WFMW: Safety & First Aid
It’s never too early to teach our kids some basic safety rules and first aid.
My kids and I are officially beginning our study of first aid this week since our science curriculum for the year is already done. The basic text we’re using is a Community First Aid & Safety manual from the American Red Cross that I picked up for free somewhere. We won’t be reading over each and every word in the text we’re using; instead I’ll be summarizing a lot of the material to make it applicable to my kids and their abilities.
Suggested Activities and Resources.
- Make a home first aid kit. Have your kids help you collect all the supplies to put a home first aid kit together. (Please note that the use of syrup of ipecac is no longer recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics). Here are some of the items you might consider including in your kit:
- bandages
- gauze squares
- adhesive tape
- thermometer
- ice pack
- hydrogen peroxide
- rubbing alcohol
- cotton balls
- scissors
- soap
- tweezers
- cotton balls
- disposable gloves
- elastic bandage
- paper cups
- calamine lotion
- activated charcoal
- first aid information (such as a reference card)
- Obtain a good first aid guide from the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association. You can probably find used copies of these at a large used book store like Half-Price Books. Use the guide as your “curriculum.”
- Check out your local library for some good books on first aid and safety. The youth nonfiction section will likely have several good books about safety and first aid written at a child’s level. Although not an exhaustive list, here are some subjects that would be good to look up and study with your kids:
- fire safety
- bike safety
- water safety
- stranger safety
- gun safety
- first aid, especially with regard to the following emergencies:
- Head injuries
- Broken bones
- Burns
- Bleeding
- Choking
- Lack of breathing/heart attacks
- Have your kids attend a first aid class. Check with your local community center, hospital, or school to find out where such classes might be offered.
- Utilize the internet for some free safety and first aid information. Here are some sites with good information you might like to check out:
Visit Rocks in My Dryer to read other great “Works For Me Wednesday” tips.
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Filed under: Safety & First Aid | Tagged: fire safety, first aid, first aid kit, home based education, home education, home-schooling, homeschooling, safety
What a great list of items to have. We have a first-aid kit, but I need to update it and replenish some items. Thanks for the list.
Joy, what a great and practical post! Duh…one of those practical subjects I never thought to include for my kids. Guess we’ll have to change that! :)
My little one is not quite old enough to help with a bag like this, but what a great idea to have all of this stuff together!
This is a great idea. I didn’t know about the syrup ~ what are they recommending you use instead???
Mrs. Brownstone,
From what I have read online, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ does not have a replacement recommendation. They have simply recommended that ipecac NOT be used anymore in the treatment of poisoning.
Here’s what I found on the AAP’s website:
“There are several reasons behind the new recommendation [to discontinue using ipecac]. Most importantly, there has never been any evidence that vomiting helps children who eat or drink something poisonous. Also, most emergency rooms have stopped using ipecac in favor of activated charcoal - which binds to poison in the stomach and prevents them from entering the bloodstream. Continued vomiting caused by syrup of ipecac may later result in the child being unable to tolerate activated charcoal or other poison treatments…
…The best defense against unintentional poisoning is prevention. Parents should keep potential poisons locked out of sight and out of reach. Replace child-resistant caps immediately after use, keep all products in their original containers, discard all old medications, and refer to medicine by its correct name - don’t call pills “candy”.
You can read the whole FAQ at http://www.aap.org/advocacy/archives/novpoisonqanda.htm
Of course, the best thing to do would be to talk to your pediatrician about it; I’m sure s/he is much more reliable than the internet is :)
Joy