Winter safety: Advice for parents and kids

Every one waiting for Winter because of Winter is a great season for outdoor activities, such as sledding and skating. Cold weather, ice, and snow can be fun but also dangerous for Kids.

 The following few suggestion which is help parents and children enjoy winter activities safely.

In general 

• Children shouldn’t play outside alone. Establish a buddy system with one or more friends and have them look out for one another. Children younger than 8 years of age should always be supervised outside. 
• Consider keeping them indoors whenever the temperature or the wind chill is reported to be -27°C (-16°F) or lower. At these temperatures, exposed skin will begin to freeze.
• Never send children outside unsupervised in extreme weather conditions such as snowstorms.
• Check often to see that your child is warm and dry. Younger children should take regular breaks and come inside for a warm drink.
• Help children choose play areas with a warm shelter nearby (e.g., near home or a friend’s home).
• Apply sunscreen to exposed skin, even when it’s cloudy.

Clothing

If your child’s feet and hands are warm, what they are wearing is usually good. If your child is dressed too warm, she could sweat and feel colder when she stops playing.

• Dress your child in layers of clothing that can be put on and taken off easily.
• Infants being pulled in a sled need extra bundling. Because they aren’t moving, they can’t generate body heat the way a playing child can.
• Wear a hat because a lot of body heat is lost through the head.
• Keep ears covered at all times to prevent frostbite.
• Wear mittens instead of gloves so that fingers can be bunched together for warmth.
• Wear warm, waterproof boots that are roomy enough for an extra pair of socks and to wiggle toes.
• In younger children, remove drawstrings from clothing that could catch on climbing or play equipment. Use Velcro or other snaps instead. Use a neck warmer instead of a scarf, and mitten clips instead of a string to prevent choking.
• Remove wet clothing and boots immediately after playing.

Winter play

Active games, making snow angels and building snowmen will help to keep your child warm. Teach your children a few important rules to go along with winter play.

• Stay away from snowplows and snow blowers.
• Choose play areas away from roads, fences and water.
• Take extra caution when crossing roads. It might be hard for drivers to see you playing if they have snowy or frosty windows. Icy roads can also make it difficult to stop.
• Snowballs should never be aimed at people or cars. They are especially dangerous when the snow is hard-packed or icy. Instead, throw snowballs at safe targets, like trees or telephone poles. 
• Building forts and tunnels can be fun, but this activity should always be supervised by an adult. Forts and tunnels can collapse and suffocate you.
• Don’t play on roadside snow banks. Snowplow drivers or other drivers may not see you.
• Don’t put metal objects in your mouth. Lips and tongues can freeze to the metal and cause an injury.
• Don’t eat snow, which can be dirty.

Tobogganing/Sledding

• Children under 5 years of age should never go down a hill alone.
• Always wear a ski or hockey helmet – not a bicycle helmet – while sledding. Bicycle helmets are only tested up to -10ºC (14ºF) and need to be replaced after one crash. If you use a hockey helmet, make sure it meets the Canadian Standards Association standards.
• Never use a sled with sharp or jagged edges. Handholds should be secure.
• Use a sled you can steer rather than a snow disk or inner tube. It will provide better control.
• Always sit up or kneel on a sled. Lying down can increase the risk of injury to the head, spine and stomach.
• Never sled on or near roadways. Look for shallow slopes that are free of trees, fences or any other obstacles.
• Avoid sledding on crowded slopes.
• Sled during the day. If you sled at night, make sure the hill is well lit.
• Slide down the middle of the hill and climb up along the sides. Remember to watch for other sliders and move quickly out of the way once at the bottom of the hill.

Skating

• Always wear a properly fitted, CSA approved hockey helmet while skating. Ski/snowboard and bike helmets are unsuitable since most are designed to protect you against a single crash and must then be replaced.
• Skates should be comfortable, with good ankle support to avoid twists, sprains or breaks.
• Whenever possible, skate on public indoor or outdoor rinks.
• Obey all signs posted on or near the ice. Yellow signs usually mean skate with caution, and red usually means no skating allowed.
• Never assume it’s safe to skate on a lake or pond. An adult should make sure the ice is at least 10 cm (4”) thick for skating alone or 20 cm (8”) for skating parties or games.  Do not walk on ice near moving water. Ice formed on moving water, such as rivers and creeks, may not be thick enough to be safe.

Skiing/snowboarding

• Children should take lessons from a certified skiing or snowboarding instructor. Be mindful that a child’s coordination is not fully developed until 10 years of age.
• Young children should never ski or snowboard alone.
• Equipment should be checked every year for proper fit and condition. Bindings should be checked annually by a qualified technician.
• Children should always wear a helmet with side vents so they can hear. Earphones should never be worn when skiing or snowboarding.
• Children should watch for other skiers, snowboarders, and other obstacles on the slopes.
• Wrist guards should be worn when snowboarding to reduce the risk of wrist injuries.
• Goggles should be worn to protect eyes from bright sunlight and objects, like tree branches.
• Children should always control their speed when skiing or snowboarding. Many injuries result from losing control. Stunts and fatigue can also lead to injuries.
• Icy hills should be avoided. The risk of falls and injuries increases in icy conditions.
• Children should always stay in open ski areas and on marked trails.

Snowmobiles

• Children younger than 6 years of age should never ride on a snowmobile, even with an adult.
• Children and youth less than 16 years of age should not operate a snowmobile.
• Anyone operating a snowmobile should take a formal safety training program.
• Never pull a child behind a snowmobile on a tube, tire, sled or saucer.
• Children and adults should wear an approved helmet at all times. Head injuries are the leading cause of snowmobile-related deaths.
• Drowning is another leading cause of snowmobile deaths. Snowmobiling across ponds or lakes can be extremely dangerous and is not recommended.  

In an Emergency

Kids are at greater risk for frosting and frostbite than adults, and the best way to prevent it is to make sure they're dressed warmly and don't spend too much time in extreme weather.

Frosting is an early warning sign of the onset of frostbite. It leaves the skin red and numb or tingly. After bringing your child inside, remove all wet clothing because it draws heat from the body. Immerse the chilled body parts in warm (not hot) water — 104-108°F (40-42°C) — until they are able to feel sensation again.

Frostbite occurs mostly on fingers, toes, ears, noses, and cheeks. The area becomes very cold and turns white or yellowish gray. If you notice frostbite, take your child immediately to the nearest hospital emergency room.

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Kids About Emotions in Daily Life

Teach Children About Feelings

Playing emotion games with your little one will help them learn, through play, about how they are feeling, be able to give the feeling a name and learn how to practice responding to those emotions.

Giving our kids a solid foundation for emotional health is so important. When we are raising our kids, we want to give them the best foundation as far as their physical health so we make sure that they get enough water and food and exercise and we teach them to tell us when they aren’t feeling well. We even teach them to identify what part of their body is hurting them and we use tools like thermometers to check them for fevers

We often tell or children to use their words when they are upset. We assume they know what they are feeling and can verbalize it to us. Wrong! It’s difficult for children to say what they are feeling because many times they don’t know what to name the feeling they are experiencing.

Instead, they show us how they are feeling by throwing temper tantrums and having meltdowns. We first need to teach children the words to express their feelings before we require them to “use their words.”
Young children can be taught basic emotions such as happy, mad, sad, and scared as early as two years old. As they get older, you can explain emotions such as feeling frustrated, nervous, shy, etc. to them.

Sing songs to help young children learn how to express their feelings. 

 If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.

If you’re surprised and you know it say “Oh my!”

If you’re sad and you know it rub your eyes “Boo hoo”

If you’re scared and you know it shiver and shake.

If you’re sleepy and you know it close your eyes.

If you’re angry and you know it stomp your feet.

And always make sure end up with “happy” again.

They suggest having pictures of each emotion to show the kids as they sing the song.

Use games and activities to teach children about feelings.
Children like learning through playing and having fun. A fun game to help kids learn about feelings is Feelings Charades. For this game you will need to make a feelings cube. Paste pictures of feeling faces on a tissue box. Have kids roll the box and whatever feeling face it lands on they have to act out.

You can also use the cards to play Memory. Simply print out two sets of Feeling Cards, shuffle them and then have your child find the matching Feelings Card.

Watch kid-friendly videos about feelings.
Kids respond well to visual stimulation. Here are two videos I like to show kids to help them learn about feelings:

• Elf Feelings Video
• The Feeling Song

Get into the habit of labeling the feelings you believe your child is experiencing.
For example, if your child runs up to you and hugs you as you walk through the door,

you can say something like “someone is excited to see me” or “someone is happy I’m home.” Labeling your child’s feelings as they happen helps them to build their feelings vocabulary.

When you read to your child, discuss how the characters in the story are feeling.
Point out any clues that lets you know what they are feeling such as facial expressions or behaviors. Then explain to your child why the characters feel the way they do. If your child is able to, let them take a turn identifying how the characters are feeling and why.

When your child does something that upsets someone else, let them know how their behavior might make others feel.
For example, “When you called your sister names, she felt sad and her feelings were hurt. “ This will help your child be mindful of what they say and do to others.

You can follow up by asking how they would feel if someone did the same thing to them. Encouraging your child to put themselves in someone else shoe teaches them how to be empathetic. Empathy is an important life skill that will allow your child to maintain positive relationships with other people.

Model appropriate ways to express feelings to your child.
Children are always watching us and like sponges they soak everything up. Good and bad. If your child sees you expressing your feelings in a positive way, over time they learn to do the same. However, if they see you yelling and throwing things when you get upset, they are more likely to mimic this behavior.

Teach your child appropriate ways to express their emotions.
It’s important that children learn that it is OK to have their feelings. What matters is how they express them.

When your child is calm, discuss with them ways they can calm down when they are upset. The ABC’s of Calming Down is a great resource that contains 26 alphabetized calm down strategies to help children calm down.

Praise your child when they use words to express their feelings.
Having the self-control to express your feelings appropriately is no easy feat. There are many adults who are unable to do this. When your child tells you how they are feeling instead of having a complete melt down, praise them for doing so. Be very specific. For example, “I like how you told your sister that you were sad when she called you names. That was very mature of you.” Praising your child for practicing good behavior makes them more likely to do it again in the future. It also lets them know that you are watching them and notice when they do good things.

It is important that children learn how to identify and express their feelings in an appropriate manner. Kids who are able to express their feelings are less likely to have meltdowns and temper tantrums. They also have an easier time making friends and getting along with others.

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Activities That’ll Get Children Grinning

Ever tried to play games with kids in English?

It can be a fun treat!
But what about when the child doesn’t even know how to say hello?
In this case, trying to play games or sing songs can be just plain frustrating.
It can’t be denied—teaching English to children is nothing like teaching adults!
Attention spans are shorter, and the child’s vocabulary is much more limited—even in his or her native language—meaning that the topics you can discuss are limited as well.
Luckily, where there’s a will, there’s a way! Here are five activities for children to get beginner children excited about learning their first words of English.

These activities work particularly well with beginners, as the child doesn’t need to have an extensive English vocabulary to participate, but once you’ve integrated these methods into your teaching style, you may find yourself using them again and again, even with more advanced students

Use These Activities for Children

Attention spans in beginner classes, no matter the age group, tend to be reduced. After all, it’s hard to ask someone who barely understands what you’re talking about to follow an in-depth discussion about anything, even if it is of interest to them!
But for children, this is even more true. A child has a reduced attention span even in his or her own language; teaching children English, therefore, must be done with attention to this fact.
Children should generally not be asked to do an activity for any longer than 20 minutes, so if we imagine that a class lasts between 45 and 60 minutes, each activity would be about a third or up to half of a class period. Often, however, an activity will take up much less time than this.
Be sure that you are organized in your lesson in order to make the most of your time when doing these activities, and never expect an activity to take up an entire class.

Ways to Teach Children Through Fun Activities

1. Art Projects

Art is a fantastic way to get your young students excited and interested in a variety of lessons to reinforce different vocabulary.
The art project that goes with this lesson should either come at the end of the class or at the beginning of the following class after a brief review of the vocabulary. Students can draw pictures independently, but you should walk around the room and encourage them to talk to you about their work.
Let’s say you’re using an art lesson to follow up acquisition of different color words; you could ask students what color they’re using with the phrase “What color is this?”
The same sort of lesson can be used once students become more advanced with other sorts of vocabulary, from fruits to careers to animals, by having students draw pictures using the vocabulary that was introduced in class and then helping them to label their drawings using the words they learned.

Get some ideas for more art projects to reinforce vocabulary from Art Projects for Kids, a teacher-approved site filled with resources and ideas. We also love these fun ideas from the Artful Parent, craft ideas from Enchanted Learning and the themed crafts from Fun-logy.

2. Active Games

You’ve probably already witnessed the awesome power of learning in the classroom, and active games can be a great way to get beginners up and moving.
This can be a very useful way to reinforce new vocabulary while also upping the energy. That’s why it’s a great choice either at the beginning or in the middle of a class.
It is to reinforce a vocabulary lesson involving body parts. But what you might not think of is using To reinforce the use of action words, like “dance,” “jump” or “clap.”
Always be sure to introduce the words you plan to use in lesson format before introducing the game. Students can always assume they understand what you’re saying, particularly if they’re following the rest of the group. That’s why it’s important to use at the end of a lesson and to make sure that you’re not giving them any hints with your own body language as to what they’re supposed to do;

3. Singing Songs

Songs are a fantastic mnemonic device for new vocabulary, and the Internet is a wealth of different song ideas. The best time to use a song is once the vocabulary has already been introduced. Some songs are simpler, ideal for using the same day or the same week that the vocabulary is introduced:

• “7 Days A Week” — for learning the days of the week
• “If You’re Happy” (simplified) — for learning emotions
• “Put on Your Shoes” — for learning clothing words
• “Rainbow Song” — for learning colors

Other songs are more complicated, making them better for students that already know some vocabulary in English. They’re great for reviewing!

• “Let’s Go to the Zoo” — for reviewing animal words
• “I See Something Pink” — for reviewing colors
• “One Little Finger” — for reviewing body parts
• “Colors Song” — for reviewing colors

But don’t limit yourself to simply singing the songs. Use them as a way to get kids participating—even your shyest students—by coming up with ways for the class to respond to the song.
For example, when using songs to reinforce vocabulary, once the song has been acquired, you can call on an individual student to fill in a “blank” with the appropriate word. This is great for songs like “Old MacDonald,” where the verse is the same each time with a slight modification—in this case, the animal’s name and sound it makes.
Here are a few other ideas to keep your students engaged while singing:

• Have students make up hand gestures or a dance to go along with the song.
• Ask students to illustrate the song as an art project.
• Have students make up their own verses (when appropriate to level).
• Have students make their own musical instruments so they can play along as they sing!

4. Labeling

Labeling can be a great way to remember new vocabulary. We already discussed a bit how labeling can be used during an art project, but you can also use labeling in a classroom or with photographs.
If you’re trying to teach the names of different things in the classroom, tasking your students with creating labels for them can be a great way to get them up and moving—and speaking! Once the labels are created, be sure to laminate them. You can use them with all sorts of games, from treasure hunts to interactive matching or memory games.
You can also use labeling with photographs, particularly if you can project them on the wall. Find photographs or images of different scenes containing vocabulary that you have covered in class. Make the labels yourself or have your students make them, and then allow students to come up and affix them on the projected image, either using magnets or putty, depending on what’s appropriate for your classroom.
Labeling of this kind is great when used in tandem with an art project, as students first identify items as a group and are then encouraged to label things on their own.

5. Educative Play

Particularly when your students are very young, educative play is a useful technique for teaching them without ever letting on! Students can be encouraged to play with one another in a variety of ways, either with board games or in a playroom or space, depending on the way your school is laid out. The idea with educative play is for teachers and assistants to participate in the play in English, asking questions that students can answer.
Examples of such questions include:

• What are you doing?
• What are you playing?
• Can I play?
• What’s that?
• Would you like this (block, ball, doll)?

The key to making educative play fun and useful is to make sure that you engage students without frustrating them. Asking them repetitive questions or simply asking too many questions can be frustrating and counterproductive. Ask about one question every minute or so.
Encourage students to answer you in English, but don’t force them to speak to one another in English. As things progress, they may speak to one another in English of their own accord—which is proof that your efforts are paying off!
There are lots of different ways that these five types of activities can be integrated into classroom with children. Try adapting some of these ideas into your own lessons today!

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The Evolution of Parenting

Biggest Challenges Faced by Parents Today

Believe it or not, good parenting, parenting styles and general child care are actually a relatively new phenomenon. The scientific interest in parenting or what is the best mode to raise a child’ has come about in recent years.
The responsibility of raising healthy, happy, well-adjusted kids can sometimes feel overwhelming for parents. They’re bombarded with expert advice and societal expectations, yet often miss out on the informal support that parents half a century ago received from neighbors and extended family.
We often ask ourselves why is it so hard to parent today? Was it always difficult?
Whatever the answers may be, there is no doubt that the standards of “good parenting” have changed dramatically.

Good parents were those who taught their children to be mannerly, respectful and responsible. They were more concerned about the basics, such as food and shelter.
Supplementary questions such as ‘Is my child dressed appropriately? Did they sit up straight? Are they provided with a balanced diet and regular vaccinations’ were rarely considered.
Perhaps your parents and grandparents had different approaches to raising children than you are currently using. Their ways were not necessarily ‘bad’ but simply different because due to a rather different cultural and social scenario.
In order to understand the difficulties and challenges facing parents today, we must understand the greater complexity and changed dynamics that are involved.

Balancing family and career

We often feel torn between professional and parenting responsibilities. When we are focusing on one, we feel like we are neglecting the other! This is a common dilemma for today’s parents, who often have packed schedules.

There are so many demands on today’s parents, it is a challenge for them to carve out and deliver the gift of time on a regular basis. Likewise, too many kids have packed after-school schedules, which leave them with little time to their parents and siblings, preparing a meal together, doing household chores, enjoying each other’s company.

Being afraid to say ‘NO’

We all want our kids to like us. But we need to learn that we don’t need to say “yes” to everything. Sometimes a “no” or a “maybe” is the better response to avoid the sense of entitlement that so many kids have today.

A culture of blame 

There is so much pressure to have the best sleeper, the earliest toilet trained, the smartest kid, the cutest kid, and so on. There is so much pressure to feed nutritious meals, stay active, and so on. I think this results in parents rushing to make bad parenting decisions and feeling guilt over not being able to do everything perfectly.

Ensuring children receive a quality education 

The economic situation has created a lot of pressure on parents to earn enough money to meet the rising costs of education. Then there is the added pressure parents feel in making sure their kids succeed in school so that they have a competitive edge when they graduate and move into the job market. Too much pressure isn’t healthy for parent-child relationships. 

Overload of information

In a generation exposed to so much information about how to parent their kids, parents struggle with finding their own unique way of parenting. Parents are a lot more educated than previous generations but sometimes it can lead to information overload with several differing points of views on the same topic. It leaves parents wondering which choice is the best.
The biggest challenge for parents is slowing down. Modern society puts so much emphasis on productivity and activity. If we could all slow down, think of all the creative win-win situations we could create with our children. Think about it.  When your child is struggling over putting his shoes on and you’re running late. Or, when they want to stay on the playground but you have to leave so you make dinner so they can have time to do homework and get baths and still be in bed on time. The time crunch is truly a pressure cooker that makes it challenging for parents to live in the moment and just enjoy their children.
The lines that follow, which we read somewhere,  best describe this situation:

Let them be little because they are only that way for a little while,

Give them hope, give them praise

Give them love everyday.

Let the cry, let them giggle

Let them sleep in the middle.

Oh! Just let them be little.

 

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Let’s Talk Kids about Good Touch Bad Touch

We All Need to know.
This is serious subject need to talk about good touch & bad touch

But we have to.  But we have to get past that discomfort and put aside our differences as mamas, parents, teachers, and community members and talk more about this terrible topic.

  Let’s Talk Kids & Good Touch Bad Touch.

Most of us have personal experience – very personal experience – with childhood sexual abuse.  Which makes it harder to talk about but makes it even more important to be open to sharing and learning from one another, too.
brings moms together to learn from one another.  In this post you will find exact quotes from a Experienced Parents (with tons of parenting experience and kids of all ages).  All of them are fellow moms – just like you – who have to teach their kids about this difficult subject of appropriate and inappropriate touching, too.  And some of them might just have more experience with this than anyone ever should.
So be open and kind and loving while you read and learn from them.  Let’s hear what they have to say…

1. Give Them Ownership of Their Body

“I began telling my children at about 18 months that they own their bodies (‘Your body is all yours.’) and that no one has a right to touch them unless it’s okay with them. At [ages] 2 and 3.25 now, they know that their bodies belong to them and that they can reserve certain parts as ‘private.’ Even if it’s something like holding hands with someone or having a friend hug or kiss them, they know they have the right to say no if they don’t like it.

2. Use Appropriate Language


“As soon as my kids seemed at all curious about their body parts during bath time, I taught them the correct names for their anatomy. I think it really helps them to have that knowledge in case they ever need to talk to me about anything.

3. Keep Conversation Light and Easy

“One thing I find that helps is keeping these kinds of conversations serious but still unemotional (almost lighthearted) so that kids feel very comfortable talking about it and asking questions. And we try to let these conversations happen naturally and work them into our everyday life. Like talking about it during potty or bath time”

4. Use the Swim Suit Rule.

“In the guidance lessons children were told that if your swimsuit covers it, it’s a private area and no one should be seeing or touching that area. Tell a grown-up if someone is touching you in the wrong places because it’s a Mommy and Daddy’s job to keep you safe. It’s a simplified version but easy for younger children to understand.”

Most predators who have an on-going relationship with the child (teacher, coach, relative, clergy…) will not begin by touching the child in the sensitive areas, but will begin by rubbing their back or stroking the hair–and children, because they are literal creatures, will think ‘well, I don’t like it, but it must be okay because it’s not covered by my swimming suit.’ And then by the time the predator moves to the sexual areas, it may be too late as the grooming process is fully underway. So, we recommend the line be ANY touch/space intrusion that makes the child uncomfortable And another reader pointed out that we cannot forget that the mouth should be considered a private area, too.

5. Explain What Safe Touch Is

“In our discussions, I have talked about how, on rare occasions, parents and doctors might have to do something they won’t like to keep them safe and give them concrete examples – like getting a shot at the doctor’s office, or being pulled out of the street. I did switch pediatricians at one point because I felt like the one we were seeing was not taking the time to talk with my child. The one we go to now is excellent at explaining why something has to happen, even though that sometimes makes the visit take much longer.

6. Empower Them to Say NO

 
“I also always stressed that if someone touched them in a way they didn’t like to tell that person to stop … and to ALWAYS tell me about it. Keeping the lines of communication open, even with AND especially with, our private areas is of UTMOST importance!

7. Use Books About Good Touch Bad Touch 



“I found a great time to talk with my kids about it the other day when we were reading the books about the part of human body that showed the skeleton, organs, and body parts.

8. Don’t Force Affection

“I don’t force my daughter to hug someone if she doesn’t want to. I know that a hug from a loving adult isn’t a bad touch, but I feel like this empowers my daughter to feel like she has control over her physical body.”

9. Help Your Child Trust Her Feelings.


“A therapist told me that kids should be taught that a touch (from anyone) that makes them feel bad or uncomfortable is a bad touch. Kids should be taught to trust their own feelings.

10. Practice or Role Play

“My kids and I practice what they should say (‘No, I don’t like that. STOP!’) and do (tell me or a trusted adult) if they are ever asked to show or are touched in their private areas.

This a more comfortable conversation for you and your kids which ultimately leads to fewer children being sexually abused.    

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