Time capsules

Radio Commentary

With 2016 winding down, it can be fun for families to create a time capsule. It can also provide a practical use for items you might otherwise throw away.

Creating a time capsule is an interesting activity to give children a sense of historical perspective.

Storing a collection of artifacts from the present to be opened some time in the future will give clues to those in the future as to what life was like in our times.

Have each family member select a few things to donate to the cause.

Put a date on the box when your family can open it again. You might even want to bury it somewhere.

Years later, when your children open it, memories will flood back. Or, they might choose to let the time capsule go forever, to be discovered by some future explorers.

The unknown aspects of the future can spark young imaginations and provide encouragement to a wide variety of interests, from science to science fiction.

This project could even start young people on the road to planning goals to achieve by a certain date.

Time capsules provide a real opportunity to channel children’s sense of wonder. They also help bring the concept of history right into your own backyard.

Internet contract

Radio Commentary

Parents tell children, “Don’t talk to strangers.” With wide use of the Internet, the possibility of talking to strangers in cyberspace is now an issue as well.

But it doesn’t need to be. Children can make very good use of the Internet without using chat rooms or interactive forums that bring them in contact with strangers.

Parents can help keep their children safe by setting rules and enforcing them. Remember, even if you don’t have a mobile device or a computer at home, your children can still use online services at a friend’s house or even a public library.

So help your child understand that online activity is a privilege. Children should also agree to:

•   Limit time online to 8 hours per week.

•   Never give out their name, address, phone number, school, or password to anyone online.

•   Report to you anyone online who asks for personal information.

•   Tell you if someone sends messages that are uncomfortable or inappropriate.

•   Never arrange to meet friends they have met online, unless you are with them.

•   Never spend time in adult chat rooms or newsgroups.

•   Refrain from using bad language or sending cruel messages.

Build in natural consequences. If any of these agreements are broken, children generally should lose online privileges for one week per broken promise.

Remember: safety online is as important as safety offline.

Effective families

Radio Commentary

A strong case can be made for parental involvement in education. Effective families have several identifiable characteristics. These include:

• A feeling of control over their lives — individually, and as a group

• Frequent communication of high expectations to the children

• A family dream of success for the future for all members

• A consistent message that hard work is the key to success

• An active lifestyle involving physical activities

• A view of the family as a mutual support system and an effective problem-solving unit

• Clearly understood household rules, that are consistently enforced, and

• Frequent contact with teachers by at least one parent, and both if possible.

The report maintained that this type of family lifestyle helps lead to a child’s increased self-confidence and self-control.

These characteristics create a protective network that is an ongoing source of strength and support for young and old alike.

In families with these traits, parents tell their children through their attitudes, behavior, and encouragement that they can succeed in school and in life.

Radio Commentary

Many parents would like their children to attend college, but are concerned about the costs.

While paying for college can be a challenge, it is important to know that there are many opportunities for financial assistance.

The factors that influence the cost of a basic college education are the type of school (such as public or private, in-state or out-of-state), the time it takes your child to finish (the longer he or she stays, the more it will cost), and location. 

Location affects the cost of housing, food and transportation. 

Federal and state governments both offer help, along with private sources and foundations such as the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara.

Your child’s high school is the best single source of information about financial aid.

Here are tips that help reduce college costs:

•  Reduce the number of classes needed in college by taking Advanced Placement classes or courses at a community college.

•  Enroll in a community college and then transfer to a four-year school.

•  Participate in a partnership program that is formally linked to a college.

Remember the guiding principle: Where there is a will, there really is a way.

Parent tips

Radio Commentary

By cultivating the right attitudes and good work habits, parents can help make sure that their children are able to take advantage of all that is offered at school in the second half of the year.

Make sure they know that school is interesting and important, and that parents are valued partners.

Be prepared. Know the school rules. Know what type of homework is assigned, how often, and how long it should take to complete. This information helps your child prepare for each day.

Talk with your child’s teachers throughout the year. They need your help and have as much to learn from you as you do from them. 

Attend events at your child’s school.

Talk often with your child about what is happening at school. Ask questions about schoolwork, teachers, and activities.

This will show that you really are interested and really do consider school important.

Establish and maintain a good learning environment at home. Read with your child. Check homework every night, serving as a coach. 

Ask teachers for advice. They know about child development and they spend a lot of time with your child. 

Be sure to give teachers information such as changes in family circumstances, illness, or a death that could upset your child’s learning.

Teachers can better address a child’s needs if they know the circumstances that might be affecting behavior.

Easing stress

Radio Commentary

Here are some good tips for reducing stress in your family.

First, show affection! Let your children know you love them. Hug them often.

Nurture your children’s self-esteem. Listen to their needs and help them develop their own problem-solving skills.

Encourage their interests and abilities. Treat them as individuals with their own special qualities.

Give your children some of your undivided attention every day.

Give them a chance to talk about both the happy AND the stressful events in their lives.

Some every-day concerns that can cause stress for children are school pressures, alienation, and the demands that they succeed at everything — school, sports, music, dancing, or other activities.

Show your children you understand their concerns and take them seriously.

Have weekly family meetings to discuss family activities, routines, and problems.

Give everyone a chance to speak and don’t allow angry or negative feedback. Work at problem-solving rather than confrontation.

Use humor or empathy — rather than orders, anger, or sarcasm — when asking your children to do something for you.

These seem like small steps, but they can really make a big difference.

Health and learning

Radio Commentary

Children’s health can have a noticeable impact on their ability to learn.

Vision and hearing problems, in particular, can impair a child’s ability to keep up in school.

That’s because an inability to see the blackboard or hear the teacher can keep a student from understanding what is being taught.

Distractions can also be caused by medical or dental problems, as well as learning disabilities.

In Santa Barbara County, children are screened for hearing, vision, and dental problems in kindergarten or first grade, and again in second, fifth, eighth, and tenth grade.

In order to identify potential health problems — including possible lead poisoning, the state requires preventative physicals for all first-graders.

If a teacher or school nurse notices a child is having a problem, a referral is made to the home.

In addition, tips from teachers can help school psychologists identify behavioral or learning problems, such as attention deficit disorder.

Nutrition and rest can also have a positive impact on children’s learning.

Research has shown that children who eat breakfast do better in school than those who do not.

Monitoring a child’s health, and paying attention to nutrition and rest, are important ways that parents can help children succeed in school.

Media myth

Radio Commentary

We are all concerned about the mass media’s influence on children.

Certainly the media help reinforce some widespread misconceptions, and people often act on perception rather than reality.

For example: Violence in videos and on TV helps create the impression that our neighborhoods are dangerous places, and we need guns, police, and the military to protect us.

Detailed reports of crime and terror create the perception among young and old alike that the world is unsafe. As a result, more people stay home, especially in urban areas, or act in a more guarded way.

Ironically, this isolation by law-abiding citizens actually helps make areas less safe.

News programs generally lead off with the most violent occurrence of the day — as opposed to less newsworthy acts of ordinary kindness, courage, and friendship.

This gives a distorted view of just how much violence occurs around us.

Children who understand this distortion are better prepared to deal with the real world.

They understand that news reports are merely samplings of what is going on in the streets and around the world.

They understand that decisions on editing and story selection are made from thousands of choices, and are made according to professional standards of both news and entertainment value.

It is the oddity that is “new” and therefore considered news, rather than acts that are commonplace. And that is exactly the problem.