As someone who has lived in the south all his life, I know a thing or two about how dangerous the heat can be. The two biggest dangers we hear about are heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Probably one of the most dangerous things these two conditions have in common is that they can sneak up on you fairly quickly, even when you think everything is fine. Here are some of the warning signs you and your family should watch out for and how to keep these two dangerous summertime issues at bay.
Heat Stroke and Heat Exhaustion
Recognizing the signs of either of these two dangerous conditions is important in not only to help someone recover quickly, but also prevent overheating that could potentially become fatal if not resolved quickly enough.
If there is a less dangerous condition out of the two, heat exhaustion would be the one. Some of the signs of heat exhaustion include:
If you see anyone suffering from the classic signs of heat exhaustion, it is best to get the person to a cooler area, preferably a space that is air conditioned. Provide them with cool water, but make sure they don’t drink it too quickly. Finally, use cold compresses or have them take a cool shower to lower their body temperature.
Heat stroke is a far more serious condition and the symptoms can feel worse than heat stroke. The common signs for someone suffering from heat stroke include:
It’s important to call 9-1-1 immediately in the event you suspect someone is suffering from heat stroke. Do everything you can to cool the person down as much as possible until help arrives. An elevated body temperature can be very dangerous and needs to be lowered as quickly and safely as possible.
Staying Safe and Cool
Thankfully, both heat exhaustion and heat stroke are easily preventable if you take some very simple precautions when you’re out in the summer sun.
When it comes to staying cool, the first rule is: hydration, hydration, hydration. Make sure you and your family are drinking plenty of water when you’re spending time outdoors. Sports drinks are a great option if you have young athletes who are conditioning or playing games in the heat. Sports drinks help replace electrolytes you lose while you’re sweating.
But if you’re anything like me, you might find water just a bit boring since it’s just too plain. To add some flavor, try adding some flavor packets or liquid water enhancers to your glass or sports bottle. You can also try infuser bottles which take the flavors of fresh fruit and slowly infuse the water with natural flavor.
Everyone knows summertime food is one of the best parts about being outside. When it comes to staying cool with food, fruits are a healthy choice. Eating fruit like watermelon that’s loaded with juice is a great alternative to water. Cool fruit, ice cream, and snow cones are also delicious ways to beat the heat when you combine them with proper hydration. A delicious fruit salad is also a great option if you’re looking for foods that will keep your family cool.
Of course, spending plenty of time in the shade, jumping into a swimming pool, and playing in a splash pad is a perfect way to cool your body down. If you start feeling a bit warm, drink something cool and put a wet towel on your head to help cool yourself down. If you start feeling like being in the shade isn’t helping, it’s best to move into some air conditioning quickly, and call for help if you start feeling ill.
And lastly, while you and your family are doing your best to stay hydrated and cool this summer, you can’t forget about protecting the most exposed part of your body: your skin. Many people overlook skin protection and don’t realize the sun can do serious damage to your skin in a short amount of time, especially for people who are fair skinned. That’s why it’s important to always wear sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 when spending time outdoors.
]]>In a nutshell, digital citizenship, or digital wellness or ethics, is how technology is used responsibly, ethically, and safely by users (i.e. students, teachers, adults, etc.). For example, when you get onto a website that allows user interaction in the form of comments. Leaving a comment to voice your opinion should be done respectfully, the way one would expect someone to speak a comment in person.
Let’s face it: there are far too many people using the internet today lacking basic manners, which is a part of being a good digital citizen. Additionally, far too many people are incapable of checking multiple sources of information before making an informed decision on a topic.
Because many schools across the country are moving to a STEM or STEAM based curriculum, it’s more important now than ever to make sure kids, teens, and even some young adults are being good digital citizens. With so many people spending hours of their day on the internet either working, browsing social media, or consuming digital entertainment, it’s important that every user is versed on the nine elements of digital citizenship. As a society, we have access to a massive amount of data at our fingertips. But in order to use that information responsibly and safely, kids and teens need to know how the nine elements relate to them specifically and not just in generalized terms.
The Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship
Digital Access
The pandemic brought to light just how large the technological and digital divide is in the US. In 2020, many schools found themselves rushing to provide laptops and tablets to students who did not have the proper technology to perform the work teachers would ultimately be assigning online. Furthermore, many families didn’t have access to the internet because they either simply could not afford it or had no point in having it since they couldn’t afford the technology needed to take advantage of it.
As schools progress towards a more STEM and STEAM based curriculum, it is important for educators to remember this digital divide. Many families simply do not have the means to supply their children with the necessary resources they need to learn in a digital environment. Therefore, schools need to make sure they’re providing the required technology to those students who need it and make sure they have access to the internet at home or provide them opportunities to get access so they can learn with the rest of their classmates.
At the adult level, community and city leaders need to work harder at making communities and cities more digitally inclusive. This means having more areas where people can go to access technology such as at libraries and more areas where people can take advantage of Wi-Fi in order to do things like apply for work, apply for resources, find information, and educate themselves.
Digital Commerce
Before the days of Amazon, eBay, and the hundreds of other shopping websites, millennials and their parents would do most of their shopping malls. This may be shocking and horrifying to people born in the 2000s, but this is how we old people shopped.
Now, people prefer to do their shopping online from the comfort of their own home or while on the go. There is probably nothing that cannot be bought online these days. From ordering your breakfast in the morning at a fast food restaurant, to buying a brand new car and having it shipped to your front door, people literally do not have to leave their homes anymore to get what they want or need.
But part of being a good digital citizen is knowing how to shop responsibly and safely. In the physical world, we have the ability to look at a shop and decide if we think it’s a reputable place to spend money. Online, it may be hard to spot a good website from a bad one. The products we think we are buying may not be so when they get delivered, if they get delivered at all. The website may also be a fake and only appears real to steal your personal or financial information.
Because shopping online is so easy, it’s also easy to become addicted to the simplicity. This is where becoming a responsible shopper comes in. Take for example, free mobile video games. While the game itself is free, developers will gladly sell you things to help make the game easier or help you stand out from other players with costumes or special gear. It’s easy to be lured into buying these really cheap upgrades. But without self control, one upgrade becomes 10, and suddenly the free game is now full price.
Digital Communication
Most likely, you have a smartphone in your pocket, backpack, or you’re reading this blog on your phone at this moment. Gone are the days when a phone was technology that was stuck at home or in a booth. And anyone who wanted to talk on the go, the only option was to carry around a phone shaped like a brick.
Now, people have a variety of options when it comes to communicating with people. While people can still make regular phone calls, many young people opt to communicate by text messages or even video chat.
With the convenience of being able to talk to anyone at any time came the dangers of always being available to talk. Distracted driving kills hundreds of people every year. And online predators now have an easy way to find vulnerable kids, teens, and even adults. Digital citizens should practice the same safety rules when dealing with strangers in person when talking to people online.
Beyond smartphones, there are many websites that thrive on participation from users. This means millions of people everyday are commenting on some form of content online. And because of the anonymity the internet provides, there are many people who leave hurtful and rude remarks that don’t help the conversation or do so simply because they enjoy causing trouble.
Good digital citizens not only report these kinds of comments and posts, they also make sure to practice good etiquette when taking part in online conversations. Just because the medium of conversation has changed, it does not mean manners are optional. There are people behind the words and words can hurt.
Digital Literacy
Sometimes, recognizing what is real and fake on the internet can be a real challenge for people who aren’t skilled enough to know the difference. This is why digital literacy is important for anyone who spends any length of time on the internet.
Digital literacy is the ability to know what information on the internet is useful and which may not be credible. It’s also the ability to know where to find credible information and how to spot sites that are not as reputable or show clear bias in the information they report.
For example, if you were doing a report on George Washington, the most reputable sites would be those that have a web address ending in .org or .gov. The first signifies that the website is run by an organization. The second is a government website. These two types of websites are often credible sources of information that have been researched and verified to be as accurate as possible.
Remember that not everything you read on a source like Wikipedia is true. This is because anyone can edit a Wikipedia article or page. While it might be a great place to start your research, part of digital literacy is knowing to always check multiple sources to make sure the information you’re getting is accurate.
Digital Etiquette
Etiquette in the digital world is the same as it is in the real world. The type of behavior and speech that isn’t acceptable in person isn’t acceptable when said online either.
Probably the most important aspect of the internet that many kids and teens forget is that once you’ve posted or said something on the internet, it is there forever. It will forever be a part of the digital persona you’ve created for yourself online.
Online bullying is an example of a lack of digital etiquette. This is when people harass other users either because they disagree with something they’ve said or because they enjoy saying spiteful things. Because the internet allows many people to remain anonymous, people often take advantage of it and say things they would not likely say to someone in real life.
Quite simply, practice good manners both on the internet and in real life to prevent a bad digital persona.
Digital Law
Just as in the real world, there are laws that keep people safe while on the internet. One of the best examples is in the early days of the internet when people used to share music and movies in order to avoid paying for them. Laws were created to prevent people from sharing copyrighted material.
Whenever you use a website or an app, it is important you understand the rules and regulations so you don’t accidentally participate in something that may be illegal. Oftentimes, if something has to be done in secret on the internet, it is likely illegal or inappropriate. If you’re ever in a situation like this, you should report it to your parents, the authorities, and then the company or website where it happened.
Digital Rights and Responsibilities
Where there is digital law, there are also digital rights. Digital rights give people the ability to create media, publish media, and have access to technologies.
Essentially, being able to do everything that we do every day on the internet is having digital rights. In certain parts of the world, those rights are not guaranteed. There are many countries that prohibit people from accessing certain information, participating on social media, visiting websites from other countries, and even monitor internet traffic every second of the day.
When you browse the internet everyday and talk to people online, remember you’re exercising your right to be able to participate in a digital society and not everyone can simply access the internet or access technology the way you can.
Digital Health
While we’re spending so much time online and living through our digital personas, it can be easy to forget that our digital health is as important. Digital health essentially relates to how much technology and digital content we absorb in our daily lives.
If you’re the type of person who spends hours and hours on social media or watches hours of content on places like YouTube, you’re not living a healthy digital life. It’s okay to enjoy an occasional video and check up on friends and family through things like Facebook, but it’s important to remember to live a life outside of the digital world.
Additionally, your mental health can suffer from spending so much time isolating yourself and watching people live their lives on social media. Many teens suffer from depression while seeing people go on amazing vacations, going to parties, and basically living a fun filled life. But many of these pictures are illusions and created just for the views. Nonetheless, absorbing too much content like this can make you wish you had that person’s life and make you feel as though you’re missing out.
Digital Security
Just like remembering to lock doors at night or protecting your possessions, digital security is just as important. Protecting your passwords, making sure your devices are safe, and not revealing too much about yourself is all part of digital security.
Every time we get online, our digital security is tested by people trying to get access to our financial information, personal information, contact lists, private pictures, and all other types of information. This is why you should never carelessly give information like your birthday, favorite foods, birthplace, or any other information that might give thieves clues as to how to break your passwords or even pretend to be you online.
All of these segments are important in their own right and help us to create a digital community that is safe and useful for everyone. Learning how to be a good digital citizen is critical now that so many people spend hours upon hours on the internet. Whether we’re using it for education, business, or shopping, understanding all of these concepts will make sure we’re being great people offline and online.
]]>In a nutshell, digital citizenship, or digital wellness or ethics, is how technology is used responsibly, ethically, and safely by users (i.e. students, teachers, adults, etc.). For example, when you get onto a website that allows user interaction in the form of comments. Leaving a comment to voice your opinion should be done respectfully, the way one would expect someone to speak a comment in person.
Let’s face it: there are far too many people using the internet today lacking basic manners, which is a part of being a good digital citizen. Additionally, far too many people are incapable of checking multiple sources of information before making an informed decision on a topic.
Because many schools across the country are moving to a STEM or STEAM based curriculum, it’s more important now than ever to make sure kids, teens, and even some young adults are being good digital citizens. With so many people spending hours of their day on the internet either working, browsing social media, or consuming digital entertainment, it’s important that every user is versed on the nine elements of digital citizenship. As a society, we have access to a massive amount of data at our fingertips. But in order to use that information responsibly and safely, kids and teens need to know how the nine elements relate to them specifically and not just in generalized terms.
The Nine Elements of Digital Citizenship
Digital Access
The pandemic brought to light just how large the technological and digital divide is in the US. In 2020, many schools found themselves rushing to provide laptops and tablets to students who did not have the proper technology to perform the work teachers would ultimately be assigning online. Furthermore, many families didn’t have access to the internet because they either simply could not afford it or had no point in having it since they couldn’t afford the technology needed to take advantage of it.
As schools progress towards a more STEM and STEAM based curriculum, it is important for educators to remember this digital divide. Many families simply do not have the means to supply their children with the necessary resources they need to learn in a digital environment. Therefore, schools need to make sure they’re providing the required technology to those students who need it and make sure they have access to the internet at home or provide them opportunities to get access so they can learn with the rest of their classmates.
At the adult level, community and city leaders need to work harder at making communities and cities more digitally inclusive. This means having more areas where people can go to access technology such as at libraries and more areas where people can take advantage of wifi in order to do things like apply for work, apply for resources, find information, and educate themselves.
Digital Commerce
Before the days of Amazon, eBay, and the hundreds of other shopping websites, millennials and their parents would do most of their shopping malls. This may be shocking and horrifying to people born in the 2000s, but this is how we old people shopped.
Now, people prefer to do their shopping online from the comfort of their own home or while on the go. There is probably nothing that cannot be bought online these days. From ordering your breakfast in the morning at a fast food restaurant, to buying a brand new car and having it shipped to your front door, people literally do not have to leave their homes anymore to get what they want or need.
But part of being a good digital citizen is knowing how to shop responsibly and safely. In the physical world, we have the ability to look at a shop and decide if we think it’s a reputable place to spend money. Online, it may be hard to spot a good website from a bad one. The products we think we are buying may not be so when they get delivered, if they get delivered at all. The website may also be a fake and only appears real to steal your personal or financial information.
Because shopping online is so easy, it’s also easy to become addicted to the simplicity. This is where becoming a responsible shopper comes in. Take for example, free mobile video games. While the game itself is free, developers will gladly sell you things to help make the game easier or help you stand out from other players with costumes or special gear. It’s easy to be lured into buying these really cheap upgrades. But without self control, one upgrade becomes 10, and suddenly the free game is now full price.
Digital Communication
Most likely, you have a smartphone in your pocket, backpack, or you’re reading this blog on your phone at this moment. Gone are the days when a phone was technology that was stuck at home or in a booth. And anyone who wanted to talk on the go, the only option was to carry around a phone shaped like a brick.
Now, people have a variety of options when it comes to communicating with people. While people can still make regular phone calls, many young people opt to communicate by text messages or even video chat.
With the convenience of being able to talk to anyone at any time came the dangers of always being available to talk. Distracted driving kills hundreds of people every year. And online predators now have an easy way to find vulnerable kids, teens, and even adults. Digital citizens should practice the same safety rules when dealing with strangers in person when talking to people online.
Beyond smartphones, there are many websites that thrive on participation from users. This means millions of people everyday are commenting on some form of content online. And because of the anonymity the internet provides, there are many people who leave hurtful and rude remarks that don’t help the conversation or do so simply because they enjoy causing trouble.
Good digital citizens not only report these kinds of comments and posts, they also make sure to practice good etiquette when taking part in online conversations. Just because the medium of conversation has changed, it does not mean manners are optional. There are people behind the words and words can hurt.
Digital Literacy
Sometimes, recognizing what is real and fake on the internet can be a real challenge for people who aren’t skilled enough to know the difference. This is why digital literacy is important for anyone who spends any length of time on the internet.
Digital literacy is the ability to know what information on the internet is useful and which may not be credible. It’s also the ability to know where to find credible information and how to spot sites that are not as reputable or show clear bias in the information they report.
For example, if you were doing a report on George Washington, the most reputable sites would be those that have a web address ending in .org or .gov. The first signifies that the website is run by an organization. The second is a government website. These two types of websites are often credible sources of information that have been researched and verified to be as accurate as possible.
Remember that not everything you read on a source like Wikipedia is true. This is because anyone can edit a Wikipedia article or page. While it might be a great place to start your research, part of digital literacy is knowing to always check multiple sources to make sure the information you’re getting is accurate.
Digital Etiquette
Etiquette in the digital world is the same as it is in the real world. The type of behavior and speech that isn’t acceptable in person isn’t acceptable when said online either.
Probably the most important aspect of the internet that many kids and teens forget is that once you’ve posted or said something on the internet, it is there forever. It will forever be a part of the digital persona you’ve created for yourself online.
Online bullying is an example of a lack of digital etiquette. This is when people harass other users either because they disagree with something they’ve said or because they enjoy saying spiteful things. Because the internet allows many people to remain anonymous, people often take advantage of it and say things they would not likely say to someone in real life.
Quite simply, practice good manners both on the internet and in real life to prevent a bad digital persona.
Digital Law
Just as in the real world, there are laws that keep people safe while on the internet. One of the best examples is in the early days of the internet when people used to share music and movies in order to avoid paying for them. Laws were created to prevent people from sharing copyrighted material.
Whenever you use a website or an app, it is important you understand the rules and regulations so you don’t accidentally participate in something that may be illegal. Oftentimes, if something has to be done in secret on the internet, it is likely illegal or inappropriate. If you’re ever in a situation like this, you should report it to your parents, the authorities, and then the company or website where it happened.
Digital Rights and Responsibilities
Where there is digital law, there are also digital rights. Digital rights give people the ability to create media, publish media, and have access to technologies.
Essentially, being able to do everything that we do every day on the internet is having digital rights. In certain parts of the world, those rights are not guaranteed. There are many countries that prohibit people from accessing certain information, participating on social media, visiting websites from other countries, and even monitor internet traffic every second of the day.
When you browse the internet everyday and talk to people online, remember you’re exercising your right to be able to participate in a digital society and not everyone can simply access the internet or access technology the way you can.
Digital Health
While we’re spending so much time online and living through our digital personas, it can be easy to forget that our digital health is as important. Digital health essentially relates to how much technology and digital content we absorb in our daily lives.
If you’re the type of person who spends hours and hours on social media or watches hours of content on places like YouTube, you’re not living a healthy digital life. It’s okay to enjoy an occasional video and check up on friends and family through things like Facebook, but it’s important to remember to live a life outside of the digital world.
Additionally, your mental health can suffer from spending so much time isolating yourself and watching people live their lives on social media. Many teens suffer from depression while seeing people go on amazing vacations, going to parties, and basically living a fun filled life. But many of these pictures are illusions and created just for the views. Nonetheless, absorbing too much content like this can make you wish you had that person’s life and make you feel as though you’re missing out.
Digital Security
Just like remembering to lock doors at night or protecting your possessions, digital security is just as important. Protecting your passwords, making sure your devices are safe, and not revealing too much about yourself is all part of digital security.
Every time we get online, our digital security is tested by people trying to get access to our financial information, personal information, contact lists, private pictures, and all other types of information. This is why you should never carelessly give information like your birthday, favorite foods, birthplace, or any other information that might give thieves clues as to how to break your passwords or even pretend to be you online.
]]>“I don’t need school supplies for college. I can do everything on my computer or my phone!”
I can’t count how many times I relied on my computer or phone to have something I needed and it failed me the moment I needed it. I am fairly confident there are many people in college and in the business world who have experienced this more times than they care to admit. Technology fails randomly and sometimes spectacularly when you least expect it. That is why you should always be prepared for your computer or phone to let you down. Because as someone who loves technology, I’m certain even your toaster has ears and knows just when to break.
Even in the 21st century, I still enjoy doing some of my writing by hand versus typing away at my desktop or laptop. This is especially true when it comes to note taking. Even when taking notes. I’ve tried taking notes on my phone before and not only do I stink at texting on my phone, I simply don’t look at my phone often enough to remember I’ve kept notes on it.
Call me old fashioned, but to me nothing beats taking a notebook and a pen to take down important notes. Notebooks, binders, pens, pencils, and highlighters are still relevant in the 21st century to keep yourself organized. And while technology has made studying and learning far easier, it’s important to make sure you’re not forgetting the golden rule of technology: Always backup your information somewhere.
Most of these extra supplies don’t have to cost you an arm and a leg, especially if you order them all from School Supply Boxes. Getting ready for college and moving into the dorms are a stressful time for parents and students. So, to make things simple, School Supply Boxes has a specially crafted box just for college students. But, if you have a bit of time and you prefer to do your own shopping, here are a few of the things we think college students should take with them beyond their computers and phones.
This should probably go without saying, but having a good, reliable backpack is a must if you’re going to be walking around campus all day. Ideally, you’ll want a backpack with plenty of places to keep your books, stationary, technology, and especially a pouch for your laptop or tablet. Traditional backpacks with two straps are the easiest to find and offer plenty of options. There are also satchel type bags, or messenger style bags, that offer just as much storage while using only one strap. No matter your choice, get a backpack that is fairly durable and comfortable. If you’re planning to go with the traditional backpack, be sure not to overload it and hurt your back.
The prepared nerd always has a pen or two on hand. There won’t always be a pretty girl or handsome guy around to ask if they have one they can lend you. Instead, make sure you have plenty of black, blue, and red pens and pencils to last you through the year.
Even though pencils are more of a grade school item, they’re still useful if you’re working on math problems on paper and need to edit your work. Plus, pencils are just as good at keeping notes as a pen. Of course, if you’re going to use pencils, you’ll want to make sure you’re packing a good pencil sharpener and rubber eraser too.
If you’re not crazy about having pens and pencils loose in your backpack, you could always pick up a pencil case or pouch to keep them all together and organized.
Beyond pens and pencils, highlighters and markers are a great way to point out important parts of documents. It’s not always necessary to jot down a note about something when simply highlighting it will do. Highlighters come in various colors, which can help you color code information and give you a better visual representation of data.
Washable markers and even dry erase markers are another great organizational tool. Grab a white board for dry erase markers to jot down quick notes or dates for important events and use markers to make drawings or find other ways to organize notes that highlighters can’t.
Don’t rely on always having good Wi-Fi or a charged battery when you need to access important documents like notes, a class syllabus, or an important email from a professor. It’s always a good idea to print a copy and keep it in a place that makes sense.
A good 3-ring binder or a pocket folder with metal brads is a good option. Color coordinating folders, binders, and notebooks so they correspond to a certain class is a great way to keep everything organized. This is also a great way to make sure you’re not packing documents for classes you don’t need, adding extra weight to your backpack and getting in the way.
If you know you’re going to have quite a few papers to keep track of, it’s a good idea to have at least paper clips or a good stapler around for organization.
They don’t need to be fancy or super expensive. But you could buy colored paper clips as another way to keep papers organized. Some also come with small labels on them if you want to be fancy. Just remember to pack some extra staples.
While I’m a fan of notebooks and binders, there is a lot to be said about storing your most important data in the cloud. This way you can have access to documents on multiple devices without worrying about having to worry about extra devices such as thumb drives or external hard drives which could randomly fail or break.
Thankfully, there are many places which offer some free storage options such as Google Drive and Dropbox. If you feel you’ll need more space, purchasing more is always an option through these services, though make sure you consider it as part of your monthly expenses if you’re on a budget.
It’s easy to overlook supplies for your printer. Just like your phone and computer, your printer will run out of ink the second you need it the most.
Make sure to take a couple of extra ink cartridges with you for your first few months of school and a box of paper. If you can afford it, a laser printer can print far more copies than your basic inkjet printer. The downside is that these printers can be quite a bit more expensive and their toner cartridges as well. But, they’re a smart investment if you intend to print quite a bit during the school year.
Black ink should be the highest priority, but if you need things in full color, you’ll want to make sure you’re taking color cartridges with you as well.
While not on any traditional lists for school supplies, good quality earbuds or headphones are a great way to help block out the outside world while you’re trying to study. They’re also useful for those sharing a room and don’t want to bother a roommate with loud music or audio from a movie or video game. There’s nothing worse than an inconsiderate roommate who can’t keep the noise down.
Wired headphones tend to be cheaper than the wireless versions. Of course, there’s also personal preference when it comes to which style one prefers. If you’re not comfortable with putting things in your ears, headphones that go over the ears are the better option and can be quite comfortable.
You’re probably not about to go out and buy cases of water every week or so just so you can have water in your dorm. A good quality water bottle is becoming increasingly important for kids who want to stay hydrated and want to be able to carry something to drink with them wherever they go.
An eco-friendly water bottle, like those made from metal, are good for keeping cold drinks cold and hot drinks warm for extended periods of time. Many campuses now have bottle refilling stations which make filling up your water bottles easy. Pack at least a couple with you so you can have one for on the go and one that never leaves your dorm.
Many new college students spend their first year of college living on campus. It’s important to remember that if you’re going to be living on your own and will be depending on yourself for a while, to make sure you’re taking everything you need when you first arrive so you’re not struggling in the first few days. That way you can prioritize being social versus trying to get comfortable.
]]>Many kids and teens who have grown up with the evolution of smartphones have likely made very few phone calls in their life. When they do, they opt for things like Facetime, Snapchat, or other forms of communication that allow you to see the person on the other end. While teens are quick to adapt to new technology and apps, parents and grandparents generally lag behind and stick with the apps and programs they’re comfortable with or make traditional phone calls.
While texting is a convenient and quick way to communicate, words don’t often adequately convey what a person is trying to say. Worse yet, if your writing skills aren’t very strong, people can be quickly annoyed by poor spelling and grammar. But what is probably more dangerous than the occasional accidental misunderstanding is the missed opportunities for real human interaction. Teens sending hundreds or even thousands of texts a month spend the majority of their social interactions in cyberspace and often miss out on important human interactions. Skipping a real in-person conversation or phone call might not seem like a big deal when you’re a teen, but can be detrimental when having to work directly with people is important.
The Language of Texting
During the evolution of the internet, professionals and nerds had to create etiquette for the simple act of sending emails. The language of texting has evolved in a similar way with the inclusion of images like emojis and gifs to further a point or make jokes. Many people speak in shorthand, abbreviating words where they can, opting to use numbers in place of words, or even simply writing entire sentences in emoji.
While the language of texting may not seem like a big deal, it’s important that kids and teens understand writing a text message and writing a school paper use two entirely different languages.
Take a glance at the writing assignments of any teen who spends hours texting and you’ll find that many kids with poor writing skills will write how they talk, or how they talk while texting with friends. Without a firm grasp of proper grammar and a lack of any encouragement to read for pleasure, many kids and teens simply learn texting as their dominant language.
The problem is exacerbated by the reliance of spelling and grammar-check through popular software like Microsoft Word and even auto-correct on smartphones. To put it simply, kids are failing to learn to write and spell properly because texting has virtually eliminated the need to know how to do either properly. With a mild grasp of the English language and what words are supposed to look like, a teen can get away with sending a text message and being understood despite not learning much in English class.
A Different Kind of Social Interaction
Truth be told, I have a number of great friends I met online that I have known for years. The problem with having online friends is more often than not, they don’t live anywhere near you, which was the majority of my experience.
In the early days of the internet, meeting someone new on the internet meant going into chat rooms and actually striking up a conversation with someone. In the age of social media, one public post can lead to a surge of people reaching out to talk. It can lead to the fifteen minutes of fame most kids crave.
Chat rooms and popularity on social media might be great temporarily, but they aren’t the best form of social interaction. In fact, interacting completely by text robs teens and kids from learning how to express themselves in the real world. There is no substitute for being out in the real world and talking to a person in front of you.
Building interpersonal relationships is not only an important part of growing up, but it’s critical to learning how to interact with strangers or co-workers in a work environment. Being able to look someone in the eyes while having a conversation is much different than sending text messages or looking at a smartphone screen. Facetime, Zoom, and Skype might let you see the person on the other end, but still doesn’t suffice as a form of natural human interaction.
Though it may seem strange, the human mind knows the difference between a video call and an in person conversation. Quite simply, humans need social interaction and community. Visiting with friends and family on a computer screen might work for the short term and had to suffice during the pandemic, but it does not satisfy the human need to be with people.
A Distraction to Safety
According to the NHTSA, 3,142 people were killed by distracted driving in 2019. It’s no secret to any parent and teens behind the wheel are likely texting while driving. While car manufacturers and tech companies are doing their best to make sure texting while driving is kept to a minimum, the reality is that no system will ever be completely safe. Teens will always feel as though they are in complete control and they are fully capable of texting and driving. That is until something bad ultimately happens. It is this overconfidence that parents and teachers need to warn teen drivers about.
However FOMO, or the fear of missing out, is a central part of a technology addiction, not just in teens, but in everyone. Our addiction to constantly being in the know every minute of the day and being available even when it’s acceptable not to be on the phone is a severe problem that is being passed from parent to teen. And it’s this addiction that causes teens to casually overlook their own safety and the safety of others while doing something as complex as driving.
The fear of not answering someone’s text quickly, or needing to know who is trying to reach us while we’re driving or doing something dangerous, has led to numerous accidents and deaths. More shockingly, however, is that though many teens understand the dangers of texting while driving, many of them still admit to doing it.
The Need to Unplug
While it’s easier said than done, everyone needs to unplug every once in a while and experience life to the fullest without the ball and chain that is a smart phone. Families should sit down and talk about their technology habits, especially texting, and find ways that allow themselves to get away from their devices.
Before the invention of social media, people were actually social. People went and did things together and a phone was something we kept at home. And now, even when we’re being social, we feel the obsession to take out our phones and document our experiences, no matter how small, on our phones to share with others.
Teens, and overworked parents, could benefit from a technology detox. Finding ways to put the phone down, or other forms of technology, and decreasing their dependency of social media, texting, and simply being in the know will not only keep kids and teens safer, but it will also improve their overall mental health. A slow detox will teach teens it’s okay to let friends wait for a response to their text. It’s alright not to return someone’s phone call right away if it’s not important. And it’s definitely alright not to pull out the phone to take a picture to share with everyone on social media.]]>Fast forward to 2021, many kids and teens are returning to school despite a resurgence of COVID in the US. While many students were hoping to get another year of virtual learning and spending all day at home again, schools were already preparing for the 2021-2022 school year with kids back in the classroom. But beyond preparing lesson plans and decorating classrooms, schools are taking as many precautions as possible to make sure kids and teens have a safe place to learn and get back to socializing with their friends.
But after a year of basically being at home and maybe only spending a few hours a day on a computer learning, if they were learning at all, you can probably guess there are some parents struggling a bit to get kids back into a regular daily routine. Now that the school bell has rung, it’s time for kids and teens to give up spending hours on social media, playing video games, sleeping in, and being lazy around the house. Though, let’s be honest. They’ll probably still do all of these things anyway and then complain they’re exhausted. It’s tough being a kid.
Creating a regular routine has a few steps, the biggest one and probably the hardest is repetition. Starting a regular routine can be difficult in the very beginning so kids will need a lot of encouragement to make sure they’re staying on top of things. For teens, a regular routine is something they’ll need to appreciate now before they start out on that adventure called life.
No, I’m not crazy. Establishing a good routine starts with establishing a good diet. Think back to your elementary science class. The human body is basically a machine that needs the proper nutrients to keep it functioning properly. Sugary drinks, salty snacks, and fatty fast food meals might taste delicious, but they’re definitely not helping to provide the essential vitamins and minerals kids need as they’re growing up. They’re definitely not the best options for grownups either.
When possible, kids need to start out their morning with a nutritious breakfast, not a sugary cereal or fatty fast food meals. Consider things like yogurt with fruit, a whole grain toast with peanut butter or Nutella, or even a breakfast wrap. A good breakfast has been proven time and time again to help kids to do better in school and give them the energy they need first thing in the morning.
After breakfast, most of the bad foods kids consume come in the form of snacks they have throughout the day. Soda and other sugary drinks like fruit juices in the house are a major offender and aren’t just bad nutrition, they’re horrible for teeth. Even sports drinks like Gratorade are loaded with sugar and added salts, which are included since athletes need electrolytes. Instead, encourage kids to drink more water or consider some sugar free drinks to help reduce the amount of sugar they’re consuming everyday. Fruit juices can be good, but eating the actual fruit is far healthier.
Keep fruits and vegetables around the house along with healthy dips like hummus. Dried fruit like banana chips are a great alternative to regular salty chips and have a little sweetness to them.
At dinner time, veggies are extra important. A salad or steamed vegetables are a great option. Limit fast food like burgers or pizza during the week. They might be incredibly convenient for a busy family, they’re doing more harm than good to your kids. The more healthy foods you can feed your children, the better they’ll feel and the more energy they’ll have to get things done throughout the day. Of course, there’s nothing stopping mom and dad from doing the same and setting a good example.
I admit I am not a morning person and never have been. For me, setting a routine in the mornings helps me get through until I’m finally awake enough to deal with people. Your kids, especially your teens, might be the same way in the morning. They simply refuse to deal with other humans or responsibilities until they’ve woken up on their own terms.
Before school starts up again, make sure kids understand what time they’ll be getting up in the morning and that’s important for them to get to bed early. A couple of weeks before school starts, set a bedtime so kids have time to transition into a sleep routine. This will greatly help with getting up in the morning.
As soon as they’re up, they should have a set of things they do before it’s time for the ride to school such as brushing their teeth, getting dressed, combing their hair, getting their backpacks ready, and having breakfast. Teens will likely have their own routine they do in the mornings which likely involves complaining about having to go to school at all and why they just can’t be a YouTuber.
Help your younger kids to get into the routine by reminding them early on what they need to do and have them do it quickly so they aren’t late for school. But It's important to remember that your kids are human just like you. Some days they’re going to have bad mornings when things just don’t seem to go right, just like you. Don’t lose your temper and don’t lose control. If they’re trying and things just go wrong, it’s alright. Just get back into it the next morning.
Kids are too young to understand the joys and magical wonder that is sleeping. If you aren’t getting to bed at a reasonable time, you can throw that daily routine out the window. A good night’s sleep is probably one of the most important habits to have when setting a daily routine. While it is true there are plenty of kids out there who can function very well on a few hours of sleep, it doesn’t mean they should. Spending far too much time playing video games until late into the night or staring into phone screens when they should be sleeping robs kids of valuable sleeping time and is overstimulating to the mind when they’re trying to sleep.
Set a bedtime in your home and make sure kids follow it. For younger kids, this may not be a problem, but it’s difficult to give teens a bedtime. Encourage your teen to be in bed before midnight and have all technology off at least an hour before they go to bed. Many experts believe that our dependence on technology and our unhealthy habit of bringing it with us to bed is causing our body’s natural sleep cycle to be ruined. Tablet, smartphones, TV, and other devices that give off blue light need to be off at least an hour before bed.
For kids who have trouble falling asleep, consider talking to your pediatrician about giving your kids a natural sleep aid like melatonin. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that signals the body it’s time to sleep. It can usually be found in many of the same places you buy medicines and has been used for years by children and adults to help them fall asleep.
But by far the most important part of getting good sleep is having a sleep routine. This means making sure kids are always in bed and sleeping by the same time every day during the week, with little deviation during the weekend. It also means limiting how much you eat and drink before bed, especially those sugary drinks and juices. Once the body becomes accustomed to falling asleep at a certain hour, it will become far easier to go to bed at a reasonable time and get more sleep.
After a long day of school, kids are generally ready for a quick snack and spending the rest of the day doing nothing until dinner. But a good routine isn’t just for mornings and bedtimes. There is a lot of time to get things done after kids get home.
A good snack is a high priority for many kids when they get home from school. This is the time when it’s important to have healthy snacks and treats for them to hold them over until dinner. After a snack, encourage them to get their homework done right away. Now, I’ve yet to meet anyone who ever loved homework. This means your kid is probably going to hate it just as much as you did. If you have time, sit down with them and help them get through it quickly. And if you can’t help, at least offer words of encouragement. Homework is supposed to reinforce the things they learned in school that day so hopefully their lessons are still fresh in their minds. It also gives you as a parent to see what they’re learning and if they may need some additional help.
For some families, homework is done after dinner and the time between getting home from school and dinner is free time for many kids. After homework, kids usually have the night to themselves to do as they please, but kids should know when it’s time to start settling down and getting ready for bed. Making sure kids stick to these times will make sure they fall into a routine much easier.
Routines don’t have to be such a drag, but in order for them to be effective, kids need to do them every day until it’s second nature to them. Are they still going to have to be told to do things? Well, yeah. They’re kids. Sometimes you have to repeat yourself because their brains simply have too many other things going on in there to focus.
Repetition and support are the big things kids need if they want to develop good routines again. Of course, it absolutely helps if you’re setting a good example for your kids and following a few good routines of your own. Whether it’s going to bed at the same time, spending time reading, or doing nightly chores, being an example goes a long way with helping kids see the benefit of routines.
]]>Like many families, it looked like the 2021 school year would have a sense of normalcy. Instead, like a repeat of a nightmare, COVID resurged in the form of a delta variant which originated overseas.
Even with teens 12 through 17 now eligible for the vaccine, many parents are still hesitant about vaccinating their children given the unknown side effects and how they affect children. Additionally, the hyper-political issue of mask wearing has now reached school districts, where administrators and educators must contend with keeping students and staff safe while not infringing on the rights of parents who don’t agree with mask mandates.
With all this in mind, what can kids look forward to this school year and how should parents prepare their kids for another strange year of learning?
Even with the rate of vaccinations waning in the US, the start of the school year for many schools was looking bright. Students would be returning to the classroom taking simple preparations such as mask wearing and practicing social distancing. In many large cities and towns, infection rates were low and it appeared COVID was well under control.
That sense of security and safety gave school districts the confidence to believe kids would be returning to the classroom. There was practically no talk of remote learning and parents began buying up school supplies in preparation for that first day of school.
But by the middle of summer vacation, the country watched as the Delta variant of COVID finally arrived. A far more infectious version of the virus Americans dealt with last year, schools braced themselves for new health restrictions and decisions from their school boards on how to operate.
Before the start of the school year, parents worried their child’s school would experience the same issues from 2020. This meant the potential for schools to be shut down because of a mass outbreak of COVID or returning to remote learning because of high infection rates. While having children learning at home was safer than sending them to campus in 2020, it created a major inconvenience for essential workers who couldn’t leave children at home alone.
Probably one of the most controversial and contentious issues parents and students are likely to experience this year is the debate about school districts mandating masks in schools. While the effectiveness of masks has been talked about ad nauseam, there are still many people who believe they restrict breathing and cause more harm than good. As such, many parents refuse to have their children wear masks and have become vocal at school board meetings where the topic of mask mandates is the main discussion.
While it’s safe to say that parents will make the best decisions for the health and safety of their children, the debate over mask mandates has become a politically polarizing issue and parents on both sides of the issues are passionate about their views.
What is certain is school districts where masks are optional are likely at the highest risk for spreading the virus to students, regardless of their vaccination status. This potentially puts schools at risk for returning to remote learning in order to prevent further infections.
Some school districts have implemented mask mandates in defiance of state bans on mask mandates. Because of this, it’s important for parents to stay informed on how their school district is handling the health and safety of students at their child’s school.
Additionally, parents will need to be extra careful sending a child to school with a simple case of the sniffles. Schools will likely ask children to be kept at home if they are showing the symptoms of COVID in order to prevent accidental infections. It may also mean having children test negative for COVID before kids are clear to go back to the classroom.
On the bright side, schools have had plenty of time to become masters at disinfecting classrooms and offices to make sure students have a clean environment to learn. Many desks are now kept six-feet apart and are equipped with clear plastic shields. Teachers were some of the first people to be vacated and school districts made it easy for them to get their vaccines quickly. Sanitization stations are no common place and allow kids to have access to hand sanitizer and wipes. These small steps can play a big part in keeping infection numbers in schools as low as possible.
Remote learning proved difficult in 2020 as teachers rushed to get curriculum in place and assign tablets and laptops to students. It also exposed the technological divide faced by many families across the country. The pandemic left many families unable to pay for internet service and non-technologically savvy parents found themselves frustrated using technology that didn’t always work as intended.
Still, despite all the issues and the frustrations of teachers trying to get students to complete assignments, there are still parents who are more comfortable having their children learn at home versus taking the risk of sending them to school with the Delta variant spreading quickly.
However, not all school districts are offering remote learning for students. Many districts currently offer limited remote learning opportunities or have done away with it all together. Remote learning has also become a contentious issue among political leaders and state governments have threatened school districts by refusing to release funds if schools do not limit or completely do away with remote learning.
Because of this, it’s important for parents to reach out to their child’s school and find out the policy on remote learning for the 2021 school year. There may be exemptions for some students parents can take advantage of if they have medical issues which place them at a higher risk than others.
Junior high and high school students who have already dealt with a year of pandemic procedures and having their lives flipped upside down thanks to COVID. It should come as no surprise to parents if their students feel a bit hesitant going back to school.
While conversations have focused mostly on preventing infections, 2020 also taught us to focus more on the mental health of teens and kids. High school is an important time in the life of a teenager. They develop deep friendships, create childhood memories, and they learn how to interact with their peers and learn to deal with various social issues for the first time. Instead, 2020 kept many of them at home, locked up in their rooms and learning via computer.
For the majority of teens, there were no football games, school dances, parties, or even graduations, an important event in the life of a teenager.
The year-long isolation has had a major effect on the mental health of teens who couldn’t do the typical things teens do. This lead to an increase in teen depression. An increase in anxiety was also prevalent in teens hoping to get into the college of their dreams or making sure their grades wouldn’t suffer under remote learning. Many felt like years of hard work could simply go down the drain by no fault of their own.
Thankfully, acknowledging these increases has started a more in-depth conversation between kids, parents, and educators. It has also brought about more conversations among adults who also suffer with depression and anxiety.
Despite all the new challenges both educationally and politically, parents should do their best to make the school year as fun and rewarding as possible. Fully vaccinated kids and parents have a bit more protection from COVID, and when combined with masks and proper hygiene, the risks of infections drop significantly.
The pandemic has given educators the opportunity to teach young kids about caring for others and being supportive. It has also forced school districts and leaders to do more to address the technological divide and mental health issues among their students.
While schools are doing their best, parents should also work hard to not only keep their kids safe and healthy, but also make sure they’re getting the positive reinforcement they need to tackle another challenging school year. Thankfully, 2021 has something 2020 didn’t have to offer. And that is a vaccine available to millions of adults and now teens.
]]> That’s right: a nerd! The best way to fill up a backpack with everything your young student needs is to think logically. What do all kids need for school and then what would an organized person need to stay organized?
This might be a bit difficult if your organizational skills aren’t the best in the world. But if you stop and think about what organized people use to keep themselves together, your child’s supply list is pretty simple to put together.
For example, people who deal with a lot of paperwork also make sure to keep a good supply of folders. So, plenty of folders should be on your child’s list.
Now here’s where people go wrong. Should you go in search of the world’s most expensive folders the world has ever created? No, absolutely not. In all the years I was in school and the years I mentored teenagers, I never saw kids with expensive brand name folders that cost more than 50 cents. They were good quality folders with brads and that’s all kids need. Don’t waste your money on folders from Disney, Nike, Marvel, or anything fancy. Chances are these folders are not going to survive the year and it’s money down the drain. There are going to be things on your list that you won’t want to skimp on, but folders there are some that definitely shouldn’t cost more than a dollar.
Luckily for you, I was once a well-organized nerd. Now, I’m just a nerd, but I still know a thing or two about school supplies.
This list of school supplies is based on a few things: my personal experience working as a professional and School Supply Boxes’ extensive research when it comes to providing the most appropriate school supplies for each grade level. With that in mind, here is what every backpack for your older student needs for the first day of school.
Things like sticky notes, paper clips, and other office supplies are very nice to have, but they aren’t critical for the first day of school. Chances are, your student isn’t going to have to keep track of a massive amount of paperwork on day one. Down the road, having these supplies would definitely be handy to keep things more organized, especially around exam season.
I tend to avoid supplies like mechanical pencils and multi color pens. While I don’t have a problem with mechanical pencils persay, I much prefer a pencil. Mechanical pencil leads tend to be too weak for me and I break them quite easily. Multi-colored pens are just unnecessary. Red, blue, and black pens are all you need and there’s no need to buy one of these just to save yourself a few seconds of looking for the right pen.
The rule of thumb: if it’s not absolutely necessary on day one, you can probably wait to buy it after the first week of school when your child has a better sense of what they’ll need beyond what they already have.
There are a ton of imitators out there trying to do what School Supply Boxes is doing, but the proof is in the pudding, or in this case the box. Many other companies that create school supply bundles save money by using off or lesser quality supplies. You’ll definitely save a few pennies when you buy them, but you’ll definitely be spending them later when you realize you bought lesser quality items.
Furthermore, many of these companies assemble boxes based on their best guess on what your child needs. Their purpose is to sell you a box of supplies, not to research if what you’re buying is useful.
School Supply Boxes is different. Not only do they include brand name products you’ve heard of, they also include their own products they’ve tried and tested to make sure you’re getting great quality supplies.
Beyond quality, the company did plenty of research to create pre-designed boxes filled with all the school supplies your child will need and more for day one. They even include items your school may not ask for but are incredibly helpful for keeping them organized.
If that wasn’t enough, you can order everything you need right from the website, order individual items, and have it all shipped to your door before the school bell rings at the end of summer break.
Tips to Relax Your Mind
As mentioned previously, not all of these suggestions will work for everyone and they should all be taken as simple suggestions. They are no substitute for actual medical advice from trained professionals. As part of offering support to residents, many cities across the country are offering mental health support for people who need to speak with a professional. If you or anyone in your family is experiencing any mental health issues and needs help, please reach out to your city for help.
Important Links
At the bare minimum of danger, too much screen time contributes to “computer vision syndrome.” It’s a condition I know far too well as a writer, a virtual worker, and someone who enjoys video games. This is essentially what happens to people who spend hours looking at screens large and small. Some of the symptoms include eye strain, dry eyes, headaches, and blurred vision.
The blue light emitted by many devices can lead to poor sleep quality over time. The blue light comes from reading or playing games on phones or tablets, as well as watching TV before bed. This blue light affects your natural sleep rhythms, meaning when you sleep and wake up. Having poor sleep can have a massive impact on your quality of life and makes you less productive during the day.
It should not come as a surprise to anyone that a couch potato likely isn’t going to be the healthiest person in the world. The same can be said of those who spend hours looking at their phones and playing video games. While they might be called e-sports, I doubt few of those players are sweating away any pounds playing Fortnite.
Of course, if you’re sitting down watching a screen all day, chances are you’re not going to be getting much exercise. Obesity is a massive problem in the US for both adults and children. The problem is made worse when we become sedentary because of work or digital recreation. Before the digital age we live in now, children would play outside regularly and get all the exercise they needed. Now, children and adults stay in to play video games, watch television, or do anything else that does not require much physical activity. Obesity ultimately can lead to a lifetime of medical problems if not corrected by more exercise and better diet.
Probably one of the more concerning dangers of screen time is the way it affects social development. Imagine a kid who is horribly shy with poor social skills and consistently has been unable to make friends or develop relationships with their peers. Instead, they are constantly glued to their phone and social media. They find it easier to interact digitally than in the real world.
The same can be said for teenagers who prefer text messaging and posting comments to each other on social media versus actual in person interactions. They prefer it so much that they have poor social skills when it comes to interacting with older people and are unsure how to handle real world situations that require them to make decisions on the spot. They enjoy the security of being able to simply close their messenger, close their browser window, and walk away from a situation instead of dealing with things.
Poor social development in children is a problem made worse by the digital age. Children are picking up digital devices at younger ages as adults continuously use them as a parenting tool or distraction. This leads to them believing communication via technology is just as good as in person communication.
Not all teens grow up to be extroverts who are great at talking to people. Introverts who escape into a digital world and find it easier to interact with people online are not doing themselves any favors. Though much of the world interacts with each other online, humans are still social creatures who need companionship. A life spent viewing the world through the lens of social media instead of living life and meeting people will lead to emotional problems such as depression and anxiety.
There’s no question the Internet is an incredibly powerful tool for finding a host of different information on just about everything. However, many people enter the digital world and blindly accept the majority of the information they see as truth. The internet is full of disinformation and without knowing what sources of information are credible and which aren’t, kids, teens, and adults could begin to believe wild conspiracy theories or become distrusting of legitimate sources.
This became quite evident during the 2020 election. As we had so much time to be glued to any kind of news we could absorb, many people became hypersensitive to politics, to the point of neighbors turning against each other simply because of their politics.
While it may seem strange, people have become addicted to learning anything and everything about a particular subject to an almost unhealthy level. During 2020, while the world was in the grip of a global pandemic, millions of people around the world were quarantined in their homes with nothing more than their families and the internet to help them pass the time.
Many people searched daily and sometimes hourly in hopes of new information about the virus, a vaccine, financial help from the government, and anything that would give them some sort of sign the pandemic would be over soon. The news ultimately became an unhealthy addiction that led people down the road to depression, giving them the feeling that things were hopeless and our situation would never improve. It became such a problem, mental health experts urged people to unplug from their phones and computers and take the time to relax.
With hope finally on the horizon thanks to several COVID vaccines, it appears 2020’s “new normal” may finally be a thing of the past. However, it will still be a few months before we can all get back to the normal we all can recognize.
There is no time better than now to begin taking steps to curb our addiction to technology and social media so we’re ready for the day when we can enjoy life again with friends and family without the worry of masks, infections, and restrictions on places we can visit.
Of course, all habits, good or bad, are established by repetition. Forcing yourself to get into a different mindset and routine when it comes to how much time you spend online with your devices is critical to see changes.
In anything you decide to do to help you spend less time on the internet or your devices, make sure you’re staying safe and taking proper precautions based on your city or state’s requirements. If spending time outside, make sure you’re as far away from people as possible or making sure you wear a mask while on a walk or run in case you come into contact with other people.
]]>Have a few more items you keep in your emergency kit we might have missed? Feel free to share them in the comment section, as well as any other ideas you might have. For more information about packing an emergency kit, visit these helpful sites:
By far, one of the best things you can start with to help your children is to talk with them about their worries and their fears. You may find out they’re having the same worries you’re having. It’s alright if they ask a question and you don’t know the answer. You’re allowed to not have all the answers. If you feel it’s important enough for them to know, consider looking up the information together if it’s something they’re worried about.
Ask them what they’ve heard about the virus and if they’re worried about something you know isn’t true, talk to them about it. Avoid being blunt and saying they’re wrong. Assure them that not everything they see and hear is true and the thing they’re worried about isn’t something to be worried about after all.
Be honest if they ask you personal questions about how you feel. Masking your feelings in front of your kids might have the adverse effect of making them feel like their feelings are invalid and misplaced. This might make them feel like they need to really hide what they’re feeling because you’re doing it.
With information available to all of us in an unlimited capacity, having too much of it can be taxing on the mind. With so much depressing information coming in on a daily basis from states all over the country. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the vast problem of the virus.
The recent phenomenon called “fomo,” or “fear of missing out” can have a severe emotional impact on young people. The more time they spend on social media and see their celebrity idols or friends doing things they wish they could do, the easier it is for them to fall into a depression or become frustrated with their own situation.
For that reason, make sure you kids are doing something else other than watching the news or spending too much time on their social media profiles. Get together as a family to distract them, and you, from the world for a little while. Play a few board games, have a water balloon fight in the backyard, go swimming if you have a pool, bake together, or go on a road trip. Do anything that will help you make good memories instead of hearing bad news all the time.
In order for you to be the best help for your children, take time to work on yourself if you’re not coping very well. It’s okay to not have a good mental health day. It’s absolutely alright to feel overwhelmed by everything going on and need a little break from everything in order to put yourself in a good place for your family.
In finding ways to manage your own stress and anxiety, you may find useful ways to help your kids who don’t know how to deal with what they’re feeling. Try some mediation, relaxing breathing techniques, yoga, soft music, or even a good workout. But keep your exposure to information limited. Don’t go back to the things making you anxious or depressed in the first place. It’s okay to take a break from information and give yourself some brain candy.
While might not be as effective for teenagers who like to have the freedom to do their own thing, creating a schedule for younger kids can keep them distracted from everything and help them to just be kids.
More than likely, your kids have school work to do during the day, so that takes up part of their day. But if they have nothing to do, consider making things to do together like starting a garden in the backyard and show them how to maintain it. If they like working with their hands, take them into the garage and start a project with them. It has the added benefit of teaching them a new school and building memories with you.
You can also make regular things to do like washing dishes, emptying the dishwasher, folding the laundry, cleaning their room, or spending an hour reading.
Teenagers are pretty good at keeping themselves occupied, but it’s still a good idea to suggest to them to find other things to do than play video games and be on their digital devices all day.
Even if you’ve done everything you can do as a parent to make things a bit less stressful, it’s important to know your limitations as a parent and know when to seek professional help. This will likely be the case if you have a house with teenagers, who have emotional issues that are far more complex than younger children.
Teens may or may not open up to you about what they’re feeling. Instead, they may turn into a completely different person as they try to cope with life.
Remember, the teenage years are a critical point in anyone’s life. Teenagers spend a ton of time building a social life by making friends, going to parties, joining groups at schools, and generally discovering who they are as a person. And now that being social is difficult and school is likely going to be different, such as big events like prom and graduation being canceled, many may feel frustrated, angry, or depressed that they won’t get to do the things everyone else takes for granted.
It may be time to consider talking to a doctor about your teen if you start to notice:
Times are tough and there’s practically no one on this planet who is going to dispute that. You may be doing the best you can to hold everything together and that’s really the most anyone could ask of a parent.
And that may be the best way to help your family. Set the mood as the parent and be the best family you can be. That certainly doesn’t mean mask your real feelings and pretend everything is awesome. There will always be good days and bad days, some more than others. But all you can do is your best and be there for each other.
When you notice one of your children acting differently and they have questions about what’s going on, ask them if everything is alright. Answer their questions and put their thoughts at ease if you can. Teach them the basics about the virus, how people get it, and how not everyone who gets it will be super sick like the people they see on TV. Tell them as long as people wear masks, practice social distancing, and stay home if they don’t need to be outside, things will get better really soon. And then encourage them to find positive ways to help calm their worries.
And above all, take the time to relax. Your family needs you and you can’t help them when you’re struggling yourself. Take time for yourself to decompress. Do things that make you happy. Call up friends and hear a friendly voice. Work on a hobby you haven’t done in a while. Do something that lifts you up for a little while and puts a smile on your face. The better you feel, the better you’ll be able to help your family.
When it comes to low risk things to do for the holidays, many of them revolve around doing things around the house with the family or friends in your house or apartment. Since there is practically no risk not wearing a mask around the house, there are quite a few things you and your family can do safely.
Beyond doing things in your house and with your family, there are some low risk social activities you can do with people outside your family as well. However, most of these activities will need to take place outdoors since the chance of spreading the virus increases when activities are held indoors.
While moderate risk activities slightly increase the chances of infection, they can still be done safely so long as everyone participating is practicing the basic precautions. However, if you or anyone in your household is at high risk, it’s highly inadvisable that anyone in your house participate in moderate risk activities if at all possible to reduce the risk of accidentally transmitting the virus.
Some seasonal moderate risk activities you can participate in during the season include
While it’s not recommended to have family dinners the way we’d like, there are ways to have a meal together safely. As dinners require a lot of touching of utensils and passing dishes and containers to one another, there is a higher risk of transmitting the virus to others, especially by those who are asymptomatic.
When having friends and family over, firstly make sure everyone is feeling healthy, has no symptoms, or hasn’t been in any situations where they may have been exposed to the virus. Practicing proper hygiene, while not a guaranteed way to prevent the virus, can go a long way to keep you and your loved ones safe.
A few key steps to take include:
If you and your family decide to have others over for the holidays, it’s best to take a few extra precautions for the next couple of weeks after the festivities are over.
If you test positive for Covid-19, make sure you provide information to public health care workers about any places or people you may have come in contact with and make sure you notify people who attended your gathering that you tested positive.
Many experts agree there may be a spike in Covid cases as we approach the colder months. Therefore, it is important to not let your guard down while you’re preparing to celebrate the holidays. This means remembering to wear a mask when shopping for groceries or gifts if you’re not shopping online, practicing good hygiene like hand washing when possible, and making sure to use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol or sanitizing wipes.
If you’re not sure about going on out this year, stay home and celebrate either with members of your household or virtually. Consider donating to a local organization raising funds to provide holiday meals for families hurt the hardest by the pandemic.
Remember it’s everyone’s responsibility to make sure we do our part to make sure we aren’t unnecessarily spreading the virus when we don’t know we’re infected. And it’s also important not to take unnecessary risks of being exposed simply because we don’t want to be home.
Keep you and your family safe this holiday season and play it safe when possible.
A nerd is someone who loves learning, like yours truly. The word that best describes a nerd is cerebral. Nerds are interested in a ton of different subjects and cultures, some more than others. Nerds are the kids or teens who are well rounded in different subjects in school such as math, English, history, chemistry, drama, yearbook, etc.
Some nerds can be a bit introverted as they would much rather be wrapped up in something they’re interested in more than talking to other people. And then there are nerds who are people-persons who can strike up a conversation with just about anyone and are able to hold their own in a conversation. They’re often seen as the most interesting people at parties because they simply know so much about so many different things.
More often than not, nerds can be awkward in social situations. It shouldn’t surprise you if you have a super smart kid who isn’t the best at being a social butterfly simply because they spend more time learning and being interested in knowledge more than people. Nerds often hang out with other nerds because anyone else might not be able to keep up with all of the random information constantly thrown at them on a daily basis.
As a nerd, I bucked the trend a bit because I was very social. I had a good number of friends, but I wasn’t a social butterfly. I didn’t go to football games or parties. I kept to myself mostly because I wanted to, but I definitely didn’t have trouble making friends who weren’t nerds.
Geeks are what happen when a nerd decides they only want to be interested in one thing really well. Band geeks, movie buffs, music buffs, glee club geeks, programmers, photographers, artists, and the list goes on and on. The only rule about being a nerd is being incredibly interested in one subject or culture.
Personally, geeks are way more fun than nerds. Nerds are great if you want to have a conversation about anything and everything. But geeks know how to have a good time.
Once you’ve found out what a geek is interested in, most people find it difficult to keep them from talking about much else. They’ll jabber on and on about everything they know, everything they want to know, and everything they can’t wait to see or do.
Comic book and video game conventions are massive hubs for geeks. These are usually the people you see dressed up as characters from tv shows, comic books, or video games, also known as cosplayers.
Geeks are pretty social with most people, but are more social with people who are interested in the same geeky things. What’s interesting about geeks is that there are people who don’t realize they are geeks, even if not a major geek. Because most people have an interest they’re passionate about, you could consider them geeks.
Nerds and geeks are special people who, with a little nurturing, become awesome people. I remember those kids in school who felt isolated and alone because they felt like they just don’t fit in with the crowd. And honestly, there were some days when I wished I could fit in with the crowd that loved all the “normal” things.
But as a parent, that’s where you come in, especially if you were a geek or nerd yourself back in school. When you’re a kid, you think you’re the only person like you in the world and no one will ever understand you. You hope for that one best friend who will come along who will like and love everything you like. Sometimes, we make great friends who fit all of that, and sometimes we get friends who appreciate us for who we are even if they don’t completely like everything we do.
Young geeks and nerds need that push of encouragement from mom and dad to just be who they are. They need to know it’s definitely okay to be a little weird and to stand out in the crowd. Not everyone is cut out to be a jock or the life of the party. But it’s always fun to be that interesting person everyone knows. The guy or girl who knows a little about everything, even if they’re a little shy at first.
When you’re young, the world is only as big as your home, school, and wherever you like to hang out. And when it’s that small and there are only so many people in it, it’s hard to think there is anyone out there who will like you. But geeks and nerds always seem to find each other in the end and realize they’re not alone and that it’s okay to be different.
So, support your nerdy and geeky kids by putting them in places where they’ll meet people just like them. Expand their world a bit by taking them to museums, concerts, conventions, or even little gatherings where they can see other people who are just as geeky or nerdy as they are. Encourage them to and be what makes them happy. Eventually, that happy geek or nerd will grow up successful and awesome and will thank you for encouraging them to be who they are despite being a little different.
Geeks and nerds are awesome. And they always will be.
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We have a massive amount of information literally at our fingertips. Google can help us find recipes for dinner or order the best school supply boxes on the planet. The problem with a powerful tool like a search engine is it’s not always the best at providing the information we need. If you’re not skilled in how to use Google, you could end up finding information on a Mustang instead of a mustang.
Many kids and teens go straight to Google on their computers, phones, and tablets when they’re doing casual searching or research for school. It’s the most well-known of all the search engines available. But there are a few tips that will make finding the specific information you’re looking for even easier. They’re tricks that have always been available, but with a tool as simplistic as google, it’s far easier to overlook them and type in anything. That’s why Google has always had their famous “I’m Feeling Lucky” button.
You’ve probably glanced over them more times than you realize. After you’ve hit “Search” in Google, there are tabs to help you break down all of your search results. Those tabs include:
Most of the time, people using Google are trying to find websites with specific information. However, if you’re working on a research project and need pictures, click the images tab instead and use the tool dropdown menu to find different sizes, types, colors, etc.
Typing in text straight into the search box will work fine most of the time. The problem with this approach is the information won’t often be exact unless the terms you’re using are unique. To fix this problem, simply put your text in quotation marks.
For example, if typed in pink Christmas sweaters in the search box, you’d get a list of websites where those three words appear. But if you typed in “pink Christmas sweaters” in quotations, Google will only show you websites where those three words are used as a phrase.
There are times when the keywords relate to a bunch of things within your specific topic, but you may not want to see search results with specific keywords. In that case, a hyphen will tell Google not to show you results where a specific keyword is present.
For example, if you’re looking for new apps for your phone or tablet, but you’re an iPhone or iOS user, you won’t want to see apps made for Android. In that case, you could use something like a best apps -android. This tells Google you’d like to see websites containing “best apps” but want any with where the word “android” appears to be omitted.
I know I’m not alone when it comes to using Google to find song lyrics. More than likely you’ve typed in a few of the lyrics you know, or think you know, and hope you’ll find the song you’re thinking of. Sometimes you get lucky, but if the only lyrics you know are commonly used in a bunch of songs, you might get songs you aren’t familiar with.
To solve this, use an asterisk to fill in the gaps of words you don’t know. For instance, if you were trying to find the lyrics to Over the Rainbow, you could type in “Where * melt like *” and Google will find websites which fill in the blanks. Of course, these lyrics would be “Where troubles melt like lemon drops.”
It’s a great tip to remember if you’re ever going to be in a karaoke battle and need lyrics.
The internet is filled with billions of websites, some of which are quite similar. When it comes to retail sites, most people venture to Amazon to buy things the way they visit Google when they want to find something. But say you can’t find what you’re looking for on Amazon and want to find another website similar to it. That’s where searching for “related” websites can come in handy.
To find websites similar to Amazon or any specific website, simply type in “related:” (without the quotation marks) and the website.
For example, if you wanted to find websites related to Amazon, you would type related:amazon.com. This would bring back a bunch of retail sites similar to Amazon where you could find similar content.
A secret many users don’t know about Google is you don’t have to just search one word or phrase at a time. With the “OR” value, you can search two phrases at the same time. This is handy if your words or phrases are related and you don’t want to have to run to different searches.
To use “OR,” type in a phrase such as chocolate OR dark chocolate. This will tell Google to search for either of these phrases.
If your parents or grandparents are anything like mine, you’ll often notice them type in incredibly long sentences into Google when they’re searching for something. Though one grandma was thanked by Google for her great manners, writing long sentences isn’t the best for performing a search.
Instead of long sentences, keep everything nice and short. Use only the specific keywords or phrase you’re looking for and nothing else.
For example, if you want to know which presidents are on Mount Rushmore, you wouldn’t type “Which presidents are on Mount Rushmore.” Instead, simply write “Mount Rushmore presidents.” Eliminate all the non critical words from your search and stick to just your keywords.
Sometimes keeping it simple won’t work. When a couple of specific keywords doesn’t work, add another specific keyword and start a new search. The trick is to continue to add enough specific keywords that will help Google narrow down your search results until you find what you need. But remember to avoid full sentences with unnecessary words.
It might sound silly, but “thinking professionally” can help you find specific keywords to help you narrow down your search. For example, typing “my computer isn’t working” isn’t as useful as typing a specific error message or something like “common computer issues.”
Many people type in their medical issues into Google in order to find a remedy. Instead of writing “Why does my knee hurt,” search for “knee pain” instead.
You can use a combination of any of these tricks together to help you narrow down your search results into a list that is far more useful. Of course, there are far more simple ways to use Google to make searching easier. Some of these include:
Know any additional ways to use Google to get better search results? Leave your suggestions in the comments and join the conversation!
]]> Desktops are probably the oldest computers of all the ones being used today. Some people may refer to a desktop computer as a “tower” because that’s just what it looks like. Desktop computers were the first computers people had in their homes and were incredibly expensive. Now, desktops tend to be one of the more cheaper options for computers depending on what you need.
When bought from a manufacturer like Dell or HP, you’ll often find desktops sold as part of a bundle, with everything you need to get started right out of the box such as the monitor, keyboard, mouse, and even speakers. While buying a bundle is probably the easiest and most cost effective, you’ll spend a little more versus just buying the desktop alone, with most of the extra cost coming from the monitor alone. If you already have a monitor, mouse, and keyboard, you could probably get away with just buying the tower that suits your needs. But if this is your first computer, buying a bundle is the easiest way to shop and the vast majority of desktops are just fine for everyday school assignments.
Laptops were the world’s solution to being able the computing power of a desktop on the go. They are still the go-to devices for many professionals, but are slowly being replaced by tablets. They allow students and professionals to work anywhere. All modern laptops have the ability to connect to the Internet wherever Wifi is available.
Like their desktop counterparts, laptops can be used from everything for productivity to gaming. Lower-end laptops are best for writing up documents, sending emails, or browsing the internet. Higher end laptops can be used for projects such as video and photo editing, where a higher amount of processing power is necessary. Gaming laptops are focused primarily on power and high end graphics. They tend to be bulky and while still portable, can be quite heavy. The majority of students will never need a gaming laptop for school unless they're involved in courses that require video editing software.
Unlike desktops, laptops don’t require connecting monitors or other peripherals. All laptops have a touchpad which acts as a mouse. If you’d rather the feel of a mouse, simply plug in a USB mouse into your laptop and you're ready to go.
Another unique feature on some laptops that tablet users might recognize is the touch screen ability. This works just as it would on tablets and phones, except laptops provide even more computing power. However, laptops with this feature tend to be fairly expensive and just like tablets and phones, are prone to fingerprint smudges.
The newest player in the game are tablets and tablet PCs. For anyone who owns a smartphone, a tablet is virtually the same thing, except much larger. Tablets work completely by touching the screen to access applications, or apps, and are by far the most portable devices.
A unique feature to tablets is how many types exist, which can make buying a tablet confusing. There are hundreds of tablet manufacturers who make tablets for simple uses like browsing the internet, gaming, and even as learning tools for kids.
Tablets for kids tend to have a simple interface and feature sturdy protectors to prevent damage from being dropped. e-Reader tablets are designed purely for book lovers who enjoy reading on the go without having to take books with them. Finally, there are the common tablets we see today with either the Android operating system, created by Google, or iOs, created by Apple.
The most notable differences between tables and the other options is connections. Android tablets feature a charging port, a jack for headphones, and a port for a memory card if you need more space for images or documents. iPads use the same port for both charging and headphones, but there is no place to add additional storage space.
Inexpensive tablets are considerably less powerful than both laptops and desktops. While it is possible to use them for productivity purposes such as writing documents, creating slideshows, or writing email, their lack of a keyboard makes this a challenge. Bluetooth keyboards which can attach to tablets wirelessly, which add more functionality and make them better for productivity. However their limited storage capacity means users won’t be able to save much without adding a memory card or uploading to cloud based storage. Furthermore, multitasking is often difficult if the tablet with bargain basement tablets.
Tablets are, however, perfect for reading, browsing websites, and using streaming services. Many tablets are able to handle games fairly well without any noticeable issues.
Tablet PCs are newer types of tablets with a more computing power than regular tablets. Some include keyboards as well as stylus pens to use instead of touching the screen. Tablet PCs can be pricey, however. They can be used for productivity as well as for some media projects, but they’re still limited on space as well as computing power. Many users simply save documents to online storage instead of on their devices. Consider tablet PCs the next generation of laptops.
Operating systems play a massive role in not only how your device functions but can greatly affect cost.
There are far too many technological differences between all the operating systems to write in this blog. However, there are plenty of tech websites that can explain in great detail. It's important to understand these differences to prevent frustrations when using your device.
Once deciding on your choice of operating system, be prepared for the cost. Apple computers and devices cost significantly more than Windows and Android products. Many Apple users prefer iOS over all others because it is a more user friendly operating system and is historically more secure and stable over Windows and Android.
Microsoft, who owns Windows, only recently began releasing mobile devices with their own mobile version of Windows. However, the Windows operating system is far more familiar to many people than iOS or Android. Costs for Windows devices can be half the cost or more of certain Apple devices.
Google Android is just as familiar in the mobile device world as iOS. There are many versions of Android available depending which device you intend to purchase. Each has their own flaws and benefits. However, Google Android only appears on Google Chromebooks, tablets, and phones. There are no desktops which currently come installed with Google Android.
Of course, before you buy anything, make sure you shop around for the best deals and even consider buying refurbished to save a few bucks. Don’t let salespersons try to sell you a device worth thousands of dollars when you only need something for simple everyday tasks. If you’re not very technologically inclined, it’s far better to buy something with a simple design than something like a gaming computer which has far more complex parts.
It should come as a surprise to anyone that people who read more tend to have better writing skills than those who don’t. The first step in becoming a better writer is just reading more. A strong foundation in literacy is the bedrock for all writers, both professional and non-professionals.
Reading exposes students to new words, expressions, emotions, and writing styles they can’t find anywhere else. Books provide a way for them to escape for a while and use their imaginations, making them become better at creative writing and finding ways to express themselves with words.
Furthermore, reading allows kids to see how all of the things they’re learning in English class apply when someone sits down and writes something. The more a student reads, and especially at an early age, the more they see how writing is supposed to be done and they are able to repeat basic grammar rules and even retain how many words are spelled.
It’s not enough to simply encourage kids to read more and suggest it will make them better writers. I know many people who read more than I do and aren’t creative enough to write a story. But one of the benefits of being well read is being able to spot good writing from bad writing fairly quickly.
Just because we ask a child or teenager to read a book doesn’t necessarily mean they’re comprehending what they’ve read. Reading comprehension isn’t just important for reading stories or poetry. Being able to read a piece of text and understanding what it’s saying or trying to say is an important life skill. As adults, if we don’t know what it is we’re being asked to read or sign, we’re liable to get ourselves into trouble or miss out on major opportunities. A person could read the fine print all they want, but it would mean very little if they had no idea what it was trying to say.
Reading comprehension is vital when it comes to writing as well. If a student reads a book and doesn’t understand that the writer is trying to convey a certain emotion, explain something via metaphor or hyperbole, or even simply explain what happened in the section they’ve finished reading, they’ve learned absolutely nothing.
In order for students to build their writing skills, they need to be able to recognize the important elements of the writing they’re reading. Without this skill, they will never be able to translate those elements into their own writing. If they see words they can’t pronounce or know their definition, they’ll never use them as part of their vocabulary.
Like many skills in life, writing is best learned and perfected the more it’s done. Looking back on the stories I wrote when I was younger, saying I wasn’t a strong writer is a bit of an understatement. As I got older, learned more in my English and creative writing classes, and read more books, my skills and my stories got better.
It’s important to encourage your kids to not only read more but to write more. And if they’re not interested in writing much, they should be spending more time reading. Encourage young kids who love storytime at school or at home to sit down and write their own stories. Make time so they can share them with you. Tell them you want to know what happens next in the story or encourage them to create even more stories and share them with you.
There is absolutely no way anyone will get better at doing anything if there isn’t someone to give them feedback on how they’re doing. Feedback for a new writer or someone trying to improve their writing skills is incredibly important.
Even now as a professional writer, I still reach out to people and ask them to review things I’ve written to see if they see mistakes I missed or think something needs clarity. In my profession, every writer benefits from having an editor or two read over their copy. For students and amateur writers, having someone to read over a story and give honest and constructive criticism will help them improve their skills tremendously.
Whether it’s rephrasing the way certain paragraphs are written, developing better dialog for characters, or reminding them to use certain proper grammar, feedback is necessary to improve writing skills and to create better writers.
One of the first things I learned as a young writer was that while it was okay to make mistakes in my writing, it was critical I learned how to write the right way. This is where teachers step in and make sure kids are learning the basics.
Unfortunately, this is where we start to face the issues we see today. The fundamental principles of writing are often lost because students are not encouraged to keep writing and applying what they have learned. They fail to remember basic grammar rules like avoiding passive voice, avoiding run-on sentences, using the correct tense of words, remembering correct punctuation, etc.
Many of us remember being back in high school or college and getting back essays with red marks and notes in the margins. In order for students to improve, they need to see these familiar marks on their writing so they see what they’re doing wrong.
But the modern age is slowly erasing those familiar red marks thanks to computers. Technology, for all of its benefits in the classroom, is actually destroying the hard work being done by English and creative writing teachers. The classic spelling and grammar check in your standard word processing software automatically corrects mistakes. It underlines grammar issues and makes suggestions while you’re writing. For the majority of people who use these programs, myself included, we often simply let the computer decide for us what looks good.
Putting it simply: kids need to be taught how to write the right way. Our fast-paced world forces teachers to place kids in front of a word processor to type of papers instead of writing them by hand. In doing so, we give them access to a machine that already has all the basic rules of writing built in so they never have to remember them. It’s like asking them to take a test, but handing them all the answers.
Once they know the basics and it’s clear they understand the basic principles of writing, encourage them to start writing anything they want. Experimenting in writing is not only how many young writers find their voice, but it further cements the basic skills they’ve been taught. No matter if it’s poetry, short stories, novelas, or simple writing prompts, encourage kids to practice what they’ve learned as a writer and analyze their writing to see what skills they’re lacking.
Writing stories and allowing students to be creative is the best way to see how they’re progressing. Feedback, constructive criticism, encouragement, and repeating the cycle is the basic formula to getting kids on the right track to becoming better writers.
Unfortunately, writing is a skill that is mastered by very few people. But the purpose of this blog isn’t to teach kids to master the art of writing. It’s to encourage students and young adults to become better writers. Writing is a skill best learned by repetition and analysis: create, criticize, continue. Of course, encouragement goes a long way to creating better writers.
]]>How do you manage to stretch out your food dollar in your house? Do you have tips and tricks to help keep the family fed when money is tight? Join the conversation in the comment section and share your suggestions!
]]>If you’re ever not sure about the person on the phone, trust your gut and hang up the phone. Don’t ever allow yourself to be intimidated or scared by a stranger on the phone because that is often how many people become victims of these scammers. Simply hang up the phone and block their number if you’re able. And of course, if anyone ever claims to be a long lost relative or a friend of someone in your family. If you weren’t expecting their call or don’t know who they are, just hang up.
]]> You can pretty much disregard Graduation Day if you don’t put in the hard work it takes to get there. I know, I know. That pillow feels really good in the morning and it’s tough some days to get out of bed, but giving up a few hours of sleep is a small price to pay to secure that all important high school diploma.
Whether it’s doing homework, taking tests, pop quizzes, or just getting that really easy participation grade, your senior year is the year when every high grade matters. If you’re one of the many high school students with aspirations to go to a great college, you know very well having great grades become important the second you became a freshman. While it’s never too late to get those grades up, the start of your senior year is the time you need to hunker down and get your grades up and work towards a high grade point average.
It’s important to pay attention to which types of assignments weigh more on your GPA than other assignments. Usually, exams, long-term projects, and tests are far more important than homework, but that doesn’t make homework any less important. So, don’t put off that really complicated project until the last minute. Procrastination is never a good idea, unless you’re the type of person who works better under pressure. Just make sure you’ve planned things out if you intend to work that way.
Make sure to always be aware of your GPA throughout the year. Talk to your teachers often and see where you are academically. If you think your grade could be better, ask your teacher if there are any ways to bring it up with extra credit assignments or perhaps being able to retake a test or quiz. Your GPA is very important if you’re hoping to graduate magna cum laude or summa cum laude. In most graduations, those graduating in these top spots will often be awarded first during graduation as it is a high honor and big accomplishment. It also looks fantastic on a college transcript.
Schools usually partner with a company that specializes in graduations to help provide students with everything they’ll need for their big day. They’ll offer a range of packages at different price ranges. The less expensive packages have the basic necessities such as invitation cards and maybe even a memory book. More expensive packages may come with extras such as customized stationary, customized mugs, and other nicknacks you don’t really need but are nice to if you want to really remember your big day.
However, keep in mind even the basic graduation packages for some of these companies can be quite expensive. It’s a good idea to see what a basic package offers and see if you could get the same items for far cheaper at other places. For example, if you’re artistic, you may want to create your own invitations that look far better than the ones you’d be buying in a package.
If you’re interested in keeping your cap and gown, some companies may sell them to you at a higher rate than if you were simply renting them for the night. However, if you’d like to buy your own cap and gown to keep, start looking around at the beginning of your senior year. If you wait too long, supply will be limited in many places and prices will go up considerably. You can always rent one from another company if you don’t want to rent one from the company partnering with your school.
Above all else, just remember that your senior year can get very expensive very quickly. There are sports events you’ll likely want to go to, dances, parties, special events, your Senior Class trip, and many other things you’ll need to budget for.
About halfway through the year, you should start sending out the invitations to friends, family, and anyone else who you’d like to be at your graduation. If your senior class has a sponsor, make sure to ask them how many people you’ll be able to invite to the ceremony as some high schools only allow students to invite so many friends and relatives per student.
It’s best to give the people you intend to invite at least three or four months notice so they can make plans to attend. This allows people to get time off from work if they need to and make travel arrangements if they need to come in from out of town.
Your invitations can be used for either the ceremony or as invitations to a family gathering if your family is throwing a party in your honor. This will all depend on how many people you’re allowed to invite to the actual ceremony. If you’re limited to just your parents and two other guests, you shouldn’t promise people they’ll be able to see you cross the stage when they might not be allowed. So, make sure your invitations are specific as to what you’re inviting people to attend and don’t make any promises you can’t keep.
Of course, once you’ve spent all this money on a graduation package and a cap and gown, it would be a bit frustrating and disappointing if you didn’t graduate because of bad grades. So, make sure you’re staying on top of it.
Senior year isn’t just about filling out applications, tests, projects, and boring stuff. Your senior year of high school, outside of college, is a pretty fun time in your life.
By the time you get to your senior year, you’ve gathered most of the credits you need and you have time to take classes you actually want to take (sometimes) that can be pretty fun. You might have never had time to take theater or music classes because you were heavy on academics, but now you can. Some classes might rely more on actually participating rather than turning in assignments, which might be a welcome relief for you if you have a busy schedule.
Creating memories should be a big part of your senior year. Take the time to go to all the football games, especially homecoming. Go to as many dances as you can and go to a few parties; always remembering to act responsibly. Take a few trips with your friends and take a ton of photos and videos. More than likely, you’ll have a memory book that’ll help you show off a bunch of your favorite memories from the year.
Memories are important as there’s a good chance many of the people you’ve been hanging out with for the last few years are likely going their own way. Down the road, you’ll want to have photos and mementos of the good times and a memory book is the best way to relive the old times.
Two or three months before the school year ends, your school’s registrar may request what name you’d like to have on your diploma. If not, you may need to make the time to visit them and make sure they print the right name. Chances are you’ll only get one chance at getting it right so make sure to take the time to get it done when the opportunity presents itself.
If you’ve received any scholarships, make sure you speak with your counselors to make sure they’ll be announced at graduation. Also, your school may ask if you’ve been accepted to any colleges or universities, the school you’ll be attending, and your intended major. If you’re part of any academic organizations like academic decathlon or honor society, let them know as well. Make sure you announce all of your accomplishments as you’ve worked long and hard for them.
This is also a good time to start talking to all of your teachers and make sure your grades are still on the right track for you to pass. If you’re hoping to graduate with honors, you’ll probably want to do some extra credit work if you want to get your grades up where you want them.
About a month before the big day, you’ll definitely know if you’re going to be crossing the stage. Send out reminders to all the people attending the graduation ceremony and make sure they know the time and place. If anyone needs tickets to attend, make sure you pick those up and get to them the right people.
Make sure you’ve got your cap and gown ready. The company your school partnered with should take care of all of this for you and you will likely just need to pick it up. If you haven’t gotten a cap and gown yet, you definitely need to start looking for one now as it might be a little too late. Get your gown dry cleaned and ready for your big day.
If your family is planning a party for after graduation, start making plans for everything you’ll need and make sure they’ve secured a place to hold the party if it’s any place other than home.
Schools often require students to attend graduation rehearsal a couple of times so everyone knows where they are supposed to be on graduation day. Don’t skip rehearsal! It’s important you know exactly where you’re going to sit and where you’ll need to be before you cross the stage. Don’t be surprised if your school announces if you don’t show up to rehearsal, you won’t be allowed to cross the stage. Remember, the logistics for graduation day are very complicated. Your school has everything planned out and people who show up not knowing what to do just slow down the process. Just make sure you don’t miss rehearsal and don’t risk not being able to cross the finish line.
You’ve finally made it. Your grades are perfect (or not), you’ve declared what name you want on your diploma, you’ve given a list of your awards and schools, and the cake at your reception is ready to be cut.
Chances are, you’re going to be mentally and emotionally exhausted by the time the day is over. Remember everything you were taught at rehearsal and everything should be fine. If you have any sashes or medals to wear with your gown, don’t forget to put them on before you cross the stage. More than likely there will be teachers and administrators to help you if you’re having a bit of trouble.
Depending on the size of your senior class, the ceremony could take a while. If you have a senior class with more than a few hundred students, you’re going to be waiting for a while if your last name starts with a “Z.”
Thankfully, once the last person has crossed the stage and you move your tassel from one side to the other, your four year journey through high school will finally be over. Onward to college!
There are three common types of attacks that online hackers use to try and figure out your password.
The first type is a dictionary attack. This means hackers will throw a dictionary at your account to see if your password is a common word found in the dictionary. More often than not, people will use an actual word they use often because it’s easy to remember. Hackers know that and that’s why the first step is to just try every word in the dictionary.
The second type is a brute force attack. As the name suggests, a brute force attack tries millions of potential combinations of passwords a second to crack your computer until it finds the one that works. The more complex your password, the longer it takes to figure it out.
Lastly, the third attack is called a phishing attack, pronounced “fishing.” Phishing attacks are more common in emails, which is why it’s never safe to click on links inside suspicious emails. The links lead to fake websites that look like legitimate versions of well known websites. Except, the point is to get you to login to your account so they can capture your username and password.
If part of your password is a word that can be found in a dictionary, you should consider changing your password. Remember that dictionary attacks will scour every single word in the dictionary to find your password. Since most people use a simple word for their password, it won’t take long to crack your password.
The more characters in your password, the more difficult it will be for hackers to crack it with their programs. A password with only five or six characters is far easier to crack than one with twelve or thirteen.
Passwords should never consist of just letters. There should always be at least two or three numbers as well as special characters like !@#$ spread out all over your password. Additionally, using a combination of both uppercase and lowercase letters will increase your password’s overall strength.
As mentioned before, dictionary attacks will use every word in the dictionary to find your password, but if you create words that make absolutely no sense this renders that avenue pretty useless. Even if your password is full of just uppercase and lowercase letters, the fact that the words make absolutely no sense makes for a strong password. Add in symbols and numbers, and your password is tough as nails.
Not since my early days of using the Internet have I ever used the same password twice. Imagine if the same key that opened your front door also opened your car door, your storage locker, your best friend’s house, and your office at work. It would be pretty horrible if someone got that key, wouldn’t it?
Using the same password twice puts you at risk in the event a hacker is able to figure out what the password is. They’ll likely try to use it against other websites they know you visit to see if it works for them as well. An easy rule of thumb is: If you need to provide personally identifiable information on a website, it not only gets a strong password, it gets a unique password.
Remove that fear of dread of ever forgetting your password and use a password manager to manage all of your logins for all the websites you visit. Whenever you log into a website for the first time, the password manager will ask you if you’d like for it to remember the password from now on. This way, you’ll never have to remember your password for that site. Your password becomes encrypted on a server and the only one who will ever have access to your login credentials is you.
When it comes to password managers, there’s both good and bad news. The good news is there are many free password managers online and many are already built in to browsers like Firefox and Chrome. The bad news is you also have to have a password for your password manager.
In order to keep your passwords secure, you will have to set what is called a master password. This master password gives you access to all the passwords your management program has saved in the event you ever need to access them to delete a login you no longer need. However, forgetting your master password could be a major problem. Remember when I said only you will ever have access to your login credentials? Not even the company who manages your passwords can access your account. So if you forget your master password, you’re pretty much out of luck.
All of these tips will be for nothing if you aren’t doing your best to keep your computer or devices free from all of the malicious software out there on the internet that infects millions of computers everyday. A simple virus called a keylogger can record every single keystroke you make on your keyboard and send that information back to a waiting hacker. Your complex password is now compromised.
Regularly run virus scans on your computer, keep your browsers updated, never click on links in a strange email, and never visit websites that seem sketchy.
The harsh reality of cyber security is that with enough time and effort, every password can be cracked. But while that may be true, practicing these few tips can make your Internet experience much more secure for the future.
]]>Sleep is important for all of us and it may not come to a surprise to most parents that adults are sleep deprived. And for most of us, it’s not really our fault. Raising kids is not a 9 to 5 job, and not all jobs are 9 to 5. Many American parents are working too much and resting too little.
While we’re finding it hard as adults to get proper sleep, we should be educating kids and helping them to make sure they’re getting the sleep their bodies need. According to the CDC, children who don’t get enough sleep are at higher risk for conditions like obesity, diabetes, injuries, poor mental health, and problems with attention and behavior. That’s why it’s important to make sure kids aren’t staying up all night or are overstimulated before bed, even when they're on summer vacation or have the ever popular snow day.
WebMD states kids ages 7-12 need an average of 10 to 11 hours of sleep per day, while teenagers need at least 8 to 9 hours. The only way to make sure your kids are getting the right amount of sleep is to make sure they’re practicing proper sleep hygiene. Though, a bedtime might seem like the worst thing in the world to a child and some teens, it is ultimately for the best to make sure they don’t suffer from a lack of sleep later.
There are numerous other tips people have on how to achieve the best night’s sleep you possibly can get. Some involve making sure you have a comfortable mattress, you’re eating a balanced diet, aromatherapy, and even white noise. What other tips do you have to help your kids get all the hours of sleep they need? Leave us a comment below and join the conversation!
]]>In my free time, I spend a lot of time volunteering in my community. Whether it’s cleaning up a park, picking up litter off the streets, or just making phone calls to get things in the neighborhood fixed, I’m doing my part to improve the quality of life for the people around me. For me, I’m driven to leave my community and maybe the world a little better than it was given to me. That should be the goal for everyone in this world. But when there is no one to show you how to be a good person, when life seems to constantly throw curveballs at you, or if you never see how your good actions affect others, it’s easy to understand why some people simply don’t care.
My parents raised me with the notion that “you are no better than anyone else and no one is better than you.” It’s a piece of wisdom that I carried with me throughout my adulthood and I think is something most kids should hear. It’s the basic And as I grew up, I realized there were lots of people who never heard that same wisdom and their actions proved it.
In a world where so many people are struggling to get by, and where poor mental health is becoming its own pandemic in the world, it’s important that kids are not only raised to know what’s important but also what it means to be a good person. Good kids grow up to be good people who want to share goodness in their community.
But how can parents go about helping their kids to be the best people they can be. The trick is to start young and taking a look at the world around you. See the things you don’t like about the world and teach your children how to be better.
Your kids will never know what it is to be a good person if they never see one in their lives. That means you have to lead by example. Don’t display the behavior you don’t want them to repeat. Think of children like a sponge that is constantly soaking up information. They will repeat everything you do or say; just ask any parent with a toddler. Do your best to be the type of person you want your child to be and show them the importance of helping others and not being selfish.
Everyone has told a little white lie in their life. We lie to avoid having to do something we don’t want to do, lie to avoid something embarrassing, and even lie just because the truth would hurt to admit. But even if you justify a little white lie as something you say to avoid hurting someone’s feelings, a lie is still a lie. It’s best to teach kids to avoid lying, even little ones. This may be difficult at first because kids are prone to lying at a young age, but with enough persistence, kids can keep the lying to a minimum or they can avoid telling big lies that could get someone hurt. Good people are always honest, even when honesty might not always be the best policy.
One thing we can say for certain about the state of the world is that there are far too many people who fail to practice basic manners. Being a good person starts with having basic manners, such as knowing when to say “please” and “thank you” as well as a host of other common phrases. There’s also a bunch of other common actions such as holding doors open for people, offering to help before you’re asked, saying sir and ma’am to people, and having respect for others. These are pretty basic things that a lot of us take for granted. But it’s easy to forget that many people are never taught these things.
Like I mentioned before, I spend quite a bit of time volunteering in my neighborhood. A great way to show your kids the importance of giving back is to simply take time out of your day to volunteer with your child. Whether it’s helping to serve meals at a shelter, picking up trash with a group of people, or helping out at your local church, volunteering shows your child the world always needs people who are willing to lend a hand without being asked. Volunteers are selfless and are glad to help others. While you’re volunteering, explain to your kids that sometimes the world needs a little help, and they should always be willing to lend a hand when they can.
We can’t always give our time, but we can give in other ways. The next best thing is to donate to charity. There is always an organization in need of things such as money, toys, food, or supplies. Work as a family to gather donations or raise money for a charity to show your kids the importance of giving. This is an important time to explain that sometimes people fall on hard times and it’s always good to be able to share what you have with someone who needs it.
This can usually be easy for little kids to understand if you explain it to them at their level. For example, when they have far too many toys and some they don’t play with anymore, tell them there are kids without any toys at all who would love to have them. When they make the connection that there are kids who don’t have nice things, they tend to be more willing to give things away.
Even as you teach your children to manage their money, you can encourage them to put money away that they will give to a charity or cause of their choice. It doesn’t have to be a lot of money, but it should be enough to show them the importance of charity and remind them there are many people in the world who must go without the thing they take for granted.
Positive reinforcement works best when you’re trying to help your kids develop good habits. When you hear or see your child do something good either around the house for someone else, let them know you’re proud of them and how happy you are about what they did. Even if it’s as small as cleaning up their room without being asked, starting a load of laundry for you, unloading the dishwasher, or anything that shows they’re trying to help, thank them and let them know you appreciate it.
But on the other side of the coin, you don’t want to praise them too much. At some point, kids shouldn’t need to be praised for doing the right thing. That doesn’t mean it should never happen, but positive reinforcement is really best for children who are learning to get into the routine of making positive, helpful decisions. As children get older, this type of behavior should be second nature to them and they shouldn’t always need to be praised for doing simple things. However, that doesn’t mean if your kid donates thousands of dollars to charity or does something incredibly awesome for their community they don’t deserve at least that extra piece of cake for dessert.
As a people person, I’ve run into a bunch of different types of people in my life. I’ve learned to recognize those people who are comfortable with conversation and those who aren’t. I’ve also learned to recognize those who would appreciate help and those who would complain about a sunny day.
By being social, kids can better understand how to be respectful and helpful to others. They can strike up conversations and learn how other people practice good manners and how other people handle situations. Being social also means knowing how to great someone respectfully with either a handshake or a tip of the hat if you’re fancy. It allows kids to practice the good manners you’ve been teaching them such as holding open a door for someone, helping to carry things for someone in need, or simply how to behave and interact in certain social situations. The better kids get with being comfortable around people, the better they will be at putting their skills to good use.
There are tons of different ways parents have taught their kids to be kind, good mannered people and far too many ways to list in this blog. If you have suggestions on ways parents can teach their kids to be great citizens and good neighbors, leave a comment below and join the conversation!
]]>School was the only place I had access to a computer. So, I’d stay after school for a little while everyday and I’d type up my stories or create new ones. While typing things out was definitely faster, I knew there was something lost by not putting pencil to paper.
Now, as a professional, all the writing I’ve done in the last ten years or so has always been at a keyboard. But lately, I’ve gone back to writing by hand a little bit. There’s something peaceful about the classic way of writing that just somehow feels better than taping on plastic keys for hours on end. And it appears that science backs me up on that feeling.
Unfortunately, STEM-based learning (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is helping to essentially erase the need for handwriting to be taught in schools, opting for school aged children to learn how to type versus being able to write in cursive. However, is this a wise move on the part of schools? Should kids still learn how to write the old fashioned way before they start typing? As my old computer teacher once told me when he was teaching me HTML: “I’m showing you how to do it the hard way so you can appreciate the easy way.”
As my adult spine reminds me every morning when I get up, not all backpacks are created equal. There are different types of backpacks depending on what type of function it needs to serve. The most common types to choose from include:
While outdoor backpacks have a bit more options in terms of storage space, it may be a bit too much for school. Most kids will not thirty or fourty different pockets to store things.
Academic or athletic backpacks are likely a far better option and your student can choose which they prefer based on their needs. Of course, if your school has requirements on backpacks, mesh or clear backpacks might be the only option.
When you’re out shopping for a new bag, it’s important to pay to the quality of the bag itself before making a final decision. Take the time to open up the bag and examine it all over, inside and out. Some of the things to look for include:
Essentially, look for any obvious issues that would prevent you from buying something that’s subpar in terms of quality. If it looks like it was poorly made, chances are you'll be replacing the bag long before the school year is over. Just remember: if you buy cheap, you’ll get cheap.
Just because a backpack is good quality, doesn’t mean it suitable for everyone. A bag should always be comfortable for whomever is going to be using it. If it’s going to get used frequently throughout the day and isn’t just for casual trips, there are special items to consider to make the quality of life for your student better.
There is also an important point that every parent should remember outside of function or style: never place too much weight on a child's back. A heavy backpack can lead to future back pain and spine issues if not avoided. Your child should have everything they need for the school day without the danger of overloading their spine by letting them carry heavy books or equipment. If they don't absolutely need something in their backpack, take it out.
A good rule of thumb to follow is to make sure a backpack never weighs more than 10% to 20% of a child’s weight, according to Stutter Health. To make the math easy, take your child’s weight and multiply by .15 to get a middle weight or .2 to get the maximum weight. For instance, if your child weighs 100 pounds, the middle weight would be 15 lbs (100 x .15). While that might not seem like a lot of weight to you as a grown adult, 20 lbs on the back of a child that only weighs 100 lbs is pretty heavy.
Even with all this in mind, don’t spend an arm and a leg shopping for a backpack. Always look for the best deals and never be afraid to shop at second hand stores or even garage sales for slightly used backpacks if you’re trying to save a few pennies. And of course, since School Supply Boxes has revolutionized the way parents and teachers buy school supplies, you’ll be able to spend more time looking for that great backpack for your son or daughter.
Eventually, kids need to understand the value of time and be given a little bit of structure. Sure, they’ll learn about time in school and what each hand means, but most kids don’t learn time management skills until they’re in their teens and struggling to get everything they need to do done in a few hours.
Starting young is critical to teaching kids the value of time and how important it is to make sure they’re spending it wisely. Of course, there will always be plenty of time to have fun, but providing a sense of responsibility and structure will help them get used to more rigid schedules as they get older.
While your kids might be a bit far off from knowing what learning style they prefer, visual forms of organization seem to work best with a lot of people, especially with kids when you make it fun.
Sitting down and creating a calendar with your kids to show them what happens on certain days will help them get started developing that sense of time. Make it fun for them by using stickers and let them stick them to the calendar so they are responsible. Hang it up in a place where it’s easy for them to see and everyday, and make sure they look at the calendar to see what important things are going on in the week.
Just like you do on your work calendars, let them put an X on the day when it’s over. It’s a great way to teach them dates and to help them memorize the number of days in a month.
For decorating your calendar, use schoolhouse stickers for school, doctor stickers for a doctor visit, fun stickers for vacation times, or food stickers for when you all are going out for a family meal. As always, let them update the calendar when things need to change so they get used to the process of keeping track of dates.
After you’ve nailed down simple calendars, it’s time, no pun intended, to bring in schedules.
Because kids have lives that are significantly easier than adults, scheduling their lives shouldn’t be that complicated. Break down their day in a way that’s easy for them to understand, such as by morning, afternoon, and evening.
If your child has a morning routine thanks to school, it offers an easy opportunity to break down their day for them. For example, they wake up at a certain time, then they need to brush their teeth, followed by getting dressed, breakfast, and then going to school.
After a long school day, they come home at a certain time, work on homework if they have any, have dinner, bathtime, then bedtime.
Schedules will help kids get used to a routine. You can use the same structure as the calendar to help kids learn when chores need to be done.
There is a big difference between “I want to” and “I need to.” So often, parents might use the phrases incorrectly and kids, being sponges of information, will repeat the things they hear back. But when it comes to time management, knowing what’s important and what’s not can help them to use their time more wisely.
Teach your children the difference between something they need to do and want to do. Everyone has things they want to do, but there simply may be no time because there are other things that need to be done first. This is something they might have a difficult time learning because the mind of a kid may think it’s possible to do everything all at once. Teenagers can be like that too. Kids may really want to play with friends, but they can’t because they have chores that need to be done first. They might be impatient about wanting to go somewhere or do something, but it’s simply not time for it yet.
It also helps to catch yourself when you’re talking around them so they don’t pick up on the bad habit. Do you really need to do something, or do you just want to do it?
If you’ve been great at getting things done and you’ve worked hard, don’t you think you deserve a little reward? Your kids certainly do.
Rewarding kids for sticking to their routines, getting chores done on time, and maintaining their schedules and calendars will go along away. Positive reinforcement is a great way to help them be more interested in this new skill they’re learning and rewarding them with little goodies will make it even more stimulating.
Rewards don’t have to be anything tangible. Instead, make the rewards relate to their calendars and schedules. For example, a reward can be removing a specific chore and replacing it with fun time. Or, offer them a chance to stay up a little longer on certain nights. While it may seem like a simple reward, the reward system does teach them something important that you should reinforce. When you stick to a schedule and you’re getting things done, sometimes you can make more time for the things you want to do, which makes you want to keep working hard.
Teaching kids a skill like time management works best when you’re showing them that you’re practicing it too. If you’re not the greatest at time management, you may find yourself getting better at it while your child is learning it. Never skip the chance to learn something along with your child.
Set up your own calendar and schedule in the same way as your child and make sure they can see it. Make sure to check off tasks and mark off dates just as they are and do your best to get all your work done the same way you’re asking them to finish their chores.
Of course, encouragement goes a long way, especially when there’s a reward to work towards. If you’ve created a family calendar, make a big goal for everyone if everything on the schedule gets done for the week or the month. Encourage your kids to stay on task and let them encourage you too.
Which techniques do you use in your house to teach kids time management? Does providing them a calendar work for them? Be part of the conversation and share your time management teaching suggestions in the comment section!
]]>Like many Americans, we lived paycheck-to-paycheck in our house. My parents made tough decisions all the time and I’m thankful everyday for how much they taught me the value of a dollar. Though it wasn’t often, my parents would reward my hard work in school. When I brought home straight A’s on a report card, my parents would drive me over to a toy store and I’d get to pick a video game. They couldn’t always afford to reward me, but I was always appreciative for the things I did get because I knew I’d earned them.
Many families lucky enough to be in better financial situations than most often give their children a weekly allowance. The allowance may be based on the child’s age, or the number of chores they completed, or may be tied to how well they do in school. But the act of giving kids an allowance does stir debate among many parents. Is it appropriate to give children money? If so, should they earn it first? How should they earn it? And most importantly, what are we teaching them by giving them money?
Financial management is one of the most important skills to have as an adult and it’s always best to teach kids how to manage their money at a young age. But without money of their own to manage, it’s tough to teach a subject like financial responsibility to kids who are flat broke. Here are a few reasons why parents should consider an allowance:
Right now, there are parents all over the country reading this all saying the exact same thing: “I didn’t get an allowance when I was young. Why should my kids get one, Joey!? Have you cleaned your room yet?!”
I know many parents who would likely say the same thing. An allowance is something many kids take for granted. They don’t realize that for every one kid getting an allowance, there are probably ten times more kids who aren’t. While there are skills they would benefit from having money in their pocket, is it really necessary to just give them money? Here are a few reasons why an allowance might not be a good idea:
At the base of the allowance discussion is the important matter of a family being able to afford to provide an allowance without a financial strain. Can your family afford to do this and would you simply give money away for nothing? Perhaps an allowance can be a great tool for teaching kids financial responsibility, but also a few other things in the process if they’re having to actually earn the money. Consider the following:
Still on the fence with the allowance debate? Here are a few websites to read up on to help you figure out what would be best in your house. And if you have any suggestions or comments, please feel free to leave them in the comments section. We’d love to hear from you!
There are many different sources where a student can find scholarships. At school, the best place to search is in your school’s counseling office. Counselors usually have the best amount of experience when it comes to knowing how to find money for school and how to save the most money on your college experience.
Of course, the Internet is the next best thing, but searching can be overwhelming when there are so many different sources and not all them are reliable. However, there are many tried and true sources online that students have been using for years to find scholarships. While our list isn’t a definitive list, it will definitely get most students on the right track to finding scholarships and getting their research started.
Do you have any helpful websites for finding scholarships that didn’t make our list? Or do you have any tips for future college students looking for a few extra bucks to pay for school? Leave a comment below and be part of the conversation!
]]>Unfortunately, scammers know this and they’re out to make a buck on the backs of people with nowhere else to turn. That’s why in these days of the “new normal” we all have to be extra vigilant of the online shops we visit and where we’re spending our money, especially when money is becoming tighter these days.
Thankfully, with a little bit of common sense and a few simple to follow tips, being safe online doesn’t have to be difficult or even impossible to do all the time. Sometimes it’s as simple as trusting your gut and remembering the age old wisdom: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
You’ve been hunting for a bargain on something you’ve been wanting for a while. While browsing one day, you find a really obscure website with a great deal. The website looks pretty sketchy, but the deal is really good. The only downside is you’ll have to wait about three or four months before it arrives. Should you go for it? Definitely not.
Shopping on websites you’ve never heard of and look like they’re badly designed is a sure way to compromise your finances. Many sites that offer extreme discounts on electronics, toys, and clothes can offer incredible discounts on items with the catch that you’ll need to wait a few months for them to arrive. These items likely come from China, and their quality probably won’t be the best when they arrive. Basically, you’ll get what you paid for.
Sticking with the big name retailers like Amazon or eBay as well as the websites of physical stores like Walmart, Target, and or Office Depot is a far safer option. These places are well known and have established themselves as credible places to shop online safely. While you’re shopping, you can rest assured these places have good security on their websites, they’re going to take responsibility for the products they sell, and if you’re shopping at a store’s website you’ll even be able to pick up items you ordered online. Making returns is also easier with established websites versus obscure websites you’ve never shopped with before.
Additionally, these well known stores also allow third party merchants to sell on their website, providing you with more options in case the main website doesn’t have it available. You might have to pay slightly more or pay for shipping, but you’ll have the security of knowing these merchants are monitored closely and have strict rules they need to follow if they want to continue selling on a certain platform.
We live in a world where oversharing is commonplace. We don’t often stop to think about the dangers of sharing our birthdays, pet’s names, favorite things or places, and even when we’re going to be out of town on vacation. The problem is when you provide all of this information online, you’re essentially offering up a bunch of free information to people who could use it to figure out your passwords or pretend to be you.
The same goes for retail websites, and that includes the well-known ones. No website is completely safe, but some are safer than others. When you register online to use a website, it’s best to only offer up the information that is absolutely necessary to register; no more and no less.
If you don’t need to offer up your email, birthday, city, state, etc., don’t offer it. Some websites may want you to fill out these bits of information to complete a profile, but it is usually never necessary. This is a method of data collecting that some companies may potentially sell to marketers. Worse yet, if the website is ever hacked or experiences a cyber attack, your information could be compromised and now some digital stranger knows a lot about you.
Most people use the same password for a bunch of different websites. In terms of online security, that’s probably one of the worst mistakes you can make when trying to stay safe online. Everytime you make an account on a website, you really should make a new password that is significantly different from the ones used on other websites and is strong.
But what is a strong password? Strong passwords are ones that contain letters in both uppercase and lowercase, numbers, symbols, and aren’t words or phrases found in the dictionary. Your passwords should look garbled and incomprehensible if anyone saw them. Unfortunately, that would make them virtually impossible for you to remember, especially if you’re making several of them on different websites.
This is where password managers are important. Password managers like LastPass will save all of your passwords in a centralized location and will auto populate them for you when you need to login to websites. If you’d like, you can even set a master password as an extra level of security.
With most password managers, it’s important you never forget your login information to the manager website. In the event you forget it, password managers like LastPass will delete all of the logins you’ve submitted so that anyone pretending to be you won’t be able to get them.
Avoid using commonly used passwords. They’re the first methods hackers or thieves will use to access your accounts. Combined with the personal information you provided on places like social media, they have more than enough information to use to try and crack your passwords. So, don’t overshare and don’t make simple passwords if you’re shopping online.
When we’re out and about in public places, we often look for hotspots to save data on our phone or to get better connections where data signals might be poor. These public hotspots are a great way to save your data if you’re nearly out and save you a few bucks on overages if you don’t have an unlimited plan.
The problem with public wifi spots is they provide a false sense of security for many people. People sit down at a cafe, bar, or restaurant, access the public wifi, and then browse websites while they enjoy themselves. While this is completely fine if you’re only reading news articles or doing a little research, visiting your social media profiles and shopping online is definitely not advisable.
These public Wi-Fi hotspots aren’t as secure as your own home network. Since the network is public, any thieves on the same network can easily access your data. This is why some websites will if you’re visiting their site from home or in a public place. There is no deal so good that’s worth compromising your privacy and security by shopping in a public place. Just wait until you get home.
It seems like everyday, another business comes out with their own app for iPhones and Androids. These apps come in handy if you frequently order from one particular place. Apps make shopping more convenient and are considered fairly secure.
By using your phone over a browser, you can essentially control where and when you login to certain merchant websites. Phones like Apple’s iPhones allow users to use their thumbprint as a way to login to places like their bank, avoiding the need to type in a username and password.
Apps also offer certain features you might not get while using a browser based website such as easy ordering of items you frequently purchase, reviewing your order history, a personal price scanner, and even self-checkout if you’re shopping in a store.
It’s important to remember, however, that there is no such thing as a completely secure app. Reputable companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to make sure their websites and their applications are as secure as possible, but there will always be a level of risk.
Debit cards are a great way to manage your money and stick to a budget. They’re also a great way to keep your bank issued debit cards more safe and secure by not having to use them for online purchases.
Reloadable debit cards work the same way as your bank issued card, except they’re not tied to a bank. They don’t offer as many protections as your bank card does, however. But because they’re not tied to your main bank account, should something happen during a transaction with a merchant, you won’t have to worry about your personal bank account being affected.
There are many reloadable debit cards to choose from and most of them have their transactions processed by either Visa or Mastercard. Treat them as you would any debit card. Just because they aren’t tied to a bank, doesn’t mean you should throw caution to the wind with your own money.
It should go without saying, but some people get their bank statements in the mail and don’t give them a second thought. I admit to being one of those people, but I do have my bank’s online banking app on my phone so I’m not completely oblivious to my spending history.
When you get checking or credit statements in the mail, it’s always best to take a few minutes and go through all the expenditures to make sure you recognize everything. If you see something you’re not completely sure about, call up your bank or your card issuer immediately.
Make sure to also check the balances and transactions on your reloadable debit cards. Historically, reloadable debit cards didn’t have the same kinds of basic protections banks gave to their own debit cards. But in 2016, new consumer protection laws protected reloadable debit card users from fraud, allowed them to recover money, and protected them from costly fees.
The bottom line: a little bit of common sense will save you a ton of cents. Avoid using your debit card on websites that look sketchy, use a reloadable debit card for added protection, don’t overshare your information on merchant websites or social media, and listen to your gut if a deal sounds too good to be true. And if you do everything right and something still happens, make sure you fight for what you’re out and never consider a single penny a lost cause if a merchant does wrong. Remember that even when being completely safe online, security breaches can and still do happen from time to time. No app will ever be completely secure from a determined digital thief.
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