emergency preparedness
Joanna Horn
What is the best way for young kids to learn what to do in case of
emergency, if they aren't in school?
I ask this, because I realized that my 5yo dd has not been drilled on these
sorts of things like she would be if she was in school. She doesn't have
our address or phone numbers memorized, she doesn't know how to dial 911 on
our cellphones (no landline here), etc. Ok, I realize we can try to make a
game out of these things, but I'm just wondering if anyone has any
suggestions. Websites? DVDs? Books? It's one of those things that other
parents with kids in school just take for granted, but it's something we
haven't yet talked about much here at home!
Also, any suggestions on books/videos for learning about personal
safety/inappropriate touching, etc? I've read "Protecting the Gift" by
Gavin de Becker. My daughters have never been in the care of anyone but my
husband and I, but it won't be that way forever.
--Joanna
mama to 5yo Nyla and 18mo Maevis
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
emergency, if they aren't in school?
I ask this, because I realized that my 5yo dd has not been drilled on these
sorts of things like she would be if she was in school. She doesn't have
our address or phone numbers memorized, she doesn't know how to dial 911 on
our cellphones (no landline here), etc. Ok, I realize we can try to make a
game out of these things, but I'm just wondering if anyone has any
suggestions. Websites? DVDs? Books? It's one of those things that other
parents with kids in school just take for granted, but it's something we
haven't yet talked about much here at home!
Also, any suggestions on books/videos for learning about personal
safety/inappropriate touching, etc? I've read "Protecting the Gift" by
Gavin de Becker. My daughters have never been in the care of anyone but my
husband and I, but it won't be that way forever.
--Joanna
mama to 5yo Nyla and 18mo Maevis
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
sheeboo2
--What is the best way for young kids to learn what to do in case of
emergency, if they aren't in school?------
We've staged fire drills at home. And we've also had fire safety talks and the "stop-drop-and roll" conversation, but that usually happens when we're camping.
Fire stations have open houses when you can go and check out the fire engines. The officers give tours and talk about fire safety. You can call your local station and organize a tour too.
When we're out, my dd likes to know the names of streets, so learning our address was easy because we'd talk about it. We're turning onto Ridge rd, soon we'll be on High St, then a left onto Our road. There's Jen at # 5 and Frank at # 10.....
She learned phone numbers by dialing them. Let your older child call dad from your phone or you from his.
We've talked about 911 too. I just looked on YouTube, and there are a ton of 911 songs. Some look pretty silly.
----Also, any suggestions on books/videos for learning about personal
safety/inappropriate touching, etc? I've read "Protecting the Gift" by
Gavin de Becker. My daughters have never been in the care of anyone but my
husband and I, but it won't be that way forever.---
I've not read the book you mention, but I can share that when our then 5yr old went to a few Tai Kwando classes with her grandmother, and they did Stranger Danger stuff, it FREAKED her out. Way more information than was necessary for a five year old who is always with trusted adults. Your being with them will keep them safe. And as they get older, and spend time away from you, these conversations have a place, but probably not the way you're thinking. With us, they've happened naturally. "No means no" applies to lots of situations--just recently, we had to step in when my MIL was tickling Noor, who asked her to stop, but was laughing while she did it.
Brie
emergency, if they aren't in school?------
We've staged fire drills at home. And we've also had fire safety talks and the "stop-drop-and roll" conversation, but that usually happens when we're camping.
Fire stations have open houses when you can go and check out the fire engines. The officers give tours and talk about fire safety. You can call your local station and organize a tour too.
When we're out, my dd likes to know the names of streets, so learning our address was easy because we'd talk about it. We're turning onto Ridge rd, soon we'll be on High St, then a left onto Our road. There's Jen at # 5 and Frank at # 10.....
She learned phone numbers by dialing them. Let your older child call dad from your phone or you from his.
We've talked about 911 too. I just looked on YouTube, and there are a ton of 911 songs. Some look pretty silly.
----Also, any suggestions on books/videos for learning about personal
safety/inappropriate touching, etc? I've read "Protecting the Gift" by
Gavin de Becker. My daughters have never been in the care of anyone but my
husband and I, but it won't be that way forever.---
I've not read the book you mention, but I can share that when our then 5yr old went to a few Tai Kwando classes with her grandmother, and they did Stranger Danger stuff, it FREAKED her out. Way more information than was necessary for a five year old who is always with trusted adults. Your being with them will keep them safe. And as they get older, and spend time away from you, these conversations have a place, but probably not the way you're thinking. With us, they've happened naturally. "No means no" applies to lots of situations--just recently, we had to step in when my MIL was tickling Noor, who asked her to stop, but was laughing while she did it.
Brie
Joyce Fetteroll
> --What is the best way for young kids to learn what to do in case ofThere was a book my daughter liked: Disaster Blasters
> emergency, if they aren't in school?--
http://tinyurl.com/5spdh5b
The information gave her a sense of power over the unexpected. I
remember one was on what to do if the toilet overflowed, and explained
how to shut off the water.
It's out of print but there are used copies.
And there are links you can follow at Amazon to other books that are
still in print. There's an American Girls book, A Smart Girl's Guide
to Sticky Situations:
http://tinyurl.com/464l88l
Joyce
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Tina Tarbutton
On Thu, Feb 10, 2011 at 9:38 AM, sheeboo2 <brmino@...> wrote:
know that they can put a stop to anything they don't like. We use the
specific word STOP here. If we're tickling him he can say "no, don't, quit
it, etc." and it's all in good fun, but when he says STOP, no matter he's
laughing, it means hands off. The same goes with play fighting, and even
discussions. When we first taught him that idea we had fun playing with it,
showing him how much power he had. I've heard him tell his friends on many
occasions that "stop means stop in our house, please respect that boundary"
As he got older and we let him wander on his own in stores more, we taught
him to scream "You're not my mommy/daddy" if someone he didn't know tried to
touch him or made him uncomfortable. We went to a park during the day when
it was empty and played games with it. He's never had to use it, but as
he's gotten older and we let him venture further on his own (if we're in a
shopping center he'll be allowed to go into the game store while we're
looking at something else) we remind him. We've also talked about ways to
get away from someone if you need to, but it was more as questions arose and
not really a class we did. We also make sure he has a cell phone on him at
all times that he's separate from us. A prepaid cell phone is our best
friend around here. His first one was a cheap throwaway and we just kept
like $10 worth of minutes on it at all times. It allowed him to be more
independent as he got older. Now he has a month to month no contract
unlimited phone that he uses to contact his dad and all of his various
friends.
We move a lot, so the idea of memorizing our address kind of didn't work
with us. Draven's cell phone has our address programed into it, and we also
have it posted on the fridge (with the list of numbers). When he was
younger we would make a song out of our address and sing it on a regular
basis. WeeSing and Play (I think it was that one) had a song in it, and
where I can't remember the tune it was to it went like this.
My name is Johnathan Smith
This is my address.
1234 Wee Sing Lane
Any city USA
I just looked it up and it's on this CD/Book set
http://www.weesing.com/single_product.cfm?product_id=7
It's also in one of the movies.
We also made jokes about dialing 911. We would say "What do you do in an
emergency" "Dial 911" "But what's the number to 911" "911" "Yeah, but what
do I dial to get 911" "911" etc. Draven was the type of kid that
understood that 911 wasn't a joke, but making jokes about it helped him
remember what to dial. From touring the fire station and police station
when he was younger he knew quite a bit about the emergency system.
Hope that helps!
Tina
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> With us, they've happened naturally. "No means no" applies to lots ofA big thing about "stranger danger" type stuff is first letting your child
> situations--just recently, we had to step in when my MIL was tickling Noor,
> who asked her to stop, but was laughing while she did it.
>
> Brie
>
>
know that they can put a stop to anything they don't like. We use the
specific word STOP here. If we're tickling him he can say "no, don't, quit
it, etc." and it's all in good fun, but when he says STOP, no matter he's
laughing, it means hands off. The same goes with play fighting, and even
discussions. When we first taught him that idea we had fun playing with it,
showing him how much power he had. I've heard him tell his friends on many
occasions that "stop means stop in our house, please respect that boundary"
As he got older and we let him wander on his own in stores more, we taught
him to scream "You're not my mommy/daddy" if someone he didn't know tried to
touch him or made him uncomfortable. We went to a park during the day when
it was empty and played games with it. He's never had to use it, but as
he's gotten older and we let him venture further on his own (if we're in a
shopping center he'll be allowed to go into the game store while we're
looking at something else) we remind him. We've also talked about ways to
get away from someone if you need to, but it was more as questions arose and
not really a class we did. We also make sure he has a cell phone on him at
all times that he's separate from us. A prepaid cell phone is our best
friend around here. His first one was a cheap throwaway and we just kept
like $10 worth of minutes on it at all times. It allowed him to be more
independent as he got older. Now he has a month to month no contract
unlimited phone that he uses to contact his dad and all of his various
friends.
We move a lot, so the idea of memorizing our address kind of didn't work
with us. Draven's cell phone has our address programed into it, and we also
have it posted on the fridge (with the list of numbers). When he was
younger we would make a song out of our address and sing it on a regular
basis. WeeSing and Play (I think it was that one) had a song in it, and
where I can't remember the tune it was to it went like this.
My name is Johnathan Smith
This is my address.
1234 Wee Sing Lane
Any city USA
I just looked it up and it's on this CD/Book set
http://www.weesing.com/single_product.cfm?product_id=7
It's also in one of the movies.
We also made jokes about dialing 911. We would say "What do you do in an
emergency" "Dial 911" "But what's the number to 911" "911" "Yeah, but what
do I dial to get 911" "911" etc. Draven was the type of kid that
understood that 911 wasn't a joke, but making jokes about it helped him
remember what to dial. From touring the fire station and police station
when he was younger he knew quite a bit about the emergency system.
Hope that helps!
Tina
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Tina Tarbutton
> As he got older and we let him wander on his own in stores more, we taughtI just realized this part could have been confusing. We played around
> him to scream "You're not my mommy/daddy" if someone he didn't know tried to
> touch him or made him uncomfortable. We went to a park during the day when
> it was empty and played games with it.
with him screaming it as loud as he could. To teach him that it
really was okay to scream that at the top of his lungs in that
situation. We made a game out of it so it wasn't scary for him, but
so that he had the tools if he ever needed to use them.
Tina
Jenny Cyphers
***She doesn't have
our address or phone numbers memorized, she doesn't know how to dial 911 on
our cellphones (no landline here), etc. Ok, I realize we can try to make a
game out of these things, but I'm just wondering if anyone has any
suggestions.***
We keep our computers on almost all the time. When my oldest was younger and
didn't know these things, we put up a window with all that information on it.
We showed her where it was. Mostly, I was always there and we didn't need to
worry about it. I told her which neighbor to run to if something happened to me
while we were home. That was more important than memorizing anything.
When she was old enough to babysit her younger sister, she still hadn't
memorized our numbers. The computer window was left up the whole time we were
gone. She's 16 and knows our address and phone numbers. We live in the same
house and that same neighbor still lives there.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
our address or phone numbers memorized, she doesn't know how to dial 911 on
our cellphones (no landline here), etc. Ok, I realize we can try to make a
game out of these things, but I'm just wondering if anyone has any
suggestions.***
We keep our computers on almost all the time. When my oldest was younger and
didn't know these things, we put up a window with all that information on it.
We showed her where it was. Mostly, I was always there and we didn't need to
worry about it. I told her which neighbor to run to if something happened to me
while we were home. That was more important than memorizing anything.
When she was old enough to babysit her younger sister, she still hadn't
memorized our numbers. The computer window was left up the whole time we were
gone. She's 16 and knows our address and phone numbers. We live in the same
house and that same neighbor still lives there.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
plaidpanties666
Joanna Horn <jjhorn@...> wrote:
The few emergencies I've faced IRL weren't things I was prepared for, but I was able to make good decisions in the moment because I had a sense of what the priorities were in the situation and am used to trying to understand the reasons behind rules and protocols.
---Meredith
>What kinds of emergencies? I've found it helpful to think about what I actually mean by that expression rather than trying to cover some broad range of "ifs". It makes a difference, too, if kids understand the reason for whatever the action you want may be. Drilling a child doesn't guarantee "the right" reaction in a moment of stress, but understanding the rationale behind an action helps a person make better decisions in the moment.
> What is the best way for young kids to learn what to do in case of
> emergency, if they aren't in school?
The few emergencies I've faced IRL weren't things I was prepared for, but I was able to make good decisions in the moment because I had a sense of what the priorities were in the situation and am used to trying to understand the reasons behind rules and protocols.
---Meredith
Rippy Dusseldorp
We love playing 'Emergency'. Our children are 4 and 6 and we've been playing for a couple of years already. We keep the mood light and playful and we laugh a lot by inventing crazy 'emergency' stories that we have to escape from. One of us just starts the game when we feel like playing it and most often it's the children. Most of the time we play at home, but sometimes it's when we're waiting in line, walking in the woods, on a train trip, or on a bike ride.
Some examples are we physically act out 'stop, drop and roll'. We pretend to be doing something (dancing, cooking, reading a book) and then one of us yells, "oh no, we're on fire!". And then we dramatically freeze, drop to the ground and start rolling around.
Another one is one of us pretends to be a stranger in a car and says something like 'Excuse me little girl, I've lost my bunny rabbit and I was wondering if you could help me find her. Then we can have some candy afterwards'. Then we yell 'No Way!' as loud as we can and run away and tell a trusted adult.
We reenact fairy tales such as Snow White and come up with different things that Snow White could have said to the old woman who offered her the apple. Or what could Spiderman have done differently to not have been captured by Kingpin.
We yell out, 'Oh no, there's a Grizzly bear and I'm all alone in the woods'. Or 'I'm Scuba Diving and now there's a shark coming towards me'. Or 'Our car is stuck in the snow and there's a blizzard outside!'. Or 'There's a flying two headed dragon coming right for us and it looks hungry!'
They don't get scared or have bad dreams. We're all really relaxed and playful and it's done in the spirit of fun. They love being able to shout 'No!' as loud as they can. They love creating interesting doomsday scenarios and waiting for us to come up with solutions. They are rarely without us in real life and feel safe. If one of our children were sensitive about it, we would stop playing these sorts of games. But on most days our children dress up as different superheros, draw superheros, watch them on television/youtube/movies/children's theater, write letters to them, etc.. The 'Emergency' games are just an extended part of that fun stuff for them.
My husband and I have chosen not to 'drill' anything into them, so sometimes we have funny answers to the emergency plans that are completely the wrong thing to do. We suggest a better solution.
Me: The tidal wave is coming, what should we do? Daughter (4): Jump in the water!!! Son (6): No, No, No! Run for higher ground!
or
Daughter (4): The house is on fire, what should we do? Son (6): Stop, drop and roll! Me: Ummm, not exactly. We get out of the house as fast as possible. We only stop, drop and roll when something on our body is on fire. Son: Got it!
The one time my son was there when I had to call the ambulance, he was 5 and he was great at following my instructions - he ran to get the telephone, he ran downstairs to let the ambulance know where our house was, and he alerted our neighbours so they could take care of him while I went with my daughter to the hospital (febrile seizure). He was shaken up, but confident and quick in his ability to do everything that I asked him to do.
Some examples are we physically act out 'stop, drop and roll'. We pretend to be doing something (dancing, cooking, reading a book) and then one of us yells, "oh no, we're on fire!". And then we dramatically freeze, drop to the ground and start rolling around.
Another one is one of us pretends to be a stranger in a car and says something like 'Excuse me little girl, I've lost my bunny rabbit and I was wondering if you could help me find her. Then we can have some candy afterwards'. Then we yell 'No Way!' as loud as we can and run away and tell a trusted adult.
We reenact fairy tales such as Snow White and come up with different things that Snow White could have said to the old woman who offered her the apple. Or what could Spiderman have done differently to not have been captured by Kingpin.
We yell out, 'Oh no, there's a Grizzly bear and I'm all alone in the woods'. Or 'I'm Scuba Diving and now there's a shark coming towards me'. Or 'Our car is stuck in the snow and there's a blizzard outside!'. Or 'There's a flying two headed dragon coming right for us and it looks hungry!'
They don't get scared or have bad dreams. We're all really relaxed and playful and it's done in the spirit of fun. They love being able to shout 'No!' as loud as they can. They love creating interesting doomsday scenarios and waiting for us to come up with solutions. They are rarely without us in real life and feel safe. If one of our children were sensitive about it, we would stop playing these sorts of games. But on most days our children dress up as different superheros, draw superheros, watch them on television/youtube/movies/children's theater, write letters to them, etc.. The 'Emergency' games are just an extended part of that fun stuff for them.
My husband and I have chosen not to 'drill' anything into them, so sometimes we have funny answers to the emergency plans that are completely the wrong thing to do. We suggest a better solution.
Me: The tidal wave is coming, what should we do? Daughter (4): Jump in the water!!! Son (6): No, No, No! Run for higher ground!
or
Daughter (4): The house is on fire, what should we do? Son (6): Stop, drop and roll! Me: Ummm, not exactly. We get out of the house as fast as possible. We only stop, drop and roll when something on our body is on fire. Son: Got it!
The one time my son was there when I had to call the ambulance, he was 5 and he was great at following my instructions - he ran to get the telephone, he ran downstairs to let the ambulance know where our house was, and he alerted our neighbours so they could take care of him while I went with my daughter to the hospital (febrile seizure). He was shaken up, but confident and quick in his ability to do everything that I asked him to do.
Rippy Dusseldorp
I have talked to them about private body parts in a gentle voice and said something like 'This is private. It's only okay for your family who lives in this house to see you without your clothes (or specific people like grandmom, or specific situations, like at the beach when we're with you). If anyone tries to touch you or wants you to touch them, you should say No! and run and tell us. If they say not to tell your mom and dad and try to trick your mind in some way, you should still tell us. We love you more than anything.'
My children are 6 and 4 and sometimes still get confused with our emergency number. They have a play store in the living room and I made them an 'In Case of Emergency' sign with different things to do that is hung up next to the cash register. They can't read any of the words, but the only number on the sign is the emergency number for our city, and it is written prominently on the top of the sign.
My children are 6 and 4 and sometimes still get confused with our emergency number. They have a play store in the living room and I made them an 'In Case of Emergency' sign with different things to do that is hung up next to the cash register. They can't read any of the words, but the only number on the sign is the emergency number for our city, and it is written prominently on the top of the sign.
Alex
My MIL works at a preschool, and they always have firefighters come in to do a presentation. They make a big deal out of showing kids what they look like with an oxygen mask, because sometimes kids get scared in a fire and run or hide from them. That's worth mentioning.The fire station open house is pretty good for that. I think we read/saw that in A Visit to the Sesame Street Fire Station too. Also, they said often parents wake up to a smoke alarm going off, sit up, and then pass out from smoke inhalation. So it's important to tell kids to crawl/stay low, and then what to do if they can't wake you up. Creepy, but potentially lifesaving.
Thank goodness for Sesame Street! We've had good conversations because of the book Ernie Gets Lost too. He carries a card with his adult friend's name and phone number on it. In a busy park like an amusement park I think a card or bracelet or Sharpie-written number is helpful. I was taught to find the "safer stranger", who I would ask for help if she were lost. Basically a mom with kids, or someone who is wearing things to indicate that they work there, especially if behind a counter. I might mention while searching for help what clues I'm looking for that someone is an employee--a vest, nametag, radio, lack of purse for women even, etc. Having worked kid's retail and had a million kids tell me their mom's name was "Mom," I've made sure from day 1 that my daughter knew our first names. Probably not so much an issue for unschooling families.
I have a book called My Body is Private that we haven't read but is in line with what you're looking for I think. It uses a story of a girl who doesn't want to sit in her uncle's lap I think. I don't know if I will ever really feel it is necessary since we talk about that stuff.
Water safety is a big deal too I think, but all I can offer is that if you ever imagine yourself jumping fully dressed into a body of water to save your kid who is going under, visualize yourself pulling your cell phone out of your pocket and tossing it somewhere dry first. Having done that one, I can say it is probably one of the worst times ever to not have a cell phone.
Alex N.
Thank goodness for Sesame Street! We've had good conversations because of the book Ernie Gets Lost too. He carries a card with his adult friend's name and phone number on it. In a busy park like an amusement park I think a card or bracelet or Sharpie-written number is helpful. I was taught to find the "safer stranger", who I would ask for help if she were lost. Basically a mom with kids, or someone who is wearing things to indicate that they work there, especially if behind a counter. I might mention while searching for help what clues I'm looking for that someone is an employee--a vest, nametag, radio, lack of purse for women even, etc. Having worked kid's retail and had a million kids tell me their mom's name was "Mom," I've made sure from day 1 that my daughter knew our first names. Probably not so much an issue for unschooling families.
I have a book called My Body is Private that we haven't read but is in line with what you're looking for I think. It uses a story of a girl who doesn't want to sit in her uncle's lap I think. I don't know if I will ever really feel it is necessary since we talk about that stuff.
Water safety is a big deal too I think, but all I can offer is that if you ever imagine yourself jumping fully dressed into a body of water to save your kid who is going under, visualize yourself pulling your cell phone out of your pocket and tossing it somewhere dry first. Having done that one, I can say it is probably one of the worst times ever to not have a cell phone.
Alex N.
Kirstin Eventyr
****Ok, I realize we can try to make a
game out of these things, but I'm just wondering if anyone has any
suggestions. Websites? DVDs?***
My kids (ages 5 and 6) enjoy "Fireman Sam" it is a video series that comes
out of Great Britain. It highlights safety issues in ways that are engaging
and fun using stop motion animation.
Kirstin
game out of these things, but I'm just wondering if anyone has any
suggestions. Websites? DVDs?***
My kids (ages 5 and 6) enjoy "Fireman Sam" it is a video series that comes
out of Great Britain. It highlights safety issues in ways that are engaging
and fun using stop motion animation.
Kirstin
On Thu, Feb 10, 2011 at 8:15 PM, Alex <missalexmissalex@...> wrote:
>
>
> My MIL works at a preschool, and they always have firefighters come in to
> do a presentation. They make a big deal out of showing kids what they look
> like with an oxygen mask, because sometimes kids get scared in a fire and
> run or hide from them. That's worth mentioning.The fire station open house
> is pretty good for that. I think we read/saw that in A Visit to the Sesame
> Street Fire Station too. Also, they said often parents wake up to a smoke
> alarm going off, sit up, and then pass out from smoke inhalation. So it's
> important to tell kids to crawl/stay low, and then what to do if they can't
> wake you up. Creepy, but potentially lifesaving.
>
> Thank goodness for Sesame Street! We've had good conversations because of
> the book Ernie Gets Lost too. He carries a card with his adult friend's name
> and phone number on it. In a busy park like an amusement park I think a card
> or bracelet or Sharpie-written number is helpful. I was taught to find the
> "safer stranger", who I would ask for help if she were lost. Basically a mom
> with kids, or someone who is wearing things to indicate that they work
> there, especially if behind a counter. I might mention while searching for
> help what clues I'm looking for that someone is an employee--a vest,
> nametag, radio, lack of purse for women even, etc. Having worked kid's
> retail and had a million kids tell me their mom's name was "Mom," I've made
> sure from day 1 that my daughter knew our first names. Probably not so much
> an issue for unschooling families.
>
> I have a book called My Body is Private that we haven't read but is in line
> with what you're looking for I think. It uses a story of a girl who doesn't
> want to sit in her uncle's lap I think. I don't know if I will ever really
> feel it is necessary since we talk about that stuff.
>
> Water safety is a big deal too I think, but all I can offer is that if you
> ever imagine yourself jumping fully dressed into a body of water to save
> your kid who is going under, visualize yourself pulling your cell phone out
> of your pocket and tossing it somewhere dry first. Having done that one, I
> can say it is probably one of the worst times ever to not have a cell phone.
>
>
> Alex N.
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]