Setting Up a Fish Tank Owning fish is an enjoyable experience for people of all ages. And while fish ownership requires plenty of maintenance, it can be a great transition for younger children into owning larger, more dependent animals. One of the most expensive and time-consuming investments you need to make before bringing home fish is choosing their tank. These...

Pet Ownership Statistics Pet owners form a collective community focused on one thing: the health and safety of their animal friends. There is a strong bond between people who fall into this category, and it’s fun to see how others became so involved in pet ownership. Here are some recent statistics reported by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty...

New Jersey’s geological ‘layer cake’ The State We're In column by Michele S. Byers, Executive Director, New Jersey Conservation Foundation.    The fictional character Forrest Gump famously remarked that “life is like a box of chocolates” … you never know what you’ll get. New Jersey is more like a slice of layer cake. This state we’re in is composed of five distinct bands...

Bonding with Your Pet What would we do without our pets? Animals have won over the hearts of pet owners across the world. They offer us unconditional love and loads of laughs that make our lives better. And the truth is, we can build even better bonds with our beloved pets by taking a few simple actions each day. Forming a...

Brush Your Pet’s Teeth We know how important exercise is to our four-legged friends, but when it comes to health, don’t forget your pet’s teeth. Equally important to annual dental exams at your veterinarian’s practice is home dental care, according to the American Animal Hospital Association. The AAHA recommends brushing your pet’s teeth every day from an early age. Doing so can help prevent...

Parents’ Posts Matter When talking about Internet safety, most parents likely focus on teaching their kids and teens about proper protocols but may not give much mind to the content they share themselves about their children. Considering we’re still in the relatively early days of social media, that content could have a lasting impact on a child for decades to come. Funny...

Parental Controls Some tech-savvy kids can get around software tools aimed at giving parents control over their Internet access — but there are some steps you can take to make it much harder for children to gain such access. According to Parenting.com, everything from browser tools to third-party safety programs can be a major ally for parents looking out for the...

Careful What You Share All it takes is a few moments on Google, and a few more skimming over social media sites, to realize a wealth of private information about your or your teen can be just a few clicks away. The reason? We share it. From locations, to shopping and food habits, to our weekly schedule, we have become a...

Bullying Gone Digital One of the biggest challenges facing teens and kids online is cyberbullying, which is exactly what it sounds like: the playground and hallway social troubles now in cyberspace. Unlike school children as recent as a decade ago, children face all kinds of new bullying and taunting issues that can be hard for adults to understand. The U.S. Department of...

Mobile: Where it all Happens One of the biggest changes in the past few years is the proliferation of mobile devices among teens and children, and the new social networks to go along with them. From services that are connected to geographic locations (such as campus- or school-specific apps), and apps such as SnapChat that delete messages after they’re sent (which can...