Family Health and Safety Links - Homeschooling on a Shoestring

Become a Disaster Action Kid. Write for activity booklets, posters, maps and more. Topics include: fire safety, natural disasters and Earth Day.

Farmers Insurance has PDF many safety brochures including a New Parents Safety Kit.

Car Safety

SeatCheck Get free child safety seat inspections. Working together, DaimlerChrysler, NHTSA, the NTSB, the NSC, Graco Children’s Products Inc, and Lamaze International joined forces to expand access to the locator and to promote all inspection services to parents. SeatCheck includes a toll-free telephone hotline (1-866- SEAT-CHECK) that taps into NHTSA’s online service. With telephone access available in 94 percent of households, the hotline gives nearly every family access to this lifesaving resource.
There is NO excuse - Buckle Up - Correctly!

Children should never be left unattended in or around parked cars. There are just too many risks. Below are just some of the dangers children are exposed to:
  * Being inadvertently backed over in a driveway or parking lot
  * Being left in a vehicle where the temparatures can reach deadly levels in minutes
  * Knocking the vehicle into gear and setting the vehicle into motion
  * Strangulation by a power window, sunroof or power accessory
  * Being taken by a stranger in the course of a car theft
  * Hopping into a car trunk during an innocent game of hide-and-seek
  * Carbon monoxide poisoning
  * Finding matches that set the car aflame
  * Leaving the vehicle alone to go to the bathroom, or to go looking for you
  * Being kidnapped from the vehicle

Harrison's Hope (previously known as Kids in Cars) is a comprehensive source for all aspects of vehicle-related, non-traffic incidents that lead to the death and injury of children left unattended in or around a vehicle. In the list above, many dangers & tragedies are preventable. Please visit their website to educate yourself, family members and others about the dangers inherent in leaving children unattended in or around motor vehicles. This is a big issue to me because I see so many parents leaving children in cars 'just for a minute'. Is that gallon of milk or lottery ticket more important than their kids?

Car Power Window Switches Can Be Deadly For Children. We've heard a lot in summers past about leaving kids in cars in hot weather, but not very much on the subject of car power window switches, which can be deadly for children. At least 25 children have died over the past decade from injuries involving power windows in cars, and a 1997 government study estimated power car windows sent nearly 500 people to emergency rooms in one year, with half of those victims being small children. For more information on the potential danger of power windows and to read actual cases: http://www.kidsincars.org/m_incidents/power_window.html.

Safe Kids: Warren, Mich. - The National SAFE KIDS Campaign and General Motors have released alarming new research that shows humidity makes a hot, closed vehicle even more dangerous to young children trapped inside. The findings, which come just as temperatures are heating up across the nation, provide additional evidence that children should never be left alone in or allowed access to parked vehicles. GM and Safe Kids have free brochures in English and Spanish that include safety tips and information about the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles.

Child Safety

Child Identification System will give authorities the information needed to assist in the search of your child.

Learn 8 Important Safety Rules--Book and Cassette, by Twin Sisters Productions.
The purpose of "Safety" is to provide children with the necessary skills, information and self-confidence that will help prevent abduction, abuse and exploitation. 30 minute cassette and 24-page learning guide for ages 5-12. All children deserve to feel safe. It is our responsibility to protect our children and to teach our children how to respond in certain situations and to certain actions. Educating our children begins with establishing open communication. Talking with our children and teaching them safety precautions can help prevent abduction or exploitation. Note: While looking at the booklet included, half the book is for the cassette lyrics while the other half's activities seems to me to be geared toward ages 2 to possibly 7. I have seen it in my local teachers store. ISBN: 1882331338

Safety Secrets for Your Children. Do your kids know how to dial 911? Would they know what to do if a stranger grabbed them in a supermarket? In today's dangerous society, parents must teach kids to protect themselves---and this handy safety guide is a good place to start! Harris shows how to defend against predators, bullies, accidents, and more.

CodeAmber. The AMBER stick Built in software on a small USB Flash Drive makes it accessible in seconds on any windows based computer, and allows it to be carried on your key chain, purse or wallet making it fully portable. If one of your children, or another family member, goes missing simply hand the Amber stick to the police officer and give them your password. All of the information they need to file a missing person report is then immediately available to the officer.

Family Health

KidsCope's mission is to help children and families understand the effects of cancer or chemotherapy on a loved one, to provide suggestions for coping, and to develop innovative programs and materials that communicate a message of hope to diverse families coping with this crisis. Download a 16 - page color "comic book" to help children understand the psychological and physiological changes in a parent who has cancer and is under-going chemotherapy.

Fire Safety

At Staying Alive you will find fire facts, home escape plans, coloring pages, word search games, mazes, fire safety voice overs and songs. Plus a lot more information. It doesn't matter if you are rich or poor, fire safety is a life skill everybody should be able to obtain. Staying Alive is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing fire safety and prevention information to as many people as possible. Their hard working staff is made up entirely of volunteers. Unlike most programs, which charge a fee for their lesson plans, Staying Alive’s teaching curriculum is available free of charge. By making their material available in an easy to access form, it’s their hope that educators and firefighters who don’t have the resources to access such information, will use the Staying Alive program, and get the fire safety word out to those who need it the most, our children. If you would like information on their educational package, which is now available in an easy to email, review, and print PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format, please contact them at .
Kids, are you ready to learn about fire safety --- the fun way? They've got exciting games and activities that will test your Fire IQ. Take a look at the Kids Learning pages as well. There's lots of great information to help keep you safe!

Smokey Bear has been working for 60 years to remind Americans of the importance of outdoor fire safety and wildfire prevention. With reports of devastating wildfire increasing, Smokey Bear's wildfire prevention message is more vital today than ever before. Activity books, teacher resources and games to help teach about this important issue.

Did you know the cartoon Smokey Bear is based upon an actual baby black bear that was found alone, charred, and scared after a devastating wildfire burned through New Mexico? Read the Story of Smokey Bear. There's also images from the vault parents may remember ;o).

Food & Kitchen Safety

Kraft Foods reviews important guidelines to make sure cooking is fun and safe for everyone. Match your kids' skill levels with various tasks for safe kitchen fun. Includes some suggestions for age-specific tasks. There is also a handy printable reference list.

Internet Safety

Let's face it--the Internet is here to stay. But despite the potential known and unknown dangers of going online, this technology can be useful to develop literacy, cognitive, and social skills. Visit Kids and Internet for some tips for families and child care professionals on how to make the Internet a safe, enjoyable, and friendly place for children. Kidsource addressed strangers in cyberspace. We now need to employ other protections, regardless of how secure our homes seem to be, to ensure the safety of our children as they go online. While most of the information accessed online is educational and fun, as parents we need to prepare our children (however slight the possibility may be) of accessing inappropriate areas or dangerous lures.

NetSmartz and NetSmartzKids teaching children what to watch out for online with fun, interactive games and activities.

Mercury Thermometers

FAQ's about Mercury Fever Thermometers Mercury is a toxic substance that can harm both humans and wildlife. Many different products, including thermometers, contain mercury. When these products break, the mercury can evaporate, creating a risk of dangerous exposures to mercury vapor in indoor air. Moreover, mercury that volatilizes when products break in the home or in the waste disposal system enters the environment and can be deposited in lakes and rivers, where it can be transformed into highly toxic methylmercury. Very small amounts of mercury can do significant damage. One gram of mercury per year is enough to contaminate all the fish in a lake with surface area of 20 acres.

Michigan's "Catch the Fever" Mercury Thermometer Exchange Program The “Catch the Fever” Program is a partnership that provides incentives for the public to turn in their mercury thermometers, as well as other mercury-containing devices they may possess. In addition to receiving a mercury free digital thermometer, participants also receive educational materials describing the dangers of mercury and a chance to speak with a mercury expert. Other states also offer exchange programs. Be sure to check with your local health department for information.

Recalls

Visit Recalls.gov obtain the latest recall information, to report a dangerous product, or to learn important safety tips.

Summertime Safety

Sun Safe Central has coloring sheets, educational activities and fact sheets for sun safety.

Drowning Prevention Tips Drowning is the third leading cause of accidental death in the United States and the second leading cause of accidental death for persons aged 5 to 44. Tips on preventing water injuries, how a parent should prepare for a day at the beach and links to past articles make this a must see site for safety.

About 50% of persons injured from fireworks are children ages 14 years and younger says National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Most of the injuries occur at home involving burns to the hands and fingers. The safest way to prevent fireworks-related injuries is to leave fireworks displays to trained professionals. Print your copy of Fireworks Safety Tips from the CPSC. Children can play challenging safety games with Kidd Safety.

War & Terrorism

Helping Children Deal With Scary News Helping Children Talk About Their Scary Feelings - More Thoughts from Fred Rogers. This was written for September 11, but Mister Rogers' information is still valuable.

About Our Kids for help answering tough questions about terrorism, death and other heavy issues.

Talking to Kids About Terrorism or Acts of War Kids ask lots of tough questions but questions about acts of terrorism or war are some of the hardest to answer. Especially when the news provides immediate and graphic details, parents wonder if they should protect their children from the grim reality, explore the topic, or share their personal beliefs.

From PBS Parents When events like a war overseas or other acts of violence are present in the news every day, children are likely to hear about them, and start asking questions. Many parents are challenged by what kids are saying and are wondering how to respond in age-appropriate ways. This guide can help you develop effective ways to communicate with your children, monitor their exposure to news, and soothe their fears.

Window Blind Cords

Window cords and young children don't mix. From infant to preschooler, they are unaware and unsuspecting of the many dangers of cords. To help prevent cord accidents, the Window Covering Safety Council provides consumers with free cord stops, tassels and tie-down devices. A safety brochure with repair instructions is included with each order. Free cord-repair kits can be ordered through their website or their toll-free phone line at 1-800-506-4636.

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