Archive for June, 2012

Water Safety

Friday, June 15th, 2012

“Okay boys and girls,” said Coach Campbell, “Who can tell me the different water places you can swim and play in?”

Nellie raised her hand and said, “You can swim in the ocean.”Jay added,”You can swim in a lake, a pond or even a deep mountain stream.” Bobby called out,” You can swim in a pool.”

“You are all right,” answered Coach Campbell. “Now let’s talk about being safe in these water areas.

First let’s talk about things we like to wear in the water that won’t keep you upright. They are fun, but won’t keep you safe. Here they are: Water wings, bubbles, and pool noodles .

What should you wear around the water? You need to wear a life jacket, that is U.S. approved, appropriate for your size, fits snugly and is the correct type for you, your age, and what kind of water you will be near.

For instance, children and teens should wear a life jacket any time they are on a boat, raft, using an inner tube or swimming in open waters like lakes, rivers or the ocean.

Children under 5 years old should also wear a life jacket while in or near water. This includes while they are on a beach or dock.

Children between the ages of 6 and 11 should also wear a life jacket while standing on docks and swimming or water play in a river. Why, because they could accidentally fall in the water from the dock. Rivers have currents that can push and pull you along. They can have deep spots that you don’t know about. One minute you are able to stand in shallow water and a few steps later you are in over your head. A life jacket keeps you safe if that happens.”

The “Can Dos” all had thoughtful looks on their faces. Coach Campbell could see that some of them had not thought about some of the things he was saying.

“We know there should be no running or fooling around near a pool, no diving , except where it says you can dive, and no holding one another underwater in a pool.

When we are at the ocean, we need to stay out of the water until a parent or other adult we trust can take us in the water. Waves can make it hard for children to stay upright. Wear a life jacket and only go in the water when the life guard is on duty and can see you.

Lastly, let’s talk about lake water swimming and play. Wear water shoes as they will protect you from sharp rocks and other things hidden on the bottom that can hurt your feet.

Swimming and water play are fun activities if we know how to keep safe. Don’t give your mom or dad a hard time about wearing a life jacket, or water shoes or making you observe water safety rules.

So be safe and have fun!”

Answers to Summer Safety Quiz

1. Sunscreen

2. Prevent tick bites

3. Water, boating, or on a dock

4. Water

5. When there is no lifeguard on duty

6. No

7. Helmet

8. Swim

9. Tell lifeguard or other adult

10. No!

Tags: Can Do Kids, Coach Campbell, Good Choices, lake, life jacket, lifeguard, ocean, parents, pool, swimming, water plat, water safety, water shoes
Posted in "Can Do" Kids, Coach Campbell, community center, Good Choices, safety quiz, summer safety, water safety | No Comments »

Brushing Up On Summer Safety

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

Each year, every boy and girl attending camp at the Community Center has to take a summer safety course taught by Coach Campbell.

Some of the “Can Dos” don’t see the need to take the course again if they already took it before.

When Coach Campbell came into the room to begin the course, he saw some familiar faces and said, “I recognize some of you from last year’s class. You are probably wondering why you have to take the summer safety class again. Well, before I tell you why, let’s take a pop quiz on summer safety and see how much we remember from last year’s class.”

Coach Campbell handed out the summer safety quiz and the room got quiet while the boys and girls took the quiz. When it was over, Coach had each Can Do exchange his or her quiz with the person sitting next to them for grading.

Well, only one person got all the questions right. You guessed it…Orrie got all the questions right!

Then Coach asked, “Do you see why it is important to attend a summer safety class every year? We may forget an important safety fact from year to year; a safety fact that could save our lives or keep us from getting really sick.”

Here is the quiz. Let’s see how you do.The answers will be given in the next post.

1. Before going out in the sun, what should we put on?

2. Why should we wear long pants and inclosed shoes when walking in the woods?

3. When do we have to wear a life-jacket?

4. What is the best beverage to drink in the summer?

5. When is it not safe to go swimming?

6. If food has been out in the sun for over an hour, is it still okay to eat?

7. When riding your bike or scooter, what do you have to wear for protection?

8. To be safe around water, what should we learn how to do?

9. If you see or hear someone yelling for help in the water, what should you do?

10. Is holding a kid’s head underwater, just for fun, an okay idea?

Tags: Can Do Kids, Coach Campbell, community center, Good Choices, safety quiz, summer camp, summer safety
Posted in "Can Do" Kids, Be Safe, camp safety, Coach Campbell, community center, Good Choices, safety quiz, summer camp, summer safety | No Comments »

A Frosty Treat

Saturday, June 9th, 2012

Some of the “Can Dos” were playing with Orrie in his backyard. It was a warm day and they were wishing for a frosty treat.

Just then, Grandma Maureen called out from the kitchen window, “Who wants one of my Frosty Orangeliciousness drinks?” Well, the”Can Dos’ didn’t know what a Frosty Orangeliciousness was, but it sounded great, so they all yelled, “We do!”

They all came in the kitchen, washed their hands and sat down around the kitchen table. All eyes were on Grandma Maureen as she prepared individual servings of her frosty drink.

Soon they were all enjoying the smooth, creamy, frosty drink. It tasted so good and really cooled them off!

If you want to make this frosty treat, here is the recipe. Remember, for safety sake, have an adult help you with the cutting and running the blender.

Frosty Orangeliciousness

Preparation time: 5 minutes

½ cup fat-free vanilla ice cream

½ cup orange juice

1 orange, peeled and frozen

1 teaspoon orange zest (optional)

Instructions: Place all ingredients in blender and enjoy!

1 Cup of Fruit per Serving Nutrition Information per serving: calories: 211, total fat: 0.4g, saturated fat: 0.1g, % calories from fat: 2%, % calories from saturated fat: 0%, protein: 5g, carbohydrates: 49g, cholesterol: 0mg, dietary fiber: 4g, sodium: 67mg

This recipe, Frosty Orangeliciousness, was developed for Produce for Better Health Foundation by Erika Kaeser-Stanley. This recipe meets PBH and Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) nutrition standards that maintain fruits and vegetables as healthy foods.

Recipe from the Cool Fuel for Kids cookbook.

Tags: Can Do Kids, Frosty Orangeliciousness, frosty treat, Good Choices, Grandma Maureen, warm weather
Posted in "Can Do" Kids, Frosty Orangeliciousness, frosty treat, grammar, Grandma Maureen, nutrition, Orrie | No Comments »

Annie Tunes Out Teasing

Wednesday, June 6th, 2012

Miss Sue was comforting Nellie in the crafts room at the community center when Annie walked in the room. Annie is a good friend of Nellie’s; she wanted to know right away why Nellie was crying.

Nellie stopped crying long enough to say, “Some girls were teasing me in the play area behind the center. They called me names and made fun of the way I dress and wear my hair.”

Annie answered, “Tell me who they are. I’ll go talk to them and they’ll be sorry they teased you.”

Miss Sue shook her head, saying, “Annie, it is nice of you to want to stick up for your friend, but Nellie has to learn how to handle it when others start teasing her.” Nellie nodded her head in agreement.

“Well,” said Miss Sue,”There is good teasing that your family and friends do just for fun. You probably do it too. Then there is the kind of teasing that hurts, that’s mean and makes you feel bad. That’s the kind of teasing you have to learn how to handle. Here are some ways you can do that:

Remember that words cannot hurt you unless you let them.
Don’t stand around and let other kids tease or make fun of you; walk away.
If you can’t walk away, pretend you aren’t listening to what they say.
Don’t let them see that they are hurting your feelings or upsetting you. That is what they want.

Then Annie said, “Let me tell you what I do. This works every time.

You know that I like to shoot hoops whenever I can. Sometimes kids will come along and start making fun of my hearing aid. They’ll say, “Do you know you got a wire sticking out of your ear? Bet if you took that out of your ear you couldn’t play.”

I just stop, walk over to them and say, “This is my hearing aid. It helps me hear what I want to hear and I don’t want to hear what you have to say. With that I turn down my hearing aid, give the teasers a big smile and go back to shooting hoops.

The teasers don’t know what to do. All of a sudden I can’t hear the stupid things they are saying and teasing me just isn’t any fun anymore. “

Nellie and Miss Sue looked impressed. Nellie said, “What a cool idea!” She thought for a minute, then said, “But that won’t work for me; I don’t wear a hearing aid.”

Miss Sue smiled and said,”Annie’s point is …you don’t have to listen. You don’t have to let teasers hurt you. You can ignore them. They are just being mean and acting stupid. Why pay attention to kids who are being mean and stupid?

Boys and girls at home….What do you do when someone is teasing you in ways that are mean? What can you do?

Tags: Annie, Can Do Kids, Good Choices, hearing aid, mean, Miss Sue, Nellie, stupid, teaser, teasing
Posted in "Can Do" Kids, Annie, community center, crying, Good Choices, Nellie, teaser, Teasing | No Comments »

Bookworm Apple Bark

Sunday, June 3rd, 2012

The “Can Do” Kids Cooking Club members were busy making Bookworm Apple Bark, a healthy treat for snack time at the “Can Do” Community Center.

Lots of the kids who come to the center don’t eat enough fruit. So, the cooking club members decided to make a snack with fruits that had a name that would make kids want to eat it. Bookworm Apple Bark, sound like a fun thing to eat, doesn’t it?

Some of the ladies from the senior club helped with the preparation by cutting the fruit and helping the “Can Do” Cooking Club members assemble the Bookworm Apple Bark snacks.

The “Can Dos” put them on trays and brought them around to all the kids attending programs at the center. The Bookworm Apple Barks were a great hit! The kids loved them.

If you would like to make Bookworm Apple Bark, here is the recipe.

Prep: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 Granny Smith Apple
1 tablespoon peanut butter
2½ tablespoons golden or black raisins
1½ tablespoons dried sweetened cranberries

Directions: Be sure to get an adult to do the cutting !

Cut apple into four quarters, starting at the stem. Remove the core by cutting away to leave a flat surface on the apple quarter. Be careful not to cut too much of the edible portion of the apple away. Drop and slightly spread the peanut butter on apple quarters. Mix together the raisins and dried cranberries then sprinkle on peanut butter.

Serves: 1

Nutrition Information per Serving: calories: 272, total fat: 8.1g, saturated fat: 1.5g, % calories from fat: 25%, % calories from saturated fat: 5%, protein: 5g, carbohydrates: 50g, cholesterol: 0mg, dietary fiber: 6g, sodium: 79mg

Each serving provides: An excellent source of fiber and a good source of vitamin C.

Source: Recipe was developed for Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) by Chef Mark Goodwin, CEC, CNC. This recipe meets PBH and Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) nutrition standards that maintain fruits and vegetables as healthy foods.