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Family Education
FBI Safety Tips
Physical Fitness For Tots
Amber Alert
Missing & Exploited Children
~Oprah issues heart wrenching appeal &
Offers Reward!
 In a moving call to the nation, Oprah exclaimed that she has had..."Enough, Enough, Enough...
" with sexual predators "stealing, raping and killing our children..." and that this sickness is the "definition of evil".
In an unprecedented move, she is offering $100,000 for information leading to the arrest of fugitive sexual offenders.
We suggest you view the predators by visiting the Oprah.com website below~
Home Safety Tip...
The Top Twenty Safety Items for Your Home
1. Smoke Detectors. Change the batteries twice a year when you change your clocks. The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) recommends that you replace your home's smoke detectors after ten years and test them once a month to be sure they work.
2. Carbon Monoxide Detectors. The NFPA recommends these alarms for homes with attached garages and those with fuel-burning appliances or fireplaces.
3. Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters. These electrical outlets with quick-tripping circuit breakers help prevent death or injury from electrocution and can be installed by an electrician.
4. Fire Extinguishers. A multipurpose dry chemical class ABC type is the best fire extinguisher for home safety use. Keep one in the kitchen, one in the bedroom, one near the fireplace, and one in your car. Make sure everyone in the household knows how to use them. Check the extinguishers periodically and replace them when they expire.
5. Emergency Evacuation Plan. Come up with a plan for escaping in a fire and for natural disasters. Make sure everyone in the home participates in the practices.
6. Flashlights. Keep a flashlight under or near each person's bed and one in the basement. If you live in an area with frequent power failures, buy a few of the kind with a large base so they don't have to be hand held if the power is off for several hours. An extra tip: Check batteries every few months and store a supply of extra batteries where you can find them easily.
7. First Aid Kit. Include First-aid manual, Sterile gauze pads, Adhesive tape, Adhesive bandages, Scissors, Elastic bandage, Safety pins, Latex or thin plastic medical gloves, Peroxide for cleansing wounds and dissolving blood stains, Antiseptic liquid or ointment, Small plastic bags, Benzocaine spray, Hydrocortisone cream, Benadryl, Ibuprofen, Saline eye drops, Tweezers, Thermometer, Mouthpiece for administering CPR, Cotton swabs.
8. List of Emergency Phone Numbers.
9. Shutoff Valve Tags. Label the turnoff valves for gas, oil, and water and clearly mark the main electricity shutoff. Know how to use each in case of emergency.
10. Grab Bars. Since falls are among the leading causes of home accidents, and bathtubs are among the slipperiest surfaces, anchor grab bars into the wall studs in tubs and showers.
11. Slip-Resistant Finishes. For extra safety, use non-slip mats or strips or decals in bathtubs and showers to help prevent slipping.
12. Safety Glazing. Every glass pane in your home should be shatterproof. Look for a mark in the lower corner showing the manufacturer's name and type and thickness of safety glass. Don't forget shower and patio doors.
13. Handrails. Indoors or outdoors, every staircase in your home should have secure handrails on both sides.
14. Step Stool / Utility Ladder. Keeping a lightweight, sturdy step stool in a convenient spot will decrease the likelihood of anyone taking chances standing on a chair or other dangerous perch.
15. Sufficient Lighting. Help prevent falls with nightlights near bedrooms and bathrooms of your home. Keep interior and exterior stairways and walkways adequately lit.
16. Tested Appliances. To be sure of product safety, check to see that every electric and gas appliance in your home should carry the Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Canadian Standards Association (CSA), or American Gas Association (AGA) designations.
17. Safety Goggles. These are an absolute necessity when using certain tools; they're also recommended by the NSC for indoor cleaning, garage, and yard work.
18. Survival Kit.
19. Childproofing.
20. Pool Safety. Homes with swimming pools should have the following: A four-foot fence with self-closing and latching gate, life preservers, rescue equipment, lockable cabinet for storing pool chemicals, and a poolside telephone.
Last year there were 12 reported shark attacks off the coast of Florida. The year before that, the state broke records with 30 attacks - a record no one wants repeated in any state.
Here are some things to remember when swimming:
**Never swim alone---and stay close to shore.
**Don't swim near piers, sandbars, drop offs, or places where people are fishing.
**Don't swim near diving sea birds--they're usually an indication of danger.
**Avoid wearing shiny jewelry or clothes.
**And don't swim during peak shark feeding hours---early in the morning, at dusk and during nighttime.
Getting Your Family Interested in Reading
Looking for ideas on getting your family interested in reading? Then make it a family activity. Here are some ideas from The National Book Foundation:
Incorporate books into standard family games. For example, play charades with book titles.
Have family outings to the library and have every family member check out one book.
Start a family reading night in your family where you can read and discuss a book together.
Kids love performing plays and drama skits for the family -- why not incorporate that into their book reading? Have them read a book, choose their favorite scene, and then recreate it for the family.
Simply read to your children. You will both benefit from the time spent together. And your children will benefit from stretching their imagination and learning new things.
Backyard Safety
While the backyard can provide a fun place for your children to play this Spring, it can also create hazards for their safety.
Playground Equipment
Families with playground equipment should take special precautions when choosing and installing the equipment. More than 200,000 children each year require emergency attention due to accidents on playground equipment.
When purchasing equipment, look for soft rubber seats instead of hard wood seats; step ladders instead of rungs; slides or platforms no higher than six feet tall for school-age children or four feet tall for pre-schoolers; and guardrails on any platforms, ramps or ladders.
When installing the equipment, pad the play area with nine to twelve inches of a shock-absorbing material, such as sand, pea gravel, shredded tires, rubber mats or mulch. Be careful not to suspend more than two swing seats within the same support structure or attach ropes or cords to the set. Cover all protruding bolts, and make sure the set is securely assembled before use. Once the equipment is installed, always supervise your children while playing.
Water Hazards
Parents need to be especially vigilant with water safety. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, nearly 350 children under the age of 5 drown every year in swimming pools, and another 2,600 are treated in hospital emergency rooms following submersion accidents.
Many parents who have suffered the tragedy of a drowned child say that they had only turned their back for a minute. Be sure to closely monitor your children when around a pool or spa area, install safety fences or devices, keep a phone nearby for emergency calls, remove ladders from aboveground pools when not in use, cover drains (to prevent hair being caught), maintain spa temperature lower than 104 degrees Fahrenheit and be trained in CPR. Another water hazard is an empty bucket - these fill up with water quickly, and even that small amount can be a drowning danger.
Poisons
While many dangerous poisons can be found in the home, there are several to watch for outdoors as well. Make sure there are no cleaning products, chemicals, pesticides, or other dangerous items such as lighter fluid or paint thinner out while children are playing. Chemicals should always be stored in their original containers, and never in a milk or juice bottle, which children may mistake for a drink. The backyard should also be checked for poisonous plants and even wild mushrooms that are in areas where children can reach.
The phone number for the local poison control center should be placed near the phone. If a child is poisoned and is unconscious, call 9-1-1 immediately and/or take him to the nearest emergency room. If the child is conscious, you can call the poison control center with the following information: your name and phone number, the child's age and weight, the time of the poisoning, and the container of the poison consumed.
Other Hazards
WebMD warns that some pressure-treated wood contains arsenic and poses an increased risk in cancer in children who eat or play on this type of wood. Seal the wood every six months; keep children (and pets) away from the soil underneath the wood; cover picnic tables with a cloth; avoid pressure-washing the wood; and prevent children from playing on rough wood (to avoid splinters containing arsenic).
Other dangers include gardening tools, lawn mowers and other yard tools that could become a dangerous toy to a
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