Video chat is now the go-to outlet for many social distancers longing for social interaction. But having a successful fete isn't only a question of hopping on camera with friends and kicking off. Social grace is a big part of a successful virtual party — and etiquette doesn't go out the door just because you're in your pajamas in front of a camera.

Introduce everyone to the group

Gone are the days during which you can introduce yourself to new people at your leisure. Instead, the second you click 'Join Meeting', you're pushed in front of potentially dozens of faces staring straight at you.

This is particularly problematic if not everyone on the call knows each other — Zoom itself recommends short ice-breaking sessions for everyone to introduce themselves on meetings.

"I like to use the wait room," says Tamiko Zablith, founder of Minding Manners International. "For security reasons, it means outsiders don't come crashing into your meeting. But also, you can let people come in one at a time, and then you can take that time to introduce them to the group as well."

Learn the art of the pause

Another wildly confusing thing about Zoom parties: everyone has to talk one at a time. There's no chance for small groups to organically form, for joking talk to fill a room, or for guests to talk at the same time. The whole group, no matter how large, can only listen to one person at a time.

That's why putting pauses in your speech is critical, especially since low internet speeds or weird audio may mean it's easy for someone to talk over someone else, drowning out what they have to say to the group.

"If the internet is a bit unreliable, you have those unstable signals. If I keep rambling, and the other person starts, there's that delay," says Zablith. "Work those pauses into your conversation."

Know when to change backgrounds

Using Zoom's backgrounds can actually be a courtesy to eliminate distractions behind you.

Hiding those dirty dishes or pizza boxes, or obscuring other members of the household coming and going, eliminates distractions and makes the other people feel like they're getting your full attention.

"Wouldn't it be better if that distraction just wasn't there?" Zablith says, pointing to the advantage of virtual backgrounds being able to hide anything unsightly behind you. For others, virtual backgrounds also provide a sense of comfort or normalcy to the audience.

A kitchen garden produces vegetables for delicious, healthy meals. It doesn’t have to be right outside the kitchen door, but the closer it is, the better. 【小题1】, the more likely it is that you will get tasty things out of it. Just a few steps are needed for what you want.

【小题2】. The most important recommendation is start with what you like to eat. This may go without saying, but I have seen first-year gardens that don’t reflect the eating habits of their growers. One of the easiest and most rewarding and popular kitchen gardens is a simple salad garden. It can produce multiple harvests in most parts of the country.

Planting a garden: where, when and how. Make a garden plan of what will be planted, where, when and how. 【小题3】. It means you should know what they like in terms of space, water, soil fertility (肥力) and soil temperatures.

When and how much to water your garden. Vegetables are made mostly of water. 【小题4】.You’ll want to water them lightly every day or two. If nature isn’t providing that amount of rain, you’ll need to water by yourself or with a drip irrigation system.

Garden maintenance: keep an eye on it. Sun and rain willing, fast growers such as radishes (萝卜) and salad greens will begin to produce crops as early as 20 to 30 days after planting. Check on them regularly so you get to harvest them before someone else does. 【小题5】.

Kids' health: Four steps for fighting stress(压力)

Everybody gets stressed from time to time. 【小题1】 Some ways of dealing with stress - like screaming (尖叫) or hitting someone - don't solve much. But other ways, like talking to someone you trust, can lead you to solving your problem or at least feeling better.

Try taking these four steps the next time you are stressed:

Get support. When you need help, reach out to the people who care about you. Talk to trusted adults, such as parents or other relatives (亲戚). 【小题2】They might have had similar problems, such as dealing with a test, or the death of a beloved pet.

Do not take it out on yourself. Sometimes when kids are stressed and upset they take it out on themselves. In fact, that’s not a good idea. Remember that there are always people to help you. 【小题3】

Try to solve the problem. After you're calm and you have support from adults and friends, it's time to get down to business. 【小题4】Even if you can't solve it all, you can solve a piece of it.

Be positive. Most stress is temporary. Remember stress does go away, especially when you figure out (弄清楚) the problem and start working on solving it.

These steps aren't magic, but they do work. And if you can stay positive as you make your way through a hard time, you will help yourself feel better even faster. 【小题5】So, remember the above ways when you are stressed.