Fun Safety Topics

When exploring the great outdoors, it's important to keep several safety measures in mind, depending on your activity. These precautions don't have to be boring,though, and you can easily get your family involved in fun safety preparation and practice. After all, nobody will have a good time if someone gets hurt, so it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Pool Safety

• Make sure to keep an eye on everybody in the pool area.

  Swimming is a popular summer activity, but it can also be very dangerous. Set up gates around the pool so that those who cannot swim do not accidentally fall in the water. Keep an eye on even the best swimmers in your group because splashing and rough play in the pool can cause someone to accidentally swallow water. To keep your kids safe, practice swimming techniques with them. The kids will have fun in the water while learning to stay afloat at the same time.

Bike Safety

• Use protective gear on every trip, no matter how short or safe it may seem.

  Cycling is a great way to take in the scenery while getting exercise, but you need to be very careful about where and how you and your family ride. Always wear a bicycle helmet when taking a trip, no matter how short. Knee and elbow pads are also a good idea. This way, if anyone takes a spill, there is less likely to be any lasting injury. When possible, ride on sidewalks. If you're cycling on the road, there is a possibility you could get hit by a car. On trails, roots and rocks can cause a crash.

Fire Safety

• Cartoon mascots are great fire-prevention teachers.

  Building a campfire is a popular outdoor activity. Fire safety can be made fun by using one of the cartoon fire safety mascots as you teach. Smoky the Bear and Sparky the Dog show how to stop, drop and roll, and they teach kids how to evacuate safely in a fire emergency. They also go over the causes of fires and how to prevent them.