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You do not have to be mysophobic to want to slip on rubber gloves when you enter an airplane cabin.

A new study confirmed that various surfaces in the cabin of a commercial plane have many times the amount of bacteria as an average kitchen counter. But the latest study found that surfaces in airport terminals can have even higher germ counts than those in the planes.

The highest number of colony-forming units of bacteria per square centimetre were found on increasingly popular self-serve ticketing kiosks. 

The website InsuranceQuotes conducted swab tests on the surfaces of three major airports and three airlines and calculated the bacteria or fungal cell counts for several surfaces. InsuranceQuotes would not say what airports and airlines were tested.

The highest germ counts in the planes were on the flush button on the toilets — 95,145 colony-forming units (CFUs), followed by 11,595 CFUs on the tray tables and 1,116 CFUs on the seat buckles, the study said. The typical kitchen counter measures 361 CFU, according to the National Science Foundation.

The highest germ counts in the terminals were found on the screens of airport kiosks, 253,857 CFUs, followed by 21,630 CFUs on bench armrests and 19,181 on drinking-fountain buttons, the study said.

Nearly three years ago, a similar study said the buttons on the drinking fountains in airport terminals had the highest germ count. Since then, airlines including American, Southwest and United have added hundreds of new self-serve kiosks to speed check-ins.

The Red-Haired Woman

Orhan Pamuk

Translated by Ekin Oklap

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2017

Pp. 253

In his latest novel, Orhan Pamuk weaves an intriguing tale full of pathos, impossible love and mystery, but he does not stop at telling a good story. As always in his books, there is a philosophical idea, not just attached to the plot but actually driving it to conclusion. In “The Red-Haired Woman”, this idea is the power of myth and human memory, and the extent to which they can impinge on reality. 

Cem, the protagonist who narrates most of the story, claims that a passage in Sigmund Freud’s book on dreams changed his life forever. The passage in question is about the myth of Oedipus, who unknowingly kills his father and marries his mother. Later Cem discovers the Persian epic, “Shahnameh”, where the hero, Rostam, unknowingly kills his son. Narrating his life in retrospect thirty years later, Cem invites the reader to join his quest for meaning in life, “lured by the enigma of fathers and sons”. (p. 3)

Cem’s obsession with these myths is due to the absence of his father, a leftist who is arrested, imprisoned and tortured after the 1980 military coup. He disappears several times; the last time, he never returns. His mother’s bitter comments make Cem believe that he has gone to live with another woman rather than having been arrested. As the story opens, Cem is a bright teenager and avid reader, who aspires to be a writer.

Since his father’s abandonment leaves them impoverished, Cem is apprenticed to a well-digger at a site 30 kilometers outside of Istanbul, in the hope that he will earn enough to go to cram school and then excel on his university entrance exams. 

This turns out to be more than a summer job. The well-digger to whom he is apprenticed, Master Mahmut, becomes a kind of surrogate father to Cem, showing more interest in him and more concern for his welfare than his own father ever did. He confides in Cem and tells him stories inspired by the Koran, ancient myths and fairy tales, further whetting the boy’s appetite for ancient tales. 

There is also an element of myth and magic to the craft itself: “To work out where to dig for water as they paced the ground, the old masters had to decipher the language of the soil, of the grass, insects, and birds, and detect the signs of rock or clay underfoot.

These particular skills led some of the old well-diggers to become convinced that, like the shamans of Central Asia, they, too, were in possession of supernatural powers and the gift of extrasensory perception, allowing them to commune with subterranean gods and jinn.” (p. 17) 

Cem’s apprenticeship is also pivotal because it is in the nearby small town that he meets the red-haired woman who will have a lasting impact on his life. 

However, Cem’s relationship with Master Mahmut is strained when the digging drags on without finding water. An accident occurs when Master Mahmut is down in the well which makes Cem think that he has inadvertently killed his master. Suddenly, myths become threatening and all too real. Feeling helpless, panicked and guilty, Cem flees the scene and returns to Istanbul, where he tries to pretend nothing has happened. 

Plagued by guilt, he feels himself unfit to be a writer and decides to study geological engineering instead. It takes several years before he manages to feel “normal”; he finishes university, marries a woman he loves and embarks on a successful career as a building contractor. Still, he keeps on seeking out father-son myths in various works of art and literature in different countries, ultimately seeking himself.

Pamuk’s stories often involve Turkey’s position between East and West, but this novel, like “A Strangeness in My Mind” (2015), focuses more on Turkey’s transition from old to new. In the beginning, Cem notes that when he was a boy in the 1980s, Istanbul had a population of 5 million as opposed to 15 million by the time he tells the story. Cem himself embodies the transition from the ancient to modernity.

Beginning as an aspiring writer, obsessed by myths and memory, and engaging in well-digging — a truly ancient endeavour — he eventually becomes a building contractor, and thus part of Turkey’s construction boom and transition to modernity (and urban sprawl). Yet, significantly, myths still matter to him, and he connects them to real life.

Part of the book’s charm is Cem’s (Pamuk’s) intimate and expressive voice, and his detailed recreation of a variety of milieu, urban and rural, especially his magical, semi-metaphysical descriptions of the well-digging site, high on a plateau, which affords a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside and, at night, of thousands of twinkling stars. 

Another fascination of the story is its ambiguity. Pamuk cleverly drops hints along the way but there are many things that remain unclear, building mystery and suspense. Only towards the end does one discover the connections among the characters and the answer to the question of whether myth impacts on real life. And only at the very end does one understand why it is the red-haired woman who gives the book its title.

“The Red-Haired Woman” is available at Books@Cafe.

A fitful night’s sleep and a habit of daytime catnapping may be an early-warning sign of Alzheimer’s dementia, according to new research conducted in humans and mice.

Restless nights and sleepy days are a common pattern in patients with full-blown Alzheimer’s. Those disrupted circadian rhythms are a symptom that can upend the lives of caregivers and cause confusion and anxiety in patients.

Less dramatic levels of sleep disruption, including trouble falling asleep and more frequent nighttime wakening, are also typical as people age.

A new study finds that, in older people who show no signs of cognitive impairment, those with a sleep-wake cycle that is subtly off-kilter are more likely to have amyloid protein deposits in their brains. Those amyloid “plaques” are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s, and they can develop years before symptoms of memory loss or thinking problems are evident.

Study participants whose sleep patterns followed a clearer pattern of sleeping through the night and staying awake during the day were less likely to have significant clumps of amyloid protein in their brains, suggesting they were less likely to go on to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

The new research, published Monday by the journal JAMA Neurology, does not answer the question of whether a messy sleep pattern actually contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s or is just a sign of the disorder.

If it is merely a sign of impending Alzheimer’s, it could still be a useful tell. Currently, the earliest clear signs of Alzheimer’s disease — those plaque deposits — can only be detected with sophisticated brain imaging. If physicians and researchers had a behavioural signpost that could be readily detected with a wearable activity monitor, they would likely identify more people who could enrol in research studies, or who might benefit from early efforts to head off dementia.

On the other hand, if a sleep-wake cycle with frequent nighttime awakening and more daytime sleeping actually helps Alzheimer’s gain a foothold, that finding could be even more valuable: Patients with broken sleep patterns could be counselled to take steps to improve their nighttime sleep quality, perhaps delaying or preventing their progression towards dementia.

“I don’t want to scare people into thinking that if they wake up often at night they’ll have Alzheimer’s,” said study co-author Dr Erik S. Musiek, a Washington University neurologist who studies the role of the circadian clock on aging.

Some changes in sleep are typical as people age. But while disrupted sleep patterns generally manifest themselves as nighttime awakenings and short bursts of compensating daytime sleep, participants did not always notice or report these occurrences, Musiek said.

The role that sleep disruption plays in early Alzheimer’s — whether it contributes to the disease or merely signals its presence — should become clearer as his research team tracks study participants into old age.

In the meantime, research conducted on mice offers a tantalising peek at an answer, Musiek said. When scientists from Washington University and the University of Pennsylvania bred mice whose normal circadian rhythms were completely knocked out by a combination of drugs and genetic engineering, amyloid plaques accumulated quickly in the hippocampus, a key structure in memory and learning.

Only later would the behavioural symptoms of Alzheimer’s appear.

That study, slated for publication in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, suggests that irregularities of circadian rhythm accelerate amyloid plaque accumulation in the brain and speed the appearance of Alzheimer’s more obvious symptoms — memory and thinking problems.

Whether that dynamic is repeated in humans remains to be shown.

In the research published on Monday, 189 participants had an average age of close to 67 years when they enrolled in the study between 2010 and 2012. Each wore an activity monitor for seven to 14 days. The wearable device detected when and for how long a participant slept, how often she awakened at night, and when she appeared to be napping during the day.

The participants, both men and women, all were cognitively healthy at the time they enrolled, with no signs of mental impairment or memory problems.

Around the time they wore their activity devices, 142 of the participants also had a specialised PET scan of the brain to detect amyloid deposits.

Some 26 of the study’s subjects showed amyloid deposits suggestive of very early Alzheimer’s disease, while 116 did not. On three of eight arcane measures of circadian function, the group with early Alzheimer’s scored higher than those shown to have no significant build-up of amyloid in their brains.

“A clear implication of our findings is that therapies directly targeting the circadian system to normalise circadian timing, rather than just augmenting total sleep, may be beneficial in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease,” the authors wrote.

Musiek said he recommends a range of practices to patients concerned about the prospect of dementia. They are not that different from the usual “sleep hygiene” practices that sleep-medicine specialists recommend for all patients.

“You want to consolidate your sleep as much as possible at night,” he said. “I always tell my patients not to use electronic devices at night, to sleep in a dark room — and to go to sleep, not watch TV in bed. Get up in morning, get active, go out and get into the morning light.” 

PARIS — Dating sites would be well-advised to add “brain activity” as a compatability criterion, according to a study released on Tuesday showing that close friends have eerily comparable neural responses to life experiences.

“Our results suggest that friends process the world around them in exceptionally similar ways,” said lead author Carolyn Parkinson, director of the Computational Social Neuroscience Lab at the University of California in Los Angeles.

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to compare which regions of the brain lit up as 42 volunteers watched short clips from news reports, music videos, comedy skits and documentaries, researchers were able to identify who among them were friends.

The closer the relationship, the more alike the neural patterns in parts of the brain governing emotional response, high-level reasoning, and the capacity to focus one’s attention.

“Friends had the most similar neural activity patterns, followed by friends-of-friends,” the authors said in a statement. 

“You can predict who people are friends with just by looking at how their brains respond to the video clips.”

The 14 brief excerpts included journalists debating whether then US president Barack Obama should use humour in his speeches; a sentimental music video about a social outcast with a facial deformity; a documentary about baby sloths in Costa Rica; and scenes from a gay wedding.

Scientists long ago understood that “birds of a feather flock together” when it comes to human social networks, with people attracted more easily to those of the same age, physical appearance and ethnic background, as well as other demographic categories.

This tendency extends to social networks too, according to the study, published in the journal Nature Communications.

From an Darwinian perspective, evolutionary psychologists argue, the “like-with-like” principle favour social cohesion, empathy and frictionless collective action.

The relationships we forge with individuals who are clearly different from us — not of our “tribe” — tend to be practical, task-oriented and short-lived, research has shown.

But seeking out peas from the same pod has a downside that is amplified in the digital age, said senior author Thalia Wheatley, a professor of psychology and brain science at Dartmouth University in Massachusetts.

“The cost of surrounding ourselves with only like-minded people is the creation of echo-chambers and polarisation,” she told AFP.

“This can be exacerbated by online communities that offer a constant diet of information that only confirms what people already believe.”

One question not answered by the study is whether we naturally gravitate towards people who see the world the same way we do, or whether similarity — including the way our brains light up — springs from shared experience. 

Most likely, it is a combination of the two.

“We are a social species and live our lives connected to everybody else,” said Wheatley.

“If we want to understand how the human brain works, then we need to understand how brains work in combination — how minds shape each other.”

People who suffer from sleep disturbances in midlife or as they age may be more likely to develop cognitive impairment than people who usually get plenty of uninterrupted rest, new research suggests. 

Researchers examined data from four studies of the link between sleep and cognitive function, including two studies that followed almost 3,400 people for more than two decades, starting when they were in their 50s. In these two cohorts, people who suffered from nightmares and insomnia in middle age were more likely to experience cognitive impairment in old age than people who slept just fine earlier on. 

When researchers examined these two studies as well as two others that started following people in their 70s and 80s, they found that insomnia and general sleep problems later in life were also associated with cognitive problems. 

“While sleep disturbances are an important risk factor for cognitive decline, the good news is that it is a modifiable risk factor,” said lead study author Shireen Sindi of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and Imperial College London. 

“We can all have occasional sleeping difficulties, either due to high stress levels, caffeine or alcohol consumption or due to jet lag,” Sindi said by e-mail. “However, if a person experiences sleep disturbances on a chronic basis such as difficulties falling asleep, waking up during the middle of the night, waking up too early in the morning, or suffering from poor sleep quality, it is important to seek help from a health professional.” 

Even though sleep deprivation and difficulties with getting a good night’s rest have long been linked to cognitive problems over time, less has been known about what precise type of sleep issues might impact brain function, researchers note in Sleep Medicine. 

For the current study, researchers pooled data from four smaller studies of people in the general population in Sweden. 

After just three to 11 years, sleep disturbances including insomnia were associated with lower scores on tests of cognitive function, the study found. 

When people had nightmares in middle age, this was associated with poor cognition later in life after 21 to 31 years of follow-up, the study also found. 

This association, however, was partially explained by other factors that can impact both sleep quality and brain function — such as smoking, drinking and exercise habits as well as mental health issues. 

One limitation of the study is that sleep problems were reported by participants, not measured objectively by researchers or doctors. Researchers also lacked data on certain risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and cognitive decline. 

“There are some fascinating links between Alzheimer’s disease and sleep quality, most likely due to a complex bidirectional relationship between poor sleep and a greater amount of amyloid, one of the key proteins that accumulates in Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr Kristine Yaffe, a psychiatry researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not involved in the study. 

“Other possible mechanisms include brain vascular changes, inflammation and shared genetic causes,” Yaffe said by email. 

A wide variety of treatments may help address sleep disturbances, including medication, cognitive behaviour therapy and lifestyle changes to eliminate things like cigarettes and alcohol and focus on healthy eating habits and a regular exercise routine, Sindi advised. 

“Numerous treatments and strategies are available to help with sleeping problems, and the optimal solution will differ according to the underlying problem and its causes,” said Matthew Pase, a researcher at the University of Technology in Melbourne and the Boston University School of Medicine. 

“No one sleep therapy is a cure for all,” Pase said by e-mail. “It is still unclear whether treatment of sleep problems can reduce the likelihood of future cognitive decline, but improving sleep is likely to have beneficial effects on other aspects of general well-being and health.”

Women who are deficient in iodine and trying to get pregnant may have half the chance of conceiving compared to women with healthy iodine levels, according to a recent US study. 

Researchers followed more than 500 women trying to conceive over about five years and found that, overall, those with moderate to severe iodine deficiency had 46 per cent lower odds, per cycle, of becoming pregnant. 

“Our finding that moderate deficiency is associated with difficulty conceiving has important public health implications,” said lead study author Dr James Mills of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Maryland. 

“We were surprised that moderate to severe deficiency was so common and that it reduced the chance of a woman becoming pregnant by almost 50 per cent in each menstrual cycle,” he told Reuters Health by e-mail. 

Iodine plays a vital role in brain development during pregnancy, but past research finds that about 30 per cent of women of childbearing age have iodine blood levels below the target of 100 micrograms per litre, the authors note in Human Reproduction. 

Current US guidelines suggest that pregnant and breastfeeding women take a supplement containing 150 micrograms of iodine, but these recommendations do not address what women should do before they become pregnant. 

Mills and his colleagues analysed data from 2005 to 2009 on 501 women who, when they enrolled in the study, had recently discontinued contraception to become pregnant. At the outset, researchers collected urine samples for iodine analysis. Women also reported on risk factors related to infertility during interviews and then over the next 12 months kept daily journals and used fertility monitors to time sexual intercourse and ovulation. They also used digital pregnancy tests at home to identify pregnancies and menstruation cycles. 

The research team found that 44 per cent of the urine samples were in the deficient range for iodine. Almost a quarter of all samples were in the moderate to severe deficiency range, with less than half of the recommended level. 

At 12 months after enrolment, 332 women (71 per cent) had become pregnant, 42 (10 per cent) did not and the rest dropped out of the study for various reasons. 

Future studies will also examine the relationship between iodine status and other aspects of reproduction, such as thyroid problems and foetus development. 

“Although it is challenging to find women who are about to try to become pregnant and monitor them, it is important to replicate these findings,” Mills said. 

It is tough to give advice to women regarding iodine levels, testing and supplements, said Sarah Bath of the University of Surrey in the UK. 

“Unfortunately, there is no method of assessing iodine status in individuals, so people cannot get tested to know whether they have an adequate amount,” she told Reuters Health by e-mail. “The test used in this study can only be applied to large groups.” 

The study also didn’t look at the effect of iodine supplements on conception, only the comparison between a group of women with inadequate iodine versus a group with adequate iodine, she added. 

“This study doesn’t provide evidence that iodine supplementation is beneficial in those trying to conceive,” she said. “If people do consider an iodine supplement, however, they should not take a kelp or seaweed supplement, as this can lead to excessive iodine intake.” 

Choosing a diet with an adequate amount of iodine is key, both Mills and Bath advised. Iodine levels in food can vary by country and type of food, and high levels of iodine can also be an issue, so “more is better” is not necessarily true either, they added. Good sources of iodine can be found in fish, especially white fish, seafood, milk and dairy products, however. Some salts contain iodine, but women should not consume more salt just to get more iodine. 

“This issue has not yet been addressed for women trying to conceive,” Mills added. “Therefore, choosing the right diet is prudent... and many experts believe that taking prenatal vitamins that contain iodine is a good idea.”

By 

All the car that one could reasonably need for most motorists, the Volkswagen Golf GTI is at once a nimble and quick sports car, practical and accommodating family car, manoeuvrable and efficient compact, and is well-equipped, premium in finish and loaded with advanced systems to boot.

First launched in late 2013, the seventh generation Golf GTI is one of the most complete cars one could drive, and for 2017 has been updated with improved performance and more advanced infotainment systems, along with an ever-so-subtle aesthetic refresh.

Contemporary and classy 

Built using Volkswagen’s new modular MQB platform, the seventh generation Golf GTI features partial aluminium construction and is so larger and more spacious and, yet lighter, more efficient and dynamically superior to the car it replaced. The best-looking Golf GTI since the Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed original circa 1976, the contemporary GTI is a modern interpretation and evolution of a similarly sharp and angular design. 

Shedding the rounded and softened surfacing of interval models, the latest GTI cuts a more urgent and athletic demeanour, that it is nonetheless understated and elegant.

Restrained and chiselled without being overtly aggressive, the Golf GTI has a sense of taut precision and striking presence, with sharp lines, thin grille, moody headlights and subtle bonnet and sill bulges. 

A proper hatchback without coupe pretensions, it offers good visibility and a distinctly sporting stance, with reverse angled rear pillars creating visual momentum. Lightly yet deftly refreshed, the 2017 model receives new redesigned LED lighting elements and bumpers front and rear, including protruding side intake winglets framing a revised lower intake to emphasise a sense of width at the front.

Confident and quick

Powered by a direct injection 2-litre 4-cylinder engine with turbocharger integrated in the head and a water-cooled exhaust gas loop for performance and efficiency benefits, the Golf GTI develops an additional 10BHP, in standard guise, and returns 6.4l/100km combined fuel efficiency.

Equal to the outgoing GTI Performance model in its 227BHP at 4700-6200rpm, the standard GTI driven also now accelerates through 0-100km/h 0.1-seconds quicker to match the old Performance model, which in turn now receives an additional 15BHP. 

Both variants also now receive an additional 15lb/ft torque for total of 273lb/ft available over a broad 1600-4300rpm plateau. 

Responsive off the line with quick-spooling turbo and negligible turbo lag, the Golf GTI makes a brief scramble for traction through its driven front wheels, as it bolts away from standstill to 100km/h in 6.4-seconds — and capable of 248km/h — as driven with snappy and slick 6-speed automated dual clutch gearbox. Seamlessly smooth in delivery and subtly muscular in tone, the GTI’s engine is refined when cruising, but remains charismatic with gruff low-end growls. Pulling hard from low-end to redline, the Golf GTI is eager and flexible, with a big punchy mid-range underwriting power accumulation in town and on highway.

Connected clarity

A grown up and sensible hot hatch that does not skimp on fun and feisty handling, the Golf GTI is refined and faithfully stable at speed, forgiving over road imperfections and bumps, and is settled and buttoned down over crests, dips and on rebound. Around town it is easy to manoeuvre and park, with good visibility and light but precise steering. Quick and engaging through successive corners, the GTI’s steering is lively, direct and intuitive, but not twitchy. In fact, it inspires confidence at speed with its directional stability, while brakes are similarly capable and confident, with decent pedal feel.

At its most interesting when driving in its gearbox’ paddle shift manual mode for more driver involvement, the Golf GTI pounces and weaves through corners with eager fluency. Agile through corners and crisply tidy turning in, the GTI features XDS+ selective braking based torque vectoring to tighten cornering lines and improve nimbleness, with scant sign of understeer. Leaning slightly through corners, the GTI’s body control is good, and chassis is intuitive and balanced. Composed and committed, yet playful when provoked, the GTI is eager to trim its cornering line with a dab of mid-corner braking or lift-off, before darting out onto a straight.

Comfort and convenience

With old school charisma and engagingly fun on backroads, the GTI is, however, also a refined and mature daily driver with good cabin insulation and comfort. Delivering connectedness, clarity and confidence, it is a great all rounder. Its big glasshouse and supportive, comfortable, alert and upright and ideal driving position provide excellent road visibility and a feeling of being in control and at the centre of proceedings. Classy but not pretentious, its cabin features ergonomic and user-friendly design, quality material, fit and finish including sporty upholstery and thick steering wheel. Instrumentation is meanwhile clean, crisp and accessible.

A practical and accommodating car in five-door guise as tested, the Golf GTI well accommodated adult in the rear and front, and between 380- to 1,270-litre of cargo. Well-equipped, it features dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, lane, blindspot and parking assists and numerous other convenience, comfort and safety features and systems.

Upgraded for the revised model, the GTI features a huge infotainment touchscreen system with high quality colour display responsiveness, two smartphone integration, one-shot voice recognition and highly intuitive menus, including sat nav, infotainment setting and individually-tailored driver settings.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 2-litre, turbocharged transverse 4-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 82.5 x 92.8mm

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC, variable timing, direct injection

Gearbox: 6-speed dual clutch automated, front-wheel-drive

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 227 (230) [169] @ 4700-6200rpm

Specific power: 114BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 166.4BHP/ton

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 273 (370) @ 1600-4300rpm

Specific torque: 186.5Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 271.2Nm/ton

0-100km/h: 6.4-seconds

Maximum speed: 248km/h

Fuel consumption, combined: 6.4l/100km

CO2 emissions, combined: 148g/km

Fuel capacity: 50-litres

Length: 4268mm

Width: 1799mm

Height: 1482mm

Wheelbase: 2626mm

Track, F/R: 1550/1521mm

Ground clearance: 133mm

Unladen weight: 1364kg

Headroom, F/R: 999/967mm (w/sunroof)

Elbow room, F/R: 1469/1440mm

Luggage capacity, min/max: 380/1270-litres

Steering: Variable electric-assisted rack and pinion

Turning circle: 10.9-metres

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated disc/disc

Suspension, F: MacPherson strut/multi-link

Tyres: 225/40R18

By Sirsa Qursha
Child Development and
Parenting Specialist

Homework is usually dreaded by both parents and children alike! But keep in mind you are helping your child develop important life and study skills, which are both important to overall achievement and success. Here are tips to help ease homework woes.

Creating and sticking to a consistent routine for homework is important. Schedule it so that your child has enough time to complete the homework and rest afterwards in order to be alert for the following school day.

What to do before homework

There are many things parents can do to transition smoothly into homework time. Here are some of the most important issues you can address a few days or weeks in advance of school starting:

• Managing expectations: A few weeks before school starts, talk to your child about what your routine will look like. A few days before school, create a schedule with your child. You can even make it into a fun arts and crafts activity where you include time slots for downtime, extracurricular activities and homework.

• Determining a study space: Try to locate a place in the house where your child can concentrate without being too distracted but is also accessible so you can help as needed. This is particularly true for older children – they will need your supervision during homework, too.

• Setting a schedule: Collaborate with your child on a good time to start her work. Make sure she is part of the process and also offer choices: “Do you think it’s better to start homework at 5pm or 5:30pm?” This gives kids a sense of autonomy and they feel they are partners in the process. Also, make sure your child has some down time before starting homework right after school.

• Agreeing on rules: Agree on certain guidelines with your child and rules regarding phone use and screen time until homework is done.

What to do during homework

Here are a few tips that you can use when your child is actually doing homework:

• Setting the tone: During homework time, it is important that you manage distractions such as TV and phone use. Also try to the best of your ability to keep a distraction-free environment so your child can concentrate. This might mean getting younger siblings involved in a quiet activity while older children are completing assignments.

• Have your child clear their study space: Make sure there is plenty of room for your child to spread out his computer or tablet, folders and papers; the less clutter the better. The more organised your child’s study materials are, the less likely he is to get distracted.

• Sticking around: Be sure that you are available to answer questions and keep your child on track. Offer moral support when academic tasks get challenging.

• The power of food! In order for your child to focus on studying, she needs to be physically prepared to start. Hunger impacts concentration levels.

• Letting your child choose what to start with: Encourage your child to start with easy and quick tasks first that you can praise him for. This will provide the needed “push” for him to keep going.

• Using charts and checklists: It is a great way to track completed assignments and deadlines and manage time. It is also an important life skill children need to acquire.

• Knowing your child: Some kids really cannot focus for more than 15 minutes on an assignment. Have your child break down longer tasks into smaller parts, take short breaks and then come back to it. Other kids succeed once they spend 30-40 minutes on homework, then play, then complete the task. Find out what works and stick to it.

• Teaching your child study tips: Whether it is flashcards, note-taking tips or teaching her how to summarise after reading a paragraph, use what you know from your own experience to support her learning!

• Empathising and offering support: Homework is not fun, but it’s important. Your child needs you to help her manage stress. Validating how she is feeling will help her stay motivated and on track.

• Having something to look forward to: Have some fun activities prepared for when homework is done so your child has something to look forward to.

School Partnerships

Another important aspect of completing homework is your relationship with your child’s school. Make sure you are in touch with teachers regarding projects, deadlines and your child’s academic needs. Also encourage your child to seek out help on material he is struggling with. Do not wait for report cards or grades to come out. If and when you see your child facing challenges, be proactive and discuss the issue with teachers first-hand.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine