Parenting

Math Help Has Never Been This Entertaining
 by: Katie Robbins

Do you have trouble with math? Do you feel anxious when taking math tests? Do you want to improve your math skills, but don’t know where to do this? If any of these problems plague you then look to the Internet for extra help. There are several websites that provide information, lessons, tutors, and even games.

Let’s start with basic online math games. Check out Aplusmath.com at http://www.aplusmath.com/games/. This website provides games that will test and help you practice your basic math skills such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. You can play math bingo and hidden picture games. This is a great way to brush up on your basic arithmetic skills. Aplusmath.com also provides flashcards, worksheets, and a homework helper. Definitely try the homework helper. It allows you to input a math problem and helps you find the answer.

Once your basic math skills are mastered try your hand at critical thinking math games. A great website is Math.com. Math.com at http://www.math.com/ can be your one stop shop for all your math needs. Math.com provides homework help, practice, tutors, calculators & tools, and math games. The last word, “games” probably peeked your interest. Yes, you can improve your math skills through games. Learning multiplication and logic skills doesn’t always have to involve a textbook and a classroom.

Homework Help At Your Fingertips
 by: Katie Robbins

Here’s the situation. You are at home trying to answer questions for a history assignment and you are stumped. You have to write about “Custard’s last stand”. Custard was something you ate for dessert as far as you were concerned. You check through your history book, but there was only one short paragraph about Lt. Colonel Custard. What are you going to do? Hop on the Internet for homework help of course!

The Internet is the information superhighway and is not just a place for e-mail, instant messages, and games. There are numerous websites that provide homework help. Homework websites range from just providing information like an Encyclopedia to having your questions answered by a live tutor. Let’s take a look at some of the different homework websites available.

INFO PLEASE - THE HOMEWORK CENTER: http://www.infoplease.com/homework/

This website presents reference information from Almanacs, Atlases, Encyclopedias, and Biographies. You can type in a word such as “cotton gin” and the website will search for any information regarding the cotton gin in their reference resources. For example, the dictionary will provide a definition of the cotton gin while the Atlas and Encyclopedias will show you where and how the cotton gin was used. You can skip searching through the reference stacks at the library because the information will be found in a matter of seconds.

The Internet Provides a Virtual Classroom
 by: Katie Robbins

Do you have a passion for a certain subject? Maybe you want to know more about elephants or the computer code to create computer games. You can find information about any of your interests online. The Internet not only provides basic information on any subject, but also lesson plans, activities, and real world examples. It is a privilege and adventure to have such robust information at your fingertips.

The Internet is a virtual classroom. You can read about any topic you desire. You can take online tests and quizzes to track your progress. You can access free worksheets and lesson plans. The amount of information can be overwhelming. Let’s take a look at the advantages of different virtual classroom resources.

Online Reference Resources:

Reference resources include information from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and any scholarly journal or publication. The advantage of this information is that it is credible, well respected academic information. It is like having the entire library in your computer. Instead of flipping page and page trying to find your information in heavy, dusty books, you can easily search the electronic versions with keywords.

Online Activities:

Here’s How To Build a Dollhouse For Your Daughter
 by: Ruiters Haiser

Here’s how to build a dollhouse for your daughter even if you are not handy with wood

You can really show your daughter that you love her by making her something with your own hands.

Not everybody has a shop full of woodworking tools and carpentry skills, so what are you supposed to do?

A company in Vermont has created a line of quickbuilding dollhouses just for someone like you who wants to make something special for his little girl, but doesn’t have the time.

The name of this little woodworking wonder is the quickbuild dollhouse.

The quickbuild dollhouse by Real Good Toys is convenient and affordable to build. Every part of the dollhouse is made from sturdy cabinet grade materials so it will hold up to abuse and still look great in your daughter’s room.

The quality wood used in the construction of these quickbuild dollhouses virtually guarantees that your little girl will give it to her little girl and so on. You won’t have to find 8 hours per day for several weekends to assemble it either. In fact, a person with average skills and a little patience can assemble these dollhouses in as little as an hour with only a screwdriver and some wood glue.

Teens: Your Body Image
 by: Christine McGogy

If we were to do a survey about how many of us feel happy with our bodies, what percent do you think would answer ‘Yes’?

Current research on body image shows that women are much more critical of their appearance than men. Up to 8 out of 10 women are dissatisfied with their bodies.

Again, I keep coming back to the media and it’s influence on our thinking; the beliefs we create because of it. Every day we watch TV shows with their perfect looking actors, or read fashion magazines picturing top models. How can we not end up feeling inadequate in comparison? We compare our looks to those of actors and models, and then feel awful because we aren’t as skinny, or don’t have the same straight nose, or the same hair, or big eyes etc.

We don’t know how many plastic surgery procedures the models may have gone through, or how the photos are touched up and airbrushed, or how many actors and models feel the need to starve themselves to maintain their demanded body weight. The models appear to have it all because of their looks, but do we really know if they are happy? Would you be happy if millions of people were judging your body on screen or in magazines? Would you be happy if you rarely got to eat?

Skill Based Division of Talent in Recreational Youth Leagues
 by: Ken Kaiserman

Participation in youth sports serves many needs and teaches great life lessons. Nobody can argue the benefits of participation: making new friends, learning to play as a team, developing coordination and fundamental athletic skills, exercise, sportsmanship, winning, losing, performing under pressure and so much more. However, what is the best way to set up a league that will be best for the kids so that they can all garner these lessons? This month, I’ll let you know why I feel a skill based allocation of players will be beneficial to the largest number of kids rather than the traditional method using age or grade.

Teens: 5 Ways to Make Sure You Get Rich
 by: Christine McGogy

How would you like to remove the barriers that could be holding you back from getting and staying rich for the rest of your life?

First, you should change your relationship to money from the negative to the positive before you can turn your cash flow to where you want it to be.

Have you ever heard of the money tree? It’s a metaphor for securing financial success. If you’d like to become wealthy, you need to make sure that your money tree can grow big. To do that, it needs strong roots and a fertile ground to grow in.

It’s really what’s under the ground that creates what’s above the ground. It’s the invisible that creates the visible. So you will have to “grow better roots”, meaning you have to change the beliefs you have about money. If they are rooted in negativity then it acts like a poison and your money tree won’t bear any fruit (money).

On the other hand, a money mindset rooted in positivity creates a healthy, strong money tree that will bear lots of fruit!

Acne Treatments For Teenagers
 by: Marc Howlett

The Teenagers’ Guide on Treating Acne

Acne is truly one of the big problems faced and most feared by teenagers anywhere around the globe. To some, it is a nightmare to have acne that truly gives very unfavorable effects. It surely lowers a person’s self-esteem to express themselves freely and confidently to their families, friends, partners or to anyone. It certainly carries with it physical, as well as, emotional scars made by self-conciousness and embarrassment that made some don’t even want to get out of their rooms!

Acne, however, just occurs normally and naturally with teenagers like you so you shouldn’t feel so bad and depressed about it.According to recent statistics, 9 out of 10 teens and about 25% of the adult population are suffering from acne.But, acne is just a skin problem that can actually be treated. Doctors and health companies, nowadays, are looking forward to give us the best acne treatments for teenagers. Health tips are also worth to follow and made to practice. You should know that prevention is better than a cure! As the saying goes, the best cure for your acne problems is making the constant effort of preventing it to occur in the first place.

School Bullying Stopped: 5 Tips to Blast Hardcore Bullies!
 by: Paula McCoach

Hardcore bullies!

Which staff members are best suited to deal with them during the school year?

In my experience of coordinating the Bully Zapper Mentor Program for 7 years, guidance counselors are the most effective with these hardcore bullies.

1. Our building principal has mentored several hardcore bullies and, believe it or not, this was not an effective relationship in stopping this student from bullying.

Why?

Because the hardcore bully felt that they were “above the rules” with the principal being their mentor. No matter how much they were told that they would receive disciplinary consequences, they did not stop bullying because they felt like they had an advocate at the top.

Obviously, this is not the purpose of the Bully Zapper Mentor Program!

2. Teachers and even Educational Assistants have had some of our more hardcore bullies. If the teachers spend inordinate amounts of their personal time with the bullies nurturing and talking to them, often the hardcore bully was neutralized and even did a major turn around.

Mothers Share Buying Habits of Childrens Bedroom Furniture
 by: Teresa Schahczinski

Just two months ago, a group of mothers from three generations (Gen Y, Gen X and Baby Boomer demographics) shared their buying habits with retailers and manufacturers on purchasing childrens bedroom furniture and baby products. This occurred at the fifth annual Kids Today conference in Bonita Springs Florida.

Author and entrepreneur Maria Bailey, an executive in the fields of publishing, marketing, and business development, was the keynote speaker at the conference and a moderator for the panel. Maria Bailey has worked for numerous companies, including Automation USA, AutoNation, Discovery Zone, The Miami Herald, Broward Community College, and McDonald’s. Her experience as an executive and the mother of four young children led her to specialize in assisting mothers in balancing their home and work lives. Bailey explained the importance of marketing to mothers of different ages.

Even though there were some differences there were also many similarities. One baby boomer said she found information from other mothers quite useful. She tried shopping for childrens beds and other bedroom sets for her boys baby nursery at a baby boutique or a shop for kid furniture and found it was above her budget. She registered for designer baby bedding at one baby boutique but this particular parent found that shopping at a consignment shop for her boys bedroom furniture was the way to go.