Dogs are amazing creatures who can make a difference in our lives in so many ways!

Recently I came across an article about dogs helping children to read. I am sharing the article in its entirety as it appeared on http://www.supportdogs.org/Programs/PAWS-For-Reading.

The PAWS for Reading Program places dogs in a classroom or library setting in the St. Louis Metropolitan area. The dogs act as an incentive for the children to read. A dog is viewed as a non-threatening entity to promote reading, writing, and increased interaction and social skills in children.

The dogs that participate in the program have been trained through the TOUCH Program (Therapy of Unique Canine Helpers) and selected by the Support Dogs staff based on the qualities that make them suitable for the program. These dogs are especially calm and unobtrusive and settle in as part of the class. The children view the dogs as lovable and non-judgmental, which are the keys to success in this program. Children have said that the dogs give them confidence because the dog does not make fun of them if they read slowly or mess up pronouncing a word. The dogs are great listeners and give the child a sense of comfort while reading. Children have been known to practice with their personal pets at home in preparation for the Paws for Reading dogs.

Support Dogs, Inc. has developed an incentive program for the classroom in which children that read a specific number of books receive a special book of their choosing and a certificate signed by the canine classmate. If the child reads a high number of books, a special book is donated to the school library in the student’s honor. The incentive program can stand alone or be used in conjunction with a current incentive program already being offered by the school.

The PAWS for Reading Program serves children in first to tenth grades in St. Louis area schools and/or who attend the St. Louis Public Library program. Results have shown an increase in reading levels and word recognition, a higher desire to read and write, and an increase in intra and interpersonal skills among the children.

Dear Parents,

In the following video, the Food and Drug Administration strongly encourages parents and all caregivers to lock up medications to keep young children as well as teens safe.

Please watch this video and, if you do not already keep your medications under lock and key, please…start today.

All the best,

Jean

Best for Bones Physical Activities is part of a bone health campaign for girls and their bones to “grow strong together and stay strong forever!”

The campaign is sponsored by girlshealth.gov. a  division of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Best for Bones stresses the need for young girls to be physically active to grow and maintain bone health.

To do this, girls need to be active, doing 60 minutes of physical activities each day.

The Best for Bones campaign recommends the following activities as being the best ways that girls can meet their daily requirements for physical activities: Badminton, Cheerleading, Figure skating, Hiking, Running, Soccer, Tae Kwan Do,Volleyball, Jumping Rope, Weightlifting, Snow Skiing, Yoga, Basketball, Dancing, Gymnastics, Tennis

According to the US Dept of Health, swimming is good for your heart and other muscles, it isn’t the best choice for building bones. Ever notice how you feel a lot lighter in a pool? Water cuts down on the pull of gravity, so your bones don’t really get a good workout.

Riding a bike is also not an activity that’s best for your bones. Just like water, the bike is actually doing the work for you. These activities are fun, though, and good for your health! Just make sure you mix in some best-for-bones activities too.

We all know that staying alert is critical on long car trips but sometimes that’s easier said than done.

The driver needs to take breaks, walk around have a snack, if he or she is the only driver.  If there is a second driver, then they can switch on and off, giving each other a rest break.

Don’t start the car until everyone’s seat belt is fastened. Stop the car if a child undoes his seat belt or if children are distracting the driver by yelling or arguing.

Never leave children alone in a parked car, even one that is locked.

Keep a spare key in your purse or wallet – if your car doesn’t have remote locking, it can be easy to lock the keys in the car.

Remove everything from the dashboard and the back parcel ledge – even small things can fly off and injure your children if you have to stop suddenly.

Traveling at night so your children can sleep isn’t always a good idea, as it isn’t safe to let them lie down on the car seats without seat belts.

Make sure the sun doesn’t shine directly on babies or young children in the car. You can hang a piece of cloth from the closed window to provide shade, or buy sunshades to fit your car’s windows.

Try not to have too many things that children need to share. Sharing is hard at the best of times, and when children are tired it can be testing! Have a pillow and a blanket each, rather than one to share.

Sit in the back with your children for some of the time, if there’s room. This makes the trip much more enjoyable for them.

Be prepared for stops if a child feels sick or needs to go to the toilet. They usually can’t ‘hang on’ until the next town.

Source: Child and Youth Health

The following post is courtesy of Coach Ned Campbell.

 Hi, my name is Ned Campbell, and I am a wrestling coach in New York City. While New York City is not typically well known for its wrestling, that is starting to change. With the generous and energetic support of Beat the Streets-NYC, wrestling programs in the city have increased in number and improved in skill.

In this brief video clip taken at the Brooklyn Wrestling Club, you see young boys and girls having fun doing something that comes naturally to them: wrestling.  They are doing it in a safe and structured environment under the watchful eyes of certified coaches with years of experience.

While it is clear these kids are having fun, there are other benefits of having your child wrestle.

Wrestling develops a child’s strength, flexibility, and stamina.  It will help build positive character traits in your child which will help them make better life choices and decisions.

As a USA Wrestling coach and the head coach of Brooklyn’s James Madison high school, I can tell you from first-hand experience how great an influence the sport of wrestling has been on my teenaged athletes. 

Their development and maturation has been unmatched by participants in other sports I have coached. They became better students, more self-confident, and positive role-models for our younger wrestlers. They grew into young adults with high personal standards that made others around them better people. In short, they became leaders.

A child’s development is a priority for Beat the Streets NYC and USA Wrestling.  Under the guidance of certified coaches, your child will learn to handle challenges—both on and off the mat—leaving you amazed at their transformation.

Wrestling will:

• Improve your child’s self confidence,

• Teach them to respect themselves and others,

• Promote excellence and encourage them to set goals,

• Teach them personal accountability and responsibility.

• Develop honesty, discipline and a strong work ethic-traits that will last a lifetime,

• Expose them to positive role models.

• There is no showboating or unsportsmanlike behaviors in the sport of wrestling.  The ideals of good sportsmanship are always upheld.

Beat the Streets NYC and USA Wrestling believe strongly that today’s wrestlers will excel at whatever careers they pursue later in life.

For more information please visit:

James Madison high school in Brooklyn New York, the home of the Golden Knights wrestling team and club. http://madisongoldenknightswrestling.com/

The Brooklyn Wrestling Club, is an authorized training center and chartered club. It is located at 128-130 Brighton Beach Avenue, 2nd floor,  Brooklyn, New York 11235.  It has wrestling classes for kids of all ages and skill levels. http://wrestlingnewyork.com/

Beat the Streets-NYC is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and expanding the sport of wrestling with youth league wrestling programs and expanded opportunities for high school wrestlers.   The Beat the Streets Manhattan Training Center is located at 145 Thompson Street, New York City 10012.http://www.beat-the-streets.org/

USA Wrestling is hosted by TheMat.com at http://www.themat.com/