Archive for January, 2011

What Do You Give a Service Dog on His Birthday?

Monday, January 31st, 2011

The “Can Do” Kids are in a tizzy! They are invited to a birthday party for Muggins, Mickey’s dog.  Hector and Arthur J. have dogs and know what dogs like, but Muggins isn’t just any dog. He’s a service dog. He goes everywhere with Mickey. He is  specially trained to guide Mickey wherever he goes.

“Hector, said Arthur J., “We better not guess on this one. We better do our homework. I’m going to look up what service dogs are allowed to eat as treats or what toys they can have.” Hector thought a minute and said, ” Why don’t we just ask Mickey? He will know. It’s his dog”!

“Awe, what kind of a surprise will that be for Mickey? Besides, it looks like we couldn’t be bothered learning about a service dog,” said Arthur J.

So, Arthur looked up about service dogs on the Internet and he found out that service dogs are never allowed eat food from the table or food scraps. A service dog cannot be distracted by the smell of table food when he or she is working. They eat dog food. They can have dog biscuits as a treat. Arthur found a recipe for dog biscuits that is approved by a program that raises service dogs.

The next day, Arthur told Hector what he found. They took the recipe to the “Can Do” Kids Cooking Club and everyone helped make  Muggin’s birthday gift…a big basket of fresh baked dog  biscuits!

What’s Special About …

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

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The Junior Fire Marshall Quiz by the US Fire Administration

Sunday, January 23rd, 2011

Be a Junior Fire Marshall! Be safe and help your family be safe from home fires. Ask a family member to help you take this quiz from the US Fire Administration for Kids. Circle the right answer.

Quiz:

Smoke alarms need brand new batteries at least:
a. Once a month
b. Once a year
c. Once every two years
d. Once every ten years

When escaping from a fire:
a. Take time to find your favorite toys
and pets.
b. Get out fast.
c. Hide.
d. Call 9-1-1.

Heaters are hot so be sure to:
a. Ask an adult to turn them on and off for you.
b. Turn them on and off yourself.
c. Leave them on all the time.
d. Place wet clothes to dry over them.

A working smoke alarm can warn you early to escape
when a _____ happens.
a. Fire
b. Thunderstorm
c. Flood
d. Earthquake

You should plan to have __________ escape routes
from each room in your home.
a. Zero
b. One
c. Two
d. Three

Electricity can be very dangerous. Never play with:
a. A pocket video game
b. A television remote control
c. Electrical cords, outlets or wall sockets
d. A flashlight

Smoke alarm batteries need to be __________
once a month to make sure they are working.
a. Cleaned
b. Shined
c. Disconnected
d. Tested

Call 9-1-1 or the fire department only if:
a. You need a ride home from school
b. There is a scary thunderstorm
c. There is an emergency
d. You have a question about fire safety

Only ______ can use fire safely.
a. Kids
b. Kids and adults
c. Teenagers
d. Adults

If you see matches or lighters in a room:
a. throw them away
b. tell a grown-up right away
c. hide them
d. pick them up

The Junior Fire marshal quiz
(cont’d)
answers: 1) b 2) b 3) a 4) a 5) c 6) c 7) d 8) c 9) d 10) b

Be sue to check out the US Fire Administration for kids at www.usfa.dhs.gov/kids/html/marshal/

The “Can Do” Kids Know at Home Fire Safety; Do You?

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011


Take the quiz below with a parent and see how much you know about what to do in case of a home fire.

The Home Fire Safety Quiz Part 1

1.       Does your family have a plan for being safe if a fire broke out in your house/apt?__________

2.       How will you get out of the house/apt?__________________________________________

3.       Do you have at least two ways of getting out of the house/apt to safety?

4.       Where will you meet up with your family?________________________________________

Part 2

5.       Circle where you need smoke detectors in your home:  top of stairs   bedrooms   basement  closet   back door

6.       Circle how often you need to test you smoke alarms: 1x a wk  1x a month  1x every 6 mos.

7.       Circle how often you need to change the batteries in your smoke alarms: 1x per mo.  1x per year

8.       Where do you need a fire extinguisher?____________________________________________

9.       Do you need/can you use a ladder rope to get to safety?______________________________

10.   What room(s) need a ladder rope?________________________________________________

11.   Do you practice home fire drills?__________________________________________________

12.   Why is having a fire drill in the evening the best time to have a drill?_____________________

Be sure to check our next post when we look at how you can help to keep your home or apartment safe by finding and fixing any fire hazards you might have in your home.

Kathy Doesn’t Want to Share Her Room

Thursday, January 13th, 2011

Kathy’s cousin, Mimi, is coming all the way from Paris, France to spend winter break at Kathy’s house !

Her mom told Kathy and her younger sister, Annie and her brother, Orrie, at breakfast. Her mom said, “Kathy, since you have the largest bedroom, Mimi will stay in your room while she is here.” Kathy answered, “Orrie has a bigger room than I do. Why can’t she bunk with him?”

“Kathy, you know the answer to that,” said her mom. “Orrie uses a wheelchair and needs more space to turn and such.” Annie chimed in by saying. “Besides, Orrie’s a boy and Mimi’s a girl.”

Then Orrie joined the conversation by asking, “Kathy, why don’t you want Mimi in your room? She sent us her picture and I  think she looks nice and friendly too.”

Kathy answered, “I just got new toys and games for Christmas and I don’t want her touching them.Do I have to share closet space and give one of my drawers for her clothes? If she messes up the room, do I have to clean up after her? Do I have to take her with me when I go out to play?”

“Just because you will share your room doesn’t mean you have to be responsible for Mimi while she is here,” said her mom. Then she asked, “Orrie, Annie, how will you make your cousin feel welcome?” Orrie volunteered to take Mimi to the community center programs and to play computer games and scrabble and other board games with her. Annie offered to shoot hoops with her and be her partner when they went to cooking club.

‘Kathy,” said mom, “Next summer ,when we visit with her family in France, what if she doesn’t want you in her room or touching her things; how will you feel?” Kathy thought a moment and said, ” I’ll feel like she doesn’t want me around. OK, I will clear out a a part of my closet where she can hang her clothes and store her shoes.”

Mom said, “Thank you Kathy, I know sharing space is hard to do when you are used to having a room to yourself . So, Kathy what will make you feel better about Mimi staying in your room?” Kathy answered:

“Can I put my new doll away for safekeeping?

Can I ask Mimi to ask before she starts playing with my toys?”

“Can I ask her to put them back when she is finished playing?”

What do you think, boys and girls? Circle what you think Kathy should be able to do when her cousin comes.