IQ than did another group of children, the control group.

In their highly influential 1969 publication, Pygmalion in the Classroom, researchers Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson discussed this experiment and the power of teacher expectations in shaping student achievement. They popularized the term self-fulfilling prophecy and revealed that students may learn as much&#mdash;or as little—as teachers expect. Although methodological criticisms of the original Rosenthal and Jacobson study abound, those who re-port on effective schools say that there is now extensive evidence showing that high teacher expectations do, in fact, produce high student achievement, and low expectations produce low achievement.

Too often, teacher expectations have a negative impact. An inaccurate judgment about a student can he made because of error, unconscious prejudice, or stereotype. For example, good-looking, well-dressed students are frequently thought to be smarter than their less attractive peers. Often, male students are thought to be brighter in math, science, and technology, while girls are given the edge in language skills. Students of color are sometimes perceived as less capable or intelligent. A poor performance on a single standardized test (perhaps due to illness or an "off" day) can cause teachers to hold an inaccurate assessment of a student's ability for months and even years. Even a casual comment in the teachers' lounge can shape the expectations of other teachers.

When teachers hold low expectations for certain students, their treatment of these students often differs in unconscious and subtle ways. Typically, they offer such students

•Fewer opportunities to respond

•Less praise

•Less challenging work

•Fewer nonverbal signs (eye contact, smiles, positive regard)

In effective schools, teachers hold high expectations that students can learn, and they translate these expectations into teaching behaviors. They set objectives, work toward mastery of those objectives, spend more time on instruction, and actively monitor student progress. They are convinced that students can succeed.

Do high expectations work if students do not believe they exist? Probably not, and that is too often the case. While a majority of secondary school principals believe that their schools hold such expectations for their students, only 39 percent of teachers believe this to be true and even more discouraging, only one in four students believe their school holds high expectations for them. We need to do a better job of communicating these expectations to students, and making certain that these expectations truly challenge students.

And it is not only students who benefit from high expectations. In The Good High School, Sara Lawrence Lightfoot reported that when teachers hold high expectations for their own performance, the entire school benefits. At Brookline High School, "star" teachers were viewed as models to be emulated. Always striving for excellence, these teachers felt that no matter how well a class was taught, next time it could be taught better.

What Makes a School Effective?: Part 4

2011-12-30T14:00:00.000-08:00

By David Miller Sadker, PhD

Karen R. Zittleman, PhD
McGraw-Hill Higher Education

What Makes a School Effective?Factor 4: Monitoring Student Progress

As the researcher walked through the halls of a school we will call Clearview Elementary School, she noted attractive displays of student work mounted on bulletin boards and walls. Also posted were profiles clearly documenting class and school progress toward meeting academic goals. Students had a clear sense of how they were doing in their studies: they kept progress charts in their notebooks. During teacher interviews, the faculty talked about the individual strengths and weaknesses of their students. Teachers referred to student folders that contained thorough records of student scores on standardized tests, as well as samples of classwork, homework, and performance on weekly tests.

A visit to Foggy Bottom Elementary, another fictitious school with a revealing name, disclosed striking differences. Bulletin boards and walls were attractive, but few student papers were posted, and there was no charting of progress toward academic goals. Interviews with students showed that they had only a vague idea of how they were doing and of ways to improve their academic performance. Teachers also seemed unclear about individual student progress. When pressed for more information, one teacher sent the researcher to the guidance office, saying, "I think they keep some records like the California Achievement Tests. Maybe they can give you what you're looking for."

Following the visit, the researcher wrote her report: "A very likely reason that Clearview students achieve more than Foggy Bottom students is that one school carefully monitors student progress and communicates this information to students and parents. The other school does not."

Effective schools carefully monitor and assess student progress in a variety of ways:

•Norm-referenced tests compare individual students with others in a nationwide norm group (e.g.. the Stanford9).

•Objective-referenced tests measure whether a student has mastered a designated body of knowledge (e.g., state assessment tests used to determine who has "mastered" the material).

Other measures may he less formal. Teacher-made tests are an important (and often overlooked) measure of student progress. Some teachers ask students to track their own progress in reaching course objectives as a way of helping them assume more responsibility for their own learning. Homework is another strategy to monitor students. Researcher Herbert Walberg and col-leagues found that homework increases student achievement scores from the 50th to the 60th percentile. When homework is graded and commented on, achievement is increased from the 50th to nearly the 80th percentile. Al-though these findings suggest that graded homework is an important ingredient in student achievement, how much homework to assign, and what kinds of homework tasks are most effective, continue to be points of contention.

What Makes a School Effective?: Part 3

2011-12-29T14:00:00.000-08:00

By David Miller Sadker, PhD

Karen R. Zittleman, PhD
McGraw-Hill Higher Education

What Makes a School Effective?

Factor 3: A Safe and Orderly Climate

Certainly before students can learn or teachers can teach, schools must be safe. An unsafe school is, by definition, ineffective. Despite the attention-grabbing headlines and the disturbing incidents of student shootings, schools today are safer than they have been in years. (See Figure 9.5.) Nearly all public school teachers (98 percent) and most students (93 percent) report feeling safe in schools. Yet the image of unsafe schools persists, and for more than two decades, opinion polls have shown that the public considers lack of discipline to be among the most serious problems facing schools.

The vast majority of schools provide safe learning environments. This is accomplished by more than metal detectors and school guards. Safe schools focus on academic achievement, the school mission, involving families and communities in school activities, and creating an environment where teachers, students and staff are treated with respect. Student problems are identified early, before they deteriorate into violence. School psychologists, special education programs, family social workers, and schoolwide programs increase communication and reduce school tension.

In some of America's most distressed neighborhoods, safe schools provide a much needed neighborhood refuge. Sara Lawrence Lightfoot tells of the long distances that urban students travel to reach John F. Kennedy High School in the Bronx. One girl, who did not have money to buy a winter coat or glasses to see the chalkboard, rode the subway 1 hour and 40 minutes each way to get to school. She never missed a day, because for her school was a refuge&—a place of hope where she could learn in safety.

What Makes a School Effective?: Part 2

2011-12-28T14:00:00.000-08:00

By David Miller Sadker, PhD

Karen R. Zittleman, PhD
McGraw-Hill Higher Education

What Makes a School Effective:

Factor 2: A Clear School Mission

A day in the life of a principal can be spent trying to keep small incidents from becoming major crises. But the research is clear: In effective schools. good principals somehow find time to develop a vision of what that school should be and to share that vision with all members of the educational community. Successful principals can articulate a specific school mission, and they stress innovation and improvement. In contrast, less effective principals are vague about their goals and focus on maintaining the status quo. They make such comments as, "We have a good school and a good faculty, and I want to keep it that way."

It is essential that the principal share his or her vision, so that teachers understand the school's goals and all work together for achievement. Unfortunately, when teachers are polled, more than 75 percent say that they have either no contact or infrequent contact with one another during the school day. In less effective schools, teachers lack a common understanding of the school's mission, and they function as individuals charting their own separate courses.

Reflection: How do you explain the popular perception of a more violent society contrasted with these statistics reflecting a decrease in school violence?

The need for the principal to share his or her vision extends not only to teachers but to parents as well. When teachers work cooperatively and parents are connected with the school's mission, the children are more likely to achieve academic success.

What Makes a School Effective?: Part 1

2011-12-27T19:56:00.000-08:00

Excerpt from: Teachers, Schools, and Society

By David Miller Sadker, PhD

Karen R. Zittleman, PhD
McGraw-Hill Higher Education

Consider the following situation: Two schools are located in the same neighborhood and are considered "sister schools." They are approximately the same size, serve the same community, and the student populations are identical. However, in one school, state test scores are low and half the students drop out. In the other school, student test scores exceed the state average and almost all students graduate. Why the difference?

Puzzled by such situations, researchers attempted to determine what factors create successful schools. Several studies have revealed a common set of characteristics, a five-factor theory of effective schools. Researchers say that effective schools are able, through these five factors, to promote student achievement. Let's take a look at these classic five factors, and then move on to some more recent studies..

Factor 1: Strong Leadership

In her hook The Good High School. Sara Lawrence Lightfoot drew portraits of six effective schools. Two, George Washington Carver High School in Atlanta and John F. Kennedy High School in the Bronx, were inner-city schools. High-land Park High School near Chicago and Brookline High School in Brookline, Massachusetts, were upper middle-class and suburban. St. Paul's High School in Concord, New Hampshire, and Milton Academy near Boston were elite preparatory schools. Despite the tremendous difference in the styles and textures of these six schools, ranging from the pastoral setting of St. Paul's to inner-city Atlanta, they all were characterized by strong, inspired leaders, such as Robert Mastruzzi, principal of John F. Kennedy High School.

When Robert Mastruzzi started working at Kennedy, the building was not yet completed. Walls were being built around him as he sat in his unfinished office and contemplated the challenge of not only his first principalship but also the opening of a new school. During his years as principal of John F. Kennedy, his leadership style has been collaborative, actively seeking faculty participation. Not only does he want his staff to participate in decision making, but he gives them the opportunity to try new things—and even the right to fail. For example, one teacher made an error about the precautions necessary for holding a rock concert (800 adolescents had shown up, many high or inebriated). Mastruzzi realized that the teacher had learned a great deal from the experience, and he let her try again. The second concert was a great success. "He sees failure as an opportunity for change," the teacher said. Still other teachers describe him with superlatives, such as "he is the lifeblood of this organism" and "the greatest human being I have ever known."

Mastruzzi seems to embody the characteristics of effective leaders in good schools. Researchers say that students make significant achievement gains in schools in which principals

•Articulate a clear school mission

•Are a visible presence in classrooms and hallways

•Hold high expectations for teachers and students

•Spend a major portion of the day working with teachers to improve instruction

•Are actively involved in diagnosing instructional problems

•Create a positive school climate

Giving Back

2011-12-26T10:37:00.000-08:00

This Christmas, we were watching our eight grand-children open all their presents. One of my sons said, "Why don't we do something different next year. These kids have so many toys and really don't need all this stuff. Why don't we start a new tradition and adopt an angel or start an educational fund for all the children."

We all discussed different options and decided that next year will be different. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season with family, friends, and loved ones. Why not sit down and come up with ways to begin new traditions of giving back or planning for your children's future education. Below are some suggestions.

1. Start an educational fund for all the children in the family. My father is the head of our "Holmes Family Fund". All adult family members that are working are suppose to give $5 a month. (That comes to $60 a year), Some members give more. The money is put into a money market fund for all the younger family members for educational expenses. We have 6 board members and all decisions are made through a vote. It works if everyone participates and makes education a priority. There must be a family member that will take the lead and make things happen with reminders, encouragement, and updates. The fund will grow without much effort from anyone person.

2. Visit seniors citizen homes and give gifts, play games, and sing songs.

3. Make handcrafted gifts for family and friends, and strangers.

4. Make homemade goodies for neighbors and friends. (We have wonderful next door neighbors that always give out a Chex-Mix in a decorative can).

5. Come up with creative family Holiday cards to send to family and friends. Make it fun by including everyone on what the back-drop, costume, and theme will be for the family card.

6. Adopt a family through church, school, or local charities. Have everyone in planning, buying, and wrapping the gifts.

7. Plan to visit family or friends and spread holiday cheer.

8. Invite someone to go to church or holiday concert, or play.

9. Plan a time and Skye or call grand-parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins so they can see your family.

10. Go through the house and give lightly worn clothes and toys to local charities.

11. Collect, hats, coats, gloves, and scarfs throughout the year and give to the homeless shelter

12. Teach your children and family about giving back. Talk about appreciating what they have and being grateful.

13. Go to a homeless shelter and give gifts or serve food.

14. Plant a garden and give out the fresh produce or flowers to others. Teach your children and grand-children caring for a garden.

15. Adopt a homeless pet.

There is no better time then now to get started for 2012. That way your family has an entire year to plan for making next year better than any year before through giving back.

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T06:23:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

From: Best Education Possible

May your day be full of laughter, joy, and blessings

Never forget the eternal lessons

of Peace on Earth Good Will to All Men

Yours in Education,

Debra West

Family Christmas Traditions

2011-12-25T06:19:00.000-08:00

This is all about family Christmas traditions. Not about what gifts to buy your relatives, or how to host a perfect holiday party, but the special, meaningful things that families may do together during the holiday season. Below are some examples of holiday traditions you can start in your family.

What are some of your family holiday traditions during the Christmas season? Do you count down the days with a calendar and plan something for each day? Do you light the tree and Christmas decorations and sing seasonal songs each night? Do you set up a Nativity scene and explain the Savior's birth? Do you gather together as a family to enjoy a festive meal? Do you go to church to give thanks for the gift of our Savior? Do you give back to a special charity and make sure the children are involved? Do you contact family members and friends by Skye or a Christmas cards, making sure it has a personal creative touch. Do you give the gift of a educational fund to the younger members of the family securing their future. What special things do you do on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

Whatever you do make sure you start your own family traditions! It will be a blessing for everyone and it will continue for generations to come! Merry Christmas Everyone and God's riches blessings to you all.

From,

Best Education Possible

Debra West

Tip #43: Girls and Boys Learn Differenently at Different Rates.

2011-12-23T14:00:00.000-08:00

There is scientific evidence that girls and boys learn differently. That brings us to tip #43.

Tip #43: Girls and boys learn differenently at different rates.

According to Michael Gurian, educator and family therapist, girls talk sooner, develop better vocabularies, read better, and have better fine motor skills. Boys, on the other hand, have better auditory memory, are better at three-dimensional reasoning, are more prone to explore, and achieve greater abstract design ability after puberty. What does all this mean? There are new researched based methods to educate our children based on brain science, neurological development, and chemical and hormonal disparities. This is why parents should not compare children and understand the simple fact that boys and girls learn differently. They also develop at different rates. So, be patient and watch for any unusual delays in development before becoming alarmed, and remember that all children are unique and learn differently.

Tip #42: Read Aloud with Your Child.

2011-12-22T14:00:00.000-08:00

To foster a love of reading, keep reading together! Even if your kids can read very difficult literature all by themselves. This brings us to tip #42.

Tip #42: Read aloud with your child.

Reading aloud can expand your children's vocabulary, and your conversations can help them understand and enjoy reading more. This is how you can help your child become a lifelong reader. So, regardless of your child's age or comprehension level, continue to read together ritual. Maximize your time with these four suggestions:

1. Pick books that your child can read and understand easily . Shelve books that seem way over your child's head. It's tempting to push his/her literary limits, but the goal is understanding and enjoying.

2. Listen to audio books. It's not cheating, really; it's a terrific way to engage kids. Press "Play" during car rides or after dinner.

3. Revisit favorites. A second read is a great chance to discuss subtleties and encourage him/her to move beyond just the plot.

4. Find out what your child is interested in and look for books on that topic.

Tip #41: Keep Your Promises to Your Child

2011-12-21T14:24:00.000-08:00

There is nothing more disappointing to a child then for someone to promise to do something and it doesn't happen! This brings us to tip #41.

Tip #41: Keep your promises to your child.

We, as adults, must keep our word and never promise to go or do something if we cannot truly complete that promise. Children soon find out who they can depend on and trust. We always want our children to confide in us and come to us when they have difficult decisions or are having problems. They will soon go to peers or others if they cannot trust you. You must build that relationship of trust when they are small, because it is difficult to change their opinions once they feel betrayed or continually disappointed. Something you can do is keep your word!!.

Great learning gifts for your high schooler

2011-12-19T14:00:00.000-08:00

Great learning gifts for your high schooler

7 smart, sassy, and sophisticated gifts for every teen on your list.
By GreatSchools Staff

Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories

Edited by Kelly Link and Gavin Grant; read by Sarah Coomes, Nico Ever-Swindell, Shannon McManus, Arthur Morey, Julie Whelan
Ages: 14+
Another recommendation from librarian Wendy Woodfill is this short fiction anthology of YA’s hottest sub-genre — steampunk, which blends elements of sci-fi, fantasy, history, adventure, and even romance into speculative fiction that thrills. Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories ($13.59) features 14 stories by well-known authors including Cassandra Clare and Cory Doctorow. "There’s a lifetime of creativity, mystery, and ingenious adventure packed into this book," Woodfill says. "And because it's a collection of short pieces, it’' a great choice for kids who don’t have long attention spans."
Bottom line: Inventive and fantastical stories that appeal equally to easily distracted and adventure-seeking boys and girls.

The Future of Us

By Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler
Ages: 12 and up
Here's a book for the Facebook generation, set in 1996 when Mark Zuckerberg was just a brainy tween. High school classmates Emma and Josh were best friends until an awkward romantic moment introduced a new tension between them, changing everything. Then Josh receives a free CD-ROM in the mail and shares it with Emma, thereby automatically logging both onto each other's Facebook page. The catch is that Facebook hasn’t been invented yet. Their respective pages reflect their lives 15 years in the future. The chapters alternate between Emma's and Josh's perspectives, as both grapple with the discovery that choices they make in the present can have far-reaching consequences for the future.
Bottom line: The Future of Us ($11.98), is an insightful glimpse at the present for teens of all ages — just be prepared to explain what life was like before the Internet and Ipod.

Beauty Queens

Written and read by Libba Bray
Ages: 14 and up
What happens when an airplane crashes on a desert island, leaving a bunch of beauty queens stranded? Pretty hilarious stuff, actually. Libba Bray is beloved for her previous YA novels, and with Beauty Queens ($13.59), she pushes the envelope even further with a slapstick, satirical take on beauty pageants and other hot-button issues faced by teen girls. "This is a real tour-de-force," says Jamie Watson, collection development coordinator for the Baltimore County Public Library. "I love that it’s not a preachy, message-driven book (although there are some good messages) — and did I mention it"s hilarious? The author clearly relishes reading her own material."
Bottom line: Comic relief helps teen girls let off some steam when the pressure to conform is starting to build.

Pathwords

Ages: 12 and up
A combination of a word search and puzzle game, Pathwords gets increasingly challenging as you move along. The goal? To fit the colored pieces over the words in each puzzle so that all of the letters are covered. Sound easy? Not so fast — sometimes the words are backwards, which can be tricky: "equip" didn't look like a word when spelled "piuqe." This is a single-player game and it can be quite addictive. Of course kids who want to play together can swap games or help each other out with each puzzle. There are a total of 40 games, from beginner to expert.
Bottom line: An addictive word game that also requires visual spatial skills.

For more ideas go to GreatSchools.com

Great Learning Gifts For Your Middle Schooler

2011-12-18T14:00:00.000-08:00

Great learning gifts for your middle schooler

Smarts and fun all in one with 7 perfect presents for tweens.
By GreatSchools Staff

Pathwords

Ages: 12 and up
A combination of a word search and puzzle game, Pathwords gets increasingly challenging as you move along. The goal? To fit the colored pieces over the words in each puzzle so that all of the letters are covered. Sound easy? Not so fast — sometimes the words are backwards, which can be tricky: "equip" didn't look like a word when spelled "piuqe." This is a single-player game and it can be quite addictive. Of course kids who want to play together can swap games or help each other out with each puzzle. There are a total of 40 games, from beginner to expert.
Bottom line: An addictive word game that also requires visual spatial skills.

The Cruisers: Checkmate

By Walter Dean Myers, read by Kevin R. Free
Ages: 10 and up
Winner of AudioFile magazine’s Earphones Award, The Cruisers: Checkmate ($11.69), is the second book in Myers’ Cruisers series about a group of gifted middle school misfits in Harlem who bond over competitive chess. Myers has a subtle touch and is able to explore issues of peer pressure, drug use, and the power of the (school) press with grace. Narrator Kevin Free does a superb job of capturing the diversity of voices and personalities of the Cruisers kids, as well as the stern assistant principal, Mr. Culpepper.
Bottom line: An engrossing story that teaches significant life lessons without ever sermonizing.

Apples to Apples

Ages: 11 and up
Apples to Apples, known as "the game of crazy comparisons," is riotous, goofy fun. It's perfect for family game night, birthday parties, and family vacations because you can play with from four to 10 players — the more players, the bigger the fun. Built around a boxed set of cards, Apples to Apples requires players to find matches between simple adjectives — like "scary" or "luxurious," for example — and people, places, objects, or ideas — from Lady Gaga to cotton candy to the Grand Canyon. Players take turns being the judge and choosing the words that make the best match — and the results can be hilarious. It turns out that teachers love Apples to Apples as much as kids do because it's a great way to build vocabulary and comparative reasoning skills. The game has even earned the brainiac seal of approval, winning a Mensa Select award in 1999. There are numerous variations, including Apples to Apples Junior for younger kids.
Bottom line: An easy way to sneak a little vocabulary, grammar, and reasoning into family game night.

The Summer I Learned to Fly

By Dana Reinhardt
Ages: 11 and up
In the passage from childhood to adulthood, there’s a point when discovery about oneself and the world begins to take root. For Drew Solo, the heroine of this book, that point takes place in the summer before eighth grade. It's 1986 and she's 13, living in a small California town with her mother, who runs a gourmet cheese shop. Drew loves the adults in her life and her pet rat, but she yearns for a friend her own age. That friend arrives in the unexpected person of a slightly older boy, Emmett Crane. At first Emmett tells her little about himself, but eventually he reveals his secret dream: to find a legendary spring said to have healing waters. Joining Emmett on his quest brings new understanding about belief, family, what it means to have a friend, and to be one.
Bottom line: The Summer I Learned to Fly ($11.99), is the perfect pick for readers who like stories centered around relationships.

For more ideas go to GreatSchool.com

Great Learning Gifts For Your Fifth Grader

2011-12-17T14:00:00.000-08:00

Great learning gifts for your fifth grader

Wrap up big fun and learning into one perfect present with any of our 7 top picks.
By GreatSchools Staff

Cubulus

Ages: 8 and up
Part croquet (ok, that's a stretch, but you do push your opponents ball out of your way), part 3-D tic-tac-toe, Cubulus is a multisensory experience that can be played with two or three players. Each player gets nine balls of a particular color, and the goal is to form a square with four of your balls on one side of the satisfyingly squishy cube. But you have to pay attention, because when you push your ball into the cube, you may be pushing your opponent's ball into a winning square. This game is a great work out for spatial processing and critical thinking. It's also fun and deceptively challenging.
Bottom line: Smart strategy game that is almost as fun to hold as it is to play.

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Hidden GalleryBy Maryrose Wood, read by Katherine Kellgren
Ages: 9-12
Katherine Kellgren gives another stellar performance narrating The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Hidden Gallery ($14.95), the second book of this popular series about a plucky British governess and her three wolf-child charges. Kellgren's accents are spot on, with deft vocalizations of everything from aristocratic to Cockney. With London as the backdrop and offering sage advice like "No Panicking. No Complaining. No Quitting," this is a Mary Poppins-esque tale elegantly and wittily crafted for the millennial generation.
Bottom line: Satirically spot-on adventure yarn that our expert called "charming as heck."

Bananagrams

Ages: Bananagrams, 8 and up; Appletters and PAIRSinPEARS, 6 and up
Bananagrams is a variation on Scrabble that's a little simpler, a lot more portable, and just as addictive. Like Scrabble, Banagrams requires rapid-fire word-smithing, which helps players build both vocabulary and verbal skills. Unlike Scrabble, Bananagrams requires no board; players work independently, competing against each other to build words and to be the first to divest themselves of all their letter tiles. The game is elegantly simple: It includes just wooden tiles in a banana-shaped storage bag, so it's easy to tuck into your suitcase if you're travelling for the holidays. A couple of variations on the original — Appletters and PAIRSinPEARS — help younger kids develop reading skills, too.
Bottomline: Go bananas and build vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and verbal skills.

Wonderstruck

By Brian Selznick
Ages: 9 and up
Selznick alternates text and exquisite pencil drawings to tell two distinct stories that eventually entwine to become one. The book opens in 1977 with Ben, a 12-year-old Minnesota boy grieving his mother's death — he doesn’t know his father — when a freak lightening strike renders him deaf. Stumbling onto clues that suggest his father lives in New York City, Ben sets out to find him. Just as you’re getting hooked on Ben's tale, you're plunged back in time 50 years into the illustrated story of Rose, a lonely deaf girl who runs away to New York in search of her favorite Broadway star. Through the twin tales and their climactic intersection, Selznick explores an array of themes: family, friendship, memory, and the magic of museums.
Bottom line: The prose and pictures in Wonderstruck ($16.00) keep the story accessible, but the coming-of-age theme makes this best for older tweens.

Great Learning Gifts For Your Fourth Grader

2011-12-16T14:00:00.000-08:00

Great learning gifts for your fourth grader

Fun and learning all in one with these 7 favorite holiday picks.
By GreatSchools Staff

Apothecary

By Maile Meloy, illustrated by Ian Schoenherr
Ages: 10 and up
Imagine a cross between Harry Potter and Nancy Drew. That blend of magic and mystery propel this fast-paced novel set in the 1950s cold-war era. Janie Scott is an American teen forced to abruptly move from Los Angeles to London with her parents. There she meets a mysterious apothecary and his son Benjamin, who intrigues her by his willingness to stand up to authority and dreams of someday becoming a spy. When Russian spies kidnap Ben’s father, he and Janie are soon plunged into a real espionage adventure. The two find an ancient book, the Pharmacopoeia, which contains magical spells and potions they must use to save Ben’s father and prevent impending nuclear disaster.
Bottom line: The suspense and fast-pacing make The Apothecary ($11.55), a compelling and easy read for middle-schoolers, though some may be put off by the romantic bits between Janie and Benjamin.

Kabaleo

Ages: 8 and up
If you love strategy, speed, and game pieces that make a satisfying clacking noise when you play them, check out Kabaleo ($22.95). This quick, action-packed game requires players to bluff their way to domination by hiding the very identity of their color as they place cones on a board. It takes planning, skill, and just a touch of cunning to plot a path to victory.
Bottom line: Kids will have to put on their best poker face to win this game of strategy.

Kinect Sports Season Two

Ages: Elementary through high school
“We can go skiing as soon as your finish your homework!” That’s the sort of bribe you can use at your house — on Tuesday even if the slopes are hours away — if someone finds the Kinect Sports Season Two ($50, Xbox 360 Kinect) under the tree. Bored with skiing? Play some darts, a few tennis matches, or a round of golf. You can even tackle a real physical challenge like football or baseball. It’s possible that exposing your kids to these "virtual" games that are fun, challenging, and even physically exhausting, might inspire them to take up the real thing. They probably aren’t going to perfect their backhand by playing Kinect tennis or develop the stamina they’ll need for football, but they'll certainly learn to keep score and learn the terminology and rules of each game. For a shy middle schooler, that might be enough to get them out on the courts, slopes, or greens. And it makes for a great family game night — even if some of the family is in another town. You can play opponents over Xbox Live.
Bottom line: If you own an Xbox 360 and the ($130) Kinect add on, this game makes for great family fun. It might even encourage a non-athlete to take up a sport.

Clue

Ages: 8 and up
Did Colonel Mustard do the deed, or was it Mrs. Peacock? Did s/he use a knife or a candlestick and was the crime committed in the Conservatory or the Billiard Room? Clue, the classic mystery-solving game, invokes an atmosphere of elegance and evil that kids love. It's also an excellent way to develop logic and deductive reasoning skills. As players set out to solve the classic crime, they start with a set of variables and must use logic to assemble a case. By making a series of educated guesses, players gather pertinent information to eliminate suspects, suspected weapons, and locations until they solve the crime. An added benefit: Kids who love Clue often develop a love of mysteries, too.
Bottom line: Kids use deductive reasoning, critical thinking, and problem solving to figure out whodunit.

For more ideas go to GreatSchools.com

Great Learning Gifts For Your Third Grader

2011-12-15T14:00:00.000-08:00

Great learning gifts for your third grader

Wrap up learning and fun with 7 of the year's best toys, books, and board games.

By GreatSchools Staff

Dweebies

Ages: 8 and up

Dweebies is a strategic, delightfully designed card game in which each player tries to collect the most cards by building lines of cards. Kids will start to learn probability as they try to determine if another player will scoop up a row of cards before they do, based on how many of each card type is included in the deck. Up to six people can play, and in this game, the more the merrier.

Bottom line: Cute cartoon characters and simple rules create a fun and unpredictable game.

The Harry Potter audiobook series

By J. K. Rowling , narrated by Jim Dale

Ages: 9 to 12

Veteran Broadway actor Jim Dale created more than 200 voices to portray all the characters in each of the unabridged seven books in J. K. Rowlings's Harry Potter series ($287 for the box set). That adds up to a whooping 117 hours and four minutes of reading time! For his priceless portrayal of Hermoine Granger, Hagrid, Rita Skeeter, and so many others, he won a Grammy. Dale's even in the Guinness Book of World Records for creating the most voices for an audiobook. Listen and be dazzled.

Bottom line: Don't miss these 100-plus hours of a fantasy phenomenon.

Monopoly Collection

Ages: 6 and up

Monopoly was a staple of family game night when we were kids. But this console game version goes far beyond the cardboard and plastic version we played. In Monopoly Collection ($39.99, Wii), it’s as if you and your family have been shrunk to game-piece size so you can move right in to live in Park Place, spend a night in jail, and construct your tenements from the ground up. And there is no need to buy another board to change the setting: Just choose from a menu that offers everything from the classic city-setting to jungle, arctic, or future.

Bottom line: A classic game parents already love, animated and brought to life to the delight of younger (and older) folks. Family game night will no longer be plagued by lost plastic pieces and you will, for a change, be the one familiar with the rules of play

Kitchen Science

Ages: 6-11
What it teaches: early chemistry, math (measurement), cause and effect
What do you do with a fork, tomato, and light-bulb? No, this is no joke, it's a science experiment!
Aspiring Madame Curies and Dmitri Mendeleevs (Not a science history buff? Mendeleevs developed the first periodic table.) will unleash magic and mystery with this science-in-a-box that incites kids to muck up the kitchen, all in the name of chemistry.
Along with creating electricity (see above: tomato, fork, and light bulb), your young chemist can claim that she is, in fact, a rocket scientist after launching her own rocket. Unlike some DIY junior science kits, this one is smartly put together, its creators understand what an elementary schooler actually can do and wants to do. However, like most science kits, parents must provide plenty of ingredients — and of course be on hand to oversee measuring and make sure the science lab, a.k.a kitchen, doesn't turn into a complete disaster zone.
Bottom line: Science transformed into pure amusement, with plenty of learning tucked into every experiment.

Great Learning Gifts For Your Second Grader

2011-12-14T14:00:00.000-08:00

Great learning gifts for your second grader

Fun and learning go hand-in-hand with these 8 terrific toys, games, and books.
By GreatSchools Staff

National Geographic Challenge

Ages: Elementary through middle school
Gather the kids, make some popcorn, and throw a game night! National Geographic Challenge's ($20, Xbox, Ps3, and Wii) puzzle and quiz party game will take your family around the world — using stunning images from National Geographic — as you race against each other for world domination. The quizzes are delivered in an inspired multiple-choice format that instructs as it takes you from the desert to the Antarctic and through all the continents through the ages. Even when it’s not party night, kids can play solo for a visual tour of the world.
Bottom line: Family fun that takes parents and kids on a visually breathtaking and educationally rich worldwide tour.

Everything On It

By Shel Silverstein
Ages: 6 and up
Here's why we love Shel Silverstein:
“There are kids underneath my bed,"
Cried little baby monster Fred.
Momma monster smiled. "Oh, Fred,
There's no such things as kids," she said.
Want another reason? Check out the cover illustration, where the hot dog that comes with "everything on it" is piled high with umbrellas, a bicycle wheel, chairs, a nightstand, a trombone, hats, and a python. Silverstein’s family members and long-time editor culled through the trove of unpublished poems and drawings he left behind after his 1999 death to assemble this collection. It offers the same mix of whimsy, wit, and wisdom found in Silverstein’s classics, Light in the Attic and Where the Sidewalk Ends.
Bottom line: Everything On It ($11.99) demands to be read aloud — delighting children and adults equally.

Kitchen Science

Ages: 6-11
What it teaches: early chemistry, math (measurement), cause and effect
What do you do with a fork, tomato, and light-bulb? No, this is no joke, it's a science experiment!
Aspiring Madame Curies and Dmitri Mendeleevs (Not a science history buff? Mendeleevs developed the first periodic table.) will unleash magic and mystery with this science-in-a-box that incites kids to muck up the kitchen, all in the name of chemistry.
Along with creating electricity (see above: tomato, fork, and light bulb), your young chemist can claim that she is, in fact, a rocket scientist after launching her own rocket. Unlike some DIY junior science kits, this one is smartly put together, its creators understand what an elementary schooler actually can do and wants to do. However, like most science kits, parents must provide plenty of ingredients — and of course be on hand to oversee measuring and make sure the science lab, a.k.a kitchen, doesn't turn into a complete disaster zone.
Bottom line: Science transformed into pure amusement, with plenty of learning tucked into every experiment.

Ant-o-Sphere

Ages: 6-8
A science toy that requires kids to design and build an ecosystem for an ant colony, then trap several dozen live ants and their pupa, isn’t for faint-of-heart, hands-off parents. But if you are willing to invest the time, this is no ordinary toy.

Designed by former entomologist Peter Smith, Ant-o-Sphere from Wild Science ($49.99) offers a flexible kit of multiple pods in transparent red and clear plastic, connected by tubes that mimic ant colonies in nature. One of our kid testers got so excited about assembling the colony, she completely forgot about trapping and adding the ants. For those more focused on watching ants at work, this toy encourages real scientific learning. Kids can test, observe, and draw conclusions — all important skills typically absent in many project-oriented science toys, where the outcome is a foregone conclusion. For instance, the kit encourages kids to create their own pod design and see how it changes ant behavior. By the same token, children can learn about the eating habits of ants by offering them different kinds of food.

A final note: Though marketed to boys, this toy was equally popular with our girl testers and received higher marks from them than many of the “science for girls” products.
Bottom line: A surprise hit with our girl testers, this science toy makes experiments engaging.

For more ideas go to GreatSchools.com

Great Learning Gifts Gor Your First Grader

2011-12-13T14:00:00.000-08:00

Great learning gifts for your first grader

Give fun and learning all in one with any of these 7 favorite toys, games, and books.
By GreatSchools Staff

Marble Run Vortis
Ages: 4-10
What it teaches: engineering fundamentals around cause-and-effect relationships and interconnections

The magic of gravity and colored plastic are put to good use with this elaborate multifaceted marble run. Though kids will no doubt love playing with it, the real learning comes from putting it together and making it work. Kids of all ages thought this toy was exciting. One of our kid testers exclaimed before it was even out of the box: “Thank you thank you thank you!”

Be forewarned, though. For parents hoping for some leisure time, this toy may not satisfy. One of our parent testers confessed: “My child wasn’t the only one who learned something!”
Bottom line: The perfect family project that makes a big impression on little minds.

The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories
By Dr. Seuss, read by Neil Patrick Harris, Anjelica Huston, and others
Ages: 4-8
Dr. Seuss’ lyrical, tongue-twisting stories deserve to be narrated by golden-tongued talent. The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories ($8.64), a brand new audio collection of early original works, pulls out all the stops, boasting an all-star lineup that includes Hollywood heavy hitters such as Neil Patrick Harris, Anjelica Huston, William H. Macy, and Joan Cusack. "This is a fantastic choice for kids who are just learning to read," says Jeanne Lamb, coordinator for the youth collections at the New York Public Library." They can relax, hear the flow of a wonderful story, and then make the connections to the page."
Bottom line: The pitch-perfect gift for the Seuss-obsessed kid.

Spot It
Ages: 6 and up
Spot It puts a unique twist on matching games. Each of the 55 round cards has a symbol on it that matches exactly one symbol on every other card. The object is to be the first one to find the most matches from the cards you are dealt. Matching pictures on cards — how hard can that be? Harder than you think (sometimes the size of the symbols change), and it's all a matter of speed. You can play with up to eight people, and since there’s no reading involved, even kindergartners can get into the action. The game also includes instructions for four additional games. Packaged in a small tin and requiring little space to play, it’s the perfect travel game for the whole family.
Bottom line: This fast-paced game is great to take on the road and will grow with your kids.

SET
Ages 6 and up, $15
Even some of the best toys out there become a snooze for parents eventually. Not so with SET, an addictive and challenging matching game in which players pick out patterns involving symbols, numbers, and colors. An excellent brain stretcher, good for long stretches of quiet fun, and an equally good time for grownups as well as kids.
The bottom line: You can't beat this addictive yet challenging game for ages 6 and up.

For more ideas visit GreatSchools.com

The Perfect Present For Every Grade: Ages 3-5

2011-12-12T14:00:00.000-08:00

The perfect present for every grade

Article written by the staff of GreatSchools.com

Looking for gifts that will delight your children — and inspire them, too? We can help. We've assembled a grade-by-grade cornucopia of games, toys, books, and gadgets your kids will love — no matter their age.

Duplo Play with Numbers

Ages: 3-5

This set of oversize Legos (perfect for younger hands) comes with a unique figurine — a friendly dalmatian puppy — and, more important for little learners, a colorful collection of illustrated counting blocks. Each block in Duplo Play with Numbers features a visual representation of that number, whether it's three ice cream cones, four birds, or 10 bees. Truly the building blocks of early math skills.

Bottom line: These extra-large Legos are perfect for kids working on their 123s.

Chased by Dinosaurs

Ages: 4 and up

Got a kid deep in a brachiosaur phase? He or she will drool over this collection of 30-minute episodes in which charismatic zoologist Nigel Marven travels through time to tour seven prehistoric eras. The digital effects are surprisingly decent, and the science is compelling enough for novices and aspiring paleontologists alike.

Bottom line: There are a lot of dinosaur DVDs out there, but Chased by Dinosaurs is one of the best.

Ladybug Girl

By Jackie Davis, iIllustrated by David Soman

Ages: 3-5

Everybody's busy: Lulu's older brother won't let her tag along because she is too little, and Mom and Dad don't have time. What's a girl to do? Enter Lulu's alter ego: Ladybug Girl. Complete with wings and a ladybug polka dot skirt, Ladybug Girl and her faithful sidekick, the family basset hound that is never too busy, go off on their own adventures saving the yard from danger. With wonderful illustrations accompanying the hilarious text, Ladybug Girl is an all-time favorite picture book and a riotous read.

Automoblox Minis

Ages: 3-5

Made of sturdy beech wood and plastic, these colorful, snap-together toy cars are designed with kids' development in mind. Children can flex those gross and fine motor muscles while boosting their problem-solving skills by taking apart the Automoblox Minis and reassembling the pieces to create many new combinations. Even the red, green, and blue wheels snap off, though they might be prone to getting lost. While Automoblox fall on the expensive side of toy cars, they're built to last — and promote learning.

Bottom line: These high-quality toy cars will help kids' brains go vroom.

For more ideas go to GreatSchools.com

Top 10 Worst Things for Your Immune System:Part 2

2011-12-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

Top 10 Worst Things for Your Immune System

Kick these surprising habits to keep colds, flu and other bugs at bay.
by the Editors of Prevention.com

Muscle Up Your Immunity
Staying healthy isn't just about using hand sanitizer and avoiding coughing co-workers.

It turns out some pretty surprising daily habits—like how you fight with your husband or whether you stay up late for Letterman—can impact how well your body fends off colds, flu and other pesky bugs. Here's a list of science-backed tips to add to your stay-healthy arsenal today. Below are tips 6-10.

6. You Don't Stash Pens in Your Purse

Having your own supply of dime-a-dozen plastic ballpoints might just keep you from picking up a virus.

Cold and flu germs are easily passed through hand-to-hand contact, says Neil Schachter, MD, a professor of pulmonary medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and author of The Good Doctor's Guide to Colds and Flu. Any way you can avoid touching public objects—such as the communal pen at the bank—will cut your risk.

What to do: "When you get up in the morning, don't leave the house without a pen in your pocket or your purse," Schachter suggests. "Take your own wherever you go, and use it instead of the doctor's, the delivery guy's, or the restaurant waiter's

7. You Drive Everywhere
One in four American women doesn't exercise at all—and that's an easy way to set yourself up for sickness.

When researchers compared inactive people with those who walked briskly almost every day, they found that who didn't walk took twice as many sick days in 4 months as those who strolled regularly.

What to do: Experts say that it takes a 30 minutes of aerobic exercise—a brisk walk counts—to sweep white blood cells back into circulation, making your immune system run more smoothly.

8. Your Friends Smoke
We don't need to tell you that puffing ciggies is terrible for the entire body. But the secondhand kind is almost as harmful.

Each year, because of exposure to tobacco smoke, an estimated 3,000 nonsmoking Americans die of lung cancer and 300,000 children suffer from lower respiratory-tract infections. Secondhand smoke can trigger an asthma attack and aggravate symptoms in people with allergies. In addition, tobacco smoke has been shown to make asthma worse in preschool children and may even cause it.

What to do: Sounds obvious, but avoid secondhand smoke as much as you can—including spending time with people while they smoke. Encourage anyone in your everyday life (husband, coworkers or neighbor friends) to quit.

9. You Always Reach for Antibiotics
Taking antibiotics at the first sign of a sniffle can make you resistant to these drugs over time, causing more serious infections.

Researchers found that certain patients taking antibiotics had reduced levels of cytokines, the hormone messengers of the immune system. When your immune system is suppressed, you're more likely to develop resistant bacteria or become sick in the future.

What to do: Take antibiotics only for bacterial infections, use them right away, and take the entire course. Don't use antibiotics preventively unless prescribed by your doctor, and don't save or share unfinished courses.
10. You're Little Miss Serious
Consider this a doctor's note to troll YouTube on your lunch break…

Researchers have found that the positive emotions associated with laughter decrease stress hormones and increase certain immune cells while activating others. In a study conducted at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, healthy adults who watched a funny video for an hour had significant increases in immune system activity.

What to do: Um, laugh more. You know how: Watch your favorite comedies, have lunch with a pal known for her funny bone, and read those silly forwards from friends before you auto-click "delete."

Top 10 Worst Things for Your Immune System

2011-12-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

Top 10 Worst Things for Your Immune System

Kick these surprising habits to keep colds, flu and other bugs at bay.
by the Editors of Prevention.com

Muscle Up Your Immunity

Staying healthy isn't just about using hand sanitizer and avoiding coughing co-workers.

It turns out some pretty surprising daily habits—like how you fight with your husband or whether you stay up late for Letterman—can impact how well your body fends off colds, flu and other pesky bugs. Here's a list of science-backed tips to add to your stay-healthy arsenal today.

1. You Avoid the Water Cooler
Friendship may be Miracle-Gro for your immune system.

Research shows that the fewer human connections we have at home, at work, and in the community, the likelier we are to get sick, flood our brains with anxiety-causing chemicals, and live shorter lives than our more sociable peers. In one study, researchers who monitored 276 people between the ages of 18 and 55 found that those who had 6 or more connections were 4 times better at fighting off the viruses that cause colds than those with fewer friends.

What to do: Don't let a jam-packed workday or hectic schedule get in the way of your friendships. Stop by a co-worker's office for a quick Monday morning catch-up, or e-mail/text your friends at night to stay in touch when you're too busy for phone calls.

2. You Often Feel Tired
Scrimping on sleep has a powerfully detrimental effect on immunity.

The perfect example: college students who get sick after pulling all-nighters cramming for exams. Poor sleep is associated with lower immune system function and reduced numbers of killer cells that fight germs. In fact, University of Chicago researchers found that men who had slept only 4 hours a night for 1 week produced half the amount of flu-fighting antibodies in their blood (jump-started by a flu shot) compared with those who slept 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 hours.

What to do: Most adults need between 7 and 9 hours of uninterrupted rest every night, but how you feel in the morning and throughout the day may be a better gauge. If you're tired when you wake up in the morning, you're not getting enough—sleep, or maybe not enough quality sleep.

3. You Act Like Debbie Downer
Studies show that glass-half-empty types don't live as long as those who look on the bright side.

When pessimists put a more positive spin on the calamities in their lives, they have less stress and better health. A classic UCLA study found that law students who began their first semester optimistic about the experience had more helper T cells mid semester, which can amplify the immune response, and more powerful natural killer cells, than students who had a more pessimistic perspective. One reason could be that optimists take better care of themselves. It could also be due to less stress-related damage to the immune system, such as killer cells that suddenly become pacifists.

What to do: Personality is tough to change. Look for reasons—however small—to feel lucky every day. Sounds hokey, but try striking up a dinner table conversation with your family where you all share a couple of good things that happened every day.

4. You Bottle Up Your Moods
A constructive argument with your spouse can actually increase immunity, say UCLA researchers.

They asked 41 happy couples to discuss a problem in their marriage for 15 minutes. The researchers detected surges in blood pressure, heart rate, and immune-related white blood cells, all of which were similar to the benefits seen with moderate exercise. But you still have to play nice: Couples who frequently use sarcasm, insults and put-downs have fewer virus-fighting natural killer cells, have higher levels of stress hormones, and take up to 40% longer to recover from injuries than those who manage to stay positive and affectionate during their quarrels.

What to do: Don't keep what's bothering you bottled up. People with type D personalities—those who keep their opinions and emotions hidden—have killer T cells that are less active than those found in more expressive peers.

5. You're Under the Gun
Chronic stress—the day-after-day kind you experience over job insecurity or a sick relative—takes a toll on many aspects of your health, including immunity.

There is compelling scientific evidence that this kind of stress (as opposed to the every-now-and-again kind from a bad day at work or a screaming match with your kid) causes a measurable decline in the immune system's ability to fight disease. Periods of extreme stress can result in a lower natural killer cell count, sluggish killer T cells, and diminished macrophage activity that can amplify the immune response. In fact, widows and widowers are much more likely to get sick during the first year after their spouse dies than their peers who have not experienced a major loss.

What to do: We're not going to tell you to take a bath or light a scented candle (unless those really help you relax, that is!). Do find go-to, healthy stress relievers that can take the edge off—be it a long run on the treadmill, a relaxing yoga class, or baking dessert just for fun. The important thing is that you unwind and recover from stress, since it's often hard to avoid in the first place.

Tip #40: Help Choose Appropriate Books For Your Child

2011-12-09T14:00:00.000-08:00

According to "The Mom Book Goes To School", when choosing Books to read aloud to your child, give your reading selections balance and range. That brings us to tip # 40. Exposing your child to all forms of literature, form science fiction to fairy tales, newspaper articles to riddles, will encourage him/her to be a well rounded reader and improve his higher level thinking skills. Below are some suggestions to choosing the best books for your child:

Tip #40: Help your child choose appropriate books to read and enjoy.
1. Consider your child's abilities.

2. Look at length, difficulty, and your child's attention span when choosing a book.

3. Allow more independence with reading material as the child grows older.

4. Pick books written by Newbery Medal -winning authors. These books will have a gold or silver emblem on their front cover.

5. Pick stories with clear messages and social context to help your child learn basic values and develop decision-making skills.

6. Many books for younger readers have pictures, get some without pictures so your child can visualize what happens in the story or let your child illustrate it.

7. For excellent suggestions on newly released children's titles, The American Library Association and my book, "A Parents Handbook: How to Get the Best Education Possible K-6", compiles a list of notable children's books.

Helping Your Child With Math: Part 2

2011-12-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

Helping Your Child With Math

Article by: Swankymoms.com

School has begun! Which means your child is probably bringing home art projects, exciting stories about her day at school and... homework! The good news it that most elementary math programs consist of the same basic activities (counting, patterning, sorting, graphing, etc.). By brushing up on these basic areas and learning a few tricks to share with your child, you can help your little one feel confident with these math concepts when she comes home with her number recognition worksheets, counting worksheets, patterning worksheets, sorting and classifying worksheets, or graphing worksheets and help her become a true math-lete. Below are tips on sorting and classifying and graphing.

Sorting and Classifying

Sorting involves recognizing a characteristic that items have in common and grouping them together. Sorting is a skill that adults and children use everyday. Organizing a desk or locker, emptying a dishwasher, putting away clean clothes, and on and on. So it is a great idea to give your little guy opportunities to sort.

Start by showing your child a group of items that differ in only one way - color, size, shape or texture. For example, the same sock used for patterning can be sorted by color into two piles. Or two kinds of buttons can be sorted by size - large vs. small. Show your child how you are dividing the groups based on a specific characteristic and encourage him to continue.

Classifying is simply naming the characteristic that guides the sorting activity. So encourage your child to talk about why he is separating the piles a certain way.

Graphing

Graphing is a way to visually represent amounts of items being counted. Children will see that a graph gives them instant information, so it can be a big time saver when comparing groups. Tell your child that this is a kind of shortcut and he’ll get on board!

A simple way to introduce graphs is to take a poll, asking friends and family members for an answer to a question. A yes or no question makes the poll easy to take and read. You might ask: “Do you like watching football?” or “Do you like to take naps?” Draw two columns side-by-side and divide them into equal-sized sections.

Write YES under the first column and NO under the second. Then let your child mark an X in the appropriate box to record each answer he is given. A question with two or three possible answers works well also. “Which dessert do you like more - pie, cake, or ice cream?”

Finally, talk about the graph with your child. Can he tell you which answer had the most responses? Which answer had the least? Were the amounts equal?

Math activities can be fun and educational!

For more information on helping your child succeed in school, visit www.schoolsparks.com. There you will find a kindergarten readiness test parents can take to see if their kids are ready to start preschool or kindergarten and hundreds of free printable kindergarten worksheets to help children develop critical skills.

Helping Your Child With Math: Part 1

2011-12-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

Helping Your Child With Math

Article by: Swankymoms.com

School has begun! Which means your child is probably bringing home art projects, exciting stories about her day at school and... homework! The good news it that most elementary math programs consist of the same basic activities (counting, patterning, sorting, graphing, etc.). By brushing up on these basic areas and learning a few tricks to share with your child, you can help your little one feel confident with these math concepts when she comes home with her number recognition worksheets, counting worksheets, patterning worksheets, sorting and classifying worksheets, or graphing worksheets and help her become a true math-lete.

Counting

Counting is simply knowing the order of numbers. It can include counting forwards by ones (1, 2, 3, etc.), counting backwards (10, 9, 8 …), skip counting (by 2s, 5s and 10s) and counting with ordinal numbers (first, second, third and so on).

Practice counting with your child at random moments throughout the day. For instance, as your child brushes his teeth, count down from 20 to 1. Or count how many steps it takes to get from the door of your house to the car. Count how many stop signs you pass on your way to school. Count, count, count! By counting out loud and then asking your child to join you, you are helping him learn this important skill.

Patterning

A pattern is a sequence that repeats in the same order at least one time. Patterns are all around us - the stripes on our flag or the way the table is set with fork, plate, spoon, fork, plate, spoon. Recognizing patterns helps children make predictions and also understand how their world is organized.

The simplest pattern is called an AB pattern (as the red, white, red, white flag stripes). You can use household items, such as two kinds of beans or socks in two different colors, to demonstrate this AB pattern for your child.

Place the items in front of him, alternating to get the AB pattern. After a few repetitions, point and name the items as you move down the line. Then ask your child which item comes next. ABC patterns are also fun for very young children, such as quarter, dime, penny, quarter, dime, penny, etc.

Create patterns for your child to continue or give him some items (colored blocks, beans, buttons, coins, etc.) and let him create a sequence that repeats. You will be amazed at how creative children can get with patterns!

Tomorrow read about tips on sorting, classifying and graphing.

How To Motivate Your Children To Read: Part 2

2011-12-06T14:00:00.000-08:00

How To Motivate Your Children To Read

July 5th, 2011
Author: The Journalists from dailyfreeinformation.com

Studies have found that children who are given plentiful reading materials are more likely to go further in school and succeed than those who aren’t provided reading opportunities at home. Good reading habits are built at home regardless the educational background of parents or caregivers. It is what a parent does to encourage their children to love reading even before starting school times. It needs simple steps and habits that will help your children be a skillful reader and enthusiastic learner.

Pre-school Age

Here at the year of 3 to 5, your child’s curiosity about the world definitely arises. Fertilize that curiosity by allowing them do an activity with you, particularly one which demands them to read. For instance, cooking a cake needs reading the recipe. You can show your child the box in which they can get pictures. As they get the picture of eggs, help them to find the word eggs. This word and picture association will reinforce their understanding. Now is the time to learning letters.

Activity: It is in the Name
Here you will need cardboard papers, pencils, crayons, markers and glue. You will also need macaroni, glitter and some small crafty objects. The idea is that your child loves seeing their names and knows that words belong to them. Write an outline of your child’s name using a highlighter. Ask your child to say each letter as they trace and write it. Once the name is completed, let them decorate the letters using small beads of glue. Hang their creation where they can point and repeat the letters.

Kindergarten

Now your child is in school. You can reinforce what they get in school. Remember, a great reader starts at home. Be sure to put reading a priority for your child at home. Set aside some reading after school with television being turned off and less distraction. Reward them a trip to library when they accomplish a specific goal of reading.

How To Motivate Your Children To Read: Part 1

2011-12-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

How To Motivate Your Children To Read

July 5th, 2011

Author: The Journalists from dailyfreeinformation.com

Studies have found that children who are given plentiful reading materials are more likely to go further in school and succeed than those who aren’t provided reading opportunities at home. Good reading habits are built at home regardless the educational background of parents or caregivers. It is what a parent does to encourage their children to love reading even before starting school times. It needs simple steps and habits that will help your children be a skillful reader and enthusiastic learner.

Toddlers

Children explore things around them even from a few months of age. They listen to your voices, look at images, and point to object which attracts them. At this age you need to help them associate pictures and images with words to build their understanding in relating words to things.

Read to your children every day. This can’t be stressed. You should point and read words as many as you encounter. Books can encourage a child’s mind so that they can view the world outside themselves. At this age, they are so self-centered and reading stories may help them realize other have feelings, too.

Activity: Free-choice Reading

Let your child select the books they want to read. Help them with picture reading if they don’t get the stories. At this age, they will not actually read, but mimic what they hear. As they read pictures, ask some simple questions. Talk about what they see in the pictures and ask them. This activity will promote their reasoning skills and help them relate things occurring in the stories, indicating them to be an active reader.

Tomorrow read tips to motivate pre-schoolers to read

4 Secrets to Never Getting Sick

2011-12-04T14:00:00.000-08:00

4 Secrets to Never Getting Sick

By Jeannette Moninger
Content provided by: Health.com

Ever wonder why you always seem to come down with a life-interrupting virus this time of year, while others you know sail through the season sniffle-, cough-, and ache-free?

We canvassed the research and talked to top experts to uncover these key, study-backed secrets for staying well, even when you're surrounded by germs. The docs' number one tip: Get the flu vaccine, ASAP. Then, follow these simple steps to boost your virus protection even more.

1. Make friends with fresh air
Common wisdom has it that staying indoors, where it's warm and toasty, is easier on your immune system than being outside in the cold. Problem is, being inside puts you in close constant contact with other people and their germs.

Not only does escaping into the fresh air give you a break from all those germs circulating inside, but going for a stroll can actually boost your immunity. "Exercise leads to an increase in natural killer cells, neutrophils, and monocytes, which ultimately increases immune function," says Ather Ali, ND, MPH, assistant director of Complementary/Alternative Medicine Research at the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center.

2. Relaxation fights off colds
There are a trillion reasons why taking time to chill out might be the last item on your to-do list. But here's why it should be a priority: "Being stressed will increase your susceptibility to catching a cold," says Ali. That may be because, over the long term, it leads to the ongoing release of stress hormones, such as glucocorticoids.

These impede your body's ability to produce cell-signaling molecules called cytokines, which trigger a disease-fighting response from your immune system. "You're also less likely to take care of yourself, get ample sleep, eat right, exercise when you're stressed," says Ali, which is crucial to upping your immunity.

3. Clean hands are everything
Cold and flu can spread all too easily through touch. Keep your fingers away from your eyes, nose, and mouth as much as possible, and make sure to master the art of hand-washing. Soap and water remain your most effective tools there, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Germs can grow on bar soaps, so use the pumped kind or better yet, a hands-free dispenser and choose regular soap over antibacterial. Lather for a solid 20 seconds before rinsing, and make sure to dry thoroughly (but not on your germy clothes!): "Damp hands are far more likely to spread bacteria than dry ones," says Dana Simpler, MD, a primary care physician at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.

4. The magic bullet
An occasional restless night is nothing to worry about, but a continuous lack of zzz's can hamper your immune system's ability to function. Though experts often say that sleep requirements vary by individual, a 2009 Carnegie Mellon study found that anything short of seven hours nearly triples your odds of catching a cold and that means seven straight hours, with no middle-of-the-night wake-ups.

"For many of us, the only quiet time we have to think through things is when we're lying down at bedtime. Unfortunately, problem-solving in bed interferes with sleep," says Leslie Swanson, PhD, a sleep specialist at the department of psychiatry at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Too Much Vitamin C: Harmful?

2011-12-03T16:35:00.000-08:00

Too much vitamin C: Harmful?

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient, but too much vitamin C carries its own risks.
From MayoClinic.com

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an essential nutrient. Still, it's possible to have too much vitamin C.

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that supports normal growth and development. Vitamin C also helps your body absorb iron. Because your body doesn't produce or store vitamin C, it's important to include vitamin C in your diet. For most people, a small glass of orange juice plus a serving of strawberries, chopped red pepper or broccoli provides enough vitamin C for the day. Any extra vitamin C will simply be flushed out of your body in your urine.

For adults, the recommended upper limit for vitamin C is 2,000 milligrams (mg) a day. Although too much dietary vitamin C is unlikely to be harmful, megadoses of vitamin C supplements may cause:

Diarrhea

Nausea

Vomiting

Heartburn

Abdominal cramps

Headache

Insomnia

Kidney stones

Remember, for most people, a healthy diet provides an adequate amount of vitamin C.

Tip #39: Teach Your Children to Save Some of Their Money

2011-12-02T14:00:00.000-08:00

This is as good of time as any to start teaching your children the value of money. Why not go to your local bank and start a savings account that they can keep up with. This brings us to tip #39.

Tip #39: Teach your children to save some of their money.

Teach them to save 10% of any monetary gifts they receive or money they earn. This will become a habit at an early age and pay off big dividends as they grow in knowledge of investing and compound interest. You are going to be the person to teach your child about savings, so why not start saving 10% of your savings yourself and learn about investment, compound interest, and a rainy day fund. Your family will be wiser and better yet financially secure.

Autism 5 Times More Common Among Low Birth Weight Babies: Part 4

2011-12-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

Beyond Vaccines: 5 Things that Might Really Cause Autism

Jan 7, 2011

7:28 PM ET
By Rachael Rettner, MyHealthNewsDaily Staff Writer

"People are going to manifest the disorder in different ways, and that could be because there are different sets of genes, [or] different sets of environmental factors," that contribute to how the disorder presents itself, said Alycia Halladay, director of research for environmental sciences for Autism Speaks, an autism advocacy organization that funds autism research.

Here are #3-5 findings and ideas from scientists about what might really cause this mysterious condition.

3. Pharmaceuticals
Babies that have been exposed to certain pharmaceuticals in the womb, including valproic acid and thalidomide, have been found to have a higher risk of autism.

Thalidomide is a drug that was first used in the 1950s to treat morning sickness, anxiety and insomnia. The drug was withdrawn from the market after it was linked with birth defects, but is currently prescribed for a severe skin disorder and as a treatment for cancer.

Valproic acid is a medication prescribed for seizures, mood disorders and bipolar disorder, according to the NIH.

4. Parental age
As parents grow older, they have a higher risk of having children with autism, Halladay said.

A study published last February found that women who are 40 years old have a 50 percent greater risk of having a child with autism than women who are between 20 and 29 years old.

Researchers aren't sure why parental age may influence autism risk, but it might be related to genetic mutations that occur in the sperm or the egg as parents grow older, Halladay said.

5. The development of the brain
Particular areas of the brain, including the cerebral cortex and the cerebellum, have been implicated in autism, Mao said. These brain areas are thought to be responsible for concentration, movement and mood regulation.

Irregularities in the levels of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin, have also been tied to autism, Mao said. Problems regulating dopamine can lead to problems with concentration and movement disabilities, while troubles controlling serotonin levels can result in mood problems.

Research advances
While scientists cannot say definitively what causes autism, they have come a long way in the last decade, Halladay said.

For example, researchers originally thought there might be just a single gene or a few environmental factors that are linked to autism, but now evidence has shown there are likely to be more.

"I think our knowledge has increased, and the way that we go about looking for potential genes and environmental candidates has improved," Halladay said.

"We're thinking about a new model — it's not just going to be just one gene or one environmental factor, it's more complex than that," she said.

Autism 5 Times More Common Among Low Birth Weight Babies: Part 3

2011-11-30T14:00:00.000-08:00

Beyond Vaccines: 5 Things that Might Really Cause Autism

Jan 7, 2011
7:28 PM ET
By Rachael Rettner, MyHealthNewsDaily Staff Writer

"People are going to manifest the disorder in different ways, and that could be because there are different sets of genes, [or] different sets of environmental factors," that contribute to how the disorder presents itself, said Alycia Halladay, director of research for environmental sciences for Autism Speaks, an autism advocacy organization that funds autism research.

Here are #1-2 findings and ideas from scientists about what might really cause this mysterious condition.

1. Genetics
There is strong evidence that changes in our genes contribute to autism. For one thing, the disorder is highly heritable. Families that have one child with autism have a 1 in 20 chance of having a second child with autism, according to the National Institutes of Health. This is a higher risk than in the general population. And twin studies have found that if one twin has autism, the other twin as a 90 percent chance of having the disorder.

Research has also shown that the genetic changes that contribute to autism don't have to be inherited — they may also arise spontaneously.

In total, scientists have identified about 20 genes that may be involved in autism spectrum disorder, Halladay said. While these genes are located all over the human genome, they share a common theme, she said. Many have a role in brain development, brain growth and the way brain cells communicate.

For example, a recent study found that children with a genetic mutation on chromosome 17 were 14 times more likely to develop autism than those without the mutation.

2. Pesticides
Exposure to pesticides has also been linked to autism. Some studies have found that pesticides may interfere with genes involved in the central nervous system, said Dr. Alice Mao, an associate professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Scientists think that chemicals in pesticides may adversely affect those who are genetically predisposed to autism, leading them to develop the full-blown disorder, Mao said.

"Maybe they were born with a vulnerability to autism, but then exposure to the pesticides might have cause the presentation of autism," Mao told MyHealthNewsDaily.

Tomorrow read about #3-5 possible reasons for the increase of autism.

Autism 5 Times More Common Among Low Birth Weight Babies: Part 2

2011-11-29T14:00:00.000-08:00

Autism 5 times more common among low birth weight babies

By Cory Hatch

Could better prenatal care reduce autism's prevalence?

The research confirms what physicians have known about premature birth and autism, said Dr. Craig Erickson, chief of the Christian Sarkine Autism Treatment Center at Indiana University School of Medicine. Autism can likely develop when premature birth combines with other factors such as environment and genetic predisposition, he said.

"It's not surprising that autism would be a risk factor," he said. "The nice thing about this study is that they had a long follow-up period. By [21 years of age] you really know if people have autism or not."

Next, researchers hope to compare brain images of those low birth weight babies in the study. Head ultrasounds are now routine for premature babies, Pinto-Martin said. "The first thing we're doing is to go back and look at the rate of brain injury and brain hemorrhage in the entire cohort," she said.

The research suggests a need not only for better prenatal care to reduce the number of premature babies, but also a need for early diagnosis and intervention for people with autism. "Some of these young adults thanked us when we gave them the diagnosis," Pinto-Martin said. "They said, 'I always felt odd and I never knew why.' That was very moving for us."

The idea that vaccines cause autism has received yet another blow, with a new article in the British Journal of Medicine declaring the 1998 study by Andrew Wakefield, which originally found an autism-vaccine link, an "elaborate fraud." The article is the latest criticism of a theory that has been widely discredited. But if vaccines are off the table, what does cause autism?

While scientists are still investigating the issue, they say the disorder likely has a number of causes involving both our genes and our environment, or some combination of the two. For instance, people may have underlying genetic susceptibilities to autism that are triggered by something they encounter in the environment.

Making things even more complicated is the fact that autism, which is characterized by problems interacting and communicating with others, is not a single disorder, but a range of disorders that may have various causes. [See a time line of events: Vaccines and Autism: How the Truth Unfolded]

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Come back tomorrow and read about the 5 things that may cause austism.

Autism 5 Times More Common Among Low Birth Weight Babies: Part 1

2011-11-28T14:00:00.000-08:00

Autism 5 Times More Common Among Low Birth Weight Babies

By Cory Hatch

Babies born with low birth weights are five times more likely than the general population to be diagnosed with some form of autism, new research suggests.

The study is the first in the United States to look at the prevalence of autism diagnoses in the smallest babies. Advances in medical science have helped more lower birth weight babies survive, so the findings could help explain the increase in people diagnosed with autism disorders, the researchers said.

Premature babies are often born with low birth weights, though full-term babies can also have the condition.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and School of Medicine identified 1,105 children who weighed less than 4 pounds, 6.5 ounces (2,000 grams) at birth who were born between Oct. 1, 1984, and July 3, 1989.

Sixteen years later, researchers were able to reach 623 of those children, and used a questionnaire to screen them for autism spectrum disorders.

When 189 of the children turned 21 years old, 60 percent of those who screened positive for an autism spectrum disorder, and 24 percent of those who screened negative, were clinically diagnosed with the condition. All in all, the rate of autism spectrum disorders among the study participants with low birth weights was five times higher than the general population.

Autism Spectrum Disorder Difficulties
People with the disorders have difficulty communicating, difficulty interacting in social situations, and restrictive or repetitive interests, said study co-author Jennifer Pinto-Martin, a researcher with the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and School of Medicine.

Those with mild autism spectrum disorders, such as people with Asperger's syndrome, "may only want to talk about one subject," Pinto-Martin said. "They're perfectly functional. They can go to college. They can hold a job."

Lower functioning people with autism spectrum disorders may have no social interactions at all. "You may see them sitting in a corner, rocking back and forth," Pinto-Martin said.

Researchers think that brain hemorrhaging or bruising associated with low birth weight or premature babies could explain the higher rate of autism spectrum disorders.

"Our first hypothesis is that it's related to brain development," Pinto-Martin said. "Preemies have something called neonatal brain injury. In some cases, it's just like a bruise and there is really no consequence. In other cases, there is more of a long-term effect."

Medical interventions that keep premature babies alive could also play a role, Pinto-Martin said. "To keep them alive, there is a lot of technology involved," she said. "They have them on machines that help them breathe. They have them on lots of medications."

"The rate of premature birth and premature survival has gone up dramatically," she continued. "It may well be that, because we are better and better at keeping these preemies alive, we are contributing to the increased prevalence of autism."

Teaching Your Child How To Use 911

2011-11-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

One of the challenges of being a parent is arming your kids with the skills to handle the obstacles life presents. Teaching them how to use 911 in an emergency could be one of the simplest — and most important — lessons you'll ever share.

Talking About 911 With Kids

Not that long ago, there was a separate telephone number for each type of emergency agency. For a fire, you called the fire department number; for a crime, you called the police; for a medical situation, you called an ambulance or doctor.

But now 911 is a central number for all types of emergencies. An emergency dispatch operator quickly takes information from the caller and puts the caller in direct contact with whatever emergency personnel are needed, thus making response time quicker.

According to the National Emergency Number Association, 911 covers nearly all of the population of the United States, but check your phone book to be sure that 911 is the emergency number to use in your area.

Everyone needs to know about calling 911 in an emergency. But kids also need to know the specifics about what an emergency is. Asking them questions like "What would you do if we had a fire in our house?" or "What would you do if you saw someone trying to break in?" gives you a chance to discuss what constitutes an emergency and what to do if one occurs. Role playing is an especially good way to address various emergency scenarios and give your kids the confidence they'll need to handle them.

For younger children, it might also help to talk about who the emergency workers are in your community — police officers, firefighters, paramedics, doctors, nurses, and so on — and what kinds of things they do to help people who are in trouble. This will clarify not only what types of emergencies can occur, but also who can help.

When to Call 911

Part of understanding what is an emergency is knowing what is not. A fire, an intruder in the home, an unconscious family member — these are all things that would require a call to 911. A skinned knee, a stolen bicycle, or a lost pet wouldn't. Still, teach your child that if ever in doubt and there's no adult around to ask, make the call. It's much better to be safe than sorry.

Make sure your kids understand that calling 911 as a joke is a crime in many places. In some cities, officials estimate that as much as 75% of the calls made to 911 are non-emergency calls. These are not all pranks. Some people accidentally push the emergency button on their cell phones. Others don't realize that 911 is for true emergencies only (not for such things as a flat tire or even about a theft that occurred the week before).

Stress that whenever an unnecessary call is made to 911, it can delay a response to someone who actually needs it. Most areas now have what is called enhanced 911, which enables a call to be traced to the location from which it was made. So if someone dials 911 as a prank, emergency personnel could be dispatched directly to that location. Not only could this mean life or death for someone having a real emergency on the other side of town, it also means that it's very likely the prank caller will be caught and punished.

How to Use 911

Although most 911 calls are now traced, it's still important for your kids to have your street address and phone number memorized. They'll need to give that information to the operator as a confirmation so time isn't lost sending emergency workers to the wrong address.

Make sure your kids know that even though they shouldn't give personal information to strangers, it's OK to trust the 911 operator. Walk them through some of the questions the operator will ask, including:

Where are you calling from? (Where do you live?)

What type of emergency is this?

Who needs help?

Is the person awake and breathing?

Explain that it's OK to be frightened in an emergency, but it's important to stay calm, speak slowly and clearly, and give as much detail to the 911 operator as possible. If they're old enough to understand, also explain that the emergency dispatcher may give first-aid instructions before emergency workers arrive at the scene.

Make it clear that your child should not hang up until the person on the other end says it's OK, otherwise important instructions or information could be missed.

More Safety Tips

Here are some additional safety tips to keep in mind:

Always refer to the emergency number as "nine-one-one" not "nine-eleven." In an emergency, a child may not know how to dial the number correctly because of trying to find the "eleven" button on the phone.

Make sure your house number is clearly visible from the street so that police, fire, or ambulance workers can easily locate your address.

If you live in an apartment building, make sure your child knows the apartment number and floor you live on.

Keep a list of emergency phone numbers handy near each phone for your kids or babysitter. This should include police, fire, and medical numbers (particularly important if you live in one of the few areas where 911 is not in effect), as well as a number where you can be reached, such as your cell phone, pager, or work number. In the confusion of an emergency, calling from a printed list is simpler than looking in the phone book or figuring out which is the correct speed-dial number. The list should also include known allergies, especially to any medication, medical conditions, and insurance information.

If you have special circumstances in your house, such as an elderly grandparent or a person with a heart condition, epilepsy, or diabetes living in your home, prepare your child by discussing specific emergencies that could occur and how to spot them.

Keep a first-aid kit handy and make sure your kids and babysitters know where to find it. When kids are old enough, teach them basic first aid.

3 Easy Ways to Stay Happier

2011-11-26T14:00:00.000-08:00

3 Easy Ways to Stay Happier

According to an article from health.msn.com, mental-health expert give 3 easy ways on how to keep anger, anxiety and depression at bay through everyday habits.

1. Good Sleep

Research shows that people who go without enough good sleep (generally considered at least six hours a night) are up to six times as likely to become depressed as those who get good sleep.

2. Good Exercise

Particularly aerobic exercise. The best evidence to date — based on the analysis of fourteen random controlled trials — indicates that to prevent, and even effectively treat, depression with exercise requires three thirty-minute sessions per week of aerobic exercise at 60 to 80 percent of maximum heart rate (i.e., typically between 110 and 160 beats per minute) for at least eight weeks.

3. Good Food

Up your intake of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12, both of which show promise in contributing to mental well-being. Tuna, mackerel, and salmon are good sources for omega-3 fatty acids, as are dark green vegetables, flaxseed, nuts, and soybeans. For sources of B12, look to seafood and low-fat dairy products. Carbs have also been found to raise the level of serotonin in your brain, but it's best to stick with low-fat, whole-grain sources.

Tip#38: Make Sure Your Child Has Acceptable Behavior at School.

2011-11-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

Teachers report that the most frustrating behavior they have to deal with is disrespect. This is when students are interrupting others, shouting out answers, or talking back to adults. Disrespectful students cause more interruptions, and forces the teacher to put lesson plans on hold to deal with them. Nearly half of the teachers say they spend more time controlling their classroom then teaching. This brings us to tip #38.

Tip#38: Make sure your child has acceptable behavior at school.

Teach your child that paying attention and being respectful is expected behavior. Teach your child that sitting up straight, making eye contact with the teacher, folding hand hands while listening, and not daydreaming will increase their concentration. Set example for your child by being a good listener yourself. Maintain eye contact as you speck to your child, show interest in what your child is saying, and do not interrupt the child when they are speaking.

According to Stacy DeBroff, author of "The Mom Book Goes To School", you can increase your child's concentration skills by playing games:

1. Ask your child to recite as many colors, states, songs, animals, pop singers, or football players, as possible in 30 seconds.

2. Have your child describe what he smell when you are cooking, what he sees on the way to school, and what instruments are in songs on the radio.

3. Play the take-away at the dinner table. Everyone close their eyes except one person, who removes an object form the table. Then the others open their eyes and guess what is missing.

4. Practice listening skills by making up stories together in the car. Take turns adding one sentence at a time, and see how long you can make the story.

5. Work on classroom manners by playing school at home. Play the badly behaved student, waving your hands in the air to be called on and shouting out answers, as a way to comically get the point across.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

2011-11-24T12:00:00.000-08:00

From: Best Education Possible, LLC and Debra West

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving. Please remember to say a prayer for our soldiers serving overseas and their families. Also, think about all the people and things you are thankful for and share that with your loved ones One other thing to remember today, keep every child in your thoughts today because every child deserves the "Best Education Possible" and chance to make their dreams come true. Get involved. HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Thanksgiving Cards Activity

2011-11-23T16:30:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving will be celebrated on Thursday, November 24th. This is a time our country stops and takes time to contemplate on all the blessings of the year and feast shamelessly. With so many people having hard times in this economic climate, we must remember there are still many blessings to be thankful for.

This year why not make it special and do something everyone can participate. Have everyone in the family or friends make a Thanksgiving Card on Thursday, before dinner. They can use whatever materials they choose. It can be as simple as a piece of paper or as elaborate as what your imagination will come up with. Every participants will write down (1) thing they are truly thankful for this year. After Thanksgiving dinner, everyone will share their cards in whatever creative way you come up with. Here are a few suggestions on sharing the Thanksgiving Cards:

1. Share cards out loud in a group setting before dinner.
2. Have a contest on the most creative card.
3. Give prizes for most meaningful card.
4. Pick partners and share cards and have partner share the most memorable entries.
5. Share cards out loud after Thanksgiving meal.
6. Put cards in a pile and guess whose card is being shared.
7. Share 1 or 2 most meaningful Thanksgiving entries.
8. Only have the children and young people share cards.
9. Come up with your own creative way of sharing cards.
10. Make it a new family tradition on sharing Thanksgiving Cards!

I hope this gives you something to think and share during Thanksgiving. Hopefully, your children will really enjoy this activity and it will give your family and friends an opportunity to communicate and become closer. It will also be a way to communicate positive feelings with one another, along with stopping to think about all the wonderful blessings you can recognize on a daily bases and throughout the year. Get your family started on this Thursday and have fun with the Thanksgiving Cards Activity!

Autism: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatments: Part 3

2011-11-23T14:00:00.000-08:00

Autism: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatments

Sep 7, 2010
1:33 PM ET
By Amanda Chan, MyHealthNewsDaily Staff Writer

Autism spectrum disorders affect a person's ability to communicate and interact with others and behave appropriately in social situations. Approximately 1 in 110 children in the United States has an autism spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Diagnosis

The only way to diagnose an autism spectrum disorder is through behavioral observation and testing. An infant may begin showing signs of autism by 18 months or younger, but a reliable diagnosis is usually made around age 2 or 3, according to the CDC.

It's also possible for children to appear to be developing normally for the first few months or years of life, and then suddenly lose their language skills and become aggressive or withdrawn, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Those most at risk of developing an autism spectrum disorder are boys, siblings of people with autism and people who have other developmental disorders, such as Fragile X syndrome, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Treatments
Experts agree that early diagnosis – and therefore intervention – is helpful in improving development in a child with autism. Early intervention therapies may include helping the child learn to walk, talk and interact with others, according to the CDC.

There is no cure for autism spectrum disorders. However, there are behavioral and educational therapies to reduce symptoms.

"Some programs focus on reducing problem behaviors and teaching new skills," according to the Mayo Clinic, whereas "other programs focus on teaching children how to act in social situations or how to communicate better with other people."

Some therapy programs include occupational therapy, speech therapy and sensory integration therapy.

Medications are also available to help control symptoms of autism. Antidepressants can treat anxiety and antipsychotic medications can treat behavioral problems, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Autism: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatments: Part 2

2011-11-21T14:00:00.001-08:00

Autism: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatments

Autism: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatments: Part 1

2011-11-21T14:00:00.000-08:00

Autism: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatments

Sep 7, 2010
1:33 PM ET
By Amanda Chan, MyHealthNewsDaily Staff Writer

Autism spectrum disorders affect a person's ability to communicate and interact with others and behave appropriately in social situations. Approximately 1 in 110 children in the United States has an autism spectrum disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Autism spectrum disorders are divided into three categories: autistic disorder, Asperger's Syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder- not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS).

Autistic disorder is characterized by language delays, problems with communication and unusual behavior. Intellectual disabilities are common in people with autistic disorder.
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Asperger Syndrome is a mild form of autistic disorder. People with Asperger's, have problems with social interaction and unusual behavior, however, they don't usually have impaired language skills or intellectual disabilities, according to the CDC.

People with PDD-NOS may meet some criteria for autistic disorder or Asperger Syndrome, but their symptoms are fewer and milder. They may only have trouble with social interaction, the CDC said.

Despite controversy around the subject, there is no evidence that links vaccination of a child with the development of autism, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Come back tomorrow and read about the symptoms of autism.

Healthy" Holiday Food to Avoid

2011-11-20T15:27:00.000-08:00

"Healthy" Holiday Food to Avoid (And Healthier Foods to Eat Instead)

Find out which holiday foods you think are healthy and really aren't.
By Nicci Micco, M.S., Editor-at-Large

The holidays are here and with them come a multitude of parties. All of them, no doubt, will have a buffet table packed with delicious holiday treats.

Your tactic for avoiding temptation may be to steer clear of all the special treats and divert yourself with only healthy foods. Great in theory, but not so perfect in practice. Lots of foods that are packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals are also full of calories. And when you're mindlessly munching as you're mingling, those calories can add up fast.

Don't assume that just because something is healthy it is also low-cal. If you like the healthy treats that sometimes show up at holiday parties, that's great! Have them—in moderation. If you'd rather sample some of the special seasonal treats, just put two or three of the most delicious-looking hors d'oeuvres on your plate and enjoy. Before you head out to party, check out these surprisingly unhealthy holiday calorie bombs and better bets to choose instead.

1. Surprising Food to Avoid—Mixed Nuts

Yes, nuts of all kinds are full of heart-healthy fats and the various types provide good amounts of other nutrients too (e.g., calcium, folate, selenium, vitamin E). But grab a couple of small handfuls and you're easily getting a half cup—nearly 450 calories and 40 grams of fat!

Better bet: Go ahead and have one small serving of a spiced-nut mix that feels more like a treat.

2. Surprising Food to Avoid—Veggies with Ranch Dressing

Hanging near the crudité tray is a great way to keep calories in check—so long as you stay away from the ranch (or blue cheese) dressing, which delivers a devastating 150 calories and 16 grams of fat per two tablespoons. Yes, I said two tablespoons.

Better bet: If you're just eating to eat (not that I advocate that... but it happens), go for the vegetables, unadorned. Or put a small scoop of hummus on your plate. It has a more reasonable 50 calories and 3 grams of fat.

3. Surprising Food to Avoid—Cheese and Crackers

On any ordinary day, you'd know that cheese is a high-fat, high-cal choice—but when those simple little cubes are sitting there amid all the holiday treats, they start to look like a good choice. Beware: If you grab five of those little 1-inch cubes, you've just housed 345 calories. Add a small handful of crackers to that and you're easily at 500 calories.

Better bet: If you truly want cheese and crackers, limit yourself to a few—say five crackers (about 80 calories) and top each with a very thin layer of a cheese spread (think: goat cheese or even cheese ball).

4. Surprising Food to Avoid—Spiced Cider

It's an office party and you're staying away from the spiked punch for various reasons. But if you're trying to be festive with a couple cups of spiced cider (240 calories), you're doing just as much damage as you would if you were having a glass of wine—from a calorie perspective anyway.

Better bet: Stick to 1 cup of cider, then switch to seltzer with lime.

How To Get Rid of a Stuffy Nose Quickly

2011-11-19T14:00:00.000-08:00

How to get rid of a stuffy nose quickly

How to get rid of a stuffy nose quickly? Many drugs that promise to get rid of it quickly at a price that is not cheap. Even if these drugs successfully relieve stuffy nose, but still cause side effects such as dizziness or dry mouth that make them feel uncomfortable.

One way how to get rid of stuffy nose quickly, cheaply and without complications is by inhaling steam. To thin the mucus in the nose and sinus cavity and relieve the blockage, breathe steam.

The way, boil water in a pan and inhale the steam for several minutes. Be careful, do not get too close because it can cause severe skin burns. Sometimes, when there is inhaling vapors that cover the head with a towel to form a tent. This method is also useful to liquefy phlegm in the chest. Bathroom with a steamy hot shower can also relieve breathing.

Another alternative how to get rid of stuffy nose quickly, do eucalyptus oil steam therapy. Take a bowl of hot water and drops of eucalyptus oil to taste. Then place it in your room. The aroma can relieve your breath. Keep in mind, when your nose stuffy due to colds, do not be too frequent use of inhalers. This could make Konka nose becomes small. Even damage the cells in the nasal cavity that could interfere with the functioning sense of smell.

Author Unknown

Tip #37: Know the Difference Between Teasing and Bullying

2011-11-18T15:28:00.000-08:00

Kids poke fun at one another. It's just what they do. Our instinct as parents may be to immediately stop the behavior and try to protect our kids from it, but, some teasing is critical to our children's social development, and some teasing can be considered bullying. That brings us to tip #37.

Tip #37: Understand when you child is being teased or bullied.

When kids make fun of their friends without aggression or any intention of hurting their feelings, it's called positive or productive teasing. This kind of behavior, says Mill, a communications professor at the University of Alabama, helps kids build relationships and use humor to address taboo topics or handle sticky situations. According to Dacher Keltner, a psychology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, 60 to 70 percent of the teasing young kids do is positive.

Teasing Vs. Bullying

1. Teasing is misunderstood because it is often confused with bullying, which has a strictly negative impact.

2. The way to distinguish between the two is by intent.

3. The goal of teasing is to create a closer relationships and make connections.

4. The goal of bullying is to harm.

5. Teasing turns into bullying when kids use it to gain greater social status.

6. It has been found that 4-5 year old will bully to increase their social power.

7. Even the most positive teasing turns sour if it goes to far.

Definition: Teasing Vs. Bullying

When both people are equal in size, intelligence, and age and are having fun, it's teasing. But when the two aren't equal and one is more poplar, bigger, or powerful, the exchange is out of balance, it's bullying.

If your child tells you his/her classmates called him/her ugly, don't just jump in to assure them they are beautiful, says Mills. "As soon as you do that, you've let them become victimized." Instead, listen to what they say, and then help them come up with a plan to address it the next time it happens. If you want more information, don't ask your child directly if he's being teased. Instead a question that can be answered in the second or third person. How do kids joke around these days? Or, what is teasing for kids today?

Tip #36: Get to Know the PTA Officers and Their Objectives for the School Year.

2011-11-17T14:00:00.000-08:00

Another important person that you need to get to know at your child's school is the PTA president and other officers. These people can help you with most questions and can help advise you on handling many situations at the school. This brings us to tip #36.

Tip #36: Get to know the PTA officers and their objectives for the school year.

The PTA's National Standards for Family-School Partnerships is very simple.Your school's PTA officers should be able to tell you their goals for the year. Below are a six step program that the National PTA suggest you can follow to stay on track with parent involvement at your school and PTA.

1. Make all families feel welcome. Greet other parents at school activities and events. If needed recruit bilingual parents to greet and interpret for families whose first language isn't English. Offer families activities at low cost or no cost and try holding meetings in various community locations (such as the local library, community center, or churches).

2. Communicate effectively. Design and print "Happy Grams" as an easy way for teachers to regularly report positive behavior and/or achievements to parents. Consider using color-coded lines or footprints on hallway walls or floors, to help direct parents to the office, library, or parent resource center. Include two-way communication mechanism, such as a question-and -answer section or mini survey, in each edition of your newsletter. Distribute calendars so parents can record upcoming events, assignments, and dates to check with teachers on their child's progress.

3. Support student success. Create a checklist and tip sheets for effective parent-teacher conferences. Invite teachers and professionals from the community to speak at meetings. Provide parents involvement tips and suggestions.

4. Speak up for every child. Match new families with a buddy family that knows the ropes. Plan workshops on how to ask the right questions about children's progress and placement. Involve parents in ongoing training on topics such as effective advocates, identifying and supporting learning styles, and fostering student achievement.

5. Share power. Working in partnership with principals and identifying ways the PTA/parent group can support one or more goals of the school improvement plan. Host a forum for candidates running for public office and focus on issues that affect children, families, and education. Get to know elected officials at all levels of government.

6. Collaborate with the community. Reach out to senior/retired citizens and invite them to volunteer at the school. Work with the local newspaper to promote special events that are happening at the school. Invite school alumni to make donations to the school or volunteer time.

These are some of the PTA's national standards for 2010-2011. Find out what your local school's PTA standards are for this school year. It will help you to get involved and stay informed.

Best STEM Toys Ages 9+: Part 3

2011-11-16T14:00:00.000-08:00

With the Holiday Seasons right around the corner, below are some suggestions for educational toys that can be fun and intellectually stimulating.

Best STEM Toys ages 9+
ReCon 6.0 Programmable Rover

Young scientists and inventors will love these 2011 Golden Apple Awards winners created for older kids.

By GreatSchools Staff

Appeals to ages 9-13

What it teaches: introduction to computer programming

Lurking inside the brains of all science-fiction-loving children, there’s an overwhelming desire for their very own robot that’ll do whatever their young masters command: Telling pesky younger siblings to stay out of their bedroom, delivering a hand-written note, and even taking out the trash.

Aside from doing chores, this mighty little toy will make a robot-obsessed child's dreams come true. Kids can program this big-as-a-breadbox robot to walk and turn, talk, and deliver small items. Big fun! One tween tester, enthralled with the toy, spent many quiet hours getting it to do his bidding. He was disappointed, though, that there weren't more fun features "like a hidden camera." As well, he bemoaned that the programming instructions weren't more detailed.

On that note, parents, consider yourself warned: Unless you have a mini in-house Bill Gates, you may be spending a lot of time figuring out how to get Rover to walk the robot walk and talk the robot talk.

Bottom line: A nice "starter" robot for science-fiction and computer-science lovin' kids.

Best STEM Toys Ages 9+: Part 2

2011-11-15T14:00:00.000-08:00

With the Holiday Seasons right around the corner, below are some suggestions for educational toys that can be fun and intellectually stimulating.

Best STEM Toys ages 9+
Sustainable Earth Lab

Young scientists and inventors will love these 2011 Golden Apple Awards winners created for older kids.
By GreatSchools Staff
Appeals to ages 8-13

What it teaches: climate science principals, laboratory practices, and earth science fundamentals

Having trouble explaining to your child why the world is getting warm and sea levels are rising? Do you know how CO2 affects the atmosphere? It may be daunting, but our children need to know the fundamentals of climate science so that they can be smart stewards of a rapidly changing planet.

Conversations about the dangers of global warming may not really end up teaching kids that much if they don’t understand the science behind the news. Sustainable Earth Lab, a multi-faceted science kit, will go a long way toward making your child more knowledgeable about climate science than your average well-educated adult.

Bottom line: An ingeniously designed kit that prepares your child to be a great citizen of the planet.

Best STEM Toys ages 9+: Part 1

2011-11-14T14:00:00.000-08:00

With the Holiday Seasons right around the corner, below are some suggestions for educational toys that can be fun and intellectually stimulating.

Best STEM toys ages 9+
Math Magic

Young scientists and inventors will love these 2011 Golden Apple Awards winners created for older kids.

By GreatSchools Staff

Appeals to age 7- 13

What it teaches: math concepts and fundamentals

Brow furrowing may be a common response to opening a present with the word "math" so prominently printed on the box. This was a bit of an impediment to many testers who chose other, less explicitly academic toys over this one. But once we opened the box and began unpacking its many little tricks and games, the kids soon recognized this was more playing than studying. In fact, its collection of brain teasers, miniature card games, and magic tricks exemplify what an innovative teacher might do on a Friday afternoon for a fun break — building brain cells and having no end of fun to boot.

Bottom line: A great way to teach kids that math isn’t about worksheets, it’s magic..

Anyone Can Get The Flu!

2011-11-13T14:00:00.000-08:00

Anyone Can Get Influenza

According to an article from facesofinfluenza.com , on average, 1 out of 5 Americans suffer from influenza every year.6,7 In addition, influenza and its related complications result in approximately 226,000 hospitalizations in the US each year.1 Depending on virus severity during the influenza season, deaths can range from 3000 to a high of about 49,000 people.8

We all are at risk for contracting influenza. The results for some will be lost work or school days. But for those at highest risk, the results can be more serious – leading to hospitalization and even death. The best way to prevent influenza is with an annual flu shot.1

Combined with pneumonia, influenza is the nation's eighth leading cause of death. Influenza is serious – get vaccinated.

1. Influenza Symptoms

Influenza symptoms include fever (usually high), headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and muscle aches. Stomach symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, also can occur, but are more common in children than adults.

2. Complications of Influenza

Complications of influenza can include viral or bacterial pneumonia and worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as asthma, congestive heart failure, and diabetes. Children may experience sinus problems and ear infections.

3. How Influenza Spreads

Influenza viruses spread in respiratory droplets caused by coughing and sneezing. They usually spread from person to person, though sometimes people become infected by touching something contaminated with the influenza virus and then touching their mouth, eyes, or nose.

Get Moving!

2011-11-12T14:00:00.000-08:00

According to an article in the March 2010 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, get one sweat every day and your health should get better.

1. If you're sick of the gym, try a fun alternative that burns more calories than walking (246 calories per hour for a moderate pace). Ballet or swimming laps burns 422 calories; biking or playing Ping-Pong, 281.

2. Take a break. You may burn more fat when you divide a 60-minute workout into two 30-minute sessions with a 20-minute rest in between. The boost may even continue post-exercise.

3. Get your hands dirty. Gardening gives you aas much of a workout as walking or golf, a recent study reported. Plus: The weight-bearing motions involved in digging and pulling weeds can strengthen bones and muscle.

4. Do it to music. Tunes that are in sync with your workout rate help keep you going up to 15 percent longer, British researchers found.

HAPPY VETERANS DAY

2011-11-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

HAPPY VETERANS DAY

Men and women have fought and died for our freedom, so you can get the "Best Education Possible". Take advantage of every opportunity. Be Informed! Be Aware! Be Involved! Happy Veterans Day!

Always,

Debra West

Thank You Veterans

2011-11-11T07:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Veterans Day

I want to thank all the men and women who served and are serving in the armed forces. You continue to keep our country safe and give us the freedoms we all enjoy. One of the privileges we should enjoy is that every child should receive the "Best Education Possible". Thank you veterans for making it possible! Now we all must continue to make sure children are receiving the best quality education we can give.

Yours in Education,

Debra West

Warning Signs That Your Child May Be Overscheduled

2011-11-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

Warning Signs That Your Child May Be Overscheduled
Ask yourself these questions to check if your child's getting enough downtime.
By Martha Brockenbrough

There may not be a "right" number of activities for every child, but ask yourself these questions to check if your child's getting enough downtime.

1. - Does he act grouchy, mopey or irritable?

2. - Can she fall asleep at bedtime?

3. - Are his grades slipping? Does he finish his homework?

4. - Has she started overeating?

5. - Does he zone out in front of the TV?

6. - Is she complaining of stomachaches, headaches or mysterious illnesses?

7. - Does he grumble about being bored?

8. - Is she overanxious about getting approval from authority figures

9. - When you're heading out the door, does he throw a tantrum or "lose" equipment?

10.- Does she pick fights with her siblings or complain you don't love her as much?

11.- Can he keep track of where's he's supposed to be?

12.- Is her schedule draining you or your family members?

If your child exhibits a few of these behaviors on an ongoing basis, you may want to re-examine his after-school schedule.

Mom's Homeroom columnist Martha Brockenbrough is a former high school teacher whose students have been published in The New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor and elsewhere. She has written three books, one on parenting, one on grammar, and one for children. For nearly a decade, she wrote an educational humor column for the encyclopedia Encarta, and she founded both the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar and National Grammar Day. She is the social media director for readergirlz.org, a teen literary organization that has won a National Book Award for innovation. Martha has taught creative writing to elementary school students and has two daughters in elementary school — who almost always remember to put their homework in their backpacks.

Best STEM toys ages 6 to 8: Part 3

2011-11-09T14:00:00.000-08:00

With the Holiday Seasons right around the corner, below are some suggestions for educational toys that can be fun and intellectually stimulating.

Best STEM toys ages 6 to 8
The Klutz Guide to the Galaxy

From treasure hunts to microscopic views, these 2011 Golden Apple Award winners will educate as much as they entertain.
By GreatSchools Staff

Appeals to ages 6+

What it teaches: astronomy, cosmology, navigation, hands-on learning

This simply elegant learning kit from the ingenious Klutz team packs a world of learning into one tidy box that includes a telescope, sundial, night-sight flashlight, star and moon maps, and scores of activities. Constructed out of stiff paper and simple lenses, the telescope is fairly easy for a child to assemble (although kids may need some adult help) and get working. The sundial is also a cinch to assemble and to use — no batteries required. Our kid testers enjoyed assembling the telescope and the sun dial, and figuring out exactly how they worked and why.

The kit also includes a Lunatic Wheel for Moon Gazers, a Galactic Passport your child can use to record the phases of the moon and constellations she's observed, easy-to-use star maps, and a plethora of fascinating facts about the sun, moon, and planets.

Bottom line: Everything to launch your child into a hands-on galactic adventure.

Autism 5 Times More Common Among Low Birth Weight Babies: Part 1

2011-11-08T14:00:00.001-08:00

Autism 5 times more common among low birth weight babies

By Cory Hatch

Babies born with low birth weights are five times more likely than the general population to be diagnosed with some form of autism, new research suggests.

The study is the first in the United States to look at the prevalence of autism diagnoses in the smallest babies. Advances in medical science have helped more lower birth weight babies survive, so the findings could help explain the increase in people diagnosed with autism disorders, the researchers said.

Premature babies are often born with low birth weights, though full-term babies can also have the condition.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and School of Medicine identified 1,105 children who weighed less than 4 pounds, 6.5 ounces (2,000 grams) at birth who were born between Oct. 1, 1984, and July 3, 1989.

Sixteen years later, researchers were able to reach 623 of those children, and used a questionnaire to screen them for autism spectrum disorders.

When 189 of the children turned 21 years old, 60 percent of those who screened positive for an autism spectrum disorder, and 24 percent of those who screened negative, were clinically diagnosed with the condition. All in all, the rate of autism spectrum disorders among the study participants with low birth weights was five times higher than the general population.

Autism spectrum disorder difficulties

People with the disorders have difficulty communicating, difficulty interacting in social situations, and restrictive or repetitive interests, said study co-author Jennifer Pinto-Martin, a researcher with the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and School of Medicine.

Those with mild autism spectrum disorders, such as people with Asperger's syndrome, "may only want to talk about one subject," Pinto-Martin said. "They're perfectly functional. They can go to college. They can hold a job."

Lower functioning people with autism spectrum disorders may have no social interactions at all. "You may see them sitting in a corner, rocking back and forth," Pinto-Martin said.

Researchers think that brain hemorrhaging or bruising associated with low birth weight or premature babies could explain the higher rate of autism spectrum disorders.

"Our first hypothesis is that it's related to brain development," Pinto-Martin said. "Preemies have something called neonatal brain injury. In some cases, it's just like a bruise and there is really no consequence. In other cases, there is more of a long-term effect."

Medical interventions that keep premature babies alive could also play a role, Pinto-Martin said. "To keep them alive, there is a lot of technology involved," she said. "They have them on machines that help them breathe. They have them on lots of medications."

"The rate of premature birth and premature survival has gone up dramatically," she continued. "It may well be that, because we are better and better at keeping these preemies alive, we are contributing to the increased prevalence of autism."

Best STEM toys ages 6 to 8: Part 2

2011-11-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

With the Holiday Seasons right around the corner, below are some suggestions for educational toys that can be fun and intellectually stimulating.

Best STEM toys ages 6 to 8
Zoomy Digital Microscope

by GreatSchool staff

From treasure hunts to microscopic views, these 2011 Golden Apple Award winners will educate as much as they entertain.

Appeals to age 5-15

What it teaches: scientific observation, biological exploration, technical skills

Microscopes are an awesome tool for scientific discovery – no matter your age – but cheaper versions made for kids can be arduous to use. Little kids often have trouble coordinating the focusing of the lenses and seeing through a tiny aperture. But this handheld microscope projects its images onto a computer screen, thereby allowing kids to explore micro realities via a large image that’s easy to see, share, and discuss.

Our testers loved the versatility of this toy which seemed to drive their curiosity in all kinds of unforeseen ways. Fingerprints? Cool. Dust bunnies? Yeah. Housefly wings? The flies the limit.

Bottom line: A tool that offers kids a way to explore an otherwise inaccessible world that’s right under their fingertips.

Best STEM toys ages 6 to 8: Part 1

2011-11-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

With the Holiday Seasons right around the corner, below are some suggestions for educational toys that can be fun and intellectually stimulating.

Best STEM toys ages 6 to 8
Geomate Jr.

by GreatSchools staff

From treasure hunts to microscopic views, these 2011 Golden Apple Award winners will educate as much as they entertain.

Appeals to ages 5-8

What it teaches: navigating and using a compass, exploring the outdoors, following directions, using technology

Catch the geocaching wave! This global phenomenon is a terrific way to bring out the explorer in young kids, and whether you live in city or suburbs, give them a true sense of adventure – along with getting them outside and moving. Not too shabby.

Turning the entire country into a giant Cracker Jack box, the device comes preloaded with 250,000 “treasure” locations nationwide. When you turn it on, Geomate finds your location and instantly locates the closest "geocache," sending you on your way to find a small treasure — coins, toy jewelry, plastic jewels, a note — that are hidden in, say, the crook of a tree, under a rock, or behind a brick in a wall. Worth noting: This easy-to-use handheld is better for younger than older kids who (as with one of our 10-year-old, tech-savvy testers) don't find it high-tech or sophisticated enough. (For older kids and adults, you can use a smartphone and an app to Geocache.)

Bottom line: A wonderful device to get the whole family outdoors and energized about going on a modern treasure hunt to search for some pirate booty. Argh.

Coffee Perks

2011-11-06T14:30:00.000-08:00

How much coffee do you drink everyday? Is coffee bad for your health? Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., a registered dietitian and associate editor of nutrition for EatingWell magazine wrote an article about 5 health reasons to not quit coffee.

1. Coffee is good for the heart. People who drinks coffee of 1 to 3 cups a day have lower rates of stroke than non coffee drinkers, an effect linked to coffee’s antioxidants. Coffee is the biggest source of antioxidants in American diets for it has more antioxidants per serving than blueberries. These known antioxidants help suppress the damaging effect of inflammation on arteries. Immediately after drinking coffee, blood pressure and heart rate are elevated but over the long term, antioxidants activate nitric oxide causing the widening of vessels and eventually lower the blood pressure.

2. Coffee diverts diabetes. One of coffee’s antioxidant called chlorogenic acid and quinides play another role in boosting your cells’ sensitivity to insulin, the hormone that helps regulate blood sugar. Studies revealed that people who drink 4 or more cups of coffee each day may have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Other studies have shown that caffeine can blunt the insulin-sensitivity boost, so if you do drink several cups a day, try mixing in decaf occasionally.

3. Coffee is good for the liver. According to some research, the more coffee people drink, the lower their incidence of cirrhosis and other liver diseases. One analysis of nine studies found that every 2-cup increase in daily coffee intake reduced liver cancer risk by 43 percent. Again, it’s those antioxidants—chlorogenic and caffeic acids—and caffeine that might prevent liver inflammation and inhibit cancer cells.

4. Coffee boosts brain power. Studies suggest that drinking between 1 and 5 cups a day may help reduce risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. Coffee’s antioxidants may ward off brain cell damage and help the neurotransmitters involved in cognitive function to work better.

5. Coffee can alleviate headaches. Studies show that 200 milligrams of caffeine which is the approximate amount in 16 ounces of brewed coffee, provides relief from headaches and migraines. Though how caffeine relieves headaches isn’t clear yet, scientists do believe that caffeine boosts the activity of brain cells, causing surrounding blood vessels to constrict. According to Robert Shapiro, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of neuroloy and director of the Headache Clinic at the University of Vermont Medical School, the constriction of the blood vessels helps to relieve the pressure that causes the pain.

With these five good reasons, it doesn’t mean coffee doesn’t have any pitfalls. Some people may be caffeine sensitive and may get jittery or anxious after drinking coffee. Habitual drinkers usually develop tolerance to caffeine that eliminates this problem. Coffee can also disturb sleep, especially to the elderly. Cutting some caffeine and drinking coffee earlier in the day can curb this effect. Finally, unfiltered coffee can raise LDL cholesterol, so always use a filter when preparing coffee for health reasons.

So if you like coffee and can tolerate any dose of caffeine, enjoy it….without the guilt.

Smile Savers

2011-11-06T10:31:00.000-08:00

According to an article in the March 2010 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, brushing, flossing, and eating right keep your teeth strong and promote overall health. Below are 4 tips from that article:

1. Make it tea for your teeth: Fruit drinks, sodas, and citrus juices (like orange) have sugar and acids that wear away tooth enamel. The better dental choice , as safe as just plain water, is tea without milk, lemon, or sugar.

2. Listen to your hygienist: In a two-week study of identical twins, one brushed and flossed, the other simply brushed. The flosser developed significantly less plaque causing bacteria than their brush-only siblings.

3. Spoon up some culture: In a new study, people who consumed at least 1/4 cup of yogurt or a lactic acid drink every day were less than half as likely to have serious gum disease. The magic ingredient? Probiotics, researchers believe.

4. Get plenty of fruits and vegetables: The higher your consumption of folic acid from food (produce is a great source), the lower you risk of bleeding gums, research shows.

Tip #35: Get to Know the Principal of Your Child's School.

2011-11-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

For a school to truly be effective and successful, a very important ingredient is the leadership of the school, and that is the principal. The principal must have a vision for the school,, and that he/she can get the faculty, staff, parents, and students to buy into that vision. This brings us to tip #35.

Tip #35: Get to know the principal of your child's school.

Principal: The principal runs the school and sets the tone and culture for the entire school. The principal solves problems, creates rules, polices the students, manages the staff, acts as mentor, evaluates classrooms, and most importantly, constantly communicates and empowers everyone from teachers to parents to the school board. Find out if there is a meet the principal time or set up a small breakfast with some other parents and get to know the principal. Ask him or her questions about the school and the vision for the future. This meeting should tell you a lot about the school and how it is being managed.

To find out the type of questions you should ask the principal, order my book, "A Parent's Handbook: How to Get the Best Education Possible K-6 Grades, from http://www.besteducationpossible.com/ . I hope everyone's school year is off to a good start and you are trying to do something everyday to make sure all children are getting the "Best Education Possible".

Best STEM toys ages 3 to 5: Part 3

2011-11-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

With the Holiday Seasons right around the corner, below are some suggestions for educational toys that can be fun and intellectually stimulating.

Best STEM toys ages 3 to 5
Kaleido Gears

Created for young learners, 2011 Golden Apple Awards winners masterfully lay a (fun) foundation for science, math, and technology.
By GreatSchools Staff

Appeals to age 3-6

What it teaches: small-motor skills, fluid intelligence, engineering fundamentals about interconnected parts

Little hands need activities that satisfy the need to move and think simultaneously and Gears is a toy that helps kids do both while still seeming like a real toy – not a piece of curriculum. Its bright gears fit together in any number of ways to allow kids to explore how interconnected parts can create different effects. For children who are obsessed with mechanical and transportation toys, this one allows for a close-up look at how gears and wheels work in an open ended, playful way. For the visual child, the multi-colored parts can inspire mini-design projects about how colors fit and mesh together.

Some of our parents were concerned that the small pieces holding gears in place might be choking hazards for children under age three, but the toy engaged our little testers and inspired a lot of curious quiet play, something no doubt many parents would welcome!

Bottom line: A hands-on STEM toy that helps with fine-motor skills and interactive mechanical exploration.

Best STEM toys ages 3 to 5: Part 2

2011-11-02T14:00:00.000-07:00

With the Holiday Seasons right around the corner, below are some suggestions for educational toys that can be fun and intellectually stimulating.

Best STEM toys ages 3 to 5
My First Lego Set

by GreatSchools staff

Created for young learners, 2011 Golden Apple Awards winners masterfully lay a (fun) foundation for science, math, and technology.

Appeals to ages 3-7

What it teaches: building, constructing, following instructions, small-motor skills

Legos are timeless and you'd be hard-pressed to find a kid who’s not interested in playing with them. This particular set is a perfect gateway set for younger children who might be overwhelmed by a larger, more complex one (with even more than the 200+ parts in this one).

Our youngest tester needed pretty constant adult guidance as she strove to build a village, but luckily this toy comes with instructions for quick-gratification constructions like two-pieces flowers and a five-piece cat. When they feel ready, pint-sized builders can progress to more complex construction projects, such as the house and windmill. Finally, when they really get the hang of it, free-form building ensues — and this wondrous motor-skill-and-imagination combo can captivate even wee ones for up to 30 minutes.

Bottom line: The Danish toy company’s name says it all: “Lego” is based on the Danish phrase meaning “play well.”

Best STEM toys ages 3 to 5: Part 1

2011-11-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

With the Holiday Seasons right around the corner, below are some suggestions for educational toys that can be fun and intellectually stimulating.

Best STEM toys ages 3 to 5
Citiblocs (Cool and Hot Color Set)

Created for young learners, 2011 Golden Apple Awards winners masterfully lay a (fun) foundation for science, math, and technology.

by GreatSchools staff

What it teaches: structural engineering basics, pattern recognition, cause-and-effect, collaboration, problem-solving, creative thinking, small-motor skills

We in the business of reading studies on what drives learning know blocks are one of those toys that pack an evidence-based punch. (Block play is associated with later math competence among other academic gains.) But Citiblocs’ multi-colored wood blocks surprised even us with their universal popularity. All the kids (and truth be told, adults) loved these colorful reinventions of a toy that is so deceptively simple, irresistible, and age-proof. (So much so that two sister testers battled over who got to keep her set: 7-year-old sister: “They’re mine. My sister can only play with them if she asks.” 11-year-old sister: “But that’s not fair. I love them, too.”)

All 100 of the precision-cut blocks are identically shaped – narrow rectangles (4.5 x.75 x.25) that scream “build, create, collaborate!” For our younger testers, this toy had staying power: They played for long periods of concentrated time to construct things they were proud of. Our older testers worked in teams to create building games, intricately shaped towers, and domino-effect boobie traps.

For the browsing adult, some of the other block brands with multifarious shapes may seem more “fun,” but the simplicity of Citiblocs are really their secret to success. They are similar to two other precision-cut brands Kapla and Keva Planks, but more affordable. Finally, the cool and hot color schemes – one with natural wood mixed with blues and greens, the other with reds and yellow – are so stylin’ that you’ll be less likely to be annoyed when your child allows them to take over the living room.

Bottom line: Blockbuster STEM learning in an old-fashioned classic form.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

All the children in costumes,

go visit for a trick or a treat;

But getting the "BEST EDUCATION POSSIBLE"

Just can't be beat!

If you go out for trick or treating, go in groups or with a responsible adult. Come back to school on Tuesday without a lot of candy so you can get the "Best Education Possible". Have a fun Halloween!

Debra West

Think Rich Be Thin

2011-10-30T14:00:00.000-07:00

Think Rich Be Thin

Accordingi to an article in the November 2011 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, simply perceiving your meal as extravagant can help you feel satisfied and rev up your metabolism, say Yale researchers. When they gave 46 volunteers a 380 calorie beverage labeled “Indulgence Shake,” the participants' levels of the hunger-and-metabolism-regulating hormone ghrelin fell sharply, showing they felt full and had an amped-up calorie burn. But a week earlier, when the group sipped the same drink, this time marked “Sensi-Shake,” ghrelin stayed flat. To mind your waistline, when eating healthy, don't focus on how “good” you're being. Instead, think about the pleasurable experience (taste, textures, aromas) of eating the food, suggest lead researchers Alia Crum, Ph.D.

Tickets to Health and Happiness

2011-10-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

According to an article in the November 2011 issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, attending a performance of the Nutcracker may provide more than entertainment. It could improve your health, say researchers in Norway. When they crunched data from more than 50,000 people on activities like museum visits, singing, volunteering, painting, and attending concerts or sporting events, they found that engaging in arts and culture, watching as well as doing, was linked with higher self-scores of physical and emotional health. And it wasn't just that people who had the cash for evenings out could also afford better health care, or that folks who enjoyed good health were more likely to go out. The connection held even when researchers controlled for wealth and a range of health factors. Don't worry if your tastes run more to Lady Gaga than Lady of the Camellias. “The activities don't have to be highbrow, just emotionally engaging or creative,” says lead author Koenraad Frans Cuypers.

Tip #34: Show and Tell Your ChildrenYou Love Them.

2011-10-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

There is no better gift in the world than to give "LOVE". So many children and adults are angry, depressed, and unhappy this moment because they've had no one to show them this most important lifeline. This brings us to tip #34.

Tip #34: Show and tell your children you love them.

When I was growing up we had a very close loving family. I knew I was loved and supported, but we rarely said the words, "I love you". When my mother was diagnosised with terminal cancer we found these words easier to say for the first time. Now my father and sisters say it to each other and to our children and grandchildren all the time. It is just ashame that it took something like illness or death to see the importance of telling people you love them. I'm not saying use the words until they are almost mechanical, but using them to really express feelings and emotions. Our children need hugs and to hear the words, "I love you". This teaches them how to express true feelings of emotions. How you treat and express feelings at home is exactly how your child expresses him/herself at school and in public. So, why not show and tell your loved ones today that you love them? It really doesn't hurt and it will make your family closer and emotionally healthier!

Tip #33: A Child Needs Self-Confidence

2011-10-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

A child needs to have self-confidence. In order to develop this all important character in your child is to get him/her involved in an activity that they are interested in and show real promise. That brings us to tip #33.

Tip #33: Get your children involved in extra-curricular activities that will build self-confidence.

Mastering a skill at an early age builds confidence and self-esteem. When a child is able to play an instrument, draw or paint, perform ballet or tap, or any other number of individual activities they foster and grow their earned sense of accomplishment and develop a sense of self and pride. Group activities also have an important place in a child's development, but when they can master something individually, they are empowered and reinforced with an unequivocal self-confidence builder. The sense of individual confidence and ability begins a familiarity with earned success that will be needed later in life as they grow up and their world's become more complex and demanding. So, whenever possible have your child participate and master an activity that they alone can demonstrate excellence. It will pay big dividends in their future. Some more examples include: golf, tennis, gymnastics, photography, bowling, singing and chess.

Tip #32: Teach your children to have self-control.

2011-10-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

We must teach our children to have self-control. They must be able to control their anger and manage any conflict they are confronted with in life. Building self-confidence and teaching children to cope with stressful situations is extremely important. This brings us to tip #32.

Tip #32: Teach your children to have self-control.

Our children must have self-awareness and set realistic goals with realistic timetables to complete these goals all while managing frustration, set-backs and disappointment. Raising our children to have self-control means modeling self-control in our every day lives. We will never have children who manage anger properly if we don't show them how. Teach them how to accept criticim, admit mistakes and know the difference between right and wrong. Teach them how to respectfully stand up for themselves and when to stop and perhaps count to ten or even to one hundred if necessary. Let them know we all learn from our mistakes and we can continually work to improve our behavior and self-control at all times.