GR8TR Today Magazine

Living a GR8TR Life Every Day

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Transitioning From Outdoor Fit to Indoor Fit

With the cooler weather coming soon, it is time for Ohio residents to start planning their transition from outdoor fitness activities to indoor. Northeast Ohio has a wealth of bike trails, hiking, beaches, swimming, outdoor sports and other ways to stay outside (for free) in the Summer.  But once it dips below 50 degrees, those outdoor activities seem a bit less appealing and eventually only are options for hard core outdoorsy people.

So what are some of your options this Winter to stay in shape?

Join  a Gym.  This is obvious, but one nice thing that has changed in the last few years is you can join gyms month to month and only use them in the Winter months.

Buy limited fitness equipment to stay fit at home.  A tread mill and some kettle bells might be all you need to stay beach body ready in your home.  Look for used kettle bells to save some money.

Join Indoor Sports.  We recently covered options of Indoor Tennis and Indoor Soccer.  Basketball would be another obvious one.  Maybe you can even find adult dodge ball.  There are plenty of indoor sporting opportunities for kids and adults.

Do Winter sports.  Cross country and downhill skiing are great workouts.  Snow shoe hiking?  Sure.  You can also simply hike snow trails with some extra preparation.

Watch what you eat.  There is the issue of paying close attention to your Winter diet.  Do not start eating more at night because you are spending more time in front of the television.  Do not cut back on fresh fruits and vegetables just because they cost a little bit more.  Do not stop grilling healthy lean meats just because you have to push some snow off the grill cover first.

With some advanced planning and careful attention being paid to how your habits change, you can stay fit and firm no matter how long the ground is covered in permafrost.

 

How To Help Your Kids With Math

Do you have children that are struggling with math at school?  Don’t worry, you are not alone. In a recent study done by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) which measures reading, science and math ability between 15-year-olds from 71 developed and developing countries, children in the United States ranked 38th in math and 24th in science.

Among its peers, the United States spends more in education than those at the top, and the results are clearly nothing to brag about. Our children are falling behind.

So, clearly, we need to do something about it.  Where to start though?  Most schools in this country are not doing a good job teaching science, math or technology- the results speak for themselves- as parents, we have left the teaching of these important subjects to the schools for too long without expecting accountability.  Our children are failing math and passing to the next grade without mastering the basic of algebra, trigonometry or calculus. By the time college looms near, math is a subject most teens in this country dread about. They are getting accepted into college and put into remedial math they should have learned during junior and high school.

If you google “math help” on your computer, you will get about 251,000,000 results in less than a second. Will that help? Doubtful.  You can spend days going through all the sites to see which ones offer math for free, which ones are worth paying for, or which ones will give you good math advice.

If your child goes to school, does he/she have a math book?  Do you understand where they are in the book, or what they are learning? Would you like to do some math with your child during breaks, or the weekend?

Is your school doing student surveys to see when they are struggling?

If your child is falling behind in math, and you want to help them, start small. You can start by spending 10 to 15 minutes a day explaining a topic and asking them to solve some problems.  If you don’t know where to start, test them to see where the starting point is for them. Here is a link that will provide you with a very simple assessment of where your child should start. The information is all there, you just need to print it.

Pupil in elementary geography class

Before I continue, I need to tell you I am not getting paid for promoting this site, nor am I required to promote it.  This is a personal preference. My family has used Saxon Math for many years, and although is a bit intense because of the amount of work we need to do, the results are worth it.

After you have administered this test, you will have the results and the option to start at that point.  For Saxon math, the beginning of the books are always very easy because they are reviewing the material from the previous grade, but as you progress, the difficulty becomes much more challenging.

Online math sites are good if you want to go that way.  But be choosy, remember that there are millions of sites with math help. Choose a site that will give your child extensive and numerous exercises till he or she masters the topic, and make sure that at the beginning of your journey, you choose a free site before committing yourself to a site that locks you into a long term commitment.  If you want to make sure he/she knows the topic, come back later on and test her again with some problems to see if you need to review that topic. You must remember that your child needs to master a topic, before continuing into another.  We are not at school.

Good luck and have fun with math!

5 Reasons To Cook More At Home

I get a little concerned when I hear that Americans do not cook. I get it if you both have professional jobs working 50+ hours a week and long commutes. I also get it if you live alone and it is easier and sometimes cheaper to go out to eat.  But if you have two or more people and you are not making a bunch of money working crazy hours, going out to eat should be more of a treat and not a twice a day occurrence.

From what is reported in the media, it seems like many people did not learn cooking growing up and decide this means it is too late to learn.  In fact, it is just a matter of building up your comfort level with different ways to cook and different ingredients.  You can do trial and error, starting with easier stuff and building up your competence over time.  You can watch cooking channels and try things you see.  You can take cooking classes.  You could offer to buy ingredients and cook with a friend who is a better cook than you but let them know you want to cook with them and learn.

Here are five very good reasons to cook at home – even if it is going to take you a while to get good at it.

  1. Healthier Food – The top reason is that you know what is going in your food and you can make it healthier.  The reality is that it might not taste as good as that unhealthy stuff, but it can be very good and be much better for you.  For example, I make Chipotle burritos at home and they are not as good because I put less of the cheese and no sour cream.  I just can’t bring myself to glob on huge portions like they do in the restaurant (even though it is delicious.)
  2. Less Fried Foods – You can also cut back on fried foods when you eat at home.  It is easy to order a side of fries but a pain in the but to heat up the fryer and fry things just for an unhealthy side.
  3. Show Off a Skill – As good cooks get more rare, it is even more impressive when you meet one.  The only way you become a good cook is by cooking regularly and experimenting with new recipes.  Once you get there you can amaze your friends and family, impress a date and act like a snob know it all in restaurants.  So much fun.
  4. Save Money – Sometimes you might spend MORE on a meal than you would have getting the same thing in a restaurant.  But what you might not factor in is that you have a lot more food than you would have by going out.  So you may get 3 meals for roughly the same spend.  Alcohol is one big bonus when it comes to saving money as you buy your bottle of wine or case of beer for what two glasses would have cost in that dinner out.
  5. Get Sick Less – I am not anti-restaurant, but we do notice we get sick more when we eat out more.  When you have a restaurant kitchen full of people cooking and prepping your food, it only takes one person with a cold to get the whole family sick.  Restaurants do not want employees to come sick, but since the employees most likely do not get sick pay, they need to work when they are feeling under the weather.  This results in people working while sick more then you would like to think.

I am not suggesting not eating out anymore.  Far from it.  But also you do not want to get into the habit of eating out all the time and eating prepackaged stuff at home that you only need to microwave.  It is so much healthier, cheaper and more rewarding to learn how to cook nice meals.  Start slow and build up your skills until you are an Iron Chef of your home.

10 Ways To Free Up Your Time

Let’s talk about how to free up a bunch of your time.  Most people feel overwhelmed and busy most of the time and there are ways to put more minutes back into your day and they do not take too much effort.

There are a lot of reasons you should want to free up your time.  Even if you just want to have more fun and enjoy life more, freeing up time is a noble en-devour.  Another reason you might want to free up time is to do more side gigs and make some extra money to pay down bills.  Either way, well worth doing.  Here are 10 ways to grab back those minutes.

  1. Live close to work – Have as small of a commute as possible.  If you are living in Hudson and working in Fairlawn, why?  You can change your job or your home.  Cutting your drive can add an hour or more a day to your free time.
  2. Work from home – Better yet, make your commute a short walk to your home office.  You may be able to work from home all the time or only some days a week, but cutting down on drive time can free up your day.  Also, less office chit chat might make you more productive.
  3. Plan your meals – Do you go to the store every day or two?  Plan out your meals for the week and shop once.
  4. Get up early – Get up earlier and go to sleep earlier.  Chances are you are more productive in the morning and even if your sleep hours remain the same, the morning hours will probably be more productive and free up time later in the day.
  5. Time your errands – Do your errands, such as going to the post office, the bank and shopping during times when other people are working.  This cuts down on lines and waiting.
  6. Prep outfits – Know what you are going to wear for the week and prep them all at once.  The less you need to think about your clothes the better.  There is a reason that many great leaders have worn the same outfit most of the time.  They save their time and energy for more important things.
  7. Declutter your home – In our article on decluttering your home, we talk about how having less stuff saves time and money.
  8. Automate finances – One of the best things I ever did was automate most monthly financial transactions.  I know how much money I need to have in my account and everything happens automatically, saving me time and avoiding late fees.
  9. Hire help – If you are not an expert on something, don’t try to do it yourself (unless you truly enjoy figuring it out.)  You can find people to do thing much more affordably than before with sites for people doing gigs like tutoring, handyman, lawn care, etc.  Know what your time is worth and don’t waste it when you could hire out more cheaply.
  10. Limit Non-work Screen Time – Whether it is binge watching Netflix or reading fake (or real) news, limit your time in front of screens and get back hours a day.

All of these things individually are fairly minor habit changes or location changes that can vastly free up your time and improve your life.

Decluttering Your Home

A common expression is that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.  It is safe to say that the opposite is true as well.  Have you seen when someone leaves a home and leaves many of their belongings in it?  Or how about going to a tag sale and seeing all the knickknacks which are on sale for a buck?  We should turn that expression around and say “One man’s treasure is many people’s trash.”

Unless you are very disciplined, you most likely have a lot of stuff in your home that you do not use.  The longer you have been there the worse it has no doubt gotten.

Decluttering your home will make it more enjoyable.  When you go on vacation one of the nicest elements is the lack of clutter in a nice, spacious hotel.

Decluttering will save you money.  You can sell valuable things on ebay or amazon and you can just throw away a lot of stuff.  This will save you money because the more you throw away, the more thoughtful you are before you buy new things.

Decluttering will help you stay more organized.  By only keeping things you really need and keeping things picked up and put away, your life will be simpler and more organized.

Decluttering will make it easier to sell your home or move.  The less you have the more show-ready your home is if you decide to put it on the market.  Everyone knows the more cluttered a house is the less desirable it is to potential buyers.  By keeping it decluttered, you can be ready to move without months of cleaning.

Tips for Decluttering your Home

  1. If you have not used something for more than a year, either put it up for sale or throw it away.
  2. Keep a minimal amount of holiday / seasonal items for decorating.  Only keep what you enjoy the most.  This stuff has a habit of building up.
  3. Take care of papers, mail and deliveries right away.  Do not let stacks grow.  Whenever possible, store documents electronically and dispose of papers quickly.
  4. Know where your local recycling center is and have older documents you no longer need shredded.  This is often free if you know where to go.
  5. Don’t assign emotions to items.  Unless something truly gives you joy see it for the item it is and get rid of it if you do not need it.
  6. Don’t keep clothes you do not wear.  Donating them can give you a tax break while helping someone out.

This is a big start to living a fresher, cleaner and more clutter-free life.  Enjoy the empty space.

 

 

Bullying In Schools

Every school has some level of bullying.  The responsibility of dealing with bullying is not just a teacher or principle, but everyone’s responsibility because you do not know who will seen the warning signs first.

Parents should look for signs not only that their child may be being bullied, but also that they are bullying others.  Consequences can be devastating for either party in the end.

Even when these issues do not end in violence, the long term negative consequences can last a lifetime.  Someone who has been bullied can lack self confidence and someone who is a bully can have trouble working with others and might lack empathy and care when entering adult life.  In many cases this will hurt their ability for advancement and leadership positions in working situations.  While some parents may think their kids are “strong,” the lack of compassion for others is not a good thing and can lead to many negative consequences.

How do you spot if your child is being bullied?

  • Making excuses not to go to school, such as faking illnesses
  • Unexplained loss or damage of money or items
  • Lack of appetite
  • Suspicious injuries
  • Decrease in self-esteem
  • More withdrawn, possibly self destructive behavior

And how do you know if your child is bullying others?

  • Going to principle’s office
  • Getting into physical and verbal fights
  • More aggressive
  • Speaks demeaning of others
  • Blames others for their problems
  • Worries about reputation and popularity

These are just some signs.  Teachers, parents and other students should all be aware of the signs and report concerns.  Silence let’s the problem escalate.  Schools have professionals to help with these issues and you should report any concern to the school as soon as possible.  For more information, read the government stop bullying site.  This has a more comprehensive list and more information if you have any concerns.

How To Prepare Your Garden In The Fall for Next Spring

As the summer months wean, and the fall and winter months approach, it is time for the gardener to prepare for next year’s bountiful and colorful vegetable and flower gardens. While the temperatures are still mild, there are different chores every gardener must do to prepare themselves for next year’s spring gardening.  From cleaning, storing, and oiling tools to getting ready the soil, many gardeners view the fall as a preparation time for their spring gardening. Here are 8 gardening tips to follow to have a beautiful garden without the backbreaking chores that come in the spring.

  1. Clean the leaves, dead branches, or plants from your garden.  Gardening during the springtime will be less time-consuming and strenuous if you get rid of unwanted plants in the fall.
  2. Trim the bushes and small trees.
  3. Plant bulbs during October for a colorful spring garden. From daffodils, tulips, and crocuses, to Asiatic Lily Blacklist and Dutch Iris Sapphire Beauty, your garden will surely be a beauty to see.  Check the planting periods recommended for the bulbs you buy or want to plant.
  4. Do you want lush grass on your lawn next spring? You need to fertilize and aerate your lawn in the fall, and plant grass seed to obtain great results. Buying a lawn aerator to accomplish this task should not be too expensive, or difficult to accomplish.
  5. Getting your flower pots ready for next spring means you need to clean them and stored them for the winter. The terra cotta pots might break if you leave out in cold climates. For that reason, it is better to store them in your shed in crates or stack them carefully on a shelf.
  6. Bring delicate plants inside to keep them from dying during the winter months. Your lemon tree needs to be inside before the first frost to survive. Any other delicate plants need to have a cool temperature to make it through the winter months.
  7. Store your garden tools in the shed.  Make sure they do not get wet and are safe from the elements.  Your garden hose needs to be stored away as well. Empty your lawnmower from gasoline. You need fresh gasoline next spring for it to start without trouble.
  8. Stored your patio furniture or cover them till spring. A heavy-duty polyester covering can protect your garden furniture from the elements and keep them ready for spring.

Protecting your garden furniture, plants, garden tools, and plants from the winter will make the time you spend gardening more enjoyable in the spring.  If you clean your flower beds, leaves, brush, or dead plants from the garden, you will have more time planning the vegetable garden or design the flower garden you always wanted. Because gardening can be a wonderful hobby and an enjoyable activity, preparation is key to having a wonderful time gardening during the spring.  Fertilizing your front and back yard during the fall might not seem important, but it is if you want to have a beautiful lush lawn during the year. Your local nursery is always a good source of advice if you have a specific question about a plant, tree, or fertilizer.  Moreover, a visit to your local nursery might inspire you to try a new plant or shrub.

Teens and Technology

The time our children spend glued to their phones seems unhealthy to many parents, and although it is an activity we all do, it seems it is not as unhealthy as we thought it was for a teenager. According to recent studies about the impact, the use of technology has on the well-being of adolescents found it is not as harmful as we think it is.  Mainly, because such adolescents do not view their technology usage as harmful. And, secondly, according to the review, global mental health problems have not increased in recent decades. In other words, the increased usage of technology-driven gadgets-smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc.,- by teenagers is not considered to negatively affect their mental health.

Notwithstanding such studies’ findings, the time teenagers spend on their smartphones or tablets might keep them away from other constructive endeavors. If you are a concerned parent and want to minimize their time spent using their iPhone, here are 8 tips to help you breach the subject.

  1. If you are a concerned parent and find your teens’ smartphone usage unhealthy, read bout recent studies about the topic before engaging in a losing battle with your teen. Instead, try to have a calm conversation with your child or teen about their smartphone usage and ask them what they think it’s the right amount of time for them.
  2. Compromise but do not set rules they will find unfair.  If they have done their homework and extracurricular activities and they are relaxing, let them do it peacefully.  Respect their free time, even if they choose to spend it with their smartphone.
  3. Encourage them to practice an activity to help them build a skill instead of using their smartphone.  Music, painting, drawing, or a physical activity class will keep them away from the smartphone while developing a life skill they will appreciate later in life.
  4. Ask them to read a book.  There are lists of books for teenagers that will surely capture their interest.  You can research a library’s teen recommendations together to find the perfect book to read.
  5. Exercise together if you can.  Biking and hiking are two activities teenagers can do with their parents without feeling embarrassed about spending time with them.
  6. Be an example to follow.  If you cannot put your own smartphone down, you cannot ask your teenager to do it. Grab a book or seek your child to start a conversation.  Ask them about school, friends, or even the videos they are watching on their smartphones.  You can always start a conversation and ask your child to join you.
  7. Have a daily meal together with your teenager. The diner table is a neutral, peaceful place to have a conversation where everyone can join in.  If you have more than one child, ask about their day individually and offer a comment or two before going on to the next.  Everyone should get a turn to speak and to be heard. Ask for silence from the other members of the family till the speaker is done.
  8. Respect your teenager and listen to what they are saying.  Even if you think they are spending too much time with their smartphones, listen to them before you complain.  You are the manager of your teen, not the boss.

Every teen is different. They have different needs and different problems.  Many of them can easily adapt to any situation and never have a serious problem.  They can have excellent grades but be depressed about an issue.  As parents, we can form a healthy relationship with them by listening and guiding them, instead of imposing rules and forcing them to follow.  Let’s put away our smartphones and begin a healthy conversation.

Project Based Learning Benefits

Traditional classroom learning has for many years created doubts as to whether for the 21st. Century, this methodology is the right approach for our children and young students. Many countries around the world including Austria, Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, France, Finland, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden among others, have found ways to incorporate project-based learning into their classrooms. According to The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) a worldwide study of 70 nations of 15-year-old- students’ scholastic achievement, The United States ranks 31 overall in Mathematics, Science, and Reading. It is also important to acknowledge the fact that the United States spends more per student than most of these countries. The conundrum then is, what are we waiting for? What options do we have in this country?

Apparently, we do have options, and they are proven to be better than our current traditional method. For many of us, project-based learning sounds like the new fad in teaching, and we fail to comprehend what it entails. Here is a brief definition of what it is and why we should at least consider this new approach to teach our students to achieve better and to reach higher.

What is project-based learning?

According to The Buck Institute for Education (BIE) a non-profit organization helping teachers implement project-based learning in their classrooms defines that project-based learning as: A teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a complex question, problem, or challenge (BIE, 2014a).

Project-based learning CAN and DOES incorporate many of the disciplines taught in school, but all geared to research, and to find a solution to a complex issue that challenges the student to learn and to question an important economic, social or political issue of our society.

The countries that have incorporated project-based learning have seen many benefits associated with this approach. This educational option has encouraged school administrators, teachers, and parents to engage with this new methodology and to seek ways to make it happen and to make it work in their schools.

Mastery Learning is heavily dependent on project-based learning. It allows students to work at their own pace and do lectures outside of the classroom so that project-based learning can happen more inside the classroom. If you look at the Outstanda Education NFT movement, you can see how this is going to flip the work and the lectures around.

There are many benefits teachers and school administrators associate with project-based learning, among them:

  1. Engagement – Because students are encouraged to find a topic they are interested in learning, or a solution to a problem, teachers do not need to encourage them, they are eager to learn.
  2. Attendance – Project-based learning has shown an increase in attendance. The projects and peers who are involved in the project are encouragement enough for other students to stop missing school. Students graduate in the time expected and for many schools that is an excellent indicator for continuing or finding a way to implement project-based learning.
  3. Preparedness for college and life – Students are learning information and finding solutions to real life problems that will prepare them for the complexity of life in the future.
  4. Better Discipline – Collaboration to projects make the student behave and understand that his or her collaboration or lack thereof is pivotal to the completion of the project. Children seem to understand this concept without being reprimanded by teachers.
  5. Better retention of material learned – Because the students are engaged in finding solutions or answers to their projects, the material learned is retained and learned.

Project-based learning is not a new fad in education, it is a new way of teaching and preparing our students for the future.  It is no longer acceptable for our schools to provide learning the way it was taught a century ago, we must adapt and we must find a way to better serve the future of our society.  As a school administrator, teacher, or concerned parent, we owe our students the tools necessary to succeed, and we must do it soon, we have the means and the will to do it.

Back to School Cost Cutting

The end of summer is fast approaching, school supply lists have been released, and you’re on the hunt for the best deals on back to school items for your kids. These days, just equipping your kids for the first day can be overwhelming, but with a few cost-cutting tips, you can save yourself money while providing great things for the upcoming school year.

1. Be prepared.

Go over your list of needs and be careful of what “wants” get added to the list by your child or teen. Better yet, give your older student a back to school budget, and have him or her work out how to use the allotted money to purchase the needed items. Do your research to find what items are on sale at which stores, and don’t shy away from shopping several different stores if needed.

2. Shop the sales.

It almost goes without saying, but August is the best time to by any school supplies. Stock up for the year on pens, paper, notebooks, crayons, etc. Staples, Office Depot, Wal-mart and Target are retailers that will have great prices now. In addition to great sales, you can also take advantage of other store loyalty programs such as Staples Rewards off most purchases), Target RedCard off and Target Cartwheel offers. Target will also have store coupons that you can “stack” to get the most for your money.

3. Go through all clothes and shoes before shopping for new ones.

With your child, go through all items in the closet and dresser. Donate any items that are too small or that your child no longer wears. Toss out any that are too old or beat up to be useful to anyone. Then make a list with your child of items that you’re searching for on your clothes shopping trip. It may help to do a little online window shopping in advance to see what stores have the best prices and styles for your budget.

4. Accept help if needed.

There are many places that will help out families where finances are tight and back to school poses additional stress on their income.  Look at churches and community centers to get supplies that are needed.

Don’t let the stress of back-to-school shopping get to you. Team up with your student to have a plan of attack and enjoy the extra time together before another school year begins.