Back to School Safety

As summer draws to a close, back-to-school season is in full effect. Safety should be a priority for every family as children return to classrooms this fall. It is important for parents to stay up-to-date on the proper safety precautions and share this information with their children to keep them safe throughout the school year. Even though we homeschool here at our house, we live very close to an elementary school and see school buses traveling daily with children.

Back-to-School Safety Checklist – Use this checklist to review important safety procedures to make sure your children are fully prepared for the school year.

Teen Driving Safety – The back-to-school season is a great time to learn about Graduated Driver Licensing and what practices will work best for your family. Parents can also find more information to help their teen drivers at driveithome.org.

Safety while riding the school bus is very important. Have the discussion before school starts about how to wait for the bus and how to get on and off the bus. Go with your child the first week to make sure they are understanding the concept. Many young children will be scared at first, but catch on soon enough. 

As a driver, the school bus's should be a high priority for paying attention and not being distracted while driving! 

School Bus Safety: Back-to-School Tips for Parents – Teach your children how to stay safe on and around school buses.

School Safety from National Safety Council 

Playground Safety – Every year more than 200,000 children visit hospital emergency rooms because of playground injuries, many of which could have been prevented.

Backpack Safety – Overloaded backpacks continue to cause injuries, including bruises, sprains and strains to the back and shoulder and fractures.

Preventing Bullying – Every adult plays an important role in addressing bullying and making schools a safe and respectful place for all children.

Drive Safely with School Buses – Safety tips for motorists to share the road safely with school buses during back-to-school season and throughout the year.




Stop Bullying: What Parents Can Do – Educate your children on the signs of bullying and learn what to do if your child is bullied. Next week we will talk more about bullying and what to do if you think your child is being bullied at school or online.

Thank you to the National Safety Council for much of this information, visit their website for much more information.

Just gotta do it? or do you......

This picture is pretty self explanatory, so I should not have to say more.........


Be safe and put down that phone while driving!! or die!

Leslie

Back to school health checklist: Is your child ready to start the year?

Posted by Laura under Health Care

A new school year is upon us and it brings excitement along with it. I’m guilty of loving new supplies! Nothing makes my heart jump like three new highlighters in annoyingly bright colors. There’s no sarcasm here because I would genuinely look forward to shopping for book and supplies lists.

Source

Kids need to also check their health before they go to school. So I’m getting into the festivity of checklists and created a health related checklist designed specifically for school-aged children:

• Lice- Children notoriously share lice when they are in daycare, preschool and starting elementary. If only the shared their toys as much with their siblings. Vacation spots are also a breeding ground for lice so be sure to check their heads before starting school. For example, I got lice in Disneyland! I visited the mouse and he sent bugs my way. No fair if you ask me.
• Allergies- Many kids have some sort of allergy like pollen or bee stings. Be sure to let the teacher and school know what they should look out for and how to proceed. Small children who are accustomed to staying home everyday are usually exposed to the same things. Once they start daycare or preschool, they learn to deal with watery eyes and constant sniffles. Be on the lookout for signs of allergies so your child’s school day can be a little easier.
• Vision issues- Most parents don’t learn a child needs glasses until they enter school. Teachers may observe the child is squinting in order to see. Others might claim it’s too hard to read and refuse to learn altogether. If your child complains of recurrent headaches, he might have a vision problem that needs correcting.
• Immunization- Parents choose whether or not to vaccinate their kids but if you do be sure to keep your child’s vaccines up to date. Ask your doctor to provide you with a copy of his records so you can keep it at home.
• Healthy lunches- Children need healthy, balanced meals to help them curb obesity and lead overall healthier lives. Ask your children to help you choose their lunches because involving them encourages healthier patterns for the future. Healthy lunches usually include at least one serving of the big three: fruits, vegetables and proteins.
• Healthy behaviors- These include habits like washing their hands before meals and after recess and covering their mouths and noses after coughing or sneezing. Parents do this anyway but it’s incredibly important when kids start venturing out to schools.

This list can be used for any child but keep in mind that all kids are different. Parents with children with specific needs should always inform the school before starting the year. My sister, for example, took an anti-seizure medication for the first seven years of her life. It would leave her groggy for the first hour of class. Teachers knew that by letting her sleep an extra 20 minutes in school she would eventually wake up and get on with her day.
Great info from the @dialdoctors blog page, love to follow them on Twitter

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