GR8TR Today Magazine

Living a GR8TR Life Every Day

Parenting

Busy Parents Exercise Tricks

Parents juggle a lot of demands, but they need to stay in peak health as well to keep up with the family, both mentally and physically.

If you read the countless studies about depression, exercise is one of the many paths a person can take to combat this debilitating illness.  In the United States and According to the CDC-The Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention-in 2017-2018, 42.4% of the adults 20 and over were overweight. That statistic is likely to be higher with more recent data because the trends of obesity continue to climb.

For many Americans, finding the time to exercise can be difficult if one considers the juggling act of balancing work outside the home, taking care of children, and in some instances taking care of aging parents. Time can be difficult to find as more and more daily chores accumulate in one’s life. Nevertheless, exercise should be at the top of anyone’s list and should be considered an activity one must do to promote healthy living among family members.

Choosing the right exercise and diet has to begin with our free will to become healthier, and to change the way we do things if we are unhealthy.  Doctors, parents, spouses, or significant others cannot tell us to do something if we are not ready to do so. The decision has to be taken on our own.

For any parent that wants to lose weight, and want to do it guilt-free, it is very important to schedule a time where you can do the exercise at the same time every day to form a habit. Exercise can extend one’s life expectancy, and that’s worth the time, and the effort it takes to exercise.

Here are some ideas for the best time to exercise daily:

  1. Right after you drop your kids at school-This is especially convenient if you work from home or are taking some time off to raise your kids.
  2. Afternoons are very convenient for many people. During the summer months where the days are longer, walking outside after dinner can be a great time for any parent to jog or walk a mile or two.
  3. Early morning-Before your kids wake up and need to get them ready for school, twenty minutes of exercise will lift your mood and get you ready to start your day
  4. Late at night-After you send your kids to bed, you might want to relax after an arduous, hectic day. But,  twenty minutes of exercise before bed will allow you to sleep better and lose weight.
  5. Before picking your children from school-Any time you have free before you need to pick up your children from school. You can exercise, and shower and be ready to pick them up and help them with homework before dinner time.


If you choose a time to exercise and it doesn’t work out very well, change it. You can change the days, the time and the exercise you want to do. But, if you start the exercise, try it for two weeks before quitting.  It is a habit one is forming, and it takes time to stick to it.

For any parent, free time is never abundant.  But exercising should be an activity that takes priority over other meaningless ones.  Watching TV, checking Facebook, Twitter, or other social media platforms takes more time than we want to admit. Unfortunately, those activities bring us no health benefits, yet we continue to do them religiously.

Start exercising today, you will be a healthier person for yourself and your family.

Outstanda Pulse Discussion with Ron McDaniel

Today we have a chance to interview Ron McDaniel, Chief Innovation Officer at Outstanda.  He will be talking about their program that helps schools collect data from students, parents, staff, and alumni to build a stronger, more effective school.  The program is called Outstanda Pulse.  Below is the interview.

Let’s start with an overview of the product you want to highlight today.

Ron McDaniel
Thanks. Outstanda has a flagship product called Outstanda Pulse that uses SMS (texting) to survey students, parents, staff, and alumni of a school to know what is going on with them. It is automated and provides actionable data for schools to identify areas of excellence and areas that need some work.

What are some major benefits of using Outstanda Pulse?

Ron McDaniel
There are a number of benefits. First, it can identify problems with students before the issues start impacting grades. It can identity concerns parents are having. It can boost enrollment. It is a tool to improve staff feedback. And it helps the school keep in touch with students and family’s long term, no matter where they move, and measure the impact the school has had on the students.

oustanda pulse surveys students, parents and staff

Why is Outstanda Pulse unique?

Ron McDaniel
While there are a lot of ways to do surveys, Outstanda Pulse is unique in standardizing questions and measuring results across similar schools. While protecting the individual student’s data, aggregate data can be compared to show administrators how each school is doing compared to peer schools. This can be part of marketing or PR, and for a lower-performing school, can be a tool for measuring improvement.

How did Outstanda Pulse get started?

Ron McDaniel
The product got started when several school leaders got together and discussed the kinds of data that could be valuable, especially if it is collected frequently and trends are analyzed. While the initial idea of an app had issues, it evolved into an SMS service that would do the same thing but not require an app to be installed on the phone.

What type of buyer benefits most from using Outstanda Pulse?

Ron McDaniel
Most schools thrive on data, so most schools could benefit from Outstanda Pulse. Districts can benefit even more because they can see their different schools and compare the culture and issues in each school against the other schools. This can easily lead to proactive training or hiring a consultant to work for schools that could be getting substandard results.

Is it hard to set up the surveying system for a school?

Ron McDaniel
Schools can have the system up and running very quickly. It is as simple as handing off names and mobile phone numbers of people who will be participating. Also, defining the frequency and times of the surveys. There are other customizations that are possible, such as creating sub-groups with tagging, adding custom questions, and changing up your Summer schedule. But the Outstanda team helps you with every part of it, to minimize your time commitment. Mostly and administrator just needs to look at the reports and take action if any is needed.

Are there other features that might interest readers?

Ron McDaniel
One nice thing we added is the ability to send SMS to your audience at any time without a survey attached. You already have the people in the system, and maybe have them grouped in useful tags, which will allow you to send out quick messages any time you need.

How is Outstanda Pulse priced?

Ron McDaniel
Outstanda Pulse has several pricing options. It has a limited, free option. Then it has an ala carte (pay per message) option and a monthly option. Pricing is very low compared to other data tools schools will use.

How can readers find more information about Outstanda Pulse?

Ron McDaniel
Visiting the Outstanda website is the best way to get information about the school survey product. You can also contact us, and we will be happy to set up your limited program.

Interviewer
Thanks for taking the time to be interviewed and help our readers understand Outstanda Pulse better.

Interview with Ron Mcdaniel, Outstanda by GR8TR Today Magazine on Scribd or Amazon

Tweet: Interview about Oustanda helping school meet kids needs. https://ctt.ac/UIbm1+

Summer Learning, Reinvented: How Outstanda Pays Students to Master Math, Science, and More

When most parents think of summer break, visions of sun, free time, and maybe a little screen overload come to mind. But a new nonprofit initiative is transforming summer into something much more impactful—and surprisingly motivating for kids.

Meet Outstanda STEM XP, a virtual summer program where students don’t just learn—they get paid to succeed.

Yes, you read that right.

In this innovative program for grades 2 through 8, students complete a four-week interdisciplinary curriculum covering math, reading, writing, and science. The twist? Every time they pass a weekly mastery assessment, they earn $25—up to $100 total.

“We wanted to combine project-based learning with real-world motivation,” says Ron McDaniel, Founder of Outstanda. “We believe students should be rewarded for effort and progress, not just showing up.”

The program is entirely online and designed to be flexible. Once enrolled, students get six weeks to complete four weeks of content. Each week includes a hands-on STEM project, vocabulary building, literacy tasks, and a short assessment that must be passed to unlock the reward.

And it’s not just for straight-A students.

“Some of our most engaged learners are those who’ve struggled in traditional classrooms,” says McDaniel. “When kids realize they can earn money by mastering concepts and apply what they’ve learned to something real – they become more invested. They see the value.”

While many summer programs focus on remediation or enrichment, Outstanda strikes a unique balance: it’s challenging, rewarding, and fun, but also accessible and affordable. Families can register directly through Outstanda.org, and early bird and multi-license discounts are available.

The program is gaining attention from homeschool networks, school districts, and parents looking for educational structure over the summer.

Why It Works

Outstanda STEM XP isn’t just a feel-good idea. It’s built on research showing that:

  • Immediate, meaningful rewards increase student engagement
  • Project-based learning improves retention and understanding
  • Flexible, self-paced programs can help close learning gaps

By blending those principles with a clear incentive, Outstanda delivers something rare: a summer program students actually want to finish.

 Registration Now Open

Outstanda is currently accepting registrations for multiple summer sessions. Visit Outstanda.org to learn more, view grade-level options, and download the program flyer.

Summer doesn’t have to be a learning slump—it can be a launchpad. And thanks to Outstanda, it might just be your child’s most rewarding summer yet.

8 Ways to Help Your School Children Have A Successful Year

It might be too early to start thinking about the beginning of the school year, but perhaps everyone(including students) is eager to return to their classroom, their friends, and their routines.  The happy feeling of returning might last only a few weeks or a few days, but it is up to you and your student to think positively about the new school year, the challenges, and the rewards. There are many students that struggle at the beginning of the year due to the changes to their sleep, the new class schedule, and the new teachers and students they will have contact with throughout the year. There are many ways you can help your child or teen student adapt to the new school year, and perhaps thrive in it. Every student is different and has different needs, therefore it is important for the parent to assess and find solutions for their particular student.

These are 8 easy to follow suggestions to help your child succeed in the new school year.

  1. Bed Time-Set up a bedtime hour for all your students at home, including your teenage children.  Tired students are cranky and unable to pay attention. Lack of sleep will make learning more difficult, and grasping difficult concepts will elude them if they cannot concentrate in class.
  2. Breakfast-Giving them a healthy breakfast before going to school allows students to pay attention in class and not at their growling bellies.  Avoid sugary breakfasts that won’t last till lunchtime.
  3. Healthy Foods After School-Instead of grabbing a cookie or other sugary treats at home, encourage them to have an apple, orange, or other fruits they like. Ask them to wait till dinner when they can have dessert after having a nutritious dinner with plenty of vegetables.
  4. Homework-Right after school, and after a healthy snack, ask them to do their homework. Math homework might still be fresh in their minds and can do it easier than waiting till they are more tired.
  5. Help-It is important for them to know they can have your help if they need it.  If you cannot give them the help they need with difficult subjects, arrange a tutor or some knowledgeable person to help them.
  6. Consistency-Stress the importance of working on a difficult subject daily to be proficient at it.  The more work they give to a subject, the more proficient they become.  Math or science is not hard if you work at it daily.
  7. Gaps in Learning-It is very important the student or parent recognizes the gaps the child or teen has in the student’s education. Moving forward in a class without mastering the basic content is detrimental to the student’s future learning.
  8. Be positive-Talking negatively about teachers, school administrators, parents, and students reinforces the negative view many students have of school. Avoid such conversations if possible and reinforce the importance education has for their future.

Simple suggestions like sleep and healthy eating might not sound important to some parents. Or they might underestimate the importance sleep plays in students’ learning and their achievements at school. However, researchers have for many years emphasized the importance sleep has in student’s learning, their physical, and mental state.

For the teenage student who wants to stay up and play video games or watch tv, remind them of the many benefits 8 hours of sleep can do to their lives.