Fun Activities to Keep Your Kids Busy This Summer

The days are longer and without school obligations your kids may find that they have more time on their hands than they know what to do with this summer. Make summer boredom a thing of the past with these fun activities. And don’t let the kids have all the fun, many of these activities can be fun for the whole family!

  • Scavenger Hunt – This fun activity can be adapted for indoor or outdoor and for all ages and interests. It’s easy, inexpensive, and can often be done using things already found around your home. Create a color themed scavenger hunt that can help toddlers learn their colors and help older kids discover all the different hues that can be found in the world around them. Do a scavenger hunt at night with flashlights for an added dimension of fun. A nature scavenger hunt can keep little ones focused during hikes, picnics, gardening, and other outdoor activities. For older kids and teenagers, you can design a scavenger that has secret codes or brain teasers they have to complete to get the clues. The possibilities are endless! 
  • Arts and Crafts – Now is the time to get creative and use up all those leftover art supplies from the school year. Create a summer mural by covering a basement or garage wall with a long piece of craft paper. Work on it all summer, adding to it little by little. Decorate your walkways with sidewalk chalk or create outdoor games such as twister, hopscotch, four square, or an obstacle course with the chalk for extra fun. Paint rocks to give as gifts or to decorate a garden. Summer is the time to get messy and get creative by recycling the materials you have at home into fun crafts.
  • Enjoy Nature – Summer is a great time to encourage your kids to unplug and go enjoy the great outdoors. 
    • Go for a walk around the neighborhood or a nature hike.
    • Take a swim in a pool or public access lake, river, or ocean.
    • Strap on helmets and take a ride around the city or countryside.
    • Start a garden and let the kids do the planting, watering, and weeding.
    • Make it a goal to play at a new park every week of the summer. Packing a picnic lunch will make it even more special.
    • Pick a clear area to run and fly a kite which will teach your kids patience and coordination. 
    • Surprising your kids with a water balloon fight on a hot day will make a great summer memory.
  • Brain Power – Just because it is summer doesn’t mean your kids can’t continue exercising their brain. Check here for a great list of science experiments you can do this summer. Visit your local library for books, educational computer games, and other educational activities. Bond with your kids over a challenging puzzle that you work on a little each day of the summer. Sharpen the kids video directing and editing skills by creating some home videos.

Of course, there are plenty of fun places to visit this summer in NYC. Check this list for some ideas to become a tourist in your own city. At Sentry Window Guards our main focus is your child’s safety. We provide various types of childproof window locking mechanisms and safety devices for your home or building to keep everyone safe this summer!  

5 Ways to Keep Your Kids Safe at School This Year

Going back to school can be worrisome for many parents and students, even more so during a pandemic. As your children are eager to get settled into a new school year routine, it is important to think about and discuss with your children how to stay safe. 

Stay on Top of Coronavirus Updates

We are all in this together. Schools, administration, teachers, and parents have never had to make the type of plans and decisions that we are making at this unprecedented time. The CDC, states, and school districts are constantly releasing new information and it can be hard to stay on top of the changes. But the best possible course of action is to inform yourself and prepare your child for the changes this school year will bring. The CDC has released a school decision making tool for parents and guardians and a back-to-school checklist to assist in your planning.

Keep Medical and Emergency Contact Information Up-To-Date

During a pandemic, it is even more vital that the school district has accurate and up-to-date medical and emergency contact information. This will ensure you don’t miss any school closings and critical safety information. Review and update your child’s records to ensure allergies, medications, disabilities, illnesses your child may be susceptible to, and approved pick-up persons are current. 

Stay Safe While Traveling To and From School

Whether your children will be walking, riding their bicycles, carpooling, or taking the bus to school, it is important to take proper safety precautions. Children usually aren’t ready to start walking to school without an adult until about fifth grade, or around age 10. With your child, plan a safe route and walk on the sidewalk when one is available. When cycling to school, all riders should follow the basic rules of the road and always wear a bicycle helmet. Teach your child the proper way to get on and off the bus starting with standing three large steps from the curb and to always remain visible to the bus driver.

Maintain Communication with Teachers and Administrators

Administrators, teachers, and parents all have to work together to create and maintain a healthy, safe, and productive learning environment for students. Introduce yourself to your child’s teachers early on and let them know you want to work together to have a successful and safe school year. Ask the teacher their preferred method of communication and show them that you respect their time. Keep the lines of communication open and provide supplies needed by the teacher that will help them provide a safe environment. Attend all teacher parent conferences, either in person or with video conferencing in the time of Coronavirus. 

Have Open and Honest Conversations with Your Child

Physically going back to school during a pandemic may mean required or recommended face coverings and social distancing. Allow them to get used to wearing face coverings by practicing at home. Discuss with them the importance of hand washing and social distancing. Of course, being mentally prepared for school is just as important as being psychically prepared. Help them understand that we are still learning about the virus which means plans and procedures can change unexpectedly, but it is all being done in the name of their safety.

Returning to school during the pandemic may not feel like normal – at least for a while. But having safety plans in place can ease the anxiety for parents, teachers, and students. For more information regarding Sentry Window Guard products and how they keep your children safe at home, contact us at 718-389-1777. 

 

 

Childproofing Your Home During the Coronavirus Pandemic

In the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, many families are spending much more time at home. This has been challenging for parents trying to sustain daily schedules, manage virtual school work and activities, all while maintaining work from home or essential worker jobs. Many families are practically tripping over each other in their home, which is now serving as a place to work, play, learn, and exercise. And parents are being asked to multitask in ways that they typically have not been before. All of these circumstances lead to an increased need for childproofing around the home. Even if you feel your home is already a safe space for your child, it never hurts to take a look around with fresh eyes to see whether there are any holes in your safety strategy.

  • Anchor furniture. Use fasteners and brackets to ensure bookshelves, dressers and cabinets will not fall over. You can’t tell simply by looking at a piece of furniture whether it’s stable, so if your furniture isn’t already anchored to the wall, now is the time to do so.
  • Keep medicines and vitamins up and away and out of sight and reach of children. And keep medicines in their original child-resistant containers relocking safety caps after each use.
  • Store cleaning supplies carefully. Instead of keeping your cleaning supplies under the sink, put them in a higher cabinet or buy locks for the cabinet doors. Hand sanitizers pose an especially high risk to children right now because people are using them more often, and some are brightly colored which attracts curious littles. Most sanitizers contain at least 60 percent alcohol, potentially causing serious injury when consumed by a child. If someone in your home does consume a dangerous cleaning fluid, call poison control immediately, at 800-222-1222.
  • Use properly installed safety gates on stairs and lock any rooms where access needs to be monitored.
  • Maintain working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors throughout the home.
  • Never leave small children unattended around open windows. To help prevent children from climbing up to an open window, don’t place furniture near windows. Properly installed window guards are your best defense in preventing window falls. 
  • Give young children your full attention in the bathtub or around water. Teach children to never go near or in water without adult permission. Drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death for children ages 1-4.
  • Be sure and keep cribs clear of objects such as stuffed animals, bumpers and blankets. Hundreds of infants die each year due to suffocation or strangulation because of these objects in the crib.

At Sentry Window Guards we make it our mission to help keep families safe. We hope these tips will help you protect your children from home injuries during the Coronavirus pandemic. For more information regarding our window guard products and our experience and leadership in understanding NYC safety requirements, contact us today!

5 Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality in NYC Residences

Sentry Window Guards Installed 1150 window guards on the Tapestry Avenue Project.

Due to more New Yorkers being homebound right now, indoor air quality needs to be addressed more than ever!

While most expect poor indoor air quality (AIQ) to be at its worst “seasonally,” poor IAQ is actually a year-round issue that needs to be addressed. Poor IAQ can cause problems such as headaches, nausea, and eye and throat irritation. More serious risks can include asthma and allergies. Unfortunately children and the elderly are more at risk to experience symptoms of poor IAQ. Here are some common sources for poor IAQ and solutions to reduce the risks to help keep you and your family safe in your home:

  1. Interior paint & new carpets: Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are gasses released by many household products such as interior paint and new carpets. Try to use a low concentration of VOC-paints and leave windows open and a fan running while painting. Choose low-VOC carpet to also help reduce the amount of VOC gasses emitted.
  1. Cleaning products: Try and avoid cleaning products containing chemicals such as ammonia and chlorine. Replace with hot water, baking soda and less-toxic cleaning products.
  1. HVAC systems: Systems with cracks, dirty air filters and poor ventilation can cause dangerous carbon monoxide buildup. Maintain your HVAC system on a regular basis by scheduling annual inspections and changing out air filters. Also make sure your carbon monoxide alarm is properly working with fresh batteries.
  1. Gas stoves: Improperly installed or vented stoves can dangerous. Vent the stove with a fan that blows properly and make sure burners are adjusted correctly.
  1. Cigarette smoke: If someone in your home is a smoker, the best solution is to have the smoker smoke outside. Also keep in mind that second hand and third hand (smoke that lingers in clothes, cushions and carpets) smoke can be especially harmful to children and the elderly.

At Sentry Window Guards we make it our mission to help keep families safe. While our business is to help prevent falls from windows, we also recognize the importance of safe air quality in homes. For more information regarding our window guard products and our experience and leadership in understanding NYC safety requirements, contact us today!

Safety Prevention Saves Lives: A Real Life Tragedy

The following story is based on a real life experience. This type of tragedy can happen when the proper measures aren’t taken. And unfortunately this isn’t the only story regarding children falling out of windows to their death.

“A nine dollar window guard,” Jason says. “That’s all it would have taken to protect my son. And I didn’t even think about it.”

No parent should have to endure the trauma of having a child fall out of a window. Jason and Becca Cunningham* experienced just that when one of their three-year old sons fell from his second-story bedroom window. Although their son landed on his head on the concrete, suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and temporary paralysis, he did regain his health after intense, long-term therapy. With thousands of window fall accidents involving children in the U.S. each year, many stories don’t turn out with a happy ending. Many children die or sustain life-long injuries.

The Cunninghams did not reside in New York City, where homeowners must have window guards on their windows BY LAW if children 10 years or younger are living in the home. As a matter of fact, window safety wasn’t even on Jason and Becca’s radar as it probably isn’t with many families. Here are a few tips to help keep your home safer and prevent window fall accidents from occurring:

Tip #1 – Install window guards and stops. Properly installed window guards are your best defense in preventing window falls. Window stops are also a good idea to help allow you to enjoy a fresh breeze while ensuring windows won’t open wide enough to invite a fall.

Tip #2 – Open windows from the top and close after use. If you have windows that can open from top and bottom, choose opening the top versus the bottom to prevent falls. Don’t leave opened windows unattended if small children are present.

Tip #3 – Be sure windows are clear of chairs, cribs or other furniture being too close in proximity, especially if you have crawlers or climbers.

At Sentry Window Guards, our business is to keep children safe by preventing window fall accidents from occurring. For more information regarding our window guard products and our experience and leadership in understanding NYC safety requirements, contact us today!

 

*As a result of their traumatic experience, Jason and Becca became active members of the Stop at 4” Window Fall Prevention campaign in Portland, Oregon. Becca even went on to help educate other parents regarding the importance of window fall prevention with her book titled ‘If Kids Could Float!’