The summer slide doesn't affect just reading; math is another area that often suffers during the summer. Why? Reading and math are both areas where skills build and develop over time. Even though year-round schooling makes sense educationally, it's clearly not the way the culture of the US flows. But don't worry; you do not have to resign yourself to sitting inside, drilling your kids with flash cards or torturing them with lectures; summer is really a great time for hands-on, practica …
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From coast to coast, students experience something called the "summer slide," losing approximately 2 months' worth of progress over the summer months. And we mean literally from East to West: check out this infographic from Rhode Island and the "Summer Matters" initiative out in California. If you think this phenomenon is not a big deal, think again: it actually accounts for ⅔ of the achievement gap for those in their first year of high school. With all the change-ups and online learni …
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I know, I know. There's a lot of pressure on us as parents to make moments magical. From Pinterest-worthy birthday parties to Instagram-able bedroom decor, some of us can drown in the expectations of creating ideal surroundings for our children. But don't worry: I'm not going to heap more of that kind of pressure onto your already full plate. Instead, I'm going to invite you to do 4 things: come up with a simple list of must-have summer memories you want your children to have, add thos …
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Playgrounds and barbecues, water parks and ice cream stops - summer is filled with so many opportunities for spending time with family and friends. While such outings and activities can provide many chances for bonding that become happy memories, they can also run the risk of becoming too much and leading to melt downs for kids and burn out for parents. So how do you balance the fun stuff of summer while retaining a sense of order? Routines. Re-thinking Routines Maybe you're tha …
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Without a doubt, the best way to keep your children and yourself safe from the harmful rays of the sun is to avoid directly exposing your skin to sunlight, particularly during the hottest part of the day. Hopefully in Part 1, 2, and 3, we convinced you that avoiding this kind of trauma to your child's skin is worthwhile, but we realize that sometimes sunburn can still occur. In Part 4, we looked at 4 basic steps you'll want to take with just about any sunburn for any member of your fam …
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In Parts 1-3 of this series (see Parts 1, 2 & 3), we focused on ways to ensure that your children are properly protected from the harmful UVA and UVB rays of the sun, particularly during the summer months. Five or more sunburns of any degree or even a single blistering sunburn during childhood or adolescence can double your chances of getting melanoma, and skin damage is cumulative, building up over time. So prevention is obviously the best option. But let's be realistic and consider t …
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We've probably all experienced the sensation known as sunburn with its redness and short-lived pain. But sunburn is more than uncomfortable; for young children, in particular, it can cause long-term damage that becomes apparent only many years later. Believe it or not, a single blistering sunburn during childhood or teen years can actually double a person's chances of developing melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer (see Parts 1 & 2). So if you're a parent who's been under the …
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As a parent, you want to protect your child from all kinds of danger. But if you're misinformed about sun protection, you may be unwittingly exposing your child to harmful UV rays that can cause damage to the largest organ of her body. While sunburn can be uncomfortable, it's not merely the discomfort that makes it so important to avoid sunburn: for every 5 sun burns, you actually double your child's chance of getting skin cancer, which is 1 of the 5 most common types of cancer. In our …
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Like so many safety issues, when it comes to protecting children from the sun's harmful rays, better education will influence better application. Even though you probably realize that applying sunscreen is important, according to a national poll on children's health, many parents aren't taking all the right steps to protect their children's skin. It's important not only for preventing sunburns but also for blocking the UV radiation that causes skin cancer as well as premature signs of …
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In addition to the preventive measures we've already considered in the former posts in this series (see Parts 1 and 2), one way to help reduce the risks associated with drowning is to have some clear-cut policies for your family when it comes to water. If you have a backyard swimming pool or live in a lakefront area, you can extend these policies to others that you host. As with any policies, you will want to communicate them clearly, post them (if appropriate), review them frequently, …
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