With the weather finally feeling warm and sunny, and summer break upon us, kids will be playing outside endlessly. Parks, sidewalks and trails will be flooded with children on bicycles, scooters and rollerblades.
Kids may be off to summer camps where they’ll do fun activities such as rock climbing, mountain biking, or playing sports. On evenings and weekends, families might take to bike riding the trails as a family, or taking part in a game of baseball.
My first question before the kids head out on their next adventure is, “where is your helmet?” To be frank, getting my 12 and 14-year-old to put on a helmet has recently become a challenge. It seems once grade 6 hits, it’s no longer “cool” to be wearing one. My message to my own kids is, “how cool would it be to fall off your bike and hit your head? Not so cool!”
I’ll see many kids riding their scooters or bikes in the neighbourhood without helmets, and as a mom, I worry for their safety. All it takes is one wrong turn, or a large rock in a path to send that bicycle flying.
Since my boys play hockey too, concussions are a real concern. A concussion is an injury to the brain and can be caused by a strong blow to the head or neck, a fall, or by any other impact. A concussion can affect the way a person feels, behaves and remembers. Here are the signs of a concussion.
Signs of a concussion:
- Headache or pressure in the head
- Sensitivity to noise, light, motion and odours
- Drowsiness
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Blurred vision
- Feeling emotional or irritable
- Feeling nervous or anxious
- Neck pain
- Inability to concentrate
- Difficulty remembering facts or events from earlier in the day
Head Safe
Scouts Canada and Hydro One have partnered to launch Head Safe, a hands-on educational program for youth and families to raise awareness, prevent, identify and manage concussions and head-related injuries. Helmets are important safety equipment that can help prevent many injuries, including concussions.
Launching in the fall of 2019 through Scouts Canada Groups across the country and in communities across Ontario, Head Safe will offer free training to educate young people. Youth will learn head injury first aid, safety measures to protect against head injuries, and how to respond to real-life scenarios. They’ll learn how to recognize the signs of a concussion, what to do, and the six steps of when it’s safe to return to play.
Free Community Events
Scouts Canada and Hydro One will also offer free public community events planned across Ontario. Locations and details will be announced this summer at scouts.ca/playsafe!
Discount
Scouts Canada is currently offering a $30 registration discount on an annual membership until June 30! Sign up here: www.Scouts.ca/join.
Disclosure: This post is proudly sponsored by Scouts Canada. As always, the opinions expressed herein are my own.
