Raising Non-Violent Kids

From the USA.gov blog:

Your child’s environment – whether at home, at school or socially – can greatly influence how they may behave in the future.
FindYouthInfo.gov, a government website focused on youth issues, found that in 2012, more than 630,000 young people between the ages of 10 and 24 were admitted to the hospital due to violence-related injuries.
If you’re worried that your child is at risk for violent behavior, there are some factors that may indicate a problem.
Risk factors for violent youth
During their teen years, some kids may behave violently because of some risk factors found in their environment.
Note: Some of these risk factors may be out of your control. However, it is recommended that you keep them under consideration.
At home
From an early age, young people could be exposed to:

• Violent behavior between parents
• Severe punishments
• Parents who are frequently absent or don’t pay attention to their children
• Rejection or emotional distance from parents
• A broken home

At school
Youth may exhibit behavioral problems such as:

• Teasing or bullying other students
• Skipping class
• Exhibiting either aggressive or introverted behavior
• Difficulty concentrating or exhibiting hyperactive behavior
• Developing learning issues or failing classes

In society
Young people could be considered violent if they:

• Harass or provoke kids that are their same age or younger
• Have been arrested before age 14 for committing a crime
• Belong to a gang or other violent group
• Take drugs or drink alcohol
• Have been treated for psychological or emotional issues

Tips to prevent youth violence
You can help prevent violent behavior in your child by following these recommendations:

• Spend more time with your child and include everyone in family activities.
• Don’t argue with your spouse in front of your child.
• Form a bond with your son or daughter. Communicate with your children if they have any problems or issues.
• Make respect and open communication a priority in your home.
• Do not give out severe or violent punishment.
• Be aware of your child’s friends, but do not be overprotective.

Resources
STRYVE is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s national initiative helping families and communities prevent youth violence.
FindYouthInfo.gov is a collaboration among 18 government agencies that supports programs and services for the prevention of youth violence.

Read this note in Spanish.

5 Things to Do with Your Family This Summer

From the USA.gov Blog:
Summer is a great time to enjoy the outdoors, whether you stay close to home or take a quick trip nearby. Here are some ideas to help you stay active and healthy and spend some time with your family.
1. Visit a national park. There are more than 400 national parks to choose from, and each one has something special to offer. You can enjoy some time with Mother Nature or sign up for organized hikes, go fishing, horseback riding, or rock climbing. End the day camping and resting next to a campfire.
2. Cool off at the beach or community pools. If your family likes to spend time in the water, you can always plan a trip to the beach. Make sure to plan ahead and take what you need to build sand castles or play games on the beach. If you live far from the ocean and prefer to stay close to home, you can go to a public pool. Make sure to visit Poolsafely.gov to learn about how to keep your family safe while enjoying the water.
3. Take a bicycle ride. There are many options when it comes to riding your bicycle. You can go around your neighborhood or explore your local parks or beaches. Make it a family routine and teach your children the importance of exercising and staying active. Don’t forget to put your helmet and follow the basic safety rules of riding a bicycle. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has many safety tips.
4. Attend local events. Many federal properties host community events where you can enjoy different activities with your family, including farmers markets, art galleries, concerts and other live shows. Check your local community calendar to see what’s coming up and learn more about how to use federal buildings as community spaces.
5. Organize activities in your home. You don’t need to spend money or get out of town to stay active. There are lots of things you can find in your own home to keep your family entertained. You don’t need much space to plant a garden, and you can learn what you can do to help the environment by visiting the citizen action page of the Environmental Protection Agency.

How to Buy Safe and Age-Appropriate Toys This Holiday

From the USA.gov Blog:

If you plan to buy toys for the kids in your life, find help choosing age-appropriate and safe toys in this PDF.

Family Reading Options to Cure Cabin Fever

Family Reading Options to Cure Cabin Fever: From the Readers Advisory for All Blog: "As I sat reading Christmas books with my kids over the last few nights, I realized that many families engage in this activity over the holiday season, but don't continue it year round. One of the reasons is that it is hard to find books that are entertaining for both kids and their parents. If the parents are drawn to the story themselves, they will make more time to read it with their kids.

During the holiday season we read A Christmas Carol and The Gift of the Magi, as well as some children's bible stories and classic picture books. But what to read the rest of the year?

Here are some of my favorite family read-a-louds. My kids are 5 and 8, but these are good choices for families with children from 3 and up. The parents and children will both be engaged and you will all be making time to read together all year round. Many of these have the added bonus of a movie version that the family can watch as a treat when they are finished reading.

• Harry Potter
• Anything by Roald Dahl
• Wizard of Oz (How many of you have actually read the books?)
• Coraline or The Graveyard Book
• Tale of Despereaux (but the movie stinks)
• The Chronicles of Narnia Series
• A Wrinkle in Time
• A Cricket in Times Square
• The Doll People
• The Phantom Tollbooth
• The Hobbit

Try one of these as a family. Or keep this list handy to suggest to your patrons when they come in looking for remedies for cabin fever, which tends to begin around here 2 days after Christmas and lasts until April.

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Halloween Traditions

Halloween Traditions: From GovGab: "Every year, a few days before Halloween, I pull out my Halloween-appropriate movies and have a movie marathon. This year, I will enjoy a little Halloween comedy by watching Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker in Hocus Pocus. Bette Midler is divine performing “I Put a Spell on You.” I love the movie Ghost featuring the late Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg, and I try to watch it every Halloween. I am a bit of a romantic, so this movie makes me cry every time. I will also, undoubtedly, stick to my other Halloween tradition… eat all of the candy that I purchased to give to the kids and then make a mad dash to the store to get more candy.

This year, the USA.gov team has put together a brand new USA.gov Halloween page and we hope that checking out our page will become a new Halloween tradition for many of you. We’ve researched topics such as Halloween Safety, Halloween Facts and Fun, Especially for Kids, the History of Halloween, and Halloween Recipes. We’ve listed what we consider to be the best resources. If you are looking for information on any of these topics, why not start at our new Halloween page?


As the Friday blogger, for the past two years it has been my good fortune to have the tradition of writing about Halloween. Being a government blogger, we sometimes blog on very serious topics and let’s face it, sometimes the information that we are sharing may be on topics that people wish they didn’t have to think about, so holidays are cherished among the GovGab bloggers. They are a chance for us to let our hair down a little. In 2008, Halloween was on
Friday and I wrote Happy Halloween Ghouls and Boos. In 2009, it was on Saturday and I wrote My Halloween Revenge. With Halloween falling on a Sunday this year, it will be my last opportunity to write about it. Next year it will be a topic for the Monday blogger and so I pass the torch, but before I say “goodbye” completely to Halloween, please drop me a line and share your Halloween traditions.
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Participate in the National Day of Listening to Preserve Family and Community History [Holidays]

Participate in the National Day of Listening to Preserve Family and Community History [Holidays]: From LifeHacker:

November 27th is the National Day of Listening, a day created by the non-profit organization StoryCorps, an organization dedicated to preserving personal, community, and cultural history through spoken stories. You can participate by interviewing a loved one or community member.
Since 2003, StoryCorps has been actively traveling the country and helping communities record their oral history. You may have heard some of its local and nationally recorded stories on your local NPR stations. We shared the idea of the National Day of Listening with you last year, its inaugural year. This year we're back to encourage you to participate again, or if you missed out last year, to participate for the first time. Check out the video below for an overview and some DIY information so you can participate at home:

You'll find a DIY packet here. Whatever method you use to record your interview, like the excellent open-source sound recorder Audacity, a tape recorder, or a video camera, make sure to play around with your tool of choice to make sure it's in working order before you sit down to conduct your interview. Sure you've got working gear but not sure what kind of questions you could ask? Check out the StoryCorps questions generator here.
Whether you participated last year, you're going to participate this year, or you've just got some tips and tricks for recording and interviewing you want to share, let's hear about it in the comments.

National Day of Listening

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