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Three cities worth visiting in Poland

Reviews · May 21, 2020

Poland is an interesting holiday destination, particularly for those who prefer sightseeing and active recreation to sunbathing at the swimming pool. Check out which cities are particularly worth visiting in Poland.

Poland is a country that has a lot to offer to travelers. Although it lacks the huge holiday resorts which can be found in other European countries, you will surely find a great deal of interesting, worth visiting places here.

Kraków / Cracow

Kraków is a former capital city of Poland and an unquestionable number one destination in the country on the Vistula River (Polish: Wisła). For many of those who have already visited this place, it is a real gem of Central Europe. One of the most famous and most impressive sights is the Wawel Royal Castle. It is not far this place to the Main Market Square (Polish: Rynek Główny), where you can admire not only outstanding urban architecture but also eat something delicious in one of the restaurants offering the traditional Polish cuisine. The Main Market Square also hosts a renowned gothic church – Saint Mary’s Basilica (Polish: Kościół Mariacki) and an iconic market place – Cloth Hall (Polish: Sukiennice). Kraków is also a great starting point. It is located not far from the Wieliczka Salt Mine, the ruins of 14th-century Ogrodzieniec castle, or even the town of Zakopane, which tourists love so much. Yes, Kraków is definitely a must-see place in Poland!

Warszawa / Warsaw

The capital of Poland is another place that deserves to be part of your itinerary. The city was almost totally destroyed in 1944 and later it was successively rebuilt. It is currently the biggest urban area in the country. When you are in Warsaw, it is good to visit the Old Town Market Square (Polish: Rynek Starego Miasta), where you can admire beautiful 17th – 18th-century townhouses. Another must-see is the Royal Baths Park (Polish: Park Łazienkowski, Łazienki Królewskie), which used to be a summer residence of Polish kings. Saska Kępa is another place with an amazing atmosphere. The museums which are worth visiting include the National Museum, Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów, Zachęta, Warsaw Rising Museum, Museum of Modern Art, and many others. When you need a moment of relaxation after the whole day of sightseeing, it is good to see areas near the Vistula River (Polish: Wisła).

Wrocław

Wroclaw is a city located not far from the German border. The most admirable place in this town is its oldest part, which is Ostrów Tumski, featuring the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, a Gothic church with neo-Gothic additions. Wroclaw is one of the leading European countries taking into account the number of … bridges. One of the most famous ones is the Penitent Bridge (Polish: Mostek Pokutnic), with a stunning view of the city. Wrocław’s dwarfs are its characteristic feature as they can be found all around the city. Their origins go back to the 1980s. The dwarfs are a symbol of the Orange Alternative, the Polish anti-communist movement, and their protest against the communist rule.

How to prepare for a visit to Poland?

It should not be particularly difficult to communicate with the locals in Poland. In most good hotels, restaurants, or resources of cultural interest, the personnel will communicate in English without much problem. It will also be possible to meet a pedestrian capable of giving directions. When you plan sightseeing, it is reasonable to check if the site offers guided tours in English.

When it comes to commuting, the railway is one of the options, although punctuality issues are commonplace. In major cities, public transport – trams or buses – are the best means to reach any place we want. It is good to know that the underground (Metro) operates in Warsaw only. Nonetheless, we recommend renting a car when you are in Poland. It is the most convenient way of traveling, particularly between cities. Car rentals in Poland can be found online without any problem, using local services, such as Fixly, or asking local people.

Poland is not in the Eurozone, so it is a good idea to purchase local currency – zloty [PLN]. This way you will not have any problems with payments when you are here.

Lockibly Activa Fingerprint Smart Lock w/ Mechanical Lock #Review

Reviews · May 2, 2020

I received the below mentioned complimentary product either for free or a discounted price for the purpose of this blog post. All opinions and thoughts are 100% my own.

Security is everything to me. Making sure that my family is safe is the biggest concern for me. Another thing that I need to be is safe, locked and secure is my home. Granted they may only be things but some of those are priceless. There has been way too many break ins in my area for me to feel safe. I live in a elderly community. The thought of changing my lock many times to match my feelings of feeling unsafe is just mind blowing. It is not the thought of changing the lock but the thought that I am always misplacing my keys.

I consider myself to be tech savvy. At least I thought I was. In this day of modern technology, Companies are always coming out with the next best thing that you must have. O.k., I have heard of door locks that you can access with your finger print but I have never saw one up close and personally until now. I have recently been offered the chance to review the Lockibly Activa Fingerprint Smart Lock w/ Mechanical Lock.

Lockibly is a leading security company in North America. They create simple affordable smart locks. Lockibly makes the safest most minimalistic smartlocks. Did you ever come home with your arms full of packages only to have to put them down or be a contortionist to get your keys out to open your door? I want to introduce you to a smartlock that uses either your finger print or key to open your door. People may not be ready for just a finger print to open your door so you have the option to use a key. Talk about being safe and secure. You may thing what if I have other family members? Well, Activa Fingerprint Smart Lock w/ Mechanical Locks state-of-the-art capacitive fingerprint sensor allows lightning fast unlocking under 0.5 seconds. Intelligent algorithm means the lock becomes faster and more accurate with each access. Stores up to 100 different fingerprints.

I think the major thing I love, if I had to pick just one, was the quick, easy to install process. All it takes is a screwdriver and a few screw. Installing it is only 5 minutes. Everyone has 5 minutes. No other tools are needed.

Also it only takes 4 AAA batteries which impressed me. Some may thing well what about the freezing temperature? The finger print reader works in temperatures -20 to -60. The LED lights when a finger print is recognized.

Lockibly even has a lock that opens with either your finger print or by bluetooth. Now that is a lock for modern technology.

All in all, I give the Lockibly Activa Fingerprint Smart Lock w/ Mechanical Lock my thumbs up. I highly encourage you to check out the Lockibly.com website and find the perfect lock for you at an affordable price.

How to Avoid These 9 Homeschool Science Mistakes

2016 Holiday Gift Guide · April 17, 2020

Education has always been a big deal for me. My Dad was working on his doctorate degree when he died Because of this I love reading learning tips. I still use my computer try and learn new things and learn new ideas.

Having taught science to several thousand homeschooling and college students over the past 20+ years, several things stand out to me. I’ve put together a list of 9 homeschool science mistakes and 9 concrete steps we can take to better prepare our budding scientists.

Mistake #1 – Generalizing the names for, and thus the way we teach, science. Call it Biology, Chemistry, Physics, etc. and not “General Science”, “Physical Science”, etc., even in the young grades. Doing this virtually eliminates the intimidation that comes with “Physics” etc. in the high school years and clarifies what you’re teaching in the middle grades.

For example, at College Prep Science, rather than a homeschool year of “Physical Science,” we teach a semester of “Pre-Physics” and a semester of “Pre-Chemistry.” Rather than a homeschool year of “Life Science,” we teach a semester of “Pre-Biology” and a semester of “Pre-Anatomy and Physiology.”

Mistake #2 – Not doing enough testing.

Testing in the sciences prepares our students for the rigors of high school level homeschool science, college science, standardized testing, and assures that they are learning the material and how to take tests. Of course, it should be age-appropriate, but we should be testing.

Mistake #3 – Teaching science year-round.

I know that many parents are proponents of year-round school (no summer break), but I believe it’s actually counter-productive. From experience with thousands of students, I believe that students need to know they can work hard for a prescribed period of time and then have a total break from classes for a while.

Mistake #4 – Not starting the high school sciences early enough.

I know it’s easy to put off starting the high school sciences, but it’s important, especially if the students may be a college science major. Critical decisions should be made going into 8th grade. The critical factor is being ready for standardized testing and being able to fit in the needed sciences in the high school years. High school Biology should be taken in the 9th grade for most students and in the 8th grade for very capable students who will likely be science majors.

Mistake #5 – Not beginning to take the ACT early enough.

Success on this standardized test is critical for college admissions and plays a direct role in how much financial aid a student will receive. Taking these tests twice per year beginning in 9th grade gives students experience and confidence which enables them to do well when they take this test for the final time in 11th or 12th grade. See my article on this topic, “6 Reasons to Ditch the SAT and Laser Focus on the ACT.”

Mistake #6 – Not training students to write good lab reports.

As a college professor, I saw the pain of students who came in as science majors without good lab report writing skills and experience. Students get better at this with experience – there’s no substitute for that. Lab reports are simply the written record of the scientific method. It takes lots of practice to develop the skill needed to do well on these.

Mistake #7 – Not creating a lab manual for every science class.

A lab manual is a collection of observations, data collection, and lab reports from a class. This gives students one place to neatly keep all of this information and gives them a sense of accomplishment. It’s impressive to have them lined-up on a shelf from all of their science classes. It’s also required by some states or umbrella groups for homeschoolers and some colleges want to see lab manuals as evidence of labs being completed.

Mistake #8 – Being squeamish on Creation.

Despite what you may hear in the media and elsewhere, God wrote the book on science. We need to boldly teach our students about God’s creation. Science and the world around us support biblical creation.

Mistake #9 – Not using graphing extensively.

Graphing, when done regularly through the middle and high school grades has a unique ability to develop critical thinking skills in students that not only benefit them in math, science, and academics in general, but also in life! We encourage families to have students construct one graph daily as part of their homeschooling day. They can graph anything. Let them run with it and you will be surprised at how creative they are. The resulting skills can be very beneficial.

Homeschool dad, scientist, and former college professor, Greg Landry, offers live, online homeschool science classes, the Homeschool Mom’s Science Podcast, in-person two-day science lab intensives nationwide, freebies for homeschool moms, and homeschool print publications that students can be a part

How to Help Your Child Land a College Athletic Scholarship

Reviews · April 9, 2020

If your son or daughter is approaching that time in life when college is just on the horizon, there are no doubt countless questions running through your mind. How do you help them pick the right school? What will the application process be like? How are you going to fund their degree?

All these questions and more are sure sources of stress for you and your child. If your son or daughter is hoping to land a spot on an athletic team at their university of choice, things can get a lot more complicated very quickly.

While there are a number of athletic scholarships available to students looking to attend college in the United States, earning one isn’t an easy task. Here are a few things that you should know as you begin this long and complex process.

Minimum Requirements

If your child is hoping to land an athletic scholarship to attend either a Division 1 or Division 2 school, he or she must meet the minimum requirements set out by the NCAA. In addition to being on track to have the right course work completed before entering college, those students who wish to qualify for a scholarship need to demonstrate a higher level of academic achievement.

It is important to know that there is no blanket GPA or SAT score that your child needs to beat in order to earn an athletic scholarship, since each institution has different standards. That being said, the main goal should be for your child to be able to demonstrate that their academics are a top priority. College coaches are meant to keep standards high when it comes to the academic performance of their athletes.

If you do wish to have a specific target for your child to aim for, then you need to reach out to an athletic academic advisor or college coach from the university that he or she wants to play for.

Eligibility

The NCAA has a system called the Eligibility Center (formerly known as the NCAA Clearinghouse) that is designed to verify and track a student athlete’s eligibility to participate in university athletics. Only true amateurs are allowed to play sports for a college team.

There are a number of things that might impact your child’s amateur status. If he or she has ever received money or payment of any kind as compensation for sporting events or for participating on a team, then the NCAA would regard them as a professional athlete. Furthermore, if they have endorsed or promoted a product, then they must also forfeit their amateur status.

With so many rules in place and requirements that must be met, it can be difficult to successfully see your child earn their place on a college sports team. If you still feel in the dark about all that needs to be done, asmscholarships.com is a great resource for students and parents looking to take their best shot at landing a college athletic scholarship.

Help! My Cats Keep Fighting!

Reviews · March 30, 2020

This is every pet owner’s nightmare. You got yourself a pet, enjoyed the experience, and then started to feel guilty about your pet being alone in the house when you’re not there. Because of that, you decided that the best thing for you to do would be to get them some company. If you’re a dog owner, this probably went quite well. Dogs will probably have a few territorial growls at each other, but they’ll quickly adjust to their new scenario and accept it. Cats, on the other hand, might need a little more persuasion – and if you think that persuading cats to do anything is easy, you’ve obviously never had a cat before.

Cats, as has been established several times in the past, are not herd animals. They don’t require – or necessarily even desire – the company of another cat in order for them to live happy, contented lives. They’re more than content to be on their own. They might not even appreciate being interrupted by you very much – some arguments say that cats aren’t really domesticated at all, and only accept food, attention, and love from you because it’s convenient, and it suits them. They’re sassy animals, but that’s why we love them so much.

The other thing about cats is that – perhaps even more so than dogs – they have strong personalities. Putting two cats together is no more a guarantee that they’ll get on than putting two humans together in a room and then locking the door. You have about the same chance of success with randomly putting cats together as you do with trying to persuade matching cat symbols to land in the right sequence in the ‘Kitty Payout’ game that’s popular at so many new website. In fact, if you’re considering disrupting the peace of your existing cat by adding a new one, we’ll guess that you know a thing or two about online slots because you’re clearly a gambler! We’ll try to help you, though. There’s nothing you can do to make success with an online slots game more likely to happen. There are a few ways you might be able to persuade cats to tolerate each other – even if they never fall in love.

Be Sure They’re Actually Fighting

If you’re very lucky, you might not need to take any action at all. What cat owners sometimes perceive to be aggressive behavior is actually play fighting, and it’s a perfectly normal social interaction for cats. There are a few signs you can watch for to determine whether your cats are really trying to take lumps out of each other, or whether they’re just engaging in a little harmless fun. The giveaway is their ears. If the ears are facing forward, your cats are not angry with each other. If they’re pinned back and flat against their head, they’re feeling aggressive. The other obvious ‘tell’ is that when cats are fighting for real, they adopt a defensive stance, like two boxers circling each other. If they’re leaning forward, they’re probably just blowing off steam.

If they are fighting for real, though, then you’re going to need to take action. Here are a few ideas you might want to try.

Trick Them With Tuna Juice

You can bribe a cat to do almost anything. Most of the time, it’s the only way you can get them to obey your instructions at all! Fortunately, bribing them also helps to bring them together. Get both of your cats in the same room and lock the doors, and then put a few drops of tuna juice on their heads, and a few more on their bodies. Your cats will instinctively start trying to lick it off because they love the taste. They won’t be able to lick their own heads, though, and so they’ll have to do each other’s. Not only will they do this willingly (tuna juice is much more important than whatever their petty feud is about), but the grooming process will bring them closer together. Cats that groom together form a bond, and the violence should cease.

Give Them Separate ‘Belongings’

Cats are very territorial. If your first cat has become used to having its own feeding bowl, toys, and litter tray, it won’t take kindly to being asked to share those things with a new cat. In your cat’s mind, those things are his or her own private property, and it doesn’t want to share. Getting them their own cat trees with the assistance of kittycattree.com will help prevent fights over belongings. Get all-new equipment for your new cat, and put it all in a different part of the house. You should find that your first cat carries on using the older things, and your newer cat automatically gravitates toward the newer things because they’re not marked with your first cat’s scent. That should bring the territorial dispute to an end, and peace should break out.

Get Cat Leashes

We may not take cats out for walks in the same way that we take dogs out for walks – a cat can handle a walk all on its own – but you can still buy a leash for your cat. In this case, you’ll want two. If your cats can’t be trusted to be in the same room without starting a fight with each other, you can keep them apart using leashes. Maybe even tie the leashes to furniture at each side of the room, give them both a food bowl and leave them there for a while. They might snarl and hiss at each other, but they’re slowly becoming accustomed to the other cat’s scent and presence. Over time, whether they want to or not, they’ll begin to accept it. You might have to carry on doing this for a while, but it works in the end.

We really hope this article has been useful to you. We know that living in a house with fighting animals is stressful, and it’s not a situation that any of us relish. With a bit of luck, the advice we’ve outlined above will help you to restore law and order in your home sooner rather than later, and your cats will soon become friends!