Good things can come from sour lemons – at least sometimes. Today at our church a merry gaggle of children organized a “Lemon-Aid” stand – complete with splattery hand-lettered signs. The lemonade tasted great, the customer service was fabulous and dollar bills fell into the collection basket. All of the proceeds will go to relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina victims.

It was a bright spot in a bleak week. If you’re like our family – you’ve watched the images on the news showing horrific devastation, separated loved ones, people pushed to the brink of endurance, and communities on the threshold of despair. The human suffering oozing from our TV screens is overwhelming and painful.

If you’re not in the gulf states, it’s easy to turn away and nuzzle back into our daily routines – and push the human tragedy from our minds. But we shouldn’t. Each of us can do something. This is the time to teach our children about giving back to the community and helping neighbors in need. There are lots of ways for your family to make a difference. Here’s ten ideas:
(1) Donate money together. Money is what is most needed after a disaster. Decide as a family to take money that your family had planned to use for something else – a dinner out at a restaurant, a special purchase, movie tickets – and donate it to help hurricane victims. Downscale your other activities appropriately – and you’ll teach your children money management as well as charity. Donate through the American Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund at 1-800-HELP-NOW or www.redcross.org.
To help your children understand where their money goes, talk about the meals and services the Red Cross provides to victims and visit their website for updates on relief efforts. Often the story vignettes online sharing an affected family’s story can drive home how important your donation is. If you’d like to explore donating to another relief group, CNN has compiled a list with links to aid agencies.

(2) Talk about the storm’s impact on pets and donate funds to aid in animal recovery. If your children love animals, the ASPCA, has a Hurricane Katrina relief fund to help reunite families with their pets and rebuild shattered shelter programs. Additionally, the Noah’s Wish shelter in Slidell has a large effort underway to reunite stranded pets with their owners and is accepting donations to support their shelter housing hundreds of animals separated from their owners by Hurricane Katrina. You can see pictures of pets online and talk with your children about how a family might feel about getting a lost pet returned after a disaster of this magnitude.

(3) Send a health kit, blanket kit or school kit. Thousands of families need the most basic supplies. The United Methodist Committee on Relief has packing lists online for organizing these easy kits. Many families and congregations like packing these kits because the aid is tangible – and you know that people in need will use items you personally pack. The United Methodist Church has a disaster response effort underway in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. Health kits and blankets are especially needed, and you can get packing instructions online.

(4) Pack a family food box. Louisiana Southern Baptists are accepting donations of “family food boxes” to help families get back on their feet. Each box contains dried food products to help families get back on their feet. It’s very important that packing instructions be followed exactly. This can be a fun family, neighborhood or church project and you can download packing instructions and photos of a properly packed box online.

(5) Organize a tool or blanket drive. Church World Service is encouraging congregations to collect blankets and tools. They can provide you with a video and other information to help you conduct a blanket and tool drive in your church.

(6) Help your children or teens hold a fundraiser. The “Lemon-Aid” stand is a great example of young people taking initiative to make a difference. Your children can probably come up with plenty of ways to secure donations to help hurricane relief. They can make “hurricane relief” bands, organize a bake sale, babysit and donate their proceeds, etc. If you want to multiply your efforts, invite your children’s sports team, club, or school to participate. Youth Service America has posted a website loaded with ideas.

(7) Adopt a school or club. Your child’s school or youth organization could “adopt a school” or “adopt a chapter” in Alabama, Louisiana or Mississippi that needs help recovering from the storm and develop a longer-term relationship. For example, the Louisiana 4-H Foundation has set up a relief fund to aid employees. Girls Scouts USA and Boy Scouts USA have issued suggestions for ways to involve local chapters.

(8) Plan a longer term service-learning project in partnership with young people. The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse has compiled a guide to help young people, college students and teachers planning service-learning projects to respond to Hurricane Katrina. Service learning projects typically involve assessing a need, designing a project to meet the need, and active reflection while the young person is implementing the project.

(9) Volunteer with your local chapter of the American Red Cross. Due to the ongoing disaster relief effort, more than 4,000 Red Cross volunteers have left their families and gone to the disaster zone. Local chapters will need even more volunteers to help with needs at home and answer increased calls from the public. Volunteering as a family or on your own can be a rewarding experience.

(10) Publicize relief efforts and invite others to help. Issue a press release about your relief project and invite others in your community to help. Place website banners for the American Red Cross on your organization, family or business website. Many religious groups have bulletin inserts or fliers for distribution at services – download these fliers online and distribute them.

Here's the problem. Kids are getting fatter and fatter.
Our kids, your kids, everyone's kids. It is a problem that is well-documented: Researchers say a combination of too much television and video games, cuts in school physical education programs and a sugary, high-fat diet have left kids dangerously out of shape.

Fifteen percent of school-age children are estimated to be obese, and the American Heart Association reported recently that more than 10 percent of U.S. children from ages 2 to 5 are overweight, up 7 percent from a decade ago. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention survey released a couple of years ago found that nearly 23 percent of children ages 9 to 13 weren't physically active at all in their free time. Stephen R. Daniels, M.D., Ph.D., professor of pediatrics and environmental health at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center said "In African Americans and Hispanics the prevalence of overweight children is as high as 20 percent."

What's the solution?
Some experts suggest, along with improved dietary patterns, interventions need to emphasize reducing the amount of time children and teens spend watching television and playing video games.

A recent US report F as in Fat, concluded than 45 percent of Americans aged between 12 and 17 played video or computer games or used a computer for two or more hours every day. Furthermore, the US state with the highest percentage of overweight children also had the highest percentage of children spending four hours-plus in front of a screen every day.
Inactivity is one of the leading risk factors in developing type 2 diabetes so encouraging kids to incorporate more physical activity every day, in any form, is a priority.
Teens love computer games right? Ok, encouraging already technology obsessed children to get 'into' computer games might seem like a bad idea.

Unless, of course, the game is LIVE.
Live gaming replicates the compelling action of computer games, and ensures children remain active, whilst still having fun.
Nicole Lander said participants are always amazed at how much like real gaming it is.
"They really feel as though they are playing their favorite computer game - even the gaming guns are the same!" Nicole said.
Live gaming combines the excitement of role-playing, team-building, and adventure, and stimulates kids both mentally and physically.
Participants are equipped with gaming guns that utilize harmless infra-red beams, much like a TV remote, to target other gamers as they enact various scenarios in safe, outdoor locations.
The game involves no mess, or risk of injury from harsh paintballs, and all ages, genders, and levels of fitness are accommodated.
Andrew Roberts was 15 years old when he started playing.

Just like online gaming everyone selects their own codename; Andrew's is "Reaper."

Teen Attention Deficit Disorder - They're Being Treated With Hallucinogens
Would you think it was Timothy Leary, Ken Kesey and the 'Merry Pranksters' Haight-Asbury Bay hippies era revisited?
What would you think if your child's attention span issues were being treated by well-intentioned district psychologists with a known hallucinogen from a mushroom called psilocybin?
Think again, because that's almost the case in many American schools, as the pharmacy kit-bag opens further with speculative treatment therapies for teen attention deficit disorder. Over 6 million Americans each day receive behavior modifying medications like Ritalin for alleged attention deficit disorder. Perhaps no wider spreading trend, beyond over-budgeted and under-performing schools themselves, should cause parents to wonder than the medicating of teenagers in the pursuit of "normative standards".

Straight Talk On Attention Disorder In Young People. Here's the current list of "usual suspect" symptoms to look for if you think your child may have attention deficit disorder. He'll be fidgety, squirmy, evidencing low concentration, bored, unable to complete assignments, forgets what was taught in class.

Psychiatric Meds - Anti Depression And Anti Anxiety... 4 million miles of nerve fibers are imbedded within your brain's neural architecture of over 10 billion cells.
Stimulants And Amphetamines - Major Chemical Interventions. Remarkably, a clinically observed "over-active" child showing alleged attention deficit hyperactivity disorder receives mood-altering powerful stimulants from the class known as methylphenidates under brand names including Ritalin and Concerta. Now to the stimulants add another potion from the class of legally approved amphetamines under labels such as Dexedrine or Adderall.

Ritalin Side Effects. It's true that 70% or more of the "standard population" will respond favorably to Ritalin for attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder.
* Hyper-Nervous Jitters. Physical manifestations of Ritalin abuse can include profound states of agitation and "jittery feeling". Doctor's response? Take another intervention drug or beta blocker blood pressure med...
* Irritability And Relapse Depression. As powerful attention disorder meds wear off, people can experience anger, irritability and a form of 'rebound' short-term depression. Solution? Other drugs may be prescribed such as serotonin or the class of alpha agonist medications.
* Stomach And Digestive Disorders And Headaches. It's a known fact that amphetamines and stimulants, including Ritalin, can cause appetite suppression. Solution? While avoiding Ritalin abuse, users may be asked to time their meds, in order to "wear off" just before meal times.
* Sleeping Disorder. "Short" and "long" acting stimulants remain neural-blockers, not matter which way you look at it. Not surprisingly, the chemically induced stated of "controlled stimulation" carries some unwanted baggage, such as sleeping disorders. Reduced meds may be a partial solution.
* Increased Blood Pressure And Blood Glucose. Borderline diabetics may trigger adult onset diabetes due to elevated blood glucose. Similarly, these stimulants and amphetamines meds stimulate all sorts of metabolic activity, including blood pressure.
* Nervous Tics Exacerbated. If a patient normally exhibits the sort of patterned nervousness and "tics", then these drugs will amplify these tics as well as the underlying attention span disorder complex.

Non Pharmaceutical Alternatives. Fortunately, families can now turn back into time, and begin selective use of various herbs like St. Thomas Wort, nature's valium, rosemary, ginseng, centella asiatica as well as to an evolving class of exercise and visual programming aids that allegedly can actually train the ADD-HD person to create new neural pathways (think brain right and left hemispheres) to adjust for certain imbalances

Studies have made the news again regarding television and our children. Too much television is not good for our kids. The very presence of a television in your child’s room can be a determining factor in how well your kids do academically. Kids today are continuing to be “plugged in.”

Limit television viewing. Move the TV out of you kids’ rooms. We move the television into a common and give our kids time limits. A comment I hear often when people ask me about the Tokens for TV program is what do my kids do now? Our kids are so used to being plugged in they don’t know what to do. They’re bored.

It doesn’t matter if your children are 6 or 16, the answer is the same. It’s time to teach our kids how to play again. Having a time for quiet and play are important life skills. Start with the following ideas to help your kids in their unplugged play:
• Play a game. Dig out your board games. Checkers, Chess, Monopoly and Sorry! are all great games.
• Dig out the playing cards. Go Fish, Old Maid, War… There are even other specific card games such as Uno out there. You can also teach your children how to play solitaire.
• Be a bookworm. Go to the library in your home or your community. Scour the thrift shops and yard sales. Be a part of a book exchange. There are also some great audio books available at the library. You can also purchase audio books at thrift stores, department stores and online.
• Hands-on fun. Bring out the clay or play dough.
• Build something. LEGO’s, Lincoln Logs and K’nex. Don’t have these construction pieces? Try creating structures using toothpicks and connecting them together with green peas. Sounds funny, but it works!
• Go outdoors. Outdoor games like marbles, jacks, hopscotch not only occupy your kids, they will also strengthen coordination skills. Too hot or cold out? The garage, basement and/or kitchen floors will work fine too.
• Become an outdoor artist. Buy a tub of colored chalk from the local discount store and give your kids a theme to create their own masterpieces on your front or back sidewalks. Take pictures of them for your family album.

Be prepared for a little bit of whining or frustration on your kids’ part. It’s normal. It won’t take long and your kids will be able to find other things to do instead of plugging in and tuning the world out.

There are many variations of homemade play dough. The Internet or any kid’s craft book are great resources if you would like more ideas. There are edible versions as well (less clean up!). The following recipe contains items commonly found in most kitchens.

UNCOOKED SALT DOUGH
Ingredients:
• 3 cups of flour
• 1/4 cup of salt
• 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
• 1 cup of water
• food coloring (liquid is best)

Instructions:
1. Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl.
2. Add water and oil slowly.
3. Add desired amount of food coloring.
4. Store dough in air tight container.

Add water (a little at a time) if dough is too stiff. If dough is too sticky, add more flour.

Homework Help for the Attention Deficit Child
Relax. We have some tried-and-try ADHD information that should get your A.D.D. child on the right homework path.
The hyperactive or A.D.D. child especially needs consistency, a work place free of distractions, solid encouragement and praise - along with established consequences if the positive homework tips fail.

Establish a Set Homework Routine:
Work with your child to develop that routine. Some Attention Deficit and hyperactive children work best immediately after school while others need an hour or two to settle down before jumping back into studies.

To help the A.D.D. child better focus, the work area should be free of distractions, such as televisions, video games, music and other people.

Mandatory Homework Time:
We are strong proponents of establishing an allotted amount of homework time on school days. This set amount of time gives consistency to the hyperactive or A.D.D. child and discourages rushing through homework.

Talk with your child's teachers about the average recommended homework time for the child's grade level. In general, elementary school children should spend about 30 minutes each night on homework. Middle school and high school students should spend about one hour on homework.

If the child does not have homework that evening or they finish before the allotted time, the child can read until their mandatory homework time is over.

"Chunking" and Scheduled Breaks:
The hyperactive and A.D.D. child often experiences difficulty with long-range tasks. "Chunking" homework for the hyperactive or A.D.D. child helps break the homework task into smaller, more manageable pieces.

You can break a 20-problem math assignment into four chunks of five problems each, with a small break in between chunks. If using the mandatory homework time schedule, set a kitchen timer to ring every five to 15 minutes, depending on the child's attention span.

Rewards/Consequences:
As with any parenting issue, rewarding good behavior and disciplining poor behavior motivates kids toward good behavior. The A.D.D. child needs all the rewards they can get, along with firm and consistent consequences.

The homework contract clearly states that when the homework is completed, the child will earn a reward. The contract also clearly outlines consequences for not completing homework.
You can offer daily modest rewards like earning time to play Gameboy, the right to choose a favorite dinner or a modest treat or special privilege. You can give out one point for every night of completed homework for the child to cash in for a trip to the zoo after earning five points, for instance.

Effective consequences for not completing homework are losing phone, computer, stereo and television privileges for the evening. It is important that you remain calm, firm and consistent on nights when Attention Deficit Disorder child decides to get into a power struggle over homework. It may take a couple consequence days before the child realizes that completing homework makes for a better night than not doing homework.

The goal is to develop a solid homework habit. With a homework habit established, better grades will automatically follow.
Don't forget to offer the intangible rewards of smiles and praise when your child puts the effort into completing his homework. A "way to go" goes a long way in positive reinforcement for Attention Deficit Disorder children.

Additional Homework ADHD Information:
• Using an assignment book for the A.D.D. child helps parents keep track of the child's daily and weekly homework.
• If the teacher does not use an assignment book, develop a system with the teacher so you know the child's homework assignments.
• If the A.D.D. child insist on heavy parental homework help, require that the child attempt problems at least twice before asking for homework help. Attention Deficit and hyperactive children may not be able to receive "A"s on every homework and school assignment. Instead of getting hung up on the traditional grading scale, give you’re A.D.D. child an "A" for effort.