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Are your kids putting their shoes on slower in the morning? Is the walk to the bus stop more like a funeral march than a joyful ritual? Are you running out of things to say to your crying child at drop-off time?

School anxiety is a real problem in the twenty-first century, and even the most loving parents can find it challenging. With standardized tests, strange social situations, and growing workloads, you’d be a little anxious, too!

The truth is, we’re in the middle of a paradigm shift, and the education industry has not yet caught up. What kids need is the opportunity to learn skills that can help them manage stress and self-soothe. While there may be a few minutes for “social-emotional learning” in the school curriculum, it’s often not enough. 

What can parents do to ease their anxious kids? Keep reading for a few ideas that might help.

Insist on Routine

Children love routine and predictability. It makes them feel safe because they always know what to expect. If your child is having difficulty separating, you might need to add some structure to drop-off time. 

Routines are especially important surrounding transitions. You might want to create a visual schedule of the morning routine. Make sure to incorporate time together, such as a few minutes to read a favorite book. 

When learning how to calm young kids, try not to switch up the routine without a warning. For example, if you anticipate a morning doctor’s appointment, give plenty of notice. This allows your child to anticipate the change and adapt.  

Eat Dinner Together

According to researchers from the Harvard School of Education, eating dinner as a family can have a major impact on relationships. It can improve mood and emotional regulation in children.

If your child is struggling with something specific, the dinner table is an excellent place to talk about it. Use the time to ask clarifying questions and come up with actionable solutions. You might learn about bullies, strained social relationships, or trouble with teachers.

Try a Different Pedagogical Approach

Not every school will be perfect for every child. If your intelligent child seems to be struggling with instruction, you might consider a Montessori education. This approach values learning at a child’s own pace and gives struggling students and smart students equal opportunities to thrive.

Children in Montessori programs work together. A lot of the work is project-based and hands-on. There are fewer transitions, as students may stay with their class for two or more years. 

Don’t Let School Anxiety Win!

No parent wakes up in the morning thinking “I can’t wait to make my child anxious!” Even so, you might feel guilty insisting that they get on the school bus anyway. These ideas can help your child build the skills they need to develop resilience and thrive anywhere, even with school anxiety. 

Kids aren’t the only ones who deserve to learn new skills! Check out the rest of the blog for more posts that can help boost your family relationships. 

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Schools have had a tough time trying to adjust to the pandemic. A lot of subjects couldn’t be effectively transferred into a virtual classroom environment. Unfortunately, it would be foolish to assume that these subjects are now back on the curriculum as per usual since the schools have reopened. Life as normal has not returned just yet. Therefore, in the meantime, schools remain a significant source of infection risk for teachers, students, and all the school personnel.

There is a real challenge for teachers to make hands-on subjects covid-safe. It wouldn’t be a good idea to drop lessons such as music or PE completely because of health risks. Education serves many purposes. On the one hand, it ensures our children have the skills they need to pursue further education for their career prospects, but also to prepare for real life. While skills such as reading, writing, and counting will be essential, other more tangible subjects play a significant role in their personal growth. What can schools do to make learning safe in hands-on lessons? 

They work with professional equipment

A lot of parents are concerned about chemistry and biology, as these subjects tend to involve manipulation by students as they perform experiments. How is the school lab safe in a post-pandemic world? The answer to the question is more complex than it appears. First of all, it is fair to remind ourselves that the lab provides a first-hand experience in a controlled and monitored environment. Teachers are present to provide the support and guidance our children need. Parents can expect schools to have introduced a range of lab-friendly disinfectants into the science department. This is designed to minimise the risk of infection through lingering germ presence on the surface of the equipment. Schools also rely on professionally designed equipment – Arrow Mixing Products is one of the lab brands in the industry, for instance – that can be fully sterilised and cleaned. 

In addition, not specifically just in schools but in many places in society, the use of gloves as a preventative measure has increased hugely. How many of us now put on gloves before putting fuel in our cars? Whether it is in schools or every day living, I do think the use of gloves is here to stay, and sites such as unigloves can help you find the pair to best suit your needs.

They try to reduce sharing

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Music is a crucial element of a child’s education. Indeed, music supports brain plasticity, encouraging creativity, memory, concentration, and stress-relief. Children who receive music education are more likely to improve their performance in other subjects, including maths and English. However, music lessons could contribute to the spread of viruses and infections without an appropriate strategy. What can music teachers do to make lessons covid-safe? School music instruments need to be monitored and disinfected closely. Ideally, whenever relevant, a child should be assigned an instrument so that it can’t be shared with others for the foreseeable future. Singing arrangements also need to reduce the risk of droplets spread through the air. 

They learn tips from public places

PPE classes can turn to public gym businesses for tips and tricks on disinfecting the equipment. It can be helpful to ensure that students are fully aware of the risk of spreading germs during sports classes. Teachers can introduce disinfecting steps that will encompass both pupils’ and cleaning staff duties. It is unlikely that all children will be wearing face masks during PPE lessons even though it would be beneficial. But teachers can schedule activities that reduce physical contacts and face-to-face interactions without affecting PPE performance and results.  

Understandably, parents will be worried about how physical subjects can affect children’s health. However, hands-on classes are more likely to encourage high covid-safety protocols, ensuring that everyone stays safe and healthy. In fact, other classes may bring higher health risks as they might not apply the same germ-reducing strategies. 

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Snacking is essential for any diet.  Not only does it give you the calories you need to push through your day, but they also keep you from overloading your plate during your meals.  The capsaicin found in most spicy food takes this a step further by shrinking your stomach a little and making you feel fuller faster.  Unfortunately, pouring a little Texas Pete on everything you eat is going to get old fast.

Instead of reaching for the old and familiar, here are some other fun and spicy condiments you can pair with almost every snack out there! And if any of my family are reading this, I would love some hot sauce gift sets this Christmas!! 

Habanero Pepper Jelly

Why not have a little sweet with your spice?  Habanero pepper jelly is an incredible way to fill all of your cravings at once.  When served on a bagel, a burger, or even just crackers, this jelly packs some heat that will wake you up for the rest of the day!  You can make it a savory snack by having it on a cheesy bun or a sweet snack on top of some toast with honey, but any way you have it will make a fantastic snack.

Chipotle Aioli

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Many refer to aioli as a dressed-up mayonnaise, and they’re not far from the truth!  Made by combining eggs, oil, and water- this sauce is fantastic on anything from burgers to fries.  It’s usually creamy on its own, but there’s no reason to let it stay that way.  Chipotle seasoning, powdered red jalapenos can be added to aioli while being whisked to create a beautiful and dangerously pink concoction.  For best results, you should let the aioli sit overnight in the fridge, which will allow the flavors to mingle truly.

Chili Garlic Sauce

From the same family of sauces as sriracha and gochujang, chili garlic sauce is a thick sauce that offers many flavors.  You can often find it fermented in sleek small jars that look radioactive because of how red they are.  This color is a clear warning to let you know about the heat inside!  Not only is this sauce incredibly spicy and ready to kick any cravings eating at you, but it’s also just a little bit sweet, with a deep savory flavor to back it as well.  This complex mixture may be a lot if you’re not prepared for it: but it’s one of the most delicious things you could eat.

Harissa

This Tunisian condiment is relatively unknown next to the other spicy sauces on this list, but it’s quickly becoming a cult classic.  Made from a mix of extremely spicy roasted peppers, garlic, coriander seed, saffron, and other spices, this sauce can range from being served thin- or as a thick paste you can squeeze from a tube.  Regardless of how dense you like it, it packs a punch in the spice department.  Although it’s often used as a cooking ingredient for fish and meat dishes, it’s also just as delicious next to a plate of fries or a bowl of chips!  Just be sure not to eat it too quickly; the spice sneaks up on you!

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There are several ways that we can power our home. The differences lie in how much they cost and how good they are for the environment. There is no doubt that using up fossil fuels is the least environmentally friendly option because they are not going to be able to be replaced. Wind farms have to be built on land and in the sea for them to contribute to the renewable energy sources, whereas solar panels, such as those installed by Tampa solar, can be more discretely housed on roofs. Individually, they can reduce electricity bills for a householder or business, and collectively, they can reduce everyone’s carbon footprint. We owe it to our grandchildren to consider the environment. It is a bonus that we can save money while doing it.

Environment

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By using solar energy you are not producing any greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Your solar panels are merely gathering energy from the sun and then converting it into electricity to power your home. This includes powering it in terms of heating and running gadgets such as computers and televisions. It has been suggested that using solar energy can reduce your home’s carbon footprint by up to 80 percent per year. This is considerable and is making a significant difference to the planet. The use of solar power is thought to save in a year as many as 75 million barrels of oil from being used, and equate to a saving of 35 million tonnes in terms of carbon dioxide. We can add to that total.

Cost Saving

Solar panels will reduce energy bills and be low maintenance. This double effect will benefit the household budget no end and mean that there is more money to spare for luxuries and treating our children. And, of course, the more people that have solar panels installed, the cheaper they will become. This is how any technology works. It is expensive to start with and then becomes cheaper when it is bought by the masses. Solar panels have now been out long enough to have become cheaper to buy and to run.

It has been suggested that on average solar panels pay for themselves in three years. This is in terms of seeing day-to-day savings. However, they also put money on a house, which is a longer-term financial gain. So, if you are looking for something to invest in then you need to search no further than the idea of solar panels. It is a financial investment as much as it is one for the environment.

Investing in the Future

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So, by investing in solar panels, you are not only investing in the future in terms of your home’s resale value but also in a planet that you still want to be there for future generations to enjoy. It makes sense to invest in this technology now before fossil fuels run out completely. We should embrace these renewable energy sources and show our children the way forward in terms of doing all we can to protect our planet long after we have gone. If we all play our part then the collective result can be immense in terms of the long-term environmental benefits. Governments are looking towards this and need every one the world over to support them if planet-saving products are to have any effect. If this means driving to and from our solar-powered house in an electric car and only buying products housed in recyclable packaging then this is what we must do.

In summary, we should use solar energy within our homes to protect the environment, because it can save money by being cheaper to run and maintain, and also for the fact that it is an investment in the future in terms of house values. Future generations do not have a say but will thank their predecessors for having left them with a planet that it is possible to still live on. Solar panels provide a dual benefit of reducing energy bills and protecting the planet and so should be embraced for the future.

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Emotional intelligence enables your child to express, understand and manage their own feelings. These personal skills also teach your child how to respect the feelings of others. 

Children who learn about different emotions from an early age will find it easier to form friendships and face challenges when they start school. Furthermore, studies have found that children with higher levels of emotional intelligence are less likely to suffer with mental health issues.

I have collaborated with an independent girl’s school in London to share some useful advice on how to help your child develop their emotional intelligence…

Empathy

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Children develop empathy by experiencing it from others. Even if there is nothing you can do to change a bad situation, the key to calming your child’s emotional outburst is acknowledging their feelings. Simply let your child know that you understand how they are feeling. You can also help your child to recognise these feelings by putting a name to their emotions. For example, “I know you are disappointed that you can’t see your friends” or “I can see you are angry that your toy is broken”. Labelling their feelings is a useful step in learning how to manage emotions.

Expression

It is really important to allow your child to express their emotions. Try not to get frustrated or tell your child that they are ‘being silly’ when they are upset or scared. This will give them the message that their feelings are shameful and unacceptable. Instead, encourage your child to talk about how they are feeling and teach them that all feelings are part of being human. This will help your child to accept their own emotions, resolve issues and move forwards.

Problem-Solving

Part of helping your child to develop their emotional intelligence involves teaching them how to problem solve. After you have talked about their feelings, the next step is encouraging them to think about how they can fix the issue or learn from it. If your child makes a mistake, discuss what could have been done differently and what your child can do to fix their mistake. Try to guide your child instead of giving them the solutions. This will give your child the ability to solve problems effectively on they’re own.

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It has been scientifically proven that a healthy lifestyle supports a child’s academic performance. This is why it is incredibly important for parents to encourage nutritious foods, plenty of sleep and daily exercise.

To help your family improve their lifestyle, here are some great tips from a preparatory school in London…

Start the day right

A good breakfast will improve your child’s concentration and energy levels at school. This is why it is really important that this first meal of the day isn’t missed. Make it part of your morning routine and your child will feel the benefits, both mentally and physically. Try to include foods that are rich in fibre and protein to give your child energy, and also include omega-3 to help boost their brain power!

Walk to school

Regular exercise will not only help your child to maintain a healthy weight and fight off germs, but research suggests that children who are physically fit also perform better academically. Be a good role model for your child and demonstrate a healthy lifestyle of your own. Make healthy choices like walking to school

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instead of driving and introduce more physical activity into your family routine.

Stay hydrated

Water is not only essential to your child’s health, but it is also an important factor when it comes to learning. Even the mildest form of dehydration can affect your child’s brain power and their mood. Encourage your child to stay hydrated, both at home and at school, by giving them their own refillable water bottle. If your child dislikes the plain taste of water, you could try adding some sliced fruit to give it more flavour.

Sleep well

Your child may think that staying up late to revise before exams will increase their chances of success; however it is more likely to hinder their results. Sleep improves your memory and aids your concentration levels. During sleep your brain absorbs the information you learnt while you were awake, so the more sleep you get the longer your brain has to process all of this information. Encourage your child to go to bed at a sensible time each night, in order to improve their performance at school.

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Has the pandemic inspired you to launch your own business – a retail store, perhaps? You are not alone; lockdowns have created a new generation of entrepreneurs, all keen to get going for themselves as soon as they possibly can.

Starting up a retail business has many challenges. You must choose the ideal location, polish your product line, and assemble a committed team of employees who are well-trained and ready to work. You’ll also need to figure out what your marketing strategy is going to be as, depending on who you are aiming your products at, you might need to use a range of methods. For example, if you are looking to target a local audience, then traditional forms of advertising such as banners, radio advertisements, or even flyers might be the best way to reach your potential customers. If this is something you think could work for you, you might want to look for services like this one offering flyer printing in Reno, NV to help you bring your designs to life ready to display or mail to those you would like to see your advertisement.

There are many other things to do and keep track of, but the little things are always the most important and help you succeed. Here, we look at some of those things.

Make sure your retail space is appropriate 

Spend some time hanging out in the location where you are thinking of starting your retail business before signing the contract. This will give you an indication of foot traffic to your store, the busiest times of day, traffic issues, how other stores are doing, lighting and accessibility issues, and so on. It is understandable that would-be business owners get excited about a place but overlook some of the intricate points. Spending time at the location could disclose information that you can discuss with your landlord or lead you to continue your search.

Think about the layout of your store

Your store’s layout can be the making or breaking of your business, particularly in a post-covid era. You want to ensure there is adequate space for social distancing should the need for this continue, somewhere where you can monitor for shoplifting and theft, and a way that encourages customers to spend more money than they came in intending to do. Also, consider things like space to try things on or test things out and signage to make everything easy to locate. Take a look at some display supplies to see which ones would suit your layout best. You want it to look inviting but not too full-on, too much can overwhelm shoppers and they need that freedom to manoeuvre around your store.

Do not be afraid to visit a local competitors store to see their layout and whether it works or not.

Think about how you will offer great customer service

A good retail store relies heavily on excellent customer service. If a customer has a bad experience at your shop, you can bet they will tell all of their friends and family about it, and since social media is so extensively used these days, it will almost certainly be posted there as well. Make sure that providing the best possible experience for your customers is at the top of your priority list. Teach your employees how to deal with problems and prevent confrontation. One skill which all retail workers need to master is learning to deal with an angry customer – you will never keep everybody happy, so having some of these skills will be vital when working in a retail environment.

Set up easy to use and secure payment processing. If you have excellent customer service, you can quickly gain a loyal following.

What will you do on difficult days?

There will be days when items fly off the shelf, the clients are courteous and quick to work with, and everything runs smoothly. There will be days where you have very few customers, customers that have issues, the till will stop working, the doors will break, and just about anything that might go wrong will go wrong. Hopefully, those days will be few and far between but have a strategy in place just in case.

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One of the best ways to bring your family closer together is to spend more time together out in nature and build strong bonds. In addition to this, your children experience new things, face different challenges, and learn a lot about their surroundings.

Traveling in a campervan with your kids could be one of the best experiences for the entire family, but it needs a bit of careful planning to make it work. 

Some of the things to consider about a self-build campervan with your family include: 

How many people would the campervan need to accommodate?

Knowing how many people will be sleeping in the van is essential when deciding on the layout. Irrespective of whether you will be using it purely for holidays, part-time, or plan on living in it permanently, there must be a bed for everyone. 

Safety belts 

This is another area that is of utmost importance, and one that must be done correctly, for it to be effective. Care should be taken when installing safety belts, that they will indeed, do the job for which they are intended. Also, when converting your van, make sure that all the seating is safety-approved.

How old are your children?

The type of beds, the privacy level, potential safety mechanisms, are all the things that are determined by your children’s ages. Privacy isn’t easy when it’s needed in a small space like a campervan. However, with a little imagination and creativity, there are ways to make sure that everyone has the bit of privacy they need. 

What activities do your family enjoy?

One of the biggest perks of campervan holidays is that the entire family gets to enjoy the great outdoors together! There are opportunities to go hiking, swimming, surfing, climbing, kayaking, backpacking, or even doing yoga under the stars, or taking amazing photographs of nature, among many more!

If you have space for all your gear, you can be sure that your entire family will get to enjoy group activities or ones that they prefer doing on their own. If all members of your family love being out in nature, then it’s almost a guarantee that they will love campervan life!

Another practical consideration for families on the road is reliable power for lights, refrigeration and charging devices — especially when you want to stay off-grid for longer. For many self-build owners, small, easy-to-fit systems are the simplest solution; a range of ready-made solar panels for campervan kits include panels, charge controllers and mounting hardware so you can keep leisure batteries topped up without complex wiring.

These kits are designed to fit common van roofs and can be scaled to match your energy use, meaning you can keep food fresh and devices powered during longer stays. Considering power needs at the planning stage saves headaches later and lets the whole family enjoy extended outdoor time comfortably.

Pop-top campervan

Campervans with a pop-top are a popular choice for people with children. Some of these have a platform inside the camper as well as a loft above, making it an ideal sleeping area for 1 to 4 people. Another benefit of the pop-top van is that if you install it on a low-roof vehicle, you will still be able to fit it into your parking garage.

In conclusion

There is little doubt that a self-build campervan holds many benefits for families. Apart from being a way to increase the bond between family members, it is also an opportunity to enjoy one of the healthiest types of holidays there is. 

Also, if you opt for the best self build campervan insurance UK, you will have peace of mind too, knowing that you are fully covered in case of an accident or theft. 

Proper insurance coverage means that you are guaranteed to have a completely relaxing holiday with your family, without having to worry about anything, whatsoever! 

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Most people, at one point in their lives, have pondered the idea of doing an online course, whether that’s flower arranging, accounting or a master’s degree. Many have been put off that thought, though, with the idea that they are just simply too busy to do any kind of course. Or, perhaps they are worried that they won’t find it interesting or immersive enough to get the most out of it. However, those of us that have done our research know that this is probably not the case. 

While many of us might think that slaving over books or crying into your laptop at 11pm is what student life looks like, it doesn’t have to be this way. And by choosing an online course, it probably won’t be.

Here are four ways enrolling in an online course could benefit you and your future career. 

#1 By enrolling in an online course, you can choose when you want to learn

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This is one of the main reasons why a lot of people choose an online university over a campus-based university course. There are no set lectures that you have to attend, and a course, for example, at https://www.tuw.edu/, can be completed in a year. You can work a full-time job and complete the course in the evenings or possibly even during your commute on public transport in the mornings. 

#2 There are fewer hidden costs than with an on-campus course

Another benefit is that online courses can be far cheaper. You pay for the course, but that’s about all. You don’t need to pay for student housing, for launderette costs, or put up with awful housemates while working a part-time minimum wage job. This can be a real money-saving option, especially in the long run when you’re not up to your eyeballs in debt.

#3 Access to an excellent community, and support 

Online universities are often the preferred option for introverts, because the level of engagement with the community is lower, and you don’t have to go and sit in a lecture hall with 100 other people who are too busy talking to pay attention to the lessons. Such things can be overwhelming, so being part of an online university can be very convenient if you prefer a quieter learning experience.

#4 It’s non-location specific, as long as you have Wi-Fi 

You can be anywhere in the world and attend. On-campus courses mean that if you would likely have to move out of state to attend a certain university, and you would have to leave your family behind. This can be a difficult time if you’re a very home-centered person. With an online course, you won’t have to worry about that, as you can stay at home or in your hometown. If the university you’re looking at is in another country, an online university might be offering the same course and you won’t have to leave your own home. 

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