A Parent's Blog About Parent Interests by our Tutoring Company

Swimming lessons for kids are quite commonplace in any urban area. A lot of parents would want their child to participate merely because it’s a known safety benefit to successfully handle oneself in a body of water. Some parents kickstart their kid’s water affair earlier than others (there has been some debate on an ideal starting age), but the benefits of getting your child in the pool are overall, quite substantial.

Here is why a child should be in swimming lessons:

They can ensure their own safety and self-reliance

Swimming, beach-going, watersports, etc., are hugely popular activities for people of all ages. Being able to safely handle yourself in water is imperative if you are to find yourself in such a situation. Drowning is unfortunately the 3rd leading cause of death by unintentional injury. Furthermore, it is often hugely underestimated how quickly and fatally an accident can occur. If a child is effectively taught how to a) stay calm and b) practice the correct maneuvers, the likelihood of them ever being at risk for losing control is significantly reduced.

2. They can boost their physical and mental health

In our modern tech-fueled world, there are more reasons than ever to keep a child physically moving. Low impact sports like swimming can be done by children of any size or athletic ability (grab the lifejackets and water wings if needed!). It is a universal skill that once learned, can even be a remedy for anxiety and depression– things undoubtedly important to keep in check for a child’s mental well being.

3. They can learn to conquer their fears

It’s not to be overlooked that being afraid of water is a real fear for some. Kids especially can be exponentially overwhelmed if they feel pressured by their peers. Afterall, adolescent birthday parties or summer activities typically include swimming at one point or another. Starting swimming lessons early on can help a child rationalize their relationship with water. This helps them prepare for water-situations instead of feeling frightened because they’ve had no viable experience. If your child is afraid of the water, here is a great resource on helping them overcome that fear.

Make swimming part of your child’s extracurricular activities

When it comes to extracurricular activities, swimming lessons are relatively inexpensive at the community center level. This is when you compare it to costs associated with other sports like minor hockey or dance classes. So, think of it as a worthwhile investment directly into your child’s safety and health. Not to mention, they won’t feel left out on the next swimming-related adventure!

If a child is fearful of flying and they are getting increasingly anxious before take-off, there are some methods to help diffuse the panic.

Being scared of flying is fairly common for people of all ages. However, children might not be able to grasp just how uncommon plane crashes are (chances are approximately 1 in 11 million). So even though as a parent you can assure them they will be more than safe, they still have to make their way down a jetway into an isolated tube– and then launched 30,000 feet in the air. Easier said than done, right?

Here are some ways to help your child be at ease the next time they fly:

Teach children about the history of flying

Before you even leave for the airport, try to build up the excitement of flying, rather than the fear of it. Let’s not forget, that it’s pretty awesome how a bunch of humans can be transported so quickly, high up in the sky. Perhaps explain some history of aviation (the Wright Brothers) and how your child is rather lucky to have a comfy seat and free drinks! After all, air travel in the modern day is quite luxurious compared to its humble beginnings. Perspective is everything when it comes to facing fears.

Use resources to help kids overcome a fear of flying

There are some books specially made for this subject, believe it or not. Reading Rainbow even has a video you can show your kids about it. A child counsellor also has some advice to get kids over their fear of flying here. The Good Stuff channel also has a video that talks about the psychology of the fear of flying, with helpful tips. In that video, they interview a young man who faced his fear of flying by spending 30 days on an operating airplane, non-stop!

If you have children who are afraid to fly, demonstrate being calm and relaxed

It’s important that along every step of your journey, you are modelling relaxed, at-ease behaviour. If you get worked up, chances are you child will feed off of it and heighten their own anxiety.

Turbulence. A common occurrence on flights, some days being much worse than others. If you find yourself in a bout of turbulence, it’s important to reassure your child that it’s completely normal. Perhaps tell them it’s like potholes in the clouds. Or, that they are part of the weather being ‘made’ and it’s going to be bumpy for a bit. Reassure them that turbulence does eventually end– even though at the time, it sure doesn’t seem like it!

Prepare distractions for kids when flying

Let your child know in advance that they have to go through a security screening (think sci-fi fun!), as well as a safety briefing on the plane. Perhaps grab the safety pamphlet from the seat pocket, and quiz them to make sure they were paying attention!

Then, there is the waiting game. Flying takes up a huge chunk of time. From waiting to get on the plane, waiting to take off, the flight time itself, waiting to get off the plane, waiting for luggage… it really is quite boring and uneventful, which might help them be less scared of it.

Since so much time is involved in flying, make sure you have enough resources to occupy them so their mind doesn’t wander into anxious thoughts. Bring games and toys. For older kids, make sure you have a tablet or smartphone (with charger cable on board!) loaded with their favourite movies, music, TV, and games. Bring a journal or paper for them to draw and sketch. Team up with them and try these fun pencil and paper games!

Aim for long term success to fly without fear

Your child will likely feel quite accomplished if they are able to get through a flight without being afraid. Perhaps reward their behaviour with a small treat or gift to mark the occasion.

If your child is having persistent difficulty with flying, perhaps there are underlying reasons that child counselling could help rectify. Otherwise, if you stick to most of the above, chances are your child will be looking forward to their next flight… window seat and all, so they can enjoy the spectacular view!

With all the different forms of early childhood education present today, it can be quite daunting to research each one to figure out what is best for your child. Keep reading to learn about the basics of one of the prominent educational methods, Waldorf Education.

What are the main points of Waldorf Education?

Based on developmental stages. Waldorf education introduces concepts, subjects, and technology at the appropriate developmental stage. For example, reading and writing are not introduced until after age 7, because they are not considered to be age appropriate. Instead, language development comes from activities like oral storytelling. Meanwhile, activities like music and dance are required from a very early age.

Focused on Play. The Waldorf theory follows the idea that little children learn through play, and each child approaches play in a unique and individual way according to their experience of the surrounding world. Because of this, a Waldorf classroom is an environment that lends itself to play through both the physical materials and layout, as well as the activities that take place in the classroom. In addition to this, the Waldorf classroom is not only indoors, but also outdoors, as children have long periods of outdoor play and activity time.

Centered around a structured routine blended with creativity. Every Waldorf school will be structured in a way that children will know what to expect in their routine. For example, certain days of the week may be for a set activity, like gardening. Children are often in a class with the same teacher for multiple years, so that the teacher can better assess each student’s learning needs and so that children are more comfortable in their learning environment.

What makes Waldorf Education different from the rest?

No media. Because Waldorf is based on developmental stages, digital technology is not introduced into the child’s education until around the age of 14. According to the Waldorf education website, this is because by this age, a young person will have “reached the intellectual maturity to reason abstractly and process concretely on his or her own.”

This is not to say that young children are not capable of using technology. Rather, for a younger child, their developmental stage will lend itself to relating to the world in a natural, creative, curious way that may be inhibited by the use of technology in their learning environment.

Non-academic. Waldorf schools do not have homework or tests, and there is no importance placed on memorization. There are not even desks in the classroom, to make it feel more warm and friendly like a home. In this kind of environment, learning is able to be individualized for each student through various teaching methods, all within the student’s predictable routine.

Lots of time spent outdoors. Nature is a big part of children’s learning, so students spend a fair amount of time outdoors, regardless of the season.

Overall, Waldorf education inspires individualism in children and allows their education to be customized to their learning needs. By learning through play and apart from media, children are able to learn according to where they are developmentally and build a solid foundation for their academic learning later on.

Food waste has been a hot topic in the news this year. Our American neighbours down south have attempted to pass a law that would help small businesses donate excess food to charity, but it has been met with a lot of challenges. If you’re interested in finding a little more about that, we’d suggest checking out this John Oliver episode, which gives a detailed explanation about how this would’ve reduced food waste (note: the video may not be suitable for kids). According to the show, about 40 per cent of food in the US gets thrown out, which has prompted us to think a little bit on how we can teach kids about food waste.

Canada isn’t much better when it comes to reducing food waste

While some of us might scoff at the statistics suggesting Americans waste a huge amount of food, we Canadians would do well to look at ourselves first. Studies suggest that we’re not much better when it comes to conserving our grub. Second Harvest, a charity dedicated to giving food to the needy, says that Canadians waste $31 billion of food each year, with 47 per cent of that amount getting thrown out at home. This probably means that we as adults have to teach kids about food waste. It also suggests we should examine how we consume food so we can serve as better examples. Remember, kids can often pay just as much to our actions as they do to our words!

This may seem like a simple enough lesson, but given that the stats we mentioned above say 47 per cent of food waste comes from the home, it would appear many people aren’t following this principle. And it can be an easy trap to fall into. Leftovers are often not aesthetically pleasing and sometimes don’t taste as good.

Reuse your leftovers by holding a food scrap cook-off!

Get the whole family involved to help build up some enthusiasm for reducing food waste. One way would be to hold cook-off contests to see who can make the best use of scrap food. Try brainstorming meal plans that reduce food waste or make use of old meals.

But you can teach your kids to reduce food waste by exploring ideas and recipes on how to incorporate leftover ingredients into new meals. Internet comedians Rhett and Link do a funny but telling demonstration that shows we need to be more thoughtful of how we can use food scraps.

Here’s one idea: if your family didn’t finish eating a whole loaf of French bread, do an internet search for dishes that use bread crumbs! As a starting point, sites like Greatist.com have compiled extensive lists of leftover food recipes.

And if your kids still aren’t convinced that leftovers can taste good, tell them about renowned chef Dan Barber, who turned food waste into five-star meals. Use that as inspiration to spur creative ideas for how you and your kids can reuse old food!

The more you get your kids involved, the more they may be likely to eat their meals, instead of arguing about not liking something, and therefore not wanting to eat it.

Reduce food waste by packing lunch food that doesn’t go bad

Probably one of the most simple, yet effective ways to reduce food waste is to pack lunch food that won’t spoil if unrefrigerated. Let’s face it — sometimes kids don’t finish their meals. This can result in a lot of spoiled food, because refrigerators often aren’t always available at school. Meals that aren’t eaten a few hours after lunch time can easily go bad and become food waste.

Talk with your kids and brainstorm lunch ideas with food that can stay good until the end of the day if not refrigerated. Some easy examples include vegetable sticks, salads (sans dressing), bread with peanut butter or jam and nuts. Obviously, check food product guidelines before assuming any of the above items will stay good unrefrigerated.

If possible, make an agreement with your children that their packed lunches will have to be finished by the end of the day, even if they can’t eat everything at school. Leftovers can be eaten later during the day as a snack or as a supplement to their dinners.

Donate food all year round to reduce food waste with kids

Kids can also learn about food waste by practicing donating to a local food bank regularly. Often food bank drives are held during winter holidays. But the need for food doesn’t stop there – families can go hungry all year round.

Ask kids to pay for some of their food

Now, we’re not saying to let your kids go hungry. But let’s face it, sometimes they want things from the supermarket or at a food establishment that they don’t need but just want to eat. Kids may have a hard time understanding what it takes to earn and pay for food, which can result in taking it for granted. Setting up rules where kids need to use their allowance or job earnings to pay for foods can help them realize the cost of wasting something so essential.

Start a family compost

Composting is another way to reuse food scraps. Even if you’re not a gardener yourself, you could donate your compost ‘riches’ to a neighbour who could use it. And that way kids can learn what should and should not go in the garbage – organic materials can go back into our food system.

You may not be able to implement all these lifestyle changes to reduce food waste, but you can start with baby steps. And when our kids learn to adapt to today’s food waste no-nos, they could pave the way for a future where society learns to value our life-saving food resources.

Pedestrian safety is one of the most basic but essential skills that you will teach your children in their lives. Teaching your children the rules of the road will ensure that you can have some peace of mind when your kids are outside the house. This is a big problem — Parachute Canada, a non-profit organization which is dedicated to stopping accident-related deaths reported in 2008 that “child pedestrian injuries were the leading cause of injury-related death” for Canadian kids under 14. In a PDF document, they’ve made available has some great tips on how to prevent these injuries through proper education. You can download it here:

http://www.parachutecanada.org/downloads/injurytopics/ChildPed_Report_07:08.pdf

With this in mind, we’ll be dedicating today’s post to teaching pedestrian safety to kids.

Go beyond the basics when teaching pedestrian safety to kids

Sometimes kids don’t get much pedestrian safety education beyond recognizing stoplight signals and learning to look both ways before crossing the road. While the above road safety skills are a great way to start, it’s not uncommon for the learning about road rules to stop there. That is, until children start studying to drive in their teenage years. Need proof? Ask your kids or their friends to identify all the signs they see when you take them on a drive. There’s a good chance that there will be many gaps in their knowledge. We’d advise helping them learn as much as possible about road rules, even if your kids aren’t close to driving age yet. Awareness is a big factor in preventing pedestrian-vehicle accidents, and developing a working knowledge of road rules can only help.

Beyond looking both ways, what other traffic rules should kids know?

We’re going to assume that you’ve already taught your kids the most rudimentary traffic basics, such as going with — not against — the flow of traffic, and waiting for pedestrian signal lights. If you haven’t already, we’d advise you to get on it! However, this section is dedicated to teaching children more knowledge about the road that may not be taught so often.

Teach your children how to recognize the types of traffic stops

Can your child tell the difference between a three-way stop and a four-way stop? Which road (if any) are ‘through’ roads? What does a red blinking light mean? As a simple exercise, ask your kids to look around and count the stop signs at each intersection (especially the ones not facing them). This is a valuable skill that will help your kids anticipate where cars are coming from. We’d advise showing them the ‘rhythm’ of a four-way, so they can know which car’s turn it is to move forward. This will allow them to notice when something is wrong. Like, for instance, an unmindful driver who disobeys the stop regulations.

Teach kids how to recognize one-way roads

Unless you are a driver (which many kids aren’t), it’s not always obvious if a road is one-way or not. For example, Vancouver signage for one-road streets is often pretty small — a narrow white-on-black arrow tucked to the side of a street sign. To help kids understand the flow of traffic, explain to them the difference between white lane markers and yellow ones. For example, if they can’t see any yellow on a street, it’s probably one way.

Also, get your students to observe the direction of parked cars on the side of the road. That’s also often a good indicator of traffic flow. This skill will help kids pick a road that helps them travel with the flow of traffic.

Teach students to recognize hazard warnings

Children should know what every hazard warning looks like. This will help them anticipate when, and if, a car will go out of control. For instance, kids should recognize the sharp turn warning sign, so they can be mindful of the fact that some cars may swerve out of a lane if it’s going too fast. This will help children plan their routes to avoid danger, if necessary.

Regularly test your kids on road safety rules and regulations

Of course, the above regulations we listed are only suggestions to get you started. Don’t stop there! It would probably be wise to regularly ask your kids if they can recognize a particular sign when you go on a drive, walk or bike ride. If you detect any knowledge gaps, try giving your child an explanation.