Enjoy the Great Outdoors Today!

With the beginning of summer right around the corner many of us are anxious for those days of warm, sunshine with no rain or winds.  Can you remember the last time you went for a walk outside, without your iPod and just enjoyed the sounds of nature?  When was the last time you felt the grass beneath your feet? If statistics are anything to go by, you probably can't even remember.

Thanks to more of us living in cities than ever before, fewer people are finding their ways into the great outdoors on a regular basis -- and it's starting to wreak havoc on our health. We've all experienced the "aaahh" feeling when breathing in fresh air, and that physical benefit goes right to our heads. Even if you're hitting up the gym regularly, studies have shown that putting in time outdoors instead can up positive mental health by 50%.

While every Canadian city has some green space built into its infrastructure -- and certain spots have an embarrassing amount of riches in the natural sphere -- in this country, wide open expanses are never more than a two-hour drive away, so excuses (especially on a long weekend) are virtually nil.

Take a look at CottageCountry.com's infographic to see just how few of us are spending time outside -- and why we really need to:

Memorial Day Tribute

Online Safety for Our Children!

We all tell our children not to talk to strangers, get in cars with anyone or take candy from strangers but we have forgotten one big stranger to warn them about... Online safety!

Advice on what children do on the internet, social networking websites and online games

Children and young people spend a lot of time online and may face risks such as cyberbullying or being exposed to inappropriate content.

Whether you're unsure about what happens online or are familiar with new technology, it's important that you talk to your child about staying safe.

It may feel daunting, but you don't need to be an expert on the internet. Understanding what children do online and the risks they face will help you keep your child safe online.

What children do online and through
social networking

Children and young people go online to connect with friends, and make new ones, to browse the internet for information, chat with others and play games. They may:

• search for information or content on search engines like Google and Bing
• share images and watch videos through websites or mobile apps like Instagram, Pinterest, Vine and YouTube
• use social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter
• write or reply to messages on forums and message boards
• play games alone or with others through websites, apps or game consoles
• chat with other people through online games, BBM (Blackberry Messenger), games consoles, webcams, social networks and tools like Whatsapp

The risks and dangers of being online

When online, children and young people can learn new things, get help with homework, express themselves creatively and connect with friends and family.
There are also risks, but by understanding and talking about the dangers you can help keep your child safe online.

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place online, on social networks or through online gaming. Children often feel there is no escape from cyberbullying, which can be very damaging to a child's health.

Exposure to inappropriate content, including pornography

Children and young people may see illegal or inappropriate content online, such as:

• pornography
• child abuse images
• dangerous advice encouraging eating disorders, self harm or suicide
• excessive violence or race hate materials.

Some websites may contain illegal materials. Others may be legal, but have unregulated advice or are meant for adults only.
Children may access inappropriate content accidentally, or intentionally through curiosity. They may also be enticed by promises of special offers or prizes.
How much illegal or inappropriate content is online
Although it's difficult to estimate how much content is unsuitable for children, recent figures suggest that there are large amounts of inappropriate content available:

• 9500 web pages were removed by the Internet Watch Foundation worldwide in 2013
• 70,000 indecent images of children were reported to CEOP in 2012
• 100s of pro-eating disorder websites are estimated to exist.

The damaging effects of pornography on children
Children are increasingly accessing pornography online. This is often accidental, although older children may be curious and search for more sexualised or risky content.
Exposure to this content can have distressing and damaging effects on children:

• 28% of 11 to 18 year olds feel that pornography has changed the way they think about relationships.
• 475 counselling sessions were held by ChildLine in 2012/13 with young people who had been exposed to sexually explicit images, including pornographic videos or online content.

Ignoring age restrictions

Some websites and games use age restrictions and checks to ensure that children don't see unsuitable content.
Children must be at least 13 to register on most social networking websites. However, there are often few barriers to prevent them from joining at a younger age.
The age limit is an important safety measure and you shouldn't feel pressurised into letting younger children join these websites.

Friending or communicating with people they don't know

Children and young people may chat or become 'friends' with people they don't know or have never met, on social networks or online games.
The percentage of online friends that children did not know outside of being online was:

• 12% for 8 - 11 years olds in 2012
• 25% for 12 - 15 year olds in 2013

This makes children vulnerable to bullying, grooming and sharing personal information.

Grooming and sexual abuse

Grooming is where someone builds an emotional connection with a young person in order to sexually abuse them.
It can happen on social networking sites, chatrooms and online gaming sites and can also lead to face to face meetings between an adult and a child.
The risks children face online: grooming
This video from CEOP explains what grooming is, how it happens and what to look out for.

Sharing personal information

Privacy controls can limit who can see your details, although making 'friends' will give someone access to your information.
Some 'free' games may also require an extensive profile which game owners could then illegally use to rent or sell the child's data.

Switch off or adjust settings using GPS or location tracking
Many apps and social networking sites use software to locate where the user is. Children and young people can also reveal their location by tagging photos, e.g. in Instagram, checking in on Facebook or Foursquare.
If these apps are not used carefully it can make a young person vulnerable to people know where they live, socialise work or study.

Gambling or running up debts

Many online games are free but offer items to purchase such as extra lives or new levels. Children may run up big bills without realising.
Gambling sites have strict measures to ensure that their users are adults, but young people aged 18 and over may also be enticed by offers and prizes on gambling websites and build up large debts.

May is National Tennis Month.

May is National Tennis Month, offering 31 days to celebrate the ultimate mind and body sport that sharpens your mind as it shapes your body.

If you've been gone from the game, now's the time to rekindle your fire for tennis. And if you're an avid player, here are 10 ways to give back to the sport that offers so much.


Take part in a USTA Block Party
Tennis Block Parties are a series of grassroots events designed to highlight the game of tennis in a fun and interactive way. Hosted at public parks facilities across the country, Block Parties feature three hours of tennis instruction, interactive games and other attractions that offer people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds the opportunity to learn and enjoy the many benefits of the game. Find a Block Party near you in this guide from the USTA.

Join a league near you
From USTA leagues to local tennis clubs, taking part in a great tennis match is as easy as a phone call to your local tennis league. Join a league near you and improve your game, meet some new people and see what tennis in your neighborhood has to offer.
Take lessons from a coach
Whether it's a friend of yours or a certified USTA professional, the best way to improve your game is to work with a coach. From learning the basics or improving your NTRP, 30 minutes of coaching a week can make a dramatic difference in your game. And give you the confidence and motivation to test your skills in a tournament near you.

Start a corporate challenge
More than a game for keeping the body in shape, tennis also offers a great workout for your mind. You've heard of the Art of War applied to the workplace, take your game face to the office and see how your co-workers stack up against your serve.

Compete in a tournament
Testing your skills in a tournament near you is a great way to catch the excitement of tennis. From USTA sanctioned events to local opens, there are lots of ways to have fun playing tennis in a casually competitive environment.

Organize and coach a youth team
If you are interested in providing young players with a healthy lifetime activity, consider becoming a USTA Jr. Team Tennis League Coordinator. No prior tennis experience is needed to organize and conduct a successful youth league. An interest in tennis and inspiring young players to take part in the sport are the necessary prerequisites for becoming a tennis ambassador.

Channel the spirit of tennis
What is it about sprinting around a 300x200 ft. rectangle that keeps players coming back for a lifetime? Is it the challenge, the camaraderie, the pursuit of the little yellow ball? Dust off your racket and find out for yourself by playing a match today.

Take part in a tennis camp
Tennis camps are more than just summertime fun. They're a great way to get noticed by a college, improve your skills at any age or get away on a working vacation. Find a tennis-intensive camp near you and get started on achieving your goal.

Start a tennis blog
Making the leap from a 3.0 game to a 4.0? Detail your experience in an online blog and share your victories with the online community. Amid press conferences, training, travel and maintaining the world No. 1 spot, Rafael Nadal blogs on a regular basis. What's your excuse?

Get out and play at a public park
Since 1923, public parks have played a vital role in the tradition of American tennis. From Pancho Gonzales to James Blake; Billy Jean King to Chris Evert, the careers of many great tennis professionals began in one of the thousands of public parks across the U.S.

VIPs in our Children's Lives ... Teachers.

Teachers Matter: Understanding Teachers' Impact on Student Achievement

Many people emphasize the importance of good teachers, and many local, state, and federal policies are designed to promote teacher quality. Research using student scores on standardized tests confirms the common perception that some teachers are more effective than others and also reveals that being taught by an effective teacher has important consequences for student achievement.

• Teachers matter more to student achievement than any other aspect of schooling.

  Many factors contribute to a student's academic performance, including individual characteristics and family and neighborhood experiences. But research suggests that, among school-related factors, teachers matter most. When it comes to student performance on reading and math tests, a teacher is estimated to have two to three times the impact of any other school factor, including services, facilities, and even leadership.
  

• Nonschool factors do influence student achievement, but they are largely outside a school's control.

  Some research suggests that, compared with teachers, individual and family characteristics may have four to eight times the impact on student achievement. But policy discussions focus on teachers because it is arguably easier for public policy to improve teaching than to change students' personal characteristics or family circumstances. Effective teaching has the potential to help level the playing field.
  

• Effective teachers are best identified by their performance, not by their background or experience.

  Despite common perceptions, effective teachers cannot reliably be identified based on where they went to school, whether they're licensed, or (after the first few years) how long they've taught. The best way to assess teachers' effectiveness is to look at their on-the-job performance, including what they do in the classroom and how much progress their students make on achievement tests. This has led to more policies that require evaluating teachers' on-the-job performance, based in part on evidence about their students' learning.
  

• Effective teachers tend to stay effective even when they change schools.

  Recent evidence suggests that a teacher's impact on student achievement remains reasonably consistent even if the teacher changes schools and regardless of whether the new school is more or less advantaged than the old one.

Happy Scrapbooking!

Since I missed National Scrapbooking day I figured I should post a tutorial on how to keep it simple.  For those of us who stay up all night working on that perfect page, here are 5 tips to keep it fun! Scrapbooking can be quick and easy when you learn to keep it simple.

1. Choose a Focal Point Photo

Rebecca Ludens

Keeping the main thing the main thing is one of the best ways to make sure that you are keeping things simple. In scrapbooking, this means making sure that the focus stays on your focal point photo. Choose one picture that best tells the story of that scrapbook page and make sure that anything else that you add to that page highlights and balances that photo. Read 5 Tips for Creating a Focal Point for help. Also be sure to check out the article Create a Focal Point Before and After Scrapbook Redesign. This article shows a scrapbook page that lacked a specific focal point, and then with a few simple changes the page has much more impact. Also, be sure to take note of how a few quick and ea

2. Keep the Best of the Best

Jennifer Schmidt

With digital photography, we tend to take a lot more pictures. This leaves many scrapbookers feeling pressured to use more and more photos on each scrapbook page layout. A great tip for making quick pages and getting more scrapbooking done is to pick only the best of the best - limit the number of photos on your scrapbook pages. Ask yourself these three questions: 1) Which picture should be my focal point photo? (see above); 2) Which pictures are needed to support the focal point and tell the story?; 3) Which pictures can be eliminated and stored in a separate photo album or photo storage box? This scrapbook page uses only two photos. It is all that is needed to tell the story. The rest of the photos were basically more of the same. We don't need every single picture of the canoe trip to remember this event on the scrapbook page. The rest of the pictures are stored in a photo album where the kids can flip through them whenever they want to look back and see more pictures. A free scrapbook page sketch is available of this page.

3. Scrapbook in a Smaller Size

Want to save time and get more scrapbook pages completed? Try scrapbooking in a smaller sized album. This article contains 5 free sketches for 8 1/2 x 11 inch scrapbook pages. Each page has been designed with quick and simple scrapbooking in mind.

4. Skip the Cropping

Rebecca Ludens

One of the things that takes time when you are working on your scrapbook pages is cropping your photos. For quick and simple scrapbook pages, you may want to consider working with full-size, 4x6 inch pictures. This article, Quick Scrapbook Page Ideas Using 4x6 Photos, has four scrapbook page sketches that are designed so that you do not have to crop your photos.

5. Start with the Basics and Change It Up

Rachel Cooley

Another way to keep things simple and get a lot of pages done is to choose one or two basic scrapbook page sketches and then change them up each time you use them by using different patterned papers and embellishments. In this article, Quick and Easy Scrapbook Page Sketch, you will find a free double page scrapbook page sketch plus 7 different versions of layouts based on that one sketch. You could make an entire album using just one or two Free Scrapbook Page Sketches and most people looking at the scrapbook would not even notice.
More from this author: Rebecca Ludens author

National Nurses Week

National Nurses Week, May 6-12.

It can be long hours of supporting families in the best and worst of times. Their presence is always where they're most needed taking care of the wounded, newly born, dying and those completing recovery. The profession, supported and promoted by the American Nurses Association (ANA) since 1896, celebrated the first National Nurse Week in 1954, observing the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale's mission to Crimea. Years after, it was established that the annual observance would fall in accord with Nightingale's birthday and recognize her efforts early on supporting patients and doctors.

Today, the ANA acknowledges programs throughout the states as well as specialty nursing organizations, educational facilities, district nurses associations, independent health care companies and institutions.

The National Nurses Week 2014 theme, "Nurses Leading the Way," is a focus on how nurses throughout the industry accept constantly evolving roles in their profession while embracing new technology and resolving emerging issues.

According to the 2014 Congressional Resolution (H. Res. 540), nurses represent the largest single component of the health care profession with an estimated population of 3,100,000 registered nurses in the United States.

The duties performed by nurses in all aspects of the industry are as wide and varied as the industry demands. Practicing in all health care settings, registered nurses can be found in hospitals, nursing homes, medical office, care centers, community health centers, schools and retail clinics.

Opportunities for nurses have increased over the years for those wanting to pursue a more involved role in the industry. Advanced practice registered nurses, those with a master's degree and advance clinical and educational practice requirements, offer services under the canopy of numerous roles.
These can include nurse practitioners, certified nurse/midwife, clinical nurse specialists, and certified registered nurse anesthetists, all who have the chance to impact lives with their skills and talents.

Gift Ideas for that Special Teacher in your Life!

How You Can Show Appreciation

The decision to teach often comes with low-to-moderate pay, and around-the-clock hours. Support from families can ease the difficult work teachers do. PTA Teacher Appreciation Week is the perfect time to personally thank your students’ teachers for their sacrifices and support for children throughout the year. While appreciation alone will not reduce the challenges teachers face, it will let them know their efforts are not going unnoticed.
Here’s how you can honor teachers:

• Write letters and cards of appreciation to your students’ teachers throughout the week and ask you students’ teachers how you can support them throughout the year.
• Show your support for the tremendous work teachers do by volunteering in your students’ classrooms.
• Nominate your students’ teachers for local and national awards.
• Give the gift of PTA membership to a teacher in your life.
• Follow the new PTA Pinterest boards for more teacher appreciation ideas.

 Here is a video on a cute and easy craft you can do for your teacher!  

National Teach Appreciation Week!

Teacher Appreciation Week 2014 is May 5-9! Put it on your calendar so you don't forget to send a note or gift of appreciation to the teachers in your life.

1. Start Simple–A Teacher's Gift from You

A heartfelt, handwritten thank you note goes a long way to sharing the love. Make it even more meaningful by including something specific the teacher has said or done that has made a difference to your child, like offering extra guidance in math, helping your child make friends on the playground, or teaching a science or art module that sparked your child’s interest and passion.

2. Involve your Kids

Teachers treasure personal notes from their students. Ask any teacher – she’ll likely have several stashed away for safe keeping. Here are some sentence starters to share with your kids:

• You’re extra special because…
• Thank you for…
• I love how you…
• This year you’ve taught me…

Make the gesture even more memorable by adding a hand-drawn picture or a photo of your child and teacher together.

3. Involve the Classroom

Have each child bring one flower on a designated day and sign a big heart-shaped poster with small ‘love’ notes for the teacher. Involve class parents and setup a week of pampering – parents take turns bringing the teacher a treat in the morning (like her favorite coffee), delivering lunch, or supervising at recess so she gets an extra break.

4. Involve your School

Volunteer to coordinate a potluck breakfast for the teachers. Ask parents to sign up to bring breakfast goodies such as muffins, bagels and cream cheese, breakfast tacos, croissants, fresh fruit, coffee and doughnuts (being mindful that teachers are trying to eat healthy, too). Bonus: ask local salons, restaurants and movie theatres to donate discounts and gift cards as door prizes for teachers who attend.

5. Extra Love

Have each homeroom ‘adopt’ a teacher without a dedicated class so s/he gets recognized, too. Art, music, PE, reading specialists, etc., are "everyone's" teachers but might get lost in the shuffle of Teacher Appreciation Week.
Work with the PTA to bring a small gift each day to each teacher and staff member, e.g.:
Cute Tape measure: It’s easy to measure the difference you make, you’re amazing!
Packet of Flower seeds: Thanks for helping our children blossom this year!
Coffee gift card: Thanks a 'latte' for all you do!
If you’re crafty, check out these easy to make DIY Teacher Appreciation Gifts.

Reference: Karen Bantuveris is the founder & CEO of VolunteerSpot,

Mayday Dance

THE ORIGINS OF THE MAYPOLE DANCE

Maypole dancing is a form of folk dance from Germany, England, and Sweden. There are two forms. The first and most popular consists of dancers that perform circle dances around a tall, garland-festooned pole. In the second, dancers move in a circle, each holding a colored ribbon attached to a much smaller pole. As they move around the pole, the dancers intertwine their ribbons either in a web around the pole or to plait it to the pole, itself. To unravel the ribbons, the dancers retrace their steps.        Historians believe the first maypole dance originated as part of Germanic pagan fertility rituals. Originally, the dancers danced around a living tree. While dancers usually perform this dance in the spring on May 1 or May Day, those in Sweden perform it during their midsummer celebrations.   The second kind of maypole dance, with origins in the 18th Century, began as a traditional or artistic dance popular in Italy and France. Eventually, traveling dancing troupes performed it in London theaters, thus bringing this traditional dance to larger audiences. An English teacher training school adopted the maypole dance and soon it had spread across most of central and southern England. The dance became part of the repertoire of physical education for girls and remained popular in elementary schools in both England and the United States well into the 1950s. How to make your own Maypole:

Put the Maypole together. Unless you have access to a Maypole that has already been made for the purpose, you will need to make your own. Find a tall pole and attach ribbons or strong streamers at the top of the pole. These ribbons will need to be an even number, the same number of ribbons as there are dancers.

 

Divide the dancers into two groups. For example, you might have them count off one, two, one, two, one, two around the circle, or A, B, A, B, etc. The A's can go clockwise and the B's go counterclockwise. The dancers go alternately right and left of the dancers going in the opposite direction.

 

Develop a pattern. The pattern the dancers should keep in mind is over, under, over, under, over, under etc.  On the count of "over", the dancer raises his ribbon slightly so the dancer coming in the opposite direction can duck under his ribbon. On the count of "under" the dancer ducks under the ribbon of the dancer coming in the opposite direction.