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Keeping our kids safe is always a big job for parents. Luckily, there is a lot of information out today about child safety in today’s dangerous world. Most of this information is for parents with elementary school age kids. For parents with kids of ages 12 to 18, there is also some great information for you, too, to keep you older child safe. Safe kids are all ages!

What do parents of older children, like Middle School age and High School age kids, need do, to keep these kids safe?

First, the true secret to safer kids, no matter what their age, is confidence. Confident kids are less of a target for sexual predators. Build confidence in your child and you can increase a substantial measure of safety for them, especially when you are not around.

It is true. Self confidence means greater safety for any child at any age. The difference however, is in how you build and reinforce it in older children. Building confidence is an age-appropriate task that requires different things for different ages of children. Build confidence with those age appropriate areas of focus and you truly can build safety for a lifetime.

So let’s start with elementary age children. Younger kids, elementary school age kids between 5 and 11 years of age, need to be praised and reassured that they are accepted and noticed by you, the parent. This means paying attention to them when they speak to you.

Acknowledging them when they call you name, sitting down with them and playing with them on the floor, and engaging them in direct conversation with eye contact. You are basically letting you child know they are important as a human being and you accept them and are there for them as they naturally are. These small things, in minutes a day, can build the foundation of solid self confidence in kids.

What about Middle School age kids, those around 11-14 years of age? How do you reinforce confidence in this age group? You do it by demonstrating your trust your child. Kids at this age want to be trusted. They crave the ability to know you trust them. Building trust in your child at this age is the key to bolstering their confidence. Trust means allowing your child the freedom to make good decisions for themselves independent of you, the parent. Is it easy? Heck no! Will they always make good decisions? Heck, no again! However, it is about your child, not you. You must make the effort to demonstrate your trust in your child at this age.

As for High School age teenagers, they require respect to bolster their confidence. Kids in the 15-18 years old range need to know that as young adults, they have your respect for them as the parent. Respect for them means for everything, too: their hair, clothing, friends and activity choices. Teenagers crave your parental respect for them.

Again, is it easy? No. But, it is the proper parental choice to make. It is about building safety for a lifetime. Safety for college campuses and independent young adults stepping out into the world on their own stems from being taught to be self confident from the youngest of ages. It is true safety for a lifetime.

Joyce Jackson is a child safety expert in northern California. For her extensive website and information see http://www.KeepingKidsSafeToday.com and a free special report at http://www.StopPredatorsCold.com

Trampolines are a fun activity for people of all ages to enjoy. It is a way to get the whole family outdoors goofing around. In addition, a trampoline provides each person with exercise without them even realizing it. However, trampoline safety is something that anyone who owns one needs to be responsible about.

It is never a good idea to allow children to use a trampoline without an adult present. If you have other children that frequently come to your home, make sure their parents don’t mind if they use the trampoline.

To help prevent accidents from someone bouncing off the trampoline, it is a good idea to get a safety net. They are made for any shape or size or trampoline you can purchase. Another good idea is to dig holes deep in the ground. You can then set the trampoline into the ground. You will still get the same bouncing effects, but the entire piece of equipment may only be a foot from the ground.

Make sure your trampoline is safely away from power lines, fences, trees, and any other item that could lead to injuries. You need a clearance of 10 feet all the way around the trampoline and 20 feet in the air. You need to routinely check the trampoline for broken or stressed springs and hooks.

The more people on a trampoline at one time, the more likely accidents are to occur. This is because the bouncing of each person affects the others. There is also a great risk of being hit by someone else who also has no control over their movements. Never allow anyone who has been consuming drugs or alcohol to use a trampoline. Even prescription drugs can alter one’s perception.

Make sure anyone attempting to perform tricks on a trampoline knows the proper way to do them. Attempting various flips and tricks can lead to injuries. Another common cause of injuries on trampolines is due to various sports. One common sport is basketball. A basketball hoop is placed at both ends of the trampoline. The teams then play the game as usually, but with a twist as to the terrain they are playing on.

While enjoying a trampoline is encouraged, accidents do happen. Trampoline safety needs to always be a priority. More than 75,000 people are seen for medical treatment each year due to trampoline injuries. They include sprained ankles and wrists, broken bones, missing teeth, head injuries, and even death.

Learn about safety trampoline usage at http://www.outdoortoys.us/archives/10-safety-rules-for-trampoline-usage/

Not only am I an entrepreneur but I’m also a stay at home mom. For some reason you just can take the mom out of mompreneur. I love working at home for a lot of reasons, but it has not been all gravy.

My daughters who are now 9 still don’t understand the concept of leaving me alone when I’m on the phone or computer. And always, summer is approaching and we are wondering what they should do to keep their days busy.
A lot of my frugal mom’s ideas about living have been passed down from my mom and dad, who were the extreme parody of living without. My parents were not business owners and basically were unemployed most of the time. So they became very talented at living on pennies from social assistance. Something I do not agree with.

My husband Robert is another master at frugality. He is an accountant and financial representative and see’s peoples finances on a daily occurrence. One thing he has learned is that many people over extend themselves and get themselves into financial hot water.
Frugal Mom’s guide to the world is a mired of suggestions, but you must decide what you wish to put up with. We all have our ideas as to what we need and what we what.

Frugal Mom’s Idea #1
Buy only what you need and not what you want. Pretty simple, but a lot of us are enticed. Advertising companies know how to manipulate us with behavior, emotion, colors, and the list goes on. They seem to know what we want better than we do.

Frugal Mom’s Idea #2
Pay off your credit card every month. If you feel that you are capable of doing this, than have a credit card that gets you miles for airline tickets. The interest rate is higher on these cards, so it behooves you to pay them off on time. Our family charges all items to the credit card so that we receive the points for airline tickets. Each year we claim several free tickets for our purchases (that we would have made anyways.)

Frugal Mom’s Idea#3
Live below your means. My husband and I live in an old home, drive a basic car, and don’t live extravagant lives. My jeans have rips in them (it’s really in fashion) and my husband owns one pair of pants (besides his suits). Can we afford more? We sure can. But other things are important to us, saving money, private school, family vacations. We just don’t see the need to go out and buy more stuff. We are happy, and don’t need other people to tell us so.

Frugal Mom’s Idea #4
Watch out for nickel and diming. What does this mean? Going to Starbucks for coffee. This concept totally amazes me. This business is so successful on a premise of coffee which has been around for centuries. Everyone can make coffee in their kitchen, and even BUY Starbucks at the grocery store. But people wish to spend more and go the store with the friendly person waiting to collect their money. Think about how much money you would save if you didn’t buy that latte every morning.

These items are just a few to mention, the list could go on, and on. We all have way’s to save money and become more financially free. We are being manipulated by the media and corporations each day, they want us to buy their stuff. Really.

The Daycare Diva, Christine G. Groth, is the creator of The Guide to Instant Daycare Profits. To learn more about this step-by-step program and to sign-up for her FREE How to Start a Daycare tips and articles, visit http://www.ExpertsAtDaycare.com

Some camps have a targeted focus like religious study, academics, and competitive sports. Special needs camps meet the needs of a wide range of children with disabilities; these camps provide an outdoor summer camp experience along with a therapeutic environment. Choosing the right camp for your child, teen or other children deserves a great deal of consideration and attention to even the smallest details.

There are camps with activities as traditional as model rocketry and riflery, to those nontraditional as aviation, computers, language studies, golf, martial arts or community service. There are four basic types of camps to choose from for your child: day programs, sleepaway or overnight summer camp, day programs with trips, and special needs camps. Selecting the right camp that fits into your child or teen’s interests, special interests, needs, special needs and abilities will be one of the first steps

Camps often focus on specialties that include: adventure, art, computer, dance, music, religion, horse riding, sports, theatre, and many others. There are overnight summer camps that are co-ed camps, boy’s camps, girl’s camps or brother-sister camps where boys and girls may have separate venues and activities. Basically, if you can think of any subject of interest, there’s probably a camp that specializes in it.

College credit courses are very popular at overnight summer camps that typically offer students the opportunity to explore a pre-college experience; usually, students entering grades 10 through 12 stay in college dormitories and attend summer classes run by the college faculty. Try to determine whether the director incorporates a similar philosophy to running the camp as you do in parenting your child or children. Although camp counselor jobs don’t usually pay very well, usually minimum wage or less, counselors receive free room and board; many take the job primarily for the camping experience.

Camp tuition can be expensive; similar to travel insurance, there are now insurance policies for families sending their children to overnight summer camp to cover last minute cancellations, homesickness, medical emergencies and emergency evacuations. Check the camper-counselor ratio to determine the number of campers for each counselor. Most camp counselors are in their late teens or early twenties and are high school and college students on their summer break.

Some camps are often called adventure camps - having a very specific theme or interest; many of these programs emphasize skill development and personal growth through the adventures the offer. Is there a special topic (e.g. religion, sports, educational, performing arts, and arts and crafts) that you hope your child will gain ability and experience in? Weight loss camps are for children and teens in order to help them learn about how to lose weight and how to keep it off while having a great camp experience.

The reputation of an overnight summer camp can also be determined by asking what percentage of counselors returned from the previous year. Children will get more individual attention and supervision with a lower number of campers per counselor. Visit the camp; you can view campers and counselors in their element, witness activities as they occur, and just obtain an overall feel of the camp, something that cannot be accurately experienced when the camp is closed.

Typically an overnight summer camp experience will leave a lot of wonderful memories for the child or teen camper. If you think there’s a possibility you might have to cancel an overnight summer camp reservation, camper’s insurance would be a good idea. Choosing a camp close to home will save a lot of money on airfare and possible hotel or motel overnight stays for a parent, or other transportation costs; this is especially true if your child might get a case of homesickness and want to come home early. Think about what you and your child hope they’ll get from going to camp.

For more information on choosing the best overnight summer camp and finding the best sleepaway or overnight summer camp go to http://www.OvernightSummerCamp.biz a nurse’s website specializing in overnight summer camp tips, help, free tuition resources and information on overnight summer camp reviews

An overnight summer camp is a supervised program for children and teens conducted during the summer months in most countries; children and teens, called campers, who attend camp, participate in a variety of activities, many of which are special interest. Choosing an overnight summer camp for your child, teen or other children deserves a great deal of consideration and attention to even the smallest details. The variety of camps available today is almost innumerable, meaning there will be some specialized camps that may have availability left even into the summer.

The more artistically minded might consider arts and crafts, clowning, drama, photography, or dance to be important elements of having a well-rounded camp experience. Each summer, more than 10 million children and counselors attend day camps and overnight summer camps across the country. Beyond the traditional sports - baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, tennis, football, and more - there are camps for outdoor enthusiasts that can offer horseback riding, hiking, camping, fishing, and even rappelling.

Some camps have a targeted focus like religious study, academics, and competitive sports. Basically, if you can think of any subject of interest, there’s probably a camp that specializes in it. There are overnight summer camps that are co-ed camps, boy’s camps, girl’s camps or brother-sister camps where boys and girls may have separate venues and activities.

Consider these industry-recommended guidelines - for smaller children ages 7 and 8, there should be one counselor for every six campers; by age 15, there should be one counselor for every 10 campers. Get to know the camp director from an in-person visit to your home if possible, phone conversations, email or other correspondence. College credit courses are very popular at overnight summer camps that typically offer students the opportunity to explore a pre-college experience; usually, students entering grades 10 through 12 stay in college dormitories and attend summer classes run by the college faculty.

Camp tuition can be expensive; similar to travel insurance, there are now insurance policies for families sending their children to overnight summer camp to cover last minute cancellations, homesickness, medical emergencies and emergency evacuations. Visit the camp; you can view campers and counselors in their element, witness activities as they occur, and just obtain an overall feel of the camp, something that cannot be accurately experienced when the camp is closed. Children or teens could typically explore subjects new to them like marine science, photography, creative writing, community service, drama, magic, scuba diving, video production, comic book design, crime scene forensics, cooking, yoga, rappelling, etc.

Camps should have at least a 40% to 60% return staff ratio, which shows that the camp is seen as a good place to spend a summer. Although camp counselor jobs don’t usually pay very well, usually minimum wage or less, counselors receive free room and board; many take the job primarily for the camping experience. Check the camper-counselor ratio to determine the number of campers for each counselor.

Non-profit camps often range from $1200 to $3000 for four weeks and $2500 to $5000 for eight weeks. Specialty overnight camps can range from $500 to $1000 per week depending on the program. Try to determine whether the director incorporates a similar philosophy to running the camp as you do in parenting your child or children.

Look over and evaluate the brochures and promotional materials; read the fine print. Care packages sent with children or teens, by their families, can help any homesickness subside. Typically an overnight summer camp experience will leave a lot of wonderful memories for the child or teen camper. If you think there’s a possibility you might have to cancel an overnight summer camp reservation, camper’s insurance would be a good idea.

For more information on choosing the best overnight summer camp and finding the best sleepaway or overnight summer camp go to http://www.OvernightSummerCamp.biz a nurse’s website specializing in overnight summer camp tips, help, free tuition resources and information on overnight summer camp reviews

An overnight summer camp is a supervised program for children and teens conducted during the summer months in most countries; children and teens, called campers, who attend camp, participate in a variety of activities, many of which are special interest. Each summer, more than 10 million children and counselors attend day camps and overnight summer camps across the country. The more artistically minded might consider arts and crafts, clowning, drama, photography, or dance to be important elements of having a well-rounded camp experience.

There are popular overnight summer camps in every state in the U.S. and every province in Canada; there are camps in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and just about every country in the world. Special needs camps meet the needs of a wide range of children with disabilities; these camps provide an outdoor summer camp experience along with a therapeutic environment. Basically, if you can think of any subject of interest, there’s probably a camp that specializes in it.

Camps are divided by gender - girls only, boys only, or co-ed and again by age group. The camp you choose for your child will provide a lifetime of good memories and will be truly rewarding. There are overnight summer camps with a focus on self-improvement, weight loss and grief counseling.

Visit the camp; you can view campers and counselors in their element, witness activities as they occur, and just obtain an overall feel of the camp, something that cannot be accurately experienced when the camp is closed. Four weeks at a good private overnight summer camp or sleepaway camp will cost anywhere from $3500 to $6500, and eight weeks will range from $4000 to $7000. Camps should have at least a 40% to 60% return staff ratio, which shows that the camp is seen as a good place to spend a summer.

Consider these industry-recommended guidelines - for smaller children ages 7 and 8, there should be one counselor for every six campers; by age 15, there should be one counselor for every 10 campers. Weight loss camps are for children and teens in order to help them learn about how to lose weight and how to keep it off while having a great overnight summer camp experience. Is there a special topic (e.g. religion, sports, educational, performing arts, arts and crafts) that you hope your child will gain ability and experience in?

Get to know the camp director from an in-person visit to your home if possible, phone conversations, email or other correspondence. Check the camper-counselor ratio to determine the number of campers for each counselor. Children or teens could typically explore subjects new to them like marine science, photography, creative writing, community service, drama, magic, scuba diving, video production, comic book design, crime scene forensics, cooking, yoga, rappelling, etc.

Most camp counselors are in their late teens or early twenties and are high school and college students on their summer break. Non-profit camps often range from $1200 to $3000 for four weeks and $2500 to $5000 for eight weeks. At camp would it benefit your child more if he or she interacted more with the opposite gender?

Homesickness is a frequent problem, but with a caring camp counselor most campers adjust easily. Care packages sent with children or teens, by their families, can help any homesickness subside. If you spend the time needed to research your options and include your child in all the decisions, he or she will most likely have a memorable experience that provides opportunities to grow while having a lot of fun and making new friends. Overnight summer camp is often the first time that most children spend a long period of time away from home.

For more information on choosing the best overnight summer camp and finding the best sleepaway or overnight summer camp go to http://www.OvernightSummerCamp.biz a nurse’s website specializing in overnight summer camp tips, help, free tuition resources and information on overnight summer camp reviews

If you have planned and gave a party before you must know that a kid birthday party is something that requires some preparation, and some planning. Because organizing a kid birthday party should be fun for everyone.

Planning the party in advance will give you enough time to have the necessary modifications and alterations before the actual date of the party. Birthday party planning will be a piece of cake. This is especially true of children’s parties. Party planning must be done in advance. In addition, planning can make your kid’s party perfect.

When choosing the birthday cards the uniqueness of a card is important. In addition to being unique, birthday invitations can be personalized. When shopping around for kid invitations you will need to find an individual or company that specializes in custom designed invitations. There are many invitation companies out there, so when you are searching online find one that offers free shipping and that can do the job of sending them in the time frame that you need them. When planning a birthday party the theme of the party should be in all aspects of the party, you should see the theme in the invitations, decorations, colors, music and food. When choosing the colors for the party make sure it fits the quest of honors gender. Using color in a party is a good thing, you cannot have to much color, many party themes have many colors in them already. When sending out invitations the invites need to be written well and there should be no spelling mistakes and the they should reflect the theme of the party.

There are many great party themes you can choose from, everything from your child’s favorite toy to their favorite movie genre. People will always ask if you are having a them birthday party, the reason is because they want to get a gift that goes with the party theme. But be sure you agree with their choice before proceeding. Deciding on your party theme will help you decide on what kind of party invitations you need to send out. One great game to play with children is Simon Sez, it has been a party favorite for a long time and loved by everyone, you can adjust the game to fit your theme. For example, if your child’s theme is Spider Man, make it “Spider Man Sez.

Using fun music will liven up the party. The music from Cinderella will charm any princess. Dancing to music and “freezing” when the music is stopped to see who looks the silliest (this is a great game and everyone should win a party favor). Let the ball go rock n’roll with some hip shaking music. The music is loud, the dancing is cool and the fun is definite.

Start shopping from home, browse the internet and find the site that has all the supplies you need, there are many selections on the internet and sometime you can get the supplies cheaper that the brick and mortar store. You can find just about anything on the internet today, party favors, cakes, invitations, cups, plates and even fun games to have at the party. So start planning today and make this birthday fun.

David Marc Fishman creates personalized party favors for children. Find out how to get party favors at http://www.mailordermommy.com.