Papersalt Books and Products: Inspiring Kids, Teens and Families

What a great resource of books and journals as well as other resources for families!

Papersalt has something for everyone and every age range.

Who are they?

We are a division of Revolution, a Seattle marketing and printing company founded in 2003.

We specialize in employee training and recognition, building content to inspire and influence people.

We are parents. We have spent years building content around families.

At our best as parents and family members, we still always need help. That’s why we started Papersalt.

Building and nurturing your family is the hardest thing you’ll do. With so much media in front of us, we realize that simple, memorable, engaging content is extremely effective.

Content for all books, games and artwork is researched and written by us and our families. And we produce all of the items in our Seattle facility.

Follow them on Twitter and join them on Facebook.

Check out their teens site!  Click here.

Seattle, WA- Seattle’s Revolution, Inc. recently launched their new product line Papersalt. Papersalt creates simple, effective, to-the-point books for kids and parents, giving families an effective set of tools that can be used in all stages of learning. 

All products can be viewed at www.papersalt.com

Sexting and the College Student

Via: BestCollegesOnline.com

5 Basic Things To Teach Your Teen Before They Leave for College

Your teen is approaching the end of their high school career and they are heading off to college.

It is a fun and exciting time for the whole family, especially for your doe –eyed teen. Sometimes as parents we forget that sometimes our teens don’t know the basics once they flee the nest.

Here are five basic things you should educate your teen on before they go:

1. Budget money: Probably one of the biggest and most important things you can teach your teen before they head off to college. Teaching your teen the basics of money and the concept of budgeting will carry them into adulthood. Give your teen a good grasp on costs and expenses and how they are to spend and budget. Most college freshman are targeted by credit card companies once they get on campus, teach them the trials and tribulations of a credit card.
2. Basic safety: You aren’t able to keep track of your teen once they are off to college. Teach them the different dangers that they can experience as college students. Things like drinking and driving, drugs and date rape. Teach them to keep their personal information offline and that no matter where or what they are doing someone needs to know where they are, even if it’s just their roommate.
3. How to cook: Teaching them easy and healthy meals will keep your teen from spending too much money on those late night drive thrus. Be sure to send them off to college with basic cooking supplies like pots and pans and cooking utensils. Consider stocking their pantry and fridge with the basics, this will encourage them to cook at home more.
4. How to do laundry: Believe it or not, lots of teens do not know how to do their own laundry. Be sure they know how to operate the machine as well as what settings are needed on different loads. Don’t forget to show them how to clean the dryer vent.
5. Car maintenance: If your teen is going to college with a car, be sure that you educate them on what to do when it comes to renewing stickers, getting oil changes and checking tire pressure. It is wise that you tell them to contact you first if there is a car problem, some mechanics and tow truck people can target your teen and rip them off.

Prepare for phone calls and texts with questions and sometimes mishaps. It is also a sign if you do not hear from your teen about these things; make sure they are practicing what you have taught them. Be understanding and helpful; remember you were once that age too. Good luck Mom and Dad!

This guest post is contributed by Debra Johnson, blogger and editor of nanny babysitter. She welcomes your comments at her email at jdebra84@gmail.com.

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'I choose' Anti-Bullying Campaign

'I choose' Anti-Bullying Campaign....


The 'I choose' campaign is about recognizing bullying for what it is: a choice.

We are definitely not a stranger to bullying and cyberbullying, and this has to change.

No one is ever forced to be a bully; just as easily as someone can choose to be a bully, they can choose to be kind, respectful, and compassionate, instead.

With the 'I choose' Anti-Bullying Campaign, the are challenging people everywhere to make a better choice and help end bullying.

The 'I choose' campaign aims to stop bullying of all kinds with a simple, positive approach, challenging youth to embrace the concept that bullying is a choice and the power to choose is theirs.

Visit www.whatdoyouchoose.org and share your story.

Must watch the 1-minute video.


Be sure to follow them on Twitter and join them on Facebook.

The ‘I choose’ Anti-Bullying Campaign is powered by Yoursphere.com, a social network uniquely created by kids and teens, for kids and teens. The Yoursphere community is one of respect and positive online interaction. This campaign is a reflection of the choices that our members feel have the power to make people stop, think and remember that bullying is a choice.

The Great Debate: Do Kids Need Cell Phones?

A debate that can depend on the child?
A debate that can depend on the age of the child?
A debate that can depend on the maturity of the child?
A debate that can depend on the family and their beliefs?

The debate regarding the necessity of mobile phones for children continues to rage on as kids demand cell phones at younger and younger ages. Many parents, however, believe that cell phones are a non-essential luxury that can be reserved until a certain age; others feel that in this day and age, mobiles are an important asset for everyone, children included.

In this article, we’ll look at 10 reasons why your kid can do without a mobile:

1.  Children shouldn’t be any place where there isn’t responsible adult supervision – Any time children aren’t within the care of their parents there should always be someone old enough to watch the kids with them. There is no need for them to carry their own personal phones when they and their parents adhere to this simple common sense policy, which has worked for centuries.
2.  What children actually use phones for varies greatly from why the phone was initially bought – Children are using these phones for everything but the emergencies that parents use as a rationale for equipping them with mobiles in the first place. Facebook won’t help in an emergency, and neither will Angry Birds. And who texts an emergency message anyway?
3. The phones being purchased for emergency situations are coming equipped with the latest technology – Most parents who argue that the phone is a safety measure for their child wind up spending a bundle on web access and texting service for their kids’ phones, both of which are totally unnecessary for their supposed purpose.
4.  Cell phones are becoming less a help and more a hindrance – Kids spend time on their mobile phones that could and should be spent more productively. Given the state of education in this country, the time is past due to eliminate distractions rather than hand them out to our kids.
5. Cell phones open gateways to trouble – Most of the dangers to their kids that parents are dealing with are related to the fact that their kids are in constant contact via cell phones. Cyber-bullying, sexting and other such issues are far more likely to put your child at risk than not having a cell phone.
6.  Having the world at your fingertips can be a dangerous distraction – Cell phone use could in fact put your child at risk to the sort of perils that parents envision when they buy the kids phones to begin with. Think about it: your child is too busy texting, surfing, or playing games that she becomes otherwise oblivious to her surroundings.
7.  They cause a dependence on constant connection – It isn’t healthy for kids to remain so dependent on constant connectivity in order to function. Kids need to develop independence and the capacity for responsible decision-making without supervision.
8.  They have a negative influence on productivity and learning – Kids are frequently using their cell phones, to their own detriment as well as others, at times and in places at which there is no need for them to have one, such as in school. Some schools, for this reason, have taken steps to ban them.
9.  Cell phones encourage superficial relationships – Cell phone use inhibits social development. Kids become more reliant on their devices to communicate and spend less face time with friends and family as a result.
10.  They make kids grow up too fast – Kids should be allowed to be kids. There will be plenty of years ahead when they will have jobs and responsibilities that might necessitate their having these electronic leashes. We should let them enjoy this time in their lives while they still can.

 Source: Land Line Phone Service

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Parenting Today's Kids

Recently I discovered a great new educational sites with articles and information that can benefit parents of kids, tweens and teens today!

Parenting Today's Kids

Fact.  Parents Need Help at the Intersection of Technology and Kids

At ParentingTodaysKids.com, we recognize that technology impacts how kids are growing up.  It can play a very influential role in the choice they make and the people they become.

We Are Parents Too

We are parents.  We get it.  If parents can understand technology today and learn how kids embrace consume and social using it, we increase our chances of protecting our kids and positively influencing them.

Our Goal

We spend so much time protecting and guiding our kids in the “real world”, but most of us can do a better job parenting in the virtual world and protecting our kids online.

Our goal at ParentingTodaysKids.com is to educate parents and to help them close the technology gap that exists between parents and kids in order to better protect them.

That’s why we’ve put together an expert panel focused on raising kids today, ranging from an attorney to a holistic parenting life coach.    Check out the Author’s section today to see the great experts who are here to help you better understand your kids and how they are using technology.

Join them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Teens and Summer Jobs: 8 Quick Tips

It's the second most wonderful time of the year. Summer is here and school is out. But it can't be all vacations and barbecues. It's time to get to work!

If you've got kids in high school, or even home from college, you may be thinking: how do I make my son or daughter get off the couch and go get a summer job?

Summer employment, besides subsidizing your child's own expenses, can teach him or her about work ethic, social skills, discipline, financial management, and generally help prepare the way for a long and happy career in "the real world."

Below are some pointers to help you get the ball rolling:

1. Set the expectations. The first thing you need to consider is the rationale. Is it generically good for your teen to have a job? Why, yes. But it's important to establish your priorities for why this is important. Make sure your teen understands that this is not optional, or they may be inclined to put off the job-seeking until it's too late. Set specific targets (3 applications a day, or a hard deadline after which you can go with a sure thing, even if it's not the first choice).
2. Start the search early. It's already June, so it's time to move. Chances are with your teen's school schedule, starting now will leave only 2-2½ months to work, which is about as short a span as anyone wants to hire for.
3. Apply gentle pressure. If there's any foot-dragging going on, some of it may be genuine nervousness; this stuff is still new and unfamiliar, after all. Talk about it on a daily basis, but try not to nag.
4. Help put together a resume. In all likelihood your teen's resume is thin. Think outside the box and include academic achievements, community service, and extracurricular activities. Show them how best to emphasize the desired aspects of each activity.
5. Use your own network. Don't feel bad about asking around with your own contacts. Part of what you aim to achieve may be some self-sufficiency on your youngster's part, but it may be more important just to get something started, and as you've surely learned as an adult, who you know counts as much as anything. Nepotism is underrated: being on familiar terms with your child's boss can be reassuring, and it may actually make your child a better worker if they know your reputation's tied up in it a little.
6. Look online. Monster.com and Craigslist are two of the most popular job-search sites for adults, but you'll have to filter results (and be particularly cautious with the latter) to make sure the environment is suitable for a minor to work in.  Never give your personal information such as your social security number online to people on Craigslists especially.  You need to be very careful there.  Be sure they are legitimate.
7. Meet the employer. If your child's working for a stranger, don't let it stay that way. Make sure that some time (preferably before the start date, but certainly during the first week), you find an excuse to stop by and shake hands with the boss.
8. Consider volunteering. If money is not the primary goal for you or your teen, volunteer work can be a great way to keep busy, build a resume, and help the world. It's a tough job market out there, too, and it may be a good year not to sweat the whole summer-job thing too much. Plus, community service opportunities are naturally more likely to be flexible with granting time off for summer trips!

This guest post comes courtesy of Susan Wells. Susan is a freelance blogger who enjoys writing about automotive and health news, technology, lifestyle and personal finance. She often researches and writes about automobile, property and health insurance, providing consumers with access to a trustworthy insurance quote guide and unbiased advice on purchasing. Susan welcomes comments.


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5 Talking Tips To Help Teens with Deciding What College Classes to Take

What classes should your college student take?


It’s always great to hear college students regarding advice about the college process.
Today’s guest post is from Katheryn Rivas, who is an English major.

One of the first decisions that your college-bound child will be faced with upon matriculation is creating a class schedule. In my own experience, the process becomes less complicated as semesters progress, but this, I think, is largely because of trial-and-error, learning from mistakes that I made in previous academic years.

Here are a few tips that I would give to first year students who are selecting classes for the first time.

1. Understand that a huge percentage of undergraduates change their majors at some point, so make your class selection diverse.
Many bright-eyed entering freshmen think that they know precisely what they want to major in and what their career trajectory will be like from the first day of class onwards. However, reality works a little differently than do our plans for the future. If you are pretty sure what you want to major in before you enter college, that’s great! However, leave open the possibility of changing your major by not taking too many classes in your prospective discipline when you first start out. Of course, do take some, but keep things balanced and diverse to get a taste for what different fields of study are like.
2.  Figure out what your peak periods of productivity are when choosing class times.
Dates and times should also play an important part in your course scheduling. Are you the type who would rather have a ton of classes on two or three days and have absolutely no classes on some days? Or would you rather have a reasonable amount of classes spread out throughout the week? Personally, I preferred exhausting myself on Tuesdays and Thursdays so that I could have leisurely class days on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This schedule enabled me to wake up late and hit the books hard preparing for tests on the days that weren’t so packed. However, this setup doesn’t work for everyone, so figure out how you study and work to determine your schedule.
3.  Place a heavier emphasis on general degree requirements your first year.
Many first-year students will make the mistake of taking only those classes which interest them. They figure that they can complete general requirements later in the college career. But what will end up happening is you may put off these requirements for so long that you will suddenly realize, sometimes as late as senior year, that you have a bunch of general courses left to graduate. Don’t end up in this position (like I did) in which you run the risk of taking an extra semester to graduate just because you put of something silly like a phys ed course.
4. Do your course research online to gauge what professors are like in class.
One of the most important factors in doing well in any given class is having a professor that is engaging and accessible. One of the best ways to get classes with the best professors is to visit sites like RateYourProfessor.Com to see which instructors are the best teachers. Reviews will also help you steer clear of professors who are too immersed in their research to care about their class. At the same time however, do take some student reviews with a grain of salt. Some students are simply incensed that they got poor grades, and may take it out on the professor. I’d say believe the reviews that are consistently complaining about the same thing. Don’t base your conclusions on just one or two comments.
5. Take advantage of the “course shopping” period.
Although many universities are different, most institutions encourage “course shopping” during the first two weeks of classes. That is to say, students are free to attend several classes that they aren’t officially signed up for, or drop classes they don’t particularly like, to sign up for others. If your institution does have this flexibility, be sure to take advantage of it. Don’t get stuck in a class that you already know from the beginning you are going to hate.
These are just a few things to keep in mind when creating your course schedule. Be sure to talk to other students who have taken classes you are interested in, and also consult with academic advisors so that you are on track to graduate within a certain period of time. Above all, enjoy the flexibility in the decision-making process of picking your own classes for the first time!

This guest contribution was submitted by Katheryn Rivas who particularly enjoys writing about online universities.  Questions and comments can be sent to: katherynrivas87@gmail.com.

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