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When it comes to learning math, some students do just fine. Others, unfortunately, seem to hit all the snags and pitfalls while trying to learn.

Why is learning math frustrating for so many? Even those who are considered bright and hardworking have difficulty. Elementary school and high school require math and most college degrees require math too. College classes get bottlenecked with students who are taking the same math class for the second or third time. I’ve often heard, “I just have to pass this math class or I won’t graduate!”

While teaching math to students, I have hypothesized why this occurs and it doesn’t have anything to do with intelligence.

When learning math, a student must engage their full attention to the instruction. All it takes is for a student to daydream for a just few minutes and the whole week’s key points can be lost to the learner. Not so with other subjects like reading and writing. A student can get away with occasional daydreaming in those subjects and still grasp the week’s main point. Students can’t get away with that in math. Having an absent mind for just a few minutes in math can produce poor results on tests. Making a dumb mistake on a test in reading does not produce an “F” like it does in math.

Learning math is a sequential process. Learners need to be firm with all the steps that lead up to the final answer and they need to be provided adequate time to process and practice just-taught information before a new concept is introduced. For some students, information presented in math books needs to be broken down into sub-steps that are not found in the textbooks–information that would need to be fine-tuned by the instructor. Unfortunately, because of classroom limits, there just isn’t enough time to teach at every student’s skill level or to break down math information for those who need it most.

A typical classroom of math students rarely starts on an even academic playing field. The differences and needs can be vast. Because of the abstract nature of mathematics, some students require multi-sensory techniques and extra drill and practice in order to catch on. There simply is not enough time to do this in most classes and if parents are unavailable or don’t understand math themselves, the students suffer. It is hard for teachers to meet the needs of all math students, even with their earnest efforts and best intentions. Because of this, many math students never realize their full potential.

While working with students, I have found that the most glaring deficit in math understanding is a skill called “number sense” or the ability to have a feel for mathematical amounts. Students who have developed number sense do much better in math. Weak math students often produce answers that are not even close to being correct. They won’t think to challenge whether their answer is logical–an indication they lack number sense.

Good news–even though academic frustration seems rampant, math frustration can be minimized with the help of adults playing math games or activities at home. Math games are fun and are motivating. They develop number sense and actually get kids to want to be involved. There are no class grades tied to the outcome. These activities do not need to be purchased and here’s more good news–no tricky math understanding is needed for the adult. Any type of math game holds value and don’t let the word “game” make you think that a math game is not academically worthy.

Here are some ideas. Some can be played alone.

• Grab a handful of anything–jellybeans, marbles, paper clips, or pennies–anything that can produce “a bunch of.” Have the child guess and write down the estimate, then count to confirm. Hands-on counting is a wonderful activity for students that need tactile validation.

• Find another handful of anything, estimate the amount, and then grab another handful of the same amount. Do the different handfuls hold the same amount?

• How many cereal Os does the child eat each morning?

• What is the value of a handful of pennies, nickels, dimes, or mixed coins?

• Fill three different sized cups with the same item. Estimate and write down how many is in one of them, count, then estimate how many are in the others.

• Look quickly in a drawer, close the drawer and then estimate how many items are in it.

• Estimate amounts in a see-through container. Guess the amount, write it on paper, count to confirm.

• Estimate the weight of a backpack.

• How much time would it take to reach a certain destination?

• Place three pennies on the counter. How many more are needed to make ten pennies? Repeat using different amounts that will equal ten. Put twelve cents on a counter. How much more will make fifty cents?

• How long would it take to earn a certain amount of money?

• How long would it take to earn $1,000 if you earned $5 a day walking the dog?

• How long would it take to spend a million dollars, spending a specific amount each day?

• How many inches would a 100-foot building be?

• Estimate weights of objects, then step on a scale. Fill a bag with items, or a suitcase, estimate the weight.

• Arrange objects heaviest to lightest.

• For older students, determine how many miles they can travel by car for 6 or 8 hours by traveling 55, then 65 miles per hour.

• Finally, discuss the child’s strategies used for their estimating.

Increasing a students’ number sense and math confidence will not solve all the challenges felt by both math strugglers and teachers. But developing number sense outside of school will certainly help. Students will be able to transfer their learned information into the classroom. Instead of just guessing the answer and hoping to be lucky, students will better know when their answer seems logical or have enough mathematical sense and confidence to keep on working.

Maureen Stearns–an author, parent, and educator living in St. Petersburg, Florida–has been teaching struggling learners for over 20 years. She holds both Exceptional Student Education and Community Psychology Degrees. She recently wrote “Multiply and Divide with Sticks and Steps®: Teach this Easy Method in Just 5 Minutes,” to help students conquer this stumbling block. To learn more, visit www.sticksandsteps.com or www.ksblinks.com.

Many children will have an occasional wheezing episode in their early childhood.  Rather than call it asthma — which is a chronic, recurrent illness — pediatricians initially call this wheezing ‘reactive airways’.  The typical child develops a runny and stuffy nose or viral cold symptoms, and within one to three days, a tight, dry cough develops.  Most parents do not hear wheezing until after the cough develops.  If the wheezing becomes chronic and matches certain criteria, your child may be given a diagnosis of asthma.

Medicines used to relieve wheezing depend on whether the child needs quick relief or needs a maintenance medication to prevent wheezing. If the child who is wheezing and needs quick relief of respiratory symptoms, bronchodilators and steroids are typically used.  Rapid acting bronchodilators are medicines that relax the muscles that surround the large breathing passages in the lungs, while oral steroids are used to quickly reduce inflammation in the breathing passages.

Long-term controller medications are used for children who have frequent wheezing. These medicines focus on preventing wheezing when the child is exposed to a trigger, such as a viral illness or allergen.  Long acting bronchodilators help keep the muscles around the breathing passages relaxed.  Inhaled (not oral) steroids assist in reducing inflammation over time.  At times, different types of these controlling medications are combined in a single medication.

It is very important that if the child is using long-term controller medications and starts to wheeze, the quick relief or ‘rescue’ medications must be used to relieve the wheezing.  Simply giving more of the controller medications will not work, and your child will not improve.

Learning to use the right medications at the right time for your child can sometimes be confusing.  Be sure to discuss the types of medications your child is using with your doctor and write down the proper way to use them.

Dr. Paula Rooney, board certified pediatrician, After Hours Pediatrics Urgent Care.

Remember all those tips saying you should cook rather than eat out? Well the USDA says we might just be wrong about that in the near future. A recent study by the government agency estimated the price gap between eating at home and dining out will narrow even further in 2012. Grocery prices are expected to rise 3 percent to 4 percent, while menu prices will likely go up 2 percent to 3 percent.

That doesn’t mean you have to resort to the McDonald’s Dollar Menu, however. It’s still cheaper to eat at home, but amateur chefs will have to cut even more corners this year. Here are a few tips on dining at home frugally in a dine-out world.

1. Shop on Tuesdays

Wednesdays are the heaviest shopping day for supermarkets as that’s when they publish their weekly newspaper ads. (Manufacturer ads are usually distributed with the Sunday paper.) That means grocery stores are interested in ditching last week’s produce and meats on Tuesday night. Talk to the butcher and produce clerks about slapping a better price on those products they’re about to toss.

2. Use Mobile Coupons

Shopping on Tuesday means you can’t take advantage of Wednesday coupons. Happily, you can access mobile coupons right there in the store from the Coupon Sherpa app. This fab app allows you to search for your favorite local store, access desirable coupons, then download them to your store loyalty card.

3. Plan Your Meals Around Ads

If you plan on shopping after newspaper inserts are printed, plan your menu around featured items and build a list before you hit the store. You can use apps like Grocery Gadget (Apple) and Grocery IQ (Android) to create lists based on your supermarket’s layout.

4. Shop Stores That Double Coupons

Not all supermarkets are willing to double-up on coupons, and not all maintain such a policy continuously. The acceptance rate has gone down since the advent of “Extreme Couponers,” so check before you start clipping. This practice is usually limited to specific days and allows you to double the face value of a coupon, up to a certain amount.

5. Don’t Overbuy Bulk

It may be tempting to buy the super-sized box of Cheerios, but you have to consider whether you’ll actually eat all those little oat donuts before they turn into rocks. Buy just enough to last until the next sale.

6. Limit Produce Purchases

Americans throw away roughly one quarter of the food we buy. For a family of four, that figures out to $2,200 a year in food, according to “American Wasteland” author Jonathan Bloom. Rather than grab fruits and vegetables that look appealing, stick to your list and avoid spoilage. You’re also more likely to use produce if you don’t hide it away in your refrigerator’s bins. Keep it in plain site or make a list of contents that you stick on the fridge drawer as a reminder.

7. Avoid Temptation

King Soopers (owned by Krogers) has launched new “Marketplace” stores in the west, with layouts similar to Whole Foods. Walk in the door and you’re immediately assaulted by the smell of stunning flower arrangements, fresh deli items, and beautifully arranged produce. It’s tempting to fill your cart in this section, so be on your guard. Also beware of the non-food items for sale, including everything from furniture to high-end jewelry.

8. Don’t Use a Cart

Ditch the carry-all cart and carry a basket for quick trips. The less room you have to fill, the less likely you are to make impulse purchases.

Andrea Woroch is a consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli Inc., and has been featured among top news outlets such as Good Morning America, NBC’s Today, MSNBC, New York Times, Kiplinger Personal Finance, CNNMoney and many more. She is available for in-studio, satellite or skype interviews and to write guest posts or articles.

With the start of 2012, Nemours’ KidsHealth.org looks ahead with its annual list of “Kids’ Health Issues to Watch.” As they do each year, the physicians and editors at KidsHealth sifted through health issues affecting children and families to choose a few important trends to keep tabs on in 2012. Of course, these are not the only important issues affecting children’s health — far from it — but the physicians and editors at KidsHealth feel that in the midst of many, these are notable:

Kids’ Health Issues to Watch in 2012:

The Risks of Postponing or Avoiding Vaccinations: When it comes to immunizing their kids, increasing numbers of parents aren’t just consulting their pediatricians for advice — they’re also paying heed to rumors and advice spread online. Even when the science or sources behind anti-immunization stances are proved unreliable or even completely discredited, it can be difficult for some parents to accept that vaccines are safe. As a result, health officials are seeing alarming rises in preventable diseases, mostly among people who are not immunized.

Helping Teens Take Charge of Their Health Care: Preparing kids for independence and adulthood brings many challenges for parents. Among them is helping teens start managing their own health care. But it’s important to guide teens toward taking on this responsibility. After all, parents won’t always be around to manage their children’s health care — and in most cases, once their kids become adults, legally they won’t be allowed to.

The Rise of Eating Issues and Disorders: Seeing the rail-thin models who strut down catwalks at fashion shows, you might think that eating disorders like bulimia or anorexia mostly affect women whose livelihoods are based on being thin. But more and more, these problems are affecting people from all walks of life — and, unfortunately, many of them are kids. Of the almost 24 million Americans who suffer from an eating disorder, 95% are between 12 and 25 years old — and many of them are male.

Prenatal Surgery: Helping Babies Before Birth: Operating on a baby before birth may seem like science fiction, but prenatal surgery is becoming more and more common in special pediatric programs throughout the United States. Since prenatal surgery was first pioneered in the 1980s, it’s become an important way to correct certain birth defects that could be severe (and in some cases fatal) if babies were born with them unrepaired.

Mobile Health Apps: Choosing Wisely: Many parents no longer just call their pediatrician for help and advice. Many also look for health information online. And, more and more, their sleuthing is done via smartphones and tablets, which has given rise to health-specific apps. It’s important for parents to take note of where this portable health information is coming from. Just as you would vet a website to make sure it’s run by reputable health experts, make sure your apps are credible, accurate, and up to date.

KidsHealth.org is the #1 site devoted to children’s health and development in English and Spanish. KidsHealth comes from Nemours, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit pediatric health systems and a founding member of the Partnership for a Healthier America, a partner to First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign that mobilizes the nation to eliminate childhood obesity within a generation. For more information about KidsHealth, please visit KidsHealth.org and www.Nemours.org.

In an increasingly competitive global market, education is becoming more important. But many families find the cost of education to be outside their grasp. According to a study commissioned by the US Department of Education, from the 2001-02 to the 2010-11 academic year, the cost of attending a 4-year undergraduate in-state school rose by 47.3 percent.

With ever-increasing education expenses, many families are accumulating significant debt, putting students further behind. However, with planning and financial management, students can control their finances. Here are some tips for parents of soon-to-be college students.

Start the conversation. Talk with other parents, teachers and guidance counselors about the cost of education. Make contact with the student financial aid offices of the colleges on your child’s list and get an accurate estimate of the cost of each institute. Most importantly, talk with your child. It is imperative your child learns the budgeting process as they will soon be managing their finances away from home.

Set the budget and stick to it. Once you have a set budget, add wiggle room for other unforeseeable expenses. Make sure you set this budget realistically. Calculating the cost of pens and pencils may seem ludicrous, but if you’re on a tight budget, every expense counts.

Get connected. Tracking your financial spending is easier than ever. From smart phone apps to free financial planning software, you can get an accurate financial report at any time. Research banks to determine which ones offer services to help you can stay on top of your budget. Also, consider linking your banking account with your child’s, to easily transfer funds online.

Make a plan. When taking on debt, it is important to have a plan for paying it off. Calculate the monthly payments and time it will take your child to pay off the debt. Research salary ranges for the field in which your child plans to pursue a career to understand the debt they can realistically carry. Find more information and calculators to help determine payment schedules and interest rates at www.direct.ed.gov.

Do your research. Before taking out a student loan, look to other options, such as financial aid and scholarships. While some scholarships are awarded on academic merit, others are given based upon both academic performance and community service. Foresters, a life insurance provider committed to the well-being of families and their communities, is one organization that provides a competitive scholarship program open to eligible members or their dependent children, including grandchildren, worth up to $8,000.

Recipients can use the scholarship to attend accredited universities, colleges and vocational schools, as long as they are pursuing their first post-secondary degree or diploma. There are up to 350 Foresters Competitive Scholarships available, in the US and Canada including five Ken Peterson Awards for Community Service. These awards are worth up to $11,000.

Learn more about the scholarship opportunities awarded by Foresters at www.foresters.com/membership/scholarships.asp.

I was asked recently to be an expert for an HLN story involving an 8 year old boy in Ohio. This boy is morbidly obese tipping the scales at 218 pounds. The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) took the boy into foster care after they felt the mother was unable to follow through with appropriate measures prescribed for the boy to lose weight.

The mother’s defense was that she was going to school in addition to working as an elementary teacher. She felt that she could not monitor the child at all times. Apparently family members and friends were sneaking food to the boy. DCFS reported that they had worked with mom for a year and saw no improvement.

The Ohio State Health Department estimates that more than 12 percent of third graders statewide (Ohio) are severely obese. That could mean as many as 1,380 kids in Cuyahoga County alone. This story is the first time anyone could recall a child being taken from a parent strictly due to weight-related issues.

To consider the idea that the state can handle this issue by removing an obese child from the home and placing him in foster care is not only absurd but dangerous to the development of children. Most likely there will not be enough foster homes and even if there were, will the parents in those homes be able to handle the issues an obese child struggles with? According to recent polls, one out of every three children is morbidly obese. This is not a child crisis; instead, this is a family crisis. In this situation, the child suffered from sleep apnea, which meant he was hooked up to a machine at night which monitors and assists his breathing. Many obese children suffer asthma, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, anxiety, and depression.

Obesity certainly has genetic components but to simply throw your hands in the air with complete surrender to fate is not being a responsible parent. Taking a child away from the family he knows and loves borders on cruelty. Removal of a child from his/her home should only be done as a last resort to protect that child from imminent harm (the child in this case had no other medical conditions except for sleep apnea). Many times removing a child from their home is experienced so intensely by the child that they would resort to food even more as the only thing they could control. Depression, anxiety, and a heightened loss of self-esteem may be the result.

What are we telling a child if we allow them to be taken from us, because we were not able to change our lives enough to help him? I make it clear to all of the parents I work with that if you have a morbidly obese child it takes a family to support them with a healthy lifestyle. There can be no enablers and “good guys” or “bad guys” with offering the child unhealthy foods or a lifestyle conducive to obesity. Read More

The allure of traveling abroad to study and experience other cultures continues to grow for teens across the country. U.S. student participation in study abroad programs has more than doubled over the last decade, according to the Institute of International Education.

While traveling abroad is an exciting opportunity for students, parents often have concerns over safety.

“As travel safety experts with nearly 50 years of experience, we work diligently to ensure the safety of every student and leader in every program,” said Mike Bowers, Senior Health and Safety Director for People to People Ambassador Programs. “We understand the concerns and we are committed to providing a safe and enjoyable educational experience for all program participants.”

Bowers has reviewed years of travel data to understand the most common safety issues as a leader in travel safety. Learn more at www.peopletopeople.com/safety.

Pack Common Sense

• Ask yourself – would I do this at home? If the answer is no, rethink your actions.

• Get some rest. You can have a good time without staying out too late – the more rested you are, the more likely you are to be aware of and safe in your surroundings.

• Always travel with a buddy – traveling alone can make you a mark for thieves.

Scope Out Your Surroundings

• Be knowledgeable about your destination. Visit Centers for Disease Control travel websites and other online resources before you travel. Check out hotels and inns before you decide to stay there.

• Go ahead, travel like a native, but be cautious when using public transportation. Crowds make it easier for pick-pocketers. Always keep your money and identification on your person in multiple locations.

• If you see the same person three times in different locations it could mean you are being targeted, and you should find a safer place. Read More

Whether you’re a parent, a classroom teacher, or a homeschool instructor, you know that students learn best when they can interact with their subject. It can be fun and inspirational to explore and experience an educational concept first hand.

The sample project featured here comes from a new, free resource that’s helping to inspire an appreciation of botany in elementary-aged students across the country. The educator website MyBotanicPlanet.com is a creative collaboration between TruGreen, the nation’s largest professional lawn, tree and shrub care service provider, and the Memphis Botanic Garden.

U.S. standardized lesson plans in botany and related activities available on MyBotanicPlanet.com were created by professional curriculum developers to help grades K-5 teachers and students explore the diverse plant world. Through online and hands-on experiences, this creative educator resource lets students customize an avatar to explore colorful plant environments and interactive games as they learn. My Botanic Planet visitors can interact with educational guides Flavor Flores on an adventure in the origin of plant flavors, and with Inspector Nectar on a flower mystery investigation.

My Botanic Planet Flower Investigation

There’s no better way for students to investigate the parts of a flower than by dissecting real ones.

What you need

• Enough real flowers for pairs or groups to work together. Alstroemerias and gladiolus work well and are available year round in supermarket floral departments. Azaleas or any member of the lily family could also be used because the parts are well-defined and easy to see.

• Plastic knives and tweezers could be used for dissecting equipment.

• A magnifying glass would allow for closer inspection.

Getting started

• Open up the flower. This is easily done by first locating the base of the flower and slicing or splitting it in half. Use a dissection tool or even a fingernail.

• Next, slice or pinch off the petals. Remind students to be careful with all of the tiny pieces. It’s easy to damage or brush away some of the most important parts.

Review the parts of the flower

• Petal: This is the colorful part of the flower that attracts the attention of birds, bees and butterflies, letting them know that there is food inside the flower. Have students record how many petals their flower has and what they look like.

• Stamen: This is where the pollen is made. For older students, you could also point out that the top part that holds the pollen is the anther and the stem part is called the filament. Students should record how many stamens their flower has. If it has six petals, it will also have six stamens. If they have an extra piece, then one should look a little bit different, and is actually part of the pistil. Read More

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that affects a woman’s menstrual cycle, fertility, hormones, insulin production, circulatory system, and appearance.  Women have both male and female hormones, but women who have PCOS have higher levels of male hormones and experience irregular or absent menstrual cycles and small cysts on their ovaries.  It is estimated that 5-10% of women who are of childbearing age have PCOS.

Women with PCOS who become pregnant may experience more health problems than the general population including:

• High blood sugar levels which can lead to diabetes

• Pregnancy-induced high blood pressure

• Miscarriage

• Premature delivery

• Pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure, protein traces in the urine)

• Macrosomia (a newborn with an excessive birth weight)

All of these serious problems are yet more evidence that it is extremely important to address PCOS and make the lifestyle changes necessary to reverse it and the underlying cause of insulin resistance.  This is vital to prevent the health issues that can compromise long-term wellness for both mother and child during and after pregnancy.

Insulin resistance reduces the insulin sensitivity of your cell walls.  Glucose has to pass through the cells walls to be converted to energy.  Insulin assists this process.  When the cells walls have become de-sensitized to insulin by insulin resistance, the process can break down.  Glucose cannot get into the cell, and remains in the blood stream, causing elevated blood sugar levels.  This process can lead to weight gain and obesity, key factors in creating PCOS.

Metformin (Glucophage) is a drug often prescribed for women with PCOS who are trying to get pregnant, and in the early stages of pregnancy.  Metformin improves the cell’s response to insulin, and helps move glucose into the cell.  As a result, the body will not be required to make as much insulin, and helps to balance the hormones in PCOS.  Weight loss through exercise and changes in diet and lifestyle can also be effective in treatment for PCOS and pregnancy.  Women should seek out the specialist who can provide nutritional and exercise guidelines to enhance their weight loss success.  This is critical for the health of the women and her baby.

Dr. Jane Frederick, Reproductive Endocrinologist at HRC Fertility in Southern California. For more information, visit  http://www.havingbabies.com/.

From the time children drop their first few coins into a piggy bank, they are ready to learn about setting savings goals and making smart spending decisions. While kids may struggle with giving up a candy bar today in order to save for a video game purchase next month, the lesson of saving becomes directly applicable to them.

But the bite of inflation? The wisdom of diversifying savings? Can a third grader understand these concepts?

The experts say yes, and the sooner parents start imparting these lessons, the more effective they will be in helping children grow into financially responsible young adults. The trick is to take advantage of teachable “money moments” that happen every day – such as when you go to the bank or the grocery store – to help children understand complex concepts in kid-friendly terms.

When a son questions his mother’s refusal to buy a toy she says the family cannot afford, the mother has the perfect opportunity to teach the son a money lesson about making choices. She can explain that purchasing that specific toy means there is less money to be used for future purchases, such as buying a bicycle or a video game the son has on his wish list.

Another example would be if a daughter asks her father why the family can’t fly instead of driving a great distance for the family vacation. This question presents an opportunity to explain spending tradeoffs the daughter can understand. For example, the amount required for airline tickets may mean the vacation budget can’t allow for swimming with dolphins or a visit to the amusement park.

“If children are included in family financial discussions, such as planning for a fun vacation or purchasing a high-cost toy, then parents can begin to place daily spending decisions in a context their child will understand,” says Stuart Ritter, CFP, a family financial expert with T. Rowe Price, and father of three. “Teaching children to set savings goals and make decisions about money that align with those goals is much easier when the discussion is concrete rather than abstract.”

Inflation and diversification may be more difficult for children to grasp. In fact, some adults may have trouble defining these concepts. Simple explanations may work, such as explaining that college will cost a lot more several years from today, which means saving and investing differently for that goal than one would for a smaller item, such as a skateboard to be purchased in six months.

A complementary approach is to introduce children to games that teach basic money lessons. One example is the game “The Great Piggy Bank Adventure” at www.GreatPiggyBankAdventure.com. T. Rowe Price collaborated with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Online to produce this free online board game, which conveys basic financial concepts in a way that is fun and easy for kids to understand.

To extend the lessons from the game, parents can also download a free “Journey to Your Dream Goal” activity book from www.FamilyFinancialHub.com. Puzzles, games, and tricky challenges help guide kids through the process of making smart financial decisions.

To get your child started with saving and money lessons, visit www.FamilyFinancialHub.com.