Bilingual children in poor families are at increased risk for falling behind in reading and language skills during the summer holidays, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Parents should provide these children with language-rich activities over the summer, says the ASHA, which offers the following tips:

* Talk to your child in the language you’re most comfortable using, even if it’s not the language used at school. For example, have more conversations with your child about what he or she did during the day, play board games together, work on a home project.
* Set aside time every day to read with your child.
* Enroll your child in summer camps and activities (some city- or YMCA-run camps are more affordable or offer sliding-scale fees for low-income families). This will help their language skills continue to grow.
* If your child enjoys spending time on the computer, direct him or her to Web sites that have fun, interactive language-based games that build vocabulary and reinforce topics learned at school.

source: Yahoo! News

Babies and children are so sensitive to various germs and bacteria. Therefore, it is our duty as parents to make everything as hygiene as possible. Keeping the hygiene is not always mean using gallons of alcohol; some germs can be handled by using hot water or soap. Here are some tips that we can apply in our daily life with the children.

Some of us are only using baby wipes when we are replacing the baby’s diaper. Well, the baby wipes might look effective on cleaning our hand or baby’s skin, but the germs remains. To rid the germs away, we can wash our hands and baby’s skin with hot water and soap. If it is too complicated, then antiseptic liquid like gel or tissue with alcohol or antiseptic can be a good choice.

What we are going to do might seem too much, but we have to wash the bottle or pacifier that dropped on the floor or table even though it only touches the floor for about several seconds. In brief, to avoid germs, we have to keep whatever thing around our children clean. For the whole house, make sure that we vacuum all of the rugs, curtain or sofa to avoid dust, and mop the floor every day.

If you just experienced your beloved children losing their control, give a good example for them by demonstrating healthy ways to react to situations that can make them depressed. No matter how difficult it is, keep trying not to scream when you’re disciplining your children. Instead, try to clear and focus on the problem.

When your child has calmed down, stay calm and explain that yelling, cursing, and slamming doors are unacceptable behaviors and there are consequences – then explain the consequences. Your actions can show that anger is not the correct way for children to ask for something. If your child is angry at the department store, once you have just explained why you do not want to buy candy for her, do not despair – this shows that anger is something that is not acceptable and is not effective for them to do.

Consider talking with your child’s teacher about classroom arrangement and proper behavior which is expected. Try to remember your own actions, whether you are overcoming as well as possible about the situation which is depressing. If not, you may want to ask your doctor whether family counseling is necessary for your beloved family.

Sometimes it can be so frustrating when it comes to home decoration. At first we should determine the home decoration style whether it is a classy or a modern one. Then, we need to search furniture and accessories that reflects the home style.

Furniture is the heart of a home that will complete the overall look of the home decor. Thus, finding a perfect furniture for home interior is important. Well, if you are looking for the home furniture, I know the place where you can find the perfect home furniture. I recommend you to go to MyDeco.com to get the furniture for your home style. MyDeco provide a wide range of furniture from the high street stores to niche retailers. The furniture is available in a variety of designs, styles, and prices. Whether you are looking for classic furniture or modern furniture, MyDeco has the best product for your need.

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NYPIRG representatives gave some tips to help parents choose appropriate toys this holiday season.

According to Shelton, parents must be careful with toys made in China. “If a toy painted, if a toy is a soft plastic, if the toy has a sharp odor and is made in China, then parents should be more cautious when choosing toys for their children,” he said.

Many toxic products have been found coming from China recently, including toxic gypsum board and food products contaminated with melamine, which is often used in plastics and adhesives.

Shelton said that if a toy could be problematic painted, because paint may contain lead. Although U.S. law passed in 1977 banned paint containing lead, sometimes found in toys.

Soft plastic can also be indicators that phthalates are used. “Phthalates are often used to soften plastic products,” said Shelton.

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