skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Simple Tips to Start the School Year Off Right

play audio
Play

Monday, August 22, 2011   

PORTLAND, Ore. - A good night's sleep and a backpack that isn't too heavy. Those are the first two health-related components of a successful school year for Oregon kids.

For most families, fall means earlier bedtimes for kids, and experts say the sooner the new routine is established, the better. Health educator Denise Johnson with CareOregon says grade-school children need up to 11 hours of sleep, and older kids need nine hours. She suggests starting now.

"The payoff is not being sleepy once school starts. It takes awhile for the body to get used to new routines. If you start a week or two ahead of time, that first week is going to be much easier - for you and your child."

Dr. Kevin Smith, a sleep specialist, says reducing a child's exposure to light 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime will help, and that includes the artificial light from television and computer screens.

"Light affects our body, our sleep-wake cycles. Exposure to light late in the evening can delay our body's ability to fall asleep."

Another suggestion for a smooth school-year transition is having kids read or do the types of things in the morning that they typically would be doing in school, to get them into a more academic frame of mind.

A backpack or book bag is on many school supply lists this fall. Most shoppers look at style and color without considering the effect on young shoulders and backs when the bag is stuffed full, Johnson with CareOregon says.

"With the books in the backpack, it shouldn't weigh any more than 10 percent to 20 percent of your child's body weight. For example, if your child weighs 65 pounds, a full backpack shouldn't weigh more than 13 pounds."

She also suggests parents remind their kids to use both shoulder straps to distribute the weight more evenly. Rolling suitcase-style backpacks are an option, as well, she says, unless they have to be lugged up and down stairs or rolled through snow.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021