The Internet's Impact on Homeschooling

Just like the Internet has changed the way we shop, communicate, and conduct business, it has also revolutionized the world of education. Now more than ever, it is easier to learn outside a traditional classroom setting. Many college students take at least one online course to earn either an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. Online education has extended past college students and now includes K-12 students, as well.

Homeschooling families have more freedom and flexibility when it comes to education options. The Internet has significantly increased education options, homeschooling resources, online forums, and curriculum programs. The following are ways that the Internet has completely changed homeschooling.

Allows for More Student Independence and Less Parent Involvement

The Internet has brought about more and more at-home education methods. Accredited virtual schools and online homeschooling curriculums don’t require as much parent involvement as other at-home education methods.

Many parents assume that homeschooling will be time-consuming because it requires a lot of hand holding. Although this may be true for young learners, high school level students develop more independence around their education, especially if they are taking online courses. For most homeschool curriculums, parents or hired tutors must grade and review work to ensure the student is making progress.

Online schools require even less parent involvement because online teachers do the grading. This structure is especially helpful for parents who don’t have formal teacher training or work full- or part-time jobs.

Increases Education and Learning Options

Before the Internet, homeschooling families relied on textbooks and workbooks for their curriculum or created their own. Parents had to take charge of the entire learning process to either select or create a curriculum and teach their students the necessary subjects. The Internet, however, has made way for more and more education and learning methods. It really is impressive. So with so many dependent on the Internet and the knowledge that it brings, it's no wonder that many look to see how satellite internet works.

The Internet provides endless resources to help your student learn at home. Many different online curriculum programs and virtual schools are available to homeschooling families. Online homeschool curriculum provides Internet-based courses and resources for parents and students to be successful.

Online or virtual schools for K-12 students are also increasingly popular among families seeking alternative education methods. Online schools allow students to learn from teachers who are states away while attending classes from their home.

Many of these online schooling options are self-paced, so students can work through lessons as they master individual concepts. At the same time, if a student is struggling with a particular topic, they can receive extra help in this area. This is very beneficial for students with chronic illnesses or learning disabilities who may need frequent breaks.

Provides Online Resources and Technologies

The Internet gives homeschool students access to countless resources at home that helps them learn. Homeschool resources and learning technologies were limited before the Internet age. However, continuous advancements are being made in learning technologies.

Today, students can learn via e-readers, tablets, apps, digital coursework, and virtual schools. Parents also have access to a variety of resources to help them and their students get started with at-home education.

The Internet offers a plethora of information and resources. No longer are the days of students needing to spend hours sifting through textbooks or encyclopedias to write research papers. With the help of Google, information and multimedia resources are at students’ fingertips.

Makes Learning Fun with Gamification 

Games are a new way of learning. Gamification has helped create educational video games for students to learn about numerous subjects, such as coding, spelling, and foreign languages. These games allow students of all ages to learn about different topics and practice different skills in a fun and exciting way. The gamification of learning has also allowed students to study while riding in the car, traveling for the holidays, or waiting for appointments. Learning has become much more fun with the availability of learning with games on their phones, tablets, or computers.

Helps Students with At-Home Education 

Online schools and homeschool curriculums allow students to complete school and progress through grades from the comfort of their home or wherever they have Internet access. Students with disabilities, anxiety or depression, or chronic illnesses don’t have to worry about falling behind. Many students struggle to keep up in a classroom setting, so online education methods allow them to work at their own pace without falling behind in a traditional classroom setting. Likewise, students who are receiving treatment and recovering from an illness can make feeling better their number one priority.

Offers a Space for Online Homeschool Communities

Fostering a successful at-home education requires a support system. The Internet has made it easier for homeschooling families to connect with others who chose non-traditional schooling methods. Online forums and Facebook offer spaces for parents to discuss curriculums, education options, and homeschooling tips. Families can even connect with others in their area, which lets children make friends who are homeschooled, as well.

The Internet has affected almost every area of our lives, both positively and negatively. However, the impact that the digital age has had on education continues to benefit homeschooling families.

Sources:
https://www.noodle.com/articles/5-ways-the-internet-has-changed-homeschooling
https://www.nflcacademy.com/blog/5-ways-the-internet-has-changed-homeschooling

6 Ways to Connect with Your Teen

The teenage years can be a difficult time for parents to connect with their children, who are experiencing greater independence and relying more on relationships outside the home.
If it seems difficult to connect with your teen, take heart: these 6 tips will help you create the conditions on your end for a supportive relationship. 

Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash

1). Be Attentive to Their Mental Health
Life as a teen is filled with new challenges. Interpersonal relationships become more complex than they were before, and with puberty comes romantic attraction and all its attendant hopes and heartbreaks.

Additionally, many teens are far more conscious of their appearance and their status relative to their peers. With all of these pressures, it is easy enough to see how teens often struggle with depression and anxiety.

For parents, the challenge is often a matter of trying to connect and make a difference. It can be emotionally difficult for parents, not least because so many of us remember what it was like to be a teen and long to impart the wisdom gained from all the years we have lived since then.

It’s important to be attentive to your teen’s mental health with a genuine desire to listen and acknowledge their feelings.

You may find it easy to see the cognitive and emotional mistakes your teen is making, but it is important to listen and take their problems seriously. The heartbreak of being rejected by a crush, for example, may be emotionally painful to your teen in part because it is a new experience. Take the time to listen to them, and understand they are probably feeling insecure about how worthy they are of being loved.

Give your teen enough space to feel grief or process, but not so much space that they become isolated and shut away. Pay attention to any talk or behaviors that may point toward self-harm. If need be, consider taking your teen to a professional mental health therapist for teen anxiety treatment or counseling for depression.

2). Encourage Socialization at Home
Being a teenager is a time for young people to stretch their wings and achieve more independence than they had as younger children. Their friends and peer groups start to displace the family as the main sources of social activity. They also discover romance and dating – and, after a certain age, driving.

For many parents, this can be a fraught, difficult time, as they get used to their teens becoming more grownup. However, this is precisely why it is such a good idea to encourage socialization in the home.

Turn your home into a welcoming, inviting place where your teen and their friends can come over and hang out after school or on weekends. Invite your teen’s friends over for dinner, and maybe put on a game night on the weekend.

Photo by Craig Adderley from Pexels

3). Family Dinners
In addition to inviting your teen’s friends over, you can establish family dinner time as a way to promote togetherness for the whole family. Your teen doesn’t have to be present every evening, particularly if they have work or dinner at one of their friends’ homes, but try to insist that they participate some of the time.

Family dinner times can be a good opportunity for everyone to reconnect, relax, and share experiences. Your teen may not always want to be present, but try to gently but firmly insist that they be present some of the time.

4). Make Time for Them One-On-One
Family dinners are a wonderful way to connect with everyone, but particularly if you have a larger family it may also be a good idea to schedule some one-on-one time with your teen.
Whether you do lunch, dinner, or an evening hike at a nearby park or other area, try spending some time with your teen and encouraging them to talk about whatever is on their minds. Ask them how their friends are doing, how they like their classes, and talk about anything else that seems relevant – their interests, hobbies, things that are going on with them.

5). Take Interest in Their Activities and Hobbies 
It’s also a good idea to encourage your teen to be active, to get involved in healthy activities like athletics, fitness activities, and various hobbies.

Take an active interest in your teen’s activities and encourage them to keep going even and especially when the going gets difficult – as it always does in any worthwhile endeavor.

Photo by Tirachard Kumtanom from Pexels

6). Help Them Plan for the Future 
We’ve talked before about getting your teen to talk about college goals, and this speaks to one of the more important ways you can help your teen: take the time and effort to help them plan for their future.

Whether or not college is in your teen’s future, make sure you spend time with them helping them to work through the all-important questions about their future career and life goals. They’ll thank you later.

Conclusion
Relationships are a two-way street, and that becomes ever more true of the parent-child relationship during the teenage years. While you can’t control how your teenager responds to your efforts, these 6 strategies should help you create the best possible conditions for encouraging rapport. 

Health Benefits of Eating Meat Snacks

Although most people today prefer going vegan as their daily nutritional routine, we can't rule out that meat consumption has increased rapidly over the years.

Meat is an essential source of protein which must be included together with other types of food for one to have a balanced diet. It is often classified into white, red, or processed products.

Given the fact that excessive consumption could be harmful to your body, consider consuming it sparingly and avoid processed meat. With this said, let's look at the various health benefits of eating meat. For healthy products, you can checkout The New Primal meat snacks.

1. Excellent source of protein

This type of food is known to be a complete source of protein in terms of quality and quantity. For every 3-ounce portion consumed, you get 21 grams of protein, which is the recommended dietary portion for an average woman.

Moreover, our bodies acquire amino acids that cannot be made by the body or consumed from other types of food.

Eating animal protein is also linked to improved muscle and skin tissues. Apart from this, many studies show that it is associated with strong bone formation, lowering the risk of getting fractures.

2. Improves metabolism

We all love having a lean and fit body. For this reason, it's essential to include foods that boost metabolism in our diet.

Increased metabolism helps break down fats in the body, making it easier to distribute them evenly. Research has it that animal food sources are a good source of vitamin B-12.
Vitamin B-12 improves the production of digestive juices in the stomach, which in turn increases metabolism and promotes fullness by reducing hunger.

3. Boost brain health

Everyone wants to be considered smart and sharp at all times. The best way to achieve that is by increasing your daily intake of omega-3 fatty acids.

Organic food like fish, beef, chicken, goat, and pork are considered to have the highest concentration of omega-3s. In this case, organic foods are a better option when it comes to the provision of omega-3 than non-organic.

Besides, medical specialists worldwide recommend daily omega-3 intake to help in the overall mental growth. See this link to see more reasons for eating meat https://www.businessinsider.com/reasons-to-eat-meat-2013-9?IR=T

4. Boosts strong immune system

An excellent immune system allows the body to fight diseases and ensures you stay healthy mostly when there is a flu or any other viral outbreak.

Therefore, it's in your best interest to incorporate food rich in zinc in your diet. According to various studies, zinc is commonly found more in beef than in other non-organic foods like cereals.

Likewise, it is better absorbed from organic meat. In case you accidentally cut yourself, the amino acids in beef works to speed up the healing process of the torn muscle tissues in due time.

5. Increases energy levels 

Animal protein, like red meat, is an excellent source of iron. Iron is a very crucial nutrient in the body, especially for pregnant women, adolescents, and premenopausal.

Also, it increases the production of hemoglobin found in red blood cells. The primary role of hemoglobin is to transport oxygen across the body via the blood cells. This means that iron plays an essential role in maintaining the body's energy levels which reduces.

According to health experts, the body absorbs heme iron (found in animal beef pork or mutton among others) faster than non-heme iron found in plants. Plus, if you have an iron deficiency, you are likely to have severe migraines, shortness of breath, and fatigue.

6. Lipid Profile and Cardiovascular Health

Excessive consumption of starch or carbohydrate is a cardiovascular risk factor. This is why medics recommend replacing that with fruits, animal proteins, and healthy fats.

A low carbohydrate meat plan has a minor effect on the blood cholesterol hence making it heart-healthy. Furthermore, it is worth noting that the body treats saturated fats from processed and non-processed flesh differently.

For instance, a freshly cooked beef steak and a piece of sausage will have similar saturated fats, but the latter will have a more negative effect on your health. Click here to find out more about some of the healthy meat products you can consume.

Conclusion:

Eating meat has more benefits than disadvantages. This is because it comes with a compelling number of nutrients that contribute to a healthy body. Plus, it is also delicious and refreshing when cooked well. However, to protect yourself from various health risks that may arise from eating it, avoid burnt and non-processed meat.

Get Your Last-Minute Holiday Shopping Done With Ease At BI-LO

This is a sponsored post in partnership with BI-LO. All opinions are my own.

In case you haven't realized it, we are in the final days leading up to the winter holidays. It feels like it was December 1st yesterday. If you still haven't done any shopping or need to grab some last-minute items, be sure to stop by your local BI-LO for some great deals on everything you need. Whether it's a party tray for the office potluck, or gift wrapping supplies, BI-LO has you covered with their amazing sale prices. I was browsing around and found so many goodies! Check out some of my finds.

Flowers or plants are always a great last-minute gift for co-workers, neighbors, teachers, or for the hostess with the mostest!

Check out these BI-LO Holiday Deals: 

Stay Healthy + Receive a FREE Ham

The flu has been on the rise recently and no one wants to be sick during the holidays. From now until Dec. 24, all BI-LO pharmacy customers can receive a FREE Smithfield Butt or Shank Portion Ham when they receive a no-cost* flu shot at any in-store pharmacy. *With most insurance plans. See pharmacy for details.

Need a Quick Meal? Deli Meal Deals may be the Solution!

BI-LO has Great deals on convenient deli party platters, dips and spreads, grab-and-go entrees and sides, fresh salads and more!

Gift Cards & Last-Minute Gifts

Get the gift that keeps on giving with THREE TIMES the BI-LO Reward points when you by gift cards for your friends and loved ones…and maybe even yourself!
Exclusions:  All BI-LO gift cards, Visa cards, Mastercards, American Express cards, reloadable cards and prepaid debit cards.

BI-LO also has great deals on last-minute gifts including the Garth Brooks Legacy Collection that includes 7 Vinyl LPs & 7 CDs and was just reduced in price today to $39.99! This would be a great gift for your favorite country music fan.

BI-LO also has great stocking stuffers, holiday bouquets and much more for everyone on your holiday shopping list.

Giving Opportunity

Looking to give back and make a difference to those in need? Now through Dec. 24, BI-LO is inviting customers to “Give A Little, Feed A Lot” to fight hunger in our communities by purchasing a $5 prepared bag of non-perishable food items or by rounding up grocery totals at BI-LO store registers. Each donation and $5 holiday bag purchased will be distributed directly to member food banks in the Feeding America® network.

Holiday Hours for Last Minute Gifters

If you need a last minute gift or ingredient for your favorite dish, BI-LO will be open for modified hours on Christmas Eve!

• Christmas Eve/Day: All BI-LO stores and liquor stores will open at their normal hours until 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve and will remain closed on Christmas Day. In-store pharmacies will close at 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve and remain closed during the Christmas holiday. 
• New Year’s Eve/Day: To celebrate the New Year, all BI-LO stores and liquor stores will be open on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day at their normal hours and will close at 10 p.m. (or regular close of business, if earlier). In-store pharmacies will close at 7 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and will reopen from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on New Year’s Day

I think many people sleep on the idea of last-minute holiday shopping at the grocery store. There are so many great grab-and-go options. Of course it doesn't hurt to rack up those BI-LO Reward points. Find a BI-LO near you. Thank you so much for stopping by today. Happy Holidays to you all!

Choosing The Safest Car Seat

If you are a mother, the safety of your child comes before anything else. Keeping them safe during car rides, therefore, is extremely important. When traveling with a small child between your home or the shop, you need to ensure they are as safe and secure as possible.

Here in America, car accidents are on the rise. Luckily, manufacturers of car seats are always striving to create the safest car seats to give mothers peace of mind. Thanks to this, the NHTSA has reported that thanks to child seats, fatal accidents have been reduced by a whopping 71%.

Choosing the right seat can be a bit of a challenge for most moms. With many different brands, it can be hard to pick the best one. So we have listed some important factors for you to consider.

Ensure the car seat meets federal standards

The first thing you need to do is make sure that any seat you are looking at has been crash tested. It needs to, at a minimum, meet the federal standards.

Don't buy used

Never, ever buy a used car seat. When buying second hand, you have no clue what kind of history the car seat has. If they have been in accidents or left in damp garages, they could be compromised. This means that if you ever end up in a collision, they may not perform as well as they did when they were new. There may also have been a recall on the product. When it comes to the car seat, saving a few bucks is not worth the compromise whatsoever. If you're going to take your child's safety seriously, you should try to only look into premium car seats for your baby, as you need to rely on it to keep them secure and protected. This is a guarantee you're only likely to get when you choose a car seat made with high quality materials by a reputable company.

Understand the different types of car seats

There are a huge range of car seats on the market, just like there are a huge range of the ages, size, and weight of different children. The best one for your child is going to be one that suits these factors. Make sure you look for recommendations on different models to ensure your child has the best fitting child seat. Not only does this protect them, it also means they will be as comfortable as possible during your journeys.

If your child is over the age of 4 and is over 3 feet tall, it may be best to go for a forward-facing booster seat. These are designed for kindergarten through to primary school, and they usually secured via seat belt.

For babies and infants, it is usually best to stick with a rear-facing car seat for as long as possible. This is because rear-facing car seats provide the best support due to their design. When the car receives an impact, the hard casing of the car seats allow them to take the brunt of the impact, protecting your little one from the most harm.

When it comes to your children, safety is of the utmost importance. Hopefully, with the information we have provided above you will be able to make an informed decision on the best seat for your precious little ones.