Easy Ways to Prepare Your Home for Winter

Decking the halls with boughs of holly isn’t the only preparation you have to keep in mind this winter. Enjoy a safe and cozy home this holiday season when you follow these tips:

Image Source: Flickr

Prep the Plumbing

Drain the water from your outdoor faucets and garden hoses and arrange to have any in-ground sprinkler pipes blown out. Roll up the garden hoses and store them inside. Identify any “problem” pipes that are prone to freezing in the house and consider using heat tape to keep them warm during extremely cold weather. If the worst happens, ensure everyone in the family knows how to turn off the water at the source. This will minimize leaking when and if a pipe bursts. Source: HGTV

Inspect the Roof

Moving to the outside of the home, you should do a quick check of the roof. Either hire someone to inspect the roof if you are not comfortable safely doing this yourself, or inspect it yourself, wearing well-fastened shoes with non-skid soles.

• Check the roof for missing or damaged shingles, and have them replaced.
• Check flashing around chimneys and other roof projections, which are often the source of leaks. Have repairs made, if necessary.
• Make sure gutters and downspouts are clean, having no Wet leaves remaining in the gutters over winter add significant weight and volume to the gutter when frozen and increase the risk of damage. Source: TheSpruce

Seal Air Leaks

We talk about this a lot, but it is hugely important for your energy savings to ensure there are no air leaks in your home. Warm air will escape out of any cracks and can make your heating system work harder and cost you more to heat your home.  Use caulk to seal cracks and openings between stationary house components like a door frame and weatherstripping to seal components that move like an operable window. Source: Energy

Take more pleasure in spending time indoors with your loved ones as you laze on a clean and damage-free carpet. If your carpet needs a repair, feel free to call us today!

The post Easy Ways to Prepare Your Home for Winter appeared first on Curlys Carpet Repair.

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How to Build Self-Assessment Into Jampacked High School Classes

It’s Time For A Deeper Conversation About How Schools Use Technology

School leaders are bringing technology into classrooms more than ever before, often concerned that without access to the tools of the modern work world students will be unprepared when they leave school. But recent studies about the effect of technology on achievement have shown uninspiring results, reinvigorating the conversation about how technology is used in classrooms. Educators who have been active in this space for many years have long known that technology can be used to connect students to the broader world, give them tools to create new and interesting learning artifacts, and open up a world of digital resources. But, technology can also be used to replicate the activities and tests that have always been used in the classroom. The tension between what technology could do and what it is often used for in classrooms is at the heart of a debate over whether all the money pumped into technology is worth it.

Kristina Rizga dives into this debate in an article for Mother Jones that looks at Summit Public Schools, a charter network with major Silicon Valley backing. Summit is seen by many in education as carefully walking a middle road between two theories of education reform Stanford education professor emeritus Larry Cuban calls “efficiency-driven reform” and “student-centered reform” based on personalized learning, a term that has become increasingly vague. But not every school interested in “personalizing learning” with technology has the resources and vision of Summit Public Schools. Rizga writes:

Nationally, a 2017 study from the RAND Corporation funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation looked at 40 schools implementing tech-infused personalized-learning programs—all also funded by Gates—for at least one year. While researchers found that personalized learning did lead to modest gains in test scores, none of the schools trying out the approach looked that different from traditional ones: Teachers tailored lessons to individual students to a similar degree, and students had roughly the same amount of choices in the classrooms compared with traditional schools. On top of that, educators complained they didn’t have enough time to plan individualized lessons, and that the constraints of standardized outcomes to measure success made personalization difficult. Researchers concluded that the latest trend in education “may not work everywhere, and it requires careful thought about the context that enables it to work well.”

The Summit Public Schools approach is still relatively new in the education world, and fairly untested. Some educators and parents see that as a reason to slow tech-driven experiments until they have been better studied and tested. Others see a changing economy that is quickly leaving many behind and believe it’s time for dramatic changes, with no time to wait. Many technology-driven initiatives in schools are not doing very much to change what and how kids learn, but some are. And how will teachers know how to integrate technology well, without a little trial and error? The Summit Public Schools model has changed over the past decade as the educators working there recognize their students need different things. How can educators across the country embody this type of iteration without being slammed for “experimenting on kids”?

Inside Silicon Valley’s big-money push to remake American education

On a chilly winter morning in a tiny pocket of Silicon Valley known as North Fair Oaks, Everest Public High School is buzzing with energy. Out front, a tall, skinny teen jumps out of a black Porsche SUV; moments later, three young women in matching black hoodies stream out of the front seat of a Toyota pickup that’s filled with trowels, buckets, and a ladder.

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4 Tools to Help Kids Develop Empathy and Cultural Humility

Humility is not necessarily about modesty or pretending to be less than you are. In fact, people who are humble often have a high sense of self-worth; it’s just that they can recognize their own strengths and limitations. Research about humility also suggests a strong connection between being humble and being generous. For kids growing up in a media-driven world that often rewards narcissism, humility has become a way to stand up and stand out, like this valedictorian student who used a secret Instagram profile to sing the praises of his peers.

But there’s a specific aspect of humility that’s especially relevant today: cultural humility. This is when we recognize that we have biases and limitations to our knowledge regarding another’s culture. Whether they are seeking to relate to someone of a different race, age, or gender, kids who can better keep themselves in perspective and practice cultural humility are more likely to value the contributions of others to their lives — a necessity when fostering truly collaborative, forward-thinking societies.

Check out these picks to help kids reflect on their own views and work toward the welfare of others.

Global Oneness Project

This site showcases multicultural life stories through short videos and photo essays. Kids can view a film about the effects of climate change on a local community or explore an article uncovering a culture on the edge of extinction. Once kids have had a chance to observe experiences outside their everyday reality, challenge them to go out into their own neighborhood, find an unexpected or inspiring story, and create a video that captures their own community in a new light.

 

Gapminder

With Gapminder, kids can analyze data from interactive, animated charts to compare regions of our planet based on topics like health, fertility, literacy, debt, and more. Have kids try out Dollar Street, a feature that contains photos and information for 264 families across 50 countries — all sorted by income. Kids can compare their own families to ones across the world who live at the same income level. They’ll get to reflect on everyday life and how it looks similar and different, as well as acknowledge any stereotypes they may have.

 

Big History Project

This fascinating site looks at science, history, and the meaning of life from a broad lens and ultimately asks questions such as, “Why are we here?” The goal is to step back and look at Earth’s pivotal moments and people from a wider perspective so that the smallest details begin to make more sense. Kids and adults alike will appreciate the opportunity to look beyond themselves, and through discussion with each other, can begin to make predictions about the next transformative event in Earth’s future.

 

Parable of the Polygons

Through an interactive simulation, Parable of the Polygons stimulates thought around the connection between people’s biases and segregation. Kids drag and drop shapes that represent different racial groups to show how individual choices about where to live can drive others away from diverse neighborhoods. After analyzing the scenarios, the site asks us to challenge our own biases through our actions moving forward. Kids can also reach out and donate to diversity causes like Black Girls Code.

This article’s content is an extension of the We All Teach SEL blog series from Common Sense Education. Check it out for a complete look at social and emotional learning in the classroom.

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How Making Art Helps Teens Better Understand Their Mental Health

Balsamic Blackberry Vegan Cheesecakes

This post was created in partnership with Oregon Fruit. All opinions are our own.

“Learn how to cook–try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!” -Julia Child

Recently I was asked the question, “How has having a baby affected the way you cook?” After thinking a minute, I replied, “Not much, really.” It’s not at all what I expected in adding a tiny human to our lives. But Alex and I have made cooking such a part of our routine that adding a baby didn’t rock it much at all. Cooking has become a part our life rhythm. It’s so much a part of life that after bringing our son Larson home from the hospital, I was dying to get into the kitchen again. Cooking makes us feel grounded and at home. We want to cook, instead of feeling like we’re trying to fit it in. In my speaking engagements lately about how to cook more, one of my biggest tips is: Cooking should be fun. It might not be every moment, but what about approaching it with a sense of fun? Why not involve other people in the process, in the tasting and eating? Why not view it as a fun challenge, that results in a delicious, nourishing meal? (This is also a big reason we wrote our new cookbook, Pretty Simple Cooking.)

Now that Larson is old enough to eat food that we eat, I’m over the moon excited when he likes a recipe I’ve created. And guess what? He is absolutely in love with these blackberry vegan cheesecakes! They’re chock full of good-for-you ingredients: cashews, pecans, oats, coconut oil, blackberries, balsamic vinegar, and a bit of maple syrup. The balsamic vinegar adds a tartness and a shine to the fruit, a trick that we learned from Italian cuisine. What makes these vegan cheesecakes? (It’s actually also raw cheesecake!) The filling is made of soaked cashews, which creates a creamy center. Blended together with some blackberries, maple syrup, and balsamic vinegar, it makes a lovely sweet-tart purple cream. These vegan cheesecakes are elegant enough for a Thanksgiving or Christmas spread, but tasty enough for an 8-month old. He’d say two thumbs up, if he had enough fine motor control!

These vegan cheesecakes use a product we’re new to: canned fruit. Typically we only use blackberries in the summer months, or opt for frozen blackberries for smoothies. And I’ll be honest: usually we don’t think of using fruit in cans. However, we’ve been introduced to Oregon Fruit canned fruit, which we used for this recipe. Canned fruit is an easy way to incorporate the flavor and nutrients of fresh fruit; it’s available nationwide and year round. Oregon Fruit is packed in the USA during the summer for maximum ripeness and flavor. Some other great features: it’s non-GMO and there’s no High Fructose Corn Syrup or BPA in the cans. We loved using the blackberries for this dessert where they’re blended together; they’re also great for blending into smoothies. And while the berries are a bit delicate, but we even got them to work as a lovely topping for our cheesecakes!

Why did we make these cheesecakes vegan and gluten-free? Alex and I (and Larson) eat both dairy and gluten, but lately we’ve been eating more vegan (plant-based) meals on the regular. And for the holiday season ahead, it’s fantastic to have recipes that fit many diets at once. Let us know if you try them out–and especially, if you have fun making them!

Looking for vegan desserts? 

We love vegan desserts as they work for guests with various diets. Here are a few of our favorite vegan desserts:

• Bliss Bites (most popular)
• Fudgy Vegan Brownies
• Blood Orange Granita

Did you make this recipe?

If you make our blackberry balsamic vegan cheesecakes, we’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment below or share a picture on Instagram and mention @acouplecooks and @oregonfruitproducts.

This recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, plant-based, dairy-free, and naturally sweet.

Balsamic Blackberry Vegan Cheesecakes

 

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Note: The canned blackberries we've used for these vegan cheesecakes come in a light sugar syrup. We've drained out the syrup for this recipe, and the berries have little to no added sugar (tasting them proves quite tart!).

by: a Couple Cooks

Serves: 20 mini cheesecakes

What You Need

• For the crust
• ½ cup pecans
• 1 cup oats
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• For the filling
• 1 cup cashews
• 1 15-ounce can Oregon Fruit blackberries (whole berries in light syrup)
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar

What To Do

1. Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with water; soak for 2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and cool for a minute or two. In a food processor, blend the pecans, oats, coconut oil, maple syrup, and kosher salt. Blend until fully pulverized and a sticky mixture forms, scraping down as necessary.
3. In a non-stick mini muffin tin (spray or oil the tin if not non-stick), place a heaping ½ tablespoon of the crust mixture into each cup and pack it down, to make 20 in all (leave the last 4 cups empty). Save the remainder of the crust for the topping.
4. Wipe out the bowl of the food processor. Drain the berries. In the food processor, blend the soaked cashews, ¾ cup blackberries, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and balsamic vinegar. Blend for several minutes until very smooth and creamy.
5. Place the remaining berries in a bowl and very gently drizzle them with a glug of maple and a small sprinkle of balsamic vinegar.
6. To the mini muffin tin, add a heaping tablespoon of the blackberry filling on top of each crust. Garnish each with the remaining crust crumbles and 1 blackberry. (Save the remaining blackberries for future use.)
7. Freeze the cheesecakes for 1 hour until set, then transfer them to the refrigerator until serving. To remove, use a spoon or sharp small knife to release one edge of the cheesecake by pulling towards you, which should release the remaining sides and twist the cheesecake out of the tin. Serve chilled for best results (cheesecakes can sit at room temperature, but the texture becomes looser as they sit). Remaining cheesecakes can be frozen for 1 to 2 months; thaw in the refrigerator before serving.

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A Couple Cooks - Recipes for Healthy & Whole Living

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Ten Years!!!