Category: Well-Being

As summer approaches, or maybe it’s already here when you are reading this, it’s important to be mindful of the changes in weather and how it can greatly effect our pets.  If you have a pet that plays with you outdoors, such as a cat or a dog, summer means more time to enjoy with them.

So before school starts up again, now is also a great time to remind yourself about important facts regarding animal care for the summer and all year round.

1. Make Sure Your Pets Are Vaccinated

Summer is a time when families travel more and kids have more time to play outside in the sunshine. And if your family includes a dog, your pet will be out among other animals than usual. Also, some travel requires that your pet has necessary shots before crossing borders. That’s why now is a good time to ask your veterinarian of your animal’s shots are up to date.

2. Keep Your Pet Under Your Control

Strangers may not like your pets and could turn a great day into a big scene. Even if your pet is perfectly friendly and safe, some people have a fear of dogs and even your sweet pup runs up to say hello, the person may see the greeting as an attack. Always make sure that your pet is in your control, either well trained or on a leash. That way, everyone can have more fun.

3. Never Leave Your Pet In A Hot Vehicle

Remember that cars and trucks can kill a pet with heat. Every year people leave their dogs and cats in cars under a hot sun. Even with the window cracked, the heat can quickly become deadly. Leaving the air conditioning on when the family goes into a hamburger joint is okay, but always check occasionally to make sure that the vehicle is still running.

4. Make Sure That Your Pet Has A Tag With Information.

Your pet doesn’t have a cell phone to call home when lost, so make sure he always has his collar on. The dog or cat license from your town or city helps people return your pet if he or she runs off after a rabbit or another dog. For those pets with or without a license, also consider having a special tag made up with your phone number as well as your pet’s name.  This way people who find your pet can call you directly.

5. Watch Out For Your Pet’s Feet, Sunburns And Dehydration

If you can feel it, so can your pet! If the sun is so hot that you can’t stand on the sidewalk, then it is too hot for your pet to stand on the sidewalk. If your nose is starting to blister from the sun, your pet’s nose is in danger of a burn. If you’re dehydrated and sweating then you and your pet both need water. If you have your pet tied up, make sure there is shade and fresh water.

Happy Summer!

And remember, your pet loves you and depends on you to love him or her back.

Pet’s don’t live as long as humans, so it’s important to take care of them and help make their lives as long as possible.  For those are dealing with the death of a pet, here is how one of our writers dealt with the loss of her cat.

On the same subject, all of us with pets can take time to recognize the true value of every animal we spend time with as we care for them. They can become treasured friends that help us throughout our own lives.  Read the story of Wally and Wuzzy.

Looking For a Family Dog? 8 Best Dog Breeds For Kids

Winter break is full of fun, food, friends and folks. AND of course – brightly wrapped gifts! It can also feel awkward. You could be spending time with people you don’t know very well. To make the time even worse, YOUR PARENTS WILL TELL YOU TO PUT YOUR SMARTPHONES AWAY! HORROR!

Before you think about going back to school after winter break, now is the time to ponder how you spend time with these people — especially when you haven’t even seen their social media profile.

Holiday Moments

What do you talk about? What do you do?  Relax. Here are some helpful ideas to make awkward real-life moments easier.

Ask your guests the same questions that you answer on social media. Remember when you made your social media page? You posted details like your favorite singer, your favorite movie, what books and sports you like. Talk to your guests about these topics. You will probably find out that you have a lot in common.

Being stuck in a house with your phones turned off can feel weird. Before your guests arrive, think of three things you can do with your company outside of the house. Skating, snow ball fights, walking to a near-by attraction, even showing your company your school.  There are plenty of things to do in or outside the house.

Don’t worry about sounding lame. Your guests will probably feel relieved to be away from the adults for a short time. If you are going to be in a strange town or location, take time to look up sights in the area. Then, if time together starts to feel weird, you can come to the rescue.

Things to Do

Learn some magic tricks. With a plain deck of cards you can have people scratching their heads and in awe. You never know—you might have real talent for magic. Even if you don’t, you’ll have fun with the challenge.

Even if you may not be allowed to use your computer or phone, you can still play games. You probably have a stack of board games hidden somewhere in a closet. Dig them out and learn the rules. Or get that deck of cards you used for magic tricks.

Before you hand your phone over to your parents, look up games you can easily teach your guests. There is something fun for every age and skill level.

Remember that no one is perfect.

Everyone feels awkward from time to time.

When you are together with relatives you don’t know very well, they are probably feeling like you are. Time without your phone will feel funny. Just be yourself and let yourself have fun in the real world.

Discover 24 days of fun and cheap holiday activities.
That’s over three weeks of things to do!

An Incredible Free Holiday Gift!

This holiday season, there is one gift you can give the world that doesn’t cost one cent. Be nice. Being nice is easy. It can take many forms. You could use your graphics program to create a thoughtful message and stick it in the lockers at school. You can shovel the walks of elderly people you know.

You can even use social media. Consider posting messages of goodwill to as many people as you can. The trick is to post positive messages to people you may not like or even get along with.

“Be nice? No way. I hate him.” That might be true, but think about this: There are people who like and even love that person that you hate. No matter how you feel about a person, someone else sees good and worthwhile qualities in him or her.

Remember, that guy or girl you dislike has friends, family, neighbors and co-workers who like them. And people you dislike probably dislike you! And you know in your heart that you are a good person, just like people you don’t like think that they are a good person.

Still think it is impossible to be nice to someone you hate? Then you need to hear an amazing story about soldiers being nice to people they were trying to shoot.

The Magic of the Holidays

Go back in your mind to World War 1, December, 1914. On one side of the battlefield: The Germans. On the other side: British, French and Belgian troops.

Soldiers were huddled in the cold dirt, in trenches on both sides. Late on Christmas eve night, the moon was bright and magical. Someone on the German side rose from his hole in the ground to start singing Christmas carols.

Other German soldiers soon joined in. When they were done, the other side—the Allies—sang a Christmas carol in return. Soon, the men were out of their trenches, singing carols and exchanging their meager supplies as goodwill gestures and shows of holiday spirit.

Of course, the commanders far away from the fighting did not approve of such behavior, but the soldiers there face to face with the enemy set aside their hostilities to be kind and thoughtful human beings, even in the face of war and death.

Reports on what happened the following days vary, but all agree that the front-line soldiers on both sides declared an unofficial truce. In some reports, the soldiers even played soccer on the battlefield.

Of course, sadly, the war resumed. For years to follow, soldiers fought for freedom in Europe. But in 1914 for the Christmas holidays, the soldiers set down their rifles and sang to the enemy.

Google the Christmas miracle of 1914. Then ask yourself if it truly is impossible to spread peace and goodwill for the holidays, even to people you think you hate.

Parents, learn what you can do to provide safe fun for kids during school holidays breaks.

Movie night is a family tradition. Everyone sprawls around the TV with popcorn! It’s fun and can be the start of heated conversations. But what can you watch? Let’s look at some of the family movies that were made just for kids. Maybe one of these should be the next show for your movie night.

We are all different and like different activities. Watching movies as a family is a great way to take a break from physical activated.  Watch the trailers for each of these good movies then decide which one you want to start with.

Links to the movie trailers open in new windows so you can watch the trailers without leaving this page. Enjoy!

LEAP!

Dreams need people to make them come true. This story, set in the 1800s, shows us an orphan girl struggling to become a ballerina. Her dear friend Victor joins in her fight. There’s dancing, action, adventure and people working together to make dreams come true. Watch Movie Trailer: LEAP

MY LIFE AS A ZUCCHINI

An orphaned child is befriended by a policeman who takes him to his foster home. Kids—you’ll find your mind filled with new and difficult thoughts, which is why you should watch this with your parents. The stop-action animation is a refreshing change from the usual animated movies, but it hits hard at the heart.
Watch Movie Trailer: MY LIFE AS A ZUCCHINI

THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE

What silliness! What slick moves and eye-rolling giggles. Kids of all ages will be drawn into this odd twist on superheroes. Adults will enjoy watching this unusual take on a classic action legend. Best of all, you’ll get to watch Batman relax and enjoy himself for a change. Watch Movie Trailer: THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE

KEDI

Love cats? Love exotic locations and seeing the world with fresh eyes? Enjoy documentaries? Okay, you might not think of a documentary as a good family movie, but KEDI will change your mind. Tour the city of Istanbul with some of the hundreds of thousands of cats that live there. It is thoughtful, beautiful and fun. KEDI is also a great introduction to documentaries. Be sure you get a version with subtitles.
Watch Movie Trailer: KEDI

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS

Enter the quirky, zany world of world-class pranksters and a dimwitted hero. Readers of the infamously funny book series will be delighted. Grown-ups will be thoroughly entertained by the dialogue and action. This movie is a funfest for everyone who can handle a few—ahem—poop jokes. Watch Movie Trailer: CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS

WONDER

Movies can make you feel. WONDER is one of those movies. It shows you what life is like for a boy with facial deformities. You’ll cheer the heroes, swallow lumps in your throat and see the power of kindness. This is a real-life story with stars you’ll recognize. WONDER proves the power of movies. Watch Movie Trailer: WONDER

CARS 3

Sequels rarely match the quality of the original, but CARS 3 comes close. Kids will be drawn into the story of a familiar friend. They may not understand the scenes about McQueen’s aging, but many adults will understand his feelings.
Watch Movie Trailer: CARS 3

FERDINAND

Children have loved the book for years and now will love the movie. The world’s most famous bull fights against unfair judgement and bullying. Is “bulls” where the term for being mean comes from? Kids, you’ll enjoy this inspirational movie about friendship and true strength. Watch Movie Trailer: FERDINAND

THE BREADWINNER

This is an animated story about telling stories. But be ready. THE BREADWINNER tells the tale of a girl in Afghanistan. The Taliban arrests her father and she is left to care for her family. She survives by hard work—and escaping into a fantasy world. The story is moving and difficult, but rewarding. Be ready for a deep family discussion. Watch Movie Trailer: THE BREADWINNER

WONDER WOMAN

Greek mythology talks about strong, independent warrior women. Now, a new generation watches as a real-life female soldier acts in a movie about World War 2 and facing evil. This is a gorgeous movie that may not appeal to very young children, but will have everyone else enthralled. Watch Movie Trailer: WONDER WOMAN

So when is your next movie night?

Planning family fun this summer?  Explore summer staycation ideas for kids including how to make the most of your family movie night!

It is important to ‘stay informed’ about what is happening in our local communities and globally. What goes on around us effects our lives and those we care about. Knowledge also equips us to stand up for others that may not have a voice.

A good start to understanding the issues is talking to parents and teachers about current events.  Discussions with friends can also help in broadening our horizons.

News Facts

In modern democratic societies, NEWS has become a primary source for people to learn about their immediate surroundings and the personal awareness of each individual spreads outward… from our local community – to our neighborhood – to our county, town or city – to our country and the entire world. In the age of the internet where information is immediately available and news is instant, it’s never been more important to decipher fact from fiction and the truth from unfounded rumors.

Before online access to any type information, you’d hear the phrase “you can’t believe everything you read’. Today, the phrase has been more commonly stated as “you can’t believe everything you read on the internet“. There are also human interest stories that are not necessarily breaking news (news that has just happened) but interesting stories that keep people entertained.

It really comes down to getting ‘the facts’ straight. So how does a person know what is true and that which is just someone’s opinion or even worse – unfounded rumors. We have come to trust journalists and news reporters to give us correct information but it is still important to get the right information from reliable sources.

The Five W’s of News

When News happens, these Five W’s need to be answered correctly.

• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Where?
• Why?

Many will also answer a sixth question.

• How?

So it is really the Five W’s and an ‘H. The more complicated the news story is, the greater research needs to be done to get all the information correct. For the journalist, this means it will take more words (and time) to explain the issue. This poses a problem for many news outlets, which we will explain in a moment.

So what are the news sources available for us to gain knowledge about what is happening on a daily basis?

Types of News

First, let us explore the different types of news ‘geographically’. Then, we will look at the best sources to get information about these various areas.

Local News – what is being reported on in your town or city.

Regional News – refers to news in your state (or province), as well as the a number of bordering states that make up a region.

National News – what is happening in the entire country.

World News – what is talking place in the rest of the world.

To gather news that is happening in these various geographical regions, you will need to explore the different news sources available.  For example, to learn about what is happening locally, you will want to seek out a local news source.  This will be a local radio or television station that features local news, or a newspaper publication that is delivered to your door.  On your smart phone, you can download a app for a local newspaper that allows you to set your news to see only stories that are relevant to your town or city.

Local news sources will also feature some information about events happening elsewhere, but it may not be as in depth since their focus is on local news. To hear more about national news, you will need to find a national newscast.  To learn more about the entire world, you may want to download an app from BBC news which is out of the UK but tends to be more globally focused in their news reporting.  The news source you are accessing will determine what type of stories are being delivered to you.

News Sources – Pro’s and Con’s

As mentioned, the more in depth a news story is, the more time it will take to explain all the details of Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How?  In this way, some news sources do a better job of it.

Newspapers

This is often the best way to get your news because newspapers (delivered to your door and sold at the local convenience store) do not have a limit on space to explain the 5 W’s and the H of a story.  This also means you will need to spend more time reading it but the reward is that you will be better informed.

News Apps

With the internet, there is a growing trend away from physical newspapers. News apps deliver the same news stories as a newspaper, but allows for easy and instant access through an app you download from the app store on your smart phone or tablet. To find local news apps, first learn the name of the local newspaper you want to read and then search for it in the app store. Apps do a good job of categorizing your news, such as local, national, world and specialty topics – such as financial news, sports, entertainment, technology, science, health and more.

Television News

The benefit of television news is that you can learn the basics of a story in just a few minutes. Newscasts will also feature many stories in a brief period of time. The downside is that you need to ask yourself: “Am I hearing the full story”? One thing to keep in mind is that television news is often hyped. This is because ‘bad news’ gets more viewers. Unfortunately, human beings gravitate to watching news that is about bad things happening to other people, or natural disasters.  Those who only watch television news tend to develop a darker picture of the world, when in fact, there are many good things happening in your community and the rest of the world as well.

Radio News

This is often a good way to get your local and regional news delivered in a short period of time. They also spend a bit more time explaining the issue if the radio station you are listening to is more geared to information and not music. Like TV news, radio does not spend as much time exploring the story being reported.

Talk shows on Radio and TV are good at exploring issues deeper, but many talk shows are editorial in nature. This means that it’s acceptable for the host (editorialists) to share his or her opinion about the issue. Whereas journalists are expected to deliver the straight facts without voicing their opinion.

Internet News

Similar to downloading a news app, you can go online and search Google for news related to a topic or bookmarking a website such as Google News and visiting it regularly. Like a newspaper, the news delivered on these sites is in print form and can offer an in depth view of your country and the world. Especially when reading news online, you need to be careful of fake news.

As you can see, there are many different types of news and a variety of ways to stay informed. So what is the best news that students should use? The simple answer is to not get your news from only one source. More importantly, to fully learn the facts about an issue or an event, a good place to start is understanding that the less time a news sources has to report the news to you, the less you will be informed.  Reading the news from a variety of sources is still the best way to be fully informed.

Detecting Bias in News

Even when a person is listening, viewing, and reading various news sources, they still need to be aware of bias.  As humans, we all have some kind of bias.  A good journalist will suppress their biases but no one is perfect. So, when learning about a subject, it’s not only important to be on the lookout for bias.  One should also check that their own bias is not interfering with desiring to get the facts straight.

Watch this video on detecting bias:

Getting our news from multiple sources greatly helps us maintain a balanced viewpoint about any subject. But we still need to be mindful of doing own fact checking.  AI search engines will help in this endeavor as it becomes better at checking facts instantly across multiple platforms.

Fake News on Social Media and Disinformation

The world is buzzing with false media. Trolls are being investigated by police in the U.S., New Zealand, South Africa, Germany, Canada—in fact pretty much any country that has social media platforms. Britain has seen a wide variety of “missing kids” posts that receive lots of re-tweets and posts but turn out to be false.

The stress, panic and damage such posts cause to families and individuals can even be handled as a criminal matter. Why do people post false news?

Think about yourself. Suppose that you see two friends walking down the street. One girl–say, Linda–suddenly waves to a car that swerves over to let her in before swerving and speeding away. Later you hear that Linda didn’t show up at an after-school group. Nor has she posted anything on social media for hours. You start texting with a friend and after a few minutes you start to think Linda may have been kidnapped. You upload a post describing the last time you saw Linda and for a headline you type: Was Linda Kidnapped?

The headline is so striking, everyone clicks on it to read about Linda. Everybody who knows Linda shares the story and likes your post. You’ve never had so many hits on your page.

Studies have shown that likes and shares are the main reasons people post false or misleading news—they enjoy seeing the numbers climb higher than they’ve ever had before.

Meanwhile, Linda’s parents are freaking out. They try to call Linda and find her cell isn’t on. Only later, after frantic calls to the police who start a search and show up at your home to interview you, does Linda call home—she’d been at a swimming hole with her cousin and for three hours and didn’t have cell service.

This little story isn’t that far-fetched. People of all ages—not just kids—post stories not because they are true, but because the grim details get likes and shares. Major news sources do it because when more people click on their stories they can charge more for advertising. People do it to get more attention on social media.

Why Does News Matter to You?

Think about this: In some situations, people have been jailed for posting fake news. Some have been jailed simply for sharing fake news.  Worst of all, people have had to struggle through heart-ache and pain because someone posted fake information about their homes being burnt, about loved ones missing and killed.

More personally, if you are caught posting fake news, you will never be viewed as a real source ever again. People will read what you say and down-vote it. If you’ve been linked to false news, people will not believe what you post.

In these days of false news, multi-million dollar news outlets, from newspapers to globally-televised broadcast stations to top-rated website, all suffer when they report stories that fudge or play with facts. Don’t let that happen to you. Read about the future of ai search engines in combatting misinformation.