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Showcasing your Student’s Work: Health, Safety

Feb16

Health, first aid, and fire safety are topics that we are to cover throughout the academic year as part of homeschooling here in Ohio. How do you show this has been accomplished? Here are various ways this can be done.

  • Textbooks are the easiest way to cover these subjects through a health curriculum such as ABeka or Bob Jones. You can also go to Cathy Duffy’s website and read her reviews on various curriculums. CLICK HERE You can bring the book, have your student answer the questions that are in the book, or write down some of the topics you discussed.
  • Library books and discussions about the topic are a natural way of covering a topic . Write the title of the books you read and a brief summary of what you discussed. Some books even have activities that accompany them, such as  Nick is Sick. This book is a beginning reader book, so your student can practice reading to you too! 🙂
  • Movies such as the Magic School Bus provide a springboard for discussion of health topics. The Magic School Bus Inside Ralphie is an episode where he is sick and the children get to see firsthand what is happening with germs being attacked. You can use the receipt from the library or take a picture of the cover of the DVD, or find the description of it on the internet. You can even watch it on YouTube!
  • Safety and/or Health Fairs are offered various times throughout communities. If you go to one of these, pick up the coloring books or handouts that are age appropriate. Incorporate those into your school day and file away with your other papers for your portfolio review.
  • Fitness programs such as what is offered at the YMCA or  a community center are fantastic ways of fulfilling the health and physical education requirement. Instructors reinforce what you have been teaching at home. 🙂 There is usually a description  of the course or activity that can be added to your portfolio of your student’s work.
  • Sports programs such as Upwards or local teams can count for health as well as physical education. Coaches discuss hydration, stretching before games, conditioning, and eating well. If you have a team picture or a game schedule that will be proper documentation.
  • Create a first aid kit for your car and/or your home. Have your child help you make up a list of what items should be included. What a great way of teaching first aid and safety without having to get a CPR dummy. (Although,that is a great idea!) if you need help in knowing what to include for your kit, CLICK HERE for the American Red Cross site.
  • Babysitting courses or a self defense class are not only helpful, but are practical too. If you saw the advertisement for the class, include that for your documentation. There are usually certificates of completion or photo opps that can be included for your review.

Here are two books you can check out on health topics.

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Fire Safety Month

Oct20

Unknown October is Fire Safety Month and there are many websites that provide printable and online activities for your students. This might be one may of those topics that you just can’t seem to get to throughout the year, but  it is a required subject for us who homeschool here in Ohio. I have a list of websites that have games, coloring sheets, and activities for your students.

Websites

Fire Safety Lapbook If your children like to create lapbooks, then this lapbook has all the important ideas you want to cover with them concerning fire safety. There are also some books that you can read to your children about Stop, Drop, and Roll and campfire safety.

Ohio Division of Forestry has coloring and activity pages as well as lesson plans for teachers that pertain to wildfires. There is even a certificate for your child when s/he has completed the lessons.

National Fire Prevention Association  The NFPA has online videos, ebooks, and a phone app to help students learn about fire safety.

What about taking your children on a tour of your local firehouse? The firemen are happy to have visitors, just call to see when you can come for a visit. This would be a good introduction to your young ones so they won’t be scared if they see a fireman with his oxygen mask and helmet on since the firemen take the time to let the children see them put on their coats and masks.

Remember to change your smoke detector batteries and practice fire escape routes at your house. Above all, be prepared and safety conscious. 🙂

Berries and Citrus Smoothie

Sep1

The school topic of health is one that seems to take place naturally as we go about our daily routines. We discuss the importance of covering your mouth when sneezing (disease prevention), establishing a bedtime routine and getting the rest needed, playing outdoors and participating in community sports programs. But, it’s hard sometimes to get your children to eat “healthy” foods. There isn’t much appeal for children in eating a spinach salad or nibbling on broccoli and cauliflower. If you have a child who enjoys that, it is a blessing.

I was an awful eater beginning in childhood and continuing through early adulthood. One of my favorite things to eat as a child was a Wonder Bread potato chip sandwich. I’d put the potato chips in between the slices of white bread, pressing and squishing until it was paper-thin. Wow, enough said!  When we first married, my husband and I ate a pepperoni double topper nearly every Thursday evening!

Realizing  we couldn’t continue to eat that way by putting all those bad things into the bodies, I had to change our diet. I introduced whole grain bread, plus more green vegetables into our diet.  But, I have continued to search better foods for us to eat and be more purposeful in dietary selections. Searching has led me to discover superfoods nearly two years ago.

What are superfoods? Well, they are not foods that Clark Kent and Peter Parker noshed on before dashing off to fight villains, but they would have helped them! Superfoods are nuts, berries, and foods that are packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and nutrition to help your body fight off disease (like a super hero), and give you energy. They also help you to feel full longer and thus, helping you eat less.

I know it can be expensive to eat this way, but it is expensive to go to the doctor.  It also takes time out of your life to be sick. Who wants that? I had to go to the doctor recently for a sports injury and the nurse said,”You  haven’t been to see us in a long time.”  I call that a good thing!

A fairly inexpensive way to begin to make changes and improvements to your family’s diet without it costing a hunk of your grocery budget is to add a smoothie to your menu. Instead of providing a sugar-laden snack, how about a fruity one? You can add some a superfood such as chia or hemp seeds and the family won’t even notice!

Personally, I use smoothies as a snack or a substitute for a meal. I visited a friend the other day during her lunch break and instead of us grabbing a burger and fries, I took her this smoothie. She thought it was so delicious that she asked for the recipe. I think this would be a good introduction if you are wanting to give smoothies a try. The smoothie looks seedy, but it isn’t. Those are the skins of the blueberries, but you can blend it longer to make them disappear. I just thought it added something visually for the photo. Enjoy!

Photo

Berries and Citrus Smoothie

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 cup frozen strawberries

1/2 cup frozen pineapple (substitute fresh if available)

1 cup orange juice

1 cup mango or peach kefir (you can use vanilla yogurt instead)

2 tablespoons hemp or chia seeds* (superfood)

2 teaspoons honey (optional)

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Makes 2 servings.

 

* Hemp seeds are one of the best sources for protein and include all eight amino acids, omega-3 and can help balance hormones.  Chia seeds are best known for their healthy fats, higher fiber content, and antioxidants. They have eight times more omega 3’s than salmon (Yippee! I detest most fish.), five times more calcium than milk, three times more iron than spinach, and three times more antioxidants than blueberries.  source: Superfood Smoothies, Julie Morris

I am sorry I don’t know the exact number of calories for the smoothie, but I would estimate the number to be 225.

 

 

Touch A Truck

Jun9

swat_vehicles“Mom, what’s inside a helicopter? ” “How many people can fit inside a  S.W.A.T Team van?”  “Can I climb the fire truck?”  If you children have ever expressed an interest to you regarding emergency vehicles or other large pieces of equipment, here is something that will help your curious ones.

Touch A Truck  is a c-o-o-l program that will be in the Cincinnati area throughout the summer and fall. There could be as many as 50 service, utility, and military vehicles for children (and adults) to see up close. You also get to meet the people who operate them and can ask them all matter of questions! There will be a wide variety of vehicles that include a: police car, fire truck, street sweeper, highway snow plow, dump truck, tow truck, garbage truck and a backhoe.

Some cities have already had the program (Blue Ash, Green Township), but here are the ones I found that will be happening the remainder of this year. Other areas will be having the event, but no specific date was listed when I looked. This included Wyoming, and Montgomery, so check with the city if interested. This is a FREE event and this will be great for first aid, safety, and fire safety- all topics we are required to teach. 🙂 So, pack up your children and take your husband in your vehicle and head on out to experience these spectacular vehicles.

Date: Monday, June 9 

Time: 10:00 a.m.to 2:00 p.m.

Location: Sharonville Convention Center

11355 Chester Road, Sharonville, OH

 

Date: Friday, June 27 

Time: 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Location: The Square @ Union Centre

9285 Centre Point Drive, West Chester, OH

 

Date: Friday, July 11

Time: 11:00 a.m to 1:00 p.m.

Location: Springfield Township Civic Center

9150 Winton Road, Cincinnati, OH

 

Date: Tuesday, August 12

Time: 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.

Location: Village Green Park

501 Wessel Road, Fairfield, OH

 

Date: Saturday, September 6, 2014

Time: 12:00pm – 4:00pm

Location: Deerfield Towne Center

5503 Deerfield Boulevard

Mason, OH 45040

 

 

 

First Aid, Safety and Fire Safety: Requirements in Ohio

May5

We are headed toward the end of the year and portfolio reviews have begun for many families.  Each year I have someone who asks me about the First Aid, Safety and Fire Safety portion on the notification  form. Yes, we are required to teach this in one form or fashion.  You don’t need to have a textbook to study these topics so I am including some ideas for you to consider.

First Aid

Prepare a first aid kit to put in your car. Include the following items: various sizes of  band aids, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic cream, sunscreen, Q-tips, and cotton swabs. Keep an extra set of clothes in the car for each member of the family. You never know when you might need them! Maybe someone will ask your kids to spend the night on the spur of the moment… Keep trail mix and bottles of water for those days when the kids and you are famished after swimming or hiking or need a quick burst of energy.

Safety There are so many different ways to meet this requirement! Some topics to discuss with your children are:

Household– hot stoves, knives, curling irons, kitchen cleaners, electrical outlets, not leaving things on the floor or the steps, etc. are all important topics to include.

Stranger safety– Discuss having a family code in case someone would need to pick up your children in an emergency. Discuss who is a stranger and when can you talk to them (or not).

Internet Safety– Consider investing in a family internet blocking software. There are quite a number to choose from and each one is a little different. There will be times, however, when your children are away from the house and may be on a computer. Review sites they are allowed to visit and ones they are not.

Bicycle and Road Safety– This is an opportune time to discuss the rules for bike riding since the weather is getting nice. Discuss wearing helmets; what side of the road to ride your bike if there are no sidewalks; and rules for being on the street if you are biking (hand signals, stopping at stop signs, being a defensive driver). Have your children try on their helmets to see if they still fit and check to see if there are any cracks in the helmets. One time the boys and I went for a bike ride and my oldest son was always one to go as fast as he could and put as much distance as he possibly could between him and us. Where we live is hilly and so you are either going up a hill or coming down one to get to our street. Ian tore down the hill with Malcolm pedaling as fast as his little legs could go. Malcolm was out of control as he tried to catch up to his big brother. and all I could “Watch out!” I screamed as I saw Malcolm head straight for the metal transformer box cover.

Boom! Malcolm went flying off the bike and his head hit the big green box. Malcolm was lying in the grass and not moving as I skidded to halt and looked down at him. All I could think of was a brain or neck injury because there is no give with those covers. The good news is that he was wearing his helmet and he was okay after lying still for a minute. That helmet really did protect Malcolm from serious head trauma because when I looked at the helmet, it had split in half!  I am so glad I had insisted that everyone wear their helmets.

Fire Safety I have covered this before, but just a quick reminder to have a home fire drill. Talk about different ways to escape, where to meet in case there would be a fire, and no going back in the house- no matter what! Practice stop, drop, and roll, and how to dial 9-1-1 and what to say to the dispatcher.

Be safe!
~Lisa