30 Blogs to Get Kids Away from the TV

According to the Nielsen Company, the average kid watches approximately four hours of television per day. When you add in computer, tablet and cell phone usage, the amount of screen time goes up to about 53 hours per week. The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN has said that excessive screen time is a contributor to childhood obesity and reduces kids’ ability to focus.  Most parents would prefer their children watch less television, but accomplishing this isn’t always easy. Instead of going cold turkey, gradually reduce the amount of time your child watches TV.

These 30 blog articles are full of activities your child can do to replace their normal screen time.

Exercise
The rise in childhood obesity is one of the major reasons that doctors want to reduce the amount of television time that kids engage in. Instead of watching television, try to get your kids involved in some sort of exercise. Exercising doesn’t have to mean going for a run or participating in a sport; you can get your kids active by encouraging activities like jumping on a trampoline or playing tag in the front yard. Involve the entire family in some sort of physical activity and you can all get fit together. These five blog entries will help get your started.

• Get Your Kids Excited about Exercise!
• Family Fitness—How to Get Your Family Fit!
• Fairlane Town Center Hosts Kids ‘N Kicks Summer Walking Programs
• The Fun Way to Fitness: Get a Trampoline
• How to Get Kids Running

Outdoor Games
Summertime means that kids have a lot of extra free time on their hands, and if they don’t have planned activities they can end up spending hours in front of the TV. Instead of letting them sit in front of the screen all day, encourage them to get outdoors and play. Take a look at these five blog posts to get ideas for what your kids can do outside.

• Creative Way to Combat Summertime Boredom
• Outdoor Games for Kids
• 50 Outdoor Summer Activities for Kids!
• 10 Classic Outdoor Games for Kids
• Outdoor Games for Kids

Crafts
Craft projects are a great way to get your kids doing something other than watching TV or playing on the computer, and many crafts can be done outdoors. Check out these five blog articles for some creative inspiration.   

• Unplug the Kids—Fun Craft Ideas that will Keep Them Away from Electronics
• Kids Art: 20 Ways to Get Arty Outdoors
• 20+ Summer Crafts and Activities for Kids
• Keep Boredom Away: 10 Cute Summer Crafts for Kids
• Fun Summer Ice Cube Crafts for Kids

Hobbies
Hobbies are a great way to occupy time, whether it’s getting out into nature and bird watching or taking on a new sport. Brainstorm different ideas for hobbies with your kids and find some that fit their interests. For ideas and tips for finding the perfect hobby, read these five blog entries.

• 7 Ways to Wean Your Child Off Video Games
• How to Wean Kids from TV and Video Games and Back to L.I.F.E.
• A Wealth of Kid Hobby Ideas
• Hobbies for Sharing
• Why Bird Watching is Good for Your Kids

Cooking
Are your kids picky eaters? Do they get bored easily? You can solve both of these problems by getting your kids into the kitchen. There are many kid cookbooks that feature recipes that are easily understood by kids, and spending time in the kitchen can be a fun activity for you to enjoy together. For tips on how to get started cooking with your kids, look at these five blog posts.

• How to Make Cooking with Kids Easier
• Cooking with Kids—Tips, Tricks and Recipe Ideas
• Cooking with Kids
• Home Boosters for Busy Moms—Cooking Creatively with Kids
• Cooking with Kids: Easy-Peasy Popsicles

Indoor Fun
While the dog days of summer are known for being full of sunshine and hot weather, some days will inevitably be filled with storm clouds and rain. On those days it’s a good idea to have some indoor activities tucked away for the kids to do. Unfortunately there are days that are rainy or just too hot to send the kids outside to play. These five blog posts are full of fun indoor activities; your kids won’t even miss the TV!

• Pshh, We Don’t Need TV: 5 Creative Ways to Turn Off the TV
• 5 Indoor Activities for Kids
• 20 Inexpensive Indoor Activities for Kids and Teens
• National Anti-Boredom Month: Fun Activities When the Kids Can’t Go Outside
• Fun Activities When the Kids Can’t Go Outside

Source:  NannyWebsites.com 

Community Empowerment Series Session One! Stacey Honowitz Celebrity Speaker! Tickets On Sale Now!

St. Augustine, Fla.— St. Johns County is privileged to be featuring celebrity parenting experts that will be speaking on topics that will empower us to continue to have one of the best counties in Florida. The three forums will be held in February, March and April and will feature some of the leading experts in the field of parenting, cyber bullying, online predators, and much more.
Tickets for the three events can be purchased online at www.communityempowermentseries.com.

Parents are encouraged to bring their children, and grandparents, school counselors, educators and anyone that wants to make our community a safer place for kids should attend the series.

“Education is knowledge and power that help us to keep our kids safe,” said Sue Scheff, a local author and parent advocate. “Having three of the best speakers coming to St. Johns County is an honor and opportunity for everyone.”

The purpose of the Community Empowerment Series is to strengthen our community and enrich our parents, teachers and everyone working with our children to be safer and kinder- both online and off. This series is providing parents with how-to’s on some of the most important issues facing children today.

The three part series will be held at the IMAX Theatre in World Golf Village. Stacey Honowitz, who has been featured on Good Morning America, Larry King Live, and Dateline NBC, will be speaking on February 2^nd about the media and sex cases, along with how to talk to young kids about private parts. Session two will take place on March 9^th and will feature Dr. Michele Borba speaking on peer pressure, bullying and cyber-stalking. Dr. Borba has authored dozens of books and has made appearances on Dr. Phil, The View, The Doctors, FOX News and many more. Theresa Payton will lead session three on April 27^th and will talk about internet safety. Payton is a former White House Chief Information Officer and has a weekly segment on North Carolina’s WBTV about protecting your cyberturf.

State Attorney R.J. Larizza will be presenting Stacey Honowitz on February 2nd.

The Community Empowerment Series is being sponsored by The St. Augustine Record and First Coast News and supported by the St. Johns Sheriff’s Department.

For more sponsorship information and more information visit www.communityempowermentseries.com.

Is Your Child Old Enough To Stay Home Alone?

With more and more households becoming two income households, the number of latchkey kids, or kids who are left home alone for a part of each day, is also steadily growing. According to NBC’s Today Show there are over 3 million children who are latch key kids today.

But before you decide to let your own child be a latch key kid, it’s important to evaluate if your child is ready for that responsibility. How do you know if your kids are old enough or responsible enough to stay home alone?

Here are some rules and guidelines that can help you make your decision:

Laws
Surprisingly, there are few laws or regulations on the books regarding what age a child can be legally left alone. Check out latchkey-kids.com to see if the state you live in has any age restrictions in place. According to CARE (Call Reassurance), law makers are considering adding regulations to the law books due to the increase in latchkey kids.

You can also contact CPS (Child Protective Services) in your area to find out what they recommend.

Guidelines
According to Safe Kids USA, children should be developmentally mature enough to stay alone around age 12 or 13. Since children develop at different rates, however, your child may be different. If your child is a dare devil, has impulse control issues, or doesn’t like following the rules, you may want to hold off leaving him alone until he’s older. On the other hand, if your 11 year old is very responsible and follows the rules well, he may be ready and capable of being a latch key kid. As a parent you will need to evaluate your child to determine if he is ready.

Lynn Yaney, a child welfare professional in California, has said that children under the age of 7 do not possess the ability to logically consider cause and effect, so they should not be left alone. Kids ages 7 to 10 are not considered ready to stay alone for an extended period of time because they need supervision to structure their day. However, if there is a structured routine in place, these kids could stay alone for a short time, like after school. Kids 11 and older should be considered on a case by case basis, but should not be left alone overnight, per Yaney.

According to WebMD, tweens ages 11 to 12 may be ready to watch their younger siblings for short periods of time. To determine if your tween is ready consider the following questions:

• Is your tween scared about staying alone?
• Do you live in a safe area?
• Does your home have an alarm system?
• Would your tween know what to do in case of an emergency?
• Do you have friends or family close by who could get there quickly?
• Has your tween shown responsible behavior in the past, such as doing chores without being asked or completing homework assignments on time without being nagged?

After considering the answers to the above questions, you might feel ready to make a trial run on leaving your tween home alone. The next thing you should do is set some ground rules.

• Are friends allowed to come over? How many?
• Is it okay to answer the phone?
• Should he answer the door?
• What is okay to eat? Can he use the microwave?
• How long is it okay to watch TV or play on the computer? Guidelines about what can and cannot be watched or played should be covered.

Once you have established some ground rules, make sure that everyone understands what is expected of them. Create a list of phone numbers for your tween just like you would for any babysitter. Here is a suggestion of some numbers to consider:

• 9-1-1 (he may forget in an emergency)
• You and your spouses’ cell phone numbers
• Number for a neighbor or friends
• Poison control
• Police department
• Your family doctor or pediatrician

After you have prepared your tween for what might happen you should do some practicing or role playing. Have a neighbor come over and pretend to be insistent on getting him to open the door. Go over what to do if the fire alarm goes off. Make sure your tween knows where the first aid kit is kept and how to use it. Ask him what he would do if the electricity goes out. You may even wish to enroll your child in a local babysitting course or a course designed for latchkey kids. These courses help develop and hone self-care skills.

After you are comfortable that your tween is ready to be left alone it’s time to try it out. For the first outing, plan to be home about 30 minutes after your tween gets home from school. When you return, find out how it went. Next time you go out, increase the duration to 45 minutes to an hour. Make sure you can be reached on your mobile phone. Keep increasing the time until you have exceeded the amount of time the kids will be left alone on an average day. Create some way for your child to check in with you when he arrives home after school.

Allowing your tween to stay home alone or to watch a younger sibling is scary, but it’s also a part of growing up. Your tween will be learning responsibility and maturity. If all goes well, you might even be able to go out alone with your spouse for dinner.

Source: Aupair Jobs

It Takes a Village to Raise a Child Parenting Conference

Coming to South Florida!

When:  October 20th, 2013

When: 10:00am - 3:00pm

Where:  Miramar City Commission Chambers, 2300 Civic Center Place, Miramar, FL

It Takes a Village to Raise a Child Parenting Conference is a one-of-a-kind educational event which began four years ago in San Diego.  Susie Walton, founder and president of Indigo Village Educational Foundation, had a favorite quote, “It takes a village to raise a child.”  Susie created the Foundation – a non-profit, community-based initiative - to provide cutting-edge programs in parenting and life skills.  It serves as a vehicle to move these programs and services into the community for families regardless of their economic means.  Susie then held the first It Takes a Village to Raise a Child Parenting Conference to fund the Foundation’s vital work.

Learn more at http://www.villageconference.com/ and you can also purchase your tickets early. 

You can also contact Maggie Macaulay at 954-483-8021 for more information or email her at maggie_macaulay@msn.com.

 Be a proactive parent, grandparent and community - we will have safer kids and teens!

Proper Phone Etiquette for Kids Tips

Getting your kids to talk on the phone is not always an easy task.


Sure, teens can talk to their friends for hours - or should we say, text their friends for hours.
But are kids being raised with proper phone etiquette today?


The land-line telephone is quickly going the way of the dinosaur; by the time the toddlers of today are teenagers, home telephone service could very well be a thing of the past. With this changing of the technological guard comes a new set of guidelines; here are seven great ways to teach your children modern phone etiquette.

1. Lead By Example – Your children will take their behavioral cues from you, so it’s important that you use proper etiquette as well. This means never taking a call in a quiet, public setting such as waiting rooms or elevators unless it’s an absolute emergency. If you feel like you must take an important call, you should answer and place the caller on hold until you step outside. Being the person that everyone rolls their eyes at in the doctor’s office is a great way to teach your children what not to do.
2. Discuss the Need to Prioritize – When presenting your child with their first cellphone, you should have a conversation about the need to prioritize a call. Explaining to them that the phone was purchased expressly to keep a clear line of communication open between family members and that they should never ignore a call from their parents unless they absolutely cannot speak is a good start; follow with a brief discussion about times when using a cellphone is inappropriate.
3. Roleplaying – For younger children, teaching proper phone etiquette can be as simple as a roleplaying session. Using phones that are turned off, sit together and mimic a phone conversation; when you feel that they’ve absorbed the basic tenets of polite phone use, let them call Grandma for live practice.
4. Talk About The Importance of Being Charitable – Explain to your children that having a cellphone is a privilege, and that not all of their peers will be so fortunate. Impressing the importance of allowing a friend in need to borrow their phone to call for a ride after practice is an effective way to continue the lesson you began when your child was a toddler: don’t be selfish.
5. Use the Opportunity to Discuss Appropriate Behavior – Another way of teaching your child to use proper phone etiquette is to have a conversation about what’s appropriate and what isn’t. Let them know that their phone is subject to random searches, and that they should never send a message they would be embarrassed for you to see.
6. Ban Phone Use During Certain Hours – Part of your first conversation about your child’s new cellphone should be a clear explanation that their phone will be off limit during certain parts of the day. Enforcing this rule and telling them why you’ve instituted it will send the message that cellphone use isn’t acceptable in some situations, such as mealtimes or family time. This is a great opportunity to discuss other situations that should never include the use of a cellphone.
7. Open a Dialogue About Bullying – Cellphones can be a powerful tool in the hands of a bully, and your children should be aware that part of being a responsible and polite cellphone user is to never forward harassing messages or embarrassing pictures of a classmate. Your kids should be educated about what bullying is, and that it’s never “harmless.”

The best lessons are taught by conversation, not one-sided lectures. Listen to the questions, concerns and opinions of your child when you have these discussions, and remember that teaching proper etiquette in any area is an ongoing process, not a one-time talk.

Source:  FulltimeNanny.com

The Children's Movement of Florida

The Children’s Movement of Florida was formed to take action and improve Florida’s sorry report card for caring for our youth.


Their mission statement:


The Children’s Movement of Florida believes that the well-being and education of our children in Florida must be the highest priority of government, business, non-profit institutions and families. The economic future of our state and the stability of the communities we live in depend on achieving this goal. The major objective of the citizen-led, non-partisan Children’s Movement of Florida is to inform the political, business and civic leaders, and the parents and people of this state, about this issue – and encourage them to make the well-being and education of our children our highest priority, including in the way we invest our public resources.

Why now or should we say, what took so long?

Scott Maxwell of the Orlando Sentinel recently wrote:

The statistics about how we treat our children in this state should make you sick.
We have one of the highest child-abuse rates in the country. We have more uninsured children than 48 other states. Our graduation rates lag.

Yes, he is right and it is time to get involved, and get our politicians to “be” involved.  More needs to be done, we don’t need a repeat of last year with the near death of two of our Florida students, Michael Brewer and Josie Ratley.

The Children’s Movement of Florida is spearheading the newest political movement making waves in the United States, calling themselves, endearingly “The Milk Party.” With events across the state of Florida, this movement comes at a time that hopefully people and politicians are listening. Currently, the group is in the middle of a 17 stop tour across the state of Florida during the month of September, called “The Children’s Express.” Click here to see if they will be in a city near you.

The latest events of James Jones, the father that defended his 13 year-old daughter who suffers with cerebral palsy, was maliciously taunted, teased and bullied on the school bus, has shed more light on this growing problem of bullying.

Learn more by visiting www.childrensmovementflorida.org and find out how you can help today.

Watch video.

Sue Scheff: Halloween Safety Tips

Halloween is almost here! Many kids are already anxious with anticipation and excitement. Parents are busy either making their costumes or shopping for them. Be sure to take a few minutes to review these Halloween Safety Tips! They may sound like common sense, but we all need reminding.

•Have a parent or older sibling go trick or treating with you, or go in a group.
•Wear a costume that makes it easy for you to walk, see and be seen.
•Trick or treat in your own neighborhood. Go only to the homes of people you know.
•Carry a flashlight so you can been easily.
•Use makeup instead of a mask or anything that obscures your vision.
•Be sure your costume is flame retardant.
•Cross only at corners. Never cross the street between parked cars or in the middle of the block.
•Stay on sidewalks and be aware of cars that may be turning or backing out of driveways.
•Don’t go to homes that do not have their lights on.
•Always be polite, say thank you, even if you don’t care for the treat.
•Wait until you get home to sort, check, and eat your treats; accept only candy that is wrapped or packaged. Parents or an older sibling should help sort the treats.

Lastly, my favorite idea that can be a tip that I just learned about: Teaching gratitude on Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Have fun and stay safe!

Also on Examiner.com

Sue Scheff: Safer Children in a Digital World: the report of the Byron Review

Visit: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/byronreview/index.shtml

On 24 June 2008 a cross-Government Action Plan was published which sets out how the recommendations of the Byron Review will be implemented.

In her groundbreaking report Safer Children in a Digital World, published in March 2008, Dr Tanya Byron set out a number of recommendations to improve children's safety when they use the internet or play video games.

This Action Plan sets out how Government, its partners, industry and the third sector will work together to create a safer online world.

Sue Scheff: Parenting and KidsHealth

KidsHealth is an excellent informational site for parents of children and teens of all ages. Learn more - http://kidshealth.org/parent/

General Health, Teen Issues, Nutrition, Medical Problems, Pregnancy, Positive Parenting and more!

(Sue Scheff) These Moms Know Best

These Moms Know Best is a website that combines parenting with great insight and ideas for moms!

As a parent, do you and your teenager have challenging mornings on school days? Are you wondering what you can do to help make your school mornings less stressful? Here are 6 tips to help you and your teenager experience a stress free school morning.

Visit: http://www.thesemomsknowbest.com/categories/Motherhood/Teens/ for more!

Are Internet-crazed kids sabotaging your job search/career?

I’ve written a lot about digital dirt (Eve Tahmincioglu), the negative information about you on the Internet you don’t want your boss or prospective employers to see.Here’s a minefield you better keep an eye on — Your own digitally savvy kids may be exposing your salary, your drinking habits, or your anger problems, to the entire free world on Facebook, etc.

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Parents in Middle Schools: When Kids No Longer Want You

In a very unscientific survey I conducted, 99.9% of teenagers would be either: a) so embarrassed; or b) so, so embarrassed, if their mom or dad attended a school event.

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High School's Adolescent Society

Excerpt from: Teachers, Schools, and Society: A Brief Introduction to Education p. 89-93 Rock singer Frank Zappa said, "High school isn't a time and a place. It's a state of mind." Sociologist James Coleman says that high school is ...

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Daily Routines for Kids

Parents Universal Resource Experts (Sue Scheff) On task, on time for kids? Learn more!

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Parents Behaving Badly

As a parent, you must avoid becoming wrapped up in how well your child performs. Don’t lose sight of what's really important and forget that one of the most important goals of youth sports is helping children develop a sense of good sportsmanship.

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What is the Strengths Movement?

Parents Universal Reource Experts (Sue Scheff) At its core, the Strengths Movement is a social movement intended to change how we view ourselves, our children and our world.

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Drugs, Alcohol, and Your Kid

Parents Universal Resource Experts (Sue Scheff) Although the latest government study finds drug use unchanged, kids are still at risk and experimenting at younger ages Risk factors Some youngsters are clearly more likely than others to be attracted to and hooked on drugs, nicotine and alcohol. ...

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Behavior Therapy for Children with ADHD

(Sue Scheff) Parents Universal Resource Experts: Seven parenting strategies guaranteed to improve the behavior of your child with attention deficit disorder (ADD ADHD).

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