| | These children at the University Lab School in Baton Rouge participated in the LSU AgCenter's Body Walk activity to learn about good health and nutrition. (Photo by Mark Claesgens) |
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| | School children need to eat a healthy lunch. (Photo by Mark Claesgens) |
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| | Exercise and good nutrition are important for school children. (Photo by Mark Claesgens) |
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From pre-K through college, LSU AgCenter experts offer advice about preparation and survival skills for a successful school year. Getting ready involves more than students. It’s important to the family, the community and, ultimately, the nation.
Read stories in the 2007 back-to-school news.
School Success
School success or failure affects not only the student, but the community. Lack of student preparation can cause problems years later. For example, in one chilling forecast, poor third-grade reading skills are associated with future juvenile delinquency. A good education for all students should be everyone’s concern, says LSU AgCenter family resource management specialist Karen Overstreet. She urges parents to become involved. “Children often emulate what they see. Take a look at your attitudes. Children absorb a lot from those around them.”
New School Year Important To Everyone
LSU AgCenter youth expert Janet Fox also emphasizes parental involvement. Developing success skills takes place at home as well as in the classroom, she says. “Parents can do a lot to help their kids do well in school.” For example, look at books, magazines and newspapers with your children to help them learn about world, national, state and local events. Discuss current events to help your kids form values and develop problem-solving skills.
Children Can Learn At Home How To Succeed In School
Join 4-H
Another positive step parents and children can take when the school year starts is enrolling in 4-H. More than 180,000 Louisiana youth belong. Once considered an organization primarily for rural and farm youngsters, 4-H for many years has offered a wide range of projects, including aerospace, computer technology, the environment, electrical energy, horticulture, entomology (insects), photography and vet science, plus others, according to LSU AgCenter 4-H State Leader Mark Tassin.
Learn how to join 4-H.
Feed Body and Mind
Children who eat breakfast are more alert and perform better on school tests than children who do not eat breakfast. Hungry children just can't do their best work. They're easily distracted, and become fidgety, irritable and tired, according to LSU AgCenter nutritionist Beth Reames. The nutritionist offers breakfast advice, even for those who don’t have time to eat.
Skipping Breakfast Impairs Learning
The nutritionist has some lunch advice, too, for students and teachers who pack their meals. Don’t be one of the 76 million each year who suffer from upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea and headache because of food contamination. Worse yet, don’t become one of the estimated 5,000 people who die each year from food-borne illnesses. Practice cleanliness, and make sure your hot foods stay hot and your cold foods stay cold.
Make A Safe Bag Lunch
Other student dangers are cramps, headaches and heat stroke – not from food contamination, however, but from dehydration. Reames says athletes need to drink fluids before, during and after physical activity. “By the time you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated,” she notes. Dehydration of just 1 percent to 2 percent of body weight (that’s only 1.5 to 3 pounds for a 150-pound athlete) can negatively influence performance. Dehydration above 3 percent of body weight increases an athlete’s risk of heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Athletes Need Sufficient Fluids
Go Figure
Another area where students, especially teens, should think ahead is economics. High school students can develop good money habits today to reach their financial goals for tomorrow. Earning money provides a sense of accomplishment and responsibility, says AgCenter family economics professor Jeanette Tucker. Whether babysitting, mowing loans or obtaining employment at a business, jobs are opportunities to learn about careers and to network with professionals.
Teens Can Develop Good Money Habits By Working
Unfortunately, the majority of high schoolers don’t learn sound money management. In a national survey, only 15 percent of high school seniors reported receiving some sort of personal finance education in high school. When those young adults move away from home for the first time, they have a rude awakening when bills start arriving in the mail – not addressed to their parents, but to them!
Bill-paying Responsibility Looms For Teens Leaving Nest
Budget Plan
Tucker recommends that parents help their college-bound students plan a budget before they leave home. She explains how to make one that is realistic and manageable. She details a four-part strategy of sound budgeting techniques, including knowing the difference between wants and needs. College students need to approach credit card use cautiously.
College-bound Students Should Learn Budget
Credit Card Can Be College-life Peril
Working while in school helps pay expenses, but jobs have additional benefits. They can enhance career possibilities, foster a sense of self-worth, help develop a sense of responsibility, provide a means of contributing to society and cultivate a sense of professional identity, Tucker said.
Yet, working has its drawbacks, because it potentially competes with education, which is why the student is in school in the first place. The family economist examines both the pluses and minuses of college employment.
Read College Employment Has Ups, Downs.
Enjoy a Positive Send-off
Students will face economic and social adjustments when going off to school, so LSU AgCenter family life professor Diane Sasser says parents should be encouraging. “Parents need to realize and accept the highs and lows of that first year in college,” she says. “The experience can be a grueling one for both of you.” The family expert lists six don't for parents to heed when sending their kids off to college, including not being too nosey.
Read Don’ts Of Sending Your Child Off To College.
That’s not to say parents shouldn’t stay informed. Learn when major exams or midterms are so you know when to expect some stress or edginess. Consult the university’s online calendar to find out about other important dates and events. Also, send e-mails or newspaper clippings to keep your student up to date about what’s happening back home. College is a time your child needs family support more than ever. Sasser offers numerous tips about understanding your college-bound child.
1st Year Of College Tough For Parents As Well As Students
The LSU AgCenter is one of 11 institutions of higher education in the Louisiana State University System. Headquartered in Baton Rouge, it provides educational services in every parish and conducts research that contributes to the economic development of the state. The LSU AgCenter does not grant degrees nor benefit from tuition increases. The LSU AgCenter plays an integral role in supporting agricultural industries, enhancing the environment, and improving the quality of life through its 4-H youth, family and community programs.
(This AgCenter Lead was updated on July 11, 2007, by Linda Benedict.)