Teaching the tots at home By Angela Russell The popularity of home schooled students has risen in recent years for a variety of reasons. Whether you wish to shield your child from outside influence, disagree with your school systems policies, have religious objections to the curriculum, or just wish to provide your child's education yourself, you will need to plan your child's curriculum. Preparation Choosing a curriculum is arguably one of the most difficult parts of homeschooling. Should you purchase a pre-planned curriculum? Should you develop a curriculum on your own? Obviously the latter is the less expensive of the two, though the former may be the less stressful option.   K-12 schools may sound easy, but it is not. There are many resources for purchasing a homeschool curricula. Typing the phrase home school curriculum into a web search engine will result in a number of results. Do plenty of research before you decide to purchase ...

For your kids first overnighter By Jennifer Eblin Going away to summer camp can be exciting and scary for kids, especially going to an overnight camp. You can lessen your children's stress or anxiety by doing a few things before your child heads off. Start Planning Start by choosing a summer camp that fits your child's likes and dislikes. A little boy who loves playing soccer, or a girl who loves riding horses might feel left out and homesick at a camp that focuses on arts and crafts. Try to find a camp that focuses on something your child likes, and let them get involved in picking out a summer camp. For many children this will be their first time spending an extended period of time away from home. You need to make sure your child realizes this, and is comfortable being away from home. My niece was ready to go to an overnight camp ...

Guarantee great get-togethers By RM Deegan

In this day and age when family is spread all over the country the one thing that can bring them all together is a holiday. Instead of focusing on all the commercial hype of what to buy, buy, buy, the holiday can be so much more enjoyable if quality time is the focus. When family and friends gather together for a holiday, involvement should be the key to everyone feeling like they helped make it happen.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays where the only gift you give is your time. Instead of having people show up to eat a large meal you slaved over for a week, share the work load. Even people that come from out of town arrive a day or two early, so there's plenty of time.

Before they come, talk to your guests and let them participate in what will be ...

Leaving the country By Veronica Shine

The sense of adventure, excitement, and the growing curiosity of a planned trip can be shared with everyone in the family. If your goal is to expose your children to encounter culture, other people and food from around the world, then perhaps you should wait until they are at least age five. Before that, they will never remember what the trip of a lifetime was all about.

Requirements

Please be aware that everyone in your traveling party needs a valid passport, including children. Because of the backlog on applications, try to apply well in advance of your trip. Children under age 14 must submit not only proof of citizenship but proof of relationship to you. Both parents must appear with the child when applying or if both parents can not attend, obtain a notarized statement of consent authorizing passport application.

Before you Travel

Prior to taking your trip overseas, ...

Vacation package deals By Jennifer Eblin

All inclusive vacations can be the right choice for some families, but many people prefer planning their own trips because they like the freedom.

What is All Inclusive

With most all inclusive vacation packages, what you do and when you do it is mandatory. Sometimes you will be given a choice of two events such as a trip to a nearby city or a day of horseback riding, and you need to decide in advance which you want, and when you will do it. Well, what if plans change or if you want to do both? Some people prefer choosing their own options by planning a vacation. The other issue is children and all inclusive packages. Kids can be finicky, and your child might have a fear of horses now, but in six months when you go on vacation, suddenly has a love of horses. How do ...

Keep everyone entertained By Alida B

Keeping kids happy when you travel is actually quite simple when you keep in mind that beyond their obvious need for being entertained, it's an emotional experience. As the adult, being in tune with not only how WE feel about the trip, but how the child feels about making that plane trip can make a difference. And remember, each child may view the experience differently!

Before the Trip

Talk with children who are old enough to understand, one on one if possible, prior to leaving. Ask how they feel about going. Ask what they are looking forward to seeing. Ask if the trips sounds like it will be fun. Be CERTAIN to ask all 3 questions in just that way, and you will hold the key to success on helping your child feel content. Why? You'll have information to re-introduce into the conversation to remind them what ...

When she’s a fussy baby By Jennie Krogulski

Most professional caregivers have cared for a baby with colic and recognize the stress that comes with caring for a baby who cries so much. Colic is not a physical disorder or disease. Doctors define "colic" as continued crying for three or more hours per day. While the normal baby cries an average of just over two hours per day during his first four weeks, it is usually due to hunger, wet/soiled diapers, or other visible causes. This baby can be calmed when his needs are met. A colicky baby cannot be calmed, and sometimes the crying can wear the caregiver down to the point that she feels like joining in the crying.

A Mysterious Condition

It is unclear as to what the exact cause of colic is. The "old-timers" used to say that colic was the result of gas. But it is hard to ...

A parents’ guide Adolescents who may be caught up in drug abuse and addiction generally exhibit some, if not all, of the following changes:

·         Problems at school: poor academic performance, cutting class, disrespecting teachers, or dropping extracurricular activities

·         Changes in friendships: spending time with peers their parents don't know, making or receiving phone calls at odd hours, spending time with peers who smoke, drink, or abuse drugs

·         Physical changes: weight loss, unusual sleeping habits, lack of personal hygiene, increased cough caused by smoking, nicotine-stained fingers ...