【推荐2】Marnie Baker, a doctor from Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California, gave us the explanation on growing pains and what parents can do to help their kids through this painful stage of growing up.

“There is no scientific proof that growing pains are truly caused by rapid bone, muscle or ligament (韧带) growth,” said Baker. “But any parent can tell you they are real,” she added. Health experts don’t know the exact cause of growing pains, but they may be linked to a child’s level of activity during the day.

The major symptom of growing pains is discomfort in the lower legs-thighs, calves, behind the knees, ankles-that most often occurs at night. Baker says her patients describe the pain as deep and aching. The pain usually occurs in both legs and it may keep your child from falling asleep or wake him up at night. Growing pains can affect kids when they are between the ages of 0-2 and then again between the ages of 8-12.

“Growing pains have specific features that help distinguish them from other potentially more serious conditions,” noted Baker. They occur in a generalized location, such as both knees, or the lower legs, but not in any one specific spot. Baker explained that there are no physical findings along with growing pains. In other words, there shouldn’t be any sweling (肿胀), redness or warmth in the location of the pain. Growing pains should not cause limping (跛行) or keep kids from being active during the day. They should also occur at intervals, and not for long periods of time. If your child experiences any of these other symptoms or if the symptoms seem to keep them from heading out to play during the day, Baker says it’s time to get them checked out by a doctor.

Growing pains are alarming for parents and upsetting for kids, but the best thing you can do for your kids is to reassure them with a hug or a kiss. To help relieve the pain, try a gentle massage, a few minutes with a heating pad. “Teaching your child that growing pains are common and if they are awakened by them, to give their legs a rub and go back to sleep is the simplest way to ensure a good night’s sleep for all,” says Baker.

【推荐1】Have you imagined making an attractive garden which will be the reason for your neighbors’ envy?

    1     But not every one of them has the talent for making it happen. However, if there’s one thing they DO know, it’s how to make a simple cup of tea. As for the used teabags, most of them find they’re on the landfill site, but no longer! Your used teabag can work wonders in your garden by your simply burying it.     2     Continue to read what it does.

If you have ever tried to grow some seedlings (幼苗), then you know that this can be quite challenging. Not all seeds can grow into seedlings, even though you have tried so hard. But don’t worry. Here is good news.     3     And what you need just involves a used teabag.

By burying a teabag in your garden, you will provide nutrition to the soil, offering necessary food to the plants. In this way, your plants will be healthier and grow quicker. This is because tea works as a natural fertilizer (肥料) for the soil. The teabag itself is usually made from fibres from the abaca plant, which is a type of banana plant. The bag breaks down with its contents.     4    

If you bury a teabag close to the roots of your plants, it will help store water in the soil. If there’s one thing important for plants, it’s water! What’s more, weeds are not wanted in your garden.     5     By burying a used teabag in the earth, you’ll make it a lot harder for the weeds to grow alongside your healthy plants.

【推荐2】Trees have long played a special role in all aspects of human life. In ancient times, trees provided a place for humans to take shelter from storms, heat and even enemies. Today, the importance of trees continues to increase.     1    

Trees provide the necessary oxygen to breathe. Many industrial and development activities add huge quantities of carbon dioxide to the environment. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and in turn release fresh oxygen in the environment.     2     Thus, they are the most important contributors in maintaining the environmental balance.

Trees can prevent soil erosion (侵蚀) and clean soil. Trees bind (捆绑) the soil of the earth tightly.     3     They are highly beneficial for preventing soil erosion. Besides, poisonous chemicals and pollutants from various factories enter into the soil, thus causing soil pollution. Trees have the ability to store them or change them into less harmful forms.

    4     Trees satisfy the need of fuel for cooking in many areas around the world. Trees also provide wood for furniture and hundreds of household items. Wood pulp (浆) is used for making paper in industries. Also, trees produce a number of fruits and nuts which are sold at market. Some trees are even used to make medicines.

Trees provide life to birds and insects.     5     Insects get their food in the form of seeds, buds, and fruits. Thus trees are the most important supporters of life.

【推荐3】Keeping a bit of the outdoors inside is nothing new, but houseplant collections have become a popular social media trend — which means that more people than ever are discovering the comfort and beauty that caring for plants brings.

    1     Exposure to greenery, whether you have indoor plants, take walks outside or tend to a garden, has been found to have multiple mental-health benefits, such as lowering stress, decreasing feelings of depression, increasing sociability, restoring focus, improving cognitive performance, improving mood and increasing self-esteem.

“One study showed that patients at a hospital who had plants in their room reported less pain, lower blood pressure, less fatigue and less anxiety than patients without plants in their rooms,” says Jenny Seham, a New York-based psychologist. She explains: “Cortisol, the stress hormone, has been shown to lower with plant interaction, reducing fatigue, irritability (易怒) and blood pressure.”

Research has also shown that having plants and gardening increase productivity and levels of serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for lifting our mood.     2     And it is also opposed to dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.

Before you fill your space with greenery, consider how you’ll interact with your plants.     3     Can you care for them daily?

If you have a small space or aren’t sure how much time you’re willing to invest in “plant parenting.” Start slow. “    4     It can engage you by its smell or colour, creating a positive mood response with every interaction,” says Seham.