The Joy of Learning

Spending a gap year as an exchange student

Leah — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:47:20 +0000

Our friend’s teenage daughter just came home after spending a year in Peru as an exchange student. She had taken what the Europeans called “A Gap Year”. She left after her SPM to join the exchange program. So, she would be going back to school to do her sixth form, a year later than her peers. Her parents are extremely supportive of her decision, in fact, they are the ones who were instrumental in getting her to apply to the exchange program!

Some people may think it’s a waste of a year as she will be graduating and getting out to work a year later than her peers. But, I think the experience she had as an exchange student in a foreign country is a fatastic learning adventure for her. She might have learned about South America’s history and geography in the classroom and have seen the beautiful pictures of the Andes in the text books or dreamed about a Machu Picchu travel. But, nothing beats living in a foreign land for a year while trying to learn a new language. The experience certainly opened up her eyes and mind to many new and exciting things.

Underage drinking and motor accidents

Leah — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 15:07:40 +0000

It’s so disheartening to read in the newspaper that an irresponsible mother was arrested for hosting an underage drinking party! In this small college town, you have drive-through liquor stores at every corner of the streets! A few weeks ago, there was also a news about a drunk driver who crashed into a store front!

The statistics tells us motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group. In 2005, twelve teens ages 16 to 19 died every day from motor vehicle injuries. No wonder you have to say goodbye to cheap auto insurance when you have a teen driver in the household!

Equestrian therapy for the disabled

Leah — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:31:49 +0000

Equestrian Therapy is horseback riding for the disabled children and adults with cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism, learning disability, stroke and accident victims.The riding exercises aim to build muscle strength, balance and coordination, thus increase joint mobility and perceptual skills.

By combining equestrian techniques with concepts of physical therapy, this creates therapeutic riding for mentally and physically disabled people. Rather than the routine of other therapies, equestrian therapy is practiced in an atmosphere of fun and sport.

The rider learns traditional horsemanship skills to control the horse, thus increasing his or her self-esteem as well as improving their physical abilities. Equestrian Therapy also challenges students in a way they have seldom been challenged before.

The opportunity to lead a horse, to groom and help saddle it, are very real sources of excitement and accomplishment. The natural affinity between people and horses is a powerful way of encouraging the disabled to achieve their full potential.

Almost every disabled person can benefit from therapeutic riding. In less than fifteen minutes a walking horse takes a thousand steps. Each one requires the rider to use their muscles to maintain balance and their mind to control the horse.

Most of the non-profit organizations dedicated to teaching horseback riding to children and adults with physical and mental disabilities are in need of volunteers and cash donations to buy saddles, bridles, horse supplements and other tack items.

Baseball and soccer moms

Leah — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 02:53:53 +0000

Have you ever been to children’ football or baseball games? It is fascinating to watch the mothers who are almost omnipotent at children football and baseball practices or the little leagues. Some parents can get really competitive and pushed their children really hard. But, most moms are so lovingly provided the support needed without grumblings. They just want their children to have the best and memorable childhood experiences.

Moms have always been a major part of a child’s earliest sport experience, be it baseball and football. Moms are there to “train” them to play the games. They are the ones who pick up the Baseball Gloves, drive them around and to the field, put band-aids on their knees, and console them when they fail.

Many mothers are willing to make this worthwhile investment with their time because they believe the team sport helps in molding character, developing love and trust and help instilling a solid value system. The contribution of this moms is an immeasurable act that leading the cheers and caring for the youngsters of the family. The many hours of getting them to the ball park in time for practice and car pooling to ensure all players got to the game on time can be hectic. They may not have much personal time or time to sit in front of the TV or use theirhome theater furniture very much!

Benefits of mothers’ milk

Leah — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:07:22 +0000

In the midst of the widespread formula milk contamination scandal, may be it’s time for health departments in developing countries to undo the widespread misconception that formula is better than mother’s milk. The branding agencies and Marketing Company hired by this formula milk manufacturers have certainly doing a good job. Many people in Asia are brain washed to believe that formula is better for the babies.

Mothers’ milk has many benefits. Even if you are able to breastfeed for only a short time, your baby’s immune system can benefit from breast milk. Here are many other benefits of breast milk for a mother, her baby and other.

Breast milk is the most complete form of nutrition mother nature provides for infants. A mother’s milk has just the right amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein that is needed for a baby’s growth and development. Most babies find it easier to digest breast milk than they do with formula. As a result, breastfed infants grow exactly the way they should. They tend to gain less unnecessary weight and to be leaner. This may result in being less overweight later in life. Premature babies do better when breastfed compared to premature babies who are fed formula. Researches have shown that breastfed babies score slightly higher on IQ tests, especially babies who were born pre-maturely.

Nursing uses up extra calories, making it easier to lose the pounds of pregnancy, you won’t need any diet pill! It also helps the uterus to get back to its original size and lessens any bleeding a woman may have after giving birth. Breastfeeding, especially exclusive breastfeeding (no supplementing with formula), delays the return of normal ovulation and menstrual cycles, which lowers the risk of breast and ovarian cancers, and possibly the risk of hip fractures and osteoporosis after menopause. Breastfeeding makes your life easier. It saves time and money. You do not have to purchase, measure, and mix formula. There are no bottles to warm in the middle of the night! A mother can give her baby immediate satisfaction by providing her breast milk when her baby is hungry. Breastfeeding requires a mother to take some quiet relaxed time for herself and her baby, that can help a mother to bond with her baby. Physical contact is important to newborns and can help them feel more secure, warm and comforted. Thus, breastfeeding mothers may have increased self-confidence and feelings of closeness and bonding with their infants.

Breastfeeding can save on health care costs because fully breastfed infants typically need fewer sick care visits, prescriptions, and hospitalizations. Thus, breastfeeding contributes to a more productive workforce as parents miss less work to care for sick infants. Furthermore it is better for our environment because there is less trash and plastic waste compared to that produced by formula cans and bottle supplies.

The milk contamination scandal

Leah — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:53:16 +0000

A scandal surrounding milk containing melamine, a chemical used to make plastics and fertilizer surfaced. not long after the scandal about a diet pill that caused health problem. In China, thousands of children have developed kidney stones or other illnesses after drinking contaminated baby formula and a few deaths have been blamed on the bad milk. The unscrupulous manufacturers trying to cut costs are believed to have diluted their milk while adding melamine because its high nitrogen content can fool tests aimed at verifying protein levels.

Since the scandal erupted earlier this month, melamine-tainted products have also turned up in an increasing number of Made in China products - from candies to yogurt to rice balls. The list of products caught in the tainted milk scandal grew to include baby cereal, snack foods and vegetables. The woes were the latest blow to China’s troubled manufacturing industry, which came under intense scrutiny last year after melamine and other industrial toxins were found in exports ranging from toothpaste to a pet food ingredient.

This time, the products of some of the international name brands who have their manufacturing plants in China were also cited. It’s probably the busiest time for the Branding managers. Health experts say ingesting a small amount of melamine poses no danger, but in larger doses, the chemical can cause kidney stones and lead to kidney failure. Infants are particularly vulnerable.

Help children to develop positive self esteem

Leah — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:10:07 +0000

Self-esteem is how we feel about ourselves, and our behavior clearly reflects those feelings. The development of a positive self-concept or healthy self-esteem is the major key to the happiness and success of children and teenagers. For example, a child or teen with high self-esteem will be able to: act independently, assume responsibility, take pride in his accomplishments, tolerate frustration, attempt new tasks and challenges, handle positive and negative emotions and offer assistance to others

On the other hand, a child with low self-esteem will avoid trying new things, feel unloved and unwanted, blame others for his own shortcomings, feel, or pretend to feel, emotionally indifferent, unable to tolerate a normal level of frustration, put down his own talents and abilities and be easily influenced.

Parents, are the people who can promote or demote their child’s self-esteem more than anyone else. In fact, most parents do it without even realizing that their words and actions have great impact on how their child or teenager feels about himself.

Children or teenagers make decisions all the time but often are not aware that they are doing so. It’s important that parents help children improve their ability to consciously make wise decisions without being patronizing. Childrem with poor self image may succumb to peer pressure out of desperation to blend in. Some teenagers may resort to take weight loss pills to keep the anorexic look of their pop idols who flank every magazine and entertainment publication.

Protect our children from predators

Leah — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:37:17 +0000

Our newspaper articles appear with heartbreaking regularity with stories about men and women committing sexual crimes against children. By the time we read about it, the damage is already done, even though the perpetrator may be behind bars.

Early this week, FBI’s Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Team and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Los Angeles, announced that a major investigation had led to the arrest of seven men on charges of possessing and/or distributing images depicting the sexual abuse of children. The arrests were part of a larger investigation that has led to criminal charges against a total of 55 defendants. In this case, the suspects were accessing peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing networks over the Internet to trade graphic images and videos of children being victimized.

Law enforcement agencies at every level should take an aggressive stance against these crimes, paying close attention to those who exploit and abuse children, and make sure the Internet is not an anonymous playground where they can commit their crimes in secret.

Protecting our children from sexual predators, equally as important as protecting them financially i.e. get a life insurance quote and named them as beneficiaries.

No more tears, no more tangles

Leah — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:41:16 +0000

When children were babies, you may use Johnson and Johnson’s Baby Shampoo on their hair. No problem. But all too quickly came the day when they do not want to use anything with the word ‘Baby’ in the title. Especially if they can read at three years old, this will pose some problems. You can replace baby wipes with travel wipes, but what could you do about shampoo?

Most adult shampoos sting like crazy for children when they get in the eyes. But, no worry, J & J has a vast line of consumer products, the problem can be easily solved with Johnson’s Buddies Easy-comb 2-in-1 Shampoo, with the trademark ‘No more tears, no more tangles’.

The bright yellow bottle wasn’t going to offend your children, and while you may not be keen on the word ‘buddies’ it was definitely preferable to ‘baby’ as far as three years old are concerned.

Teach your children how to handle money

Leah — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:56:54 +0000

Well, every day our children and youth are bombarded with a million different images and voices, everything ads from billboards to internet telling them who they are and influencing them to measure their worth by what they have. The peer pressure and the pressure to be accepted drives them, and perhaps even their parents, to throw money away on things that don’t matter, all in an attempt to be somebody. The result? We are raising a generation that spends money they don’t have to buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t even like!

Over 80% of undergraduates in America have at least one credit card and nearly 50% of college graduates carry 4 or more credit cards. According to the Department of Education, the average balance carried by these students is more than $3,000!

These statistics show that many children aren’t being taught how to handle money. Many young adults do not know how to read a bank statement nor balance the check book, but they have a checking account or own several credit cards. That’s why we see more young people are making mistakes with many zeros at the end of them. These mistakes often take years to overcome. Teach your children how to handle money while they are young, and they won’t make mistakes later on in life.