The Tak Team Blog

Your Virgo Baby..

August 23 - September 22

Virgo children are honest and reliable and usually tidy, although they may have bouts of being disorganised. Quick and alert, your Virgo child can be an excellent mimic, and is likely to be an early talker and, later, an early reader.

Virgo children are usually shy amongst strangers and can become upset if teased. Sometimes Virgos are fussy eaters, but they will try very hard to please if they know what is expected of them.
Your Virgo child will need lots of encouragement to make friends and develop relationships. They sometimes have little confidence in their own attractiveness to others and opt for solitary pursuits. Parents will need to give lots of hugs and affection to build self-confidence. Virgo children can sometimes feel lonely.

Young Virgos will be helpful around the house, especially if imitating an adult, and careful with their belongings. They can become irritated if other children fail to meet their own exacting standards when playing with toys or tidying them away.
Parents of Virgos should encourage the reading of fairy stories and myths and play make-believe games. When they are older, Virgos enjoy remembering magical moments.

A typical Virgo child is healthy, although if they become unhappy or worried about something, they may succomb to hypercondria. Typical illnesses include diarrhoea, appendicitis and indigestion.

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Author: Tony Luck who runs a site with advice about having a baby and childcare. Included is the famous Chinese Birth Chart which supposedly forecasts whether you will have a boy or girl.

A baby crib is your baby’s first furniture. It is the only item in the world that you are intending to leave your baby unattended for periods of time. That is the more reason to buy only cribs that are safest. The baby crib will also be the place where your child will be spending most of the time. Cribs are expected to be of use until the child is about two to three years old when the baby is prepared to be sleeping in a real bed.

Baby crib standards for manufacture have been at work since 1973. Old cribs therefore should already be discarded in favor of the newer designs that meet safety standards. Parents are lavish when it comes to providing for their children. And so it is expected that parents will want the best baby crib. You can always opt to buy the most expensive baby crib and parents whenever they can afford it will always try their hardest to provide for their children what they think is best.

The best for your child is not necessarily mean the expensive kind as features has to take a back seat when it comes to safety. There are standards that should be observed when selecting a baby crib.

Safety

The Consumers Products Safety Commission has mandatory safety standards and good baby crib manufacturer subject each crib to tests before they put it out into the market. Any crib therefore that is in circulation should have the seal of passing the mandatory standards.
All finishes, paints, stains, lacquer etc. must be lead free. Baby’s love to bite and put into their mouths anything that fancies them. You would not want your baby chewing on materials with lead content.

Be on the lookout for warped slats and weak rails as even the most expensive is subject to human errors. It is not only the baby’s weight that the crib could be supporting. You could be leaning into it when picking up the child and your added weight might break a weak rail and could injure both you and your child.

Avoid also decorations that could trap your baby. Everything could be working fine in the earlier months but when the baby starts to grow and become active, fancy decorations could injure the child.

Do not settle for baby cribs made from inferior woods. Inferior woods could be cheaper but it will not provide the stability that you might need. Remember the crib that was passed on and used from sibling to sibling? Baby cribs are like that. Your next children could be using the same crib and if you do not check out for stability, well you know what usually happens.
Some of the mandatory standard for cribs design that should help you during your selection.

-Distances between slats should be not more than 2 3/8 inches.

-The top of the drop sides when in raised position should be at least 26 inches above the support from the lowest position.

-Drop sides must be not less than 9 inches above the mattress support.

-The size of the frame should at least be 27 inches wide and 51 inches long.

It is always best to buy cribs months before your child is born. Cribs are not staples in many stores and when you have a particular baby crib in mind, locating a particular baby crib could be difficult and time consuming.

Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides baby crib resources on http://www.your-baby-crib.info

Homework. It doesn’t have to be a daily battle of wills between child and parent. There are several strategies and elements that a parent can use to maximize an opportunity to support a child’s education and to massage the parent/child bond. For the parent, it is a way to understand what is going on at school and an opportunity for communication. Simply put, a parent has the ability to guide a child to positive feelings about education and to the rewards of good efforts.

Teachers need to have parents on their side, not for the teacher’s benefit, but for the child’s. When a parent gets involved and stays involved on a routine basis, this catapults the child to another level. A parent who reads to a child, models life-long learning, participate in school events and monitors homework time is doing his or her job of setting up the child for success.

The Five Essential Elements of Helping Your Child with Homework are: knowing the homework basics and the whys; knowing how to set up a proper environment; knowing how to monitor a child’s work; knowing how to provide the appropriate guidance; and knowing how to communicate with your child’s teacher.

Essential Element # 1 - Homework Basics

Getting to know the basics of homework, the ins and outs of the process, is critical. Think of it as a perfect platform for a parent to be involved, in a very meaningful way, in a child’s education. Think of it as one of the greatest challenges that a parent can ever face. Finally, think of it as an everyday routine that needs to be a primary function of family life.

Think about the reasons for homework to begin with. This is ammunition for a parent when responding to the typical child question, “Why do I have to do homework?” Homework helps the child do the following things: reviews previous learning; provides opportunity to practice; readies the child for the next lesson; expands reference skills using the library and internet; supplements and extends learning; provides opportunities for exploring subjects in more depth; helps the child become an independent worker; and allows for exploring individual interests. Keeping these lofty goals in mind will help a parent when the child starts to balk from time to time. Patience and perseverance is the mental state that parents must adopt. Staying in a positive mode, along what might prove to be a bumpy road, is the preferred approach.

Essential Element # 2 - A Proper Homework Environment

If a child believes that a parent cares and that there is a good reason to complete assignments, the child will value education and the routine of homework. A child needs to see that homework is as essential to education as training is to an athlete.

There are several considerations, which provide a great deal of flexibility, when setting up a good homework environment for a child. A parent should work with a child to make some of these decisions together. Research shows that the following areas need to be addressed: schedule a priority time, which may need to flex if there are dance lessons, sports teams, etc.; choose a specific place that is comfortable and works for the family; minimize distractors, such as TV; organize school supplies and materials; be a good role model by reading, playing educational games, and other appropriate activities; and show interest in what the child is working on.

Essential Element # 3 - Monitoring the Homework Routine

How closely a parent should monitor the homework time will vary from child to child. Those who do not work well independently will, of course, need intensified monitoring. Teachers may have varying views on the parent’s monitoring role. It is imperative that a parent talk with the child’s teacher to get an understand of the best way to support the child at home. A “never, never rule” is that you never do your child’s homework.

Being available for and in close proximity to the homework area is important. At the end of the homework time, a parent needs to thoroughly check to see that the assignments are complete. Asking the child what they were supposed to do and having them explain the assignment is a very effective way to wrap up the summary portion of the homework routine. This can also be a good way to start the session if the child tends to procrastinate about getting down to the assigned tasks. A parent should always be alert to teacher comments that may be on homework and other school papers. These can be red flags for the parents.

Essential Element # 4 - Providing the Appropriate Guidance

Supporting homework routines includes the appropriate guidance in scheduling other activities. Left to their own devices, most children will choose TV or video games over homework. There is a place for the television watching and the game playing, but a parent and child need to formulate a limited time for these. Homework has to be the priority.

Some of the specific techniques in guidance can include the following: encourage independence in completing homework; assist the child with organization skills, such as using folders; reinforce good study skills; help with practice and drills, for example multiplication flash cards; help the child learn about budgeting time to complete all tasks; talk about the assignments with the child; and provide praise throughout.

Essential Element # 5 - How to Communicate with the Classroom Teacher

A parent should contact the child’s teacher if the following issues arise: directions for homework are not clear; the parent can’t provide the necessary materials and supplies; the child is overly disorganized; the assignments are too easy or difficult on a consistent basis; and the child has missed several days of school and is behind on a massive amount of work.

As early as possible, contact the child’s teacher when there is a problem. A parent should take some notes to the meeting in order to be specific about what problem needs to be addressed. Work together to find a solution. It important that whatever is agreed upon that the parent and teacher monitor the results. If there no change after 3 o 4 weeks, the parent should follow up with another meeting request. Don’t let things go wrong too long.

The homework environment does not have to be a battleground. However, it can easily turn into one if the parent does not see the big picture and take control of the situation. A parent needs to seize this daily routine as an opportunity to be involved with the child and to be the child’s number one supporter for school success. Here’s a chance for a parent to give a meaningful gift to a child - a positive attitude toward responsibility, independence and educational accomplishments.

Copyright usage: No permission is needed to reproduce this story. The About The Author statement must remain in tact. I possible, we also request notification of where the article is being used so reciprocal links can be considered. barb@sbmag.org

About The Author Barbara Snyder M.A. Ed. is a retired California Distinguished School Principal and Coordinator For Human Resources. She has a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She holds elementary education, secondary, community college, and administrative credentials. She is currently the publisher of http://EducationResourcesNetwork.com, co-publisher of Strictly Business Magazine at http://www.sbmag.org and Student Teacher Supervisor at Chapman University.

Glow in the dark pieces of jewelry have become increasingly popular accessories for individuals of all ages. There are so many forms of glow in the dark jewelry that you could virtually light yourself up using only these accessories. This form of jewelry is fairly inexpensive (especially compared to most types of jewelry) and is meant to be used as fun and creative accessories that let your personality shine through. Some of the most popular glow in the dark items include glow bracelets, glow necklaces, glow pins and glow rings and each form of jewelry has its own unique characteristics.

Glow Bracelets

Glow bracelets are a fun and creative way to sport the latest form of glow in the dark jewelry and are great for parties that take place at night or in a bar. They come in a variety of colors including purple, pink and yellow and one glow bracelet can have up to 3 colors in one. Glow bracelets are fairly cheap and can be purchased for as little as 25 cents a bracelet when purchased in bulk or wholesale forms These bracelets usually only come in one size which fits almost any size of wrist.

Glow Necklaces

Glow necklaces are an extended form of glow bracelets. They are made with the exact same materials and come in the same colors; they are just bigger so they fit around your neck instead of your wrist. That said, they also cost more because they use more materials. A glow necklace may cost about 50 cents when purchased in bulk or wholesale form.

Glow Pins

Glow pins are the newest form of glow in the dark jewelry on the market and offer a wide selection of designs and styles to choose from. Glow pins are available in the form of pins, smiley faces, sports teams and even flags. These pins are not made from the same material as glow bracelets and necklaces, they light up using battery-powered LED lights. These are also considerably more expensive than glow necklaces and glow bracelets, however they last way longer and are less likely to get broken or damaged.

Glow Rings

Glow rings are not quite as popular as the other forms of jewelry listed above, perhaps because not as many people are aware that they exist. Glow rings come in many sizes and are great for parties and other fun events. Not only are there glow rings, but there are also glow earrings which can be purchased in many different shapes and designs. Glow rings can cost as little as $5 and glow earrings as little as $7, but they also have the potential to be quite expensive as well.

Glow jewelry is only expected to become more popular in the years to come and there are sure to be many new styles and innovations in this form of jewelry.

Jill Nelson is a freelance writer who enjoys spending time with her children when she isn’t working as a contributing editor for sites writing articles on topics such as Glow Sticks for sites like http://www.glowsticksdirect.com.