How To Calm Tween And Teen Hormonal Mood Swings

By Jessica Drummond

Why is my once lovely girl so moody? Does the eye rolling, and tween attitude really begin this soon?

The answer is that while, yes, the tween attitude seems to be arriving earlier (and anyway, who really remembers when our own tween attitudes arrived!), there is something that can be done to smooth out the mood swings that arrive along with the hormonal swings of puberty.

The key is to buffer her adrenals, and to get your girl off of the blood sugar roller coaster!

What your daughter eats, and how she controls her stress will have a very direct impact on her hormone swings. While it is normal for hormones to swing more wildly at puberty compared with once her cycles become more regular, she doesn't have to feel so moody as these new hormones arrive.

So what's a parent to do?

1. Get your daughter off the blood sugar roller coaster first thing in the morning by sending her off to school with a good breakfast. She should eat breakfast within 1 hour of waking, and it should include a clean protein, a healthy fat, and some vitamin and mineral nutrients. One great example is a slice of savory quiche.

2. Give your daughter some tools for self-calming her anxiety. Every time that the stressful "small stuff" of life fires off her flight-or-flight response, she is stressing her hormone system. The same systems and raw materials that combine to create healthy hormone levels, also create stress hormones. But, stress hormones get priority billing. So, calming your daughter's stress response is one of the best ways to help her endocrine organs (the organs that make her hormones) to make enough calming hormones. Over time, if she's chronically stressed, she will feel more and more anxious and fatigued, have more difficulty sleeping, and experience worsening symptoms of PMS.

One of the best ways to calm her stress response is to encourage dance breaks throughout the day. When she's feeling stressed about tomorrow's test, encourage her to put on her favorite song and dance her stress away.

And, just before a big test at school, encourage the simple meditation practice called, "awareness of breath." My favorite way to do this is to put on some minty lip balm, then sit tall, rest or close the eyes, and quietly observe how the nasal breath feels as it brushes over the tingle of the minty lips. Repeat for 5 - 10 breaths. Instant pre-test stress hormone tamer.

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Ensuring What Goes To School Comes Home

By C M Baker

Children are notorious for losing things at school, no matter what their age. Many a stray lunchbox or pencil case has turned up in the wrong backpack, or in some cases not at all. Help your child keep a better track of their personal items using the following suggestions - and see more things make their way back home again!

It's All in the List

Keep a list in the hallway of what things your child needs to pack each morning or for each day's activities, and ensure they check if off every day before they leave for school. When they return home, they can use the same list to confirm whether everything has come back, and make a note to follow up if items are missing.

Get to Know Lost Property

It can be useful for children and their families to get familiar with the school systems for dealing with lost items. Ensure that if the worst happens, your child knows where to look and which teacher to talk to. The school will appreciate it too!

Label Everything

Labels as many items of clothing, lunchboxes, drink bottles and stationery items as you can, so that if something goes missing or is the same make or brand as another child's, they can still be easily identified. Use colourful tags and materials, or even your child's favourite colour or character, so that objects are easy to spot.

Learn Search Skills

Losing things is unfortunately a common life experience, and teaching children how to find lost items can be a valuable skill in itself. Help them think about what something might look like if it was hidden, or how to retrace their steps to consider places where it might have been left.

Create Reward Systems

One method that can be helpful for particularly forgetful children is to reward them when they've remembered to bring something home for a few days in a row. Record their actions on a chart with stickers, praise their efforts, and consider what type of reward might be appropriate in marking their success.

Losing things is a part of everyday life, but with the right organisational systems in place at home and at school, you'll have created a safety net for your child to find items again. With a motivated attitude and search skills at hand, they'll eventually be able to search for lost property on their own, ensuring more of their items are regularly 'found' and put back where they belong. You'll find that this will also save you money by reducing the number of items needing to be replaced throughout the year!

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How to Check the Serviceability of a Bouncy Castle Hire Company in Seven Easy Steps?

By Terrence Lewis

Bounce houses are undoubtedly the most hired inflatable party items during festive seasons and on weekends. However, you should not just go for just any inflatable hire agency and should choose a supplier after cautious consideration only. RoSPA (Royal Society for Prevention of Accident) recommends seven easy ways to check the stability and usability of the bounce houses before hiring these items and here below are those seven things you must check beforehand.

Check the anchorage points of the castle
An inflatable castle should come with multiple anchorage points that can be used to hold strong the unit to the ground. Anchorage points are highly required if the unit has to be anchored outside (e.g. in the courtyard). On the other hand, if it's an indoor party, you need to check whether the castle has moorage straps that are helpful for affixing it on the floor.

Check whether the company can supply absorbent mats (if required)
These mats are particularly required for indoor parties. These are placed in front of the castles so that the kids do not fall on the hard floor. However, if you are planning for an outdoor party, you may opt out the mat.

Check if they can send additional staffs
For many party organizers, supervising the kids during when they use the castles becomes a bit challenging as they keep busy welcoming guests and taking care of them. If you doubt whether you can supervise the kids all the time, you can look for a bouncy castle hire agency that offers additional staffs for supervising.

Check the weight capacity of the castle
Every bouncy castle unit has a certain weight capacity and these units must not be overcrowded. Know in advance the load capacity of the castle you are hiring and regulate usage accordingly.

Check whether the castle can be used by kids of different age groups
Children of same age groups should only ride the castle at one time. If there are kids of different age groups, ask the supervisor to make a roster and segregate the kids in small groups. Do it yourself in case you are not opting for additional staffs.

Check the usage instructions and convey to the kids
Kids are not expected to read user manuals and act in that way. You or whoever will be supervising them should properly instruct them how to use the castle, what to do and what not to in detail. You should fend off anyone trying to ride the castle with sharp objects in hand or while eating/drinking.

Check the certifications of the company
The most important thing to check is the certification of the bouncy castles. Do the castles have PIPA tags? Does the operator have a Public Liability Insurance Coverage?

Check all these things and then only hire an inflatable product from a bouncy castle hire agency, no matter how well reputed they are.

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Lay a Solid Foundation of Learning With First Grade Educational Games

By Joki Fernandes

First grade is an important transitional year for many children. At this point, they are leaving behind the play-centered learning of preschool and kindergarten and moving on to a stricter learning environment they will spend a majority of their time in for the coming years. However, parents and teachers can still use first grade educational games to keep learning fun so you can set a more solid foundation for the rest of the schooling years.

Video Games

Your children love to play video games. However, it is important to restrict the amount of time spent playing games that have no educational value. This doesn't mean you can't allow your child to play games online. Instead, it means you need to focus on finding educational video games that will help reinforce the information your child is learning in school, helping him more firmly grasp the concepts so he can succeed in his new environment.

Puzzles

Puzzles are a great way for you to help your child's important critical thinking skills. First grade educational games that incorporate puzzles of some type will challenge your child to really think about the problem and how to best solve it. The type of thinking required to solve puzzles is different than the way children think for other aspects of school. Exercising their brain with these puzzles is important to their long-term success for this reason.

Other Activities

In some cases, online educational game sites offer additional activities that can be used in the classroom or at home to supplement the learning at school. These activities may be science experiments you can perform together or worksheets you can print up for your child to complete. Children learn by so many methods it is important to be able to offer a variety of methods to your child to ensure his success.

First grade educational games are the perfect way to make sure your child transitions well to the more rigorous curriculum that comes after preschool and kindergarten. Finding a website that provides video games, puzzles and other activities will allow you to supplement your child's education and make sure he is fully grasping the important concepts he needs to move forward through his school years successfully. First grade is the perfect time to set the foundation your child needs in the years to come. With the help of online games, you can make sure learning is still fun.

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Should Parents Tell Their Kids About Santa

By Roland Trujillo

I love Santa Claus. Nevertheless, I sympathize with parents who have chosen not to do the Santa thing. You can love what Santa stands for without having to say that he is real.

Basically I have no problem with parents having Santa bring toys, as long as they feel comfortable with it. On the other hand, I don't disagree with parents who choose not to tell their kids Santa is real.

There are important principles involved and also some subtleties.

At our house, when my son was little, we did not do the Santa thing. We celebrated Christmas with a small Christmas tree with ornaments, we exchanged presents, had Christmas stockings, listened to Christmas music, and had Christmas dinner.

We definitely talked about Santa, and my son became familiar with who Santa is and what he does. We read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" and listened to "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer."

When I myself was a boy - my mom did do the Santa thing. When I was very small, I remember putting out a plate with cookies and a glass of milk for Santa, so he could enjoy them when he stopped by our house.

In the morning when I awoke, I dashed to the living room to see if Santa had come. One Christmas there was a brand new shiny bicycle near the tree. Santa had brought it, and he also filled the stockings.

At the same time, there were many other gifts and each was from someone in the family. Before Christmas I went shopping with mom to get her something, and then there were gifts from grandma and so on. So it was like a hybrid thing. there was Santa who brought things, and we also gave each other gifts. It was like the best of both worlds!

Somehow is I grew, I began to suspect that mom was actually Santa, and then I knew that it was mom who was getting me things and putting them under the tree. You know how it is with kids: one day they are living in their magical wonderful world of make believe, and then they are more interested in their friends, and then they are all grown up.

So here is what I think. Parents can go either way--tell their kids about Santa or not have Santa. In other words, do what you feel comfortable with and enjoy. Whatever you do, Santa or no Santa, if you do it with a good spirit, you will be fine.

I can enjoy the niceties of Christmas without forgetting the reason for the season. I love Christmas and all the trappings and I always will.

Here is an analogy to help explain my position. I have a stuffed animal at home and his name is Mr. Brown Bear. He is a very nice. He is kind and thoughtful. He loves looking out the window at the flowers. He is also working on his Ph.D in History. I know he is not real, but I still love him anyway.

Mr. Brown Bear is excited that my son is studying at a university because Mr. Brown Bear says he can work on his doctoral thesis more easily with all the research facilities and library near the school.

Is Mr. Brown Bear a real bear? No, of course not. But do I love and respect Mr. Brown Bear? Absolutely.

Should my son sit down with me one day and say "Dad, it's all a lie. Mr. Brown Bear is just a stuffed animal." No, because he knows that what I really love is what Mr. Brown Bear stands for.

Part of me is innocent and I love what is innocent and I also love to be playful. Ultimately it is what is innocent and good that I love, and so I honor and cherish good wherever I see it: in a child's eyes, in a good man or a good woman, in the Lone Ranger, in Mr. Brown Bear, or in Santa Claus.

If you don't want to do Santa, I have no problem with your decision. Remember, when my son was little, we did not do Santa either.

Whatever you do, just keep it light hearted. Remember that children live in a magical world. Honor their innocence. Be patient with them. Be patient with yourself. Merry Christmas, love and kisses!

Dr. Roland Trujillo, author and parenting expert, is founder and director of the Center for Common Sense Counseling. He is the author of 14 books including: My Daughter does not Want to Clean Her Room: A Handbook for Parents and Kids and Santa's Take on Parenting: Secrets from the North Pole.
Roland is host of the Ask Roland Show which airs on KCAA Radio 1060 AM in Riverside/San Bernardino, CA.
Roland is the author of dozens of articles, many of which are available free online, on the topics of positive parenting, improving marriage and relationships, exceptional fatherhood, successful single parenting, emotional well being and spiritual recovery.
Roland currently devotes his time to speaking and writing about positive parenting, discovering and maintaining emotional health, and building loving relationships. For more information, visit http://coachroland.blogspot.com

Educational Computer Games for Kids Provide New Aspects to Learning

By Joki Fernandes

Learning should be fun for kids of all ages, which is why choosing proper educational computer games for kids is a good choice for any child. Whether you have a preschooler, kindergartner or child in elementary school, there are a variety of games kids can play online that can enhance what they learn in the classroom on a daily basis. Not every child learns the same way, which is why providing enhancements at home can help your child thrive both in and out of school. It is the perfect way to take the pressure off your child and allow him to learn in a fun, engaging way.

Preschool
Children in preschool are just starting to grasp the basic concepts of numbers, letters and colors. Learning in the classroom can make any child feel overwhelmed, especially if the concepts don't come easily to them. Whether you want to prepare your child before he enters preschool or you want to provide extra help during the school year, educational computer games for kids make it easy to provide the extra support he may need.

Kindergarten
In kindergarten, the concepts are more complex. Children begin to learn about ordinal numbers, skip counting, vowels, compound words and even science concepts, such as life cycles and the weather. There is a lot of information and new learning experiences children ages five to six are expected to take in. Rather than cramming your child full of this information at school and expecting him to remember it, you can supplement with online games that reinforce the concepts and even make learning fun.

Elementary School
The older kids get, the more difficult the subjects in school become. By second grade, concepts, such as fractions, multiplication and division, are introduced. If your child hasn't fully grasped the basic concepts yet, it can be overwhelming for them. Rather than make them feel uncomfortable, you can provide learning at their own pace in the comfort of their own home with educational computer games for kids.

When you are searching for the right games for your kids, take into consideration their learning abilities and subjects with which they need help. There are a variety of subjects and types of games kids can play at their own pace, making it possible to enhance their learning. Educational computer games for kids make it possible to help students without making them feel pressured or overwhelmed, all while having fun.

Banks That Fit a Teen's Needs

By Alfred Ardis

When your teen starts working, it is time to think about banks. The good news is that this is a great time to learn how to manage money, so that when your child heads off to school he or she is getting the very best opportunity to make the right decisions about how to manage money. The bad news is you'll need to be the one to teach them and that means giving them plenty of flexibility even when you know they are making the wrong decision.

What Does He Need?

The first thing to think about when it comes to selecting banks for teens is the actual need. If the child is working, he or she may benefit from having an account that allows them to deposit funds directly since even fast food jobs now offer direct deposit. You may also want to give them a checking account. This way, they can learn how to balance accounts and how to make their own payments. It may be time for your child to pay for a cell phone bill or a car payment, for example. This is a good way to teach them how to properly manage their funds coming in and going out.

Think Savings Options

You also want to ensure that the teen has the ability to make wise financial decisions. The teen may not actually have the ability or the need to start a retirement account or to actually start an investment account, but he or she may want to do those things in the future. It is a good idea to ensure the bank selected, then, offers a wide range of savings options. Even as a teen, he or she can invest in a certificate of deposit to earn a bit more money on their investment abilities.

Think Flexibility

Like any other customer of a financial institution, your teen needs to be able to manage funds properly. This means having access to ATMs and the use of a debit card. It may also mean selecting an account that provides for bill payment online. Your child may need to choose a facility that has later banking hours since he or she may be in school. The more options you offer, the more opportunities for your child to learn.

You do not want your child to walk into life without any ability to manage money. That is the perfect way for the child to end up with significant financial concerns. Some banks help parents by offering flexible accounts that even include credit education. Don't overlook the importance of selecting the right financial institution for your teen's needs right now and into the future.

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