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15 Easy Solar System Projects that Wow
The Solar System Can be a captivating learning experience for children of all ages. Whether you homeschool, or parent a school aged child who needs to quickly come up with a concept for a science project this school year, these 15 Solar System Projects will be a hit. Post contains affiliate links as a service to my readers. I make a small commission from any qualifying purchases. There are so many different ways you can get your kids excited about space! Astronomy can be a massive concept and topic which also means there are many different ways to teach autonomy and solar system units. I love hands on projects which…
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Special Needs Families in Ontario Need to Know This Now
Special needs families in Ontario struggle. If you are a special needs parent in Ontario, regardless of the diagnosis, you are struggling in some way. The emotional and physical burdens of parenting a child or youth with special needs, are draining. FULL STOP. Now add financial stress to that. Extra programs, time off work, specialty therapies – all of these cost a lot of money. Sometimes that is literally your grocery money. Other times it is your retirement plan. Financial costs are a huge strain to Ontario special needs families. There are some programs that help. Not everyone knows about them, but you need to know how to access these…
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Alone at Home Overnight – When is it Okay for Teens to Man the Fort
Alone at home. The ultimate test for a teenager. Mom and dad are gone overnight. The house is theirs. How will they handle it? Will mom and dad come back to a home just as they left it. Will they discover a beer bottle under the couch from the wild party that 16 year old Jessie had. Or will they simply return to discover too many dishes in the sink from too many hours on the PS4? These questions and more go through all of our minds when the day finally comes to leave the kids alone at home. But when is that day? Leaving the Kids Alone at Home…
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The Victory Lap in Ontario – Why Take the Extra Year?
The victory lap is what we call an extra year of high school in Ontario. It’s also known as grade 13. Today, high school is only four years long, but when I was a kid, it was a five year process. That means that kids today will be entering university at 18 rather than 19. I know how challenging university was for me as a 19 year old, so I can only imagine how hard it must be for an individual just on the cusp of adulthood. In many cases, it’s better for the child to attend that fifth year of high school, which is allowed in Ontario, as a way…
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Top Ten Ways to Save Money During Back To School Season
Back to School Season can be brutally expensive, but there’s no need to go wildly in debt over smart, fresh, backpacks and new jeans. So, here are my thoughts on ways to save money during back to school season. Think you can’t save money during the Back to School Season? Think again. Saving all your hard earned dollars in September can seem like an impossible feat. But, I am here to tell you it can be done. Do not take out a second mortgage to pay for the latest merchandise. Take these tips to heart and reuse some of what you already have. How to Save Money During Back to…
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University Student Care Package Essentials #ChurchandDwight #Giveaway
With one daughter well into high school it won’t be long before we are preparing to launch her to university or college. Like many parents we want the best for our kids. And no matter how old your kids get, you never stop being their mom or dad. So naturally, when that bittersweet milestone finally becomes a reality we will be sure to equip her with several essentials and a student care package to help everyone here sleep better at night. After all it takes more than books and money to succeed as a young adult living independently. There are some life skills that are vital for your students too.…
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Water Safety – Keeping Kids Safe While They Have Fun
Water safety is something that should be in the forefront of every parent’s mind. Whether you have a pool, love the water park, visit the beach, or go swimming in your local lake or river, being safe on and near the water is crucial. All it takes is a few seconds for a tragedy to happen. Parents and caregivers can keep kids safe by making sure we practice proper water safety at all times. Why Water Safety is so Important Our kids were babies when we began swimming lessons through the Red Cross Canada program. Swimming is a lifeskill that is not negotiable for me. I was a late swimmer…
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Stop Telling Me How To Do Summer – My Summer Mantra
I have a summer mantra this year. It’s a little bit like this You do you and I’ll do me. It’s definitely not new. It’s mine, and I don’t really care to hear anyone else’s opinion about how I do summer. YOU DO YOU. See, I wish I actually didn’t need to say this out loud. But get your hands off my summer. You do you. My summer mantra. YOU do your summer and I’ll do mine. This past two weeks since school ended, I’ve heard a zillion experts and read dozens of posts about people taking back their summer. Usually that involves terms like let your children discover the great…
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Raising Anxious Kids in Anxious Times
If parenting was a ride at the amusement park it would be the biggest of all Behemoth coasters. One that catapults you from bed, hurls you out the door and plummets you 7 stories down before your eyes are even open. Daily. But it would also throw in some 3 D effects, just enough to rip your heart out, before it stops and you wobble away, stomach trailing five stories behind. And it would yell SAVAGE and probably blare Musical.ly videos at you too. In my daughter’s room I have a framed picture of her on her first birthday. Her hair is KOOKY, so Kooky it makes me laugh still,…
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Scared to Fly – 5 Ways to Help Your Nervous Child
Scared to fly? Maybe your child has never travelled before. Maybe they are naturally anxious in most things. Fear of flying is not uncommon for any age. Adults – most of them, at least – can simply psyche themselves into preparing for the flight, or they can try exposure, repeatedly flying until they conquer their fears. Children are a bit different that way. You may need to give a child who is scared to fly more help. Helping a Child How is Scared to Fly There are some things that we as parents and guardians can do to help out kiddos who are afraid of flying. The biggest thing we can…
