Consumer Reports

My friend’s 6-year-old daughter wanted to be Bobby Flay one morning and created a new snack: tomato with yogurt and sprinkles. I love the fact that this little girl got an idea in her head and created a brand new snack all on her own. Hey producers of The Next Food Network Star – she is one to watch! Six years old is a great time to start teaching kids to cook, but you could start even younger. MyPyramid.gov has a great section for preschoolers . They have suggestions on different activities that 2- to 5-year-olds can do in the kitchen . Give kids small jobs to do. Moms and dads, we could always give up something from our to-do list. Remind your kids that all great chefs wash their hands and thank them for being so helpful. The more kids help with preparing a meal, the less likely they are to reject the food. My son likes to help make mac and cheese from the box – ok, so it’s not real cheese. He likes to pour the pasta in the water, stir and mix in the powder cheese. It makes him feel grown up and it shows him the importance of a family meal. Remember food should be fun ! There are plenty of kid-friendly recipes online. What are your favorite kid-friendly meals?

Are your kids’ vaccinations up to date? Review the 2010 immunization schedules for children and adolescents.

My junior year of high school, I fell asleep in AP European History (for the record, I also got an A). I was so deep in dreamland that when the bell rang to indicate the end of class, I slammed my hand on the desk thinking I was reaching for my alarm clock next to my bed. The whole class applauded when I realized that I was not snoozing in the comfort of my own bed, but instead in the first seat first row of first period. I wish I could claim this was the only time this ever happened or that none of my classmates ever did the same thing. When I was in college and got mono, the doctor asked if I was feeling tired. “Tired?” I asked, “I’ve been tired since 6th grade.” It was true, ever since leaving elementary school and having to get up an hour earlier for classes, I felt like I spent half my day in a daze. Turns out, I am not the weirdo here. Scientific research is showing that teenagers are in their deepest stage of sleep around dawn, which is usually when they’re waking up for school. Consequently, students are often late for school and groggy throughout the day. Some schools are trying to prevent this by starting the school day a half hour later. The thirty extra minutes of sleep is showing that teenagers are more alert in class, performing better academically, and are tardy far less often. To do this, a few minutes is being cut off of each class so that the day still ends at the same time and does not interfere with after-school activities. Because student performance has been so much better the teachers claim that the loss of time is being made up for by increased student involvement and participation. Of course there are hurdles to this type of schedule. Daycare for younger children and increased parental work schedules

When I was in 5th grade, I decided I was through doing my math homework. Fractions were making me miserable and I was over it. Two days into my refusal, my teacher sent a note home to my parents. So. Busted. Mom and Pops blew a gasket and I was put on a strict daily regimen of EXTRA math homework and zippy television. Home was about as cordial as the Cold War for the remainder of the marking period. At the time, I was convinced the parental units were trying to ruin my life. Looking back they were just being caring and trying to teach me responsibility. I’m lucky to have parents who looked out for my best interest and did as much as they could to ensure that I’d have a successful future. This is why I was shocked to see that during these difficult economic times it is becoming more and more common for parents to damage their childrens’ credit reports after they’d spoiled their own . In most cases, the kids are left in the dark regarding the situation and don’t find out about their poor credit standing until they try to get their first apartment or take out a loan. It is easy for a parent to use a child’s name to take out a loan or open a credit cards or accounts. If these are not properly maintained, the dropping credit score stays with the child- not the parent. Have you suffered a poor credit score on account of your parents? As a parent have you opened accounts in your child’s name? Fractions are still making me miserable, but at least my credit is healthy.

When I was a little kid I can remember my mom warning me not to swim too close to the drains in pools and not to put my head under the water in hot tubs. She was concerned that my ponytail would get caught and I would drown. I always thought that was a little morbid. I was just a kid and wanted to have fun. But my mom had reason to be concerned. The Consumer Product Safety Commission launched the Pool Safely campaign earlier this week in response to the number of injuries and deaths from submersions and entrapments in pools and spas. The commission released some scary statistics: From 2005-2007, for children younger than 15, there was an average of 385 drownings in pools and spas each year. 74 percent of those fatalities happened at a home and not in a public pool. The new campaign will help educate people about the simple steps they can take to make sure their kids stay safe around the water. Tips include: Make sure drain covers meet compliance standards Install fences with self-latching gates around pools to keep children from falling in Don’t let kids swim unsupervised. Learn CPR to be prepared What tips do you have for keeping you and your kids safe in the pool?

Memorial Day will soon be here and that means that beach season is just around the corner!

The popularity of social networking continues to grow among kids. Social networking sites can provide a secure way for kids to connect with each other, but they can also be exploited for any number of nefarious purposes. Better Business Bureau recommends parents take specific steps to keep their kids safe online. Read more…

I can hear the collective groan of students everywhere with the idea of an extended school day or year being tossed around. Recently, President Obama has established his position that an extended school year or day should be explored seeing as American students are falling behind academically in comparison to the rest of the world, particularly in the areas of math and science. While the former student inside me who lives for summers down the shore thinks this is a bum deal, I can’t help but acknowledge that our current educational system is based on an agricultural society, one which few children are actively a part of today. More families now have two working parents and I can see how an extended school day would help ease their fears of what their kids are up to between the hours of 3-7pm. With either extension, obviously money is a factor. It is unclear how much additional cost there would be to keep kids in school longer. And I don’t think the importance of extracurricular activities like sports and clubs can be ignored - and these are events that typically take place after school-hours. What do educators think of this idea? Would it be helpful? Would you like to spend more time in school?

Our Monday blogger, Jake, has work duties that will take him away from Gov Gab until September. In his absence, we’re alternating between “Your Turn” weeks, where we’ll ask a question to spotlight your knowledge about government resources, and posts from guest bloggers across the government. Today’s Question: