“Mom, I just can’t do Algebra.”

Of course you’d love to help. But ‘Algebra’?

It’s a bit outside of a parent’s Job Description isn’t it?

The good news is you CAN help.

And you don’t have to be mathematically minded, either.

All you need is some patience, a little creativity, and being able to see the world through your child’s eyes.

Imagine being led into an Egyptian temple, being shown a wall full of weird-looking hieroglyphics, and being asked to translate them.

That’s how Algebra feels to some kids.

Your mission is to help your kid understand why we’re using hieroglyphics. And then how to use them to solve simple problems.

Here’s how you do that:

• PHASE 1: Get used to the language ***

Algebra uses abbreviations.

It’s therefore vital your child is comfortable using abbreviations in daily life.

Explain what abbreviations are and how they’re used.

For example, the name Frederick is abbreviated to Fred.

The United States is often abbreviated to the USA or even just the US.

And US states are also abbreviated. New York becomes NY, New Jersey becomes NJ.

Once the basic theory is understood, start introducing abbreviations around the home. There are many ways of doing this. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

~~ Throw a party ~~

Use abbreviations to build up a guest list of invitees.

Bill becomes B.

Marcy becomes M.

And if there’s a Jim and a John, use J1 and J2. Or Ji and Jo. Or use surnames to get JW and JS.

~~ Try some home cooking ~~

Teach your child how to make pancakes and give them the recipe as a formula:

2f + 2e + m + s

Where: f=flour, m=milk, s=sugar, e=eggs.

(Okay, I’m no chef, but you get the idea.)

~~ Design a ‘healthy eating‘ schedule ~~

Yes, a little home algebra can even help your family eat more healthily.

Create abbreviations for oranges, apples, bananas, broccoli, celery, etc.

Then plan out your weekly schedule:

Mon: o + a + ba + 2br
Tue: 2ce + p + o + a
Wed: m + 2o
etc.

Once your schedule is drawn up, ask your kid to add up how many of each item you need to buy at the grocery store.

You’d never have guessed a shopping list could make such great algebra training, but it does.

When your child is comfortable with the basic language of Algebra, it’s time to move on to the next stage:

• PHASE 2: Solve some problems ***

Much of Algebra involves finding an unknown value, also known as the “x factor”.

The best way to develop problem-solving skills in kids is by playing simple games and puzzles.

Here are two particularly useful games for developing the algebra mind.

~~ “Dollars & Dimes” ~~

The idea is to give your child a formula, and they tell you the amount of money.

So you say something like:

“2d plus n plus i”.

This means two dollars plus a nickel plus a dime.

(Notice how the letter ‘i’ has ingeniously been used to represent a dIme. This is because the letter ‘d’ has already been reserved for the Dollar.)

The answer should be “Two dollars and fifteen cents.”

Play this a few times using several combinations of notes and coins.

You can also tell your child an amount of money, and ask them to give you the formula.

So if you say, “Four dollars and five cents”,your child replies: “4d plus 5c”.

Ideally they should give you the answer using the least amount of coins possible. So for “fifteen cents”, they should say “n + i” or “i + n”. Not “15c”!

~~ “Think of a Number” ~~

This is a classic you can play anywhere. Try it on long car journeys.

The objective is to guess the mystery number.

You say: “I’ve thought of a number, added 3 to it, and the result is 7. What is my number?”

Make the questions as easy as possible to start with. As your child gains confidence, make the questions are little harder.

At some point, say you’re going to call the mystery number ‘x’. Then ask the question in equation form.

Now don’t panic. It’s simple.

Suppose your question is: “What number plus 3 makes 17?”

You call the mystery number ‘x’. And so your equation is:

x + 3 = 17

You ask your child “if x plus three is seventeen, what’s x?”

You can also reverse roles and ask them to give you some puzzles. Most kids enjoy this. And it trains them to think more creatively about algebra too.

• Summary ***

Just a few subtle changes in the way your child thinks can have profound effects on their results in the math class.

Don’t overload your child. Go in very small steps with lots of similar examples to give practice and confidence.

Even the smallest thing may be a stumbling block. Like understanding that ‘x’ means ‘1x’ (the ‘1′ is not usually written down).

Give lots of praise and reward to create and reinforce the ‘feel good’ factor.

As in any kind of teaching, it’s better to ask lots of questions rather than keep telling someone something.

Take enough little leaps and at some point your kid will experience the “Aha!” moment when the whole algebra thing suddenly clicks into place.

Kenneth Williams
http://www.articlesbase.com/homeschooling-articles/how-to-help-your-kids-do-algebra-57401.html

Most of us think that kids and cooking school does not suit together but the truth is very much different from this thinking. All of us are aware of the fact that children are good at learning. They learn quickly how to create and design then why not opt for cooking. The best part is that childhood is the time which is most suitable to learn cooking.

Kids and cooking schools can go together easily. Many schools undertake this responsibility to teach kids and parents the art of cooking. You can also teach the same to them at home. If you feel that it is difficult to do so, then let them attend cooking school courses from local schools near to your place. For several reasons, this could be an ideal arrangement.

Now the question arises of what kids should cook. There are various reasons for which kids and cooking schools work. Some of the reasons on why you should invest your time or money in teaching children cooking is as follows:

1) If your kid wants to become a professional chef, then it would be a boost for his or her morale and career to enrol him or her in a cooking school. Kids always love such arrangement. Some may become baker one day or a next restaurateur who would rule the world by his or her taste. By letting the kids to explore their interest you would help them work for their future.

2) Art of cooking would help chidren develop life skills that would be beneficial for them all over the life. It would help them to take proper care of themselves even after they leave nest. Such children would not have to suffice on junk meals as they can prepare healthy snacks and meals for themselves.

3) Cooking helps to teach kids responsibility, eating healthy food and learn about the foods. In long haul, the knowledge about the food they consume makes them aware of what they are intaking in their bodies and helps them to control their diet. It also helps them to teach food safety, kitchen safety tips and how to manage their money if they had to purchase vegetables or other types of food.

These are only some of the many reasons for which you should teach your kids the art of cooking. Various opportunities are there if you are looking for a cooking school. You may opt for professional culinary arts schools or community colleges for people of any age group.

Moreover, if your child is capable of prepairing his food then he or she can try various new foods. Kids would love to eat this healthy diet they have cooked.

Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/cooking-tips-articles/3-benefits-of-teaching-your-child-to-cook-708676.html

If you have kids (or even if you don’t), it’s relatively evident that no two children are the same. They don’t all have the same interests, they don’t all like the same toys, and they definitely don’t all learn in the same way. As adults, we need to encourage our children to enjoy learning, and it’s our job to figure out which way will work the best. One of the best means for us to encourage this striking of a creative chord is with educational toys.

First, let’s start with music. Music itself speaks to so many, and instruments help to develop necessary skills and confidence, and are a fabulous means of creative expression. Younger children will adore kazoos, maracas, and other “controllable” instruments that shake, rattle and roll. As they get older, throw in guitars, recorders and other “detailed” types of instruments that require a bit more skill.

Animals: Insect kits like ant farms, ladybug kits and butterfly environments provide children with the opportunity to learn the responsibilities necessary to care for animals and pets as well as to see what goes on in the daily life of such living things. With a butterfly habitat, the caterpillars arrive separately via mail so your kids can watch them grow, spin their chrysalides, and turn into beautiful butterflies.

Pretend Play has been a popular choice of both parents and children alike for generations. Kitchens, cooking and baking toys have continued to encourage creativity among future chefs and soccer moms and dads picking up a quick, yet somewhat healthy dinner for the family. Unfortunately many of the large corporate companies are trying their best to “brand” many of these types of toys to include their name, titles and logos throughout these pretend products, so keep your eyes open for the “unbranded” products.

Brain-teasers and multi-person board-games that make you think are once again gaining in popularity. These games help to develop critical math and logic skills. The ability to think quickly and under pressure is a large part of high school, college and the real world-working environment, so learning these skills during the elementary education years (and even earlier, if possible) will increase a child’s ability to problem-solve later in life.

Finally, electronic toys have been pouring out of the woodwork for a few decades now, but more recent advances have brought an educational focus to this genre of gadgets. Interactive play combined with learning and entertainment is a great recipe for educational toys in the new millennium.

Lisa Legrange
http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/educational-toys-loved-by-kids-and-parents-alike-59460.html

I think the time has come for overweight to start pulling their weight a bit more. There are so many problems associated with obessity. We go after smokers by taxing the hell out of their habit why do overweight people get a free ride? And please dont tell me that they cant help it. Poor eating habits is a learned behavior that they choose not to change. I am not a smoker or overweight. I work a full time job as does my wife but we still manage to provide a decent and wholesome meal for our kids every day. Dont tell me some poor unfortunate people cant afford to cook healthy. Because there are just as many middle and upper class overweight people too. This is not ment to offend anyone only provide intellingent conversation.

They do pay more. The insurance companies a ask your weight or if you have a history of obesity in your family on the application.

The benefits of Goji berries are very well known to many and more and more people are becoming aware of the health benefits of Goji berries. It is available to one and all in fresh, dried or in juice form. Let us try to have a look at some of the Goji berry recipes which could let you enjoy this delicious as well as highly beneficial fruit.

Most of the Goji berry recipes dont need any cooking and are very simple. So, you can have Goji trail mix which involves mixing Goji berries with other dry fruits and grains. It is a wonderful snack. The same goes with salads also. As you use dried cranberries or raisins in your salads you can use Goji berries. Who says, you can’t add Goji berries in your favorite scoop of ice cream.

Well, there certainly are Goji berry recipes which are relatively more complex. So, recipes like blueberry, Goji berry compote and peach pie etc do need some effort on your part but is relatively simpler. You need to treat Goji berries as you use raisins and other dry fruits. You can add Goji berries to your chicken or duck marinade or better still add some Goji juice. And if you have been using raisins in your rice dishes; try switching over to Goji berries.

What’s more you can freeze Goji fruit or juice to prepare delicious Goji sorbet. Kids would love Goji-cicles. Well, it is so simple. Just pour the Goji juice in an ice cube tray and stick in toothpicks. Well, your popsicles are prepared. What about chewy Goji bars? Well, just add Goji berries to the mixture of your fruit and nut bars. The best thing about Goji berries is that it is a very versatile product. You can use it in any way you want and you can prepare your own Goji berry recipes that suits your tastes.

GOJI DRINKS

It is very simple to prepare. Start with adding about one handful of Goji berries to a big glass of water (hot or cold juice) or even herb tea. Now leave the mixture to hydrate for a while until they look plump and juicy. If you like the taste, prepare jugs full of this wonderful drink and go on drinking all through the day. It is one of the healthiest drinks that you would ever drink and chew with Vitamin C about five hundred times more than oranges.

GOJI FRUIT SMOOTHIE

If you want phytonutrient energy running your body, go for this recipe. Just mix equal quantities of Goji berries, blueberries, raspberries, apples, blackberries and cherries. Let the mixture churn in the blenders for a few seconds. You can add a cup of water, or orange juice or rice milk to smooth blending. Serve it with the toppings of cocoa powder and chopped pine nuts.

GOJI TRAIL MIX

This very popular recipe is one which could be played up on every time you prepare it. Thus, you can go for Goji berries with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, pecans, pieces of walnuts, pine nuts, slices of apples, dried blueberries, peaches, cherries, pineapple and coconut shreds. You can make any innovations as you decide.

GOJI BERRIES AND CREAM OF BUCKWHEAT

Buckwheat has always been considered the best by people who are allergic to wheat and gluten. It is also seen that if you are feeling physically and emotionally challenged, getting rid of wheat and gluten foods from your diet can have good overall impact on your life. The main constituents of buckwheat include proteins in rich quantities and vitamin B. It is also very rich in potassium, phosphorus, calcium and iron. Despite it’s seemingly resemblance to other grains, it is actually a fruit biologically and that is why it could be consumed by people who are allergic to wheat. Now, about the Goji berry recipe!

Let us first talk about serving two people. Boil about 2 1/2 cups of water and then stir about 1/2 cup of cream of buckwheat slowly. Boil the mixture. Now, add a Goji berries as per your wish. Adding salt is also optional. Now, reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer for about ten minutes with continued stirring.

GOJI JUICE BREAD RECIPE

The ingredients that you would need are:

2 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
1 table spoon of baking powder
1 table spoon of salt
1 egg
1/2 cup of shortening
3/4 cups of milk
3 tablespoons of finely grated orange peel
1 cup of chopped pecans
1/2 cups of Goji juice

It is pretty simple to prepare. Take all purpose flour, baking powder, sugar and salt and mix it in a mixing bowl till the mixture becomes uniform. Now, use blender or a fork to add the shortening to the mixture. Enjoy!

Charles Kassotis
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/delicious-healthy-goji-berry-recipes-100972.html

Most people in society eat 2-3 medium- to large-sized meals per day. For some, this diet is nearly unavoidable. It is certainly more efficient from a time standpoint to just eat a couple of times per day. The boat tart up cost?of transportation to and from a restaurant or time spent shopping for and cooking food makes it hard enough to have three meals per day, let alone six.

To the angst of our bodies, our society is engineered to feed us in nearly the exact opposite manner of what is optimal for our health. Fast food restaurants meet the demand for a quick and filling meal. After all, most people don do not care to spend a significant portion of their day dealing with the task of staying nourished. There are better things to do: work, play with the kids, exercise, spend time with friends, etc?right?

Unfortunately, by putting diet low on the priority list, we are robbing ourselves of the chance to live a longer and healthier life in which we can enjoy the aforementioned activities.

The human body is more optimally designed to eat 5-6 small meals per day. This helps maintain a high metabolism since your body is almost constantly processing a manageable amount of food. When we eat just two or three huge meals per day, it leaves us feeling sluggish afterwards; our body must allocate precious resources towards digesting an excess quantity of food. This means less blood and vitality for our brain.

What stops most people from maintaining a diet in which they eat 5-6 small meals per day is the effect it has on their lifestyle. However, when implemented efficiently, it really should carry much of an impact. Depending on your body size, sex, and activity level, most people need between 1,800 and 3,000 calories per day. This means 5-6 meals containing 300-500 calories a piece would perfectly help people maintain their current weight. Here is an example of how such a diet could fit into a typical working class lifestyle:

8:00 am: Wake up and eat a cup of yogurt with a piece of whole wheat toast and a glass of orange juice (~350 calories).

Noon: Lunch with co-workers. Order whatever you please, but the key is, stop eating once you ni e consumed around 400 calories. Most people go on auto-pilot when food is placed in front of them. They eat the entire meal without pausing to ask if they are still hungry or not. Unless you go to Subway for lunch, chances are the meal you ordered will contain well beyond 500 calories. Put the part you don do not eat in a to-go box and take it back to work with you.

3:00 pm: Eat the remainder of your lunch, which should be somewhere around 300-500 calories. If it is less than this, keep some fruit on hand at the office. A banana has around 125 calories, which can perfectly supplement this afternoon meal.

7:00 pm: Dinner with family or friends. Regardless of whether you’re going out or staying in for dinner, the same rules from lunch can be applied. Eat around 400 calories of your meal and take the rest home. One of the biggest flaws in people’s diets is that their largest meal is usually dinner. In general, you want to taper off the amount of food you eat closer to bedtime. Ideally, you shouldn do not eat any particularly large meals after sunset, which is the exact opposite of how most people dine. If you go out for dinner, eat a portion large enough to fill you up, but no larger, and take the rest home.

Bedtime snack: As much as you can help it, avoid eating carbs right before bed. Since the body burns off carbs quickly, it will have no choice but to store them as fat at bedtime. After all, you won do not be moving around much. The leftover meat portion from your dinner, a protein shake, or a can of tuna make a perfect bedtime snack.

The most significant effort one must apply in order to follow this diet is simply awareness! That’s it?simply be aware of how much you’re eating and stop when you ni e had enough. Beyond that, an extra trip to the grocery store here or there is all that is needed to maintain this diet. Notice you don do not even have to follow any strict rules. Want to make brownies ala mode your lunch? Go for it?as long as it’s not in excess of ~400 calories!

Beth Howard
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/frequent-small-meal-diet-for-healthy-living-681950.html

With more and more people nowadays becoming concerned about the different heath issues and the different new diseases that have been discovered recently without any chances of cure as of the moment, majority are trying to incorporate more into their meals vegetable dishes while others are turning themselves into die hard vegetarians.

Everybody is aware of the fact that eating vegetables is very good for our health but sad to say people would prefer to have a burger and fries over a bowl of salad. It is also difficult especially for parents to let their children eat veggies partly because they don’t find them as tasty as other food types. You have to admit that there are really certain vegetables that even you would abhor to eat.

I suppose the only solution to making people eat vegetables is to prepare them using recipes that would enhance their taste. It is important that you mixed the right ingredients with it so that your family most especially the kids will love its taste. It is important also that we know how to prepare vegetables to get most out of the nutrition that it will be providing.

The first thing you need to do before cooking any vegetable is to clean them thoroughly. You may never know that there is bacteria lingering on the fresh vegetables and we definitely cannot see them with the naked eye. It is also important to wash them for we also may never be aware if chemicals were sprayed on them. Without proper cleaning some of the chemicals maybe mixed into our food with the possibility of intoxicating us that could lead to health problems.

It is important not to overcook your vegetables so that they would be crunchy and not mushy. Cooking it just right would also enhance the dishes especially if you are using bright colored veggies that could make any dish look so tempting to eat.

For example, if you are preparing broccoli remove the hard part of the stalks to enable the florets to cook evenly with the stems. Broccoli would go well with beef and even a simple salad.

Cauliflowers basically cook in almost the same way as broccoli since its stems are also edible. You should cook both broccoli and cauliflower in just the right time to make them still crisp and not soggy. For asparagus, remove also the thick part of the stem to allow even cooking for there is a tendency for the softer tips to cook quickly compared to its stems.

It is important to eat healthy to lead a well balanced life. Cooking vegetables as part of any meal would definitely prove to be a good choice.

Mary Lorainne
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/cooking-with-vegetables-104705.html

Ok, I really need some ideas. I am really wanting to start eating healthier, I am a very busy mom, wife and have a full-time job. you would think with all the craziness I have in my life i would have to worry about my weight, but that’s not the case! I want to start eating healthier and dieting, but I don’t want to have to put my kids and husband on a diet, and I don’t want to cook 2 meals every night. I need some ideas of some healthy husband and kid friendly meals. I also just started the Couch to 5K workout plan, and if i’m going to do it, I want to do it all right! Thanks so much!!

On the weekend, roast a chicken or a large roast. If you slice it up beforehand, this will give you enough meat to carry you through a few days. With this, you can just add BBQ sauce and make quick and delicious sandwiches. Add cheese to your family’s and make your sandwich open-faced. Same meal, lighter for you. Add a quick toss salad (they make bags of pre-made mixes – easy!) and you have a 10-minute meal.

Also, you can buy rotisserie chicken, and not even spend the time roasting your own! Its healthy, lean meat – you just have to slice and serve! Steam some veggies your family will eat, and serve with hollandaise (made from the packet, to save time!) or ranch. Kids love it! Just go light on the sauce for yourself. Boil some instant rice pilaf and you’re all set!

Good luck! Its all about preparing a LOT of stuff beforehand when you have time, and mixing and matching what you’ve got.

For many people shopping is not fun, especially food shopping, and more specifically shopping for “healthy foods” instead of the “quick and easy, ready to eat pre-packaged foods” that have become  staples in so many of our diets.  That alone is enough to make most food shoppers run for the hills, so when a food restriction such as a soy allergy is added to the list full blown panic is sure to follow…quickly!  You can’t put all the blame on the shopper though; our busy life styles are partly to blame.  When you’re working 10+ hours a day, not counting the 2 hours a day of commuting time,  plus driving the kids all over town, and trying to get at least 6 of the 8 recommended hours of sleep, it doesn’t leave much time for cooking let alone shopping for food, and food manufacturers use that to their advantage.  Food advertisement after food advertisement is using our busy “on-the-go” lifestyles as the main pitch for their product, but can you blame them?  They’re in this for one reason, to make money.  It’s our job to decide what’s best for us, not the food manufactures, and it all starts at the grocery store.  So let’s take a peek, shall we?

For starters stay away from the food aisles you usually spend the majority of your time in since most of what you’ll find there is not very healthy for you, and is sure to have soy in it.  Most grocery stores have the entrance right next to the produce section, but most shoppers spend the least amount of time here.  When people see the produce section they tend to see a lot of meal preparation time, and can easily be overwhelmed by the amount of different foods they know very little about.  The truth is what’s quicker and easier than putting a salad together, or steaming some vegetables for a healthy side dish, and don’t worry about only being able to identify 1/3 of what you see.  There is usually at least one employee working the produce section who would be happy to tell you what that fruit or vegetable is you have in your hand, and the knowledgeable ones may even be able to tell you how to prepare it; and let’s not forget the internet.  With a few taps on the keyboard and clicks of the mouse you’ll be able to find dozens of recipes for whatever you find at the store, regardless of how exotic it may be.  The truth is I do about 85 percent of my shopping in the produce aisles and you should try to do the same.  You would be amazed at the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, and with most grocery stores stocking organic produce these days you’re bound to find plenty of good tasting healthy “Soy-Free” foods. 

Next, for all those prepackaged foods that are still on your list, always look into the organic brands first.  They’re usually a little more expensive, but with organic foods becoming more and more popular more stores are carrying their own brands of organic foods.  When you buy organic you can be sure you’re buying all natural foods with no artificial preservatives, no food colorings, and no dyes.  It is still very important to read the labels though, because signs of the “soy conspiracy” can still be found in the “all natural” foods, but it’s not as prevalent as in the heavily processed non-organic foods so you’re bound to find what your need.  In the case where an organic brand is not available then look for the brand with the least amount of ingredients on the package; stick with all natural ingredients and no artificial additives.  If you’re buying ketchup for instance, why is there anything in the bottle except for tomato related products and maybe some sea salt?  

At this point in your food store venture, there shouldn’t be anything else on your list except for the non-edibles; that wasn’t so bad, was it?  So let’s recap your food shopping experience; stock up heavily on fresh produce, go organic when possible, choose products with the least amount of ingredients listed, and always scrutinize food labels for soy related ingredients.  Using this method of shopping you might just find yourself eager to go to the food store and buy what you need; your next healthy meal is only a produce aisle away.

mike
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/healthy-soy-free-food-shopping-756345.html