Showing Teachers you Care

With the school year back in full swing, it’s important to remember just how vital teachers are to our children. We trust teachers with our children’s safety, as well as their mental and intellectual development hoping they love them as much as we do. Well, they do. While every child grows up experiencing a different parenting style and set of rules, teachers are able to find ways to treat each child equally with compassion and respect. Each child will inevitably receive different amounts of attention and levels of discipline as teachers balance their entire classrooms, all while expanding each student’s growing mind. This amazing super power deserves to be nurtured, appreciated, and rewarded whenever possible.

Instilling a sense of respect in your children will go a long way towards helping teachers maintain a positive, healthy learning environment. Teachers only play a partial role in the discipline of our children and the less time they have to focus on outbursts, the more time they can spend teaching valuable lessons. Outside of teaching your children to be well-behaved, you can always give your kids’ teachers presents. Yes, we said presents!

We are proud to carry the most unique jewelryfor teachers designed to convey the heartfelt feelings you have for their hard work and dedication. These inspirational pieces can be worn anywhere and we have a range of styles and colors from which to choose your favorites. Our jewelry will remind teachers of their importance in their students’ lives and allows them to show off in style.

Our t-shirtsfor teachers are designed to help them show off their fun side with cute quotes teachers say every day emblazoned across the front. We have funny t-shirts with “You can’t scare me. I teach preschool” in bright colors, as well as plenty of other t-shirts with inspirational and funny quotes. These shirts are perfect for holiday and end of the year gifts for your favorite teachers and we offer the best prices with fast shipping on all orders.

We make showing your gratitude for your children’s teachers easy and affordable. These simple gifts can help remind a teacher just how appreciative you and your children are for their daily efforts.

Who are some of your favorite teachers from growing up? Share your stories in the comments below!

How to Get Your Kids Interested in Science

Science and the scientific method are vital to understanding the natural world. Instilling a strong respect for science and critical thinking at an early age will help children learn how to question what they see and create informed opinions in all areas of their lives. Getting children excited about science is not always an easy task, so we’ve outlined a few fun ways you can get your children interested as early as possible.

Hands-on Activities

Interactive play is a great way to get your kids interested in science. Using a microscope or chemistry set allows them to use their hands and mind to observe scientific processes and reactions they create themselves. This gives children the context they need to understand that studying and practicing science can allow them to control, and even predict, outcomes. Once children see that science is not as mysterious as they once thought, they can begin to appreciate and grow as young scientists. And, who doesn’t love a good chemistry set?

Practical Applications

The practical application of the sciences happens around us at all times. From measuring and mixing ingredients for baking a cake to learning how their favorite electronics work, you can help your children find everyday ways science is intertwined in their lives. When children understand the power and connection science has in their everyday lives, they can appreciate and use science to solve everyday problems, giving them a head start on their peers.

Learn with them

One of the most important factors in getting kids interested in science is parental involvement. Many scientific concepts can seem overwhelming or complicated to young children and their parents guidance can be critical to preventing frustration and waning interest. Children whose parents help them learn these scientific concepts have a better, more complete understanding and are more likely to take an interest in science in the future.

Get Outside

Nature provides a wealth of interesting scientific experiments and projects you can do with your children. From making molds of animal tracks to testing lake water for contaminants, the natural world is a scientist’s playground! Visiting and testing the same area over time gives children a sense of how and why data is collected and what can be done with it once it’s been gathered.

Performing and monitoring scientific experiments teaches kids the awesome power of the scientific method while giving them fun ways to practice its application. Visiting your local planetarium and museums gives your kids a stronger sense of how science has shaped our lives and affects their futures. Learning about and practicing science together allows parents to bond with their children while they grow into the next generation of world-changing scientists.

What are your favorite memories of learning science as kid? Share your stories with us in the comments below!

How Bullying Affects Children

In recent years, bullying has surfaced as a more serious problem than experts had previously considered. As bullying has become more prevalent, cruel, and targeted, the effects on children has shown increasingly traumatic results. From decreased academic accomplishments to behavioral and emotional problems, bullying has adverse effects on all parties: bullies, bully-victims, and bystanders all suffer the effects of bullying. So, we’ve put together a list of ways bullying affects children & what to look for if you suspect your child is being bullied.

Bullying is defined as the use of superior strength or influence to intimidate someone, typically to forcing them to do what one wants. This is repeated, aggressive behavior that includes a real or perceived power imbalance. Bullying can include verbal abuse and/or physical abuse with the goal of belittling and embarrassing the victim, usually publicly. Of course, the Internet provides bullies with a shield against exposure, as well as a vehicle for spreading their harmful messages to the world.

Academic Effects of Bullying

Children that are bullied in school have shown a decrease in their academic accomplishments and interest in academic endeavors. Both bullies and their victims suffer adverse effects of bullying and see a decrease in performance with elementary school age students showing the highest number of bullying incidents. Bullied students have lower attendance rates, a reduced desire to attend school, and do not engage or contribute to classroom activities in hopes of avoiding continued bullying.

Social Effects of Bullying

The social aspects of bullying have been exponentially exacerbated by the explosion of social media platforms. Social media has forced an increasingly elevated standard of beauty and belonging that can make children and young adults extremely self-conscious and feeling anxiety ridden. Social media gives bullies an anonymous means of harassing their victims that can spread like wildfire through their friends’ lists, as well as all of their social media platforms. This often leaves children feeling left out and alone. This can cause a pain and frustration that follows them everywhere they go with little to no relief. This can cause a host of social problems including loneliness, hopelessness, and low self-worth. With social media penetrating every aspect of children’s lives, it can feel like an inescapable barrage of insults and hurtful comments.

Long Term Effects of Bullying

The effects of bullying tend to last well beyond the childhood years. Many victims of bullying suffer from depression, anxiety, and a host of additional mental health problems. While bully-victims are more likely to suffer from depression and low self-esteem later in life, bullies are at a higher risk of substance abuse and hostility. Bullies have a higher risk of developing personality disorders and a tendency to manipulate others, even into adulthood.

While these effects can be easily observed and confirmed by teachers, administrators, healthcare providers, and parents, there have been few qualified and objective studies done over an extended period of time with large enough sample sizes to accurately record and monitor the results. As the trend of bullying continues to grow, it is important to give young children the tools they need to handle these situations in a healthy way.

Stopping bullying benefits bullies and bully-victims, as well bystanders who also see the harmful effects of bullying even if they are not the direct target. Inclusion for all promotes clear and open communication, healthy opportunities for personal growth and development, and fewer mental health problems later in life.

Check out our resources for dealingwith bullies or visit https://www.stopbullying.gov/ for more information.

What are some of the ways you have dealt with a bully? Share your stories and tips in the comments below!