Tag Archive for children

FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL OFFERS TIPS TO MAKE THIS HALLOWEEN SAFE

October 29, 2012 Around Madison, Education Comments Off

~ Giggling ghosts and winsome witches will be visiting ~

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – As we prepare for the excitement of Halloween, motorists should be particularly mindful that children will be out trick-or-treating Wednesday evening. We all need to do our part to make this a safe, memorable Halloween for everyone.

The Florida Highway Patrol offers these useful tips for drivers and parents:

DRIVERS
· Stay alert. Pedestrian and bicycle traffic will increase in many neighborhoods on Halloween.
· Keep an eye out for trick-or-treaters who may suddenly dart into traffic from between parked cars.
· Watch for children walking in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks in the neighborhood.
· Be patient and slow down. Give children lots of time to cross the street. Their costumes may impair their ability to see and hear you and to get out of your way quickly.
· Remember that children will be excited and may forget to “stop, look and listen” before they cross the street.

PARENTS
· Talk to your child about looking both ways before crossing the street.
· Purchase or make costumes that are light colored and clearly visible to motorists.
· Decorate (and get the kids to help) or trim costumes, goody bags and other containers with reflective tape that will glow in the beam of a car’s headlights.
· Make sure costumes are short enough so they do not cause children to trip or fall.
· Children should wear well-fit, sturdy shoes.
· Masks should not impair a child’s hearing or field of vision. If necessary, enlarge ear and eyeholes or use makeup to create special effects.
· Tie hats and scarves securely to prevent them from slipping over your child’s eyes.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles provides highway safety and security through excellence in service, education and enforcement. The Department is leading the way to a safer Florida through the efficient and professional execution of its core mission: the issuance of driver licenses, vehicle tags and titles and operation of the Florida Highway Patrol. To learn more about DHSMV and the services offered, visit www.flhsmv.gov or follow us on Twitter @FDHSMV. You can find us on Facebook, too.

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Inspiring Students To Get Active

March 22, 2011 Education Comments Off

By Kristin Finney
Greene Publishing, Inc.
Childhood obesity is an epidemic that has swept the nation in the last decade. Students are gaining weight and becoming less active every generation. The temptation to sit around and play video games while eating a bag of chips is far greater now than it was ten years ago.
Being a child is not like it used to be. Days are not spent roaming through the neighborhood with friends until it gets dark. Now, it is too dangerous to let children roam the neighborhood or play with stranger’s children. In this new generation, children are taught that strangers are bad and video games are good. This mindset has led to far more children being inactive and far fewer going outside.
As warm weather approaches in north Florida, it is time to encourage children to go outside and play. Invest in a bicycle and let them ride up and down the street, or get a football and throw it with them in the front yard. Building a tree house is a great way to get children to be active. Trampolines are also a fun activity for children during them summer.
For very hot days, nothing beats running through the sprinkler in the front yard or sliding down a slip-n-slide. There are even inexpensive alternatives to slip-n-slides that you would find at Wal-Mart. Taking a regular tarp, like those used to cover cars or boats, covering it with dish soap and running a sprinkler next to it is a great alternative. Just make sure the tarp is clean and there are no rocks under it.
Adding a few hours of activity to your child’s day will increase the amount of calories they burn by hundreds. However, activity has to be followed up with good eating habits, and since children do not usually cook their own meals, this responsibility falls on the parent.
Encouraging your child to eat more fruits and vegetables can make a huge change in their eating habits. Many children claim to not like fruits or vegetables, but that is usually because they haven’t been fed any that they like, or had it presented in a way that appeals to them. Handing a child a whole cucumber will not usually appeal to their taste buds. However, chopping it up and peeling it, then mixing it with ranch dressing (low fat) or salt and a little vinegar can make it an entirely different experience.
The same can be done with apples by serving them with peanut butter. Strawberries can be mixed with a few teaspoons of sugar or pineapple can be served with a sweet fruit dip. There are many things that can be added to fruits and veggies to enhance the flavor but still allow them to be healthy treats.
The most important responsibility of a parent is to keep their children healthy and safe. Adding some of these activities and foods to your child’s life will help keep them healthy and active. Also, encouraging them to get involved with school activities, clubs or sports are a great way to not only get them active, but also to make new friends. So next time your child is playing a video game, or browsing the web, ask them to go for a walk with you or play a game. This will make them healthier and also bring the two of you closer together.

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