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Fun Things You Can Do During the Winter Season

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article | Fun Things You Can Do During the Winter SeasonDuring winter, it can be challenging to find the motivation to engage in recreational activities. If you want to do nothing but relax on the couch and scroll through your phone, you can do so, but where is the fun in that?

Instead of letting time pass with boredom, have fun instead! The winter season is a great time to enjoy alone or with friends and family. The cold temperature and the snow are some of winter’s unique and special attributes. To ensure that your winter will be well-spent and filled with enjoyment, here are a few recommendations of fun things that you can do, whether it’s by yourself or with somebody.

The best hot chocolate

You can invite your friends over to compete in making the best hot chocolate ever. This can also be done with your family members or by yourself. It’s all about creating the most innovative, delicious, and overall best hot chocolate in the world. The best part about this is that you get to drink what you’ve made-a perfect match for the cold season.

Snowball competition

Winter isn’t winter without any snowballs. If you’re tired of all the snowball fights, how about competing for the giant snowball. The winner of this competition is the person who can create the giant snowball within a minute. Seems fun, right? This game will surely excite the competitive spirit in everyone.

DIY Candles

To add warmth to your homes, how about making a personalized candle? A lot of candle-making materials are available online, and the process is not that difficult. You get to customize the scent to make it perfect for your home. Seeing the candles that you’ve made with your own two hands around the house will cozy up space with your personalized touch.

Knitting

Winter is the perfect time for trying out new hobbies. One hobby that is perfect for the cold season is knitting. You can create knitted winter wear for yourself, your friends, and your family members. You start by making mug coasters for the best chocolate you’ve ever made and then progress to making a scarf or a beanie. You might realize that you have a hidden talent in knitting.

DIY Sled Competition

Sledding is one of the most enjoyable things we do as kids (even as adults) during winter. Make sure that your driveway is free from snow so that you can hold the competition there. You can hire a snow removal service to do that for you. To spice things up, you can have a competition in finding alternatives to the regular sled. Everybody can try to find unusual items that you can use to sled, and the person who can successfully sled down the snow hill wins. This competition can get funny, especially when their DIY sled gets destroyed while trying it out.

Reading books

Catch up on some reading! Take a seat in your favorite spot in the house and start reading books that have been on your wish list for a long time. You’ll undoubtedly appreciate this peace to yourself during one of the laziest times of the year.

Fireplace

It’s time to build a fire on the cold winter nights. Cozy up by the fire with a bunch of friends and a few warm blankets that are both beautiful and comfortable at the same time.

Yoga

When it comes to de-stressing and pondering your day, yoga is one of the most specific activities you can do. Make yourself comfortable in your favorite pair of comfy yoga outfits by the fireplace and focus entirely on your breathing.

There are many advantages to stretching your body, such as boosting your energy, relieving anxiety, and relieving stressful conditions during the cold winter season.

Baking with the family

Nothing brings you and your kids together than a fun baking activity. Bake cookies and cakes with the kids. You can decorate them with fun icing colors. You can give some of these cookies and cakes to your neighbors and friends to spread some fun during the cozy winter season.

These nine things are only a few of the numerous fun things you can do during the frosty wintertime. Aside from winter sports such as skiing and ice skating, there are relaxing and enjoyable activities that you can do during your leisure time. Whether spending time by yourself or with a company, there will always be a fun winter activity to do. You can create a list to look at it to choose something to do whenever you’re bored, and you can start your list with these nine recommendations.

Diagnosing and Planning Interventions Using ABAS-3

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article | Diagnosing and Planning Interventions Using ABAS-3Your adaptive behavior is your ability to handle everyday tasks and develop or maintain independence. The main components that make up adaptive behavior are conceptual, social, and practical skills. These change as individuals age. Therefore, individuals must learn more about diagnosing deficits and planning interventions. ABAS-3 is one tool that you can use to generate a diagnosis and plan an intervention for children and adults. Here is more on how you can use the ABAS-3 assessment for this purpose.

Functional Daily Living Skills

The most important part of planning an intervention is to provide an individual with their functional daily living skills, which allow them to complete various routines at home, school, work, and other locations. These are the crucial skills that allow individuals to develop and maintain their independence. Taking an assessment evaluates an individual’s skills, looking for strengths and weaknesses. The results identify which skills work best in certain environments and develop ways to help them transition to other locations.

Rating Scales

The major rating scale for these skills is the ABAS or Adaptive Behavior Assessment System. The forms for this rating scale include parents, primary caregivers, teachers, daycare providers, and adults. These gather information from each party that interacts with the respondent to provide a complete picture. This test uses all of these forms to evaluate individuals’ functional daily living skills of any age and give them a rating.

Composites and Skill Areas

The four composites evaluated with this test include conceptual, social, practical, and work skills. Conceptual skills include communication, academics, and self-direction. Social skills include leisure and socializing. Practical skills are those that contribute to communities, home living, health, safety, and self-care. Works skills are evaluated for older adults.

Item Ratings

After evaluating each composite, the assessment produces a rating. These show the ability of the skills to function in each environment. Additionally, they offer insight into how each skill transitions from one environment to another. The item ratings are the information the interventions and plans of implementation are based on.

Identifying Limitations and Addressing Them

The largest limitation of the assessment is establishing rapport between the assessor and the respondent. Additionally, it is important to make sure the respondents are properly prepared. Therefore, the assessor needs to explain the purpose of the assessment and emphasize the importance of honesty. Once the introduction is complete, the next step is to provide instructions on how to take the assessment. This allows for a proper evaluation of skill performance. The assessor is to remain available for any questions during the entire process. When all these steps are followed, there is more chance of an accurate diagnosis and successful intervention methods.

Adaptive behavior is a necessary part of being able to function and maintain independence. When a deficit is suspected, an assessment is necessary to diagnose the problem and institute intervention methods. While this particular assessment has the potential for limitations, there are ways to easily overcome these and create an accurate diagnosis so you can successfully implement intervention methods.

Learn more about adaptive behavior skills and how to assess them at WPS.

What Is the Right Exercise Program for You When Traveling?

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article | What Is the Right Exercise Program for You When Traveling?David Geithner knows all about traveling and exercise. Here’s a look at how to choose the right exercise program for you when traveling.

To maintain a healthy lifestyle, there are many tips that need to be followed. From following a diet that supports eating in moderation to getting enough exercise, a woman’s overall happiness in life will be largely influenced by her ability to make wise choices. The exact type of exercise routine a person will need to follow is based on his or her goals. Here’s a quick look at different workout regimens and the goals that can help you achieve success when exercising while traveling.

Cardiovascular exercise

If a person is looking to improve physical endurance, as well as personal stamina, then cardio training is essential. An excellent way to begin a cardio routine is by walking one mile. As stamina is increased, a person can begin jogging. 20 minutes of cardio exercise three times a week can help a person lose weight, reduce health risks and improve the immune system. Aerobic training is a form of cardio exercise, and it is renowned for improving a person’s quality of life.

Strength and resistance training

Improving muscle and bone strength comes via an assortment of strength and resistance training. It is imperative that a person not begin this type of training without the help and advice of a professional trainer. The training itself will involve lifting weights and using various forms of exercise equipment. Strength training can be used to tone up any part of the body, including the arms, abs, and lower body.

Balance/core workouts

Balance/core workouts have four main ways of improving the body:

  • Transfer energy
  • Control movements
  • Improve body movements
  • Shift body weight

With a strong core, a person can enjoy reduced back pain, enhanced athletic performance, and improved posture.

Flexibility exercise

When looking to improve one’s flexibility, flexibility exercises will be of the utmost benefit. These exercises tend to be slow-paced, with the goal being to stretch the muscles to become more flexible. Dancers and athletes tend to favor flexibility exercises.

Cindy’s view on exercise

David also likes taking some of Cindy Crawford’s helpful advice for exercising and traveling.

While some people hit the gym for an hour or more each day, Cindy says that even if it’s only for 10 minutes, it’s definitely worth squeezing in some exercise. “Ten minutes is worth it, thirty minutes is worth it. Whatever you have time for, it’s better than nothing.”

Cindy’s exercise routine for herself involves doing circuit training three mornings each week. She usually spends about 10 minutes lifting weights, followed by a 5-minute cardio workout. She repeats this three times and then spends a few minutes working her abs and stretching. All in all, her workout usually takes about an hour to complete. However, when given the opportunity, she greatly enjoys biking and hiking (both of which are great for exercising while traveling), but she doesn’t view these activities as a workout.

Cindy is a strong advocate for sunscreen

About 75 percent of people don’t wear sunscreen on a daily basis. This statistic is quite shocking being that sunscreen is the most effective anti-aging tool. And not to mention it’s abundantly available and cheap. Cindy says that wearing sunscreen is of the utmost importance. Even on days when the sun isn’t out, applying sunscreen with both UVB and UVA protection is vital.

The Takeaway

Staying in shape doesn’t mean you have to hit up the gym for two hours each day of the week. In fact, by using the outdoors and taking a quick walk in a local park three times a week, you can be well on your way to staying fit and healthy.

Advice for Setting Up Your Home or Mobile Video Studio

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, Advice for Setting Up Your Home or Mobile Video StudioNot too long ago, producing and broadcasting videos could only be done from a professional film or television studio and required a lot of expensive, specialized equipment. Nowadays, though, anyone with access to a few items of modern technology can make and transmit videos over the internet, and even arrange permanent home studios of their own. Follow these tips to set up yours for the first time.

Consider Your Situation

The first step to setting up your mobile or home broadcasting studio is to think about what you’ll be doing with it. There are a few pieces of equipment that everyone making video feeds needs, such as video and audio recording equipment and lighting, but many of the options are geared towards specific roles. Will you be sitting inside at a desk doing a video podcast, standing up doing a task for an instructional video, playing an instrument for a music video, or moving around outdoors? Will you be broadcasting or streaming live, or will the video be edited and uploaded to a website later?

You should also consider your environment. What kind of lighting do you have, and will it be difficult to make you look your best or even be seen? Is there noise pollution from outside, or is the room full of echoes?

Write down specifically what you’ll be doing and where you’re going to do it so you can plan for what equipment you need to accomplish your goals.

Purchase Your First Equipment

When purchasing your initial equipment, if any, your budget is a huge factor in determining what you need now and what you can get later. If money is not an issue you can set up your entire studio all at once, or you can choose to purchase items one by one. Either way, everyone who intends to make videos needs five basic things: a way to record video, a way to record audio, a source of light, a tripod to hold the video device so it doesn’t shake (and your hands are free), and finally, a way to upload that video to the website or social media of your choice.

With lighting sources, keep in mind that you should ideally have three sources of light pointing at you at different angles for viewers to see you at your best.

As far as video goes, many people including professional broadcasters use a smartphone or tablet to record both video and audio and upload it, because they already own one and don’t have to purchase extra equipment. Smartphones and tablets are also extremely portable, so you don’t have to lug around expensive or heavy items if you’re broadcasting on the go. Alternatively, you can purchase a dedicated camera, usually a DSLR or broadcast camera, if you want to go really pro and don’t mind spending a lot on your equipment.

If you’re looking to set up a home broadcasting studio, either to interface with television or to stream live events, you may also need some sort of teleprompter. This can be either a smartphone app or a device that hooks up to your phone or tablet to show your cues and lines.

If you’re not using a smartphone or tablet, you’ll need a microphone, especially for video podcasting. Some mics can link directly to the camera or computer, while others must go through a mixing device that syncs the audio and video.

Finally, you can certainly upload your videos directly from your mobile device. However, if you want to do any serious editing, a laptop or PC is necessary, and you’ll need one with a fast processor, high-performance video card and a large hard drive. A fast internet connection is also useful for uploading large files or streaming high-quality video.

These days you don’t have to break the bank to set up your own home video studio. With the right modern equipment, you can start producing professional-looking videos to post or stream anywhere online.

4 Things to Look For When Finding Your Dream Job

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StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article | 4 Things to Look For When Finding Your Dream JobFinding your dream job requires major insight into who you are, first and foremost. Your beliefs, values, desires, and interests all play a role in how you perceive the perfect dream job. While these factors will be different for everyone, there are some universal truths that we’d like to cover. Aside from what sets your soul on fire, finding your dream job is about fulfillment and enjoyment. This article discusses the factors that make dream careers enjoyable and rewarding. Here are four things to look for when finding your dream job.

1. Are the Hours Ideal?

Even if you could get hired to sit in your pajamas eating ice cream, you’d still want to make sure that the hours made sense. Maybe it’s important to make time for family dinner. Perhaps you want to fit a workout in before dark. These preferences will impact how you think about the convenience of your work hours. In all fairness, however, there may not be a perfect situation. The best thing to do for yourself is to consider whether or not you’re settling too much for the hours required. If you find that you are, it’s probably not your dream job, after all.

StrategyDriven Practices for Professionals Article | 4 Things to Look For When Finding Your Dream Job

2. Is the Work Rewarding?

In today’s economy, you might think that settling for aspects of your dream job is the same as getting your dream job in its entirety. This way of thinking is an attempt to make the most of an imperfect situation. Ask yourself if the work you are doing is truly rewarding work, as in, it’s rewarding because it’s EXACTLY what you WANT to be doing. If you want to be a children’s book author, but your job is to spend most of your time writing Amazon reviews, you’re not genuinely working as a writer, at least not the way you think of it. So, if you find that your job is close but no cigar, keep looking.

3. Are You Being Taken Seriously?

One of the most important parts behind finding reward in your dream job is knowing that others at your work appreciate what you bring to the table. You should never go fishing for compliments, but, having a genuine presence and sense of respect from others where you work are two essentials. If you’re asking yourself how long does a background check take because you haven’t heard back, chances are the company isn’t valuing you like you deserve. If your work is dismissed or overshadowed, you may not be working in your dream environment. In cases like these, search for job opportunities that give you the recognition you deserve.

4. Could You Improve the Situation?

Maybe you have found your dream job, and it’s almost everything you could ask for. Ask yourself if these “almost” situations could be improved by changes that you make. For example, let’s say you’ve dreamed of managing an art gallery. Now, you’ve been given the position, but the gallery is two hours away from where you live. You don’t want to commute every day, but you love the job. Could you consider relocating? If you did move closer to work, you’d eliminate the one pitfall of an otherwise perfect job. See if any of your job opportunities could turn into dream jobs with a few changes on your part.

Looking for your dream job is about taking the ideas you’ve created in your mind and finding the opportunities that match them in real life. If you can’t find a perfect match, create one and make flexible changes that bring you closer to landing the job of your dreams.