(Distributed 07/10/09) Back-to-school time can be a very expensive time of year. That makes it a great opportunity to help children learn to handle money.

(Distributed 07/09/09) If the idea of spending so much cash for school needs gets you down, take a look at these tips for creating – and sticking to – a back-to-school budget.

(Distributed 07/09/09) “Ever-increasing scholastic demands may mean that children are lugging home more books in their backpacks, often resulting in injuries,” says LSU AgCenter family economist Dr. Jeanette Tucker. She advises comparison shopping when looking for backpacks.

(Distributed 07/09/09) If there’s a teenager in your life, you want him or her to use credit cards responsibly once he or she gets to college. LSU AgCenter family economist Dr. Jeanette Tucker offers three words of advice: “Talk it out.”

(Distributed 07/09/09) Whether you're going back to school as a student or teacher, it's important to take extra care of your take-along lunch that’s been waiting all morning for you to eat. You don’t want to get a foodborne illness.

(Distributed 07/09/09) During preseason football practices with high heat and humidity, athletes should be well-hydrated, have access to fluids and be monitored for heat-related illness.

(Distributed 07/09/09) Parents can help their children prepare for kindergarten by teaching them personal skills.

(Distributed 07/09/09) Breakfast is usually considered the most important meal of the day, but one-fourth of children ages 6 to 11 miss that meal.

(Distributed 07/09/09) Once considered a club just for rural and farm kids, 4-H boasts an enrollment of more than 243,000 in Louisiana and 7 million across the country.

(Distributed 07/08/09) Children fare better in school when their parents help them become ready for kindergarten. After all, parents are the most important teachers a child will ever have, says LSU AgCenter family development professor Dr. Rebecca White.