Safety Tips for the 4^th: 

Many families set out to celebrate the 4^th of July with fireworks, fun, and with a barbeque. This Independence Day, make sure your family follows a few simple safety tips to make the holiday enjoyable for everyone.

Fireworks and the 4^th are synonymous. If you are with children and fireworks are part of your celebration, make sure children aren’t around fireworks. Be sure that people are out of range before lighting fireworks—create a buffer between where you light them and where bystanders are. Light fireworks on a flat surface away from homes, cars, dry leaves, and other flammable materials. Don’t try to re-light a firework if it malfunctions. Keep a bucket of water close to where your fireworks display is being lit.

If grilling food on the barbeque this holiday, take special care to ensure that there is a gate or safe zone around the grill and the area where children are running free. Also make sure that the grill is always supervised by an adult. Many burns take place from children simply touching a barbeque grill, not realizing it is dangerously hot.

Many families choose to enjoy their summer holidays on the lake, at the river, or at the beach. Make sure whenever you go boating with children that each child has a lifejacket and they wear it. Harmful sunburns are magnified when on or around the water, so make sure everyone practices sun safety by lathering on the sunscreen before going out and reapplying after four hours.

A Craft for the 4^th:

Get the kids in the patriotic spirit this 4^th by helping them assemble a little red, white, and blue. Aside from the basic hand-crafted American Flag, help your child create a star wreath using these items: construction paper (red, white, and blue), scissors, star template, pencil, glue. With the star stencil, have the child draw as many stars as they think they’ll need (20-40) on different colored construction paper. Once done stenciling, help the child cut out each star. In a circular pattern, glue each star together in the shape of a wreath (or crown). Decorate the wreath with glitter or any additional final touches.

Easy Kids Recipes for the 4^th:

Get the kids in the kitchen without heating up the oven. To make a red, white, and blue treat simply gather the following: 4 cups of fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries), 1 package instant vanilla pudding (can substitute vanilla yogurt), ½ cup sugar, 2tsp. lemon juice, 1 cup whipping cream, 1tsp. vanilla extract, and 24-36 lady fingers. Make the pudding and chill it. Clean berries and slice the strawberries, add lemon juice and sugar, then set aside. Layer the lady fingers in a large serving bowl (use about 8 per layer) then layer berries on top. Remove the pudding from fridge, top berries with half of the pudding. Add another layer of lady fingers, another third of the berries and juice, and the rest of the pudding. Add a final layer of ladyfingers and berries. Top with whipped cream. Refrigerate until serving. For a healthier substitute, choose vanilla yogurt instead of vanilla pudding, and layers of granola in place of the lady fingers. Enjoy!

Maybe you remember the summer when your child could first walk. They were ready for the playground! Your world gets so much larger when this necessary community venue becomes one that you can let your child run free through. But not all playgrounds or play at playgrounds is safe. While it is true that you can’t protect your child from every bump and bruise that comes their way, we have compiled a list of some things to look for in keeping your child safe at the playground.

1. Shade. Not every playground has adequate shade for sun protection. If yours does not, just remember to reapply after four hours (on top of the coat of sunscreen you lathered on them prior to leaving the house). Even on those not-so-sunny days, harmful UV rays can pose a risk to your child. Get your child to wear a hat and keep it on.
2. Hydration. Make sure you keep your child hydrated by taking water with you everywhere you go, including the playground. Not all playgrounds have drinking fountains.
3. Safe zone. For urban playgrounds, a safe zone might be a fence; for more rural ones, it could just be a field of grass that separates the playground from the road.
4. Age-appropriateness. Many playgrounds have signs that indicate the age-appropriate level of the playground. For those playgrounds that don’t have these signs, make sure you assess the playground for its level of appropriateness for your child. High drop-offs and vertical ladders, for example, are not safe for children under age five.
5. Adult supervision. With adult supervision at any playground children are less likely to get hurt. Sometimes children misjudge distances and having an adult close by can prevent this from becoming hazardous. Older children occasionally misuse playground equipment, making the playground dangerous for others. Even a toddler walking near a swing set can be dangerous without the proper supervision.
6. Equipment. Make sure to check for safe equipment. There should be no pinch points on any moving parts (with see-saws or merry-go-rounds). If the equipment is broken or dated, jagged, rusty materials can easily be dangers to a child running and having fun.
7. Surfaces. Playground surfaces should be free of debris (broken glass, litter, jagged rocks, gravel). A semi-bouncy, cushiony playground surface made of recycled tires or other rubber is usually the most common safe surface seen today.
8. Etiquette. Teach your children proper playground etiquette—it will help them be safe. For those playgrounds that do have drinking fountains, make sure your children know the etiquette association with using one, including no pushing and shoving near the fountain. Teach your children not to walk in front of swings, and to stay away from equipment (like see-saws and merry-go-rounds) that are in use. If there are limited supplies of these playground features and each is being used, teach your child to wait their turn, and when they are using them, if another person is waiting, to share after a few minutes. Keep your child aware of slide safety. Don’t allow them to climb up slides.

The National Program for Playground Safety has an acronym they use for parents to remember a tip for a safe playground: S.A.F.E., meaning that the playground is Supervised, the equipment is Age-appropriate, that the playground surface is cushioned so that Falls are safe, and the Equipment is safe.