For many adults, the first time they visited a dentist was when they experienced wisdom tooth impaction. At that point, your teeth are already crooked, and you’ve accumulated a lifetime of dental problems. So any good dentist looks at the impaction, but they also point out all the other things that are wrong with your dental health. And as an adult who stayed away from dentists for this very reason … itonly reinforces your fear.

From your perspective, you avoided the dentist because the instruments are scary, treatment really hurts, and you fork out a lot of cash. Visiting for dental surgery does nothing to assuage that. (You often need surgery to correct impaction, because your dentist has to anaesthetise you, pull back the fleshy gum tissue, dig into your jaw bone, split it open, and pull out the mis-positioned tooth.) So any other problem the dentist mentions feels like more money and more pain. You’re unlikely to come back.

Plan for your teeth

On the other hand, if you have a good dental insurance plan, or if you’ve invested in your smile, then you have more options. You could get braces, or you could take out the crooked teeth and replace them with titanium implants. Each of these options has contra-indications beyond cost, and the corrective measures taken on your teeth will really depend on what warped them in the first place.

If your teeth are twisted on account of an injury, they can easily be extracted and replaced with implants. For many people though, their dental formula arose from a poor diet in childhood. Dr. Steven Lin theorises that all our teeth problems are linked to under-developed jaw bones. Because the jaw is too small, your teeth are squashed as they erupt, making them crooked. And by the time your molars appear, they’re forced to dig into your gums, hence impaction and extraction.

Modern dentistry can repair these types of problems if they’re caught early enough. For example, laser dentistry is recommended for soft tissue repair, so if you catch your wisdom tooth on its way out, your dentist can use lasers to pull back or remove the offending gum tissue, leaving your wisdom teeth room to erupt in a less painful manner. Also, a childhood diet rich in vitamins A, D, and K – as well as foods with bite (celery, carrots, bony meat) will enable your jaw to grow adequately. This allows your teeth to stay straight and pretty.

Braces vs implants

As for the rest of your crooked teeth, specialised braces can take care of that. Conventional braces are worn by teens and tweens. Their teeth are still growing, so their ‘railway lines’ push them into place, corralling new ones as they arrive. These braces are worn for two years or more, squeezing your smile into place. They don’t work as well for older patients, because their teeth have stopped growing, so all the metal in the world won’t twist them into place. There’s an alternative though – invisible braces. They sound magic, and in a way, they are.

For one thing, you can barely see them except when there’s a camera flash (#selfie) – and in such cases, your invisibles appear as an extra glimmer in your grin – the flash bounces off them, adding sparkle to your smile. They’re easier to look after than traditional braces, because you can remove them when you want to eat, brush, or kiss. You should keep them in when you sleep though, that’s when they do their best work because growth mostly happens during sleep. Invisible braces (sometimes called aligners) work faster than traditional ones.

You only have to keep them in for 6 months to a year, depending on the condition of your teeth and the recommendation of your dentist. And while regular braces are preferred before your permanent teeth come in, invisible braces are more effective on mature teeth.  They’re advised for use after the age of 16 and all the way into adulthood, so they’re ideal for elderly patients. Of course if you’re unwilling to swap your aligners every two weeks, implants are good too. Their titanium base is fused to your jaw over a period of months, then porcelain crowns are layered on top, so they look like natural, sparkling, straight, stain-proof teeth.

The post Can you be too old to fix crooked teeth? appeared first on Expert Zine.

Modern parenting is different. Kids spend a lot of time on their screens, and they have the space to verbally express themselves. It has both upsides and downsides – more grocery store tantrums, but also more entrepreneur-ing minors, and more teenage activism against guns, bullying, sexism, racism, and other social ills. And because our kids are growing up – some would say too fast – we often forget they’re still children who just want to play.

Playing grown-up games

Kids’ playtime has always been a mimicry of the adult behaviour they’ve observed. So they’d play house, school, or shop-based games. Now they pick videogames where they role play as soldiers, animals, or characters with agency – adult characters. Even when their avatar has a child persona, that avatar has the rights and freedoms of a citizen over 21. It’s part of the appeal. And even when these kids get involved in activism and the like, they gamify it.

This in no way minimises their efforts or downplays their results – it’s simply an element of their thought process. And sometimes, this mature behaviour goes to the other extreme. It’s such an intellectual, mental, emotional pursuit that the kids may forget their need for … play. It doesn’t have to be childish, but it does need to be physical. After a day of signing petitions, picketing, and shooting YouTube videos, your hyper tween or angsty teen needs to de-stress.

Working off the angst

Playful physical activity is a good way to release the intensity of their day, and this matters at all ages. For infants and toddlers, it boosts their motor skills, literally helping them develop muscles and coordination to navigate the world. For older kids, it’s about exercising their muscles, but it’s also about regaining presence, focusing on their body instead of their minds. You could build them an outdoor gym like Urban Fit.

They’re designed for older teens, and adults can use them too. They basically consist of gym equipment reformatted for the outdoors. Your kids can practice their resistance training and get some weights work in, but because it’s playfully built and located in the open air, it feels light and relaxing rather than intense and punishing. It takes off the pressure of a conventional gym, but can be just as effective – maybe moreso – because of the access to sunshine and fresh air, and the absence of sweaty gym grunts.

Hanging out with friends

Playsets serve a motor function, training muscle coordination and improving physical ability. It gives kids something to do when you take away their screens, and reminds them there’s a wide, beautiful, non-digital world out there. But being ‘outside’ can be scary because it involves dealing with other human beings, and there’s no screen buffer. Making friends is hard at any age. Playsets can help with this. It’s an organic gathering place.

Mobile phones and tablets are a communication medium, and playsets are too, just a different kind. Children can learn to communicate and negotiate as they share a playset. Initially, they can use different parts of the playset, being near each other but not ‘with’ each other. They get comfortable non-verbally, absorbing lessons about body language and personal space. Then they can get into rudimentary exchanges as they bargain turns at the swing or slide. They acquire negotiation tactics and emotional intelligence.

It engages their bodies

Todays’ world – both for adults and kids – is relying increasingly on technology. Electric toothbrushes, self-driving cars, virtual musical instruments, stationary gym equipment, the internet of things. We’re using our bodies less and less, trying to substitute everything with its mental equivalent. Adults might prefer this, but kids still need to use their bodies. It’s part of the wonder of childhood – they enjoy moving their limbs and actively applying physicality. Playsets allow children to stay young. We often inadvertently impose maturity on them.

We make them babysit younger siblings, dress up ‘properly’, and take structured sports and hobbies for their (future) resumes and college applications. We also impose adult worries on them. It’s not deliberate, but our desire to keep them safe exposes their thinking to the evils of the world. Playsets are a space they can keep being kids. Their parents are watching, so they’re less worried about stranger-danger and playground accidents. With their parents feeling secure, the kids are free to stop worrying and just play.

The post Why kids all love playsets appeared first on Expert Zine.

There is a myriad of summer events such as music festivals, food festivals, sports events, and business and trade shows and it’s a very busy time of year all round. Selecting the right events for your brand will help promote and attach a positive public image to your company.

There are few things that must be taken into consideration when selecting events for your company to partake in and your exhibition display should be up to scratch to ensure your business is shining brightly and ahead of the pack. In this post, we will take an in-depth look at how to select events for your business and some exhibition display equipment that should be in your display kit.

Type of Event

Depending on the orientation and target market of your business will depend on which events you will select to promote business. If you’re in the business sector it’s hardly likely you would want to set up an exhibition at a dance music festival. The results would more likely be negative than positive as the ravers and festival goers are there to party and for the music, not to be given information on business applications and finance.

A trade show or job fair is more a better place for business displays. Sporting events are also great places to promote your company and using methods such as giveaways like water bottles or goodie bags is a great way to get your brand and name out there.

The Location

Depending on the nature of the business, whether it’s a web-based business or you have a shop front, the location of the event is important. If you’re based in Queensland and serving local customers it’s hardly a good idea to go to a trade show in Victoria. If your company is Australia-wide you pretty much have free range on locations and events to choose from. Although it is recommended choosing events that have large attendances that way you will be certain that you will get the traffic you require. Another one that people often skip over is regional events, which can be a cheaper way to reach a new audience.

Display Equipment

Display equipment plays a vital role when it comes time for the exhibition. Your display kit should contain everything required to put your best foot forward and it should clearly represent the values and logo of your brand. It might be time to upgrade your display kit as they have a tendency to fade and look tatty after a few years on the event circuit.

When purchasing your display set, keep in mind what kind of set up you will need and also the locations of your events will play a vital role in which banners will work. Some banners are better suited to indoors whereas some work better in the outdoors.

Retractable banners are must-have items in your display arsenal for a number of reasons. They are easy to transport and set up. They also have solid bases and standalone which makes them perfect for outdoor areas where tie off points can be scared. You should have at least four of these bad boys in your kit.

A media wall is another essential tool for this summer season and should clearly display your branding and message. There are many other types of banners and it’s good to get a variety of shapes and sizes so you can create an engaging display that will put your brand freshly in the minds of potential customers.

A little planning will save you time and stress in the long run. So, once you have selected your events, it’s time to start planning your display set up. Draw up a rough plan and get creative. It’s also a good idea to have a few extra banners in your kit just in case and it will also give you more freedom to be able to improvise on the fly.

The post It’s Time to Select Your Summer Events, Do You Need New Banners? appeared first on Expert Zine.

There are two helpful ways to ensure you’ve carried everything. One is to use a checklist. Tick off every item as you go. But remember, the usefulness of your checklist is dependent on how thoroughly you wrote it. Those little things you forget – like a rag for wiping the frames / fabrics before mounting – you might forget to put them on your list as well. Keep the list updated. So – for example – every time you ‘spot’ something you left at work, add it to the list for future reference. Also, as you pack up, list the items as you load them into your truck.

Portable bags

That kind of post-event listing will record any items you may overlook, such as product labels or chalk / whiteboard markers. When you purchase your banners, find out if they come with a carry case. Its stated function is to prevent damage in transit or storage. The most basic type is the dust cover, but you can get a hard-back cover, or something waterproof. Ideally, get a case with castors, so you can easily tug it around. Zippers are preferable to buttons.

A second advantage of a good banner bag is multi-use. Many bags have enough room (and sometimes specialised compartments) for your banner poles, screws, tools, stands, and other components. Having everything in one bag makes you less likely to forget relevant items. You can also put name tags and stand labels inside the bag. Just be sure not to overload it. Also, avoid keeping scissors, pins, and other sharp objects inside the bag, because they might rip your graphics sheets and/or fabrics, as well as tearing the bag itself.

Mounting brackets

A good banner supplier will include banner stands in the package, even if you’re not purchasing freestanding units. However, you may need specific brackets for your pop-up stand. Consider this before-hand and ask your supplier for relevant mounting accessories. Usually, you can get spiked feet for grass / earthen floors, drills and bolts for concrete surfaces (walls and floors), or weighed feet for flattened ground. If you have adequate budgets, you can buy multiple sets of each and have them in storage as needed.

If you plan on using wall-mounts, inspect the venue in advance. You’ll need to ask your host if they’re okay with you drilling into their surfaces. If they have prepped spaces for wall mounts, look at the mount sites carefully to be sure you have appropriatefastening. Screws and bolts will have to be the right size and shape. You also want to confirm how much weight those wall bracket sockets can support. If your banner breaks the walls of the venue, you’ll have to pay for the damage, and you’ll still have to pay for your own banner replacements.

Modular framing

For ordinary banners, a single stand is adequate, but sometimes you want to pull a Lego at your event. Modular framing is made from individual cubes, tiles, and rods that fit into each other, creating larger frames in diverse sizes and shapes. You can create a catwalk, restaurant floor, or even a vehicle showroom. For best results, combine modular ‘walls’ with modular ‘floors’. They provide additional advertising surfaces and make your booth stand out.

These modular pieces are made of lightweight aluminium and can be built and dismantled in just a few minutes. Before you buy them, check whether they’re compatible with the banners you already own. It’s smartest to buy the frames as a kit, with their own fabric and extensions. Then when you want to expand your selection, you can go back to the supplier. However, veer on the side of overstocking, because by the time you want a top-up, those parts may be out of circulation, and the upgrades may not fit your existing banner system.

Light fixtures

Whether you’re hosting a night-time event or hosting a pop-up in a darkened exhibition hall, banner lights are key. You shouldn’t just go for any generic light. Banner lights are designed to highlight target areas of your banner without reflective glare. They can be in-built, back-lights, or front-lights, mounted overhead or slipped inside the frame. Shop around to see what best suits your needs.

The post Let’s talk display accessories appeared first on Expert Zine.

There are a few things you can do to help you shed those postpartum pounds. The tried and tested methods include a healthy combination of diet and exercise. You should however be realistic in your weight loss goals, because contrary to what most magazines and celebrity stories tell you, this is a process that can take some time. Here are some of the ways you can get rid of the extra weight after pregnancy:

Increase your protein intake

A healthy way to shed pounds is to increase your intake of healthy protein in your diet. The science behind this is that protein increases the metabolism in your body, reduce your appetite healthily, which in turn reduces the amount of calories you take. Protein also takes more energy for your body to digest when compared to other foods thanks to its higher thermic effect. A healthy source of protein is to increase you intake of lean meats, fish, legumes, nuts, eggs, and of course dairy.  You should also explore healthy protein supplements such as whey which you can add to a morning smoothie, especially if you plan on exercising.

Breastfeed if you can

The benefits of breastfeeding have been extoled for a long time, and have a lot of medical research backing them. Other than providing nutrition for your baby, breast milk is also the first contact point for your baby’s immune system, thanks to the antibodies in it that help fight bacteria and viruses. Breastfeeding is also healthy for you, since it helps your uterus contract and return to normal size, and also lowers your chances of getting complications such as ovarian cancer, breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, and postnatal depression.

Additionally, breastfeeding has been known to help in your weight loss journey after childbirth. A study conducted on women after giving birth found that women who breastfed lost about 1.68 kilos more on average than those who did not, six months after delivery. While it is sometimes not possible to breastfeed for various reasons, it is something you should consider doing where possible.

Exercise

Without a doubt, exercise is the best way to shed those postpartum pounds. It has the dual benefit of strengthening areas in your body that sustained trauma during both the pregnancy and childbirth, while getting rid of the unwanted baby weight. Areas such as the pelvic floor and certain muscles especially in your core and back benefit from this.

When coupled with proper dieting and the use of healthy supplements such as whey protein, had the best results when it came to losing baby weight. In fact, an analysis of women six months after childbirth found that those who combined healthy eating and exercise lost an average of 1.72 kilograms more than those who concentrated on eating healthy alone.

After the demands of childbirth however, it is important that you should take it slow and ease into the exercise routine. Start with something as simple as taking walks in the evening. Increase the duration of the walks, then slowly over time, you can progress to more demanding routines such as jogging, running and interval training. The quiet exercise time also helps you cope better with the demands of being a new parent.

Avoid crash dieting

Crash dieting is where you take foods with low calorie values in order to lose the largest amount possible in a short time. This is dangerous for your body because after the rigours of sile birth, it requires proper nutrition to heal and recover to optimum levels. A low calorie diet will leave you deficient of a number of nutrients and will have you feeling constantly tire, which is the opposite of what you need in the sleep deprived haze of taking care of a new born.

You should instead consider counting your calories by working out the nutritional value of what you are consuming. This will have the dual benefit of helping you identify what nutrients you should incorporate more into your diet, and ensuring your body is getting enough calories to function efficiently. Along with counting calories, you can also explore eating food in smaller portions across the day, and having healthy snacks such as protein bars instead.

The post Effective Tips To Lose Baby Weight After Pregnancy appeared first on Expert Zine.

Media walls form the foundation of any advertorial set-up. In establishes the mood and identifies the main sponsors of the event. Ideally, you don’t want your media wall to be too busy, because it could detract attention from your celebrity line up. It should be subtle but effective, staying in the background but establishing ambience. If it must have writing on it, position the text carefully so it’s not constantly blocked by anyone standing in front of the wall. The wall should also be easy to set-up, because it’s the first banner to go up and the last one to come down. It’s the most dominant part of the exhibition, so you need it throughout.

Exhibition essentials

If you’re running an event and you’re restricted to just one banner, make it a media wall. At its simplest, it’s a large roll of vinyl or canvas than can be unfurled from the ceiling to the ground. However, media walls in Sydney can be a little more complex. One common style is to drape the fabric around a lightweight aluminium frame, zipping it up to hold it in place. Other options involve multiple units of 6m fabric that can be coiled into shelters and interlocked for additional sizing requirements. Another option is to combine your media wall with other elements to create a comprehensive expo booth display.

Media walls can be draped from wall hooks, attached to foldable support frames, zipped, strung up with rope, or hemmed in with silicone strips and latches. You can mix and match them to create all kinds of pop-up stands, from portable reception areas to a fully-fledged catwalk. You can even mimic a vehicle showroom. It’s all about your sense of creativity, and the range of banners stocked by your supplier. Media walls are usually full-colour prints that can resist sunlight, rain, wind, and glare. Well-made options don’t chip or scratch, and the fabric can be interchanged or replaced, retaining your frames.

Complete portability

The fabric portion of the media wall can usually roll up for easy storage in tight spaces. Look for one that has its own carry-case, keeping it safe from dust, pests, or physical damage. Obviously, you don’t want it ripping in transit, and they can get pretty heavy, so find a case with wheels. Sometimes, the frames of the media wall are smaller, foldable poles and detachable bits that can be dismantled and put in the carry-case. The main issue isn’t movement though. Your banners stay in dark, forgotten storerooms for prolonged periods between events. This means they can be attacked by rats, get mouldy and damp, or fade.

By investing in a good protective case, your media wall will be safe during those weeks or months when it’s abandoned in storage. The last thing you want is to peep into the store three days before an event and discover your gorgeous banner in tatters. For complex media walls that are curled around a frame, you may need screws, latches, and fasteners. These small pieces can easily get lost, and if a single one is missing, your banner will be lopsided. Worse, it might topple over and hurt someone. Replacing these parts can be expensive. A carry-case lets you keep everything you need in a single spot, ready for your next use.

Styling options

Almost every banner company can give you a basic drape comprising 6m of fabric. When you really want to make a statement though, you should look for something more versatile. Options include curved media walls that can be coiled to form a circular booth. You can buy slim-line media walls complete with their own shelving. These are great for displaying brochures, magazines, flyers, and coupons.

Another option is the floating display suspended off the ceiling. This only works at venues with vaulted ceilings, or open-air festivals, where the hanging media unit will be floated off the ground and supported with heavy anchors. You could also try a media wall arch than can be decorated with flowers, balloons, tinsel, coloured light displays, or theme-related accessories. They can be inverted, curved, or square, and they make a great backdrop for guest photography, providing weeks’ worth of social media content.

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The saying goes, ‘Men are just little boys grown tall,’ and it applies to all genders. Our inner child is still alive, kicking, and tantrumming. We just hide them better, squeezing them into grown-up clothes and distracting them with responsibility. And so at some level, the idea of owning a shop and taking whatever you want from it, whenever you want, without asking anyone … it’s a giddily exciting idea. Of course if you actually ran your business that way, you’d soon be bankrupt, so take a step back and review.

Find the right spot

Let’s assume you’ve already decided what you’re going to sell. Now pick a location carefully. If you have a specialty shop, people will come to you. You’re the only one that supplies their requirements, so location is less of a barrier. But for a regular store, a place that’s visible and high in traffic is a better deal. It will attract passers-by, and that incidental business makes up a big chunk of your bottom line. You might consider other aspects, like how close the shop is to your home, or to your kids’ school – so they can hang out there on the way home.

A bigger factor might be budget. Ideally, sales from the store should pay for themselves, but it may take a while to pick up. And even when it does, there will be slow months – that’s the nature of business. You want to be sure you can afford the rent, even in a month with no sales. Check the lease too, and double-check the agreement. Look for something that doesn’t lock you in for unreasonable periods, and that has a workable exit clause.

Security measures

Most shops require the basics – an alarm system and well-positioned CCTV. Modern surveillance systems can be linked to your smartphone, so you can monitor the security screens at any time, wherever you are. You could be sitting in traffic, take out your phone, pull up the store, and look at the feed from your security cameras. Just be sure to put the phone away while driving. “Don’t text and drive” covers other screen-based distractions too. You might have access to a quick-response emergency service, and you could deck the outside of the shop with floodlights and motion sensors.

This depends on your neighbourhood though, because lights triggered by movement could be tripped by outdoor pests and strays. You need a physical form of security as well, to support your tech. Roller shutters are a good choice. They’re solid enough, and their triple-layer construction makes them resistant to ramming (and crowbars). They offer insulation, are fireproof, weather-proof, and are available in lots of pretty colours. Their automatic latch mechanism clicks into place when you close it, but you can also padlock inside and outside.

Confirm your suppliers

It’s not possible to stock an entire shop in cash – it’s too expensive. Plus, because this is a new store, you don’t know what will sell and what won’t. You have to buy your stocks on credit. Make sure your suppliers are reliable. You don’t want to get an item that sells well then when you go back, they don’t have more of it. You also need to be very clear on stock agreements and payment terms. You can’t pay them until you get paid, but you can’t just keep their money for nine months either.

Find out their policies on returns. If an item stays on your shelf and doesn’t look like it’ll ever sell, can you give it back or exchange it for something more popular? What are their terms on (nearly) expired products? Do they deliver to your store or do you need to send someone? Are they willing to source things for you if they’re not in stock, and can you make a special order for something a customer has requested? These are all factors that could affect the success of your shop, so get them clear from the start. Good luck!

The post Setting Up Your New Shop – What You Need to Think About appeared first on Expert Zine.

Besides, all the drama evaporates from memory once you sink your teeth into that first bite. Oven-cooked food has a rich, smoky flavour that you can only get from outdoor cooking with raw, unprocessed wood. Of course your oven can function on wood pellets and charcoal briquettes as well, so your choice of fuel has some wiggle room. Also, you can buy fruitwood to give your food that added touch of flavour. Pick the right wood for your dish. As a general guide, white meat needs light, sweet wood, like apple, pear, or peach.

Red meat works better with darker fruitwoods – hickory, oak, maple, or pecan. Mesquite has a bitter taste that’s somewhat harsh, so it pairs well with intense chilli dishes. And if you haven’t explored the versatility of your pizza oven, you should. It can do so much more than pizza. Here are some Greek dishes you can try out – though what makes a dish ‘Greek’ is debatable. Is it where the dish is thought to hail from … or is it more about the ingredients?

Greek potatoes

According to foodies, these crispy oven-roasts go well with souvlaki and Greek salad. Souvlakia (that’s more than one souvlaki) are a type of Greek kebab. They’re made by skewering meat (mostly pork) and vegetables, and you can make them in the oven as well. Roast your souvlakia at the same time as your potatoes so they can infuse each other with flavour. To make the souvlaki, marinate your meat overnight in a mix of red wine vinegar, olive oil, parsley, oregano, garlic, onion, mint, and black pepper. If you’re short on time, leave the meat cubes in the marinade for at least two hours before skewering and roasting.

To go with your souvlakia, make (or buy) tzatziki sauce for dip. It’s easy. Just take some Greek yoghurt – it has a thick, solid texture, is firmer than regular yoghurt and its consistency is closer to soft-serve ice cream than conventional yoghurt. Whisk your yoghurt with lemon zest, minced garlic, grated cucumber, chopped dill, chopped mint, and – if you like – a little olive oil. Chill the sauce as a nice contrast to your steaming souvlakia.

Now for the potatoes. Peel them and dice them, or cut them into wedges. Drizzle them with olive oil, lemon juice, or both, depending on your flavour preference. The amount of oil you use will influence how crispy your oven result will be. You can use an air fryer, but it won’t have the smoky flavour that comes from roasting them in your pizza oven. Either way, add oregano, salt, and black pepper. Put your potatoes in an oven-proof dish and put it into the oven. You can pour chicken stock over your potatoes, but you don’t have to.

Add some vegetables

Souvlakia only need to roast for four or five minutes, and you can turn them halfway through. The potatoes will need about an hour to be fully cooked. Check them with a toothpick to be sure. The tzatziki doesn’t go in the oven at all. To give your Greek meal a healthy touch, you could serve Greek salad. Ingredients include red inions, romaine lettuce, (different) coloured bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta cheese, oregano, olive oil, and black pepper. Crumble the cheese for best results.

Now then, seeing as your outdoor oven has pizza in its name, you should probably use it for pizza on occasion. So here’s a quick Greek pizza recipe. Depending on how ambitious you are, you can make the dough from scratch or use store-bought pizza base. Generously pour marinara sauce or crushed tomatoes on the pizza dough. The sauce shouldn’t be too moist or it’ll make your pizza soggy, so if you’re using canned tomatoes, drain them first.

The rest of your toppings are Kalamata olives, feta, mozzarella, oregano, artichoke, red bell peppers, basil, and flaked red pepper. You can pre-roast the bell pepper and marinate the artichoke beforehand. If you want to go all out, you can make some Greek desserts as well. They have deliciously exotic names like protanopia (orange and cinnamon cake baked with yoghurt), galaktoboureko (custard pie), and millimicron (honey syrup walnut cookies). Kalí óreksi!

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Today, we’re trying to find a middle ground. Installing an outdoor playset in the yard ensures the kids stay close to home and protects them from stranger danger, but it also gets them outside and gives them some measure of autonomy. However, just because you know where they are doesn’t mean you should leave them unsupervised. Keep an eye on them, making sure they don’t play too rough, and offering a first-aid-kiss when needed.

Soften their falls

Public playgrounds often have floors made of concrete, asphalt, or grass, which isn’t the best surface to fall on. When you install your home playset, ensure the soft fall area is well cushioned. This protective landing bay should extend roughly six feet beyond the playset boundary in every direction. For climbing sets, the area in the middle of the playset should be protected too, in case of vertical falls. Higher swings need wider soft falls.

Rubber mats offer the best soft surfacing, though you can also use artificial soft turf. The flooring materials should never be trampled or packed down, because this hardens the surface. Instead, try loose flooring options like wood chips, shredded rubber, pea gravel, or mulch. If the ground is concrete, blacktop, or asphalt, apply multiple layers of protection.

Put impact mats on the ground and cover that with 3 to 6 inches of loose-fill. Then put a cloth above that and add another 3 to 6 inches of loose soft filling. The depth of your flooring material depends on the height of the playset. Include the height of the child in your measurement. If a child stands at the top of the playset, and the top of his or her head is 8 feet above the ground, you need 12 inches of loose floor filling.

Age-appropriate selection

Many playset manufacturers divide their modular units into three age groups. Toddlers and infants are under 2 years of age, while pre-school playsets cover age 2 to 5. School-age playsets are designed for ages 5 to 12. Bigger kids can break playsets intended for a younger age bracket, while the ‘babies’ can hurt themselves if they attempt to use playsets above the age grade. The proportions are all wrong for their shorter muscle groups and bones.

Spacing protects the kids as well. If you have any holes, gaps, or rungs, they should either be smaller than 8cm or wider than 20cm to prevent tiny heads or body parts from getting stuck. Nets that have a perimeter larger than half a metre could trap a child, so go for smaller nets. For swings, make sure there’s at least 2 feet between the seats, and 75cm between the outer side of the swing and the swing frame.

In general, if the playset is higher than 75cm, there should be a 9 foot gap between it and the neighbouring playset. If the playset has moving parts, inspect them carefully to see if there are parts where kids can pinch themselves or crush their fingers. Put these playsets in a separate area from stationary playsets. Examples are swings, merry-go-rounds, and see-saws.

Targeted safety guidelines

If the playset has any raised platforms or high portions, hem them in using guard rails and barriers to minimise falls. Inspect the playset regularly for paint chips, rust, rough edges, wood splinters, and potentially harmful wear and tear. Sand down sharp corners and edges to prevent cuts and bruises. Always use paint and dye that is child-safe and waterproof.

Teach kids basic safety tips – like no pushing on the playground – and always check before sliding or swinging, to make sure there are no other kids in the way. Remind them not to play on hot or wet surfaces, and check that their play clothes don’t have strings or laces that could trip them or get tangled in the playset.

Some safety tips go counter to kids’ preferred ways of playing, so just keep an eye on them. For example, kids shouldn’t slide on their tummies, kneel on swings, kick off the ground on see-saws, or play hands-free on a log roll. Enforcing all these rules can be exhausting, especially since the unsafe options seem to be what kids instinctively want to do. That’s why adult supervision is still the first and most important law of playground safety.

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Other times, long-term braiding keeps hair protected. It gives hair a break from excessive styling, allowing it to rest and grow. These braids can stay in for a week or two, with some girls keeping their braids in for a month. Braiding for three days or more has an added benefit, because once you take the braids out, your hair is simultaneously stretched and curled, giving you a sheikh hairdo for another day or two.

For girls with hair type 4 (A to C), braiding essentially gives you two hairdos in one, which is why it’s such a hit. You can braid the hair itself or add extensions in the form of weaves or other types of artificial braids. If your hair’s curl pattern is between 1 (very straight) and 3 (slight wave), and if your hair is long enough, you can braid without extensions.

Braiding by hair type

However, if you need volume, add extensions for extra weight and less breakage. The extensions can also improve the grip of the braid, because hair that is very fine can easily unravel, shortening the lifespan of your braids. You may also need to beads, ornaments, or rubber bands at the ends of the braids, to keep them from coming apart.

There are different kinds of braids. You can do a simple style, like a single French braid, or a pair of pigtails. Or you may want something complex, like cornrows or box braids. A traditional braid is always three-stranded, which means you divide your hair into three portions and intertwine the sections.

You can also do a two-stranded twist braid (sometimes called a rope braid), or a four-stranded braid for extra thickness and definition. Another curious option is the waterfall braid, where some strands of the braid hang loose and cascade down like a waterfall. This works especially well if you have long, fine, flowing hair in multiple tones or highlights.

French vs Dutch

The direction determines the pattern of the braid. Twisting outer strands under inner strands creates a fishtail, while twisting them over inner strands creates a conventional braid pattern. For both these braids, you start braiding off the scalp, sort of like a ponytail. For a French braid or cornrows, you start braiding from the hair root, crafting the ‘row’. Box braids are started at the root too, but each box is like a teeny tiny ponytail of its own.

In case you’re wondering, the difference between French braids and Dutch braids is French braids twist over while Dutch braids twist under. The tightness of your braid depends on your preferences. Tight braids last longer and retain the post-braiding curl longer. For girls with a tight natural curl (4A through 4C), braiding helps to stretch the hair and remedy shrinkage without using heat. It lengthens the shape of their individual curl strands.

Before braiding, brush your hair. This removes any tangles and makes your braid look neater when it’s done. A loose braid can have a low-fuss effect, while tight braids look more coiffed. Decide how much tightness you can handle, because braiding too tight pulls your skin and can sometimes cause headaches, pimples, and torn hair roots, which damages your edges.

Braiding steps

The actual braiding process is really simple. If you want multiple braids, section your hair for each individual braid. Divide the hair into three sections, then take each section and twine it over or under the other sections, depending on your desired braid pattern. Alternate the three strands until you get to the end of the hair. If your hair is fine, hold it with an elastic band or loop a bead through it. Thicker hair can just be twisted off at the end and it will hold.

Girls with a tight curl pattern (3s and 4s) sometimes protect their edges by leaving them unbraided. Put a little gel on the baby hairs at the front and slick them onto your scalp, starting your braid a little further up. Those baby hairs are sensitive and extra fine, so they break more easily and may not grow back if they’re excessively damaged.

Put a little gel on the baby hairs at the front and slick them onto your scalp, starting your braid a little further up. This is helpful because those baby hairs are sensitive and extra fine, so they break more easily when they’re tugged and braided, which can lead to frontal baldness. Coarse baby hairs may have to be relaxed or texturised before they can be gelled.

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