Sunday, October 21, 2012

Fire Safety

Fire safety is so very important. Would you or your children know what to do if a fire broke out in your home? Take time this month, fire safety month, to discuss and plan what your family needs to do to be safe in a fire emergency. This makes a great homeschool science or health lesson.

Start by learning about prevention. Are there any potential hazards in your home? Old cords, frayed or loose cords can be a fire waiting to happen. Are you overusing an extension cord? Do your smoke alarms work. Test them today.

Help your children draw a sketch of your home complete with escape routes. Practice fire drills by going over the different escapes from each room in your home until your kids have it down pat. Be prepared for any accidents by having fire extinguishers strategically placed around your home. Teach your children about Stop*Drop*and Roll. Teach them how to cover their mouth and nose with a wet cloth, how to crawl under smoke, and to never go back inside a burning building no matter what.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Columbus

Columbus Day is celebrated in October to commemorate the historic landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492. I am sure most of you know the little jingle, “Columbus sailed the ocean blue in fourteen hundred-ninety-two.”

This is a great time to have some fun with your kids and enjoy entertaining a few crafts and activities. A fun science activity is to make an ocean bottle so you can create waves. You might enjoy a “green” project that involves a little recycling. Try making mini versions of the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria out of egg carton cups. If you like to spy things, then this cardboard tube telescope is perfect for pretending to be Columbus as scoped out foreign land and ocean waves.