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PAGE 8B — THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. AUGUST 4, 2016
Indicators of kids’ readiness for kindergarten
Kindergarten can be a
pivotal time in a young
child's life. Although many
kids attend preschool or
receive guided learning at
home, kindergarten marks
students’ first official foray
into the classroom. This is
an exciting time for kids
and parents, and also one
that may be fraught with
nerves. That is especially
true for parents who are not
quite sure if their children
are ready to begin their aca
demic careers.
While many school dis
tricts mandate that students
must be at least five years
old to begin kindergarten,
age is not the only factor
to consider when gauging
kids’ readiness for school.
Child-education experts
note that there is no sin
gle factor that determines
kids’ readiness for school,
but rather there is a host
of factors that, when taken
together, can help parents
determine if their youngster
is ready for the rigors of the
classroom. The following
are some factors parents
can consider as they try to
determine if their children
are ready to enroll in kin
dergarten.
•Separation anxiety: Does
your child handle separa
tion well, or is he or she
prone to meltdowns each
time you leave for even
a short period of time?
School requires kids to
spend several hours away
from home and away from
their parents, and parents
might need to take steps to
increase youngsters’ com
fort levels away from home
before school begins.
•Follows instructions:
Experts at BabyCenter.com
advise that children who
are able to listen to sim
ple instructions and follow
them will be more apt to
thrive in classroom settings.
They also will be more
capable of keeping up with
teachers and peers.
•Self-sufficiency: Has
your child exhibited signs
that he or she can be self-re
liant? This includes putting
on his or her coat, dressing
himself or herself and being
able to use the bathroom on
his or her own. If not. then
you might need to work on
the child's self-sufficiency
before school begins.
•Cursory knowledge of
letters/numbers: While chil
dren on the verge of enter
ing kindergarten need not
be experts in language and
mathematics, kindergar
ten curricula has become
more rigorous thanks to
the implementation of
new standards. As a result,
children should be able to
recognize some letters and
numbers before starting
school. They do not neces
sarily have to enter school
knowing them all or being
able to read fluently, but the
more familiar they are with
language and mathematics
the more likely they are to
have a successful year in
kindergarten.
•Coping strategies:
Parenting experts affili
ated with Care.com say
that children on the verge
of entering kindergarten
should be able to control
their emotions to a certain
extent. While children may
occasionally cry in the kin
dergarten classroom, it’s
important that your child be
able to cope with some of
the ups and downs of class
room life without shedding
tears.
•Interest in learning:
Another indicator of school
readiness is a general inter
est in learning. Children
who like hearing stories,
enjoy participating in dis
cussions and activities and
are stimulated by informa
tion and interactions with
others are probably ready
to begin their academic
careers.
Kindergarten readiness
can be determined by many
factors. Age alone does not
dictate a child’s readiness,
as there are many additional
potential indicators that can
help parents determine if
their youngsters are ready
to begin school.
Forage sorghum a viable option for Georgia cattlemen
With water use and rising
expenses a concern, forage
sorghum is a cheaper, more
effective alternative for Geor
gia cattlemen feeding dairy
cows, according to University
of Georgia animal and dairy
scientist John Bernard.
UGA scientists are study
ing the effects of forage sor
ghum as a dietary supple
ment for dairy cows. Forage
sorghum has multiple bene
fits that make it an attractive
option: It’s drought tolerant,
can be harvested twice in the
same growing season in the
southern part of the state and
supports equal milk produc
tion to those cows fed com,
Bernard concludes.
“It’s a nice fit for those
cattlemen who are stretched
thin. In some areas, they can’t
water well enough to pro
duce a top-notch com crop.
Forage sorghum might be a
very good option because of
its greater efficiency in using
water,” Bernard said.
Corn silage is greatly
dependent upon water to pro
duce an adequate crop. For
age sorghum, on the other
hand, requires less water, an
important factor when rain
fall is limited. Bernard reports
forage sorghum requires 30
percent to 50 percent less
water than com.
“Forage sorghum will sit
there and hibernate until we
get some rain. The impact on
com is much more negative.
It will either kill it or stunt it
to the point we can’t recov
er yield as well as with for
age sorghum," Bernard said.
“You've got a better likeli
hood of producing a crop in
drought-like conditions with
forage sorghum.”
He said forage sorghum
would be especially benefi
cial for producers who farm
on dry land or in fields where
irrigation access is limited.
The development of new
varieties has advanced forage
sorghum production, specifi
cally the brachytic dwarf vari
eties that possess the brown
midrib (BMR) trait, which
increases fiber digestibility
in the cows. Traditional sor
ghum grows up to 12 feet tall.
It is susceptible to falling over
or lodging, if it encounters
any type of wind, which can
be a problem during harvest
time.
At six feet, the new dwarf
varieties are much shorter, but
produce similar yields as the
taller sorghum with more leaf
per unit of dry matter.
Forage sorghum is also
capable of producing ade
quate yields twice in a grow
ing season. Bernard said that
forage sorghum can be cut,
refertilized and grown to be
harvested a second time, if
it's planted early enough.
The resulting crop is just as
effective at supporting milk
production as it was the first
time it was harvested. Also,
harvesting forage sorghum
twice saves time and money
for farmers who attempt to
produce com twice in a year.
"You don’t have to spend
money on fuel to replant the
crop and you don’t have to
buy seed to replant,” Bernard
said.
One drawback to forage
sorghum is the rise of the
sugarcane aphid. Bernard
said the pest has changed
its diet to sorghum crops
in recent years, which has
forced breeders to research
for sorghum-based breeding
lines that are more tolerant of
the pest. Chemical treatments
are available to spray and
provide control of the insect,
which also requires a rigorous
scouting schedule.
"If you don’t catch it, it can
significantly alter the nutrient
quality as well as the yield of
the forage sorghum,” Bernard
said. "Everybody is a little
leery at the moment. It adds
cost to production. It increas
es the complexity of growing
this crop.”
Despite the dangers linked
to sugarcane aphids, Bernard
believes forage sorghum
remains a viable alternative
for Georgia farmers to con
sider. Years of research con
clude that cows produced
equal amounts of milk after
consuming forage sorghum
when compared to those who
were fed com.
"It may not be the option
for everyone, but it’s another
option to look at,” Bernard
said.
Clint Thompson is a news
editor with the University of
Georgia College of Agricul
tural and Environmental Sci
ences based in Tifton.
How to recognize water damage in a home
Homes are potentially sus
ceptible to a host of problems.
While unforeseen problems
can prove costly, homeown
ers who keep attentive eyes
on their homes can often
times discover small prob
lems before they escalate.
Water damage is a poten
tially costly problem that can
afflict any home. Old homes
tend to be most susceptible to
water damage, and that dam
age can manifest itself in var
ious ways. The following are
some telltale signs of water
damage that should give pro
spective home buyers pause
and compel current home-
owners to seek professional
assistance as soon as possible.
STAINS
Many prospective home
buyers have been disappoint
ed by the sight of water stains
during an open house or
home inspection. Water stains
tend to be on ceilings and/
or walls. Stains on ceilings
tend to be round, while wall
stains are straight lines down
the wall that may or may
not have forced paint to peel.
Water stains are not necessar
ily indicative of a major prob
lem, but homeowners should
have the stains examined by
a professional while poten
tial buyers should direct their
home inspector’s attention to
the stains.
DETERIORATING
WOOD
Wood around windows or
doors that is deteriorating
may indicate water prob
lems. The wood might be
deteriorating because water
is infiltrating the wood during
storms. Baseboards and
molding that is dilapidated or
beginning to deteriorate may
also indicate water damage.
BUCKLED DRYWALL
OR WOOD
Drywall or wood that is
buckled or beginning to buck
le is another potential indica
tor of water damage. Drywall
buckles when it gets wet, and
that is often a sign that there
is a leak behind the drywall.
Severely buckled drywall
will feel as if it has ridges.
Wood also buckles when it is
exposed to excess moisture,
and this can usually be felt
when walking on the wood
barefoot or in socks.
ODOR
Sometimes water damage
is best detected by the smell
test. Homeowners who notice
the smell of mold or mil
dew in rooms that previously
never emanated such odors
might have homes that are
in the early stages of water
problems. The water damage
might be behind the walls,
where mold is beginning to
form thanks to water dam
age. Older homes tend to be
musty, but call in a profes
sional if you notice that must
iness if more pungent than
usual.
Water damage is a poten
tially costly problem, espe
cially if it goes unnoticed
for months or even years.
Homeowners and prospective
home buyers should be on
the lookout for signs of water
damage before problems
escalate and require expen
sive repairs.
How new parents can
squeeze in physical
New parents face a host of challenges upon bringing
their bundles of joy home for the first time. One of those
challenges is altering their lifestyles so they can more
capably tend to their child’s needs.
Though expecting parents no doubt anticipate chang
ing their lifestyles to accommodate their growing fami
lies, few may know the specifics of how their lifestyles
will change. Though each couple is different, many cou
ples see their exercise habits change dramatically upon
the birth of their child. A 2011 study from researchers at
the University of Minnesota found that both mothers and
fathers had lower amounts of physical activity compared
with nonparents. Mothers who participated in the study
reported engaging in 2.36 hours of moderate-to-vigorous
physical activity, or MVPA, per week, while women
without children reported engaging in 3.19 hours of
MVPA per week. The disparity was even greater among
fathers, who reported getting 5.33 hours of MVPA per
week compared to 6.89 hours of MVPA per week for
men without children.
Finding time to exercise can be difficult for anyone.
But new parents may find it especially difficult to get
daily physical activity. While the following ideas may
not replace the vigorous workouts new parents are
accustomed to, they may help men and women maintain
healthy body weights.
•Skip shortcuts. Physical activity can be embraced
just about anywhere. Though you may be used to daily
workouts at the gym, such excursions may no longer fit
into your schedule. To counter your reduced hours at
the gym, skip the shortcuts you have grown accustomed
to taking. For example, take the stairs up to your office
instead of the elevator and park further away so you
can squeeze in some cardiovascular exercise. Skipping
shortcuts is a great way to bum calories and can help
you maintain a healthy weight even if you are no longer
pushing yourself to the limit at the gym each day.
•Spread your workouts out over the course of the day.
Many people tend to get all of their daily physical activ
ity in one fell swoop. But that’s mainly done for conve
nience and not necessarily effectiveness. Workouts can
still be effective if you spread them out over the course
of the day. Exercising in small intervals throughout the
day may help you maintain your energy throughout the
day, and that should be especially appealing to parents
of newborns. Squeeze in a quick workout each time
your child naps throughout the day, and do your best to
meet your daily quota while your spouse is tending to
the baby.
•Continue setting fitness goals. Once your child comes
home, it's easy to fall into a routine that does not include
exercise. But your long-term health depends on a host of
factors, including how physically active you are. Keep
setting fitness goals even if it seems like you will have no
time once your child is bom. These goals can motivate
you to find time for exercise no matter how much your
lifestyle has changed.
•Take your child along. When the weather permits,
include your child in your exercise routine by taking the
baby along with you on walks or bike rides. Purchase a
fitness stroller so you can continue to jog even while you
look after your child.
New parents need not abandon their exercise routines
upon welcoming their child into the world. A concerted
effort on the parts of moms and dads can ensure they
continue to get adequate exercise each day.
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