Start them young The elementary school years are an ideal time to help children learn democratic principles such as cooperation, justice, and the need for rules and laws. At this age, children are passionately interested in justice and are spending more and more time working, playing, and making decisions in groups. Around third grade, children become more aware of themselves as part of a larger community. Current events figure more heavily in the school day, their reading skills improve, and they have access to all kinds of print and electronic media....

The day your child turns 18, they become a legal adult in most states. This means that they can vote, sign contracts, and join the military. By law, you are no longer required to support them and they are considered fully responsible for their own actions. And while you likely want to continue to help support your child to some level, you are now limited in what you can do....

Children often experience a significant and obvious change in one domain at a time. For example, if a child is focusing on learning to walk, which is in the physical domain, you may not notice as much language development, or new words, until they have mastered walking. It might seem like a particular domain is the only one experiencing developmental change during different periods of a child’s life, but change typically occurs in the other domains as well—just more gradually and less prominently....

Physical Differences Physically, you will find that you experience a lot of the sensations of tugging, pulling, and expanding about a month sooner than in your first pregnancy. This is because the uterus and supporting ligaments have stretched before, but also because you are more aware of what you are feeling. While this sounds unpleasant, there are added benefits, like recognizing fetal movements from your baby about a month earlier as well....

So what can we do to help prevent the next generation of kids from becoming victims — or perpetrators — of sad or bad mobile behavior? While there are plenty of online tools and apps for monitoring kids’ online behavior, the first line of defense really comes down to this: digital citizenship. “Golden rules” for the mobile era As the old saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure....

Cone or square-shaped coffee filters (or paper towels cut in circles or squares) Scissors Small bowls of dye (diluted food coloring or strong tempera paint) Directions

HCG Screenings to Test for Multiple Pregnancies In some cases, higher levels of HCG could indicate that a woman is pregnant with twins or multiples. However, this is not always the case. Doctors can perform blood tests to screen for HCG levels during the first trimester. If you’re worried about your HCG levels or want to find out the odds you may be carrying twins, HCG monitoring can be useful. HCG is the substance detected by common over-the-counter pregnancy tests to determine if a woman is pregnant or not....

People have different names for it such as a late period, skipping a cycle, or a missed period. In essence, it simply means that your normal menstrual cycle or period didn’t happen when it should have happened. Throughout your lifetime, you may have a missed period for a variety of reasons. It may also just be delayed. Many women will go through various cycle abnormalities in their life due to various factors....

No two families strike this balance in the same way. Each must plot a course that accommodates the needs of the children and the parents’ professional and financial circumstances. The one thing, however, that all families have in common is they want what is best for their children. If you work at home (or are considering it), the likely answer as to whether you need childcare is “yes.” How much childcare and what kind of provider is needed varies from family to family....

Large Easter basket Pan, large enough to hold the basket Wheat seeds (about 1 pound) Vermiculite (about 1 pound) Plastic wrap Directions

All of the recipes featured here can be made simply and presented as rustic creations, but they also look great when plated on a doily, served on fine china, or accented with pomegranate pips or crystallized honey. Whichever way you present them, these Rosh Hashanah recipes are sure to become a staple in your family cookbook! To Start Set your table with candles, wine or grape juice, challah, and apples with honey....

20 seeds 2 plastic bags 2 paper towels Vinegar Water Note: For more information about acid rain, write to: The Acid Rain Foundation 1410 Varsity Drive Raleigh, NC 27606

This is it – the final year before students enter high school. Your child will need to take challenging courses in order to prepare. There will be more emphasis on discussion rather than the simple recall of facts. Your child will begin to make important decisions about careers and behavior. He also should be taking total responsibility for completing his assignments both at school and at home. Find out what else your child will learn this year....

While many kids are curious about environmental studies, they may not know the wide variety of careers available. How can your teen investigate careers in the environment? One of the best ways is through internships. Your high school guidance department can be a good resource for getting ideas or finding an existing internship. But your teen may be more interested in creating his or her own work/study program.Teens can consider the following questions as they develop a service to offer a community or business:What do I really want to do?...

Estimating is an important everyday skill. And when a child estimates the answer to a math problem, he understands the problem better and solves it more easily. Use the following activities to help your child practice estimating. Directions

15 to 30 minutes Materials Magazines that can be cut upGlueThin cardboard Directions Extensions Store the faces in a folder and when your child is experiencing strong emotions, bring them out and match them to the child’s mood, talking about what is felt. Talk about the different ways that people look, including hair, skin color, and size.

Time 5 to 20 minutes Materials 1 teaspoon cornstarchFood coloring1/2 teaspoon water1 1/2 teaspoons cold creamSmall paper cupssmall paintbrush Directions Extensions Take your traveling make-up kit on the road and offer your services to other family and friends.Make a list of simple things to paint on faces, or make samples that your toddler can choose from.

In a 24-hour news cycle, kids often have easy access to see or at least hear about every moment that adults are privy to. This creates a situation where kids may be presented with information or behavior that may be contrary to what you have taught them or how you might want them to act. It can be difficult, but there are ways to turn situations like this into a lesson that will stick with your kids....

Go to the library and find a book about firemen and firefighting. Read the book to your child a few times and write down the list of questions your child asks about how houses start on fire, who gets to be a fireman, and how they get to the fire so fast. Explain the responsibilities of the local firefighters and how to call them in an emergency. Call the firestation first to make arrangements and then take your child to visit....

Melissa Ramage, a mom of two says, “I do take first day of school pics. I think it’s an exciting day to remember! It’s fun to look back and see the different ways they changed each year. This year is the first time ever I’m using a chalkboard since the youngest starts Pre-K. I thought it’s cute to have to know what grade they were going into when u look back at the pics....