Safety, Safety, Safety

For the past two weeks, Nurse Cockrell and I have been visiting Kindergarten classrooms together to talk with the children about safety. This is part of the elementary health curriculum the nurse is required to provide, just like hearing and vision checks. We read a book to the classes called I Can Be Safe by Pat Thomas. In a straight-forward and non-threatening way, we talked with students about the following safety tips, many of which they already knew (which was great!) Review the list and be sure your child knows these things, too:

• Parent first and last name
• Parent phone number (this one is tricky for lots of kids)
• What an "emergency" is and how to dial 911 if needed
• Holding an adult hand in crowded places
• Wearing protective gear during sports, biking, etc.
• Wearing a seat belt in cars
• What to do if you get separated from an adult in public
• Stop, look, and listen before crossing a road
• Stop, drop, and roll if clothing catches on fire
• Swimming with an adult nearby, especially in the ocean (all kids think they are great swimmers!)
• Run, yell, kick if necessary if someone talks to you or touches you in a way that makes you uncomfortable
• Trusting your "fear" feeling and not doing something that seems unsafe, even if friends are telling you it's okay. 

We know it's still a long road to adulthood, and they still have many things to learn about staying safe, but now is a great time to start with the basic principles. We want all of our children to have a fun, exciting, and SAFE summer!

-Jillian