Tag Archives: live in childcare

Halloween safety tips

Have a safe and fun Halloween! 

  1. Make sure to inspect the children’s Trick Or Treat candy to make sure everything is in a sealed wrapper and appears safe.
  2. Small children should not eat hard candy because of chocking.
  3. Children should be supervised when they go Trick-or-Treating.  Many parents will come home early from work on the day to go with their children.  Check with Host Parents about this.

 

Halloween Safety Tips for Drivers

Halloween is a wonderful holiday, but because of increased foot traffic and that Trick-or-Treaters are out at night, the potential for automobile related accidents with young pedestrians increases four times on this night according to a CDC (Center for Disease Control) study.

Streets are literally crawling with all sorts of witches, ghosts, goblins, vampires and all other sorts of costumed people. This makes for added responsibility for drivers to make sure that they drive safer than normal.

In many areas, people drive their kids into subdivisions and let them out to walk from house to house. Usually the parent follows behind in the car. This can cause traffic jams in small areas and much confusion as kids dart between cars on the streets going from house to house. A driver is already distracted because they are trying to keep an eye on their own kids and usually aren’t paying attention to much else.

Children and adults tend to be preoccupied and may not pay as much attention to safety as they should. They may not see your vehicle or just assume that you see them automatically. Stay on the defensive and you shouldn’t have a problem while driving on Halloween night

* Don’t use a cell phone or other electronic device while driving on Halloween night. You shouldn’t be doing this anyway, the rate of cell phone related auto accidents has jumped dramatically since the use of cell phones and texting has risen so high. Some states have already made laws concerning this and others are working on it.

Make sure your child carries a flashlight, glow stick or has reflective tape on their costume to make them more visible to cars. Left them know if they carry a flash light to never shine itin the eyes of a driver. This can cause blindness on the drivers part temporarily and they may not see your child.

Drive below the posted speed limit in residential areas during trick-or-treating hours. This will allow you time to break if you see a child dart in front of you.
   
   
   
   
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It’s national pizza month!

Pizza is easy and fun to make and can be a nutritious meal for the children. Buy ready made pizza dough (in the refrigerated or freezer section at the supermarket) or a ready-made crust (in the bread department). Buy shredded mozzarella cheese and a jar of pizza sauce. If you want meat on the pizza you can cook a small amount of ground beef in a pan until it is brown. If you would like vegetables, sauté some sliced peppers, onions or mushrooms in a little bit of oil. You and the children can then make the pizza. First the dough or crust goes on a cookie sheet or pizza pan if you have one. Then spread the sauce, add the other toppings, and last of all, sprinkle the cheese. Bake as directed for the crust. Be careful, as the oven must be very hot to make a nice crusty pizza.

Need a costume for Halloween?

Halloween is the day children dress up in costumes and, in many communities, go door-to-door to ask for candy.

Find some great costume ideas and remember that safety on Halloween is extremely important – children should never eat

unwrapped candy.

Don’t forget, the day after Halloween is a great day to buy costumes on sale to put in a dress up box!

It’s Fall!

Fall Begins

As the weather cools and the leaves start to change color it is the perfect time (in most parts of the United States) to pick apples. Try these simple apple recipes, no matter where you get your apples:

  • Applesauce is very simple to make. Remove the core and quarter the apples. If you leave the peel on during cooking it will give the applesauce a pink color. When the apples are very soft, remove any peel that is left, mash the pulp or put it through a sieve. Add sugar if needed.

  • Try making Dried Apple Rings. They can be used as a nutritious snack. Peel, core and slice apples into 1/8 inch rings (Macintosh or Golden Delicious apples work best). Dip each ring into a mixture of lemon juice and water to help the apples keep their color. Pull a piece of string through the center of each ring and hang in a dry, warm place. They take 1-2 weeks to dry and become chewy.

  • For fall crafts ideas visit: http://familyfun.go.com/autumn.

Color farm animals

National Farm Animal Awareness Week

Children are fascinated by animals. Is there a farm nearby where you can visit to see them up close, or a local county fair? Preschool age children will enjoy the coloring pages and other activities here. Farm animals often make the news too – check the newspaper in your area for stories about animals.