Summer Safety For Your Children...Where Do You Start!

Teaching Your Children To Use 911, I believe, is one of the most important safety lessons to teach. Make a game out of teaching your child. “What would you do if Daddy was on the floor and he couldn’t move or wake up?” Or “What if a stranger was trying to climb into the neighbors window?” Children need to learn the difference between an Emergency and Non-Emergency.





Fire Safety

Does your family have a Fire Escape Plan? Teach your children what to do if they hear the smoke alarm or what to do if their clothes catch on fire.

http://www.thinkresponsibly.ca/public/fire_prevention/index.html
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/kids/flash.shtm
http://content.calgary.ca/CCA/City+Hall/Business+Units/Calgary+Fire+Department/Just+For+Kids/Just+for+Kids.htm

Stranger Safety

Teach your children about dealing with strangers. This a great link to the Stay Alert. Stay Safe Program for Kids and Parents!

http://www.sass.ca/

Bicycle Safety

One thing that drives me crazy is seeing a child riding a bicycle or a TRICYCLE with no helmet. It amazes me that parents don’t seem to realize how important a Bicycle Helmet is to the protection of their child. Do they have a bell, mirror, and reflectors? Is the bicycle the correct size, with the seat adjusted to the right height for your child? Do they understand the rules of the road?
In a one-year period, 6,430 people visited an emergency department for a biking injury. This number represents all bicycle-related injuries in Alberta including falls and also includes 593 bicyclists involved in casualty collisions on the roadway.

http://www.thinkresponsibly.ca/public/helmet_safety_files/index.html
http://www.saferoads.com/safety/safety_bicycle.html
http://www.thinkresponsibly.ca/public/helmet_safety_files/index.html

Sun & Heat Safety

Is your child protected from UV Rays? Use the right Sunscreen or Block. My Son is allergic to Zinc which is quite common in Sunscreens. Just read the label and make sure you watch how much direct sunlight your child is getting. Avoid sun stroke just by putting a hat on. Watch for heat exhaustion. Give a good supply of water (not Cola's the caffine dehydrates) or sports drinks. Stay in a Shady area during hot spells.
"It's hard to imagine having to warn parents or caregivers about leaving children alone in cars, especially during the heat of the summer. But many caring and responsible people can forget the silent or sleeping child in the backseat. Others do not realize the risks involved in leaving their children in the car and what begins as a quick errand can turn to tragedy in a matter of minutes. If children are trapped inside cars, especially during seriously hot weather, it can result in heat exhaustion or heat stroke, leading to permanent disability or death".

http://www.kidsandcars.org/
http://kidshealth.org/kid/watch/out/summer_safety.html

Water Safety

Watch your children. Do not lose site of them when around water, such as pools, rivers, creeks, lakes, ocean and ponds. Life jackets most be worn when boating or canoeing. Is the life jacket the right size? Is the life jacket the correct one for that water activity?

Parents please stay away from alcohol when participating in all water activities!

http://www.wearalifejacket.com/
http://www.tc.gc.ca/BoatingSafety/boating-law-enforcement.htm
http://www.tc.gc.ca/BoatingSafety/menu.htm

International Missing Children's Day

For the second consecutive year, the European Commission is supporting the International Missing Children's Day on 25 May, organized by the European Federation for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children. A press conference and a special event with Vice President Franco Frattini, Mr Daniel Cardon De Lichtbuer, President of Child Focus and the Belgian singer Salvatore Adamo, UNICEF ambassador for children's rights, took place on 24 May in the Commission premises.

Vice-President Franco Frattini pointed out that "the Commission has for a long time been concerned about the protection of children and young people inside and outside of Europe. In occasion of the International Missing Children's Day I will ask to the entire staff to show their solidarity to families that have been affected by such a sorrowful scourge, pinning a 'Forget-me-not' flower".

The main purpose of the International Missing Children’s Day is to encourage the population to think about all the children still missing in Europe and around the world and to spread a message of hope and solidarity at international level to parents who have no news about their children and do not know where they are or what has become of them.
The problem of missing children is complex and multifaceted. It is today not possible to obtain comprehensive statistics across the European Union regarding missing and sexually exploited children. Data gathering is seldom organised at a national level and the available data are largely difficult to access and little or no details can be obtained.

To give an indication on the extent of the problem in some European countries, the following statistics can be obtained from national sources:
In Italy, police records show that 1.850 minors went missing in 2005;
In Belgium, the number of dossiers reported by the police was 1.022 in 2005
In the UK, police recorded 846 cases of child abductions in 2002/03, while the total cases of missing children (runaways for any reason) is estimated at 70.000 annually.

To strengthen its actions in favour of children and young people, the Commission will issue a Communication “Towards an EU strategy on children’s rights” in July 2006. The communication will propose a wide action plan, with four major objectives:
To identify priorities for future EU action
To improve EU policies’ effectiveness vis-à-vis the Rights of the Child
To increase cooperation with stakeholders
To help children to enforce their rights

Many actions have already been taken by the European Union to protect the rights of the child. Only during the past 5 years, around thirty directives, framework decisions or green papers have been adopted under several EC policy areas and with children as principal target.
In addition, the Commission provides funding through a dozen community programmes for actions in favour of children and young people.

http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/news/information_dossiers/missing_children_day_2006/index_en.htm

A New Web Site for Single Dads

There is a fabulous new Web Site for single fathers called DadCanDo. Quite a few topics are available from Cooking to Crafts, Reward Charts, Dealing with Homework and even Relaxing!

This site has some great tools for you and your children!!

http://www.dadcando.com/default.asp