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Healthwatch
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Healthwatch
A Low-tech School Vacation: Keeping Kids Busy And Happy Without Screens
~3.5 mins read
Nine ways to encourage children to connect, create, and play off-screen.
School vacation coming up? Wondering how to spend that time? Given how tiring holidays can be — especially for parents who are working — it's understandable why children are often allowed to spend hours with the TV, tablet, or video games. After all, happy, quiet kids make for happy parents who can finally get stuff done — or relax.
Except kids are spending way too much time in front of screens. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, kids ages 8 to 12 are spending four to six hours a day watching or using screens — and tweens and teens are spending nine hours.
Given how enticing devices and social media can be, those numbers can easily go higher during unscheduled times like weekends and school vacation. That's why it's good to be proactive and come up with other activities. Below are some ideas for parents and caregivers to try. These are mostly good for kids through elementary school, but tweens and teens may enjoy some of them too.
Spending time off the screen
Go outside. This sounds obvious, but spending time outdoors is something kids do less than they used to — and it can be really fun. If you have a yard, go out into it and play hide-and-seek or build a fort from snow or anything else that's around. If you don't have a yard, go to a local park or just go for a walk. A scavenger hunt up and down the block or game of I Spy may be a good enticement.
Go to the library. Do this early on in vacation, so that your child has lots of books, puzzles, and games to pass the time. Check out as many as they allow and you can carry. Ask if a Library of Things is available at a branch near you: crafts, tools, musical instruments, birding kits, telescopes — even metal detectors may be checked out for free.
Build a fort in the living room. Use blankets or sheets over chairs; if you have a small tent, set it up. Bring in pillows, sleeping bags, and flashlights; let the kids sleep in it at night. Let it stay up all vacation.
Build a city in the living room. Use blocks, Legos, boxes (or anything else), and add roads, cars, people, animals, trains, and other toys. Let it stay up all vacation, and make it bigger every day.
Getting creative off the screen
Get creative. Go to the craft store and stock up on inexpensive supplies. Buy things like poster board, huge pieces of paper (you could use those for your city, too, to make parks, roads, and parking lots), paints, and markers. You can make a paper mural, a comic book, a story, posters, or whatever catches your child's imagination. If you know how to knit or sew, think about teaching your child or making a simple project together. Play music while you create.
Read out loud. There are so many books that are fun to read aloud. When my children were younger, we read the Harry Potter series out loud, as well as the Chronicles of Narnia and books by E.B. White and Roald Dahl. Act out the voices. Have some fun.
Have a puppet show. If you don't have puppets, you can make some with socks — or you can hold up dolls or action figures and do the talking for them. You can make a makeshift stage by cutting out the back of a box and taping cloth (like a pillowcase) to fall over the front.
Get out the games. There are so many that work across the ages, like checkers, chess, Uno, Connect 4, Sorry, Twister, Clue, Scrabble, or Monopoly. We forget how much fun these can be.
Bake. You don't have to get fancy — it's fine to use mixes or pre-made cookie dough. There's nothing better than baked goods straight from the oven, and adding frosting and decorations makes it even more fun. Turn on music and dance while things bake.
While parents or caregivers need to be involved with some of these activities (like the ones involving the oven, or reading out loud), kids can do many of them independently once you have it started. Which, really, is what children need: time to use their imagination and just play.
But you just may find that once you have things started, you'll want to play, too.
profile/5170OIG3.jpeg.webp
Healthwatch
A Low-tech School Vacation: Keeping Kids Busy And Happy Without Screens
~3.5 mins read
Nine ways to encourage children to connect, create, and play off-screen.
School vacation coming up? Wondering how to spend that time? Given how tiring holidays can be — especially for parents who are working — it's understandable why children are often allowed to spend hours with the TV, tablet, or video games. After all, happy, quiet kids make for happy parents who can finally get stuff done — or relax.
Except kids are spending way too much time in front of screens. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, kids ages 8 to 12 are spending four to six hours a day watching or using screens — and tweens and teens are spending nine hours.
Given how enticing devices and social media can be, those numbers can easily go higher during unscheduled times like weekends and school vacation. That's why it's good to be proactive and come up with other activities. Below are some ideas for parents and caregivers to try. These are mostly good for kids through elementary school, but tweens and teens may enjoy some of them too.
Spending time off the screen
Go outside. This sounds obvious, but spending time outdoors is something kids do less than they used to — and it can be really fun. If you have a yard, go out into it and play hide-and-seek or build a fort from snow or anything else that's around. If you don't have a yard, go to a local park or just go for a walk. A scavenger hunt up and down the block or game of I Spy may be a good enticement.
Go to the library. Do this early on in vacation, so that your child has lots of books, puzzles, and games to pass the time. Check out as many as they allow and you can carry. Ask if a Library of Things is available at a branch near you: crafts, tools, musical instruments, birding kits, telescopes — even metal detectors may be checked out for free.
Build a fort in the living room. Use blankets or sheets over chairs; if you have a small tent, set it up. Bring in pillows, sleeping bags, and flashlights; let the kids sleep in it at night. Let it stay up all vacation.
Build a city in the living room. Use blocks, Legos, boxes (or anything else), and add roads, cars, people, animals, trains, and other toys. Let it stay up all vacation, and make it bigger every day.
Getting creative off the screen
Get creative. Go to the craft store and stock up on inexpensive supplies. Buy things like poster board, huge pieces of paper (you could use those for your city, too, to make parks, roads, and parking lots), paints, and markers. You can make a paper mural, a comic book, a story, posters, or whatever catches your child's imagination. If you know how to knit or sew, think about teaching your child or making a simple project together. Play music while you create.
Read out loud. There are so many books that are fun to read aloud. When my children were younger, we read the Harry Potter series out loud, as well as the Chronicles of Narnia and books by E.B. White and Roald Dahl. Act out the voices. Have some fun.
Have a puppet show. If you don't have puppets, you can make some with socks — or you can hold up dolls or action figures and do the talking for them. You can make a makeshift stage by cutting out the back of a box and taping cloth (like a pillowcase) to fall over the front.
Get out the games. There are so many that work across the ages, like checkers, chess, Uno, Connect 4, Sorry, Twister, Clue, Scrabble, or Monopoly. We forget how much fun these can be.
Bake. You don't have to get fancy — it's fine to use mixes or pre-made cookie dough. There's nothing better than baked goods straight from the oven, and adding frosting and decorations makes it even more fun. Turn on music and dance while things bake.
While parents or caregivers need to be involved with some of these activities (like the ones involving the oven, or reading out loud), kids can do many of them independently once you have it started. Which, really, is what children need: time to use their imagination and just play.
But you just may find that once you have things started, you'll want to play, too.
News_Naija
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News_Naija
Energy-efficient, Fast-freezing, Power-saving: Midea Delivers
~2.7 mins read
Few household appliances carry the weight of trust and responsibility as a freezer. In Nigeria, that trust is tested almost daily, by unstable power supply, unstable fuel prices, and the ever-pressing need to store, save, and survive. Whether you’re a small business owner trying to keep stock fresh, or an adult preserving food for the week ahead, a freezer isn’t a luxury, it’s a lifeline. Now, imagine a freezer that understands all that. One that’s built not just for convenience, but for true peace of mind. Meet the Midea Inverter Quattro Chest Freezer, a powerful, reliable solution designed for Nigerian homes and small businesses. Midea understands the unique challenges Nigerian consumers face daily. And they’ve created a freezer that meets the moment, redefines durability, and still saves you money while at it. 
There’s nothing more heartbreaking than returning home after a blackout to find your frozen food melted and wasted. But Midea has officially taken that pain point off your list. With a whopping 120-hour cooling retention (yes, that’s upto5 days of solid chill time), your food stays frozen long after the lights go out. This feature alone makes it a game-changer for Nigeria’s reality, where power cuts don’t come with courtesy calls. Most freezers come with an unintended feature: constant humming that feels like a background generator audition. Midea decided to do things differently. With its low noise design, you can place it in your kitchen, your shop, without feeling like you’re next to a transformer. It cools hard but stays quiet. Whether you’re storing meat, fish, ice cream, or simply soups, Midea’s fast freezing feature ensures that items lock in their freshness fast. This is especially crucial for homes with terrible power supply. The faster it freezes, the longer your food lasts and the more you save in the long run. Energy prices are climbing, and nobody wants a freezer that eats up more power than its worth, which is why the chest freezer is energy efficient, giving you all the chill with less of the bill. It’s smart cooling that understands the times we’re in, because a smart home isn’t just about tech; it’s about appliances that help you stretch every naira without compromise. If you’re in Nigeria and you store anything frozen, this freezer was built with you in mind. In a country where you need to plan three steps ahead, your freezer should be the one thing you don’t have to worry about. With Midea’s new chest freezer, you’re not just buying an appliance, you’re investing in peace of mind, reliability, and real energy savings. While we can’t always predict NEPA or the fuel queue, we can choose a freezer that’s ready for whatever. Upto120 hours of cooling*. Fast freezing. Whisper quiet. Energy smart. Midea isn’t playing. * The claim of 120 hours is dependent on 26°C ambient temperature
There’s nothing more heartbreaking than returning home after a blackout to find your frozen food melted and wasted. But Midea has officially taken that pain point off your list. With a whopping 120-hour cooling retention (yes, that’s upto5 days of solid chill time), your food stays frozen long after the lights go out. This feature alone makes it a game-changer for Nigeria’s reality, where power cuts don’t come with courtesy calls. Most freezers come with an unintended feature: constant humming that feels like a background generator audition. Midea decided to do things differently. With its low noise design, you can place it in your kitchen, your shop, without feeling like you’re next to a transformer. It cools hard but stays quiet. Whether you’re storing meat, fish, ice cream, or simply soups, Midea’s fast freezing feature ensures that items lock in their freshness fast. This is especially crucial for homes with terrible power supply. The faster it freezes, the longer your food lasts and the more you save in the long run. Energy prices are climbing, and nobody wants a freezer that eats up more power than its worth, which is why the chest freezer is energy efficient, giving you all the chill with less of the bill. It’s smart cooling that understands the times we’re in, because a smart home isn’t just about tech; it’s about appliances that help you stretch every naira without compromise. If you’re in Nigeria and you store anything frozen, this freezer was built with you in mind. In a country where you need to plan three steps ahead, your freezer should be the one thing you don’t have to worry about. With Midea’s new chest freezer, you’re not just buying an appliance, you’re investing in peace of mind, reliability, and real energy savings. While we can’t always predict NEPA or the fuel queue, we can choose a freezer that’s ready for whatever. Upto120 hours of cooling*. Fast freezing. Whisper quiet. Energy smart. Midea isn’t playing. * The claim of 120 hours is dependent on 26°C ambient temperature Read more stories like this on punchng.com
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Healthwatch
Are You Getting Health Care You Don't Need?
~6.1 mins read
Knowing which types of care you can safely skip might actually improve your health — and could save you money and time.
Older recommendations favored daily low-dose aspirin to help prevent cardiovascular disease, including first instances of heart attack and stroke.
New recommendations favor low-dose aspirin for people who've already experienced a heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular disease. Adults ages 40 to 59 who are at a high risk for these conditions and low risk for bleeding also may consider it.
The discomfort or complications of testing. If you're needle-phobic, getting a blood test is a big deal. And while complications of noninvasive testing are rare (such as a skin infection from a blood test), they can occur.
The anxiety associated with waiting to find out test results
False reassurance that comes with false negatives (results that are normal or nearly so, suggesting no disease when disease is actually present)
All treatments have side effects. Even minor reactions — like occasional nausea or constipation — seem unacceptable if there's no reason to expect benefit from treatment.
Ever wonder if every medical test or treatment you've taken was truly necessary? Or are you inclined to get every bit of health care you can? Maybe you feel good about getting the most out of your health insurance. Perhaps a neighborhood imaging center is advertising discounted screening tests, your employer offers health screens as a perk, or you're intrigued by ads touting supplements for a seemingly endless number of conditions.
But keep in mind: just because you could get a particular test or treatment or take a supplement doesn't mean you should. One study suggests that as much as 20% of all health care in the US is unneeded. In short: when it comes to health care, more is not always better.
Isn't it better to be proactive about your health?
We're all taught that knowledge is power. So it might seem reasonable to want to know as much as possible about how your body is working. And isn't it better to take action before there's a problem rather than waiting for one to develop? What's the harm of erring on the side of more rather than less?
The truth is that knowledge is not always power: if the information is irrelevant to your specific situation, redundant, or inaccurate, the knowledge gained through unnecessary health care can be unhelpful or even harmful. Unnecessary tests, treatments, and supplements come with risks, even when they seem harmless. And, of course, unnecessary care is not free — even if you're not paying a cent out of pocket, it drives up costs across health systems.
Screening tests, wellness strategies, and treatments to reconsider
Recommended screening tests, treatments, and supplements can be essential to good health. But when risks of harm outweigh benefits — or if proof of any benefit is lacking — think twice. Save your time, money, and effort for health care that is focused on the most important health threats and backed by evidence.
Cancer screening: When to stop?
Screening tests for some cancers are routinely recommended and can be lifesaving. But there's a reason they come with a recommended stop age. For instance, guidelines recommend that a person at average risk of colorectal cancer with previously normal colonoscopies stop having them once they turn 75. Similar limits apply to Pap smears (age 65) and mammograms (age 75). Studies suggest that beyond those ages, there is little benefit to continuing these screens.
Watch out for wellness marketing
Dietary supplements are a multibillion-dollar industry. And a whopping 70% or more of US adults take at least one, such as vitamin D, fish oil, or a multivitamin. People often consider them as insurance in case vital elements are missing from their diet, or they believe supplements can prevent dementia, heart disease, or another condition.
Yet little evidence supports a benefit of routine supplement use for everyone. While recent studies suggest a daily multivitamin might slow cognitive decline in older adults, there's no medical consensus that everyone should be taking a multivitamin. Fish oil (omega-3) supplements haven't proven to be as healthful as simply eating servings of fatty fish and other seafood low in toxic chemicals like mercury and PCBs. And the benefits of routinely taking vitamin D supplements remain unproven as well.
It's worth emphasizing that dietary supplements clearly provide significant benefit for some people, and may be recommended by your doctor accordingly. For example, if you have a vitamin or mineral deficiency or a condition like age-related macular degeneration, good evidence supports taking specific supplements.
Reconsider daily aspirin
Who should be taking low-dose aspirin regularly? Recommendations have changed in recent years, so this is worth revisiting with your health care team.
Yet according to a recent study, nearly one-third of adults 60 and older without past cardiovascular disease take aspirin, despite evidence that it provides little benefit for those at average or low risk. Aspirin can cause stomach bleeding and raise risk for a certain type of stroke.
Weigh in on prostate cancer screening
Men hear about prostate cancer often. It's common, and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men. But PSA blood tests and rectal exams to identify evidence of cancer in the prostate are no longer routinely recommended for men ages 55 to 69 by the United States Preventative Services Task Force.
The reason? Studies suggest that performing these tests does not reliably reduce suffering or prolong life. Nor do possible benefits offset downsides like false positives (test results that are abnormal despite the absence of cancer). That can lead to additional testing, some of which is invasive.
Current guidelines suggest making a shared decision with your doctor about whether to have PSA testing after reviewing the pros and cons. For men over age 70, no screening is recommended. Despite this, millions of men have PSA tests and rectal examinations routinely.
Not everyone needs heart tests
There are now more ways than ever to evaluate the health of your heart. But none are routinely recommended if you're at low risk and have no signs or symptoms of cardiovascular disease. That's right: in the absence of symptoms or a high risk of cardiovascular disease, it's generally safe to skip EKGs, stress tests, and other cardiac tests.
Yet many people have these tests as part of their routine care. Why is this a problem? Having these tests without a compelling reason comes with risks, especially false positive results that can lead to invasive testing and unneeded treatment.
Four more reasons to avoid unnecessary care
Besides the concerns mentioned already, there are other reasons to avoid unnecessary care, including:
The bottom line
You may believe your doctor wants you to continue with your current schedule of tests and treatments, while they might think this is your preference! It's worth discussing if you haven't already, especially if you suspect you may be taking pills or getting tests you don't truly need.
If your doctor says you can safely skip certain tests, treatments, and supplements, it doesn't mean that he or she is neglecting your health or that you don't deserve great health care! It's likely that the balance of risks and benefits simply doesn't support doing these things.
Less unnecessary care could free up resources for those who need it most. And it could save you time, money, and unnecessary risks or side effects, thus improving your health. It's a good example of how less can truly be more.
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