kids

Smartphone Apps to Keep your Children Safe

May 16, 2017 by Painter Mommy Leave a Comment

Children are easily distracted by people and activities around them which can lead parents to lose children in small crowds or where there are engaging activities taking place. Parents are always concerned about what their children are doing and their current location. It is, however, impossible to keep track due to various commitments. The good news is that different apps in the market can help paranoid parents monitor their children from wherever they are. With these apps, it becomes easy for parents to know the exact location of their children and the various activities that they are performing with their smartphones. Some of these phones are installed in the children’s phone without their knowledge while others are agreed upon especially when they are in a new neighborhood or traveling so as to alert the parents in case of danger.

Family Locator

The Verizon Family Locator app allows parents to monitor the whereabouts of their children as they go about their day’s activities. The app is in a position to alert you via email or text message when it recognizes an abnormality in the location of your children. When your child, for example, skips a lesson and decides to go out with friends, you can get a notification, and her smartphone signal will pinpoint the current location on an aerial map or photo.

Family Medical Info

The health of a growing child is one of the biggest concerns of a parent. Having the vital medical information of your baby stored in an app is a perfect way to stay stress-free regarding your child’s medical condition. This app stores some relevant medical history which includes the child’s vaccinations, allergies, blood type, a list of prescriptions, and other complicated conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. With this kind of information, you can contact your insurance rep or your family doctor with a tap of a button regardless of the distance between you and your child.

FamilyBase

Digital interactions via social media have become rampant among the young generation. Children are in a phase where their curiosity might lead them into accessing sites meant for adults. This app aids you in controlling how, when and with whom your child communicates with at all times. It also has an option where you can restrict the service hours, limiting the child’s text messages, calls, and purchase options. The FamilyBase app will also help you in controlling your internet bills by limiting your child’s data usage.

Child ID

According to the FBI, more than 400,000 are reported missing annually. The thought of losing a child in a mall without a trace is a nightmare for every parent. With this app, you can store some vital data that can help the authorities in identifying your children when you accidentally lose them. The app can be used to store your baby’s current photos, height, eye colour, weight, mannerism, and birthmarks. The information saved in this app should be able to distinguish your child from the rest for easier tracking by the security agents. This app also comes with advice and safety on what parents need to do when a crisis occurs.

Lassy Project

Most children disappear without trace due to the extended time taken by parents to realize that their child has gone missing. This app provides an instant alert when your child goes missing so as to facilitate an immediate rescue mission. Lassy Project provides an updated image of the missing child and a real-time map displaying the coordinates of the last recognized site. This app makes a perfect alert tool for notifying when a child goes missing as only relevant people in the immediate area are informed.

4 Tips to Encourage Creativity in Your Children

March 24, 2017 by Painter Mommy 1 Comment

Creative thinking is a characteristic commonly found in successful business men and women. These people aren’t afraid to try new ideas or take chances. If you want to raise creative kids, but don’t know where to start, check out these four tips for encouraging creativity.

Create a Space Where Kids Can Get Messy

Image via Flickr by CCK_mom

It’s hard to keep your home clean when you have children. However, if your kids are always worrying about getting dirty, their creativity suffers. Instead of letting your kids run wild with the arts and craft supplies, create a space where it’s okay to be messy.

A sunroom or any tiled surface works great for a creative space because it’s easy to clean. Just make sure it’s free of allergens and stays at a comfortable temperature so your kids can play longer. During the summer, you can also set up some tables outdoors and let your kids make all the mess they want. Being messy isn’t really the problem; it’s being messy all over the place.

Schedule Time Each Day for Creativity

Most parents let their kids watch a little TV, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, TV doesn’t help stimulate creativity. When kids watch TV, they go into a semitrance and don’t rely on their own brains to come up with things to do. If you want your kids to be more creative, turn off the TV and give them something to do where they need to think and explore their surroundings.

Set aside time each day during which your kids participate in creative activities. When your kids know they need to do something creative every day, they’ll start to think of things to do on their own. Over time, creative time will become their favorite time of the day.

Provide Ample Arts and Craft Supplies

Image via Flickr by Carissa GoodNCrazy

Another way to encourage creativity in your kids is to make sure they have all the supplies they need. Some kids can take crayons and some paper and color for hours. Others kids need more prompting with drawing books and creative toys. You know what your kids like to do, so find ways to bring in creativity.

Beyond arts and craft supplies, it helps to model creativity for your kids. If they see you sewing, painting, or gardening, they’ll want to join in on the fun. If your kids show an interest in a creative activity, make sure they have time to learn.

Let Your Kids Make Mistakes

Creativity comes when kids experiment and try new things. If your kids know you won’t be mad when they make a mistake, they won’t worry about trying something new.

Praise your kids when they try something new, but don’t make them feel like they’re under surveillance. Creativity happens when there’s freedom to explore without interruption or interrogation.

There are tons of ways to encourage creativity; there are just a few listed here. You just need to plan ahead and do what works for you and your kids. We’d love to hear what helps your child be creative in the comments below.

Parents and Homework

March 2, 2015 by Painter Mommy Leave a Comment

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I guess everyone has been to school and knows pretty well how hard is the path of studying. Therefore, the educational system of USA suggests that parents should help kids with their homework. So, Homework-desk.com decided to check out how parents manage to tackle their kids homework. It turns out that around 40% of parents deal with their kids homework. Others either are too busy for this or just don’t understand the materials their kids bring home with them. The most problematic subjects for parents turn out to be math and English.

There is evidence though that it is extremely good when parents are involved in their kids studying lives. In such families children are more successful at school and get more fun with the studying process.

There are various ways of how parents can help their kids with home assignments. Among them are 5 the most important: parents should help their kid to choose the right place for doing homework, as well as, the right time. They should help with preparing of all the necessary materials for studying and remove all the possible distractions. And the last but not the least – they should be engaged themselves, show interest, and be a vivid example.

Another point here to discuss if parents should help kids with studies at all. Is it more of a hindrance than a help? But the key aspect here is that everything should be done moderately. Parents shouldn’t do the whole homework, as can be seen in one out of six families. Small hints and the simple expression of interest will boost the kids’ motivation to study and develop. It is important to explain how important the knowledge gained at school is. It is a ground, a so-called platform, for the further deeds. Therefore, be a vivid example for your kid, be engaged, and everything will be just in order.

Top 5 Ideas to Stay Active with Kids

January 12, 2015 by Painter Mommy Leave a Comment

Living in a family with kids means they are always your center of attention. But should prioritizing kids come at the cost of your health and general well being? Not at all. As you will learn in this article, it is perfectly possible to take care of your growing kids without neglecting your physical (and psychological) well being. After all, the whole family suffers if your well being, physical or otherwise, is undetermined.

Typically, having a family with kid’s means you always find yourself overwhelmed with chores: taking kids to school, attending their school events and meetings, taking care of housework – all of this on top of your own work. Thankfully, with some smart planning, and lots of determination, you can make sure that your desire to live an active lifestyle isn’t compromised.

Follow the 6 tips mentioned below to start your journey towards a healthy and active lifestyle.

Transform your daily chores into exercise: One of the key reasons that prevents so many people from taking care of their physical fitness is lack of time. Having kid’s means you simply aren’t getting the time to follow through on a structured exercise regimen. The good news is that calories aren’t burnt only on a treadmill. Indeed, non-exercise activities are a bigger determinant of healthy lifestyle than time spent in gym. This means you can take small steps like going on a walk with your kid in the stroller, standing up and moving about ever so often, taking stairs instead of the lift on your way to work etc can help a lot.

Condensed workout: Your workout doesn’t have to last 60 minutes. Lot of evidence is emerging that shorter, but more intense, workout are in fact better in maintaining peak fitness. Go for a High intensity interval training for 15 minutes if you cannot find time for a full hour workout in your daily schedule.

Develop a social support network: This could be in the form of your relatives, or if that isn’t possible, then a support network of parents. Cultivate friendship with other parents and look after each other’s kids a few times a week – it will allow you some precious free time

Join yoga or dance classes: The time you spend in front of TV or surfing the web, or even the time you spend with your kid at home, can be better spent if both you and your kid can sign up at your neighborhood yoga, aerobics or dance classes together. This will ensure you not only get to spend quality time with your kid, but also take care of your fitness and inculcate a love for active lifestyle in your kid. A truly winsome proposition.

Plan outdoor or DIY activities with your kids: Nothing is quite as wholesome as a great family outing. Not only is it great for fun and entertainment, but also excellent for bonding and physical wellbeing. The outdoor activity could be anything – from a camping trip to a hiking or biking expedition. Similarly, do it yourself (DIY) projects are excellent both for you and your kid.

The internet is full of amazing websites and tutorials on DIY home improvement projects. Get your hands dirty with these projects and involve your kids in the same. Such projects challenge your mind, and bring out the creative best in you. CSA contact should be initiated if you find yourself in need of support for your kid’s needs and requirements.

Ruby Andrew’s author bio: Ruby Andrew, a visitor essayist and blogger by calling lives in Bristol, UK. Since for quite a while, she has an energy for composing and she could compose on any point. Her ranges of investment incorporates travel, Health, wellness, Automobile, Fashion, innovation and wedding. At present, she acts as a visitor blogger for CSA contact.

On The Move with Boys Scooters

October 29, 2014 by Painter Mommy Leave a Comment

Not long ago, scooters were considered a passing fad. But today, they are an ever-present fixture on pavements, in playgrounds and even at skate parks. Boys of all ages have gone mad for these push-powered modes of transportation thanks to their ease of use, range of designs and perhaps most importantly, street cred.

Therefore, parents struggling to find the perfect present this Christmas don’t need to worry anymore, as boys scooters are available in abundance. But how did they come to be so popular and what are some of the best models on the market?

Scoot back in time

There is a good chance that any parents reading this probably had a similar toy during their childhood, as scooters date back decades. In the past, inventive fathers or imaginative kids would make them by hand using roller skate wheels and a board of wood or an old box. The handle was simply there for balance, as the rider had to lean one-way or another to make the scooter turn.

However, bicycle manufacturers soon recognized the need for a mass-produced scooter and started to introduce various products. Some of these featured chunky rubber tires, different sized wheels, foldable frames and even suspension. But it wasn’t until the late 1990s that scooters hit the big time, which was mainly down to their popularity in Japan. At first, commuters used scooters in an urban environment to get to work, but children soon adopted them everywhere else.

Scooting around today

Regardless of your kid’s age or ability, they’ll be a suitable scooter out there. Younger children will appreciate a scooter featuring graphics of popular children’s TV and film characters such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Hello Kitty and Disney’s Frozen.

However, scooters for older kids are built to incredibly high specifications in order to withstand outlandish tricks and stunts, just like the Ozbozz Torq Chaotic. Its aluminum construction and robust steering column means it will definitely stand the test of time. Full deck grip helps with balance while a large AI rear brake ensures the rider can stop quickly too.

But for something a bit different, consider buying the Razor E300 Electric. Designed with older teenagers and even adults in mind, this electric scooter can achieve speeds of up to 15mph. Its super-sized deck and frame along with extra wide tires make it extremely comfortable to ride, while the 24V battery system affords up to 40 minutes of continuous use.

So what used to be a fleeting trend is now a tremendously popular pursuit. Therefore, any boy would appreciate receiving a scooter this Christmas. Just be sure to talk to your kids about scooter safety before they step on board.