Rexanne's Web Review
Web Sites & Insights
Issue #111 - October 1, 2007
Brought to You By: Rexanne.com
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Welcome all newcomers and faithful readers!
It's been a busy month at our house, with back to school fun, my older
daughter's first car and subsequent car insurance (ouch!), Halloween
preparations and so much more. How do we all manage? ;-)
How's everyone's life going? Feel free to share your stories and insights on our
community forum - I hate to nag but our
forum could be much better utilized by you becoming an active participant. There
are always dozens of "lurkers" on the forum who are not registered and who are
not participating. I try to leave the discussions open for you to join and
contribute instead of being the only one answering questions and offering
feedback. I'd be much more inspired to expand the forum if we were all working
together to create the community I envisioned when I started the message boards.
And we're on the last minute countdown for Halloween! If you still need
costumes, decorations, props, candy or anything spooky and fun, you'll find it
all on my Halloween site: Rexanne's
Halloween - Be ready! :-)
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--- Reader's Comments:
Franny wrote about our topic from last month:
"Don't you think talking to children about sex before they're ready to
understand it is harmful?!"
No I do not, Franny. I think if we teach our children about sex before they hear
about it from ill-informed peers, they will have a better understanding of this
important life lesson and will be less likely to make it an issue or be
confused.
All opinions and feedback can be left in the thread dedicated to this topic in
our forum: Talking to
Kids About Sex
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Jessica wrote:
"Your birthday pages have the best advice I've found. Thank you!"
Thank you Jessica! My sites and pages are always a work in progress so visit
often! For those putting together birthday celebrations for kids or adults,
here's a link to my birthday site:
Birthdays by Rexanne - take
advantage of it!
---
OK, here's the scoop:
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Quote of the Month: Authentic teaching and learning
requires a live encounter with the unexpected. - Parker Palmer
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Supporting the sponsors and advertisers in Rexanne's Web Review keeps this
newsletter alive and a portion of revenue is donated to various charities and
each advertiser has Rexanne's Seal of Approval. Please visit them today.
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This Month's Web Review Sponsored By:
Halloween Mart
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Parenting & Family Topic of the Month: Homework and Kids
by Mark Brandenburg
My daughter walked in the door from school, threw down her backpack, and raced
back outside. I called out to her as she ran through the yard.
“Do you have any homework?!”
“No, not tonight!” she called back.
When I heard this news, there were always mixed feelings. I was relieved that
she attended a school which gave very little homework to the students in grades
one through six, but I worried at times that she might be falling behind
students at other schools. After all, doesn’t homework help prepare kids to
perform better in their later years, increase their discipline, and help them on
test scores that are crucial for college admission?
The research on homework might surprise you.
The research shows limited verification of homework’s effectiveness, but does
show that it’s been on the increase for a number of years. A 2004 national
survey of 2,900 American children conducted by the University of Michigan found
that time spent on homework is up 51 percent since 1981. A 2000 survey showed
that students ages 6 to 8 did an average of 52 minutes a week in 1981, and, by
1997, were up to 128 minutes a week, says Alfie Kohn, author of "The Homework
Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing" (DaCapo Lifelong Books).
But, according to Harris Cooper, professor of psychology and director of the
Program in Education at Duke University in Durham, N.C., homework doesn't
measurably improve academic achievement for kids in grade school. In fact, he
found that "there is almost no correlation between homework and academic
achievement in elementary school and only a moderate correlation in middle
school. Even in high school, any benefits start to decline after kids reach a
maximum of two hours a night."
And not only can excessive homework be ineffective in helping your kids perform
better, it can take a toll on the quality of a family’s life. Sara Bennett,
author of "The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Our Children and
What We Can Do About It," says homework can “take away from family time, puts
parents in an adversarial role with kids and interferes with the child's ability
to play or have other after-school activities." For middle school and teens, it
limits crucial time with their peers. Students of all ages are getting too
little sleep, which then impacts their learning in school."
And while homework can create one more piece of the stress pie most American
families are feeling these days, it can also have benefits. It especially
benefits kids when it teaches new concepts and adds to what kids have learned
during the day, increasing their ability to think independently. But too often,
homework involves tedious busy work that consumes great amounts of time and
won’t be remembered a month later. So if your child or family is being unduly
stressed by the “homework demon,” here are some options:
• Talk to your child’s teacher directly, and tell them what you’re experiencing.
Most parents do not communicate these concerns, so teachers don’t see it as a
big problem.
• Get together with other parents and talk to administrators about the amount of
homework given out. You’d be surprised at what you can accomplish.
• Don’t do much of your child’s homework for them. A dependent child will not do
well when they go out into the world. Provide a good, quiet, and well-lit space
for them, and let them be. Help them when it’s needed.
• Give your child options when they get stuck with homework: They can call
friends for help, get online, get a tutor, find extra help at school, etc. As
long as they know there are options, they can stay in action and find solutions.
In 2006, our kids are being robbed of one of the most important things that
exist in their life - stress-free time with their families. First and second
graders with homework stress isn’t just a bad idea, it’s ineffective. So is five
hours of sleep a night for high school age kids. Excessive homework doesn’t just
rob our kids of precious time, it extinguishes a love of learning.
I think it’s time for parents to sound the school alarm.
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Mark Brandenburg MA, CPCC, coaches fathers by phone to balance their life and
improve family relationships - immediately! He is an Instructor for the Academy
for Coaching Parents and resides at
markbrandenburg.com
For coaching in your organization for a fraction of the price: http://www.coachinghappens.com
for a free demo!
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Know of a good parenting or family site your fellow readers might enjoy or do
you have a topic you'd like to see covered in this section? Please send your
ideas in for possible publication in an upcoming issue:
Parenting Site
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Food & Cooking Site of the Month:
Flora's Recipe
Hideout
With 11 categories to browse through, Flora's Recipe Hideout has many wonderful
recipes to discover with a decided emphasis on desserts. Other selections
include low carb recipes and copycat recipes from Olive Garden and both
alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink recipes. Also look over the information
section, where you'll find lots of good cooking and baking tips.
Bon Appetit!
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--- Advertisement: Halloween
Candy
Hurry and get your Halloween goodies for those neighborhood kids. They'll be
ringing your doorbell October 31 with eager eyes and dressed up for treats.
Don't disappoint them. On this page, you will find hand-selected Hallowen candy
choices, including all the good chocolate bars kids want the most.
I always buy candy I like, too ... ;-)
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Kid's Site of the Month:
Halloween For Kids
Everything kids will love on the WWW for Halloween ... coloring pages, Halloween
activities, crafts, site links, Halloween books, games and information for
parents, too.
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--- Freebie of the Month: Free Living Will
Make sure you have everything documented as you would like it, including health
care and life-sustaining requests. The features on this site include:
* Simple online interview
* Complete your document in 3 easy steps
* Lots of help and resources
* Legal forms created by professional attorneys
* Meets the specific laws of your state
* Safe, secure online storage
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Advertisement: Rexanne's
Christmas Mall
It's never too early to begin Christmas shopping. I've started with my online
shopping already. It makes December so much less hectic when gift shopping has
been handled already. My Christmas mall has categorized present ideas, gift
guides and shopping possibilities categorized by people. Shop for kids, men,
women, teachers, everyone.
Happy shopping! :-)
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Tip or Trick of the Month:
The Best Time to Buy
This web site gives information on the best time to buy anything, when
merchandise is likely to be on sale or at the lowest possible prices, from
mattresses to cars.
Have a tip or trick your fellow readers would enjoy or could use? Please send it
in for possible publication in one of the next issues:
Tips
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Time Waster of the Month:
Addicting Games
(Because life is supposed to be fun!)
Game lovers, this site will keep you busy for hours. Choose from arcade, puzzle,
board, strategy and other games. Have fun!
Feed the kids first ...
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Featured Site of the Month:
Gifts for Teachers
Parents, your child's teacher is an angel and deserves a well thought-out gift.
I've spoken to many teachers about their preferred gifts and the suggestions on
this page are well-honed and will make any teacher happy. If you get to know
your child's teacher, it makes picking the perfect present easier. All parents
should make a point of introducing themselves to teacher and asking a few subtle
questions (about their family, pets, favorite foods, hobbies etc) will set you
in the right direction.
If you're stumped about what holiday present to give your child's teacher, no
more worries. You will find a selection of perfect teacher presents on this page
for female and male teachers.
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Children's Clothing
Save up to 50% on name brand infant clothing including Carter's Miniwear, George
Organic Baby, etc. Preemie sizes and holiday clothing, too! Baby shower gifts,
infant bedding and more for baby!
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