(upbeat music) - you're watching teen kids news, i'm livia. here's this week's top story. (upbeat music) when asked what was the key to his success, the famous inventor thomas edison replied one per cent inspiration and 99% perspiration. the lesson being that you shouldn't just rely on talent, but also on hard work. as amelia reports, that's good advice if you plan to apply to college.

in order to get into college. - pressure. - i cringe because i have, i'm taking it this weekend. - anxiety. - stressed out. - and general angst. - [amelia] when i say act or sat, what comes to mind? - uh oh! - anger, just state of anger. i do not like the sat, i do not want to take the act which is what i'm planning to take. and i just want to get it over with next year, just done. hoping to go to college than sat or act. to learn more about these tests we're joined again by rob franek. he's a college prep expert from the princeton review. hi! - good to be here, thanks for having me back. - for those of us who aren't geniuses with photographic memories, should we fear these tests? - the truth is that most students fear the sat and the act,

you can do well on either of those exams and they're of such value to those admissions counselors and those admissions committees that are going to be reviewing that application in the next year. you can do this, sat or act, it doesn't matter. - okay, so when should we take them? - i think the best time, for students to start to prep for the exam, the sat or the act, is at the end of their sophomore year into the beginning of the perfect time between your summer ending your sophomore year into the beginning of your junior year, you can take your first exam during that summer term or during the fall but remember that you can continue that prep work after you've taken that first administration of the exam, see where've done well and see where you've not done as well, and be able to focus on those areas where you're weak to make sure that next administration is strong. and then you can take it another one or two times during your junior year. that is the perfect formula.

- there's lots of different options for students to prepare for the sat or the act. you can buy a book and prep, you can do that on your own. you can take a classroom course with an instructor or a teacher. many of those classes are taught online, either with a live instructor or a synchronously. you can sit with a private tutor in your home. we have each of those options at the princeton review. i think the truth is that you should make sure that you're engaging with one of those things and making sure that you're leaving at least six weeks t or the act. remember there's no crash course that's effective for either of those exams. you have to buckle down and make sure that you're spending the time, however you choose to prep. - can colleges tell if you've taken a prep course and do they count that against you? - that's a good question. the truth is that a college may see a dramatic increase in your score after you've prepped,

are going to focus on your best sat or act. most schools will mix and match scores from different exams to make sure that they're putting you in the best light academically. whether you're taking a course or not, it's the end result that matters in the admissions process. - any secrets you can share to help us do better on the test? - oh, yeah, one thing that we tell students at the princeton review is, on testing day, make sure you pack a couple of bananas. ime. it keeps your energy level up. so it's a good secret technique to take into the actual exam day. and then, prior to the exam, take as many practice tests as you can. the more confident you are around the sat or the act is going to pay off when you're in that testing environment. because it's a timed environment, you're going to understand the instructions for the questions that are going to be asked. we see great confidence in those students.

eat advice, thanks, rob. - you're welcome, good to be here. - the boy scouts' motto is be prepared! when it comes to the sat and act that's great advice. - and here's one more suggestion, don't wait until the last minute to start preparing. for teen kids news, i'm amelia. - if you have a hard time falling asleep i'll have some tips when teen kids news returns. we'll be right back.

the work you have to do for school? well, christin's here to help, with this week's make the grade. - look, we all know it's hard to get to sleep when there's so much to do. but here are some ideas for making the most of the sleep you do get. long before you go to bed, avoid anything with caffeine. for example, coffee, tea, soda or chocolate. even when not wired with caffeine, we need to do the next day. so, write a note to yourself about what you need to do tomorrow. no longer having to worry about forgetting should let you relax. try to aim for the same bedtime every night. that helps train your mind and body to get ready for sleep. and say no to technology as you get close to bedtime. that means no phone calls, messaging, no computers, no tv, nada!

in your body that prevent you from falling asleep. and that can be a real nightmare. i'm christin here to help you make the grade. (soft upbeat music) - over the years, teen kids news has reported on a growing medical problem among american teens, diabetes. there are two forms of diabetes. re born with. 10 year old kb has type one diabetes. and then there's type two which is mostly caused by poor eating habits and lack of exercise. aziana was 11 when she found out that, like her mother, she had type two diabetes. - i seen my mom and like she takes medicine, i like didn't want to do that. - now, here's the really bad news. - both type one and type two diabetes are increasing

the colorado school of public health. okay, so what is diabetes? - it affects your blood sugar. - it doesn't' stay the way it normally would in a like a healthy person. - diabetes is a condition that occurs when the body either doesn't make enough insulin or doesn't respond normally to the insulin that it makes. - insulin is a hormone that most of us naturally make in our body. insulin converts sugar into energy. so those with type one diabetes were born on the other hand, if you eat too many foods and drinks with lots of sugar, you can develop type two diabetes. bottom line, whether type one or type two you don't have the natural insulin you need. - and as a result, the blood sugar levels rise, and that rise in blood sugar can cause damage to the various organs of the body, the eyes, the kidneys, the blood vessels. and that's what diabetes is all about.

- [scott] we met skyler shortly after he learned that his body wasn't making enough insulin. he has type one diabetes. skyler carefully monitors his diabetes. that means measuring the amount of sugar that's in his bloodstream throughout the day, especially after eating. he gives himself insulin shots to bring his sugar levels into proper balance. - i eat the school's lunch and i just eat what they give me. and i try to count my calorie points - [scott] lenny used to get headaches and was constantly thirsty. - i had no clue what i was going through. - he has type two diabetes. some other typical symptoms are feeling tired, and having to visit the bathroom frequently. unlike type one, which is mostly dictated by our genes, type two is something we can develop and therefore can often avoid. sadly, diabetes is getting worse in this country.

- most of it is due to the obesity epidemic in children. we saw similar increases in white and black children. the largest increase we saw was in hispanic children. - type one diabetes has also increased by 21%. clearly, this is an important issue that we all need to take very seriously. it can be deadly. so far, there's no cure for diabetes. - i eat healthy foods, exercise a lot. i manage my weight and i take my medication on a regular basis. - the best advice i could give other young people is just to keep their head high and keep a positive attitude towards it. - we can't help being born with genes that give us type one diabetes. but we can fight getting type two diabetes. cut down on the sugar, especially in soft drinks.

for example, foods with lots of carbs. they turn into sugar after you eat them. and help your body get rid of unnecessary sugar by getting exercise. trust me, life is a lot sweeter when you don't have diabetes. - my report should really peak your interest. it's about an unusual fertilizer.

(upbeat music) - throughout the year, we've been reporting on simple things that can make a big difference in the lives of people living in poverty. especially girls because they're most often the victims of abuse and misfortune. all of these ideas come from the book one hundred tools for empowering global women. with us again is its author, betsy teustch, hi.

ek. urine can actually be useful? - urine is actually extremely beneficial. first of all, it's important to know that human urine is essentially sterile. it doesn't have pathogens in it, so it's relatively safe after it's been stored for a month. it's full of nitrogen. that's the main ingredient of pee, after water, and nitrogen is what is the main ingredient in fertilizer. e human urine on your crops, they grow much bigger and faster. and in places where the earth is very depleted, and they don't, they used to let the earth replenish itself by leaving a field fallow, but population pressures make that more and more difficult, to just leave a field open.

and it has to be shipped in places where there, it's very hard to get it there. so if farmers, and about half of the world's farmers in the developing world are women, if they can have access to something as simple as pee, and it helps grow their crops much bigger, it's great. - are you suggesting american teens send their pee to poor countries? - i don't think that's a great idea, but i do think that learning more about this i've seen examples where you have two plots, one has just plain water, and the other has urine, and the urine fertilized crop is like this, and the one with just plain water is like this. so you can prove that it really works and organic gardeners do use this on an individual basis. in the developing world, the big challenge

so what we want to do, is help organizations that educate farmers, get the word out. - so how can teens do that? - you can get involved by researching online, or in my book, different organizations that promote this, and there's one right in new england, called the rich earth institute, that is promoting this technique, pee cycling. - wow, never would i have thought of that, thanks betsy. - this is just one of the many ideas in betsy book. if urine as fertilizer doesn't excite you, maybe one of the other 99 ideas will. for teen kids news, i'm eden. - it's time for another important message, brought to you by the national road safety foundation. (fun music) (crashing)

(birds chirping) (insects buzzing) (fun music) (horn honking) (upbeat music) - coming up, i'll tell you about a scottish town that is famous for its connection to a popular sport.

on the fascinating history, people and places of the united kingdom.

- on the rocky eastern coast of scotland is the historic town of st. andrews. it has the ruins of an ancient castle. and it's home to one of the oldest english-speaking universities in the world. but the town owns its international fame to a game. in 1457, king james the second was angry that instead of practicing for war, his nobles were playing a game where they hit a ball it was the game of golf. while there's some dispute as to exactly when and where golf was invented, there's no dispute that st. andrew's is considered the home of modern golf. there are no fewer than seven golf courses here. while there have been various games where a rock or pebble is hit with a stick the scots get credit for making one indispensable addition, the hole.

some of the greatest golfers have been female. - in fact over the years, teen kids news has often reported on golf phenom michelle wei. - [narrator] michelle is a member of a new league of players who are shaking up the golf world. - she made history when she became the youngest golfer ever to play in the us women's amateur championship. and she was only 10 years old! professional golf, i'd say either putt up or shut up! for teen kids news, i'm nicole. (upbeat music) - not that you'd ever want to cycle in the nude, but if you were looking for a place to do it, consider vermont. a number of years ago, more than 40 people decided to pedal through the state capital of montpelier

in montpelier taking off your clothes in public is against the law. so were the cyclists arrested? no, because while it's illegal to take off your clothes in public, it's not illegal to be naked in public. so the cyclists simply took off their clothes before they arrived in town. but i have to admit the logic of that law escapes me.

- this report is brought to you by fisher nuts. almonds and peanuts and walnuts, oh my! we all know that nuts are a tasty and healthy snack. but did you know that nuts can be your secret ingredient when it comes to holiday cooking? and no one knows that better than chef alex guarnaschelli. you've probably seen her on popular cooking shows

- hi katie. - i know to add nuts to salads and ice cream but you're saying nuts can play a far bigger role during meal time, especially during the holidays, right? - yes, we're all about the nuts. this holiday season, and just in general honestly. - can you give us an example of an easy recipe? - a great thing that i love, you know, i have an almost teenager myself, and i think cooking with mom and dad, or just dad, in the kitchen is a great simple thing to do. olive oil and lemon juice and make a savory vinaigrette that has such great texture. i love to drizzle it on roasted vegetables, or toss it in a salad, it's kind of a cool twist on, a more classical say lemon and olive oil dressing. i have even taken this walnut vinaigrette and just drizzled it on roasted chicken, so good. a little chicken, a little oregano, roast it,

and just part of my partnership with fisher nuts. you can go to fishernuts.com, they have so many great ideas. - some people avoid nuts because they think they're fattening, is that true? - well if think that if you take an ingredient in it's natural form that has no preservatives, while nuts certainly have their fair share of calories, it's such a healthy form, such a healthy form of fat, it's so many great ingredients, or so many great vitamins. the other thing is you eat a bag of potato chips, it's got a ton of calories, you're hungry after. if you have a handful of walnuts you certainly don't feel the same way. so i think it's about feeling satisfied for your calories and nuts it's a win, win to me. - and i guess we don't need to just use nuts for our holiday cooking. - yeah, i think we think of nuts as something that goes into a cookie or a brownie or a pie and that's certainly true but,

for example, almonds soaked in water and blended, a great substitute for dairy and milk in a lot of recipes. also, just nuts give body and i don't think we think about that, they're rich they have great taste, they can also add such great texture. - alex, thanks for joining us. - thank you. - nuts are actually a super food which means they're packed with lots of nutrients and they have health benefits. so whether you snack on a handful regularly you'd be nuts not to make them a part of your diet, unless you're allergic of course. for teen kids news, i'm katie. - that's our show for this week. but be sure to tune in again next week for more teen kids news, bye.

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