【推荐2】Is your teen bored after school? Perhaps it’s time to consider signing up for an activity. Here are some for young teenagers to participate in after school.

MUSIC AND ARTS

For your child, growing into a young adult may be all about changes. They may start to feel awkward while expressing new tastes and styles.

Luckily, music and arts offer great outlets to help channel their energy and frustrations in a creative method. Not to mention, they both strengthen creative thinking and math skills which can help build on all their subjects.

SPORTS

Participating in sports is much more than just losing weight. For most teens, there are plenty of sports-based activities for boys and girls after school. With sports programs, there are plenty of chances for teens to work together while building strength and leadership skills in co-operation.

If your teenager’s school doesn’t offer school clubs, you can always try the local parks and recreation department activities.

TUTOR OR OTHER AFTER-SCHOOL JOBS

What’s better than learning in school? Helping other students learn. If your kid has a good command of certain school subjects, it may be a great choice for them to help tutor younger students in their off time, getting some income.

If tutoring is not your child’s strong suit, consider helping them apply for an after-school job. These jobs help teens learn real world skills and they look great on college applications.

VOLUNTEER WORK

Volunteer work is constantly on the rise with plenty of chances for your teen to get involved. Working on volunteer projects will not only give your child a positive sense of accomplishment but also provide beneficial experiences for your kid’s college application to help the approval process.

From packing food at the local food storage to walking animals at a local animal center, there are always chances, no matter what your child's interests are. Check with your local town hall for more chances for your teen to participate in.

【推荐1】Christmas is coming, and it is time to warm yourself and head out to see some festive lights. There are plenty of choices when it comes to following a light path as part of your Christmas celebrations.

Oxford Street

Oxford Street’s festive lights are a treat for the eyes this year. However you’ll have to pick your hours carefully as the lights—which we returned on at the start of November—are only on for eight hours a day this year, from 3-11 pm, in the wake of the rising energy costs the country is facing. It is expected this will reduce energy usage by up to two thirds compared to previous years, when the lights have been on for 24 hours through November and December.

Kew Garden

One of the most famous light paths of the season, Christmas at Kew offers a full-on festive experience with over 2 km of lights to walk through. Along the way you’ll have the chance to sample festive food and drink, and possibly even say hello to Santa himself.

Regent Street

Regent Street’s lights are on the theme of The Spirit Of Christmas this year, bringing golden angels to the shopping street. The lights, which cover Regent Street and the St James neighbourhoods, were turned on on November 9, and like the Oxford St lights are turned on between 3 and 11 pm.

Covent Garden

A visit to Covent Garden will certainly get you in the festive spirit this year, with the central London destination offering a whole lot of lights—from 11 am until midnight every day until January 3. Visitors can also enjoy daily snow showers as well as festive food treats and heated wine—with over 40 different varieties there.

【推荐2】A survey of 2,000 parents of primary and secondary school children found 34 percent were out of their depth with primary school homework and unable to help their child.

Trigonometry (三角学) provided the biggest headache, with 52 percent of parents unable to help, followed by algebra (代数), which left 46 percent confused. 39 percent of parents could not calculate Pi (π) and 35 percent did not understand the periodic table. Foreign languages stumped many, with 31 percent unable to ask for directions in French. The English language also proved a struggle, with 21 percent no longer knowing the difference between a noun, verb and adjective.

As for history, 19 percent said they did not know the beginning and end dates of the world wars. On average, parents spent four hours a week attempting to tutor (辅导) their children, according to the survey by MyTutor, a company that links families with private tutors. About 73 percent ended up arguing with their children over homework and 87 percent believed schoolwork had become more challenging than the work they completed when they were at school.

Families turned to schools for extra help, with 19 percent of parents saying they had requested this from their child’s school. Thirty-nine percent said not enough support was provided. Florence Milner, a manager at MyTutor, said, “Even though most parents devote a significant amount of time weekly to helping their children with schoolwork, it’s not surprising that many find the task challenging.” Schools can use the National Tutoring Programme to support pupils they believe are most in need, but government funding has dropped this academic year from 60 to 50 percent of the cost.

Some studies have suggested that homework has little impact on a child’s progress at primary school, but helps at secondary school. The Education Endowment Foundation, which provides evidence to help improve teaching, said homework has a positive impact, particularly at secondary level, but warned that some pupils may not have a quiet space for home learning.