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Brilliant parenting hacks for mixing education into the summer fun
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Building a lemonade stand is a great way to teach your young children about money, business and advertising. Have them assist you in buying the cups, signs, lemons, ice, markers, lemonade mix or any other supplies needed for their stand. - photo by Emily Sanders
While it is nice to have a break from the craziness of the school year, many parents worry that their childrens education will go on hold during the fun-filled summer months. Of course, giving your children packets of math, science and English to work on over the break is an easy way to fix this problem. However, this can cause the words learning and education to form a negative connotation in your childs mind, making education an evil thing that takes away from the fun and freedom of summer.

The best way to instill a love for learning in your child is to mix education with fun. For those of you who do not know how to mix the two, here are some brilliant parenting hacks that will help you combine school subjects with summer activities:

1. Money and business

Building a lemonade stand is a great way to teach your young children about money, business and advertising. Have them assist you in buying the cups, signs, lemons, ice, markers, lemonade mix or any other supplies needed for their stand. Help your kids price and prepare their lemonade and make signs to advertise their product. It is so fun seeing those little faces glow with excitement as they receive their first quarter.

2. The arts

Attend a local theater, concerts and art museums. If your budget is a little tight this summer, try out some homemade versions of these ideas and let your childrens imaginations run wild. Get out the dress up costumes and produce your own little family play. Have a concert of your own, featuring Emma on the recorder and Ben on the kitchen pots and pans. Transform your living room into a miniature art museum filled with crayon pictures, finger-paint creations and Play-Doh sculptures.

3. Animals

Visit a nearby zoo or aquarium. These trips are absolutely magical for little ones and open up great teaching opportunities for you as a parent. Have your kids learn facts about different kinds of animals before your little excursion so they can feel like an expert when they are able to tell you how old turtles live to be.

4. Different cultures

Have every child pick a culture or country they would like to learn about and dedicate a day or two to each selection. Dress up in clothes similar to what the people of your chosen culture would wear. Have your kids choose a different name and teach them greetings and short phrases in the language of that country that they can use throughout the day. Play popular Indian music, make a papier-mch piata and have your little world travelers help you prepare a French meal.

5. Science

Go to a childrens science museum and let the kids explore. These places have a way of bringing out every childs inner nerd. If you do not have a science museum nearby, look up some fun, kid-friendly science experiments online. You could teach them about chemistry by making a vinegar volcano, or you could study light by making rainbows with sunlight and a glass of water. There are many fun ways you can spark your childs curiosity for science.

6. Health

Sports are a wonderful way to teach children about health. Play different sports as a family throughout the summer. Teach your kids which parts of their bodies are being strengthened when they play basketball, soccer or football, or go biking and swimming, etc. Have the kids learn the names of the different muscles and bones they are using during these activities. Teach them that their bodies need lots of water, fruits and vegetables to be strong and healthy. Get your children to make personal health goals such as eating more veggies or spending more time outside each day instead of playing video games.

7. Nature

Go on a hike or some sort of nature walk as a family. Bring a camera, pair of binoculars, a plant or bird identification book and packed lunch for a picnic. Point out different plants and types of rocks as you go along. Have the children look through the binoculars at and take pictures of things they find interesting. When you get to your picnic spot, have a little moment of silence so the kids can hear all the beautiful sounds of nature.

8. Literature

Visit your local library to see what kind of summer programs they have. Many public libraries will have fun games and prizes paired to a childs summer reading. If your library does not have these kinds of programs, make your own. Have each child check out two or three books they would like to read with you or on their own. Make a little chart that your kids can use to keep track of the number of pages or books they have read. Put various markers on the chart where, when goals are reached, your child can earn special prizes or privileges for their reading.

If you want your children to get the most out of this summer, try out some of these awesome hacks to add education to the fun and spark your kids love for learning.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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