Author: fuelingbrains_AdMEEn

Summer is almost here and we’re excited to give you some great summer family activities in Calgary. Whether you are looking for something indoor or outdoor, Calgary has lots to offer in terms of entertainment. There are also lots of great restaurants to sit down and eat at, but we’ll leave those for another day. Today we are focusing on FUN!

Amusement & Water Parks

Looking to spend the day outside having a blast? Calgary has some amazing outdoor amusement and water parks perfect for a nice day.

• Calaway Park – Western Canada’s largest outdoor family amusement park.
• Village Square Leisure Centre – 5.5-acre indoor leisure centre featuring a safari themed water park, a jungle gym, 2 skating arenas and more!
• The Calgary Zoo – The Calgary Zoo features numerous animals, rides, play areas, dining and much more.

Calgary Shopping Attractions

Interested in spending the day inside, looking for some new clothes or toys? There are many shopping destinations throughout Calgary but we’ve tried to narrow it down to only the best.

• Stephen Avenue Walk – Calgary’s only pedestrian mall, offering shopping, restaurants and entertainment venues with a unique experience.
• CF Chinook Centre – The CF Chinook Centre is a premier shopping destination that offers hundreds of brand name stores, restaurants, and entertainment.
• Core Shopping – Described as Calgary’s luxury shopping destination, Core Shopping offers 160 stores, including international brands.

Museums in Calgary

Looking for something a bit more educational for the day? Calgary has many great museums and historic sites to visit. These are some of the top rated according to TripAdvisor.

• Gasoline Alley Museum – Gasoline Alley is an automotive museum featuring pre-1950s cars and vintage pumps & signage.
• TELUS Spark – TELUS Spark is a museum for people of all ages with interactive exhibits, multimedia presentations and educational demonstrations.
• YouthLink Calgary Police Interpretive Centre – Featuring immersive exhibits and Alberta’s largest collection of policing artifacts, this hands-on learning centre offers lots to do and see!

Games & Entertainment

If you want to have a fun day without being outside, Calgary has lots of attractions to offer. We’ve tried to select 3 different family activities to highlight but there are many more places to check out and enjoy!

• Escape Capers YYC – Experience a real-life puzzle and mystery as you try to escape from a mysterious room, customized for each group and their abilities.
• Skyline Luge Calgary – An unique wheeled gravity ride down the longest Luge track in the world! Every age is welcome to go on the adventure.
• Flying Squirrel – This indoor fun park features spring-loaded floors for all ages, bring the whole family to jump around!

No matter what you have in mind, Calgary has attractions sure to fill your day with fun. From museums and entertainment centers to Zoos and shopping malls, no day should go without entertainment this summer. We hope that you have a safe and great summer!

Okay, parents! It is almost that time again when countless children prepare for fun times at day camps for kids and overnight summer camps in Calgary. The benefits of summer camps extend far beyond the mandatory tee shirt. Lessons learned and valuable experiences can be carried with them throughout life.

Benefits of Summer Camps

• Calgary summer camps help nurture social skills. Camps for kids offer a safe haven away from home and school. It is a separate community where children learn to work together and with new mentors while building important relationships, and dealing directly with conflicts.
• Camps for kid promote a healthy lifestyle. Calgary summer camps 2017 provide so many physical activities and other projects for kids—they remain busy. In addition, the current trend is to serve more nutritious food options as opposed to traditional camp fare. At many camps for kids, you are likely to find more fruits and vegetable choices. Some Calgary summer camps even have gardening and cooking activities that teach children how to grow and prepare healthy meals.
• Summer enrichment helps curb learning loss. Research has proven that kids tend to lose up to two months’ knowledge learned in math, reading, and spelling over the summer break. To avoid the dreaded summer slide, specialized summer Calgary summer camps offer tracks in the arts, reading, writing and STEM opportunities. STEM is the abbreviation for science, technology, engineering, and math. This type of educational camp setting is designed to make learning interactive and fun.
• Kids experience new activities. Summer camps offer many new activities that foster a sense of achievement and builds leaders. Kids may get the opportunity try horseback riding, fencing, whitewater rafting, working on a farm—the possibilities are endless. One of the greatest benefits of summer camps is getting to experience something you may have never got the chance to do otherwise in an encouraging environment.
• Camps for kids boost self-confidence. Most children walk away from a good camp experience feeling a lot more self-confidence with a strong sense of pride and self-reliance. A study by Philliber Research Associates reported that 70 percent of parents stated their child had a higher level of self-esteem while spending time at summer camp.
• It is valuable time away from electronic devices. Calgary summer camps help kids unwind and unplug. They have pulled away from the digital world and forced to redirect, slow down, and focus on more valuable experiences like spiritual growth, making new friends, exploring the outdoors and trying new things.Kids are often reintroduced to nature and the simple pleasure of being outside every day. Also, some of the biggest benefits of summer camps are the opportunity to connect with and meet new people (in person) from different regions, and various walks of life, especially if your child attends overnight summer camps in Calgary.
• Camp activities encourage personal growth. Besides learning how to swim, getting to sleep in a cabin and learn new songs at the bonfire, kids develop leadership, citizenship, and other valuable personal development skills that will serve them well at home, in the classroom, in relationships and the workplace.

Whether your child displays great musical potential or is more likely to belt out tunes in the shower, there are benefits of music education to be gained.

Music Education Importance

Research has shown that the benefits of music education extend far beyond basic elementary skills, it further enhances learning and skill development in other areas. Children create music by doing more than singing or learning how to play an instrument. They will delve, simultaneously, into multiple skill sets. Kids use their small and large muscles along with their eyes and ears.

Music Education Benefits Language

In students ages 2-9, one of the greatest benefits of music education is enhanced language development. This is so important at this stage in a child’s life. Music helps further expand innate abilities that need to be celebrated, fostered, practiced, and reinforced in the home and in a formal setting.

Recent research has shown that music education helps physically develop a portion of the left brain, the part known to process language. It can rewire the circuits in unique ways. Also, there is a link between music, language, and socialization. Language development tends to enhance areas of the brain that process music. To be socially competent, it helps to also be competent verbally. One of the music education benefits is that it strengthens verbal competency in children.

Music Makes Kids Smarter

A study of six-year-olds who participated in weekly piano and voice lessons over a nine-month period discovered a small boost in IQ scores. This was in comparison with a second group given drama lessons, and a third group given no lessons. The scores were tested before the children entered first grade and again before they reached second grade.

Interestingly, the music group earned an average of three points higher on their IQ scores than the other test groups. The drama group did not have higher IQ points, but they did receive increased benefits in social behavior, that wasn’t seen in the music group.

Music Helps Improve Spatial/Temporal Skills

A link has also been found between spatial intelligence and music in children. This shows that music education helps kids visualize elements that belong together over time, such as with solving math problems or working through other multistep challenges in art, gaming, computers, or in professions like architecture or engineering.

Music Helps Boost Test Scores

Research demonstrated that a prime benefit of music education is higher test scores for students who participate in music programs at the school. It has also been discovered that schools with quality arts and music teachers are likely to offer top notch instructors across the board. In a creative environment, full of smart people doing joyful things, even students who aren’t particularly artistic, tend to do better.

In addition, along with optimal test performance due to improved concentration, music education helps improve memory recall. People who have experienced the benefits of music education tend to be good at remembering stored verbal information.

It is a common struggle for parents across the board. We all want to protect our kids and keep them healthy and free of germs. But the truth is, we can’t monitor all their behavior, especially during the school day. What we can do is teach them good habits and set clear standards around the home.

No matter what your child’s age, you will find these lifestyle tips useful for limiting the spread of germs, and for keeping him or her healthy and happy.

Encourage regular hand washing at a young age

No matter how clean your child is, or how spotless you keep your home, germs are everywhere: school, vehicles, a friend’s house, there is no escaping them, the best way to combat the critters is to teach your children to wash their hands correctly and regularly. They should use warm, soapy water slathered on hands for approximately 20 seconds before rinsing. Both the front and back of the hands need to be scrubbed, as well as the nails and between the fingers. It is most sanitary to use a disposable paper towel to dry hands as opposed to a communal cloth towel.

Children should wash their hands after using the bathroom, playing outdoors, returning home from school and after spending time in any public place.

Teach children that not all sharing is good

Anything that enters the mouth should not be shared. Utensils, food, and drinks are easy avenues for germs to spread like wildfire. Always label your child’s lunchbox, all items in it, and all snack items. In addition, instruct your child not touch or eat anyone else’s food. It is also good practice to wrap a napkin around a sandwich when transferring it to a plate. Hands should be washed before and after eating.

Encourage your kids to play outside

Children need fresh air, exercise and a good dose of Vitamin D to boost their immune systems. Spending a few hours outdoors each day will benefit them by making them less vulnerable to nasty germs.

Show children how to cover their mouth correctly when they cough or sneeze

Germs spread quickly through the air when a child fails to cover a cough or sneeze. A cough in the hand without washing right away will also wreak havoc. To minimize potential damage, teach children to cough or sneeze into a tissue to be disposed of immediately or into the crook of their elbow.

Proper hygiene is one of the most important lessons you can teach your child. It is something they will use for life and it will help keep them healthy.

Tests show teachers how well their students are learning. Through the test-taking process, children develop important study skills, they learn from past mistakes and adapt to the unknown (handling a pop quiz). With regular practice and preparation, students feel confident and equipped to handle test material. To help kids make a smooth transition from learning to test preparation, try using the following memorization/recall strategies.

• 1. Use all the senses.
  Some content is retained better the more sense you use to retain the information. When movement is involved in preparing for kids testing, they are more likely to recall the facts. This type of test preparation is a lot more effective than sitting at a desk pouring over notes or a book. It also helps to shape dough into letters to practice vocabulary words or reinforce the alphabet, or to create songs to memorize multiplication tables.
• 2. Create a colorful flashcard test for kids.
  Flash cards are helpful tools for reviewing spelling words, math sets, social studies facts, and much more. Be creative, make unique sets for different subjects. Make the test preparation fun for kids, take turns and let them manage the cards and test you.
• 3. Practice kids testing.
  Conduct a practice test for kids one or two nights before the quiz. This will provide a valuable opportunity to gauge what content your child still needs to grasp. Have your child spell out words or answer a multiple-choice worksheet on the given subject. Discuss the incorrect answers and work on those errors. Writing helps cement information in your child’s brain.

Enforce the Basics

Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep the night before a test. This will improve the chance of optimal performance. Children 6-8 years old generally require 11 hours of quality sleep, 9-10-year-old kids function better with 10 hours. A good indication that your kids are getting enough sleep is if they wake up on their own.

In addition, don’t let them leave home without a good, healthy breakfast to energize the body and fuel the brain. Be sure to provide a meal that includes a balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Studies show that children who start their day with a well-rounded breakfast score higher on tests.

The key to a strong, healthy family is to serve a variety of nutritious, delicious meals every day. Growing kids and teens require just the right amount of fuel to learn, prosper and develop properly. This means it is up to parents to provide children with quality foods and beverages that offer lots of essential nutrients such as, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. Stay clear of too much sugar and excessive amounts of fat and calories. Set an example that ensures the health of your family and establishes good habits that last a lifetime.

Why are the right nutrients so important?

A lack of proper nutrition can cause serious health problems and lead to obesity. Some conditions develop due to a poor diet while a child is growing, and can follow into adulthood. Teaching kids how to eat healthily is a priceless tool and a sign of love.

Think about how much easier it is to be active and maintain a healthy, ideal weight than it is to have to lose weight. Overall health and the quality of life is better. Slender kids, or those who maintain their best size, tend to stay at a healthy weight into adulthood.

Poor nutrition and weight

It is miserable being overweight or obese at any time in life, never mind at an age where no one wants to look different or feel awkward. Some of the negative effects in children at an unhealthy weight include:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• High cholesterol
• Bronchial asthma
• Sleep apnea
• Certain types of cancer
• Depression
• Teasing/bullying
• Body loathing
• Feelings of isolation
• Trouble learning
• Social anxiety

How good nutrition benefits children

• Healthy weight
• Mental and physical well-being
• Stronger ability to focus, concentrate and learn
• Strong bones
• Good muscle tone
• High energy level
• Strong immune system
• Fast wound healing

How can I help my children make healthier food choices?

Teach kids by offering attractive, healthy options at home. Provide a wide variety of foods and be persistent. Kids are tough, they are often reluctant to try new things initially. Let your crew choose the vegetables and fruits each would like to try. Select healthy protein choices such as lean meats, eggs, nuts, and fish. Serve whole or multi-grain cereals and bread. Get them used to low-fat dairy products and make water a staple instead of sugary soft drinks. It is okay to indulge occasionally, but make it a habit to avoid fried food, fast food, and junk food. Also, never forget to read the labels. Always be aware of exactly what you are feeding your children.

With the technology evolving every day, we witness how today’s generation is all about mobiles, tablets, games and applications. From the time when kids craved for a new LEGO set to the times when a 5-year-old craves for a new tablet. Is it good or bad? The Canadian Academy of Pediatrics says, less screen time is vital for the better rearing of children. Too much screen time can affect your child’s sleep, cause behavior problems, and leaves less time for play and physical activities. It’s better to use that time instead for family activities like – book reading, museum visits, park visits, biking, dancing, or any other activity you can enjoy.

Tips to Limit Screen Time

• Apply strict rules/create a screen time schedule – According to the Canadian Academy of Pediatrics, there should be no screen activity for children below 2 and only 1 to 2 hours of screen time for older children. Encourage your children to have a systematic routine; make a schedule of day to day activities and fix the hour for screen time.If you need to, for the rest of the day, apply a parental lock on all devices.
• Unplug the screens from children room – Unplug the television in your child’s room. Instead, make their space interesting with indoor games, board games, books and other crafts. Bedtime should be consistent. That should not change because of a TV show. If your child or teen wants to see a program that airs past their bedtime, consider recording it.
• Expose them to the outdoor activities – Encourage children to play in your garden area, or enroll them in a nearby sports league. A study reported that logic games help young children activate their brain cells much faster. Look for such logic games and create a habit in your children. Other activities like dance, singing, and painting can also be the way to shrink screen time.
• The good and bad television – More screen time can cause unhealthy habits and misguide children, causing behavior problems. During active screen time, your child gets exposed to all kinds of advertisements and shows. Educate them about the strategies that advertisers use to sell products to children. Cultivate a habit of watching shows related to Sports, Wildlife, Travel, or Documentaries.

Live, Eat, Play – adopt the new way!

While the beginning of the cold and flu season has long passed, the end of the season isn’t quite here yet. In fact, the flu season usually lasts well through the winter season. Helping you and your family stay healthy during this long season may seem difficult, especially if the prevalence of the cold or flu is present in school and work settings—areas you can’t quite control. However, there are plenty of ways you can help your childrencontinue to stay healthy this cold and flu season:

Encourage Hand Washing

This is especially important for our little ones who may have not yet established a good hand washing habit! Cold and flu viruses are not airborne; they are transferred through direct contact with other objects or people. Therefore, it is important to encourage your child to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water, especially after using the restroom and before eating. For further protection, also encourage them to wash their hands after coming home from school or any other public place to prevent the spread of germs at home. Hand sanitizer is also a good substitute if a sink isn’t nearby or readily available.

Eat Healthy Foods

It’s very important to include more healthy foods such as fruits, and vegetables into you and your family’s meals during the cold and flu season. It’s also important that you maintain balanced meals. Fruits and vegetables can provide our bodies with plenty of other vitamins and nutrients that can help keep our immune systems strong.

Get the Proper Amount of Sleep

If your body doesn’t get enough sleep, your immune system can weaken and become more vulnerable to infections; your body is unable to produce enough white blood cells and antibodies to help fight off germs. Make sure you and your child get enough sleep every night to reduce your chances of catching the flu or cold.

Establish Good Coughing and Sneezing Habits

We’ve all seen it as teachers and parents: children who sneeze or cough into the air in front of them, the objects or work space they use, or worse yet—their hand! Discourage habits like these and teach them to sneeze or cough into a tissue or into the crooks of their elbows. Even if your child does catch a cold, this will prevent the virus from spreading to other family members or other kids at school.

By practicing all of these, you and your child can significantly reduce your chances of catching the flu or cold, staying healthy well through the winter and cold and flu season!

 

Reading is especially important for children; it helps them develop early speech, communication, writing, and critical thinking skills. There are plenty of wonderful books available that can hone these skills in addition to other important concepts. Looking for a new book to read with your child? Here are some of the best children’s books of 2016!

1. Maple & Willow’s Christmas Tree by Lori Nichols – Although the holiday season has long passed, this cute children’s book explores the sweet story of two sisters who pick out a Christmas tree.
2. The Lines on Nana’s Face by Simona Ciraolo – This children’s book is a beautiful reminder that wrinkles are a map of memories that are made as you grow older and that you should live every moment to its fullest.
3. Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor – This adorable, vocabulary–packed children’s book is about two sisters that are planning on having a sleepover at a friend’s house. The older sister, Nancy, becomes worried that her younger sister will be too homesick to enjoy herself; but maybe they’ll have so much fun she won’t even think about it!
4. The Thank You Book by Mo Willems – Piggie goes around the community, thanking every single person who means something to her. This inspiring children’s book will teach your kids the importance of gratitude and being thankful for all they have!
5. Ada’s Violin by Susan Hood – Based on a true story, Ada’s Violin is about a teacher who creates musical instruments from recycled trash. This inspirational story will inspire a new love of music and teach children about recycling and giving back to the community.
6. ABC Dream by Kim Krans – This children’s book is a great way to help your kids improve their spelling and critical thinking skills! The pictures inside serve as a type of puzzle in which you must figure out how they relate to each letter. In the back of the book, you will find a glossary of letters and the different words they start with that are featured in the book!
7. Ballerina Gets Ready by Allegra Kent – This unique children’s book explores the importance of sticking to a schedule and working diligently towards a goal.

It’s the time of year where many parents come up with a set of resolutions and goals for the new year. Some of the most common resolutions typically range from eating healthier, to spending more time with family. Setting these goals and eventually reaching them throughout the following year is a great example for kids to follow. For 2017, sit down with your child and discuss what their goals might be for the new year, too. If they’re having trouble coming up with a resolution, here are some exciting ideas of goals they can work to achieve this year:

Learn New Things

As they grow older, it’s important that you and your child take advantage of any learning opportunity that becomes available throughout the year. A great resolution for children is to learn new things in the new year. This can range from learning to read new words, to taking a dance class!

Eat Healthier

This is a resolution that both you and your child can participate in! Eliminate fast food and sugary sodas from your diets, and eat healthier foods like fruits and vegetables. As a result, you may find that this goal is much easier to achieve when your entire household is junk food-free. Plus, both you and your child will be more motivated by working towards the same goal together.

Exercise More

Like eating healthier, exercising more is something both you and your child can do together. Go out for a family bike ride or run, or take an active class together. In addition, you can encourage your child to be more active by going outside with them and playing their favorite sport or game.

Be More Environment-Friendly

Another New Years’ resolution that is easy for your child to work towards is being more friendly towards the environment. This can start with something as simple as teaching your kids to turn off the lights after they are finished in a room or using the recycling bin for old drawing papers they might not want anymore. To take it a step further, you can even encourage walking with your child to school instead of driving if you live close enough.