Playing It Safe
(NAPSI)-It’s easy for teens to pretend they’re older than they are online, but it doesn’t mean they’re ready for anything the Internet can throw at them.
By monitoring and engaging teens about their online activity, parents can help them exercise self-control, report problems—and make smarter, safer decisions.
Even the best kids from the most loving families take risks and get carried away when socializing or gossiping with friends—and they don’t want you to know about it.
Did You Know?
• 65 percent of high school students admit to unsafe or illegal activities online.
• 30 percent of teens have talked with a cyber-stranger about meeting in person.
• 32 percent clear the browser history to hide online activity from their parents.
(NAPSI)-The questions teens ask about drug use and abuse might surprise some adults. Since 2007, the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA) annual Drug Facts Chat Day has offered high school students from across the country the opportunity to set the record straight on drug abuse addiction through question-and-answer sessions with top NIDA scientists.
Year after year, questions about marijuana pique teens’ interest, with the frequently abused drug being the top topic of questions, capturing 10 percent of questions on average. Beyond questions about specific drugs, teens also show interest in learning about why drugs-like alcohol and tobacco-can negatively impact them and the science behind it.
Talking with teens about these issues makes a difference: Teens who
consistently learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are
50 percent
less likely to use drugs and alcohol than those who do
not, yet only 30
percent of teens report learning a lot from their
parents.
(NAPSI)-It's never too early to let your children know how you feel about underage drinking.
Parents of middle school children might not think they need to worry about the subject, but statistics show that about 10 percent of 12-year-olds say they've tried alcohol.
By age 15, that number jumps to 50 percent. Government and health officials involved in "We Don't Serve Teens"--a national campaign to prevent underage drinking--advise parents to talk early, talk often and get others involved to protect kids from alcohol-related injury.
Talk early. Kids who drink are more likely to engage in risky behavior. In fact, underage drinking is linked to about 5,000 deaths every year. The reason most children choose not to drink is because their parents talk to them about it. The sooner you start talking to children about alcohol, the greater chance you have of influencing their decisions about drinking.
AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has scheduled a full slate of Texas Outdoor Family workshops this fall designed to introduce even more families to the ease and joy of camping in one of dozens of Texas state parks.
Since its inception in 2008, 1,040 families have participated in the two-day, supervised outdoor education program, learning how set up a campsite, cook outdoors, hike, fish, use GPS devices and learn other outdoor skills. During the current fiscal year that ends on Aug. 31, 578 families (2,123 people) attended 58 outdoor family workshops offered throughout much of the state. Twenty-six workshops were full, resulting in 135 families placed on a waiting list. Workshop participants were split almost evenly between adults and half children.
The Jamail Family of Mountain City, south of Austin, landed a spot for the popular outdoor family workshop held at Inks Lake State Park near Burnet last April.(NAPSI)-So, what did you do today? If the answer is "fed the homeless," "provided expert testimony to congress," or "designed a national business plan," you might be an emerging world leader. Or you might be a 12-year-old Girl Scout.
After learning that people have a limited view of what Girl Scouts do, the 98-year-old Girl Scout organization has launched a campaign to show girls all the opportunities it offers today. Girl Scouts today build robots, go rock climbing, study fashion design, consult with the United Nations and meet with legislators to advocate for themselves and others.
• They use a brand new program to instill leadership skills and to help girls take action to make the world a better place. From the Girl Scout Brownie troop that convinced City Hall to install a sidewalk on a dangerous road, to the teen Girl Scouts who recycled hundreds of cell phones and batteries. And they tackle tough issues from cyberbullying to body image.
(NAPSI)-Even if you don't allow your kids to use the Internet or join social networks, most can and will get access elsewhere. There's one place your child can access it: school. U.S. Department of Education data indicates that 100 percent of U.S. public schools are now connected.
So what do you need to know to protect your children's online safety? You can check out these helpful tips from the co-founders of socialshield.com:
1. Connect. Sit down with your children and explore the sites they want to be on. Read the privacy policies. Check out the site's features and members.
2. Only Share With Friends. Remind your children to review their account privacy settings to make sure they're only sharing their profile and pictures with people they know.
(NAPSI)-This year marks the 100th anniversary of RV'ing and there is no better way to help celebrate the RV's centennial than by taking a family road trip. With fuel prices holding steady, traveling by RV is more affordable than ever. According to the Recreational Vehicle Rental Association, many RV models allow a family of four to save up to 57 percent on vacation costs such as airfare, lodging, baggage checking and meals. RV'ers are also some of the greenest vacationers out there- research shows that RV vacations have lower CO2 emission levels than airline, rental car and hotel vacations.
Before you hit the road, follow these five easy steps to plan your perfect RV adventure:
Plan your journey in advance: Lessen your stress on the drive by knowing where you're going. Whether you take the scenic route or travel by freeway, map out your route in advance with software such as Microsoft Streets & Trips. You can plot your course, determine your travel time and estimate your fuel expenses before you even leave the house. You can also plot out a comprehensive list of restaurants, gas stations, attractions and other points of interest along the way.
(NAPSI)-Saving energy and money while staying comfortable at home is easier when you know how much you use. To help, you can now get real-time energy use information on your Microsoft Hohm profile.
Microsoft has joined forces with Blue Line Innovations to wirelessly upload your real-time energy use directly into your customized Hohm profile. This gives customers instant access to detailed information that exceeds what you may be getting from your monthly bill.
Blue Line's PowerCost Monitor is safe and easy to install, and viewing the real-time energy use data through your Hohm profile allows you to see how specific actions help save money. You will receive personalized recommendations for lowering your energy consumption, such as:
Heating and Cooling
• Adjust your thermostat a few degrees before you leave the house or as you head to bed.
• Turn down the temperature on your water heater. Lowering it from 140 to 120 degrees could save you up to 10 percent.
Appliances
• Charge electronics with solar power or other technologies.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, faculty members Richard Allington and Anne McGill-Franzen have completed a three-year study showing a significantly higher level of reading achievement in students who received books for summer reading at home. Allington and McGill-Franzen are both professors of education; McGill-Franzen is also director of the Reading Center in the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences.
Allington compares the slide in reading ability to an athlete's fitness.
"Just like hockey players lose some of their skills if they stay off their skates and off the ice for three months, children who do not read in the summer lose two to three months of reading development," Allington said.
How Would You Pray That God Be With You Like Jabez Prayed (I Chronicles 4:10)?
"I would pray that God's hand be with me when I am hunting or fishing, or maybe when my sister is driving," says Jacob, 10.
A sister with a heavy foot can do wonders for a guy's prayer life. Shelby, 6, has a similar prayer: "When I'm driving with Mommy, please keep me safe."
All drivers with child passengers should remember that their precious cargo could be praying that they'll slow down. Give your guardian angels a little rest.
"I would want God to be with me when I go upstairs all by myself," says Brandon, 6.
God's presence can protect you from the biggest, baddest monsters you've ever imagined. No monster would dare show his green, slimy face when God is with you.
Ease Your Mind With These Surprising Travel Tips
Today I have a couple of pre-emptive tips for those of you who will be traveling this summer. The first is for those who will be traveling abroad, and the second is for travelers who plan to pay bills early before they leave town for extended periods of time.
Tip 1. Here's what international travelers need to know before they take off this summer: American Express, MasterCard and Visa charge your bank (usually 1 percent) to convert dollars to the local currency when you travel. The bank that issues your card also charges a fee for each transaction (typically 2 percent). This international transaction fee is added to any purchase, whether it be a $3 piece of pizza or a $5,000 piece of art. You can avoid this fee by comparing credit cards and choosing the right card before you leave. An additional 3 percent, on top of all your other travel costs, is going to make your vacation even more expensive.
Be on Time Every Day With the Neverlate Alarm Clock
Whether you are a student or a working professional, chances are your daily schedule changes. American Innovative's Neverlate 7-day Alarm Clock makes sure that you are never late for class or a business appointment on any given day.
Forget about having nightmares about waking up at the wrong time on various days. The Neverlate allows you to set separate wake-up times for each day of the week with no need to readjust until your schedule changes.
Like an ordinary alarm clock, the Neverlate wakes you with an AM or FM radio or a buzzer. For those who like to hit the snooze, this clock lets you set the feature for anywhere from one to 60 minutes.
There is also a nap timer that allows you to doze for up to two hours. A special sleep timer silences the radio after a user-selected period, reminding you it's time to stop working and get ready for bed.
