Stranger Safety

Stranger Safety

Who is a stranger?  A stranger is someone you either; do not know, or do not know well.

Tips for kids:

1. Never talk to a stranger.
2. Never let a stranger get too close, whether he or she is in a car or walking.
3. Never accept candy, a present, a ride, or anything else from a stranger.
4. Never tell a stranger your name or address.
5. Never go with a stranger to help them find anything. Adults ask adults for help.
6. Never go into deserted places alone.
7. Never keep secrets from your parents about strangers.
8. Always try to walk with a friend or a grown-up.
9. Always stick to the same safe route in traveling to and from school or a friend's house.
10. Never open the door for a stranger, if you are home alone.

What should a parent know when talking to a child about safety?

Don't forget your older children. Children aged 11 to 17 are equally at risk to victimization. At the same time you are giving your older children more freedom, make sure they understand important safety rules as well.

Speak to your children in a manner that is calm and reassuring.  Children do not need to be frightened to get the point across. In fact, fear can thwart the safety message, because fear can be paralyzing to a child. 

Speak openly.  Children will be less likely to come to you about issues enshrouded in secrecy.  If they feel that you are comfortable discussing the subject at hand, they may be more forthcoming.

Teach your children that safety is more important than manners.  In other words, it is more important for children to get themselves out of a dangerous situation than it is to be polite. They also need to know that it is okay to tell you what happened, and they won't be tattletales.

Ideas for family rules:

1. Have a family code word.
2. Never go with anyone who doesn't know the code word.
3. Never send someone your child does not know to pick them up.
4. Let children know who they can let in the house and who they should get into a car with.
5. Strangers can get your child's name from the outside of their backpack or school work. Make sure your child's name can't be seen in plain view.

For more information, contact The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.

24-hour Hotline: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)

Phone: 703-224-2150

Fax: 703-224-2122

www.missingkids.com (website also available in Spanish)

T.H.E. Journal, Free T.H.E. Journal Digital Subscription Subscription

T.H.E. Journal, Free T.H.E. Journal Digital Subscription Subscription

This is a good journal for those involved with education, whether you are doing K-12, higher education or business training, the information is good for all types of educators. Even if you are a home school teacher, this has some valuable advise that can assist you with your goals. The best part, it is free and you can view either a digital copy or a physical magazine. I like the digital version as I can save and notate specific articles that I find very helpful in my blog and share with others. As the saying goes, let's lasso the future by helping to improve the education and learning of others, especially our kids.

Safety First

Received this as a handout from HeadStart and found it interesting.


Choose Clean Air
    Everyone knows that smoking is bad for smokers but did not know breathing  in someone else's cigarette, pipe or cigar smoke can make you and your children sick.  Children who live in homes where people smoke may get sick more often with coughs, wheezing, ear infections, bronchitis or pneumonia.  Children with asthma may have attacks that are more severe or occur more often.  Second hand smoke also can cause lung cancer and heart disease.  The U.S. Surgeon General says that second hand smoke can cause Sudden Infant Death syndrome, (SIDS).
Source: Environmental Protection Agency; www.epa.gov/smokefree

Seasonal Safety Tips
    The holiday season is a special time for friends and family. Baking, decorating and shopping all blends to make the season happy and bright.  Here are some tips from the National Safe Kids Campaign for keeping your holiday season joyous and safe!
    When you are selecting toys consider the child's age, interest and skill level. Small toys or game pieces may present a choking hazard to children under age 3.  When wrapping gifts, keep ribbon supplies away from young children. A 7-inch piece of ribbon or string can strangle a child.   When baking and cooking, keep young children at least 3 feet away from the stove area.  When decorating with lights, be sure to use indoor lights inside and outdoor lights outside.  Check all electrical wiring carefully for any fraying or damage. Keep sharp or breakable glass ornaments out of children's reach.
Source: National Safe Kids Campaign, www.safekids.org


Crib Safety
    For infants who are less than 12 months of age, follow these practices to reduce the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and prevent suffocation.  No more than 2 3/8 inches between crib slats so a baby's body cannot fit through the slats.  Drop-side cribs are no longer recommended, due to entrapment and fall hazards.
    Place baby on his/her back in a crib with a firm, tight-fitting mattress. Do not put pillows, quilts, comforters, sheepskin, pillow-like bumper pads or pillow-like stuffed toys in the crib. Use only a fitted bottom sheet specifically made for crib use. If you do use a blanket, place your baby with feet to foot of the crib. Tuck a thin blanket around the crib mattress, covering baby only as high as his/her chest.
Source: Consumer Product Safety Commission, www.cpsc.gov

Healthy Home - Learning Game - Indoor Blizzard

Found this from Healthy Homes that I got from HeadStart.  It was titled:

Move, Play and Learn at Home
Indoor Blizzard


Get Ready:

• Space:  Indoor open space
• Stuff:   10 homemade crunched paper balls; laundry baskets, boxes or pillows
• Time:   After school or after dinner with the family

Get Set:

• Put all of the balls in the middle of the playing area
• Place laundry baskets, boxes, or pillows around the room creating a circle of targets. Place them far enough away to make tossing to them a challenge, but close enough to hit.

Go:

• Ask your child if he/she knows what a blizzard is ... what does it look like, what does it feel like? Tell them they are going to make a blizzard by tossing the balls to all of the targets.
• Ask your child to toss the balls at the targets.  After tossing at one target, pick up another ball and toss at a new target; continue tossing at different targets until all 10 balls have been tossed.
• Collect the balls and repeat.
• Challenge your child to do the task quickly and then to slow down and focus more on hitting the target. Challenge him or her to toss underhand and then overhand.

Did You Know?


Children can learn math skills while practicing tossing skills. Make the connection to math by counting the number of targets they hit each time. Talk about greater than and less than, each time they repeat the entire game.

Good Nutrition & Physical Activity

Research shows that good nutrition and physical activity contributes to a child's overall well-being, growth, development and ability to learn.

Over the course of the past three decades, childhood obesity rates have been on the rise, and today one in three children in America are overweight or obese.  We can make a difference in the overall health and development of our children by adopting a few simple changes.  First lady Michelle Obama has made our children't health and well-being a priority on both a personal and governmental level.  The First Lady has established a website www.letsmove.gov, make the pledge today, log on and join the Let's Move Campaign.  To support this initiate the USDA has introduced www.myplate.gov. This website offers valuable information in regards to healthy eating, portion control and how to introduce new foods.  Here is an example of "Kid-friendly veggie and fruits" (Requires PDF reader). Personally, I like sneaking in vegetables into everything I make. I have dehydrated squash, tomatoes, egg plant, etc and I grind these into a fine powder and add them to almost everything I make. It is the 'secret ingredient' that my kids have yet to figure out and they like the added flavor it adds to my cooking.

There is no greater concern for each of us, than the health and safety of our children, families and friends. Yet, too often safety is overlooked as we rush about dealing with the day to day stressors of life. In addition to the above information, additional information on Pedestrian Safety, Car Seats, and other Safety topics can be found at www.highwaysafety.utah.gov, www.usa.safekids.org and www.slvhealth.org.

As time goes on I will locate additional information that will be helpful for us parents in helping us lasso the future via our kids.  Until next time, have a Happy Holiday Season!

Thumper Pruitt

Temporary delay in truck driving school

After talking with both my wife and the Utah Department of Workforce Services, I am putting my truck driving career on hold temporarily. I will apply to some local jobs for a Technical Writer, IT Manager or Teacher to see if I can get me a job by year end where I will be making at least $37,000+ per year and have good benefits to boot. This is necessary if we are to get back on our feet with respect to our house and other endeavors.  Ultimately I still want to start my own business where I can help kids to learn and come into their own.  As the old saying goes, to lasso the future we need to help our kids as they are our future.  So I will give this a try, as review of Jones International University indicates that they have a Masters of Education degree that will lead to licensure in which I can earn a decent living here in Utah. The Granite School District website displayed a starting salary range of $35-37,850 for the first year and goes up from there, but this is for a Master'd Degree. I need to see if I can get a student teaching position while I finish my degree. I am not sure what a substitute teach makes, but I wonder if I can get a good position while I finish my degree.  That would be cool. I can get my degree, teach and after a few years I should be able to finish the setup for a kids center where we can help kids with life skill development, school tutoring, and maybe even do some partnering with other groups whereby kids can develop workforce skills that will help them in the work environment, like financial management, interview skills, presentation skills, etc.  No mater the job one wants, there are basic skills that they all share that can make a real difference.  I still have to work out the details, but this is a start.

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