What’s the 4th of July without fireworks? Cities and towns across the country host July Fourth displays that are attended by millions every year. However, some people prefer to have a more hands-on approach to fireworks. If this is you, you’ll want to be aware of the dangers of having and using fireworks, especially for child safety.

Fireworks are the creation of the ancient Chinese who are believed to have developed as early as 581 AD after they discovered how to make gunpowder. Since the chemicals and powder are explosive, the danger of injury has always been associated with fireworks, which are still produced in China to a great degree.

Children are enamored with fireworks. They love to watch them and will often try to shoot them off to have their own fireworks display. The problem, however, is that they are dangerous - especially when handled or used improperly.

* Fireworks are made from flammable materials and explosives. Due to this fact, thousands of people and pets are injured each year, some even requiring amputation. For fireworks to be safely enjoyed, they should be used only by trained professionals.

* Fireworks can cause fires and this is one of the biggest reasons for not allowing children access to them. Children can either be burned while trying to light the firework or they can accidentally catch something around them on fire.

* Fireworks should not be lit while indoors or in dry grassy areas.

* Even fireworks that don’t explode can be hazardous to children’s health. Sparklers can become so hot that after they’ve been used they can still cause first, second, and third degree burns if they’re stepped on. To avoid this problem, if you feel you must use fireworks around children, you’ll want to have an empty metal trashcan where all sparklers can be disposed after the sparks stop.

People are so used to having fireworks readily available to them that they may not pay attention to how dangerous they can be. Each year a third of all injuries due to fireworks happen to children under the age of fifteen, most of those injuries occurring to boys. Firecrackers are the worst offenders for causing injuries, followed by sparklers.

To help you keep your children safe, and still enjoy the beauty of fireworks, the simplest thing you can do is let the professionals do it. Not only can you avoid injuries, you’ll also see a much better fireworks display. And, since professional fireworks shows are free to the public, you’ll save yourself quite a bit of money. This really is the best way to enjoy fireworks and not have to worry about keeping your children safe.

Some of us stay home for the holidays. Others make trips to see family and friends. But when you’ve got the kids in tow for children activities, road trips can become rather unpleasant.

It’s not that we don’t enjoy spending time with our kids. It’s just that they get bored. And they get hungry. And they need to stop at every rest area. But if you stop every time they want to stretch their legs or get a candy bar, you could add hours onto your trip. You may find yourself wondering why you didn’t just take a plane.

But road trips with the family don’t have to be an exercise in frustration. If you’re well prepared, they can actually be lots of fun. Here are some ideas to keep boredom and other things that make a road trip less pleasant at bay.

* Bring along plenty of snacks and drinks. But steer clear of chocolate, caffeine and sugar as much as possible, because these things can make already antsy kids even more hyperactive. Instead, pack some juice boxes, fresh fruits and veggies, crackers and other snacks that are healthy yet filling.

* Invest in a couple of travel games that the family can play together, or make up your own. These are great for keeping morale high and providing for quality time on long trips.

* Let each child bring a toy or individual game to play with. Most kids enjoy both group and individual activities at home, and they need both to keep them occupied and contented during a car trip. But be sure to place limits, because if you don’t, they’re likely to bring a whole bag full of stuff.

* If you have an infant, make sure to bring plenty of diapers, wipes, bottles and formula. Calculate how much of each item you will need, and bring about twice as much, just in case. Also, if any of your children take medication, be sure to bring an adequate supply.

* Bring something to put trash in. It’s surprising how many parents forget this. If you fail to do so, you’re just about guaranteed to end up with a car full of trash by the time the trip is over. Depending on the size of your family, you might need a grocery bag or a full-sized garbage bag.

* Be prepared for messes. If you have a mini car vac, it’s a good idea to bring it along. Other things you might need include wet wipes, paper towels, upholstery and carpet stain remover and glass cleaner.

* Ask kids if they need to use the restroom each time you stop at a restaurant or gas station. Otherwise, you might find yourself making lots of unscheduled rest stops.

Parents often consider holiday road trips necessary evils in which they must participate to get where they’re going. But if you plan ahead, the trip can be enjoyable for the whole family.

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Special Agent in Charge John A. Torres, of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Los Angeles Field Division, is encouraging the public to celebrate the arrival of the New Year responsibly especially for child safety.

ATF wants you to know that celebratory gunfire is not only unsafe, it is against the law. Discharging a firearm into the air is a crime and can lead to felony charges under California state law or federal charges if that person is prohibited from possessing a firearm. Bullets shot into the air can climb up two miles and then fall at a rate of 300 to 700 feet per second, killing or injuring those that are struck.

“ATF wants to ensure that all those celebrating New Year’s Eve have a great time and enjoy family and friends. We don’t want to see the New Year ruined by senseless tragedy just because someone thought it would be ‘fun’ to shoot a gun in the air. Random gunfire on New Year’s Eve has gone down significantly in recent years, but even one is too many,” said Torres.
In addition to celebratory gunfire, ATF is reminding the public that the use of illegal fireworks is also prohibited. Illegal fireworks meet no safety standards and can be deadly in the hands of children. Federally banned fireworks include M-80s, M-100s, Silver Salutes and Cherry Bombs.

“ATF will continue to work with our state and local law enforcement partners to ensure that persons who possess firearms or fireworks illegally are prosecuted to the fullest extent possible to include federal prosecution if warranted,” added Torres.

SOURCE Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Resolutions will be the talk of New Year’s parties across the country later this month, and for many people a resolution will provide positive direction for 2010.

For child development, however, psychologists at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center recommend this annual practice be approached carefully.

Because children often mimic their parents, the cycle of resolutions — make one, stick to it for a few weeks, then forget it — doesn’t always set a healthy example. But Robert Ammerman, Ph.D., and Wendi Lopez, PsyD, agree that structured goal setting can be beneficial to the whole family.

Goal setting can be an annual family activity. This process teaches children about planning ahead and making commitments.
“Children should make New Year’s goals that are reasonable, measurable and concrete,” explains Dr. Lopez. “‘I will go a week at school without any infractions’ or ‘I will be on the honor roll this upcoming semester.’ Resolutions that are overly ambitious and can’t realistically be achieved should be avoided. Keep them simple, achievable, and positive,” says Dr. Lopez. “Parents should never encourage a goal if it is unhealthy or unattainable,” she says.
Dr. Lopez also recommends parents have similar goals to their child. If a child wants to become healthier, for example, parents should encourage healthy behavior and lead by example, such as buying less junk food. A concrete goal could be playing the Wii Fit three times a week together. This will not only help the child from struggling alone, but will also demonstrate the importance of teamwork and support, she says.
Because children like to see results, Dr. Lopez suggests a sticker chart for young children who can measure their goals on a daily or weekly basis. For older children, weekly rewards may help keep motivation up.
“Making New Year’s resolutions is not essential for children, and there are many other ways for families to bond,” says Dr. Ammerman. “However, the value of goal setting is that we own it and are self-motivated to achieve the goals. When children fulfill a goal or resolution, they feel satisfaction because they have set a goal and met it.”

SOURCE Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

“Resolution day” (Jan. 1) is almost here. Are you ready? Have you decided on your resolutions? For parents, every year offers new joys and challenges. Here are a few child care ideas for increasing the joy — and preparing for the challenges — of parenting in 2010.

Love your child for who they are: Every child is unique with different temperaments and different interests. Every day they are learning and growing - and the new year is a perfect time to take a new look at what makes your child special. You can support them as they struggle to master more difficult skills and celebrate their unique successes with them.

Be a part of playtime: Play is how young children learn about the world and practice new cognitive, emotional, and social skills. A parent can learn a lot about their child’s developing skills and interests by participating in their play. Your questions, ideas, and attention support your child’s curiosity and creativity. Play interactions with you can also help them to develop skills to use when they are playing alone or with peers.
Talk about feelings: Understanding and managing feelings is one of the hardest skills children under five have to tackle. So respect what they are feeling by recognizing their emotions, listening to their thoughts and helping them to work through their emotions.

Be an example: Though your voice, your expressions, your gestures and your actions, your child learns from you how to interact with other people and with the world. You are in a wonderful position to set a positive example for everything from solving problems to showing compassion to buckling seatbelts.

Create routines and stick to them: Children respond to the expected. If you create a bedtime routine that has three steps and you do the same things every night, your child finds comfort in knowing what comes next and will respond in positive ways as a result of sticking to the plan.
Make mealtime special: Whenever possible, make mealtime a time to be together and enjoy a healthy meal. This not only develops a good pattern for eating, but it creates an opportunity to connect as a family.

Make books a part of your child’s life: Make reading fun. Cuddle up. Let your child choose the books. By reading to your children, you are helping them to increase their vocabulary, inspiring their imagination, and setting the groundwork for a love of reading.

SOURCE Talaris Institute

Looking for good gifts for kids that will never be outgrown? Do you have family and friends asking you what they can give to your child for a birthday or holiday gift? Do you wish your child could better understand how regularly saving money is a good thing? Citizens Bank is introducing a new personal savings account that can answer all those questions. It’s called a Let it Grow Gift Account(SM).

A Let it Grow Gift Account(SM) allows you, your family and friends to easily and securely contribute to a savings account in your child’s name. As the child grows older, they can also begin contributing to the account to further boost their savings. It’s like a gift registry, only this is a savings account. Citizens Bank representatives say that this new account is a perfect alternative to a gift of cash. By contributing to a Let it Grow Gift Account(SM), family members are contributing to something and more meaningful than what a cash gift would be. Plus, it has a longer term impact. One of the best features of this account is that it helps children to learn that by saving, long term financial goals, whatever they may be, are more attainable with the discipline of savings.

A Let it Grow Gift Account(SM) comes complete with invitations, email templates and step-by-step instructions for suggesting this gift alternative to family and friends.

SOURCE Citizens Republic Bancorp

A survey of over 1,000 people across the UK and Ireland has revealed that people, children specifically, have not lost the Christmas spirit, despite the recession.Expect the holiday children activities and festive celebrations to continue.

With more than half of adults saying that this Christmas is set to be just as good as any other, the festive spirit is, clearly, still very much alive.

64 percent of adults who took part in the survey said that Christmas 2009 will not be different to any other year.

The poll crushes any fears that Britain will have a gloomy time this winter, amid the economic recovery.

Youngsters are set to have a merry Christmas too as only 2 percent of adults admit that they will be cutting spending on their children this year. The survey also revealed that most people are looking forward to spending some quality time with their families this Christmas.

“Christmas is obviously a special time for families,” said Scott O’Donnell of http://www.triviala.com, which commissioned the survey.

“It is sometimes the only chance each year that families will be able to get time off work and all spend the day together.”

Other things people admitted to looking forward to this Christmas included, indulging in some festive food and drink, and getting a well-deserved break off work.

Receiving presents was listed as the fourth most popular answer with 11 percent, closely followed by entertaining and having people over, which 10 percent of Brits are looking forward to doing this year.

Scott O’Donnell added: “Christmas traditions are certainly not dying out either, regardless of the current economic climate. It just seems that everyone wants to have an enjoyable Christmas together and forget about any money issues.”

The survey revealed that 84 percent of people are going to have a Christmas tree in their homes this year. When asked whether their trees had decreased in size over the past few years, 64 percent of people said it had not.

With increased high street competition among retailers this year, many revealed their Christmas displays in mid October, the earliest recorded so far. 79 percent of people agreed that this is far too early for shops to be beginning their Christmas retailing.

What people are most looking forward to this Christmas:

1. Being with family
2. Food and drink
3. Time off work
4. Presents
5. Entertaining people
6. Christmas shopping
7. Work Christmas Party
8. Going on Holiday
9. Other

SOURCE Triviala

Having trouble getting kids to eat the holiday turkey with all the trimmings? That’s because, as the “Real Holiday Helpings” survey* commissioned by Hellmann’s and Best Foods Mayonnaise revealed, although parents spend an average of six hours on holiday dinner preparation, kids would just as soon select recipes for kids pizza, chicken fingers or macaroni and cheese over traditional holiday fare. What’s more, even though kids recognize the time that goes into the family dinner, 49 percent still don’t eat everything on their dinner plate.

To help parents prepare Real Food they can feel good about serving the whole family this holiday season, Hellmann’s® and Best Foods® Mayonnaise partnered with critically acclaimed chef, author and TV personality Bobby Flay to create the “Real Holiday Helpings” program on www.Hellmanns.com and www.BestFoods.com. The online program includes recipes and tips for how to easily prepare Real Food that tastes great and is made from simple ingredients including Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise made with eggs, oil and vinegar.

Bobby Flay is a celebrated chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, television personality and he gained a widespread following by showing people how to prepare delicious meals that are made from simple and fresh ingredients.

SOURCE Hellmann’s

When parents and grandparents pick out holiday gifts for children, they want to feel good about child safety, and in a tough economy, they are even more selective about toy purchases.

Moreover, the safety of many children’s accessories and toys made in China remain in question. Just this week, for example, stroller-maker Maclaren announced a recall affecting one million China-manufactured umbrella strollers that reportedly can injure children’s fingers.

“It’s not just parents - grandparents, too, have become very conscientious consumers,” says Kerry Menger, co-founder of NMCtoys.com. “They’re researching their options, and choosing us because they want safe, eco-friendly toys and educational gifts for their grandchildren. They also love how our products are ‘Made in the USA.’ There’s no doubt that the sales that come from these goods stimulate the health of our domestic economy. That’s the icing on the cake.”

NMCtoys.com debuted in 2007 in response to the mass recalls of “Made in China” toys that took place that year. The online resource was a hit - and its owners predict greater success this holiday season, considering recent updates and a broader mission.

NMCtoys.com has an expanded product line, a larger offering of “green” toys, and a goal to support U.S.-based toy manufacturers. With many options in both entertaining and educational toys, parents and grandparents feel this website is an ideal resource for various reasons.

“I have a special needs grandson (toddler), and am particularly interested in toys designed for young children who have both physical and mental challenges,” says Lauren, one customer who now receives the website’s coupon- and product-packed newsletter.

Another customer, Teresa, is regularly using NMCtoys.com’s gift certificates to purchase baby shower gifts. Now she has a grandson and shops the website because she trusts the quality of its toys, even if she spends a little more for this peace of mind.

SOURCE NMCtoys.com

Parents should take extra care in selecting toys for young children and supervising their play during the holidays, according to a leading eye surgeon on child safety.

According to Dr. Mark Borchert, director, The Vision Center at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, certain toys, such as BB guns, pose a particular danger for young children.

“While a BB gun pellet may not break the skin of a young child, it can puncture his eye very easily. Unfortunately, every Christmas I see young children in our emergency room who have had an eye destroyed by a BB pellet.”

The eye surgeon said parents with young children should avoid toys that shoot projectiles, have parts that fly off or can be shattered into sharp pieces. He added that scissors, rubber bands and deflated balloons — often left out at holiday time — should be collected, since they can be dangerous in the hands of younger children.

It also is a good idea to explain to a child how a new toy is properly used and to promptly throw away broken toys.

The Consumer Products and Safety Commission reports that more than 230,000 toy-related injuries are treated at U.S. emergency rooms annually. Of those injured, approximately one third were under the age of five, and three quarters were under the age of 15. More than 45 percent of injuries were to the head and face.

Dr. Borchert noted that during busy holiday times, young children are at higher risk for injuring their eyes because they often have less adult supervision.

“If you are hosting young children in your home, be sure to get furniture corner protectors for tables, cabinets and windowsills. Young children are prone to falling into low-lying objects,” he added.

If you suspect your child has suffered an eye injury look for these symptoms:

There is blood in the clear part of the eye;
Your child has obvious pain or trouble seeing;
One eye does not move as well as the other;
The eye has an unusual pupil size or shape

Source The Vision Center at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles

There’s no doubt that the United States of America has changed over the course of its history. The same can be said of the flags for America. Looking at their history, you can see how the flags have been modified over the years. This can be an interesting piece of knowledge which you can contribute to child education.

In the past, elementary school students were told that Betsy Ross was commissioned to create the first American flag during the Revolutionary War. Unfortunately, this story is considered to be a legend as it cannot be proven. Some experts believe that Francis Hopkins is a more likely candidate as the designer. No matter who the original designer of the flag, it has become an easily recognizable symbol of the United States of America.

While the new country was still new, the Grand Union flag was adopted by the Continental Congress of 1775, originally flown on the colonial fleet. It wasn’t flown on land until January 1776 by General George Washington. The flag included the Union Jack in the upper left corner. At this time, the colonists were still trying to assert their rights as British citizens. Along with the Union Jack, the flag had thirteen red and white stripes which represented each of the original thirteen colonies.

The Union Jack, however, was removed a year later as the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes flag to commemorate the new nation. The date, June 14, has been established as Flag Day. The flag incorporated the original thirteen red and white stripes, but added a blue field with thirteen stars in a circle.

Over time, each new flag maker created flags to meet their own ideas; therefore, the flag of the United States of America has changed 24 times in 135 years. Even though the look of the older flags differ from the current flag, each one is considered to be a valid choice and each is expected to be honored and respected the same as the current version of “Old Glory.”

As new states were added to the country, the initial idea was to add stripes to the flag, but that idea wasn’t practical. Instead, they decided to add a star for each new state as it was admitted into the Union. The addition of stars to the flag was completed in 1960 with the addition of the fiftieth star for the state of Hawaii. Should another state be added, they would continue the practice of adding a new star with each additional state.

Much in the same way as the Statue of Liberty and the White House, the flag of the United States is easily recognizable by those not from this country. The flag has changed over the years but the devotion of the people under this flag continues. The history is varied but the sentiment elicited by the flag continues to this day.