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Easy IEP Help provides information and resources about IEPs for parents of children with learning disabilities. Easy IEP Help

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How Television Benefits Your Children

You don't see a lot of ads like this any more. While it may have sounded promising 50 years ago, the fact remains, television has gotten a bad rap for the past 30 years. Much of it is warranted.

Television itself isn't bad for kids. The programming is bad. But it doesn't have to be that way.

High Definition TV is great and quite a bit of the HD programming is awesome. The Discovery Channel has some beautiful and educational shows. A&E and PBS both have responsible programming and National Geographic is right there too.

Unfortunately, many kids are glued to shows featuring the Khardashians or cartoons that offer little educational value. I'm not knocking their entertainment value for their intended audiences, but they don't offer many "benefits" for children except for "cred" with their peers.

Sesame Street was groundbreaking when it came onto the scene and has offered educational television time for many kids. We need more shows for older kids.

TV time is decreasing for many kids as their time is now shared with texting and computers. But television is still engaging, with bigger screens and better quality visuals adding to the allure. If somebody finds a way to create "Extreme Education" and pump it across the country, maybe TV will find its way back into the "beneficial for children" slot that was promised so many years ago.

It's not that difficult to find good shows for kids to watch. The effort comes in getting them to watch the good shows.

The benefit from watching good shows? Kids will remember what they see on TV better than they will remember what they heard in class or read on a blackboard. It's more engaging, and content rich. 30 minutes of TV time can present much more information than 30 minutes in a class. Maybe we should create class instruction for television and pipe it into all the classrooms around the country. We might just have better engagement and more consistent teaching. 

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Candy Apples

Dads cook. Moms bake. Not always, but that's the way it plays out at our house.

I don't have a problem with that. I love being at the grill with a slab of ribs or a dozen burgers.

But it seems like moms have more fun making cookies, baking brownies, and playing with the sugary goodness. All the stuff you save room for after you've pigged out on dad's grillins.

So when my daughter asked me to help her make candy apples, I decided to take a little time off work and dig into the sugar.

Two caveats: I've never made candy apples before and I'm not endorsing hard-as-glass sugary snacks or corn syrup. Well, not every day at least. It is October, and with Halloween just around the corner, I figured now would be a good time to practice.

Making candy apples is pretty easy if you have a candy thermometer handy. What you'll need is:

 - 2 Cups Sugar

 - 1 Cup Light Corn Syrup

 - 1/2 Cup of Hot Water

 - Food coloring or 1/2 Cup of Red Hots

Prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil, wax paper or plastic wrap. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Wash and dry the apples, remove the stems, and skewer through the center with Popsicle sticks or any sturdy wooden sticks.

Add the sugar, corn syrup, and water to a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves completely. Then, cook without stirring until the temperature reaches 250 degrees F.

At 250 degrees, add the Red Hots or food coloring. We used blue food coloring because we'd never seen blue candy apples before. Remember, this was an experiment for me.

Stir briefly to thoroughly mix the color, then stop stirring until the temp reaches 280 degrees F. Remove from heat and stir until smooth and even.

Holding the apples by the sticks, dip into the mixture to coat the entire apple. Remove from the saucepan, twirling to allow excess to fall into the pan. Place on baking sheet and allow to cool, about 20 minutes or so. Eat within 24 hours.

Our first one had too much candy coating but made for a nice effect. I'm ready to get crazy with new colors for another official run in a few weeks.

Happy Halloween!

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How Students Pay For College - Infographic

Prices have skyrocketed since I was in college. If they continue to rise, will anybody except the rich be able to get a higher education? Below is an infographic that shows how much it costs and how students are finding ways to pay for college.

To see this in full size, visit Daily Infographic.

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Catchy Sign For Parents of Unattended Children

That got MY attention.

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Life Isn't About Finding Yourself. Life is About Creating Yourself.

I think the Baby Boomers got a good start on this. They were unique, inventive, curious, and did their own thing. But they were probably more focused on the first part, "finding yourself."

Today, the Baby Boomers are older, with the oldest ones in the group hitting 65 and retiring, while the youngest of the group are parents with kids in high school or college.

Their values have been handed down to their kids who have received the baton and are moving forward in a similar direction with some added knowledge and "spice" being sprinkled into the mix.

Spend some time with college kids today and you'll find they are ahead of their parents in many ways. Of course they are adept at technology and their processing powers are off the charts, even the ones with ADHD or other learning disabilities.

They watch TV while working on a computer, texting on their phones, and answering incoming Skype calls. All at the same time without missing a step.

But it's more than that. They have created their own identities thanks to Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, and in everything else they partake. They already know who they are. They've moved on to placing their mark on the world. They are practicing step two - "creating yourself."

As parents, we may look upon some of the things our kids do with disdain and think they spend too much time on devices that don't accomplish anything of value. Dig a little deeper and you'll discover that they are doing something very important. They are creating, or maybe even inventing their life, in the light they feel is important.

In reality, we're just jealous that they're doing what we wish we could, or should have done. It's not too late for any of us to take a shot. Stop trying to find yourself and spend a little time creating yourself.

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If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. ~Tolkien

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Special Olympics Ranked Top Non-profit Disability Organization by Philanthropedia

Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for children and adults in the world. Philanthropedia is a GuideStar subsidiary that encourages charitable giving by non-profit organizations.

Special Olympics was founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver and has grown to include over 3 million athletes in 175 countries. Just like the Olympics founded in Greece, Special Olympics Games alternate every two years between winter and summer games.

The goal of Special Olympics is to change lives "through the power of sport by encouraging and empowering people with intellectual disabilities, promoting acceptance for all, and fostering communities of understanding and respect worldwide." It provides the opportunity to develop physical fitness and experience joy and friendship for millions of children and adults around the world.

Accordingly to Philanthropedia, approximately 54 million individuals (20% of U.S. population) in the United States live with at least one disability. Special Olympics works to impact communities within the United States and around the world, as an estimated 200 million people worldwide have intellectual disabilities.

Special Olympics was chosen as #1 out of 11 non-profit organizations that serve people with disabilities.

More information about each organization can be found on their websites:

Special Olympics

Philanthropedia

[girlwithalessonplan]

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girlwithalessonplan:

Food for thought.

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PhoneGuard Prevents Texting While Driving

PhoneGuard is the latest App that prevents texting while driving. It provides great peace of mind for parents all for the low price of FREE.

Texting while driving is a huge safety problem and the biggest offenders are teens. They also happen to be some of the worst drivers because of their lack of experience behind the wheel.

PhoneGuard detects when the car is moving and kicks into gear with auto replies to incoming texts to alert the sender that you're busy and will return the message when you're able to do so.

Currently, it's available for Android and BlackBerry phones and more info can be found on their website at: www.PhoneGuard.com

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How Parents Use Facebook to Spy on Their Kids Infographic

C'mon, admit it, you've done a little peeking in on your children's Facebook pages. Maybe you're completely open with your kids and there are no secrets. Awesome for you! But for many parents, they aren't so lucky.

Facebook is one way to see what kids are up to if they let you friend them. If they don't, there may be something going on that you shoould know about. Hopefully they'll keep everything private so only trusted friends and family can see their posts. After all, they are kids.

Below is an infographic that shows how parents keep tabs on their kids using Facebook.

To see the original infographic in full size visit the post at Daily Infographic.

It's interesting that there are 7.5 million users under the age of 13 (the legal age) on Facebook yet they only ban 20,000 a day.

It's also interesting that 55% of parents use Facebook to keep an eye on their kids but only 16% send them a friend request. Sounds like a lot of kids aren't keeping things private.

Stay safe out there on the interwebs. :-)

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You have a lifetime to work, but children are only young once. ~Polish Proverb

  I've been telling myself this for years and what happened? My daughter graduated from high school and I kept right on working seven days a week like she would be around forever.

Can I get a do-over? CTL-Z? Command-Z Undo? Mulligan? Anything that turns back the clock.

For most of us there's little way out of working all the time. After all, the kids need computers and cell phones. I said it, they NEED them. I wish they didn't but they're valuable for them and for us. They don't need them as much as they need food, clothes and shelter but they still need them.

They also need a lot of other things. They WANT more than they need but they can't have everything. Where would they put it? So we work to be able to buy them as much as we can. The work, the money, and what we buy them never seems to be enough - for them or for us. So we keep working to buy them whatever we can afford.

What they really need more than anything is to spend time with us, their parents, while they're still young enough to like us. And while we still like them. Think I'm kidding? You don't have a teenager yet. :-)

All kidding aside, I knew the time would come when they'd grow up and we'd see less and less of them. I just didn't count on it being so painful when it happened.

Take my advice, and this pearl of wisdom from the Polish Proverb, "You have a lifetime to work, but children are only young once."

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A three year old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small green worm. ~Bill Vaughan

Oh, how true that is!

When our kids were born we spent so much money buying all the things we thought were important. Toys to play with and games to learn by, books to read, and clothes, clothes, and more clothes.

What did we learn?

Their favorite toys were old, broken phones and keyboards. And when they grew tired of those they moved on to the kitchen to the pots and pans and wooden spoons. They banged the heck out of 'em.

Their favorite games were hide and seek and running and playing. They didn't want to be tied down to games.

The books were good but they liked the ones with fun pictures the best.

Forget the clothes. They were naked all the time. At least they WANTED to be.

They were just a few years old and what did they know? They certainly didn't know the difference between the brand new, high-tech, expensive toys and the old, worn out freebies laying around the house. They wanted to be just like us, they're parents - talking on the phone, playing on the computer, and cooking in the kitchen.

 I have no idea where that running around the house naked concept came from. :-)

(Note: The small, green worm pictured above was named Scott and he spent a few days with us long ago. We actually did have a good time with him before letting him go to be with his friends. We have no idea what happened to him but we still have the pictures and look at them every once in a while. The kids still remember.)

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There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million. - Walt Streightiff

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Summer Break - What To Do To Keep Kids Sharp

Summer Break from school is already here for some of us, and with it comes a break for parents too. Okay, it depends on how you look at it. I relish summer vacation because it's a downtime from homework and school pickups and dropoffs. It may be busier but somehow it feels less stressful. You may not agree but I'm sure your kids share in my joy.

It's easy to fall into the lazy days of summer with too much time spent doing nothing but watching TV or playing on the computer. A little bit goes a long way - too much and they'll be slugs when it's time to start school in the Fall.

So what can you do to keep kids sharp over the summer?

Summer School - One short class may make up for lost time in school or allow them to take something really fun they can't during the school year. Look for something unique like sign language.

Summer Camp - They're not what they used to be. There are summer camps for just about anything you can think of - acting, paintball, fashion design, computers - it's like taking a summer school class except better.

Make a Photo Diary - Most kids don't want to do anything that's like school work. Find something creative like photography and many kids will flourish. Have them shoot at least one photo a day and near the end of summer put together a book or slideshow of their vacation.

Museums - We went to the Reagan Library last weekend and it was perfect. We bought an annual pass so we can go back for free for an entire year. Kids actually love museums once you get them to go inside. They don't cost much and some are even free.

Here's a list of the top 50 children's museums by ShareRanks: http://www.faqs.org/shareranks/1488,Top-50-Childrens-Museums

Plan a Trip - It doesn't have to be outrageous. Maybe a weekend will do, or just one day going somewhere you and the kids have always wanted to visit.

Amusement and Water Parks - The entire family can enjoy this one but it can get expensive. Many parks have season passes that can cost less than two trips. If you have one close to home it just might be worth the expense of the pass. The physical activity is good for the body and the brain.

Summer Job - There are plenty of jobs with cities working as a recreational leader, lifeguard, or summer counselor. Check the Human Resources Department page of your city's website or just look for a link to Job Opportunities or Employment somehwre on the Home page. These aren't difficult jobs and they can build good connections with civic leaders.

There are so many things kids can do during summer break. Whatever you or they choose, it should keep them stimulated so they'll be mentally and physically sharp when it's time to go back to school in the Fall.

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The Element by Ken Robinson

I recently finished reading, "The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything," by Ken Robinson and like most books that I enjoy after finishing, I find myself going back to it to dig out the nuggets and read them again.

If you don't know about Sir Ken Robinson, you should. I first discovered him after seeing his TED Talk about how schools kill creativity. I love this guy and couldn't wait to read The Element.

In the book, Sir Ken identifies The Element as the point where the activities individuals enjoy and are naturally good at come together. Where natural talent meets personal passion, and people feel most themselves, most inspired, and achieve at their highest levels.

He illustrates real-life examples using people like Paul McCartney, Richard Branson, Matt Groening, Mick Fleetwood, Arianna Huffington, and a host of many others, some famous and some not so much. Many of the people he covers either had known learning disabilities or struggled in school. The common thread among everybody was they followed their passion to find success in their lives and careers, much of the time against certain odds.

With chapter titles like, Think Differently, In The Zone, Finding Your Tribe, Somebody Help Me, For Love or Money, The Element lays the groundwork for why it's so important to find that thing in life that turns you on, that truly inspires you. If you love what you do, it isn't work. Life becomes richer and creativity flows. What you do becomes a Zen moment where everything is effortless and fulfilling and your entire focus is being in the moment. It's reminiscent of yoga or mindfulness. Athletes call it, "being in the zone."

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how different celebrities and business people struggled with school but discovered their own passions, which led them on a career path to success. Knowing that others had overcome difficulties with learning and school by focusing on finding their groove gives hope to so many kids in the same situation. It also inspires the parents of these kids to let them do whatever it is that makes them unique and special.

Initially, my big complaint, which I share with others who were disappointed by the book, was that it didn't show me how to find MY passion. Reading the title of the book, I hoped to find not only my own passion, but a way to find the passion of my children so I could help us all find a fulfilling career path. But I came to realize that isn't really the point of the book in the first place. You have to find your own passion yourself. Nobody can do it for you. Knowing what to look for and how to progress when you find your passion is as much a key to The Element as finding it in the first place.

All in all, it's a fun read with more than a little dose of the lives of people you already know but didn't know the whole story. I would suggest watching the Ken Robinson TED Talk first so you get a sense of of his personal style and wit and gain a little background of what's to come in the book.

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Time to Start Thinking About Extended School Year Services (ESY)

Summer is coming soon and it's time to start thinking about Extended School Year Services (ESY).

ESY Services focus on extending the school year for students with learning disabilities and are decided upon by the IEP Team. There are conflicting views about whether kids need a break from school activities during the summer but regardless, it's important for kids to remain mentally stimulated in some capacity.

I have my own theories and hopefully I'll post something soon at Easy IEP Help. Great Schools has an article here if you want to know more.

Many IEPs are coming up and it's a good time to discuss ESY but be prepared BEFORE going into the IEP. Find out what programs are available ahead of time so you don't waste time in the IEP trying to figure it all out. The most important things to discuss are goals and objectives moving forward and how the previous goals have impacted the current progress.

As a parent, don't feel pressured to have your child taking classes during the summer, even if they're behind. Chances are, if they have an IEP, they're probably behind. You know your child best and if they truly need a break it's understandable. Find something else to stimulate their brain.

Don't forget to use the break to get in plenty of physical activity too. It's just as important for healthy and growing brains.