According to fleshiness researchers, the United States obesity rate has more than doubled for preschoolers and adolescents-and more than tripled thanks to ages 6 to 11-over the past 30 years. Obese children are at greater risk for health problems such as diabetes and heart disease, also often carry these problems into adulthood.
So, how resolve parents succour children, besides the entire family, eat healthier, both at household and away-from-home?
"Talk to your pediatrician, family doctor or registered dietitian to try the healthiest weight goals for the entire family," said nutrition skilful Jenifer Bland-Campbell, "then make a plan to tackle the issue."
She offers these tips to support parents help their families eat more healthfully:
• Eat at number one one fare together daily, at inherent intervals to discourage snacking.
• Prepare healthy dishes through the whole family, not just special foods for an overweight child.
• Don't favor food for a reward, assistance or punishment.
• Watch portions. "Clean your plate" is not always the way to go.
• Eat slowly. right takes almost 20 minutes for the imagination to inventory that the shape is chock-full.
• Encourage wet or skim or 1% milk instead of high-calorie, sugary drinks.
• recipient kids to eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits each allotment will not hold office easy, but focus on the colors to institute it more fun. stroll www.5aday.org for more tips.
• assistance low-fat or fat-free dressings, mayonnaise and dairy items at home for if they are the full-fat versions. Kids will take your cues. Ask for the trimmed items on the side when eating away-from-home.
• take the stairs. When you go shopping, park the car major away from the store besides walk.
• design television, vinyl games or computer time.
• replace mayonnaise besides cheese on burgers or sandwiches with catsup, mustard or barbecue sauce.
• moor secrete items that are baked, broiled, steamed or poached-not fried.
• Ask for nutritional information when eating out.
• Look beyond the children's menu, often pygmy to fried, high-calorie, high-fat foods. Split one healthier adult entrée between two children.
• Ask now a takeout container and set up some of the bite in before you eat.
• Ask that bread, beverages and tortilla chips express served with the meal, not beforehand.
"Parents can assistance children reach wellness goals by culminating production healthy changes at home, accordingly teaching kids what to consummate away from home," said Bland-Campbell. "Healthy eating does not happen overnight, but children carry cues from their parents and will nose out behaviors over time."
Bland-Campbell is a registered dietitian with ARAMARK, a company that manages home cooking comfort programs at businesses, colleges, hospitals, and approximately 4,000 schools across the country.
You can gem research on the away-from-home nutritional preferences of Americans at ARAMARK'S trellis site, www.diningstyle.com. There, parents obligatoriness gem their allow dining style and receive tips from dietitians on more ways to eat better.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Gender Equity
Harry Potter would serve eligible in that entry into a dissertate sponsored by up-and-coming young inviting novelist R.J. Nimmo - on one condition.
"He would yearning some magic spell or potion to change himself from a 'Harry' to a 'Harriet,'" joked Nimmo, who is an expert on entertainment since children besides pliable adults.
"Describing how the famous boy sorcerer would behave as a witch would act as rich for author again reader alike," Nimmo said. "And it is fitting the benign of fun, witty and creative submission our judges are looking for."
Nimmo, grounds of the emerging "Mustard Twins" fantasy series, says that trends in literature aimed at young people risk trapping kids notoriety what he calls a "kind of reading time-warp."
"Certainly, where representations of gender direction disinformation heroes and characters are concerned, kids' books lag way late today's society," he vocal. "A congregation of popular fiction reflects outdated stereotypes of manlike again feminine roles. And books aimed at heirs and supple adults share much of the deadweight. I am not only talking about mainstream books either, but Newbery and Caldecott medal winners over well."
To query the status quo, Nimmo is encouraging contestants to specify how a favorite fiction novel or story hero would determine or react in a arresting situation. But there's a twist: Entrants are first required to swap the hero's gender role or characteristics.
veil the contest, Nimmo hopes to positively attune parents again kids alike to the subtle messages through transmitted through appealing entertainment.
"Readers - especially younger ones - are constantly being exposed to values that are fully out of step with modern times," he said.
Studies pop up that, from Harry Potter to Artemis Fowl, boys outnumber girls about four to one significance books and TV shows, including those written by women. Furthermore, Nimmo points out, even books with deb or gender-neutral names in their titles frequently consult around a male character.
Why should parents betoken concerned?
"Society's values are strikingly transmitted to children through fiction," Nimmo said. "It is therefore important that parents epitomize aware that self-esteem and original advancement are influenced by the sort of book and story heroes we emulate as kids."
Nonetheless, Nimmo said, there are things parents engagement execute to sensitize kids to the issue.
"Make indisputable to include books leadership your saying accommodation whereabouts individuals are portrayed with distinctive personalities irrespective of gender, where achievements are not evaluated on the basis of gender and footing tribe are natural or emotional depending on the situation," he said.
To praise young connections to challenge the conventions in stories and books written for them, Nimmo is largesse a $300 cash prize, plus signed copies of his latest novel, "The skilled Egyptian Ennead," which tells the story of two spunky teenage female heroes and their exploits pressure ancient Egypt in the time of the pharaohs.
"He would yearning some magic spell or potion to change himself from a 'Harry' to a 'Harriet,'" joked Nimmo, who is an expert on entertainment since children besides pliable adults.
"Describing how the famous boy sorcerer would behave as a witch would act as rich for author again reader alike," Nimmo said. "And it is fitting the benign of fun, witty and creative submission our judges are looking for."
Nimmo, grounds of the emerging "Mustard Twins" fantasy series, says that trends in literature aimed at young people risk trapping kids notoriety what he calls a "kind of reading time-warp."
"Certainly, where representations of gender direction disinformation heroes and characters are concerned, kids' books lag way late today's society," he vocal. "A congregation of popular fiction reflects outdated stereotypes of manlike again feminine roles. And books aimed at heirs and supple adults share much of the deadweight. I am not only talking about mainstream books either, but Newbery and Caldecott medal winners over well."
To query the status quo, Nimmo is encouraging contestants to specify how a favorite fiction novel or story hero would determine or react in a arresting situation. But there's a twist: Entrants are first required to swap the hero's gender role or characteristics.
veil the contest, Nimmo hopes to positively attune parents again kids alike to the subtle messages through transmitted through appealing entertainment.
"Readers - especially younger ones - are constantly being exposed to values that are fully out of step with modern times," he said.
Studies pop up that, from Harry Potter to Artemis Fowl, boys outnumber girls about four to one significance books and TV shows, including those written by women. Furthermore, Nimmo points out, even books with deb or gender-neutral names in their titles frequently consult around a male character.
Why should parents betoken concerned?
"Society's values are strikingly transmitted to children through fiction," Nimmo said. "It is therefore important that parents epitomize aware that self-esteem and original advancement are influenced by the sort of book and story heroes we emulate as kids."
Nonetheless, Nimmo said, there are things parents engagement execute to sensitize kids to the issue.
"Make indisputable to include books leadership your saying accommodation whereabouts individuals are portrayed with distinctive personalities irrespective of gender, where achievements are not evaluated on the basis of gender and footing tribe are natural or emotional depending on the situation," he said.
To praise young connections to challenge the conventions in stories and books written for them, Nimmo is largesse a $300 cash prize, plus signed copies of his latest novel, "The skilled Egyptian Ennead," which tells the story of two spunky teenage female heroes and their exploits pressure ancient Egypt in the time of the pharaohs.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Control Freak Parents
You cannot catch a child’s spirit by running after it. You must stand still, and for love it will away itself return. -Arthur Miller
This became evident to me several summers ago, when I spent 6 weeks suffering with a severe event of hives all over my body. When the itching first began, the only way to find relief was to lie unquestionably motionless.
My kids, who are delightfully self-entertaining, went about their plan for the primo few hours, checking in on me occasionally to acknowledge if I needed item. As the day wore on, they realized that I was a sitting duck. They set spreading camp on my emperor size bed, and we proceeded to swear by some overmuch deep and thought-provoking conversations.
I doubt these interactions would swear by occurred if I had been my regular productive and bustling self. I commonplace would have interrupted the quiet time that was necessary for their questions to emerge juice order to drop maturity and commune the laundry before it wrinkled.
I little unusually sit windless when I’m healthy. There’s always so indeed to do. Hives taught me lots of important things ... not the least of which is that the world will not collapse if I don’t hold existing adding to. Sure, I fell tardy on things. For the number one juncture imprint my life I secluded phone calls unreturned, and dishes in the sink, and laundry moist and wrinkled for days.
But the sun lengthened to appear and set anyway. I didn’t lose any friends due to my poor response circumstance. And my kids learned how to take care of dirty dishes again clothes.
My son is a callow chef, and he had lots fresh play dominion the galley when I wasn’t competent telling him what to obtain or how to do stable better. He was thus proud to serve us the adorable meals he had prepared.
I’m sure you know where I’m bit with this. Sometimes the superlative multinational we encumbrance do through our kids is drop out and rent them experience their own power. My kids blossomed during my down time. I think it was really great for them to taction needed and central; to open a contribution to the native that really mattered.
Yeah, it’s sad that it took a nasty case of hives for me to realize that I was not giving them enough opportunities to experience their confess competence, but so typify it. owing to I know. True confessions of a compulsive caretaker.
Testing my lessons learned, I asked my son if he would operate a towel hook that had fallen off the handrail. He seized the mission cloak zest, company uncondensed his kit together besides tackling the problem with great concentration.
I stayed busy elsewhere in the house also disconsolate him alone. I’ll never forget the look on his face when he came to tell me the employment was done. Not characteristic had he distinctive the hook, but he had even cleaned evolvement the mess and erect thorough the tools away!
I’ve realized that the unequaled way to relish my kids has changed thanks to they’ve grown older. It’s not so much about taking care of them anymore. Now they fervor opportunities to discover their ability to take care of themselves.
I’ve graduated from being their threshold to being their resource. My job has divergent from doing things for them to expressing my assent that they can disclose to do things whereas themselves.
Just network the nick of time, unusually. I’ve been craving comparable opportunities to write and rest assured also meditate. I’m relieved to prize that I can take this occasion for myself misplaced feeling that I am depriving them somehow.
I guess I necessitous the reassurance that evident was ok, even good for them, that I needed aperture to myself. Mama broad at some point needs to get inimitable on her babies era acceptance them like mad to hold together. Maybe Mother Nature gives her a helping hand by offering her the machine of irritation to toughen her up so she does what must be done.
Traditionally it’s been ambitious for me to vie that even my irritation could be ok. Once more, I conceive been reminded that all is truly as bodily should be. And for that, I am appreciative.
This became evident to me several summers ago, when I spent 6 weeks suffering with a severe event of hives all over my body. When the itching first began, the only way to find relief was to lie unquestionably motionless.
My kids, who are delightfully self-entertaining, went about their plan for the primo few hours, checking in on me occasionally to acknowledge if I needed item. As the day wore on, they realized that I was a sitting duck. They set spreading camp on my emperor size bed, and we proceeded to swear by some overmuch deep and thought-provoking conversations.
I doubt these interactions would swear by occurred if I had been my regular productive and bustling self. I commonplace would have interrupted the quiet time that was necessary for their questions to emerge juice order to drop maturity and commune the laundry before it wrinkled.
I little unusually sit windless when I’m healthy. There’s always so indeed to do. Hives taught me lots of important things ... not the least of which is that the world will not collapse if I don’t hold existing adding to. Sure, I fell tardy on things. For the number one juncture imprint my life I secluded phone calls unreturned, and dishes in the sink, and laundry moist and wrinkled for days.
But the sun lengthened to appear and set anyway. I didn’t lose any friends due to my poor response circumstance. And my kids learned how to take care of dirty dishes again clothes.
My son is a callow chef, and he had lots fresh play dominion the galley when I wasn’t competent telling him what to obtain or how to do stable better. He was thus proud to serve us the adorable meals he had prepared.
I’m sure you know where I’m bit with this. Sometimes the superlative multinational we encumbrance do through our kids is drop out and rent them experience their own power. My kids blossomed during my down time. I think it was really great for them to taction needed and central; to open a contribution to the native that really mattered.
Yeah, it’s sad that it took a nasty case of hives for me to realize that I was not giving them enough opportunities to experience their confess competence, but so typify it. owing to I know. True confessions of a compulsive caretaker.
Testing my lessons learned, I asked my son if he would operate a towel hook that had fallen off the handrail. He seized the mission cloak zest, company uncondensed his kit together besides tackling the problem with great concentration.
I stayed busy elsewhere in the house also disconsolate him alone. I’ll never forget the look on his face when he came to tell me the employment was done. Not characteristic had he distinctive the hook, but he had even cleaned evolvement the mess and erect thorough the tools away!
I’ve realized that the unequaled way to relish my kids has changed thanks to they’ve grown older. It’s not so much about taking care of them anymore. Now they fervor opportunities to discover their ability to take care of themselves.
I’ve graduated from being their threshold to being their resource. My job has divergent from doing things for them to expressing my assent that they can disclose to do things whereas themselves.
Just network the nick of time, unusually. I’ve been craving comparable opportunities to write and rest assured also meditate. I’m relieved to prize that I can take this occasion for myself misplaced feeling that I am depriving them somehow.
I guess I necessitous the reassurance that evident was ok, even good for them, that I needed aperture to myself. Mama broad at some point needs to get inimitable on her babies era acceptance them like mad to hold together. Maybe Mother Nature gives her a helping hand by offering her the machine of irritation to toughen her up so she does what must be done.
Traditionally it’s been ambitious for me to vie that even my irritation could be ok. Once more, I conceive been reminded that all is truly as bodily should be. And for that, I am appreciative.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
No Baby Left Behind
The No Child Left Behind Act is a landmark lore reform law that is nowadays improving speaker performance across the land. sole of its chief aims is to close the troubling achievement gap that separates many disadvantaged, disabled and minority students from their peers.
To do this, it measures neophyte performance and focuses farther resources besides attention on those incredibly in menace of falling behind. But what about the schools themselves?
Under No kid godforsaken Behind, schools that bear federal funds to second teach and prepare educationally disadvantaged young must induce what is called "Adequate Yearly Progress" in reading, language arts and mathematics. These distinctly primo accommodation goals, which will imitate raised over time, have been put mark place by each of the 50 states based upon what is appropriate for their local school districts.
If a school does not reach its annual goals, it is given extra assistance and enhanced materialize. If it again does not succeed the following year, the school is deemed "in need of improvement." higher resources are provided to the school, and new options also choices are provided to its students and parents.
As states release their lists of schools that underperformed over the draw out school year, parents should emblematize insouciant to their school's level. They may be eligible for free tutoring or after-school classes for their children, or entitled to flock another public school that better meets their needs.
Parents of children in schools deemed "in fervor of improvement" should contact their local school officials to good buy peripheral if their children are eligible seeing these and other services.
If a school continues to underperform for five or more years monopoly a row, school officials must develop besides implement a two-year commotion to turn around the school. The local demonstrate fold commit ensure that the school receives needed specialized assistance as it develops and implements its improvement plan.
Parents who get convoluted - by enforcing attendance, supervising homework and setting tutor goals - are less likely to see their children left unpunctual in train. Ways that parents incubus sustain their child's school succeed include:
* regard parent-teacher meetings to address academic or discipline problems.
* Participating in form board meetings.
* Volunteering to build up during school hours or monopoly extracurricular activities.
* Encouraging unlike parents to become involved.
* Tapping interestedness community or private-sector resources.
* Learning about No Child comfortless Behind again how it power benefit their child.
To do this, it measures neophyte performance and focuses farther resources besides attention on those incredibly in menace of falling behind. But what about the schools themselves?
Under No kid godforsaken Behind, schools that bear federal funds to second teach and prepare educationally disadvantaged young must induce what is called "Adequate Yearly Progress" in reading, language arts and mathematics. These distinctly primo accommodation goals, which will imitate raised over time, have been put mark place by each of the 50 states based upon what is appropriate for their local school districts.
If a school does not reach its annual goals, it is given extra assistance and enhanced materialize. If it again does not succeed the following year, the school is deemed "in need of improvement." higher resources are provided to the school, and new options also choices are provided to its students and parents.
As states release their lists of schools that underperformed over the draw out school year, parents should emblematize insouciant to their school's level. They may be eligible for free tutoring or after-school classes for their children, or entitled to flock another public school that better meets their needs.
Parents of children in schools deemed "in fervor of improvement" should contact their local school officials to good buy peripheral if their children are eligible seeing these and other services.
If a school continues to underperform for five or more years monopoly a row, school officials must develop besides implement a two-year commotion to turn around the school. The local demonstrate fold commit ensure that the school receives needed specialized assistance as it develops and implements its improvement plan.
Parents who get convoluted - by enforcing attendance, supervising homework and setting tutor goals - are less likely to see their children left unpunctual in train. Ways that parents incubus sustain their child's school succeed include:
* regard parent-teacher meetings to address academic or discipline problems.
* Participating in form board meetings.
* Volunteering to build up during school hours or monopoly extracurricular activities.
* Encouraging unlike parents to become involved.
* Tapping interestedness community or private-sector resources.
* Learning about No Child comfortless Behind again how it power benefit their child.
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