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Written by Maddy Cranley
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 I must admit that I have never done a survey and my conclusions would be considered unscientific, but I am fairly certain that when any of us think of who taught us to knit, a family relationship or special friendship comes to mind. How many of us learned our knit and purls from our mother, aunt, or grandmother? Should I mention in these days of political correctness, perhaps it was an uncle or grandfather who showed us a wandering cable or two-color knitting?
Possibly, it was when we were about to change or add another title to our life's label, for example from "wife" to "wife and mother" that we began to explore the craft of knitting. "Knitting little booties" is a common expression that describes an expectant mother, assuming that once you have babies you must knit for them. I have it on good authority from a friend who wishes not to be identified, that it was the birth of her daughter that prompted her to investigate the possibilities of knitting. The pattern she ambitiously chose was a "pram set" consisting of a double-breasted sweater, leggings with a drawstring waist, and a hat with pom-poms. Our adventurous mom-to-be had not yet been introduced to the glories of correct gauge and yarn weights. For the selected pattern, written in fingering weight, she bought a worsted weight yarn. Yarn is yarn, right? When finished, she realized that baby would have to wait at least until the first day of elementary school before placing a delicate limb into that outfit. Isn't this how we all learn? Mistakes are never failures, just postponed success and always a darn good lesson.
I learned to knit from my mother who had learned from her mother. My grandmother by all accounts was an avid knitter who would knit a sweater for anyone who asked. I distinctly remember my first project. After patiently learning to knit, my mother sewed the knit sections together as it seemed just too much for a novice knitter to handle. I can't imagine learning how to knit by following a graphic or a photograph in an instruction book. You just need those arms around you, guiding your fingers, positioning the needles, and wrapping the yarn in the right direction to create a stitch.
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Written by Gertie Guide
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 Being a parent is life changing and though the rewards are absolute, the challenges are forever changing. Today our family structure typically involves both parents working and with extracurricular activities, lessons and camps, time has become a commodity even our children have precious little of.
While the majority of parents are involved in their children's education, they have little time to participate in the actual day to day structure of it. They see teachers and the school system as one part of their child's day that they don't need to worry about. They can simply trust the professionals to do their job. However, it's actually because of the busyness of our lives that parents need to become more involved in their child's school by volunteering on a semi regular basis.
It needn't be every day or even every week. With email and school web pages, you can sign up and be added to volunteer lists and be available when the time works best for you. It can be as much or as little as you like. The key is being available to help when you can. 
Seeing Your Child Through A Different Lens
When we take the time to visit our child's class during a regular day, we have the opportunity to see for ourselves the many challenges and issues faced by teachers and students today. It's here in the trenches where we can see just what is needed and where we can step in and help. By observing, participating and asking where we can be most useful, our children can reap the rewards of an extra pair of hands and a little bit of extra time from another caring adult.
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Written by Thomas Liotta
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Your Solution for Children and Teenagers Who Desire Something for Nothing
 When we give our children a free ride, we are teaching them to live in a world that does not exist. Visualize this: you go to a job interview and the boss informs you that you are hired to begin on this Monday. Then you tell him that you prefer your office over there, a desk over here, and oh yeah, you will only begin working at 10am, not 9am. Then you calmly inform your boss that you prefer your money in advance and you will certainly do the work later. Can you picture this? Exactly how long will you have that job for? You know the answer. We know the answer! You wouldn't!
Consider nature: When a baby rabbit does not listen to his/her mamma, he gets eaten up; the mamma bird kicks her young out from the nest, all set or not; if you help a butterfly out from the cocoon, the butterfly is destroyed for life, never able to fly on its own. Do the parents these days also realize that by never allowing their child to totally fail, they are devastating their possibility for success in life? I bet not. Even if they realize this truth, are they even remotely likely to do anything effective regarding it?
I know for a fact that moms and dads out there are praying for a solution on ways to deal with their children!  Despite the fact that this is a 100% real fact, people have actually accepted incorrigible behavior from their children as a normal event. It is not! I have actually seen youngsters who have been diagnosed with behavior disorders completely turn around with a different, brand new, positive solution to parenting! When I say positive parenting, I mean parenting with an attitude of yes, rather than no.
I understand this is difficult to comprehend in the beginning. How can it be possible to always answer yes to a youngster or young teen?
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Written by Keith Barrett
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 Art can open kids' minds up to creative thought, and helps them to look at the world in different ways. Moreover, an interest in art shows a healthy love for culture, and can become a hugely beneficial hobby for any child when they are young, and as they get older. Sometimes, however, kids need a little push. If you want to encourage your kids to take more of an interest in art, consider these tips:
1. Include art in the home
Including art in the home is a great way to expose your children to different forms of art from a young age. Kids that grow up in 'arty' homes will generally develop an interest in art, and will subsequently continue to relate to it as they get older. Including paintings, sculptures, and photography in your property will have the added effect of making it more unique, and giving it a more distinctive style.
2. Take your kids to exhibitions
To back up the art that you have in your home, take your kids along to see exhibitions at galleries and museums. If your kid develops a particular interest in one form of art, such as watercolour painting, or even a specific artist, like Monet, taking them to see some original works of this kind will serve to further enforce their interest. Remember to cater to your kids age and preferences, and to actually encourage their interest, rather than stem it: which can happen if you are overbearing or too 'pushy'.
3. Use art television programmes and books
Art TV programmes that are geared towards children can make art seem interesting, fun, and enjoyable.
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Written by James Druman
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 It's important to realize that the act of a child playing is much more than a chance for them to entertain themselves (and stay busy while you get things done). In fact, the act of playing is an extremely vital part of a growing child's life--a natural process that allows them to develop the skills they need as they go through life. Look at just about any activity that children engage in and you'll find this is true, but let's just look at a 4 of them for now.
1. Playing With Blocks
Playing with blocks is a regular activity that seems to capture just about any child's imagination, and fortunately, it does a lot for them as well. Studies show that playing with blocks helps a child to develop a scientific understanding of the world and how the laws of physics apply. It also gives them a chance to create something out of nothing and the simple fact that other kids are also so drawn towards the blocks creates an opportunity for learning how to work with and communicate with peers. Children who spend a lot of time doing things like this tend to excel at math and science later in life. 
2. Acting/ Imagination games
Kids love to pretend, and if you watch them you'll always see them playing games where they mimic being adults. They may have their own television show, they may have mock battles in the woods, they may play as parents, and they may act out the role of a common job we see in adult society. There really is no limit to the task a child's imagination will take on.
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