Kids Vids Newsletter

by Alanna McKenna

When I first started teaching high school in the inner city of Chicago, the last issues I expected to encounter were those of health and hygiene. Certainly, I expected to be dealing with academic and social matters however, it wasn't’t long before I found myself facing and addressing issues of health and hygiene with many of my students.

Teachers often take for granted the fact that health and personal hygiene topics are covered either at the elementary level or at home. However, in an era of budget cuts and bottom-line test scores, and homes in which parents are often not present, this is no longer a realistic assumption. Whether the issue is body and clothing odor or not covering one’s mouth when coughing or sneezing, I came to realize that there were a number of habits that had never been taught, much less reinforced as far as my students were concerned.

Most of my students are considered low-income and receive some sort of financial assistance. Others are homeless. Most of the time, their financial circumstances do not allow for essential items that we take for granted: deodorant, soap, detergent, fabric softener, etc. Also, many do not have a responsible adult in their lives to make sure they have these items, or to make sure that they practice good hygiene with them. Eventually, it became apparent that lack of good personal hygiene skills and healthy habits led to higher instances of illness among my students and myself.

I learned in my first year that inner-city kids were more likely to come to school sick than stay home because they were guaranteed two hot meals a day at school whereas at home, that was not necessarily the case (poor nutrition was also a huge factor when it came to their health). They were also less likely to seek medical assistance as there was rarely someone at home to take them to the doctor, and they were not likely to seek out that kind of care themselves. As a result, coughs and colds and everything else would linger on for weeks and even months among my kids.

Ultimately, I decided I had to tackle the issues on my own. To prevent my own illness and to keep whatever is going around from spreading from student to student, I keep large supplies of tissues, anti-bacterial hand gel, and Clorox wipes in my classroom. In extreme body-odor issues, I will privately and delicately address the issue with the student. I also keep items like deodorant and combs on hand to give out discreetly if the student feels comfortable accepting them. To reinforce the idea of hand washing, I give most of my students full permission to run to the bathroom to wash their hands after a sneezing or a coughing fit. I offer extra credit to those willing to stay after and help me wipe down desks and doorknobs.

Hopefully, my students took their healthy habits home with them last year and haven’t forgotten them over the summer because I certainly intend to reinforce them again this year.

Educators and curriculum planners need to realize the importance and necessity of making sure topics of health and hygiene are covered and reinforced, beginning at the elementary level. Videos like those from LGI KidsVids are the perfect tool for beginning this process with our young students. They create a foundation upon which a strong knowledge of good health and hygiene can be built, and make the classroom a place in which all sorts of health topics can be covered and discussed.

EDITORIAL NOTE: Schools with a significant population of poverty level students can qualify for Title 1 money. Read more about using that money for educational tools that benefit the entire school.

by Fireman Jim

The Holiday season is one of the most joyous times of the year. It seems that almost everyone is filled with happy tidings and good cheer but I am here to remind you that this is no time to let your guard down on Fire Prevention. The facts are that from December 24th through the 26th, fire deaths, injuries, and dollar loss increase an average of 50%, 61% and 43% respectively.

I usually teach children about fire prevention but this is one time of the year when adults need to be ever more vigilant about the dangers of fire. As Christmas trees, which are in one-third of all households, dry out, the risk of fire increases. The use of candles contributes to the the increase of fire during the holidays, cooking fires increase on Christmas Eve and Day, but fires caused by children playing, decrease.

The Holiday Season should be a happy one enjoyed with all of your family and friends, and if you follow these few tips, you are assured it will be a safe one as well:

The Holiday Tree

When you select a tree for the Holidays make sure that the needles are fresh: they should be green and hard to pull back from the branches, and the needle should not break if the tree has been freshly cut. The trunk should be sticky to the touch. Old trees can be identified by bouncing the tree trunk on the ground. If a lot of needles fall off, the tree has been cut too long, has probably dried out, and is a fire hazard.

In caring for your tree, do not place it close to a heat source, including a fireplace or heat vent. This will dry out the tree, causing it to be more easily ignited by heat, flame or sparks. Never drop or flick cigarette ashes near a tree. Do not put your live tree up too early or leave it up for longer than two weeks. Keep the tree stand filled with water at all times. Do not go near a Christmas tree with an open flame - candles, lighters or matches.

When you are finished with your tree, dispose of it properly. Never put tree branches or needles in a fireplace or woodburning stove. When the tree becomes dry, discard it promptly. The best way to dispose of your tree is by taking it to a recycling center or having it hauled away by a community pick-up service.

If you like an artificial or metallic tree, well okay…it’s not my style, but suit yourself. Just be safe and make sure it is flame retardant.


HOLIDAY LIGHTING

Colored lights that twinkle can seem whimsical and harmless, but pose a very real threat to your safety. Make sure you maintain your Holiday Lights by inspecting them each year for frayed wires, bare spots, gaps in the insulation, broken or cracked sockets, and excessive kinking or wear before putting them up, and use only lighting listed by an approved testing laboratory.

Do Not Overload Electrical Outlets. Do not link more than three light strands, unless the directions indicate it is safe. Connect strings of lights to an extension cord before plugging the cord into an outlet, and make sure to periodically check the wires - they should not be warm to the touch.

Do Not Leave Holiday Lights on Unattended.

OTHER CONCERNS

Now I know you are going to hang some mistletoe and perhaps banners, stockings and other decorations around the house. Double check to make sure all decorations are nonflammable or flame-retardant and placed away from heat vents.

Never Put Wrapping Paper in a Fireplace as it can throw off dangerous sparks and produce a chemical buildup in the home that could cause an explosion.

Try to avoid Using Lit Candles, but if you do use them, make sure they are in stable holders and place them where they cannot be easily knocked over. Never leave the house with candles burning and most important, Never Put Lit Candles on a Tree.

Finally, as in every season, have working smoke alarms installed on every level of your home, test them monthly and keep them clean and equipped with fresh batteries at all times. Know when and how to call for help. And remember to practice your home escape plan. If you don’t have one yet, I teach your kids how to design one in my video Becoming a Junior Firefighter with Fireman Jim.

With all the hustle and the bustle, the Holiday Season can be stressful, but remember to take the time to enjoy all that you have, be safe and have a Joyful Holiday.

Fireman Jim is a proud member of the Chicago Fire Department

Title 1 money, which is designed to help the disadvantaged students succeed along with their peers, can be an advantage to all the students in your school. Many educators believe that Title 1 students should be using the same educational tools along with their fellow classmates, so if there is a tool that can be of assistance to all the students at your school and you qualify for Title 1 assistance, that money can be used to benefit all of the students.

Many school officials are confused about what can and cannot be purchased with Title 1 funds. The amount of rules and regulations in regards to Title 1 can make purchasing decisions difficult however the US Department of Education clearly states in its Title 1 policy manual that equipment purchased with Title1 money can be “made available for other educational uses” as long as those uses do not interfere with the Title 1 project or significantly shorten the useful life of the equipment. In other words, a school that has 30% of it’s students living below the poverty levelcan still use Title 1 money purchased equipment that will be used by students who are not impoverished as well as by Title 1 students.

Simply stated, educational videos that can serve an entire school can be purchased using Title 1 money as long as you first emphasize that your school serves the children and not categorical programs. Once students have access to all of the same educational tools and are judged by the same standards and are not segregated into categories, then true equality will emerge within your school.

by Cindi Gonzalez

As a preschool teacher I spend all summer anticipating my new students.  It is important for me to make these first timers welcome, and as summer winds down I get busy preparing my classroom.  I like to make it warm and cozy and work hard to transform my classroom into an extension of their homes, after all these preschoolers will be spending time away from their house and family, usually for the first time.  Even though it is only for a few hours a week, it is a huge transition, so I want them to feel welcome and secure as they enter my classroom.  

I like to arrange flowers and baskets of art supplies and carefully hang cheerful, soft pictures on my walls, and as I do this I am always reminded of Andy. A student of mine from a few years ago, Andy taught his mother and I a very valuable lesson about the anxiety of a child’s first days of school.

It is common that during the first couple weeks of school many pre-k’s will cry as they are being dropped off, but the crying usually stops by the second week.  For Andy, this was not the case. He would cry and seemed very sad even after the third and fourth weeks of school. I spoke with his mother at the end of every week and she was bewildered as she explained that Andy always woke up eager and happy to be going to school.   Even on the weekends he would keep asking his parents when he was going to school, she told me.

To make his case even more mysterious to me, after he calmed down from crying, Andy would go on to have a very pleasant day at school.  I just could not see the issue with his outbursts.  The following Monday I went to greet Andy at his Mother’s car and as usual he began to cry.   I spoke to him calmly and reassured him that he was going to have a fun day and Mommy would be back to pick him up later, but none of that seemed to matter.  Andy and I walked into the classroom, removed his jacket and he went into the reading corner to calm down.   This time I asked my assistant to start the class and I went over to talk with Andy. 

Instead of reassuring him or trying to calm him down I simply sat down next to him and asked why he was always so sad to come to school?  Andy looked at me and began to wipe his tears away. Then he told me that he was not really sad, but it was his mommy that was sad.  After a long conversation with Andy I realized what was happening. Since the first day of school his mom was telling him that she was going to miss him while he was away and that she will be thinking about him all day and that she could not wait to pick him up and see him again later.
 
As a Mother myself I understood what she was trying to do.  Her intent was to let Andy know how much she loved him and that she would miss him, but to Andy she was telling him that while he was in preschool she would be miserable. Andy was confused. He liked being at preschool but was worried about his mom and how she was feeling.  After our talk everything made sense. I immediately called his mom and worked out a new strategy. 

The next day I went to greet Andy at his car. He was not crying but smiling, kissed his mommy goodbye and ran into preschool happy and content. Earlier that morning his mom had said to Andy that she wanted him to have a fun day and that she loved him.  She smiled the whole way to school and did not say a word about missing him.  As he got out of the car he blew her a kiss and she happily blew one back to him and drove off.  Andy came into my classroom happy and went to sit with the other children in the circle for the first time.

Andy’s Mom thought that by telling him all her feelings, she was letting him know how much he would be missed, but to Andy It just made him sad.  No child wants their parents to be sad, especially if they think it is because of them.

A child’s unwillingness to leave a parent is a good sign that healthy attachments have developed between them, but eventually the child will be able to remember that the parent always returns. These memories are enough to comfort him while his parent is gone and it gives the child a chance to develop coping skills and a little independence. Keep in mind that anxiety is a phase that will pass, but at the same time, trust your instincts. And don’t be afraid to address the problem directly with your student.

“One dark night, when people were in bed,
Mrs. O’Leary lit a lantern in her shed,
The cow kicked it over, winked its eye and said,
There’ll be a hot time in the old town tonight.” 

Historians agree that on Sunday evening, October 8, 1871 a fire did indeed start in the O’Leary barn on Chicago’s west side, the cause of the blaze however, is a little unclear. The blaze ironically spared the O’Leary home, however much of the rest of Chicago was not so fortunate.  Before the fire died out two days later it had cut a swath through Chicago nearly four square miles in size. 300 people lost their lives, 100,000 were left homeless and over 17,000 structures were destroyed.

Although a 2 month investigation failed to ascertain the cause of the fire the most compelling legend is that a poor immigrant woman named Kate O’Leary was milking her cow when it kicked over a lantern that started the blaze. Other theories had surfaced as well: spontaneous combustion, a fiery meteor, an O’Leary neighbor may have sparked the blaze with his pipe, one local newspaper even printed the “confession” of an unnamed member of a world-wide terrorist organization with ties to the Paris Commune of 1871. But the O’Leary legend enabled people to blame someone in particular for what was a matter of collective responsibility and misfortune.

 The O’Leary legend has lasted, most likely due to her malleable figure: from the beginning people were not interested in knowing the real Kate O’Leary, but in turning her into a repository for their own pre conceived notions. She was, in fact in her early forties at the time of the fire, sober and hard working. In some popular anecdotes she was depicted as an aged crone and a drunkard. The Chicago Times described her as a welfare cheat who, “when cut off vowed revenge.”  But as it became clear that the city had triumphed over catastrophe and was hurtling toward a grander destiny, she became quaint and benign. Within a couple years of the fire, residents began celebrating their successful restoration of the city and a tradition of memorializing the anniversary of the fire with festivities began.

This changed in 1925 when the Fire Marshall Association of America decided to commemorate the tragedy not with festivities, but instead decided that the 40th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire should be observed in such a way as to inform the public of the importance of fire prevention.

When President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the first National Fire Prevention Week, October 4 - 10 1925, he noted that in the previous year some 15,000 lives were lost to fire in the United States. Calling the loss "startling", President Coolidge's proclamation stated, "This waste results from the conditions which justify a sense of shame and horror; for the greater part of it could and ought to be prevented ".

This year Fire Prevention Week is October 8 -14, and KidsVids is prepared to help your school Educate students with posters, coloring pages and a curriculum of Fire Safety that includes the video Becoming a Junior Firefighter with Fireman Jim. As a part of the program, your students learn that "fire prevention is fire protection", get the inside scoop on kitchen safety and learn how to design an effective emergency plan for the home with their parents

The National Fire Protection Association’s theme for this year is “Prevent Cooking Fires: Watch What You Heat”. Fireman Jim addresses important kitchen safety in a way that is understandable for all ages. Place orders early so your school can present Becoming a Junior Firefighter with Fireman Jim to all of the students.