Image: Shutterstock She is your sister, your classmate, and friend. She is thin, tall, short, chubby, fair, dark-skinned, or brown-skinned. She may have freckles, pimples, or clean, unblemished skin. No matter who she is or how she is, every girl deserves respect and to be treated kindly, just as a boy does. To respect a
Kids
Photo: Stocksy United Mosquitoes leave behind saliva, which kick-starts our immune response and the itch. Try these tricks and products to off-set the reaction and take away the urge to scratch. 1. The x-trick Press an X into the centre of the bite with a clean fingernail. It sounds silly, but many people swear this
Kids love the fantastic world of dinosaurs. They are fascinated by their size, aggression, and their surprisingly humane side. They are in awe of this extinct species and relate with them through movies. Run a dinosaur movie marathon and kids will still not get bored about them. So, are you planning something like that? In
Photo: iStockphoto The first time you feed your child a new food is exciting. Will they like it? Or will they shove it away? In addition to assessing their palate, it’s also important to be on the lookout for any abnormal changes in their body or behaviour. About seven percent of children in Canada will
Academic stress, peer pressure, and the not-so-pleasant hormonal changes might be the norm during the teenage years. But so are the sweet and beautiful emotions such as happiness, attraction, and love. Crushes are common during the teen and preteen years. Whether or not you smile at the guy next door, or interact with the cute
Photo: Roberto Caruso, Illustrations: Stephanie Han Kim It came out of the blue, but it hung there like heavy, humid air: “I hate you.” I’d been shivering in the cold among fellow parents, waiting for my kids to emerge from a weekend class they’d recently joined. Out they spilled, buzzing with new friends, heading for
Image: Shutterstock IN THIS ARTICLE As you step out into the sun, your hand automatically reaches for the sunglasses in your bag. You look stylish and comfortable with the shades on, but most importantly, you are protecting your eyes with them. Sunglasses are more about protecting your eyes from the harmful UV rays of the
Photo: iStockphoto When it comes to news articles about the impact that summer has on student learning, the news is often bad. For instance, The Economist proclaimed in 2018: “Long summer holidays are bad for children, especially the poor.” This headline is fairly typical of how summer loss is portrayed. Summer has come to be
Photo: iStockphoto A child under 30 pounds can drown in the time it takes you to text, “Pool party starts at noon, don’t forget to bring towels and sunscreen.” And on a gorgeous, sunny Father’s Day spent at my local pool, I almost learned this the hard way when I saved the life of a
Photo: Getty Images With summer ablaze and recent World Cup fever stoking inspiration, soccer fields are sites of athleticism, friendships and fun. But for some parents, soccer has also become a source of tension. In 2014, soccer teams that were affiliated with the Ontario Soccer Association (since 2017 known as Ontario Soccer) eliminated score-keeping and
Image: Shutterstock IN THIS ARTICLE Whether you’re making cakes, cookies, or stir-fried vegetables, your kids are always watching and observing how you do it. They may be intrigued by the process and even offer to help or cook something for you. However, a kitchen is not a play area, and children should not be allowed
Photo: Courtesy of Alison Tedford As June draws to a close, my son will be finishing up his first year of middle school. It’s a cliché to say “they grow up so fast,” but people say it all the time, of course, because it’s so true. His first day of kindergarten, when he was just four
Image: Shutterstock IN THIS ARTICLE The Aztecs were the founders of a Mesoamerican civilization called the Aztec empire, which covered parts of modern Mexico. It was an indomitable empire in North America that flourished for over two centuries, before the Spanish brought it down. During their time, the Aztecs developed a rich and influential culture
Photo: iStockphoto Of all the food allergies, peanut has the best PR. “Peanut-free zone” signs hang on classroom doors, “no peanut” symbols are stamped on candy packages, and apps allow you to scan packaged goods to ensure that they don’t contain peanuts. And there’s good reason for it: “Peanut is, arguably, the most common food
Photo: iStock With summer (finally) in full swing, it likely means you recently found yourself at a crossroads sunscreen aisle: Do you buy mineral or organic? Spray, lotion or stick? SPF 30, 50 or 60? Do kids really need kid-specific sunscreen? To break down the complexities of SPF, we asked Aleyna Zarras, regional trainer and
Photo: iStockphoto 1. Skip stones Head to the beach and pick a thin, flat stone no bigger than your palm. The trick is to throw it with a quick flick of the wrist, which should get it to skim along the surface of the water at a 20-degree angle. World record: 88 skips! 2. Catch
A hairband keeps the child’s hair in place while adding to the overall look. It comes to the child’s rescue on a windy day at the beach, on a busy day at school or just as a simple accessory that accentuates her cuteness. Hairbands are perhaps one of the most practical accessories for little girls
IN THIS ARTICLE The importance of brushing teeth twice a day cannot be emphasized enough. Along with good toothpaste, the right toothbrush is essential to make the activity a success. But can you make such mundane activity exciting for the kids? Sure you can, with an electric toothbrush that makes brushing exciting for them. But
Photo: iStockphoto After five kids, Sharon Fernandes* thought she’d seen it all. But the Pickering, Ont., mom has never seen a child explore the world with their mouth like her four-year-old son, Brady.* Pencils, Play-Doh, Silly Putty, doorknobs and even commuter train windows are among the many things he has sucked, chewed or licked. “He
Photo: iStockphoto I almost didn’t take my son, Gus, for his infant hearing screening. The hospital nurse who was trained to use the screening equipment was off the day we took him home, and the pamphlet for the infant hearing program was just one of many pieces of paper we shoved in an envelope as we