In-Home Tutors Help Students of All Ages

Teenagers can be reticent to ask for help, but no matter your age or the subject, Tutor Doctor’s one-on-one tutors can help. If you feel like you’re sinking and just can’t seem to catch up with the class, then the creative ministrations of our private tutors is just what the Doctor ordered! 

See Alysha Kartz’s story here:

Better Grades by Winter Recess: 4 Ways You Can Help

Personal Creations

Is your child struggling? The longer they flounder, the further behind they will get. When students are falling behind, every passing week compounds their problems, erodes their confidence and makes success seem like an impossible dream. Whether you want your child to catch up and keep up or you want your child to get ahead of the class, there are ways you can help improve grades right now.

Get in the Game

When parents are involved in their student’s lives, they are able to better provide the support their children need. Start by talking with your child’s teachers; get to know them and get their advice on how best to help your child. They have insights that are essential to moving your child to a successful future.

Take a Step Back

For many parents, bad grades have created emotional tension between family members and when they try to encourage their children or help with homework, it results in a fight. This is completely understandable as parents want what is best for their children and emotions run high. If this is the case, it may be time to step back and get an in-home tutor or family friend to help with homework in a more constructive way.

Get Organized

Most students are smart but scattered; they have the potential to succeed, but they forget homework and assignments, have trouble initiating tasks and staying focused and don’t leave enough time for studying. It can be very frustrating for parents until you realize that these skills aren’t innate, they are learned.

Start implementing routines that show your child how to be more organized. Set times for homework where they are free from distraction. Limit screen and social time and help them to plan their days effectively. Ensure that homework and assignments are done and packed the night before rather than running around before school.

Tutor Doctor’s X-skills program teaches these executive skills as part of their one-on-one tutoring program. Every student gets an academic plan which helps them to set realistic goals and create a roadmap to reach them. Tutors spend part of each session going over the upcoming assignments and teaching students how to manage time and plan ahead. Tutor Doctor tutors work with the curriculum and help your children to do their homework so that this is not a daily struggle for you.

Find their Learning Style

Each child is a unique learner who grasps information better when it is presented in a learning style that suits them. Ask your in-home tutor or teacher to help find your child’s learning style. You will see that when you present information, ideas and concepts to them in their learning style, they understand faster and retain information for longer. You can also teach them to convert new information into their learning style so that it is more accessible to them. For example; if a visual learner takes a paragraph of facts from a history text book and creates a mind map, they will be more likely to understand and retain that information.

Tips to Getting your Kids to School on Time

Statefarm

All parents struggle to get back into their morning routines after the long summer holidays, but if every morning is a struggle for you, it may be time to take action and beat that bell. Don’t’ have chaotic mornings that see frenzied searches for missing items, nagging to get kids moving or siblings fighting for bathroom time. Here are a few tips to keep your mornings calm.

Learning Styles

Just as we need to change information to suit the child’s learning style if we want them to absorb information in class, we also have to adapt the way we communicate in the mornings. If your child is an auditory learner, asking them to get up, telling them to brush their teeth and wash their faces will be easy for them to comprehend.

Visual learners, however, may be left wondering what you just said or daydreaming about their day. For these students, making charts with all their morning tasks on it which they can tick off as they go through them may be just the ticket.

Every child is different so try a few strategies like games, rewards and incentives and songs to get them through their morning routines. Find the formula that works for your family and stick to it until it becomes a habit.

Planning is Everything

School days always start the night before, especially for students who have trouble getting ready. Decide on outfits and lay them out, pack school bags and consult diaries to ensure that there are no forgotten assignments or tests.

Review the day ahead and ensure that all books are packed. What afterschool activities are happening? Do you need musical instruments, sports uniforms and field trip permission slips?

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

The worst way to start your day is getting into a battle of wills with your child. It takes up time, it stresses everyone out and it makes for a really bad start to the day. While we are not always our best in the mornings, we must try to be respectful of each other.

When parents treat children with respect and ask them to do things nicely, it can diffuse some of the morning tension. If fighting is a big part of every morning, either between you and your kids or between siblings, it’s time to change the morning routine.

Start by asking them what they don’t like about mornings and really listen to their answers. You may be surprised about what sets them off. Knowing what makes them upset can help you to mitigate the irritation.

Talking about morning routines and ways to get things to flow smoothly will help your family to work together to make waking up and getting to school a happy and healthy process.
 

What to Do When you Don’t Like your Child’s New Teacher

Filip Pticek

Teachers are professionals who are often under-appreciated and overworked and they should be respected at every turn. But, we are all human and sooner or later you will meet a teacher that you can’t get along with. Perhaps your differences are simple incompatibility or perhaps you disagree on discipline or strategy; whatever your issue, be respectful and kind so your child continues to benefit from their expertise.

The first step is to try to look at the situation calmly and impartially. This may mean admitting that your little angel isn’t perfect, or that you dealt poorly with a situation, but remember that it’s your child’s academic future that you need to support, not your own interests.

Be respectful

Always be respectful when talking to teachers and about them. Negative comments about teachers which your child overhears can cause them to lose respect for that teacher. This will negatively affect their relationship with their teacher whom they still have to see on a daily basis.

Be Professional

Keep the channels of communication open. Ensure that your child’s teacher knows who you are and is able to reach you when they need to discuss issues or concerns. Always keep a professional tone and avoid dealing with issues when you are emotional or angry. Instead, wait until you can calmly and rationally discuss problems. Always talk to the teacher first before consulting a higher authority. Giving them the opportunity to resolve issues themselves will prevent resentment.

Be a Good Listener

When students aren’t performing as well as they should, it’s very easy for them to blame the teacher. If there has been an incident or your child is not getting the grades you would like them to get, give the teacher an opportunity to share their side of the story. They have insight to how your child behaves in class that you don’t. Children often behave very differently in a classroom situation when they are around their peers. Teachers have more experience in dealing with behavioral and academic issues and they have some valuable insights into your student’s behavior. Always endeavor to get the teacher’s side of the story and treat them with the trust and respect they deserve.

Dealing with Issues

Every parent wants their child to have the best possible academic opportunity and if you have exhausted every other option, you may need to move your child to another class. Dealing with difficulty is also a good life lesson. When dealing with teachers and issues, be an excellent example for your children and don’t be too quick to move them. Remember that they will have to deal with people they don’t get along with in other situations; perhaps there are bullies in their school or one day they will have a manager they don’t like. Learning how to deal with conflict and with people they don’t get along with is a great life lesson. 

5 Back to School Habits for a Happier Home

Department of Education

It’s almost time to get back to the books so start a few new habits that will create a happier, healthier home for you and your children. Habits take only a couple of weeks and a little discipline to start, but they will ease the tension in your home, mean less nagging for you and better grades for your students.Mellow MorningsEver have to wake your kids thirteen times while searching for missing text books? Do you find them scrambling to do last minute homework first thing in the morning, conduct daily wardrobe wars or have arguments about what to make for breakfast? If your mornings are messy, there are things you can do to help ease the family into the day.Start by listening. Ask your kids what their five least favorite things are about mornings. You may be surprised! Perhaps they need more bathroom time, or they want to be woken up differently; whatever their issues, get them to write a list for you.When everyone has made their lists, call a family meeting and find ways to overcome the issues. If bathroom time is a problem, set limits, make a schedule or move hair and makeup to a different area to free up some bathroom time.Avoid the morning rush and wardrobe dilemmas by insisting that bags be packed the night before and outfits chosen for the next day.If your children have trouble getting up, institute earlier bedtimes, alarm clocks and other regimens that mean you don’t have to nag.Set Academic GoalsWork with your tutors, teachers and children to set reasonable goals for the coming academic year. When kids know where they are headed, they have more motivation and direction. You can augment motivation by offering rewards for when academic goals are achieved.Extra Mural ActivitiesEncourage after-school activities that help your child to stay healthy, active and creative. Sports and artistic pursuits help students to make friends, learn social skills and become more well-rounded individuals. Support and encourage their interests and hobbies which are sure to add to their lives.Family MealsMake a commitment to eating together at least twice a week. Family meals keep the family connected and foster good communication between family members. Studies show that families who enjoy regular meals together have better relationships.Family Play DatesStart an activity together that gets your family outside and involves being active. This may be as simple as taking a walk, biking or gardening together or a more adventurous family activity like kayaking, hiking or camping. Sharing time in nature and being active is a positive way for the whole family to enjoy each other’s company.
Starting new family traditions is a wonderful way to reconnect with each other and stay connected through the busy academic year.

The Incredible Learning Power of Music

Steve Snodgrass

A great way to improve learning at every age is through the magic of music. You see, certain kinds of music can actually stimulate your child’s higher cognitive functioning and help their development. 

In a phenomenon known as the "Mozart effect", listening to music creates a positive emotional response which, in turn, improves cognitive functioning. Research tells us that listening to certain classics, like Mozart, helps to improve spatial-temporal reasoning in the short term. If Mozart isn’t your cup of tea, you have many other options to choose from. Any kind of baroque music like Teleman or Vivaldi and ambient music that has a tempo of 60 beats per second will help.

Later studies showed that any music with an energetic beat or positive emotional qualities had the potential to stimulate the spatial-temporal functioning.

This is the part of the brain that helps you to understand complex concepts or solve difficult problems. For example, a study by Rauscher, Shaw and Ky (1993) discovered that those subjects who listened to Mozart prior to completing an IQ test scored higher than those who did not listen to music.

Another study in rats found that pregnant rats exposed to Mozart produced offspring that were better at maze learning.

While these changes are temporary, learning music from an early age can have tangible, long-lasting improvements in brain functioning: “It’s very clear from a number of experiments that if you do musical training, you find changes in brain structures attributable to that training. There are experiments that show that changes are greater if you begin musical training by about the age of seven. They’re still there if you begin later, but smaller in magnitude,” says neuropsychologist Robert Zatorre from McGill University.

Neuroscientists from Boston Children’s Hospital found a link between the introduction of musical instruments at an early age and improved cognitive functioning. "Since executive functioning is a strong predictor of academic achievement, even more than IQ, we think our findings have strong educational implications.While many schools are cutting music programs and spending more and more time on test preparation, our findings suggest that musical training may actually help to set up children for a better academic future,” said head researcher, Nadine Gaab.

The greatest impact of music on cognitive functioning occurs when music is introduced before the child turns seven as it creates more extensive connectivity between different parts of the brain and also improves the ability to integrate sensory input.

If your child finds music distracting, try ambient sounds such as whale songs, waterfalls, ocean waves and other natural sounds. Eno's "Music for airports" is specifically designed to relax and calm tired travellers in airports. Eno's background music heightens your mood and occupies those parts of your brain that may cause distractions while you are studying.

Best Tips for Choosing a Tutor

US Department of Education

If your child is struggling a little to keep up, or if you want to give them a boost to get to the head of the class, summer tutoring will not only give them the help they need, it also prevents the summer slide. During the summer, students can lose up to 30% of the math and reading gains they made over the previous year. Just a couple of hours a week can really make a difference, but how do you go about choosing a tutor that will really make a difference.

Learning Centers

There are many options to choose from, the first being a learning center. Here your child will attend a session in a classroom setting with other children. There are usually fewer children than in a school class and these options can be much cheaper.

There are drawbacks though as you have to drive your children there and then pick them up again. More importantly, a classroom setting is obviously not ideal for them, especially if they are struggling at school. They don’t get as much attention as they need and they may not be asking questions or speaking up when they don’t understand something for fear of being embarrassed.

Private Tutors

This is a good option if you want the tutor to come to your home or if you are looking for someone who lives in your area. They are usually cheaper than tutors from tutoring companies and are more flexible than learning centers.

Private tutors aren’t vetted so you don’t know if they are qualified or safe to have around your family. They may not be available when you need them and they can be unreliable too.

Tutor Doctor Tutors

We come to you home, at a time that is convenient for you, and teach your children in the comfort of your home. Our one-on-one tutors are vetted and have the experience they need to help your child.

The process starts with a free education consultation which will assess the needs and abilities of your child. We then search for the perfect tutor to suit your child’s needs and personality in a process we call the ‘magic match’.

Once your tutor has been found, they work with your child’s teacher to establish where they require assistance and how best to help. They don’t pile on more work, but work with your child’s curriculum and homework to find the missing building blocks and fill them in.

For most students, it’s their learning skills that need honing. That means that they need to work on their executive skills like organization, task initiation, concentration and memory, task prioritization etc. so that they can become accomplished independent learners.

Under our Academic Game Plan, we teach your child the executive skills they need to succeed in learning and in life. We help your child to set goals and then give them the individual attention they need to reach them.

Our caring tutors are there when your child needs them most and we even have a TD 24x7 online curriculum tool to help your child when they are studying for tests and exams.

After every session, your tutor will give you feedback on your child’s progress so you are always in the loop. Simply put; the Tutor Doctor difference is that we really care and are invested in seeing your children succeed.

Do Our Children Get Too Much Homework?

Any parent who has watched their child stay up way past their bedtime toiling over their books or wasting a weekend working on projects and assignments knows how tough it can be. Teenagers are especially burdened with work that leaves them tired, stressed and with no time for social engagements, sport or family events.

Overloaded children suffer from anxiety and fatigue that many think is counterproductive and bad for their health and well being. Unfortunately, an increasingly competitive academic culture and jobs market mean children have to push themselves further to succeed.

Guidelines for Homework

The National PTA and the National Education Association have set guidelines for homework which should increase by 10 minutes for each grade. That means that in the first grade your child will be doing 10 minutes of homework a day, 20 minutes in the second grade and so on. What this means is that by the 12^th grade, they will be doing two hours of homework a day. Some experts say two hours a day is way too much and doesn’t leave enough time for the sleep, rest, social time and the exercise healthy teens need.

More Homework doesn’t Mean Brighter Stars

Studies show that students who did more than two hours of homework did not fare any better than those who did two or less. While this is counter-intuitive, it seems like assigning less homework that is focused on areas the student needs to improve on is far more effective. Unfortunately, most teachers have no time to give students individual homework that help them work through the issues they have.

Here one-on-one tutors provide the most effective solution as tutors are able to help students to get through their homework and cover areas that they are having problems with.

While studies show that a reasonable amount of homework did improve test scores for students in high school, it seemed to make little difference to those in elementary school.

Better Learning, Better Life

The trick seems to be a finding a balance. Parents often don’t complain to teachers when their children have too much homework but if you see a negative impact on the performance or happiness of your child or if your child is experiencing anxiety, you need to work with teachers to find an amicable solution.

If homework is a daily struggle, speak with teachers and tutors on how you can motivate your child. Some children have real issues with executive skills like task initiation, time management, organization or staying focused. This can mean that your child actually has a reasonable amount of homework, but they take forever to do it.

If this is the case, find an in-home tutor who teaches executive skills so that your child learns to organize their time, prioritize tasks and stay organized. Being able to focus for long periods of time to finish tasks is a great life skill to learn, so persevere and you will soon have an independent learner and no homework hassles!

Best Apps for Game-based Learning

 Lucélia Ribeiro

What’s the best way to get your kids excited about learning? Turn it into a game. With more and more technology available, you can download apps that will have your kids learning without even realizing it. Over the summer holidays, kids can lose up to 30% of the academic gains they made in the previous year. Put an end to the summer slide by encouraging learning through play with these incredible apps.

Gen i Revolution: Teach personal finance to middle and high school students with this fun app. The players will be faced with sixteen missions to help people in financial trouble. With Gen i Revolution, earning is learning as they select their operatives, earn points as they gather information and complete tasks which teach them about general finance, financial concepts and terminology.

SpellingCity.com: We all know just how difficult spelling can be, but a spelling mistake on a CV or job application letter or on a college entrance exam could mean a missed opportunity for your child. Not only will this be a great life skill to learn, but being able to effectively communicate ideas and concepts with a healthy vocabulary will help your child to excel on exams and tests. With over 50,000 words and 60,000 sentences, SpellCity.com offers K-12 students a fun way to learn to spell while improving their vocabulary.

Duolingo: Learning a foreign language? Duolingo was voted best Apple app in 2013 and will help your child to memorize words in a foreign language. You can also lean on other language apps to help your child master a second language. Some of the better ones include MindSnacks, Babbel and Cat Academy for all those LOL cat fans out there.

Galxyz: This great app helps kids to master basic scientific concepts and scientific reasoning. This app follows school curriculums to augment what students learn in class in a fun and engaging way. On a quest to save the natural curiosity of children from the evil King Dullard, students are taken through the Next Generation Scientific Standard in the proper sequence as outlined by the US government.

Cosmic Reactor Arithmetic: A fun game for both parents and kids who want to hone their math skills. With seven different games and variable difficulty, you can set the parameters to fit your child’s abilities and grade. Best for students aged 5-12. You can also turn to Math Ninja or Mathemagics to practice your math skills while learning basic principles.

Tutor Doctor also works to prevent the summer slide and keep young minds active over the summer with the Academic Game Plan. Here students can take just a couple of hours a week to catch up and forge ahead while having fun. Contact your local tutor Doctor office for a free consultation.

This summer, you can use screen time constructively to keep your kids learning and growing while they are having fun. Remember to limit screen time and set a timer with a shut-off so you don’t always have to be the bad guy.

Are Private Schools Better than Public Schools?

The pervasive consensus is that a private school education is better for our children than one provided by a public school. But is this really true? Private school do a much better job of marketing themselves because their success relies on them filling their classrooms.

Better Academic Outcomes

Private schools do tend to produce higher scoring students. For example, in Canada, about a third of the top ranking schools are private. The rankings are based on the student’s performance on standardized tests.

One important consideration is that private school children tend to come from families that occupy a higher socio-economic bracket. This means that they are more likely to have parents who are at home and are more likely to be university-educated, they have access to better materials and resources and they have access to better food and medical care.

In 2014, a study by two researchers from the University of Illinois found that, when you control for these socio-economic advantages, private school education performs on par or worse than public schools. There was little evidence to support the notion that these private school with better resources and better teachers, had a positive influence on the academic standards of the students.

A recent study followed 7,142 Grade 10 students from both public and private schools. While they found that the private school students excelled at academics (about 9% better than their public school counterparts) and went on to enjoy more success after graduation, they could not attribute this success to the school itself. From the report: "Two factors consistently account for these differences; students who attended private high schools were more likely to have socio-economic characteristics positively associated with academic success and to have school peers with university-educated parents."

Another study by the Center on Education Policy challenges traditional perceptions about private schools. President of the Center Jack Jennings sums it up: "Contrary to popular belief, we can find no evidence that private schools actually increase student performance, instead, it appears that private schools simply have higher percentages of students who would perform well in any environment based on their previous performance and background."

Some advantages

The study found that private school students were positively influenced by the academic caliber of their classmates. Private schools often have stringent entry requirements and being surrounded by successful academics is certainly a positive influence on students.

The study also showed that the students went on to enjoy greater success in the labor market in part because of the associations and connections that they had established with other families who were well situated on the social-economic level.

Level Playing Field

Contrary to popular belief, the study found that private schools in general didn’t differ that much in terms of the resources and quality of teachers and were only slightly better than private schools. As funding for schools gets cut (especially in the US) this gap may grow.

So if a private school is only slightly better than a public school at educating your child, where would you get the most for your educational buck? “I would get a private tutor,” says Jon-Anthony Lui from Tutor Doctor. “With a one-on-one tutor, your child gets the individual attention they need and the tutor can not only find the missing building blocks in their knowledge, they can also teach them the executive skills they need to be successful in academics and in life. You’ll spend less on a tutor and you’ll see the results instantly.”

Myopia: What Parents Should Know

Bryan

Too much screen time and studying have an adverse effect on our eyesight and may result in myopia (short-sightedness) over time. In Asia, myopia has become somewhat of an epidemic and 80 to 90% of students are afflicted with short-sightedness by the time they leave school.

While we get our children to eat healthy foods, exercise and brush their teeth, we don’t always know how to help them take care of their eyes. A healthy lifestyle, regulated screen time and regular checkups with the optometrist can catch problems early on so you can take steps to mitigate damage.There are several symptoms to watch for which can tell you that your child may need glasses.

Signs that your Child needs Glasses

While most children become accustomed to eyestrain and may not notice blurriness, they do experience physical symptoms which can help to highlight problems. When eyes are strained, it can cause headaches, tearing, red eyes and excessive eye rubbing.

If you notice your child squinting, closing one eye or moving objects closer to them or further away, it may be time for a trip to the optometrist. Wanting to sit really close to the television or computer screen and sensitivity to light are also important indicators that your child may have a visual impairment.

Struggling with hand-eye coordination and losing interest in books or other work that requires good eyesight may be important signs that they need glasses.

If you want to test your child’s eyesight at home, use the University of Buffalo’s IVAC tool which allows you to use the computer to measure eyesight. Of course this isn’t a definitive test and you should still see a professional, but it may be a good way to check progress between visits to the optometrist.

How Often Should My Kids Go to the Optometrist?

Babies get their eyesight tested when they are born and should have another test at around 6 months. After that, routine tests every two years with a registered optometrist should ensure that any issues are caught in time. If you child already has glasses, annual check-ups are required.

Myopia results from too much screen time and not enough vitamin D so institute limitations on how many hours your children spend in front of a screen and try to get them outside for at least two hours a day.

When children are studying or working on the computer, encourage regular breaks and looking out of the window; adjusting to distance will help keep eyes in shape.

Limiting screen time, getting sunshine and a healthy diet with all the vitamins and minerals are great ways to maintain healthy eyesight for your children.

8 Ways to Teach Your Child Compassion

Studies show that while some children have an innate sense of compassion, it is a valuable character trait that we can teach and develop for all children. Being compassionate makes you a more considerate and caring individual and this will help your children to feel part of their communities and contribute positively. There are simple ways you can help your children to develop a sense of compassion and caring for themselves and for others.

Manners Matter

Teaching manners is really teaching your child to treat others with respect. Saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, giving up their chair on the bus and sending ‘thank you’ notes for gifts are great ways to show respect and help children to start to think of others.

Volunteer

Spending a couple of hours a month at a homeless shelter, an animal shelter or a community garden will help your children to experience the joy of giving, and get a sense of the needs of others and all they have to be grateful for.

Environmental Awareness

Recycling, picking up litter, taking your own cup to the coffee shop, donating old clothes to charity or upcycling your used items helps children to think about the way they affect nature and how they can live a more environmentally-friendly life.

Random Acts of Kindness

Buy a coffee for a friend, give a homeless person a meal, share your vegetables and fruit with neighbors or help a friend move. These are ways in which you can show your child how random acts of kindness every day can positively affect the world around you.

Get a Pet

Learning to care for another living thing and spending time with them helps children to develop a sense of compassion and caring. This should be a positive experience, so don’t get pets that they won’t be able to handle or if their schedules are too busy.

Talk about Bullying

Explain that name calling or physical intimidation isn’t funny and get them to think about how they would feel if it was happening to them. Discuss ways to handle bullies and what to do if they are bullied or if they see someone else getting bullied.

Donate to Charities

Every little bit helps so get them to collect their spare change for a charity of their choice. They can also participate in fundraisers for various charities.

Be a good Example

At the end of the day, the best way to teach compassion is to embody it. So resist the urge to complain, judge and be critical of others. When we do this, our children emulate our behavior. So practice compassion yourself, and point out wonderful stories where others have been good examples of compassionate humans.

Be compassionate to your child so that they know what it’s like to be on the receiving end. Talk to them about how it makes them feel so that they are awar

Wonderful Ways to Spend Mother's Day

It’s time to start planning a special day for your mother to show her just how much you appreciate all that she does for you. While you can buy gifts (or make your own), it’s the personal touches that let her know just how much you love her. Here are some great ideas for making Mother’s Day special.

Staycation

Give mom a home holiday this Mother’s Day weekend and make sure she doesn’t have to do a thing. Take care of all her chores, cook the meals and do any shopping that needs to be done. Make sure the house is clean, the laundry is done and the yard has had a spring clean.

Make her staycation extra special with sleep-ins, hot baths, a good book and some fun family activities that you know she will enjoy. Give your mom a Mother’s Day ‘staycation’ that’s not only a well-deserved break, but also helps you to realize just how much she does for you.

Movie Night

Mom gets to pick the flick this time and you can augment the experience by building a pillow fort, making popcorn or taking your movie experience outside if you have a projector. You can also organize a family outing to the cinema and a picnic to round out the evening.

Acting Out

Does your mum like music or the theater? Gather your friends and family members and put on a show for your mom. Write a song, do a play, perform magic tricks or do a standup comedy act that will be fun for the whole family.

And the Oscar goes to…

Create a tribute video where friends and family members all say what they love best about your mom. You can ask distant friends and relatives to do a video phone-in or send videos they make on their smart phones. Compile the clips into a mom love-fest that will make her day.

Gardening

Does your mom love her garden? Plant a new flower bed or get some really colorful spring flowers that you can plant for a splash of color. You can also plant her a new vegetable garden or create a raised garden bed that will make it easier for her to enjoy her favorite hobby.

Class Act

Enroll yourself and your mom in a class you know she will love. Whether it’s painting, flamenco dancing, pottery or skydiving, do something together that you know she will love.

Recipe Rewards

Does your mom love cooking? Make her a personalized cook book that has her favorite recipes from all of her friends and family members. Get each person to write out their recipe and a little note to her and compile them into a book. You can scrapbook these recipes or go online to find a printer that makes recipe books to order. Include photos of friends and family eating some of your favorite holiday meals.

Your mom works so hard all year round, so be sure to show your appreciation on Mother’s Day and  make a fun, relaxing day that she is sure to

Promote Understanding for Autism Awareness Month in April

This April, help to spread awareness, understanding and respect for those who suffer from autism and Asperger’s syndromes. Autism is an increasingly prevalent part of our society and promoting understanding will help people on the spectrum to feel accepted and supported.

What is the Autism Spectrum?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a range of complex behaviors that may leave those afflicted with an inability to fit in socially. They may also experience trouble communicating effectively and display repetitive patterns of behavior. The autism spectrum is very wide and people may experience symptoms which range from mild to severe in nature.

ASD occurs in all ethnic groups, age groups and socioeconomic groups and experts estimate that 1 in every 88 children ages 8 and under have ASD. Studies show that boys are 4 times more likely to have ASD than girls.

Because children with ASD sometimes have trouble fitting in, they may find it difficult to thrive in a traditional school environment and are often the victims of bullying and negativity from children and adults. Spreading awareness will help to alleviate some of the difficulties that ASD children and their families have to deal with. Promoting understanding will create communities where children with ASD are supported and given the best chance to develop and fulfill their incredible potential.

Why should I Support Autism Awareness Month?

Many children with ASD need special support for learning and growing and their families need counseling and assistance. Special needs tutoring and education can often come at a high price, but it’s crucial to allow children with ASD to excel and grow to their full potential.

Children with ASD may also need medication or other therapies that families struggle to afford. Support one of the many Autism Awareness activities in your area that will raise funds for children and their families in April.

If you are not able to participate in these activities, you can do your bit for Autism Awareness month by educating yourself and your family about ASD and how to best help those who have it. You and your family can also volunteer at one of the many organizations that support families and children with ASD.

Take the Twizzler Challenge

You did the ice bucket challenge, now try the Twizzler challenge to support Autism Awareness Month. Post a video of you and someone else eating licorice Lady-and-the-Tramp style. Then, nominate someone else to do the same!

Post to social media using the hastag's #TwizzlerChallenge #AutismCanada.

Resources for families

Want to know more about ASD and help to educate your kids? Here are some resources to help you.

Contact the Autism Society in Canada here.

Find additional Canadian Resources here:

http://www.autismspeaks.ca/

http://autismcanada.org/

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/autismproject.html

Contact the Autism Society in the US here.

Find additional resources here:

http://usofautism.com/the-film/the-resources-available/

http://www.autismsupportnetwork.com/resources/autism-grants-united-states

http://www.usautism.org/

Contact the Autism Society in the UK here.

Find additional resources here:

http://www.resourcesforautism.org.uk/

How to Beat Exam Stress

Exam stress; everyone feels anxious and nervous in the days leading up to exams – we’ve all been there. Trouble is that exam anxiety can have disastrous side effects like lack of sleep, headaches, stomach aches, and an inability to concentrate. This means that you aren’t resting or eating properly and that means you aren’t performing at your peak. Exam anxiety may lead you to fulfill your worst case scenarios.  
Just like a professional athlete trains, eats well and gets plenty of rest before a big game, doing well in school is like training for your brain. That means you need to put in the practice leading up to the exams—leaving things to the last minute will only contribute to your exam stress.  

Next you need to feed your brain. Your brain needs whole grains, protein, fruits and veggies so follow a healthy diet and get tons of exercise; living off gummy bears and energy drinks will mean your blood sugar levels crash right in the middle of the exam. When this happens, your ability to focus and concentrate is impaired as are your higher cognitive functions. Fuel your brain to perform at your peak.  

Here are some of the best exam stress busters: 

Study! I know this is obvious, but being prepared and not leaving everything to the last minute will mean that you feel more confident and will keep those exam blues at bay.  

Be positive: Don’t listen to any of those little voices in your head whispering; “you can’t do it”. If you think that it’s too hard, then it will be. Keep telling yourself you can do it and encourage yourself to try. Congratulate yourself on those things you do well and be your own inner cheerleader.  

Move it! Exercise is one of the best stress relievers and the perfect antidote to all that desk time. Go for a walk, a swim or a run or just have a ten minute dance party to get the juices flowing.  

On exam day: 

Get plenty of sleep the night before. It may seem like a good idea to stay up and study, but the law of diminishing returns means that not getting enough sleep seriously reduces your ability to retain information and deal with stress. You will retain more and perform better if you are well rested.  

Ok, so you already know that you need to start the day with a really great breakfast. A well-balanced healthy meal will help you to focus and do your best.  

Stay hydrated; drink lots of water and go easy on the soda and coffee. 

Leave plenty of time to get to the exam so you aren’t rushing. If your friends are stressing out before the exam, then keep to yourself and listen to that positive inner voice.  

Start with the easy questions first. That will give you the confidence you need to tackle the more challenging ones.  

When the exam is over, have a rest and then go and do something fun; nothing relieves anxiety like a good laugh.