Safe Search Kids - Education, Parenting, Internet Safety for All

This will be a brief guide to ensuring your children are keeping healthy and safe habits while at school. Starting with their eating habits and how you can strike a deal with them so they eat a healthy lunch most days but still get to enjoy an occasional treat, we will look at keeping a balanced diet.

Next, we will explore taking precautions to ensure they are not smoking and vaping at school, including asking the school to install vape detectors.

Finally, we will look at managing their motor vehicle use and deterring reckless driving.

Eating

Do you send your child to school with money for food or a healthy packed lunch made at home? You might think that the latter is clearly the more healthy option, and ensures that your son or daughter is maintaining a balanced diet. However, this may not be the case. Your child could well be swapping or binning their carefully packed lunch in favor of tasty treats from the store or someone else’s food.

If this is a concern for you, one option would be to strike a deal with your child that they can pick whatever they want to eat on Fridays, whether that is a packed lunch of their choosing or money for their favorite shop-bought meal. Monday to Thursday, you can ask that they eat the food you pack or use the money they have to buy a school-approved lunch.

Alternately, you could include both healthy snacks and one guilty-pleasure treat in each day’s lunch.

Smoking and Vaping

It is no secret that teenagers love to smoke and vape, even if they are under the legally required age to purchase these products. If you are concerned for your children’s lung health, you can keep an eye out for tell-tale signs of smoking and vaping. These signs include a stained front tooth, stained fingers, smoke smells on their clothes or in their cars, and their money depleting more quickly than expected.

However, there is more to be done. If your kid’s chosen method is vaping, rather than smoking, you might miss the smells and there won’t be teeth staining as signs. There is a smarter backup: vape detector devices. Now, we are not suggesting that every household with concerned parents splashes out for vape detectors. First, this would be expensive and impractical, but moreover, it would likely lead to fights between teens and their parents.

Instead, we ask: do schools need vape detectors? All school buildings will already be fitted with smoke detectors, which is enough to put teens off from smoking in the school bathrooms, but vaping can still go largely unnoticed. So, to prevent this unhealthy habit from continuing, school bathrooms can install vape detectors so any kid vaping during school time can be detected easily. If you think this is a good idea, contact your local schools and set a meeting to discuss the prospect of vape detector installation.

Driving

Allowing your sons and daughters out of your sight in their automobiles can be a scary thing, especially as we know that teenage car crashes are not uncommon in the US. If you are concerned about your kids going to school in their cars and how they drive when they are with their friends, you can do more than just issue words of caution.

You can get a Black Box installed in their cars. These contraptions collect data that can be useful in insurance cases following accidents but also serve as deterrents for drivers when it comes to speeding, driving recklessly, and not wearing a seatbelt. They can also encourage safe driving habits when your teen is aware that their driving is being monitored.

The Black Box collects and shows data such as the speed of the vehicle, the throttle position, how the brakes were used, airbag deployment, the use  of seat belts, angles, and many other factors as they were about 20 seconds before, during and 20 seconds after a crash. You can use this data to help your kids if they were in an accident that was not their fault but also use this tool to deter them from driving in a negligent or dangerous manner.

Phone and Device Monitoring

Another way to track driving habits is by installing a parental control app.  However, the data collected may not be as thorough or consistent.  Besides, the use of these apps are most often selected because of the myriad of additional features they offer.  The activity that you are able to monitor will depend on choosing the right app or software application.  You will be able to restrict access to chat rooms and even monitor texts and phone calls. Not all phone tracker and monitoring apps are created equal.

If you want to expand your monitoring to additional devices, such as laps tops and computers, you will need a software program that handles all devices. Parental controls allow you to set the level of phone usage in accordance with your child’s age.  For younger kids you can block access to harmful website outright, while increasing trust levels as they grow older.

You can only do so much to control what your kids are doing at school.  Parents put a lot of faith in school teachers and administrators to provide supervision and implement proper fail safes when students are alone.  Whether it’s daily nutrition, harmful substances, driving or the use of phones, every tool is a valuable defense to ensure you’re kids are behaving appropriately.

If your child is having trouble in picking up new terms and words quickly, chances are that you haven’t introduced them to the world of vocabulary at a younger age.  At the age of 4, a child with perfect hearing ability has already heard up to 31 million words, meaning that the period of learning new words has already started.

On the other hand, studies have shown that children with hearing disabilities require more speech engagement in order to get the same benefits.

Being a parent, you need to focus on your child’s vocabulary from the very start to make them excellent readers and learners as they tend to pronounce the words more clearly than they already know how to say and read them.

So, if you haven’t done it yet, now is the best time to be prepared to work on improving his or her vocabulary.

A strong vocabulary is the foundation stone for quick understanding, debatable communication, and faster-reading speed.

Though it is not a common practice, still parents should normalize to give proper time to assist their kids to broaden their knowledge quickly.

It is easier said than done. You might be wondering how you can start working on it just now?

There are so many easy and simple exercises that might assist your kids to develop their vocabulary. Despite their obvious value, we often do not have time for it in the hustle-bustle of daily life.

Explore these often-overlooked hacks to help your child build an excellent vocabulary for the future. So, without further dragging, let’s jump straight into it!

Best hacks to improve child vocabulary

1.   Don’t be afraid to use complicated words

As much as you want your kids to understand you, it doesn’t indicate you can’t use “complicated” words. Don’t be afraid to use phrases that a grownup would comprehend but that your kid won’t grasp.

Push your children to ask questions when they don’t grasp anything and be ready to explain. Your children will learn new words from you if you don’t dumb down your conversation.

2.   Ask your child to tell a story

You may read a bedtime story to your child every night. As a matter of fact, this is a wonderful technique to improve one’s reading comprehension and vocabulary.

Sometimes, it is okay to put the book down and encourage your child to tell a story or just ask them how your day was. Then, let your child grab the controls and go wherever their brain takes them.

Use hypothetical questions to teach new vocabulary and topics as the story continues. With your encouragement, they’ll find new words to express themselves, and your recommendations will assist them.

3.   Converse punctually

Another great hack to help your child’s vocabulary grow is to encourage him or her to speak more. Let them talk to people and open up with them. A child’s brain is continuously absorbing new information.

If they hear your voice more often, the more they will learn from you. Give your children repetitive opportunities to communicate and use their expanding vocabulary as they get older.

4.   Gift junior dictionary

It might be challenging for a child to grasp even the most basic definitions in a dictionary because of the complex terminology. The best bet is to go with a reputable, basic junior dictionary that includes examples and animations for kids.

When a child doesn’t know the meaning of a new word or term, he or she can look it up in the dictionary for meaning. This is also a great approach to make them learn new things on their own.

5.   Turn on the subtitles

While spending time with your child watching a movie or a series on television, turn on the subtitles. As a result, your child will be capable of reading complicated words and attempting to memorize their spelling.

Furthermore, the context provided by movies and television shows enables kids to better comprehend the definition of words in varying situations.

6.   Use the building blocks technique

Using building blocks as a beginning point for educating children using simple words is a good idea. If you can, make it fun.

Ask the child to find the blocks that match the letters of a word you’ve written on a block. Start with easy phrases, such as the names of birds and colours, and then progressively increase the degree of difficulty.

7.   Show them visuals

Regularly show visuals or animations of text to your child from newspapers, periodicals, storybooks, or the internet. It is much simpler for a child to make the connection between two things when they are shown a picture along with a new word.

It also actually strengthens the intellectual and analytical abilities in the children. In addition, images are way simpler to comprehend than text.

8.   Let them write and speak out loud

Asking your child to write words or sentences which they found difficult is often the more neglected hack to boost up their vocabulary skills. This practice works great for primary passed kids as now they are learning to speak and understand the longer texts.

You can give them long sentences and ask them to rewrite them in their own words. They might take time to comprehend and paraphrase the texts correctly as they are constantly finding new terms and words to replace the text while keeping the same context.  This will help expose your child to new vocabulary.

Last but not the least, ask them to read the text out loud and let them find the errors and jargon.

9.   Patience is key

You need to pay even closer attention to this last hack tool.

Let your child know that he or she is not alone if he or she does not understand anything. Whenever they lose track of a term, let them think back to when they first heard it.

Keep an open mind while educating them and give them more time to absorb the information. Use simple examples and motivate your kids to come up with their own perspectives.

What are the benefits of having a broad vocabulary?

According to studies, students who have a more robust vocabulary perform better academically.

A child from a middle-class home starts kindergarten understanding around 45 million words, but a child from a low-income background only knows about 13 million words when they begin school.

Children who come from families where there is a lot of speech and words are more likely to be able to read and do better in the classroom.

A well-developed vocabulary aids in the development of effective skills such as hearing interpretation, social interaction, written expression, and subject-specific knowledge.

So, working on your child’s vocabulary is a terrific idea to give your child a bright, confident, and successful future.

Conclusion

To sum it up, it is a never-ending yet wonderful journey to help your child develop his or her intellectual capabilities. Use the above-mentioned easy hacks and improve your child’s vocabulary faster than ever.

Lastly, when your child will be all grown up, they will appreciate you for the efforts you have put into making them a brilliant and sharp student.

Do you want to join swimming classes? Or looking to enroll your child in swimming lessons? No doubt you would be seeking the best swim coach for better training. Quick online research can help you out in finding a private swimming instructor in your region. But still, there are some qualities that a good swimming coach should have.

Not sure which qualities to look for?

Well, below in this article, we have mentioned the top 8 best qualities that will help you find your next coach. Read on!

8 Qualities To Look When Finding A Swimming Instructor Should Have

For many reasons, learning how to swim is beneficial for children and adults alike.  Even if an individual has basic swimming skills, it never improve those skills are important and can even be life saving.  Now, let’s have a look over the important features a good swimming coach should have.

1. Experience

Years of experience may look like a basic and common feature, but this is the most important thing when learning from a coach. Adults or children require a set of skills to learn swimming. But young children need a different way of teaching while adults require something different.

So your instructor should be well-trained in their field. It’s true that one coach can’t train both adults and children. Hence, when you are finding a swimming instructor, make sure you cross-check their specialty and experience (with adults or children).

Choosing an experienced coach is helpful for the students because there would be more chances of learning better.

2. Qualifications

Now, let’s head towards the most important thing that is certifications and qualifications of the swimming coach you are choosing.

If someone has recommended a male or a female swimming instructor to you, then start with their certificates. Ask them to show you genuine qualification certificates. If someone is a great swimmer, it doesn’t mean they would be a good instructor also.

A well-trained and certified swimmer knows what the best techniques to teach swimming are. Also, they work according to ethics and use their knowledge as a strong teaching point.

Ask them to show;

• Swimming certificate (from authorized institute)
• Graduation or post graduation degree in swimming (any of them)
• Experience of training students

3. Focused

Swimming skills need high focus from students as well as the instructor. And, you know it’s an underwater activity, so coaches need to be extra attentive and dedicatedly focused on students. Small negligence may lead to a major mishap in the pool.

So, when you schedule a meeting with a private swimming instructor, ensure you check whether they are focused or not. It’s important for the instructor to engage themselves on every lap of the swimmer while practicing.

Also, for an instructor it’s easier to focus on students in an indoor swimming pool rather than an outdoor pool. It is because the indoor pools save students as well as coaches from harsh weather conditions.

Coaches instruct students as well as guide them on their mistakes, so they should be highly focused on every step. Furthermore, swimming becomes much easier when the instructor concentrates on the students.

4. Sharp Observers

Mostly, the best coaches are the finest observers of their students. And this quality helps to enhance the swimming skills of swimmers. It is because the more they point out mistakes the better would be the chances to learn faster.

The private swimming instructor is a better choice if you want them to stay focused only on you. There is no disturbance, and all the concentration of the coach would be on a single student. Moreover, ask your coach to feel free to interrupt when they find something wrong.

5. Confident

Confidence is the key to success!

A swimmer won’t be able to approach the blocks if their trainer is not confident. A coach shouldn’t just look convinced but also feel the same when teaching swimming.

Furthermore,  a swimming instructor’s confidence is readily absorbed by a learner. The best swimming coaches know how to meet the requirements of their students and make them feel confident.

6. Encourage Students

Learning any new skill is a tough task that requires appreciation by the coach, not sympathy. So, make sure you meet the previous students of the private swimming instructor that you have chosen.

It will help you to know the teaching method of the coach. A learner needs comfort as well as a decided goal to learn swimming.

There will be a time when students will feel pain while practicing, but the coach needs to be strong enough to encourage them rather than feel pity. Sympathy leads to failure, while appreciation is a primary step towards success. This can be especially true during swimming lessons for children with special needs.

7. Market reputation

Words of mouth do not help to learn swimming, but expertise does.

So how can you confirm that the private swimming instructor you have chosen is the right one?

The solution is here!

Check out the Instagram account, Facebook page/account, and Google reviews to find out about the swimming coach.

Moreover, you can ask your colleagues, friends, or relatives. There are more possibilities that you would get a good recommendation from your peers.

8. Reliable

When you are looking for a swimming instructor, reliability is also an important feature. If a trainer is not punctual and doesn’t teach the way you want, then it becomes hard to trust them.

There are a few qualities that your trainer should have:

• They should not cancel the last-minute lessons until the absolute emergency situations.
• The swimming instructor must be available a few minutes before class time.
• They should start and finish the swimming lessons on time so that they can start the next swimming class on time.
• Good at listening to questions and answering them.
• Act responsibly with kids as well as with their parents.
• The coach must be capable of answering queries related to cancellations and delays in classes.

Conclusion

Swimming is a basic life-saving skill that everyone should learn. So, are you ready to enroll your kid or yourself in the swimming class? Whether you choose a male or female swimming instructor make sure they have the above listed qualities.

Well, we hope this article has helped you understand the most important traits to look for when finding an instructor. Furthermore, choosing a good coach is a major step to learn swimming better and more easily. Hopefully, you will find the best swimming coach in your town. All the best.

Read how to support your child in sport selection so that they possess the long term passion needed to excel.

If you are thinking about getting a pet for your child, how about reptiles?  They make excellent pets, simply because they are exotic and unique. These unique creatures are low-maintenance, interactive, and cute.  Having reptiles as a kid can teach your child a lot of responsibility.

You never know, a reptile may help your child know what he or she wants to pursue in life, such as a biologist. These exotic pets can also bring your child so much joy.

But, here is the thing, not all reptiles are child-friendly. Some reptiles, even the most popular ones, make terrible pets for children.

That is precisely why you need this article, which will introduce you to our 9 child-friendly reptiles that are safe for your family. Read on to learn more!

What are Reptiles?

Reptiles are land animals that have dry skin covered by scales. They are cold-blooded vertebrates that lay eggs.

This group of animals is made up of lizards, chameleons, snakes, skinks, turtles, tortoises, and alligators. These animals are ectothermic, which means their body temperature is dependent on their environment. Reptiles also come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors.

Some reptiles, like leopard geckos and bearded dragons, can be used for animal therapy for children. This is so because these animals are calm, friendly, and like to be cuddled.

9 Child-Friendly Reptiles

For each reptile to make it to this list, it had to meet five important criteria, which include the following.

• Cheap and easy to feed and keep
• Friendly, calm, and easy to handle
• It has to be not dangerous
• It needs to be hardy and tolerant because kids tend to make mistakes

1.    Leopard Gecko

Photo by Andrey Tikhonovskiy on Unsplash

A leopard gecko can make a great pet for a child. Leopard geckos are very hardy, tolerant, passive, and easy to handle. These little animals really like to be petted and cuddled.

Over a long time, geckos have developed special features that help them survive. One of such unique features is the tail, which serves several purposes. They use it for balancing, storing fat for energy, and acting as camouflage. And they can shed their tail.

These interesting lizards are also easy to look after. They only need one size of an enclosure because they don’t grow too big. They don’t need special lighting, which is quite expensive. Get more information on how to care for a leopard gecko at reptileslife.com.

Another interesting aspect of these little creatures is that they don’t have teeth. So, if they accidentally bite kids (very seldomly), they are not going to hurt them.

2.    Crested Gecko

Photo by Pierre Bamin on Unsplash

A crested gecko is an arboreal lizard with a relatively docile temperament and a gentle disposition. Crested geckos are easy to handle when they are comfortable.

Although juvenile crested geckos may tend to be nervous and skittish when handled, adults are more tolerant. Crested geckos like to jump probably because they are arboreal reptiles. So, that shouldn’t worry you so much.

Like leopard geckos, crested geckos are fairly easy to care for. For starters, they don’t need a very big enclosure or special lighting features. They can conveniently thrive on shop-bought gecko food as well as feeder insects and crickets.

3.    Bearded Dragon

Photo by David Clode on Unsplash

A bearded dragon or a beardie is a slow-moving reptile that is usually passive. Bearded dragons are among the most popular pet lizards out there.

Beardies have one of the best temperaments as far as reptiles are concerned. They are normally docile, easy to pick up and appreciate being handled. They are so cute, and they are one of the few reptiles we know that like to cuddle a lot.

Unlike geckos, beardies require a slightly larger aquarium tank or an enclosure. A smaller habitat will restrict activity, which may end up affecting the well-being of the beardie. They also need special lighting features to maintain the ideal temperatures and UVB.

4.    Corn Snake

Photo by Joshua J. Cotten on Unsplash

Also referred to as a red rat snake, a corn snake is a brownish-yellow or orange snake with a unique pattern of red blotches. Corn snakes also have distinctive rows of black and white marks on their bellies.

Most snakes are feared because of their aggressive behaviors and defenses. Corn snakes, on the other hand, are non-aggressive, docile, calm, and will be comfortable being handled by any member of your family. They are hardy, so they could handle a little bit of rough handling by a kid.

These reptiles are also easy to house. You just need a terrarium of at least 40 gallons. As far as feeding is concerned, they eat about one rodent a week, making them easy and economical to feed.

5.    Blue-Tongued Skink

Photo by Alexander Kuzmin on Unsplash

A blue-tongued skink is a heavy-bodied pet lizard that is characterized by a blue tongue, triangular head, and short tail and legs.

Blue-tongued skinks are arguably one of the best reptile species for a child. They are among the hardiest and most robust reptiles in our listing because of their size and stature. These reptiles are easily tamed, gentle, and often like to be handled, making them suitable for kids. You should, however, supervise your child when he or she is handling this lizard because it may get startled and jump.

Blue-tongued skinks will thrive in an enclosure that measures roughly 36 by 18 by 10 inches. They also need a larger floor space because they are terrestrial.

6.    Ball Python

Photo by Timothy Dykes on Unsplash

A ball python is a nonvenomous constrictor that lives in sub-Saharan Africa in the wild. They are the smallest of the African pythons.

Ball pythons are considered good pets for children because they don’t grow too big, are well-mannered, and are easy to handle. They are generally very docile snakes and rarely bite. Frequent handling makes them more comfortable around children.

Ball pythons are not difficult to care for. You need a terrarium of around 40 gallons and access to food and clean water.

7.    Stinkpot Turtle

A stinkpot or musk turtle is a distinctive reptile that a child would like to have as a pet. They are called stinkpot or musk turtles because they do musk and smell.

They are funny little turtles with a lot of personalities. Some are very secretive and shy, while others are curious and responsive. A stinkpot may appear boring on land, but it is very interactive and fun in the water. It’s going to swim around and come up for food.

A musk turtle should thrive in a 30 to 40-gallon tank with a water (dechlorinated) depth of about 8 inches. Musk turtles also thrive on a commercially available diet.

8.    Kenyan Sand Boa

A Kenyan sand boa is a distinctive pet reptile with a thick, short body, small eyes, and a blunt head.

As far as frequent handling is concerned, Kenyan sand boas tick all the boxes. They have a manageable size for a child and don’t tend to move very quickly. They are also quite hardy, which means a little bit of rough handling will not hurt them.

What is truly impressive about these snakes is the fact that they can go a long time without water and food. This is a good thing for a busy parent who doesn’t have a lot of time to help his or her kid take care of the snake.

9.    Collared Lizard

A collared lizard is a colorful reptile that is usually found in the deserts of the southwestern United States in the wild.

Collared lizards are normally intelligent and docile. But, they have to be tamed first before they can tolerate being handled frequently. So, we recommend parents always supervise their children when they are handling collared lizards.

A collared lizard should be comfortable in an enclosure or tank that is at least 30 gallons or larger.

These reptiles need to feed mainly on insects to get the appropriate nutrients for their well-being. Younger collared lizards usually eat more insects than adults.

Safety Tips to Consider

Reptiles can make great pets for kids, but some of them may be carrying salmonella bacteria even when they appear healthy and clean.

Salmonella doesn’t usually cause reptiles to get sick, but it can make a child ill. The risk of a child getting a salmonella infection is high because of their developing immune system.

In this section, we will provide you with important safety tips that will help reduce the risk of your child getting a salmonella infection.

• Take the reptile to a veterinarian to be cleared of salmonella bacteria
• Teach your child to thoroughly wash his or her hands with warm water and soap immediately after handling a reptile
• As a parent, it is your responsibility to ensure that your child washes his or her hands after touching a reptile
• Avoid introducing reptiles to younger children (less than 5 years old) because their immune systems are not well-developed
• Always keep the reptile enclosure or habitat as clean as possible and out of reach for younger children

Final Words on Child-Friendly Reptiles

Photo by Macey Bundt on Unsplash.

Pet reptiles like bearded dragons, leopard geckos, and corn snakes are fascinating for kids. But, they do need care and attention. So, you have to make sure that you and your family are well-prepared before taking one home. You need to have the appropriate habitat for the reptile, and teach your child how to handle and care for the animal. Most importantly, you (the parent or guardian) must always have time to supervise your child when he or she is handling a reptile. pet