Fatherhood Factor

For all the "dealings" of dads...

Emily Joswiak

Creating Connections: Five Hobbies to Enjoy as a Family

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Between school, work, extracurriculars, and an active social calendar, both you and your kids lead busy lives. Take a break from daily life’s hustle and bustle and spend some time connecting as a family. These five hobbies to enjoy as a family will help you bond with your loved ones and create memories to last a lifetime.

Sailing

Embark on a family sailing adventure across the high seas to explore the world from a new perspective. The teamwork needed to helm the ship will bring you closer as a family. Safety is of the utmost importance when sailing with kids, so be sure to pack plenty of sunscreen and always wear a life jacket when on board. Teach your kids basic sailing lingo, or create a scavenger hunt for local wildlife to turn the sailing experience into an enriching educational opportunity.

Gardening

If you’re looking for a more practical hobby to enjoy as a family, consider taking up gardening. Get your hands dirty and create a family garden to help you connect with the earth and each other at the same time. Annual flowers, such as marigolds and impatiens, add a beautiful pop of color to your home and are a great place to start for new gardeners. For those with a more pronounced green thumb, a fruit and vegetable garden may be the way to go. The produce grown in your garden can then be used to cook a delicious family meal.

Volunteering

It’s never too early for kids to learn about kindness, generosity, and the importance of helping those in need. Volunteering as a family allows you to lead by example and show your children firsthand the importance of giving back to your community. For families with younger kids, consider participating in a fundraising walk or visiting a nursing home. Older children can learn the value of volunteering by boxing goods for a food drive or serving meals at a homeless shelter.

Camping

Everybody needs a break from their screens once in a while, and camping as a family is a great way to do just that. Working together to set up camp requires teamwork and can serve as a great bonding opportunity. Camping and hiking are also fun ways to get in a bit of exercise as a family. As your day of outdoor fun winds down, gather the family around the campfire to roast s’mores and tell spooky stories.  

Crafting

Embrace your inner artist and let the creativity flow with a day spent crafting as a family. There’s no age limit on artistic expression, so even your toddlers can join in the fun using finger paints or pipe cleaners. Families looking for more structure to their crafts can sign up for a guided painting class. The best part about crafting as a family is that, at the end of the day, you’ll have beautiful new artwork to proudly display in your home.

5 Reasons to Get Your Child Involved with a Travel Team

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Many kids try sports when they are younger because there are so many positives that come with it that can help them in life. There also comes a point when your child might show talent that can lead to exciting opportunities. If this is the case, here are five reasons to get your child involved with a travel team.

Opportunities to Travel

Enlisting your child in a travel team gives them the opportunity to see interesting parts of the country. If you decide to go with them, traveling can be a bonding experience for you and your child. Traveling to a location can be a mini-vacation of sorts. While you are out there, try to take time to explore the area; you never know when the opportunity will come again.

More Friendships

Travel teams consist of young players from around the area, state, region, or country. Either way, playing with them can form friendships with people from all over. Sports can develop many life skills, and meeting new people and socializing is one of them.

Higher Levels of Competition

Competition will be at a new level right away, since travel teams require tryouts. Your child will travel to tournaments to play against more competitive teams from all over the country. The obvious benefit is that this will force your child to step up and become a better player.

Better Coaching

Your child’s skills will also improve through better coaching. This is another major reason to get your child involved with a travel team. High-caliber coaches are often recruited to lead travel teams, so they can coach players and develop their talent. Travel team coaching is at a different level, and your child should improve in their sport as a result.

More Exposure

If you want to increase your child’s exposure to recruiters, travel teams are the way to go. Sports can help with school in numerous ways. One such way is the chance to get noticed by recruiters and potentially get a scholarship to play in college. Participating in travel sports makes this more likely to happen, since your child will play in front of the recruiters.

5 Best Places to Teach Your Child How to Drive

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The biggest moment in many parents’ lives is teaching their child how to drive. It’s a whole new level of independence, and you don’t want them to go unaware of important rules and techniques that will keep them safe. Thankfully, there are plenty of places you can take them so they can improve their skills before obtaining their license. Here are the five best places to teach your child how to drive.

Open Parking Lot

An open parking lot is one of the best places to teach your child how to drive for a few reasons. Parking is one of the most difficult aspects of driving. As such, your child will need plenty of practice so they can successfully get in between the lines. An empty parking lot is also great because they aren’t hard to find, and you can set up cones to practice additional driving techniques.

Crowded Parking Lot

After practicing in an open parking lot, your child should eventually learn how to deal with crowds. Take them to a parking lot during business hours when there are other people and cars to watch out for. This way, they can learn to park in between cars and start to understand how crucial it is to watch for pedestrians.

The Highway

The next step for your young driver is to take the highway. This is a completely different experience and one that you need to guide them through. There is a lot that they’ll need to learn about the highway, such as driving at high speeds, understanding exits, and knowing which lane to travel in.

An Urban Area

There are a few differences between driving in the city and the country. Depending on where you live, you’ll want to take your child to an area that is opposite of what’s around you. For example, if you live in an urban setting, drive to the nearest rural territory for practice. Your child must learn how to deal with the different obstacles each area presents—from pedestrians to animals crossing the street. Mastering each setting will make your child a well-rounded driver.

Side Streets

A final practice exercise you should perform with your child is how to navigate a side street. This goes hand in hand with driving in an urban area or a busy neighborhood. You can also find hills on side streets, which is excellent for learning how to properly parallel park.

Is it Safe for Kids to Have an Ultrasound?

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Becoming a parent for the first time is stressful, but only if you let it be. It’s a major lifestyle change to say the least. If you’re an expecting parent, you may believe you should fear everything. Experts constantly shout the latest data about the latest threat that could probably, maybe, kill everyone under the age of three. New information bombards new parents, telling them what is harmful for the baby, constantly.

Take a deep breath, and step back from the edge. The future is not bleak, and everything will be okay. Tune out the noise, and focus on what you can control. A big question that all new parents have is; “is it safe for kids to have an ultrasound?”

The safety of an ultrasound may concern you when applied to your growing baby, and that’s only natural. Understanding what an ultrasound is and how it works are important things to know when answering that question. There really is no need to worry.

Know first and foremost that an ultrasound is completely noninvasive. There is no pain or discomfort during the procedure. An ultrasound is little more than sonar. It uses sound waves to create an image that otherwise can’t be seen. The sound waves flow into the body by a probe, and the waves bounce off soft tissue and organs in the body. The returning waves and the data they create stream into the computer, a formula is applied, and an image is created. Basically, an ultrasound uses sound waves to make a picture.

The main concern surrounding ultrasounds is that the sound waves carry energy into the fetus. The fear is that this energy can raise the temperature of the baby and cause adverse effects. There are inherent risks associated with any medical procedure, but there is currently no evidence showing a prenatal ultrasound, done properly, poses any danger to the baby or mother. Doctors have used ultrasound technology as a diagnostic tool for almost 40 years to monitor fetal development. Most doctors agree that it’s a safe practice when done by a trained medical professional. The diseases and birth defects that an ultrasound can find far outweigh any adverse effects it may cause.

Even though ultrasounds are safe, doctors recommend them only when medically necessary. In the case of a high-risk pregnancy, a doctor may order more later in the term. An overabundance of caution is the impetus behind this practice. Doctors want to reduce any risks to mother or child and make sure everyone is healthy.

Amazing Ways to Get Kids into Coding and Programming

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Coding is this generation’s second language. Just teachers encouraged Generation X and Y students to take Spanish, French, or Mandarin, millennials should learn to code. This will provide them with an opportunity to join the global community through the Internet of Things (IoT). Coding will allow your student to dive into a world of smart cars, smart cities, and industrial networking! Explore these platforms as a way to get kids into coding.

Vidcode

Vidcode is a fun coding curriculum that acts as a tool to teach children and teens the basics of coding. Vidcode offers a complete curriculum for grades 3-12. This program approaches coding through creativity, critical thinking, and hands-on cross-disciplinary application of coding. Each lesson is digestible to children and teachers. Vidcode wants lessons to be a collaborative task for either teachers and students or parents and children.

Minecraft for Education

Use the power of video gaming to teach your children a skill that can set them on a successful career path. As one of the most popular gaming platforms, Minecraft developers are using their game’s popularity to teach children the power of coding. Minecraft education edition uses a code builder that allows students to work in groups or individually to create amazing Minecraft characters and environments. Let your student’s imagination run wild while learning a new skill.

App Inventor

MIT is known for producing some of the world’s most renown names in science and technology. As such, it makes sense that they’re taking the lead in helping to point future technologist in the right direction. App Inventor is an all-inclusive program that includes methods, coding elements, and functionality. Students can learn to build Android apps right from a web browser. App Inventor is not curriculum-based like some other programs and is probably better suited for older children.

Codecademy

Codecademy is quickly becoming one of the best interactive online tools to learn coding fundamentals. Codecademy teaches the bases of some of the most utilized languages, including Ruby, PHP, jQuery, Python, JavaScript, and more. One of Codecademy’s greatest features is the ability to work in split-screen. This allows users to see an immediate response to the code they are typing. Learners can catch mistakes as they happen and correct them before they become habits.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is an interactive online tool that teaches the coding fundamentals using JavaScript. Khan Academy has a learning structure that is best for middle-grade students and above. This platform uses creative games and animations to help learners grasp the basics of computer programing. Users can even learn how to create webpages using HTML and CSS. Plus, Khan Academy allows learners to share their creation with other friends or students to make each project collaborative.

How Cold is too Cold to Seal a Driveway?

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Overnight temperatures are starting to drop ever so slowly. Fall is approaching, and the window for sealcoating your driveway is starting to close. Opinions vary on how long the sealcoating season lasts, but most agree it stretches from Spring until Fall—specifically, from mid-April to mid-October. Knowing when the best time is to complete certain home renovation projects is important for contractors and DIYers alike.

Weather Is An Important Factor

You want to ensure the pavement will be warm enough to apply a sealant to. Starting too early could leave the sealers susceptible to cold temperatures, causing them to freeze. Further, heavy rains and scorching summer heat are also hard on asphalt and make for less than ideal sealing conditions.

Follow the Rules

Due to how different weather affects asphalt and sealer, you want to make sure you properly perform the sealing process. As such, there are some rules to follow. You want to remain inside a specific temperature range throughout the entirety of the sealing process. To make sure your sealant performs to the best of its ability, only apply it when the temperature is 70° and rising.  Check the sealant manufacturer’s instructions for a temperature recommendation—you probably won’t want to apply it if it’s hotter than this suggestion. Ideally, you want the temperature to remain in this range (and never gets lower than 50° Fahrenheit) during the 48-hour application and drying period. A two-day window will give the sealer plenty of time to dry and cure.

Seal coating the driveway is preventative maintenance. No matter if you are sealing your driveway or having a professional do it, it’s important to follow these guidelines. Additionally, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions on your specific kind of sealer to ensure you get the best results. Failure to adhere to these directions could lead to shoddy work and further the deterioration of your driveway.

Common Signs Your Kids Have Allergies

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Looking out for your child’s health is an essential part of parenthood. You may start to notice that your child may be sneezing, coughing, or suffering from ear infections. It can be easy to diagnosis these as a just a sickness, but allergies can also cause similar symptoms. There are various types of allergies, and some can negatively impact your child’s health. Know how to spot the common signs your kids have allergies, so you know how to treat them.

Seasonal

As the seasons begin to change, there are certain allergens in the air, such as pollen, dust, mold, and more, that can cause discomfort. Medicine like Claritin or Zyrtec can typically resolve these issues. There is even the option to have them take allergy drops. Some signs of seasonal allergies include the following:

  • Sneezing
  • Coughing
  • Mild headaches
  • Itching in their nose or eyes
  • Water eyes
  • Congestion
  • Runny nose
  • Post nasal drip
  • Puffiness

Food and Drug

Food and drug allergies are a bit more severe than seasonal ones. Common food allergies include peanuts, eggs, soy, milk, and more. Your child may also have celiac disease, which means they’re allergic to gluten. Some signs that may point to a food or drug allergy include the following:

  • Itching in the mouth
  • Swelling
  • Hives
  • Rashes
  • Diarrhea
  • Eczema
  • Vomiting
  • Lightheadedness

Animals

Pets like dogs and cats are great companions for children, especially when they’re young. Unfortunately, there are some things animals carry with them that can trigger allergies. There are various shots, nasal sprays, and more than can help relieve the following symptoms:

  • Sneezing
  • Itchiness in their eyes
  • Congestion
  • Rash
  • Hives
  • Shortness of breath
  • Postnasal drip
  • Couching
  • Swelling
  • Facial pain

When you know the common signs your kids have allergies, you can better differentiate between a sickness and allergies; however, we highly recommend you visit a doctor and get a test because the signs can overlap with one another.