Most parents will agree that
their child is their most precious possession. They will take every precaution
to ensure the little one's safety. One of the greatest risks to a young child's
life and health is the possibility of being involved in a traffic accident.
According to the National Center
for Statistics and Analysis, nearly 250,000 American children are injured every
year in car accidents.
Here are some helpful tips which
will enable parents to keep their child safe in the family car during those
important first years of life:
Infants
* Like a crib, a car seat is a
necessity. If possible, purchase a new one . This is not an item on which to save
money. Second-hand car seats may have been damaged in an accident, or may be
cracked or worn in a vital area, not readily visible to an observer.
* As you are removing the car seat from the box, check to see that all the
necessary hardware has been included.
* Fill out the registration card
and send it in. If there is a recall, the manufacturer will be able to notify
you.
* Install the seat before the
birth, so the baby will be able to ride home from the hospital safely.
* Read the car seat installation
instructions and the relevant information in your vehicle owner's manual
carefully before you start the installation process. Follow the directions carefully.
* Babies under one year of age,
and those weighing less than twenty pounds, require a rear-facing car seat. The
safest place to install it is in the middle of the back seat, away from air
bags.
* After installation, holding both sides of the car seat near the middle, give
it several firm tugs from side to side. It should not move more than an inch
either way.
* The safety harness straps must
fit snugly over the shoulders and down, without causing breathing difficulty.
If you can slip one or two fingers under the straps comfortably, near the
baby's collar bone, it should be just about right.
* The chest clip should be about
the level of the baby's armpits.
* Add nothing to the seat that did not come with it. It is engineered to
function best without any add-ons, such as pillows or neck supports. Also, be
aware that adding to or adjusting the seat in any way, can release the
manufacturer from liability in the event of an accident or injury to the child.
Toddlers
* When the child is a year old
and weighs more than twenty pounds, he may ride in a forward-facing car seat.
* Some infantseats are
convertible to forward-facing. When attempting this procedure, be sure to
follow instructions carefully, attaching the tether strap to the tether anchor
in the car as directed.
* The shoulder straps should be
at or above the child's shoulders.
* The safest placement for the
seat is still in the middle of the back seat, away from air bags.
* Be sure to secure the child
snugly each time, before you buckle yourself into the driver's seat.
* Never leave a child alone in a
car.
Preschoolers
* When child reaches a weight of
forty pounds, he is ready for a booster seat. These devices raise the child up
so that regular seat belt functions effectively.
* The seat belt must be the
combination type which crosses both the lap and shoulder.
* The child's head must be
supported either by the top of the booster, or the car seat.
* The shoulder strap must lie
across the child's shoulder and middle of his chest. The lap belt must cross
low over the hips .
* When the child turns eight
years old, or weighs eighty pounds, he is ready for a regular seatbelt.
Special Needs Children
There are specially-made car
seats for children with specific medical conditions. If your child has cerebral
palsy, wears a cast, has a behavioral disorder, or other specialized problem,
inquire what is available.
Today's children will undoubtedly have many opportunities to travel on their
own in the future, but now they are small and very vulnerable. It is up to
loving parents, family and friends to do everything possible to keep them safe
and secure during their early journeys. Traffic accidents can happen in a split
second, but their calamitous effects can endure for a lifetime
Two months is a long time for
children to remember the intricacies of the various academic skills. This is
especially true when summer days are filled with fun, excitement, travel,
friends and new experiences which keep them busy from morning until night. Then
suddenly, in September they find themselves back in the classroom, expected to
continue from where they left off in June. It hardly seems fair, does it?
When I retired after thirty-five
years teaching, I missed contact with the children. Don't misunderstand, I
didn't want a whole room full, all day, every day, anymore, but I missed the
special moments, the one-on-one interaction, when you could actually see
learning taking place in one little mind. Accordingly, I began tutoring during
the school year. The process usually involved helping with homework, noting the
weak areas, and giving extra help where needed.
Soon, I was receiving requests
for lessons during the summer. My first inclination was to refuse. The poor
little tykes had worked their hearts out during the year. They deserved a
break, didn't they? Then I started remembering the unhappy scenes in the
classroom every September. Not only were the children dejected about being
cooped up inside again, many were anxious and frustrated because they had
forgotten much of last year's work. Maybe a few lessons during the summer would
be helpful after all.
We usually arrange an hour a
week, a time that's suitable to parent and child. The cost is nominal, just
about enough to cover the cost of books, which I supply. I know which ones have
worked well for me through the years. The Teachers' Supply Store usually has a
good selection of these, plus any new ones that seem worthy of a trial.
I ask to see the child's final
report card and note the strengths and weaknesses. Good and average students
begin the next grade's curriculum, and move ahead, week by week, at their own
pace. The goal isn't to cover a great deal of next year's work, but rather to
retain the skills and knowledge from the completed grade and maybe receive a
little head start on the Fall term.
The children who need review or
reteaching of the previous grade's work will receive it before moving ahead.
This is a necessary strategy. Starting a new year's work without having
mastered the former grade's curriculum is a recipe for frustration and failure
throughout the next ten months. No child should experience that; it could
negatively affect his or her entire educational career.
The summer schedule is very
flexible, students may disappear for a few weeks at the cottage, visits to
grandparents and other special occasions and activities and that's quite all
right. There's a lot of learning that must take place out in the real world,
and summer's the ideal time for that. Because when I'm considerate of their
priorities, my students don't seem to mind giving me an hour an week. Besides,
at the end of the lesson, there's always a Popsicle or a box of Smarties as a
reward for hard work.
I never assign Homework for
summer lessons, with one exception. Every child chooses a book of fiction to
read, one that catches his interest and is well within his comfort level for
word recognition, vocabulary and comprehension. We spend the first few minutes
of each lesson discussing the plot and the characters in the book. He is
responsible for reading at least one more chapter before the next lesson. Those
who finish the whole book will receive a new one at the next lesson. All books
are theirs to keep.I really hope, through the summer lessons, to foster a love
of reading in the children. I believe literacy is the basis of all education.
You may wonder why a parent cannot do what I do with the children. It is
certainly not rocket science. Believe it or not, I've had parents who were
university graduates who could not prevail upon their child to sit and complete
a homework assignment within a reasonable time, never mind attempt to teach
them anything new. Sometimes, children just work better for a stranger,
especially one who can pull a stern "teacher" look, when it is called
for.
Are summer tutoring lessons
helpful? Yes, I believe they are. For the good and average students, they will
keep the knowledge and skills of the previous grade fresh and sharp and provide
a head start on next year's work. For a struggling student, they can be a life
raft, saving him from sinking into a morass of new work for which he is not
prepared.
Tutoring lessons need not be
expensive. Seek out a college student saving up for an education, who is
perhaps planning to become a teacher. You might even find a retired teacher who
misses her contact with children and is anxious to practice her craft on your
little one. With a little luck, all the parties involved will enjoy the
experience, and it will be a memorable summer for everyone.
What are some of your favorite
memories of Autumn when you were attending public school? If you're like many
people, you'll mention the class Halloween party near the top of the list.
Everyone enjoyed it, and it was good for the children for many reasons. Here are
a few which spring to mind:
There may have been new children
who entered the school during the summer. This was one of the first
opportunities for them to socialize for an afternoon with their classmates,
without the specter of schoolwork looming in the background.
Some children exercised
imagination and creativity in coming up with original costumes. Those who
didn't care to, could just throw an old sheet over their heads and be ghosts.
No one was excluded from the excitement.
Often the party included a walk
around the neighborhood in costume. The teacher could review all the safety
rules beforehand to a motivated class, because everyone was anxious to leave
the confines of the school yard and show off. The neighbors liked it too. They
would sit on their porches and smile and wave as the Halloween parade passed.
The upcoming party provided an
opportunity for lessons on nutrition and the best choices for healthy snacks.
Everyone knew there would be lots of candy around at the party, but what other
treats would be better choices for snacks at other times of the year?
Depending on the grade level, the
teacher might use the party as a springboard to introduce a unit of study on
the digestive system. What happens to the candy after you swallow it?
The walk around the neighborhood
provided the children with an opportunity to notice signs of Fall: colored
leaves falling, gardens being readied for Winter, birds flying south, and
cooler weather, among other things. These observations provided the bases for
Science classes in the following days.
The party and Halloween itself
provided motivation for enthusiastic literature appreciation. Everyone loved
spooky tales throughout the month of October. The anticipation of a class party
on the last day of the month added to atmosphere of expectation. From
"Casper the Friendly Ghost" to "The Legend of Sleepy
Hollow", every scary library book was signed out as quickly as it was
returned during October.
The party and the neighborhood
parade required parent volunteers to ensure safety and to help with supervision
of the children. It was often the first chance for teacher and parents to meet
on an informal basis, certainly a less stressful occasion than at the first
report card interview.
School offers few occasions that
the children will remember in later years as just plain fun. Halloween parties
are just such celebrations and certainly should not be banned. The students
needn't be taught about the darker traditions surrounding the occasion, they
wouldn't care anyway. To them, October thirty-first means costumes, treats, a
party with friends, escaping the school yard and exploring the neighborhood.
They should not be deprived of this special day before the long, dull days of
winter arrive.
