Children, tweens, and teens are driven to casual game sites like Nickelodeon’s addictinggames.com by the millions. In fact, every month addictinggames.com alone brings 20 million unique users to its site, according to the New York Times article by Joel Bakan, “Games People Play.”  This past week the top played games included the violent Bloody Day, Boneless Girl, and Beat Me Up. Since these sites offer free entertainment, casual games (quick and easy to play games available on the computer, tablets, and cellphones) aren’t affected by any regulations keeping  children and teens from playing violent games.
Guest College Blogger, Brandy Castner on Women in the Military
Brandy Castner is in her senior year at Metropolitan State College of Denver and is interning at LifeBound this summer while pursuing a degree in journalism.
As a woman who served in the Army, when I was asked to write this blog, I realized that I knew very little about women’s history in the military. As a nation, we hear about influential men who have served all the time. There is Pat Tillman and the impressive and honorable fact that he gave up an NFL contract to join the Special Forces. There is John McCain, and the fact that he is a true American hero, who spent years of his life as a prisoner of war. While I am grateful for what these men did and what so many men have done, I am a strong woman, who is curious about influential women who were in the military and the strength it took them to be successful in a world dominated by men.
Exciting Summer Releases from LifeBound
We are launching many new and exciting things at LifeBound over the next month and we are looking forward to sharing them with our audience. Among the many projects, including designing our new book DOLLARS AND SENSE: HOW TO BE SMART ABOUT MONEY and the launching of the Virtual Academy, our new website in the next two weeks.
Not only will this new website be rich with tips, resources, and assessments for students, parents, and educators, we will also be expanding our presence on the blogosphere to include a blog for college students, high school students, and parents. Yesterday we introduced Bette Alkazian as one of our weekly contributors to the LifeBound parent blog and on Tuesday we introduced Kaitlin Phelan as one of our weekly contributors to the high school student blog.
This Friday, college blogger Brandy Castner will blog on women who have made a difference in the military from the perspective of a young, female veteran. Then next week, another college blogger, Nicoll Laikola, will share her international perspective of being a woman raised by an American father and Panamanian mother in the U.S. Other college contributors to look forward to this summer include Grainne Griffths, Michael De Santiago, and Zach Vito.
I appreciate your faithful readership of the Carol J. Carter blog and look forward to offering you more perspectives, visions, and support in your daily lives. Please let us know what is on your mind and how we might help you with your challenges.
LifeBound’s new blog for parents by parents
In the next two weeks, LifeBound will be launching a completely re-designed and comprehensive website. One of the biggest changes involves expanding the current Carol J.Carter blog and adding in parent expert blogs and college and high school student blogs.
Each week, we’ll start with a theme like: Making the Most Out of the Summer Without Spending Money. Carol will discuss how teachers can approach that theme with suggestions daily for classroom emphasis. During the school year, Carol’s topics will provide teachable guidelines for facilitating dynamic class discussion.
Guest Student Blogger: A Trip to Remember
This week the blog will focus on what you can do to make a difference this summer and real accounts of people who are already working for a cause. Kaitlin is a high school senior who is interning at LifeBound this summer. She just returned from volunteering on a reservation in Washington state and is sharing her experience as my guest blogger today and tomorrow.
A Trip to Remember
I, like many others, am often caught up in the whirlwind of high school stress and drama. Unfortunately, this can sometimes cause me to forget that there are things in this world so much bigger than test scores, GPAs, and my cell phone. Â So set down your cell phone, log off your Facebook, and stop checking the mail to see if your test scores have arrived. Â I just did-for nine days. Â I boarded one of four vans last Saturday morning with thirty other students. Â Our destination: Campbell Farms and the Yakima Indian Reservation in Wapato, Washington. Â Although this was the fourth time I have been on a trip like this with the same youth group, it is always a challenge to leave my world behind. Â It is also the healthiest thing I can do for myself.
What Cause Can You Support this Summer?
Summer is an opportunity for long days, fun in the sun and for many at some point or another, rest and relaxation. It can also be a wonderful time to spend on behalf of a cause or a charity that you value. According to tolerance.com, only 1 in 10 K-12 students participate in community service. If you are a parent, you can ask your kids what they most care about and work with them toward something rewarding like building a home for Habitat for Humanity or working at the local homeless shelter.
Read the rest of this entry »
3 Ways You Can Help Soldiers at Home
On the heels of President Obama announcing that he will be withdrawing 33,000 troops from Afghanistan by next summer, this weekend holds one of the many keys that we as Americans can use to open doors and support our troops who have lost love, life and limb to ensure our safety and freedoms. Locally, in Colorado, Beaver Creek is hosting the Tough Mudder event, which has raised over a million dollars for wounded warriors. If you are a Coloradoan, check it out.
Read the rest of this entry »
Financial Literacy: 3 Questions to Explore with Your Teen
If we don’t teach a child to read, we don’t expect them to excel in a classroom or to not struggle in a world of written signs, instructions, and books. If we don’t teach a child about personal finances, we shouldn’t expect them to put aside 10 percent of their paycheck for an emergency, deny signing up for another credit card or reject another student loan and increase their hours at work — but we do.  However, state by state and nationally we are starting to make changes so that students will learn throughout K-12 to understand and manage money.
What does biking have to do with fitness, fun and productivity?
Everything, at LifeBound.  In fact, six people at LifeBound’s office bike to work regularly.  Last Friday, on one of LifeBound’s Fun Fridays, the team took the afternoon off and rode through Denver’s bike paths.  We are taking this time to reflect on the positive impact that exercise has on learning and one’s ability to retain what they have learned whether you jog before work, walk, bike, do yoga or Tai Chi.  Any type of exercise will foster your sense of calm, fuel your creative juices and ignite your wherewithal for the challenges of the day or help you unwind at the end of a long day.
Read the rest of this entry »
Online Tools that Promote Summer Learning
This summer, the excitement many kids had for their vacation will quickly turn into boredom as they run out of new things to do, stay inside to avoid the heat, and get off their school-year sleep schedule. Recent studies show students spend anywhere from 8.5 – 13 hours a day with media. If you can’t get your child to budge from the screen, suggest they spend a portion of their time plugged in playing a learning game or logging into an online program. Below are a few programs for kids that promote summer learning: