3 Kids and Us

5 Reasons Kids Should Exercise

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Keeping your children healthy and happy is one of the most important parts of a parent’s many jobs. It’s not always easy with so much temptation all around and so many sugary snacks and drinks, not to mention computers, tablets, and video games that make kids move around a lot less than they might normally do. Therefore, getting kids to exercise more is a great idea, and there are some good reasons why children should exercise.

They’ll Sleep Better

Children who are physically fit and healthy sleep much better than those who aren’t, and this is good for a variety of different reasons. The first is that getting enough sleep allows the body to re-set itself overnight, repairing any problems that it may have come across. When this happens, your child will wake up feeling healthy and energized, ready for the day ahead. Also, According to Daniel DeMoss, studies have shown that children waking up early tends to be smarter and get better grades. If they don’t get enough sleep, then these repairs won’t have time to take place, and throughout the day they will feel less able to get on with things. Their productivity and concentration levels will fall dramatically.

They’ll Help You

If your kids are out exercising then you can be too; in fact, if you can all play and get fit together, it can create a much stronger bond between you as well as giving you plenty of health benefits. If you are taking cholesterol medication, or medication for high blood pressure or other ailments then getting a good amount of exercise can help your condition, and working out with the kids will give you the boost you need to do it, and do it regularly.

They’ll Develop Healthy Habits

Children who get into a good routine of exercising regularly will develop healthy habits when it comes to fitness, and they will carry these on into adulthood. If they have children of their own, they will be able to pass these traits down so that another generation of children will grow into healthy, able adults.

They’ll Be Better Behaved

Studies have shown that getting outside and playing (so not even regimented exercise – running around with their friends can be good enough) improves the behavior of children, making them happier and friendlier with fewer anger issues. This could be because exercising like this is fun, and it produces hormones such as serotonin that combats stress, making them feel much calmer and happier in general. It could also be that they are concentrating on what they are doing and when they are finished they are tired, so they don’t want to be combative anymore. Whatever the actual reason, it’s a good way to keep the family dynamic strong.

They’ll Have A Better Immune System

When a child gets the right amount of exercise, it boosts their immune system making them less susceptible to illness. They won’t catch so many colds, for example, and their cuts and grazes will heal quicker. They will have lower blood pressure, and their weight will be controlled too, and this means they will be less likely to develop conditions such as type 2 diabetes. Plus, if they are outside, they will be getting more vitamin D which is essential for healthy bone growth.

Making Use of a Good School Design to Encourage Learning 

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One World International School is one of many excellent international schools in Singapore. But what sets them apart is how they have used the design for their school to enhance their student’s learning. Yes, all 32,000 square metres of campus is thoughtfully designed to support their world-renowned holistic education framework.

School design and layout is something some of us guardians tend to neglect when choosing an institution for our kids. A study made by the University of Salford and the architects at Nightingale Associates showed that student performance improved by 25% in well-designed schools.

It is hard to deny influence when the improvements are at a whopping 25%. So to understand the role of school design, let’s look into the campus of One World International School.

Adaptable learning environment

One World International School uses an holistic educational philosophy and a values-based learning model. It means that they focus more on encouraging a student’s natural curiosity through positive reinforcement. So most of their work, after discussion, is collaborative and highly practical.

Further, this kind of curriculum does not just expect them to memorise their lessons, but encourages them to share their ideas and theories in class. For this reason, their classrooms need to adapt to the kind of learning environment they are trying to create.

Each classroom is fitted with module furniture so that students can easily group themselves and face each other for their discussions. There is a 24-student limitation so that the noise level is manageable.

Other classroom design involved are the amount of natural light that comes in the room, temperature, and orientation.

Innovative technology

The school does not hesitate to make full use of available technology to improve the learning experience. From using tablets, interactive LED screens, to high quality speakers and access control lockers, One World International School as it all.

Vibrant outdoor school landscape

One World International School has 32,000 square metres of property, so of course it has an impressive outdoor landscape.

Their outdoor field can be accessed by all students and teachers. Well, actually they have 4 sporting fields, a miniature forest that has various flowers and plants, a Sensory Garden, and a Berms and Sand Pit.

The school wants to help students appreciate nature, as well as assist the teachers in teaching them about the importance of being mindful of the environment. It is truly a welcome break from the four walls of a classroom, for both teacher and student.

Additionally, making all sporting fields readily available promotes a healthy and active lifestyle to keep students fit.

Maybe the primary reason why we look over a school’s design is we forget that it isn’t supposed to be bleak and dreary. What you want is to look for an institution that promotes school-life balance. We want our kids to be ready for the future, but we want them to have fun doing so.

So let’s take a page from One World International School and start looking at proper school design.

7 Useful Tips on Raising a Healthy Family

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Raising a family is something that often takes determination, sacrifice, and time. It can be tough to find a balance, but the juggling act tends to get easier over time, or you get better at managing it. Every parent usually hopes that they’ll be able to raise a family that’s happy and healthy. This often means exploring different ways to ensure they’re eating the right things, staying active, and keeping an open flow of communication. There are several other ways that you can raise a healthy family, but it’s left to you to choose a method that works for you. This article is going to explore seven different ways that you can raise a healthy family.

Make Nutritious Meals

There are several components of health to consider when trying to raise a healthy family, and physical health is one of them. What your family eats is key as it can affect them in both the short and long term. Nutritious meals are a great place to start which means you may need to put careful thought into the meals you’re going to give them and take time to do a little planning. Some ideas for nutritious meals that you might want to consider are slow cooker chicken tortilla soup, homemade tacos with your own special recipe, and spiced oven-fried potatoes to avoid the oil in frying. You could also try oven-baked almond fish sticks, light chicken Caesar salad, garlic chicken, and potatoes, as well as lightened-up mac and cheese.

Don’t be afraid to try new recipes with your kids which include all of the nutrients necessary in a balanced diet. In case you forgot what that consists of, it includes healthy carbs, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and fibre as well. You can also consider cooking together as a family to make it fun as well as ensure everyone feels like they’re contributing to their healthy eating journey.

Spend Quality Time

Spending time together as a family can be a bit of challenge sometimes. This may be due to busy and conflicting schedules as well as tiredness after a long day for the most part. However, finding time to spend together is imperative when trying to raise a healthy family as it’s an important aspect of each individual’s wellbeing. There are several benefits of family time which include teaching children to interact with others, reducing the chances of your children getting involved in dangerous activities, improving their emotional well-being, and encouraging them to attain greater heights educationally.

Family time also creates the opportunity for you to bond and create lifelong connections with your loved ones. If you’re stuck in terms of ideas regarding what you can do for family time, perhaps consider designated family holidays which are tailored to each personality, planting and tending to a family garden, having devoted movie time, having a  family sports event, having family art time, or a book club. These are all great ways to spend time with one another as well as learn more about each individual. You should also remember that you don’t always have to spend money just to have family time as a games night, walk around the block or park day are also adequate enough to bond and enjoy one another’s company.

Teach Them About Drugs Early

Education goes beyond the classroom and can often be taught at home as well as in school. For this reason, alongside sex education, your family should be informed and educated regarding the effects of drug use on their body, mind, and general wellbeing. People often end up using drugs for a number of reasons related to peer pressure, low self-esteem, or depression amongst others. You should inform them regarding the impact that drugs have on the brain such as straining the essential areas of your brain and leaving you vulnerable to picking up addictive and harmful behaviours.

In addition to this, it has been found that most drugs flood the brain’s limbic system with a neurotransmitter called dopamine, causing the user to enter a state of euphoria. Going into detail and explaining how drugs affect the brain can help deter your family from being tempted to use. If you do, however, notice any signs that your loved ones may be using drugs, it’s best that you look for ways to get them help and stress the importance of them doing so. You should read more about the negative effects of drugs and share this information with your family. Seeing as in 2013, approximately 24.6 million Americans over the age of 11 used illicit drugs, you should also know that it’s never too early to educate your children on the negative effects of drugs.

Make Exercise a Lifestyle

Staying active as a family can be fun and it’s also very beneficial for your health. If you have young kids, you may notice that they’re considerably active due to their frequent rushes of adrenaline as well as mandatory school activities. Likewise, if you’ve got teens who are keen on sports they may also be pretty active. Nevertheless, encouraging fitness as a lifestyle is a great way to make a long-term impact. Seeing as it’s always good to lead by example, perhaps think about coming up with family workout routines and dedicating a day every week to exercising together.

Some fun exercise ideas you should think about doing with your loved ones that aren’t too stressful include making time to play games that will make you move like hide-and-seek, musical statues, or hopscotch. You could also walk or ride a bike as frequently as possible, plan active family gatherings, sing and play during chores, and make yard work a lot more fun. This should make exercise less of a strenuous activity and a lot more fun as well as give you the chance to bond along the way. Try your best to be as consistent as possible in order to make working out as a family more of a lifestyle than an activity.

 Encourage Honest Conversation

If you want to raise a healthy family, understanding the importance of open and honest communication is critical. As well as being physically healthy, mental health is also important, so creating an environment that people feel free to express themselves is key. Some ways to do this could be by having weekly family meetings where everyone is able to floor any issues they may have and discuss things that are bothering them. This can also help teach your children how to express themselves, not bottle things inside, and amicably deal with disagreements and misunderstandings. Asking your kids questions and showing a genuine interest is also a way to get them talking. Show them that you value both their time and opinion as a way of encouraging them to talk to you irrespective of the circumstances. Additionally, it’s an excellent way of building their communication skills which can be beneficial to them in various aspects of their lives.

Build Their Confidence

Confidence is important for both children and adults, so creating an environment that makes everyone feel confident and safe is key. There are so many ways to build confidence in your kids including speaking positive words of affirmation to them, always encouraging them and giving them the opportunity to be more independent. Other ways to build their confidence include letting them help out around the house, giving them the freedom to make their own choices in moderation, letting them take healthy risks, and also reminding them about how loved they are. Making sure their goals are within reach is also a good way to help build their confidence because they’re more likely to achieve those goals. Seeing as self-esteem is said to come from feeling loved and secure as well as competence, providing them with these things at home can go a long way in ensuring they’re mentally healthy and happy.

Teach Them Positive Values

Values often determine people’s behavior as well as their boundaries, so teaching them to your family should go a long way. Doing so can help teach your kids who they are and what they stand for as well as help put boundaries in place as a means of protecting themselves. Some positive values worth thinking about having in your home include kindness, hard work, authenticity, balance, boldness, and achievement. You can decide to write the values for your family somewhere that everyone can see it as living by them could result in a healthy life too.

Raising a family isn’t a job that can be done in single day. It is something that happens in an accumulation of days, months, and years and it requires both consistency and dedication, especially when you want to raise a healthy one. You will make mistakes along the way and sometimes your imperfections as a parent will show, however, the key is to be as transparent as possible and keep giving it your best shot. By doing these things, hopefully, at the end of the road, you’ll be able to boast of a healthy family.

4 Pieces of Good Advice for All Expecting Mothers

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There’s nothing quite like motherhood. It’s challenging, stimulating, exciting, draining, and wonderful –– but it’s not something that everyone adapts to quickly. As such, it can be difficult to make the transition into parenthood, no matter your personal situation. And even if you’ve already experienced the joy of raising a child, there are still ways you can work to become a better, more adjusted parent. So, in order to take a little stress away from moms-to-be everywhere, we’ve compiled four short pieces of good advice that can provide a big lift just when you need it:

Know When to Freak Out

When you first become a parent, everything is likely to make you nervous. After all, ensuring that your baby is healthy and happy will be your number one priority (as it should be). And while you should definitely maintain your focus on your child’s well-being, part of becoming a parent is knowing when to freak out and when to relax. Otherwise, every little moment in your child’s life will present an opportunity to fall into anxious fits and panic attacks. Take the little things in stride and recognize that not all problems are earth-shattering. It’ll help you focus on what you really need to worry about.

Ask for Help

Raising a child without any help at all is a difficult task. Indeed, it’s about as daunting as it gets, really. That’s why it’s important to seek out reliable help from time to time. Calling on friends, family members, and trusted professionals isn’t a cop-out or a sign of weakness; rather, it’ll broaden your little one’s horizons to spend time to with other people, and provide you with a much-needed break at the same time.

Live in the Moment

Too often parents have difficulty adjusting to the way their children react to new technology or concepts. Just because things were different when you were a kid it doesn’t mean you should dismiss your child’s interests or stifle their creativity. Don’t close the door on something your kid wants to do just because you don’t understand or appreciate it. Instead, take the time out to empathize with them and support them in any way you can.

Consult Medical Professionals

This should be a given, but a bit of practical advice here: visit a trusted M.D. early and often during your pregnancy –– and schedule plenty of appointments afterward as well. This includes a wider array of tests, procedures, and practices than what you might first imagine. For instance: every expecting mother should get tested for STDs, since certain infections can cause complications during pregnancy. (In some cases, you could even inadvertently pass on an STD to your newborn!) So if you have any questions regarding your health, or what steps you should take to lower the risk of complications during gestation, speak to your doctor ASAP. They’ll be willing to offer insight and assistance as needed.

Top Life Skills To Teach Your Children

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Do you wish that your parents had begun even earlier to teach you all about life’s important lessons? As a parent, it is tricky to decide when we need to discuss important life events, such as death, money, divorce and even learning how to be a balanced and fair-minded adult, with our children, even more so as in today’s day and age they seem to grow up so fast. However, you need not worry. By beginning to talk through any worries and concerns that your kids have at an early age, and creating a safe and open space in which to do so, your children will be stronger than ever and ready to face the world.

If you are beginning to choose the right moment to sit down and have a conversation with your kids, then make sure it is when they are feeling relaxed and ready. Do not force your little ones if they are tired and cranky, as you may risk closing the door on an important opportunity. Equally, if your children bring up any questions themselves, then it is vital that you take this chance to begin having a dialogue. Make sure that you treat your little ones as adults from a young age, and be sure to enable them to voice their opinions and ask questions when they feel that they need to. If you begin teaching your kids to be vocal from a young age, then they will soon learn crucial life skills without too much effort.

Money management

Money is always a difficult and complex topic to talk through with your kids, and this will depend on the relationship that you have with finances as an adult also. Make sure that your children understand from a young age that money does not grow on trees! In order for your kids to experience the value of money and the price of things and goods, why not get them involved in your weekly shop from a young age? It could be as simple as taking your toddler to the grocery store and practicing counting up to ten or getting your four or five-year-old to help you pick items off the shelves. As your kids grow up and begin to have their own allowance, or income from a Saturday or weekend job, make sure that they understand the importance of saving. If your kids are looking to buy a new bike or outfit, then it will be up to them to manage their income and make sure that they have enough cash before they can splash out on a treat for themselves. You could try buying your kids a piggy bank so that they can save any dollars or dimes that they earn in a safe place. Take your kids to your local bank too, so that they can open up a savings account and see first-hand how money is managed. Money management is always a complex topic to discuss with children, so make sure that you start as soon as you feel that your kids are ready.

Love and friendships

An important life lesson to discuss with your kids, and one that they are sure to learn first-hand as they grow, is love and friendship. Friendships and relationships with others are wonderful and beautiful, and your kids should learn that with respect and tolerance these interactions will grow into long-lasting and cherished exchanges. However, make sure that your little ones understand that they will need to treat their friends as they too would like to be treated. When it comes to friendships, your kids will need to learn that they need to show respect for others and always be willing to listen and exchange thoughts. In younger children, this will become obvious when your kids have an argument in kindergarten over a toy or a crayon, whereas as your kids grow older, they may have a negative experience in the schoolyard that needs to be discussed. At home, make sure that your children always know that they are loved and supported so that they do not bottle up and concerns or worries that they may have. Encourage your kids to talk about their friendships, and they will grow up into well-balanced, loving and open-minded adults.

It is important too that your kids learn that not all relationships work out. If you are going through a divorce, then make sure that your children do not feel alone, and be sure to tell them that Mom and Dad will still love and cherish them the same amount. Kids often feel vulnerable and alone when any changes occur that affect their family life, so it is up to you to be the adult in this situation and ensure that no animosity between yourself and your partner damages your kids. Provide your children with the opportunity to ask any questions that they need to come to terms with this difficult period.

Follow your dreams

When it comes to teaching your kids about life, and the challenges that they will face, it is vital that you teach them to follow their dreams and do not allow others to put them down. If you want your children to succeed in life and enjoy a career that they enjoy, then make sure that they aim high from an early age. Even if your kid’s struggle in school, when they get home it is up to you to ensure that they have the support and attention that they need to get their homework completed on time. You could also try and support your kids during their downtime, by making sure that they can follow and play any sports that they enjoy and are good at, or make sure that they have the chance to learn a musical instrument or take an art class. Try and provide your kids with a rich and varied childhood, so that they learn new talents and skills that they can transfer into their future career as they grow and mature.

It is ok to say no

Your children will begin to experiment with saying yes and no from a very early age. However, as they begin to grow up and enter into their teenage and adolescent years, your little darlings may soon be saying no much more than you might like! Be sure that your kids understand and explain why they are feeling negative and want to say no – could it be peer pressure is influencing their decision? Make sure that your kids are comfortable with saying no too if they are not comfortable with a particular situation or experience. Learning to say no is an important life skill that will keep them safe and in control well into later life.

Old age

If your parents have been around as your kids grow, then chances are they will love spending time with Grandma and Grandpop, however, old age is a topic that many younger children will struggle to understand. Each and every family dynamic is different and special, so make sure that your kids feel comfortable and ready to ask you questions about getting older, what happens to the body and even mortality if they bring this up themselves. If you have your parents in your life and they are getting older, then it soon may be time for them to go into care or to live in a retirement unit. Sites such as the seasons assisted living provide a safe and welcoming space for residents with an action-packed social and activity calendar. Be sure to encourage your kids to have a rich and loving relationship with their grandparents and encourage them to discuss getting older and what this means as soon as they feel ready and able. This will also instill a good mental attitude and sense of care, consideration, and respect towards older people in general.

As your kids grow up and get older, it is crucial that you begin to talk to them about different life lessons, to provide them with the skills and knowledge to succeed during their own lifetime. Make sure that you do not force these dialogues and make sure that your children feel comfortable asking any questions that they want to. Money management is a vital lesson for your little darlings to learn, so be sure to teach them about the value of finances from a young age. Make sure that your children begin to understand the importance of love and friendships and make sure that they understand that they need to respect others so that they can build life-long bonds. Make sure that your kids feel comfortable saying no, and make sure that they understand the power of this word. Your little ones should also always feel driven and confident enough to follow their dreams so that they can go on into a fulfilling and exciting professional career. Finally, take time to talk to your kids about aging and old age, so that they understand more about this important and inevitable part of life.

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We left our home in Sydney, Australia many moons ago in May 2012 and, other than a brief stint back in Perth for Christmas and a wedding in early 2014, we have been travelling the world nomadically ever since, running a business from our laptops and we’re here to show you how to do it!