Wednesday, 30 October 2013

Halloween Safety Tips for Trick-or-Treaters


Have a safe and fun Halloween evening!

Make Halloween safety part of your holiday fun. Start with these practical Halloween safety tips.

By Mayo Clinic staff
It's the time of year for costumes, sweets, and tricks and treats. Put Halloween safety first with these common-sense tips.

Carve safely

Are your children begging to carve pumpkins? Make Halloween safety a family affair.
  • Decorate with markers or paint. Let young children draw faces on pumpkins with washable markers or child-friendly paint. Leave any carving to an adult.
  • Use candles with care. Place candlelit pumpkins on a sturdy surface away from curtains and other flammable objects. Never leave candlelit pumpkins unattended. Better yet, light pumpkins with flashlights or battery-operated flameless candles instead.

Get clever with costumes

From furry animals to princesses and superheroes, choosing costumes wisely is an important part of Halloween safety.
  • The brighter the better. Whether you buy a costume or make one yourself, choose bright colors and flame-retardant materials. If your child will be trick-or-treating outdoors after dark, attach reflective tape to his or her costume.
  • Size it right. In case it's chilly outdoors, make sure your child's costume is loose enough for warm clothing to be worn underneath — but not long enough to cause tripping. Avoid oversized shoes and high heels.
  • Skip the masks. A mask can obstruct your child's vision, especially if it slips out of place. Use kid-friendly makeup instead.
  • Limit accessories. Pointed props — such as wands, swords and knives — may pose safety hazards.

Trick-or-treat with care

The promise of Halloween candy may leave stars in your child's eyes, but Halloween safety still rules.
  • Get in on the fun. Accompany trick-or-treaters younger than age 12. Pin a piece of paper with your child's name, address and phone number inside your child's pocket in case you get separated. Encourage older kids to trick-or-treat with a group of friends, parents or older siblings. Make sure someone in the group carries a flashlight with fresh batteries.
  • Stay close to home. Don't allow your child to go door to door in an unfamiliar neighborhood.
  • Set ground rules. If your child will be trick-or-treating without you, establish a route and set a curfew. Review safety rules, including staying with the group, walking only on the sidewalk, approaching only clearly lit homes and never going inside a home. You may want to give your child a cell phone for the evening should he or she need to contact you.
  • Inspect the treats carefully. Don't let your child snack while he or she is trick-or-treating. Feed your child a healthy snack before heading out, and inspect the treats before allowing your child to dive in. Discard anything that's not sealed, has torn packaging or looks questionable. If you have young children, weed out gum, peanuts, hard candies and other choking hazards.
  • Ration the loot. If your child collects gobs of goodies, dole out a few pieces at a time and save the rest. You may even ask your child if he or she would like to swap some — or all — of the candy for something else, such as a special toy, book or outing. You might also suggest donating excess candy to a food shelf or other charity.
  • Plan a party. Consider planning a trick-or-treat party with a couple of neighbors instead of house-to-house door knocking. Decorate the garages, have a costume contest, and plan games and prizes.

Stay safe and sweet on the home front

If you'll be handing out treats, make sure you're ready for trick-or-treaters.
  • Clean up. Put away anything trick-or-treaters could trip over, such as garden hoses, toys, bikes and lawn decorations. Clear wet leaves, snow or other debris from the sidewalk.
  • Turn the lights on. Replace any burned-out bulbs to ensure good visibility at the walkway and front door.
  • Control your pets. Take no chances that your pet might be frightened and chase or bite a child at your door.
  • Consider sugar substitutes. Instead of handing out sugar-laden treats, try stickers, glittery pencils, rubber insects or colored chalk.
If you'll be driving on Halloween, watch for children who might pop out between parked cars. Be especially careful entering or leaving driveways and alleys. Extra caution can help ensure Halloween safety for everyone.

Thursday, 24 October 2013

Discovery Child Care's trip to the pumpkin patch

What can you say? These pictures show how much fun we had at Chappell Farm, celebrating the fall and enjoying a trip to a pumpkin patch.

Enjoy the show!

Chappell Farm Slideshow!

Discovery Child Care offers interesting and educational before and after school programs. Call us for a tour. We'd love to meet with you and your child! 705-733-2052

Tuesday, 15 October 2013

Pumpkinny PD Day at Discovery Child Care

School aged children joined us for a fun-filled PD day. 


We spent the day together working with "pumpkinny" things. We designed, created and played our own games using real pumpkins and gourds: "gourd pine cone toss", "gourd bowling" "ker-pumpkin" and "pumpkin ski ball". We... enjoyed messing around with the pumpkin spice rice, pumpkin playdough and pumpkin goop. 

We were very excited to have a visit from Jenny as well. she came to our class and helped us learn how to crochet! With practice and patience, we started to get the hang of it and we are very proud of the bracelets we made. Thanks Jenny, for spending your time with us. 

We also had a pile of laughs playing "scarecrow tag" and "hide and squish" outside in the sunshine. Finally we roasted the seeds from our pumpkins and had the chance to taste them. DELICIOUS! We are "thankful" for such a great day!
 

Discovery Child Care offers interesting and educational before and after school programs. Call us for a tour. We'd love to meet with you and your child! 705-733-2052

Tuesday, 8 October 2013

Discovering Butterflies with Butterfly Kisses

The children at Discovery Childcare, Harvie Road - really enjoyed a visit with Heather Willet from Butterfly Kisses Educational Outreach, October 8th. Here are some pictures from the program which included capture and release tagging.

Butterfly Kisses bring children a unique experience with curriculum-linked programs exploring the wonder of butterflies.

Observing and caring for a butterfly, students learn far more than habitats and need for species. They gain a sense of responsibility and respect for life.




Discovery Child Care offers interesting and educational before and after school programs. Call us for a tour. We'd love to meet with you and your child! 705-733-2052

Tuesday, 1 October 2013

Tips to Help Your Family Get More Active

According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, children ages 5 to 17 should accumulate at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. While organized sports can make a significant contribution, the type of physical activity doesn't need to be all intense. A simple walk in the park or the woods contributes to health and fitness in children.

Here are some tips from the Canadian Living Blog on incorporating more exercise into your family routine.

Tips on how to incorporate more exercise into your children's lives:
Keep your house stocked with items that promote activity, such as basketballs, soccer balls (or any type of ball), skipping ropes, Hula-Hoops, scooters, skateboards, a trampoline, bikes, in-line skates and, of course, all of the requisite safety equipment.

Limit screen time – this includes time spent in front of both the TV and computer. And try to keep both out of your kids' bedrooms.

Set up a badminton set in the backyard. It's a great introduction to tennis and other racquet sports, especially for younger kids.

Give your kids outdoor chores – they love to help out and get dirty. Getting your kids gardening, raking, shovelling and carrying wood is a win-win situation: You get a break and your kids get some fresh air and exercise.

Check out nearby yoga studios for kids' yoga classes. Yoga is a great activity for a rainy day. Don't have a studio nearby? A yoga mat and Pilates ball are all kids need to do their own indoor yoga class.

Play outdoor games like Frisbee, tag and hide and seek with your kids. Games like these are great ways to spend long summer evenings.

Start a family tradition of an evening walk or bike ride.

Discovery Child Care offers interesting and educational before and after school programs. Call us for a tour. We'd love to meet with you and your child! 705-733-2052