In case of evacuation, name tags could be essential in keeping all children together, or reuniting a child with his or her parents.  Consider keeping name tags or bracelets in your "ready-to-go" packet.  Name tags could be placed on the children while waiting at the meeting place or after loading on the vehicle.  Ask a local hospital to provide wrist bands that include the ECE program name and phone number.  These can be adjusted for size so they will not fall off or be removed by the child.  You can also purchase wrist bands, such as those used for admission to events (sports, concerts, etc).  Use a permanent marker to write the program name and phone number on the band, and adjust it to the child's wrist.

• Attendance roster for that day
• Children's names
• Parent names, addresses, current contact information.
• Names of people authorized to pick up and names of people not authorized to pick up the child
• Up -to-date allergy, medication, or other essential medical information.
• Authorization for medical care and transportation.
• Emergency phone numbers of local resources
• Addresses, directions, and phone number for your off-site meeting place
  

Activity from:  
Disaster Preparedness, Emergency Situations, Transportation Safety

Measure Meds  

Have several different spoons and medicine droppers and a bottle of colored water available. Have participants select one and then "measure" a specific amount of the colored water, such as 1 teaspoon. The participant should then pour the water into a clear calibrated medicine cup. Compare the medicine cups and discuss how an "eating spoon," "soup spoon," or even a cooking measuring spoon may not measure as accurately as a calibrated medicine dropper or syringe.

Activity from:

Administration of Medications

Home Medicine Chest

Open It!

Have several different medicine containers with various types of caps, some which are child resistant and some which are not. Give one container to each participant and have them "race" and see how long it takes them to open each container. Participants may then trade containers and try again.

Activity from:

Poisoning Prevention

Table setting and family style  

Place stacks of interesting plates, cups, place mats, cloth or paper napkins, and eating utensils in one place.  Ask several participants to "set the table."  Each participant should set their table the way they want to.  This is an individual choice, not a group decision.  Compare the different table settings.

Styrofoam plates, cups, and bowls and plastic utensils are not recommended in childcare because children can "bite" off pieces which could cause chocking.  Plastic is not recommended because it cannot be adequately sterilized.  Best practice is to use silverware and institutional "melmac-type" dishware.

Activity from:

Nutrition Activities

Ask 2 participants to assist. Have large "recipe card" to follow. Cut a navel (seedless) orange in half. Place each orange half in a separate plastic zipper bag. Squeeze out extra air and seal tightly. Give each participant a bag. Ask them to squeeze the orange. (Continue talking while they do this.)

After a minute or so, ask the participants to give you their bags (one at a time). Carefully open a corner of the zipper seal. Insert straw. Hand bag back to participant to enjoy!

Activity from:

Nutrition Activities

Sorting activity 

Put a bowl of plastic fruits/vegetables on table. Ask 2-3 participants at a time to come up and sort the items. Do not give instructions. Give them 2-3 minutes to do this while you continue talking to rest of participants. After 2-3 minutes, see how they sorted the items.

Then call 2-3 new participants and tell them to sort them differently. Repeat, encouraging participants to sort by: feel (rough, fuzzy, smooth, bumpy), color, size, shape, taste (sweet, sour), how prepared (raw, cooked).

Activity from:

Nutrition Activities

Prepare a long flame-retardant rope (cotton, not plastic) with knots or other handholds every 3 feet. Have several participants pretend to be children. Have them get on hands/knees to crawl out under smoke. Then, ask them to shut their eyes and try to follow the person crawling in front of them. Explain how difficult it would be for young children to crawl to safety since they can’t see, they can’t hear because they are crying, and they can’t hold onto the person in front of them.

Show the rope with knots in it. Have people line up again, and hold onto their knot. Have them crawl out with you leading them.

Activity from:

Fire and Burn Prevention

Get Low and Go! 

Prepare a "Smoke" banner or sheet or parachute. Ask participants to demonstrate how they would teach "get low and go" to children.

Have several participants hold the sheet or banner about 3 feet above the floor. Sound the smoke/fire alarm (whistle). Have other participants practice crawling under the "smoke" to safety. Time the event.

Activity from:

Fire and Burn Prevention

Fill a large handbag with a variety of items that might be found in someone’s bag. Items might include coins, medications, (toy) gun, grocery list, ink pen, candy, gum wrappers, perfume, etc. Use your imagination and think about all the "stuff" you have found in your own purse at different times. Have a participant empty your purse and identify potentially harmful items.

Activity from:

Home Safety

Classroom/Nursery Safety

Demonstrate the spread of germs and how they are invisible. Spray lemon juice on white paper. It disappears. When the paper is warmed with a hair dryer or an electric iron (set on low), the droplets will become more visible. Keep hot iron and/or hair dryer out of children reach!

Activity from:

Sanitation and Disease Prevention

Who Has Germs?  

This activity shows how quickly and easily germs can be spread from person to person. Before you begin the presentation, select a few people in the audience and tell them they will have special instructions (see steps below). (You may want to give these people a token, such as a colorful pencil.) Be sure these people are located throughout the audience, rather than seated in one area.

Ask people to greet one another. Encourage them to get out of their seat, walk around, and shake hands with five or more other people. As they shake hands, they should say to each other "I washed my hands!"

Tell the audience that a few people did not wash their hands. The individuals selected earlier will say "I have germs!"

Instruct participants to keep saying "I washed my hands!" unless they are greeted by someone who says "I have germs!" Once this happens, they must change their own greeting to "I have germs!"

After a few minutes, participants return to their seats. Ask the original "I have germs!" participants to stand and remain standing. Then, ask for all other participants who were told "I have germs!" to stand. See how many people were infected with germs.

Activity from:

Sanitation and Disease Prevention

All Teeth are Important!  

Have participants try doing activities without using their teeth, such as (1) Read a sentence without letting the tongue touch the top teeth. (2) Chew a cracker using only the front teeth. (3) Smile as wide as possible, without showing the teeth (use a mirror to check).

Activity from:

Oral Health and Young Children

Flossing: 

Demonstrate flossing using cotton rope (such as a piece of clothesline) and a white "spaghetti serving spoon" to represent the teeth.

Activity from:

Oral Health and Young Children

Gather a variety of sticky things such as Contact paper, syrup, marshmallows, glue, hair gel, stickers, etc. Invite participants to touch the different things and talk about how each feels. While participants are washing their hands, ask which things are the easiest and which are the hardest to wash off and why.

Explain that some foods are sticky and some are not. Ask participants to name foods that are sticky and those that are not. Give participants a food that is sticky, such as dried fruit, and something that is not, such as fresh fruit. Have them talk about how it feels in their mouths.

Give participants several different foods and plastic knives. Have participants cut through the various foods and see which ones "stick" to the knife. Foods such as marshmallows, dried fruits, caramels, and gummy candies will stick. Fresh fruits, chocolate bars, and crackers do not stick. Point out that it is not the sugar content that affects "stickiness." Dried fruits are "stickier" than chocolate candies.

Activity from:

Oral Health and Young Children

Growing, Growing Strong!