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Parent Resource Guide

Being A Happy Effective Parent (CD)

How To Raise A Smart Baby

Go For Your Goals: Goal Setting for Kids

Net Nanny - Keeps Kids Safe on the Internet

Dine Without Whine ? Meal Planning

Mindware - Educational Toys For All Ages

Click N Kids - Reading & Spelling for Young Children

Nick Jr Boost - Online Educational Games for Kids

Total Transformation - Parenting Strategies for Oppositional & Defiant Kids & Teens

News For Parents

Smoking Could Harm Sperm, Study Finds (HealthDay)
HealthDay - THURSDAY, Sept. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Two new studies provide evidence that smoking can harm sperm - both in smoking men who may become fathers, and in sons born to women who smoked during pregnancy.

J&J launches aid program for women, children (Reuters)
Reuters - Johnson & Johnson has pledged grant money, drugs and research funding for new HIV and tuberculosis medications as part of a five-year, private sector effort to improve the health up to 120 million women and children in developing nations ea...

J&J giving $200 million for health of women, kids (AP)
AP - Health giant Johnson & Johnson is donating about $200 million in cash and medicine to a sweeping United Nations program created to improve the health and lives of people in poor countries.

Genetic Scars of the Holocaust: Children Suffer Too (Time.com)
Time.com - A study finds that severe trauma can cause genetic changes that are passed along to children

Health Tip: Stay Safe Around the School Bus (HealthDay)
HealthDay - (HealthDay News) -- Teaching children to take precautions while waiting for, entering and exiting a school bus can help keep them safe.

Top Tips for Your Child’s Academic Success

Academic success is important in a child’s life as it can help to shape the future. There are many things you can do to help your child or children succeed and they all start at home. Keep track of your child’s school activities, set up a consistent routine and ensuring that they have enough rest are simple tips that will help them to excel in school. In addition, parents who are involved in their children’s education help to foster the learning experience.

  • Start a homework routine. Set a certain schedule for your child to do homework every day. If there is no homework assigned for the day, encourage your child to study and review the week’s assignments. Constantly reviewing information helps to instill the knowledge in your child’s brain, thereby helping them to gain better insight into the lessons.
  • Sleep is important because it allows your brain to recharge itself. If your child does not get enough sleep, it will affect their performance in school and out of school. Sleep is necessary for the body to function properly so make sure your child gets at least eight hours of sleep each night.
  • Take an interest in your child’s academics. It may have been a long time since you were in school, but you should still be able to check your child’s homework and assist them when necessary. Reading with children is a good way to spark interest in learning; it is also a good way to spend quality time with your child in a low-key manner.
  • Keep your child organized when it comes to school activities. Have your child carry a planner for teachers to record assignments in. Also, keep a wall calendar in your house with your child’s schedule and assignments. This will help to avoid any missing assignments and will also let you know how frequently your child studies.

Helping your child to succeed in school is one of your biggest jobs as a parent. Without establishing a routine in the household for both homework and bedtime, it can be very easy for a child to lose interest in school work. Not getting enough sleep and not being organized can affect your child’s function in school as well. By utilizing the top tips you are helping to establish your child’s academic success.

Here are some great resources to get you off to a good start:

More articles for parents on helping their children succeed in school:

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Back to School – How to Get a Good Routine Going

Before you know it the school bells will be ringing and it will be time for children to head back to school. If you’re wondering about how to get a good routine going, consider the following ideas to help you create your own. Once you have a routine in place, the chance your family will be able to start the new school year on a bright and less harried note will be increased.

Don’t wait too long to set up your back to school routine. The longer you wait to get the children into the habit of going to bed at a set bedtime, the harder time your children will have getting up for school in the morning. Of course, if you can help your children get into the routine of going to bed earlier, choosing their clothes for the next day and being sure everything is in their book bag the day will start much better.

Continue reading Back to School – How to Get a Good Routine Going

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Outdoor Activity Games to Play for Labor Day Weekend

If you’re planning a party to celebrate the end of summer, you may be looking for outdoor activity games to play for Labor Day weekend. The following list of activities may be what you’re looking for or may spark other ideas of your own.

Most children, and those who are children at heart, love to play games. One game you may want to plan is keeping balloons afloat by nothing but the head. Blow up enough balloons for everyone to have one of their own. Have plenty of room for those playing to move about without bumping into one another. If the balloon touches the ground, or is hit back into the air by another body part, that person is out. Keep your balloon in the air the longest and you’re the winner.

Outdoor bowling is another game you may want to play. If you don’t have actual bowling pins, you can use plastic drink bottles of the same size which are partially filled with sand to help them remain standing. Use a kick ball or basketball rather than a bowling ball. Place rope to delineate the lane and gutters; the remainder of the game would be the same.

If your family often has outdoor parties or gatherings during the summer, you may want to invest in an outdoor game set. These might include horse shoes, badminton or croquet. Having those game sets on-hand will mean you’ll be ready for any get-together you might plan.

Piñatas are also great outdoor activities. Of course, the children will love the flow of candy and toys coming from the piñata when it finally bursts open, but they also have fun trying to open it. Parents and adults can help the children by encouraging them to hit harder. In many cases they’ll find themselves laughing as the children try to hit the ever-moving piñata.

Since it’s still going to be hot around Labor Day, you may want to plan a water relay of some type. Break the guests up into two or more teams depending upon how many people there are. Fill balloons with water and have the guests toss them from one to another down the line and back. You may want to have several towels on hand as well.

Create an obstacle course in your yard. Lay out the course, keeping in mind the ages and condition of your guests. Demonstrate the course for them prior to the start of the course. If you expect both children and adults to participate, you may want to have an easier obstacle course for the children.

Finally, by planning ahead of time you can get the guests involved in a scavenger hunt. Decide on which items from around your home to place on scavenger list. Perhaps you can use today’s technology by having guests take pictures with their cell phones (if they have that capability) of the items on the list rather than having the guests gather the items.

Choose whether or not you will provide prizes for the different outdoor activity games. You can give a prize or merely enjoy yourselves as the games and the day progresses. Remember, you can use one of these ideas or think up some of your own for your Labor Day festivities.

Check out this link for some great suggestions and great deals on Back Yard Games for Family Fun from Amazon.com

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Why and How to Get Involved in Your Child’s School

Getting involved in your child’s school activities is an excellent way to further develop a bond with your child. Getting involved also helps your child to see that you are interested in their activities and will likely foster a higher academic success rate.

There are several ways that you can get involved in your child’s school such as joining the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), volunteering on field trips and being an active presence within the school itself.

Continue reading Why and How to Get Involved in Your Child’s School

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Great Tasting Healthy Family Recipes - September

Your Family Chef from Parenting Today is here each month with great meal ideas.

Here are some ideas for some tasty meal for the month of September

These meals offer good nutrition while making it easier to get kids and teens to eat more nutritional meals.

Recipes for this month include Labor Day Chicken Skewers, Labor Day Baked Beans, Labor Day Baked Beans, Creamy Potato and Carrot Soup,  Labor Day Sangria Punch, Frozen Peach Yogurt Dessert

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