Published: May 15, 2008 11:57 pm            

Youngsters need to learn but in a safe environment

Bring back those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. Well, let’s drop the crazy part.

Schools are letting out for the year late this week and next.

Summer is a wonderful opportunity for our kids to refresh themselves for the upcoming school year and also improve themselves in multiple areas.

First point: All school kids should read throughout the summer. Summer break should not be a time for sloth. Get your kids enrolled in some learning and discovery programs, insist on at least part-time employment, have your kids volunteer if they are too young to get on a payroll, have them condition their bodies, practice their musical instruments, learn a skill or form of art, etc. — summer is a prime opportunity for self-improvement and should not be a period of mere indolence.

We remind all parents and adults who supervise kids to emphasize their safety plans and procedures this summer.

Swimming pools are meant for fun and leisure, but they can become sources of unbelievable tragedy if proper limitations and rules are not set in place at the beginning of the swim season. Ensure your children, and other kids who play with them, do not have access to a private swimming pool without a lifeguard-certified swimmer or strong adult swimmer present. Ensure this responsible strong swimmer adult is committed to not being distracted with any other activity except supervising the swimmers.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2004, there were 3,308 unintentional fatal drownings in the U.S. (nine deaths per day on average) — a figure that does not include the 676 deaths (from drowning and other causes) caused directly from boating-related accidents. Supervise your kids’ use of boats and boating equipment and pracitice boating safety best practices at all times while using boats.

Here’s another CDC fact to get your attention: For every child 14 years old or younger who died from drowning in 2004, five kids received emergency department care for non-fatal submersion injuries.

It’s a very great idea for everyone to learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), which, in the unfortunate event of an accident, can keep an injured person alive until paramedics arrive.

It’s ideal to have your private swimming pool fenced in and gated and locked. Only allow swimming during specific times.

If you are not a swimmer or not a strong one, you can learn. Parents need to get in the habit of enrolling their kids and even themselves in swim lessons. The Denny Price Family YMCA offers swimming instruction sessions for even total non-swimmers beginning at age three and up to young adults at afforable rates. Sign up for the June session begins May 22 and ends the week of May 28. YMCA also has dedicated swimming instructors who provide private lessons yearround.

Remember the sun can be a dangerous thing, too. Don’t forget to wear sunscreen with at least SPF 15 when going outside for more than a few minutes at a time.

Let’s plan appropriately and practice a safety mindset, and let’s work together to make the summer of 2008 a safe, fun and productive season.