Parents' Corner

Get Children Involved in Community Service to Build Empathy

Posted by David Smith on Mon, Nov 03, 2014 @ 09:00 AM

Kids of all ages are inquisitive, creative, curious, and like to explore new avenues of adventure. Whether it's a toddler figuring out how a new toy operates or middle schoolers looking for interesting ways to be active, it all boils down to one thing; a need to be involved.

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Topics: Child Behavior, Learning, Afterschool

Tech Tips for Tweens: Monitoring Social Networks and Privacy Settings

Posted by David Smith on Mon, Oct 20, 2014 @ 09:00 AM

You keep them safe at home, and we take care of them in our afterschool programs. Yet no matter where they go, kids are surrounded by technology—and that brings both benefits and risks. While the internet powers modern education, we also need to stay aware of how social media affects tweens, who often need help navigating the waters.

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Topics: Horizon Education Center, Social Interaction, Tech Tips, Afterschool

The Importance of Family Time for Middle Schoolers

Posted by David Smith on Fri, Jul 11, 2014 @ 08:30 AM

Entry into middle school and the beginning of adolescence is a time of growth and change that is both exciting and worrisome – for parents and their children. As your children venture beyond the family group and begin spending more time with friends and meeting new people at summer camp and other activities, they are exposed to new ideas, values and behaviors that may be quite different than those practiced in your own home.

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Topics: Child Behavior, Family Time, Afterschool

Become a Parent Mentor to Your Tween

Posted by David Smith on Wed, Jul 09, 2014 @ 08:30 AM

As your child moves into his middle school years, life becomes more confusing as your child takes his first baby steps toward adulthood. It is during these tween years that parents find their role expanding into a new dimension, that of mentor. Tweens still need parents to provide the rules, limits, expectations and consequences that keep them safe and form the foundation for successful life. But they also need to be encouraged to think for themselves, make their own decisions and accept the consequences of those decisions.

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Topics: Parenting Tips, Afterschool

Preparation Can Ease Back-to-School Stress

Posted by David Smith on Mon, Sep 30, 2013 @ 08:46 AM

Has your child expressed anxiety about going back to school? Or perhaps you feel as if you are not ready to return to checking homework, arguing about bedtimes, or dragging a child out of bed. No matter who feels more stressed about school being on the horizon, as a parent you can establish routines and get your family ready for the start of school—even if you have never done this before.

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Topics: Child Behavior, Horizon Education Center, Toddler Care, Afterschool

Preventing Summer Brain Drain for your Child, pt. 2

Posted by David Smith on Mon, Jul 08, 2013 @ 07:57 AM
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Topics: Horizon Education Center, Summer Camp, Toddler Care, Afterschool

Preventing Summer Brain Drain for your Child, pt. 1

Posted by David Smith on Fri, Jul 05, 2013 @ 10:50 AM

The Washington Post asked teachers how to prevent summer brain drain since as Gary Huggins, chief executive of the National Summer Learning Association observed. "… studies show that kids lose as much as two to three months of math and reading skills over the summer, with the losses being more marked among lower-income kids."

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Topics: Horizon Education Center, Summer Camp, Toddler Care, Afterschool

Try Summer Camp with Horizon Education Center

Posted by David Smith on Fri, Jun 21, 2013 @ 10:10 AM

Just because school is out, doesn't mean that the learning has to stop. In fact, children can learn just as much when they feel relaxed over the summer as they can during the regular school year.

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Topics: Summer Camp, Toddler Care, Afterschool

Lessons Learned in Middle School For Your Children

Posted by David Smith on Tue, Jun 11, 2013 @ 04:20 PM

A writer for Dallasnews.com offered her take on her son's sixth grade year in "Surviving sixth grade teaches life lessons." The life lessons she refers to are not just things her son learned but things she also learned as his parent. As providers of an after school program for middle school, we give plenty of instruction but that doesn't mean we don't learn things too.

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Topics: Learning, Afterschool

Parents and Children Need to Adjust to Middle School

Posted by David Smith on Thu, May 30, 2013 @ 08:13 AM

The adjustments your child is likely to face when he or she starts middle school are both social and academic and as a parent you will have to make some adjustments as well. It helps to be prepared but not too anxious because you don't want your middle school child to pick up on the idea that middle school is something to worry about.

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Topics: Skill Building, Learning, Afterschool

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