safety corner

RECIPE FOR SAFETY

Before you serve a Thanksgiving meal, it’s essential to serve up safety in the kitchen.

There’s nothing like your counters as well. carry and hold hot items. Trying to spending time in the •Stay close when you are using a grill handle hot plates, pots or appliances kitchen cooking a deli- or turkey fryer. can cause burns or cause you to drop cious meal for family •Wear short, close-fitting or tightly food on the floor. Try getting a colorand friends or an ap- rolled sleeves when cooking. ful towel or potholder that is just for petizing treat for yourself. But do you •Take a minute to test your smoke them so they will be excited to use it. know the important steps to take long alarms. 5.Practice good knife safety tips. before anyone takes the first bite? •Teach your kids how to cook safely. Try using plastic to-go knives at the toddler age, then at the preschool and SAFETY RULES FOR kindergarten years upgrade to more THE GROWN-UPS SAFETY RULES kid-friendly plastic knives. FOR THE KIDS 6.Ask before you lick. Kids like •Teach your children to stay a safe to lick EVERYTHING — plates, distance from hot stoves and appli- 1.Always ask an adult’s permis- spoons, their fingers (even the ances. sion before cooking in the kitchen. countertops — we don’t judge). To •Avoid carrying or holding a child This may seem obvious at first, but as make sure they don’t consume raw while cooking on the stove. your kids get more comfortable and ingredients that can make them sick, •Kids love to reach, so use the back independent in the kitchen they may let your kids know that they have to burner of your stove. forget to ask at times. ask before they can lick. •Turn pot handles away from the 2.Wash your hands. Little hands 7.Listen, Listen, Listen. This reedge. often carry big germs. Clean hands ally should be rules No. 1, 2 AND •Remind yourself to check on food are very important to food safety and 3.Cooking with your kids is a great frequently by using a timer, especially should be the first step before touch- way to build listening skills and when baking or simmering. ing any food or appliance. practice following directions. This •Check to make sure appliance cords 3.Clean as you go. Cleaning spills is a great way to make sure they are coiled and away from counter and messes as you go will prevent don’t harm themselves in moments edges. slips and falls. Plus, it makes it easier of excitement because they touched •Take an extra second to make sure to have a clean kitchen at the end. something that may be hot, sharp or hot foods are away from the edge of 4.Use a potholder or towel to slippery.

Safe Kids is a nonprofit coalition of agencies and organizations dedicated to eliminating preventable childhood injuries. Visit safekidsswfl.org.

GREAT SHOT • Soccer Shots Southwest Florida and Lipman Family Farms partnered up to bring the fundamentals of soccer and character development to children who attend Joseph H. Messina Children’s Center in Fort Myers. Lipman Family Farms provided a grant for the program. Soccer Shots provides the instruction. The Messina Center is part of the nonprofit Child Care of Southwest Florida. Photos Special to SW FL Parent & Child

HEAVENLY AUTUMN • Giuliana Gehring enjoys the fall setting at Naples Heavenly Evergreens pumpkin patch on Immokalee Road in North Naples. The farm is known for its pumpkin patch and Christmas trees. Photo by Mike Gehring, special to SW FL Parent & Child

BRUCE T.GORA SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT • The Alliance for the Arts named Cypress Lake High School graduate Sydney Gabrielle Hudson this year’s Bruce T. Gora Scholarship recipient. Sydney hosted a guitar circle at summer arts camps and she studies music at Florida Gulf Coast University. Photo courtesy of Alliance for the Arts

BACK IN THE SADDLE • The Naples Therapeutic Riding Center celebrated its reopening and the conversion of its Volunteer House from an open-air spot for observers to a climatecontrolled enclosure that still allows for viewing of the covered arena with a ribbon cutting in September. The renovation was made possible by a $25,000 grant from Arthrex. Photos special to SW FL Parent & Child

EXPLORING SOUTHWEST FLORIDA • The historic Mound House on Fort Myers Beach reopened October 6, and the first group through the door was a dozen fourth and fifth graders from Summit Christian School in Fort Myers. The students learned about the Calusa through a tour and activities. Here, the students identify shells the ancient Calusa used to build the Mound House shell mound.

SCOUTS IMPROVE PARK • Boy Scout Troop 110 installed four sets of hammock stands at Caloosahatchee Regional Park on October 3, as part of an Eagle Scout project. Photo by Edward J. Pelegrino, special to SW FL Parent & Child

Send us your snapshots: Send your images with a brief description and names of the people in them to editor@swflparentchild.com

GOLD AWARD • Six Girl Scouts from Lee County earned the highest honor available to Girl Scouts, the Gold Award. The Gold Award is earned by girls in grades 9-12 who demonstrate leadership in developing meaningful, sustainable solutions to local, national or global challenges. From left: Carolina Cicotte, of Fort Myers High, organized a program to build 20 boat stands for her school’s sailing club. • Isabella Ramirez’s project incorporated monthly bike and pedestrian safety events to teach adults and children how to safely share the road. Isabella is a student at Fort Myers High School. • Melissa Gonzales, of East Lee County High School, hosted a seminar that encouraged open and honest conversations about child sexual abuse, and she created an ongoing blog with resources for victims. • Recent Bishop Verot High School graduate Shavonne Schrikel created a short video to help a quadriplegic man share his story and inspire others. •Savannah Duff, of Fort Myers High, organized live musical performances at local memory care facilities after learning that listening to nostalgic music can help trigger the memory of Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. Photos courtesy of Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida