Business Blog

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• Bedtimes. It seems that parents never get enough sleep while their children feel they get too much. After staying up late, enjoying the long days of summer it is time to create and enforce sleeping schedules. Be warned, for the majority this may not be easy but your efforts will be well worth it. You certainly don't want to send a tired and cranky child off to a busy day at school. Try enforcing new routines two to three weeks prior to the beginning of a new school year. This should give everyone plenty of time to iron out the wrinkles, work through the arguments and adjust to a good night's sleep in preparation for the busy days that lie ahead.
• Eating schedules. During the summer do you find your family eating later and later? Or, perhaps family members have gotten into the habit of fending for themselves in order to adhere to their own active summer time social schedules? Now is the time to put an end to this. A family style, sit down dinner is in order and is a wonderful way for family members to be together and communicate events of the day. Also, keep in mind that lunch is rarely served at noontime in school. It may be a good idea to schedule your meals at home earlier in the day as well.
• Homework and curfew rules. Before school starts plan a homework and curfew schedule. Sit down and discuss the rules with your children. Be sure that they know these rules are not to be broken. Is the television allowed on? When is homework to be done? How late is the telephone allowed? What is the school night curfew?
• Clothing. Of course, the start of a new school year also means new clothes. Before going school shopping with your children discuss what types of clothing will and will not be allowed. Also, try getting into the habit of having outfits prepared the night before to eliminate some of the last minute, frantic rushing around. Have older kids take responsibility for laundering, ironing and caring for their clothing. If you have younger kids, keep in mind that they will be wearing these clothes all day. Going to the bathroom may be a problem for very young kids if they are forced to contend with zippers and difficult buttons and snaps. Try to choose close that require little effort and encourage them to ask their teacher for help to avoid any accidents.

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About 10 million U.S. kids will head to summer camp in the coming weeks, and there's new advice to help them have a safe, rewarding experience.

Guidelines published in June's issue of Pediatrics include a lot of common sense, like proper training for camp staff and openness on the part of parents about campers' health. The goal is to let kids have fun, make friends, and thrive, with grown-ups covering the basics of safety.

Cooperation Needed
Daytime and residential camps can be great for children, says the University of Michigan's Edward Walton, MD. "But it's crucial that parents, camp officials, and medical professionals work together to make it as safe and problem-free as possible for children," he says, in a news release.
Walton worked on the American Academy of Pediatrics committee that wrote the guidelines. A clinical assistant professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine, he has studied camp health for 18 years.

Checklist for Parents
The guidelines offer these general recommendations:

• Choose a camp wisely. Consider the child's interests and abilities.
• Check the camp's health policies. All camps should have them in writing, with approval from a doctor familiar with children's issues.
• Get a checkup. All campers should have had a complete health evaluation by a doctor within the last year (or six months for kids with ongoing conditions like asthma, allergies, seizures, diabetes, depression, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders).
• Get doctor's orders in writing. Note any medications, dietary needs, medical devices, and physical limitations.
• Update the camp about any health, travel, or medical changes for the camper.
• Get up to speed on immunizations.
• Provide the camp with emergency contact information.
• Know that camps should screen all children upon arrival for infectious diseases, health status, and any other problems (such as lice).
• Do not give kids a "drug holiday" during camp. Keep them on any long-term medications during camp.
• If the camper needs medicines or medical devices, tell the camp if the child can handle it themselves.

Nipping Homesickness in the Bud
Children may love camp, but pangs of homesickness are common. A little advance reassurance may help avoid that, say the experts.

Their advice:

1. Involve the child in choosing and preparing for camp.
2. Talk openly about homesickness with the child in advance.
3. Be positive. An upbeat approach may help the camper feel at ease.
4. Arrange short away-from-home trips with friends or relatives before camp.
5. Liken the camp's time frame to other experiences of similar length that the child enjoyed.

Camps Aren't Hospitals
Camps also shoulder a lot of responsibility. In a recent survey of Michigan camps, 47% of camp health officers said they cared for campers with significant medical needs. Almost half (45%) were registered nurses. Virtually all (97%) said they had doctors who reviewed their standing orders.

However, 44% had only a paramedic's level of medical training (or less), and four out of 10 said ambulance response time to their camp was more than 10 minutes. Nearly three-quarters said the ambulances would head for a small or rural hospital. That survey, done in 2001, got responses from 129 camps -- half of the camps that were contacted. Michigan has one of the country's best track records with summer camps, so the results may not be typical, say the researchers, who included Walton.

Camps' Duties
Camps should take these steps, say the guidelines:

1. Have written health policies approved by a doctor familiar with children's issues.
2. Screen kids upon arrival for health status, infectious diseases, and other problems (like lice).
3. Give parents, kids, and doctors advance notice about strenuous activities.
4. Tell parents about medical conditions that may have higher risks with some activities (such as asthma and scuba diving).
5. Establish relationships in advance with local doctors, dentists, emergency rooms, and emergency medical providers.
6. Plan ahead with emergency medical workers for prompt responses.
7. Know about local health hazards (such as Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever).
8. Keep abreast of health issues and precautions (such as for West Nile virus).
9. Maintain any oxygen, medication, and equipment used for emergencies.
10. Store and administer medicines safely.
11. Staff supervising waterfront activity should be certified in CPR.
12. Give campers instruction before arrival at camp about use of any emergency medications or medical devices.
13. All camps should have staff that can give on-site first aid and CPR, say the guidelines.

'A Wonderful Experience'
The reports aren't meant to be alarming. American kids have been going to camp for 140 years, and research has been shown that many campers have "a wonderful experience" with lasting self-esteem benefits, say Walton and colleagues.

"These results should encourage all involved with camping to strive to make a great experience even better," they write in Wilderness and Environmental Medicine

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With the temperatures rising as we get deeper and deeper into the summer months, it is extremely important to prevent your dog from overheating. Dogs cannot tell you when their temperature rises and it is our responsibility to ensure that our pets have sufficient shelter from the sun, adequate water to drink, and a way of cooling off when the summer sun rises.

Watch Your Dog's Temperature

Monitoring your dog closely in high heat is not enough however. It seems that pet owners tend to drop their guard when the temperatures level off, either in the Spring and Fall, and owners think the dangers are passed. Failure to realize that exercise and subsequent confinement, whether in a hot car, crate or doghouse is enough to send your dog's body temperature skyrocketing.

A dog's body temperature is normally between 101F and 102F. Dogs regulate their body temperature by panting, expelling heat out, causing an evaporatory reaction. If he can not expel the heat fast enough, his body temperature rises. A rise of 3 degrees to a temperature of 105F is all it takes to send your dog into a dangerous situation. At this temperature, the dog can no longer cope with reducing his body heat and the oxygen demand goes up to where the dog can not keep up, and his temperature continues to rise.

When the temperature hits 108F, the heart, brain, liver, kidneys, and intestinal tracts start to begin breaking down at a cellular level, and the damage can progress at an alarming rate. Even immediate treatment and effective cooling to bring his temperature down can leave the dog with internal damage that may affect his health in long term ways.

Dogs Die in Hot Cars

Leaving your dog cooped in a hot car is a sure way to bring on heat stroke. A hot car is like an oven, with temperatures that can rise an astounding 34F per minute! People have been known to break windows to retrieve dogs in danger from hot cars, if they don't do it themselves, the Humane Society most assuredly will.

Early Signs of Heat Stroke

Rapid breathing
Dry mouth and nose
Rapid heart rate
Dull, greyish-pink, or red gums
This Is An Emergency
Even at the earliest stage of heat stroke, you may be fighting for your dog's life. You must get him to a veterinarian as soon as possible.

These symptoms can be followed in minutes by collapse, seizures, coma and death.

"I'm bored. There's nothing to do."

Those words are enough to make a parent's heart sink like a stone. Summer break seems to last forever for parents & unstructured time could be a kid's recipe for boredom. However, a little planning around your personal time and budget, and you can craft a unique and interesting Summer break plan for your family. Check out the ideas below to get you started.

Involve your children in the planning
Kids are more likely to actively engage in the activity if they have had some say in it. Have everyone write down their interests and then pull together lists of activities to do based around those interests.

Check out what's available in your community for day camps
Working parents often scramble to work out childcare arrangements over Spring Break. Check out community leisure centres, the library, planetarium and zoo for day camps that meet your child's interests.

Community centres will often put together special Summer Break programs, as well.
Hockey, dance, cooking, writing and art camps give parents and children a wide scope of activities to choose from.

Again, this is an opportunity for kids to take some ownership of their time and interests. Older kids can do Internet research for themselves to find programs that appeal to them.

Put together an activity jar
Injecting a little fun and excitement doesn't need to be time consuming or expensive. Draw up a list of activities that your child enjoys (a trip to the park, paint-by-numbers, Cranium, Monopoly, an afternoon story, a trip to the movies) and put them in a jar. Then have your child pick an activity each day. It doesn't really matter if they are activities you might do anyway -- it's fun to pick out of the jar and be surprised!

Involve your extended family
Is Spring Break a good time for your child to spend with Grandpa and Grandma? Think back to when you were a child. Did you bake with Grandma or build a birdhouse with Grandpa? Chances are, both your parents and your child will enjoy a little quality time together. You might even choose to front the money for tickets to the movies or the zoo.

Be a tourist for a day
Many people have never been to the city sights in their hometown. Take a look at your surroundings with fresh eyes. What sights and venues bring tourists into your city?

Do some research; plug into the Internet to search your local tourism link for ideas for things to do locally.

Band together with other parents to fight summer break boredom
Divvy up the Boredom Busters with other parents. Whether it's a trip to the zoo, a morning craft time, an afternoon at the playground, or an evening at the movies, joining forces with other parents in the same boat can make a week of planned activities more manageable for all involved.

And finally:
Have a backup plan
If the weather turns sour and the rain begins to fall have a backup plan for outdoor activities. The only thing worse than a bored kid is a wet, cold one!

From fairs to malls, it's important we teach our kids the right stuff to prevent them from getting lost in the crowds. Finding ourselves in large crowds is something that's difficult to avoid.

Whether it's a movie theater or museum, theme park or fair, crowds and kids often go hand in hand. When we do take our children to a busy, crowded place it's important to take a few moments to familiarize yourself and your children with the environment you're in.

Point out to your children who the security people are that they can turn to for help, and be specific by pointing out the color of shirt or the hats that the security personnel wear. Once you've done that you should make a little plan, says police officer Tim Fanni. "What we have to do when we take our children out to malls, air shows and other places is to talk about your plan. The idea is to keep yourself and your children safe, be aware of your surroundings and have a plan."

So, as well as pointing out who you child can turn to for help, with the older child, you could decide on a meeting place such as a mall fountain or information booth where you would meet if you become separated.

But what if your worst fear comes true and your child does get lost in the crowd?

Fanni suggests "as a parent, if you lose your child in a crowded place, you want to find someone in authority that can help you. If you're in a mall, find security. If you're in a large store, find store management. It might be as simple as them announcing something over the p.a. system. You want someone who's in authority, knows the layout of the store and can mobilize their staff or call the police to help look for your lost child."

Finally a simple means of preventing your child from getting lost is by laying down the rule that you and your child must always be within eyesight of one another. That way you'll always know where each other are, whether in a park or fairground.