Posts Tagged ‘Nellie’

Do You Have Safety Smarts

Monday, May 18th, 2015

It’s time for a safety smarts check!

Ask an adult to hear your answers and tell you if you have safety smarts.

safety smartsWhen Nellie got home from school, Grandma Hattie was sitting in her chair. She told Nellie she wasn’t feeling well and to call for help. What should Nellie do? Who can she call? What number should she dial? What should she say to the person on the phone?

Bobby’s apartment building with an elevator. Should he get on the elevator with a stranger?

Arthur J is playing in his fenced-in yard when a man he didn’t know leans on the fence and invites Arthur J to come over and see his new puppy. What should he do?

Annie is playing basketball in her driveway when a boy much older than her comes over and asks if he can shoot hoops with her. What can she say? What can she do?

Hector is hungry; his mom is napping in the living room. he goes onto the kitchen for a snack. He thinks about making popcorn in the microwave, or cutting an apple into slices to dip in peanut safety smartsbutter, or getting a yogurt from the refrigerator. Which choice shows good safety smarts?

Yundi’s helmet is tight on his head. Is it okay for him to go bike riding without his helmet?

Kathy is going to be in a jump rope competition. She is trying to decide what shoes to wear. Her sandals look nice with her dress. Her school shoes are sturdy. Her sneakers have good support. Which shoes do you think Kathy should wear and why?

Mickey and Muggins are taking a walk when a little boy breaks free of his mom’s safety smartshand and runs up in front of them. Mickey needs to practice safety smarts by telling the little boy not to pet Muggins as he is a service dog. Why does Mickey need to do this? What might happen if the little boy starts petting Muggins?

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Willie and Nellie Learn About Hiking

Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014

Coach Campbell is in the “Can Do” Center equipment closet, working on some things that Willie and Nellie do not recognize.

Hey Coach, what’s up…what-cha’ got there?

Oh, hey guys, this…this is my hiking gear.

Huh? Hiking gear – what is that?!?

It is what I take with me, what I wear, when I go out hiking in the woods. I was hiking this past weekend, and I am just cleaning it up a bit so it stays in good shape. I also want to make sure it is “good to go” when I hit the trails again this weekend for National Trails Day.

Hiking, you mean like walking around? Isn’t that…boring?

Well, not to me it isn’t. Yes, it is walking. But, there is so much to see, and hear, that is far from boring. Plus, it is nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, to go somewhere and be able to hear birds sing, and be able to hear the breeze rustle the leaves of a forest and to smell the clean, cool greenness of the air.

hiking

Sounds nice. Can anybody do it? I mean, can we do it?

You bet anyone can do it. That is one of the things that make hiking so great; you can start out young and do it for the rest of your life. It is timeless and ageless.

Cool, so what kind of stuff do you have in your “hiking gear”?

Well, let’s see. I have a first aid kit, some bug-spray and sun-block too. I also make sure I have two big bottles of water with me, especially since I am carrying water for both me and Delmar.

Delmar goes with you?!?!

Of course he does. He’s my hiking buddy.

Oh wow! Does he have fun?

hiking

He has a blast! He loves it.

How does he drink this water though? I mean, dogs can’t drink out of a bottle, can they?

Sure can’t, not without spilling about half the bottle anyway. No, Delmar has a little collapsible bowl I carry with me that he drinks out of.

Now, let’s see. Oh yeah, I also have a compass. I don’t really need that when I am hiking local parks, but when I go upstate and get out on some long day hike trails, the compass is important to have with me, along with the trail maps too. Last thing you want to do it to get lost, so making sure you know where you are on the trail is very important.

You know how to use a compass? You can read a map? Why not just GPS, like in a car?

hiking

Sure can, learned how to use a compass and read a map when I was in the Army. It is not that hard, and sometimes GPS doesn’t work, so you need to be able to take care of yourself without technology, just to be safe.

Cool, you think you can teach us? Yeah, you think we could go on a hike with you?

Well, sure. Why not. We will start out easy, with a walk through a local park one nice afternoon. Of course, we will have to have your parents/grandparents permission first, but I would love to take you guys out.

Even me Coach – says Nellie….

Yes, even you Nellie. Hiking is totally OK for both boys AND girls. No problems there at all.

COOL!! Anything else in your hiking gear?

One last thing, a rain jacket and rain pants. Sometimes the weather can change real fast, and I might be a few miles from my truck, so the rain gear is important. Getting soaking wet is no fun.

What about Delmar, what does he do when it rains?

Well, he gets wet.

 

National Trails Dayhiking

http://www.americanhiking.org/national-trails-day/

 

 

 

 

 

Story By:Ned Campbell, a coach and teacher in Brooklyn, NY.  He is the voice of  Coach Campbell in the “Can Do” Street programs.hiking

 Parent Note: Coach Campbell has a post for parents on this same subject at  http://candostreet.com/blog-parents/

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Spring=Sports

Friday, April 11th, 2014

The “Can Do” kids agreed that they all had enough of winter. There were just so many snow forts and snowmen they enjoyed making and snowball throwing that was fun. It was time for spring and sports.

springDuring the cold weather, Hector practiced his skateboarding in the basement of his house; he was getting ready for the skateboard race during spring break camp at the recreation center. The problem was…his basement just wasn’t that big. Before he could get up any speed, he would be up against a wall.

The cold weather found Kathy practicing her jump rope in her basement. She had her problems too. The floor was slanted and made jumping a real challenge.

For Yundi, the cold weather forced him to practice for the bike race in his driveway. He had a hard time balancing himself with all the clothes his mom made him wear while riding. Also, thespring driveway wasn’t long enough to get any speed or practice sharp turns.

Annie was lucky; the cold weather didn’t stop her from keeping her basketball skills up. She just practiced indoors at the recreation center and she has a hoop in her garage. She was ready for the outdoor hoops tournament at spring camp.

Jay, like Annie, would be ready for his tournament at spring camp. He had been playing table tennis and winning all winter long!

The same was true for Orrie, who had been keeping up his horseback riding skills all winter at the indoor riding ring at the local riding stable. On the last day of spring camp, in the afternoon, a bus would take Orrie and the other “Can Do” kids to the riding stable where Orrie would participate in a riding event. All the other campers would be there to cheer him on.

Willie, Bobby, Arthur J, Nellie, and Wendy had been practicing their ball throwing and catching in the recreation center gym. However, they didn’t really have space to practice their running or hitting skills. They really needed to get on an outdoor playing field!

The warmer weather couldn’t come soon enough for the “Can Dos” . They couldn’t get outside soon enough to get ready for the spring tournaments.

How about you, boys and girls? Are you ready for spring and sports? Do you need to get outside and practice to be able to compete?

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Grandma Hattie Helpers

Monday, March 24th, 2014

Hattie HelpersgradeWillie and Nellie knew there was something wrong when Grandpa Dooley met them at the door. “Willie, Nellie, Grandma Hattie fell and sprained her ankle today.

She is resting in the living room,” said their grandpa. “Nellie asked,”Is she going to be okay?” Grandpa nodded ad led them into the living room.

There was Grandma Hattie, her foot propped up on a cushion, with her ankle wrapped. Nellie and Willie were careful not to touch her ankle when they hugged her.

Grandpa asked Willie and Nellie to sit down as he needed to talk with them about how they were going to have to be Grandma Hattie helpers until her ankle was better and she could walk on it again. Grandpa reminded them that he had to drive the school bus every morning and teach a music class in the afternoon. He would be out when they were getting ready for school, and would be out when they got home from school on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Willie and Nellie looked unsure, but nodded in agreement. Willie said, “I’m supposed to got to Orrie’s for a play date tomorrow. Can I still go?” Grandpa shook his head no, and told Willie he was needed around the house. Grandpa suggested that Willie call Orrie and explain why he couldn’t come over the next day.

After Willie called Orrie, grandpa sat with him and Nellie and went over their helper chores while Grandma Hattie couldn’t walk. There were beds to be made, breakfast dishes to be done, waste paper baskets and trash to be emptied, the table set and cleared and the laundry folded and put away.  Willie’s eyes got bigger and bigger with each chore grandpa named. “Wow,” he said,” that’s a lot. What are you going to be doing grandpa?” Grandpa Dooley chuckled and said,”I will clean the house, wash your clothes, iron your clothes, cook the meals, do the grocery shopping and take care of grandma.” Willie answered,”I never realized how much grandma did around here!”

As they were talking, the doorbell rang. There stood Grandma Maureen, a dinner casserole in one hand and a list in the other. In she marched, checked out Grandma Hattie, sat down and began to read from the Grandma Hattie Helpers list.

Grandma Frances, Grandma Sue and some of the ladies from the senior group would drop off dinner meals each night. Grandma Maureen would do the ironing once a week, and look in on grandma each morning when grandpa was driving the school bus and Willie and Nellie had left for school.

Some of the “Can Do Kids, who live nearby, signed up to help Willie and Nellie with their after school chores.

When Grandma Maureen finished reading from the list, Willie burst out saying,”Yeah for the Grandma Hattie helpers!”

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Why Does a Cat Purr?

Sunday, May 19th, 2013

catWendy, Nellie, Bobby and Hector stopped by Grandpa John’s store after school for a snack. As they were waiting to pay Grandpa John, they heard Can Do Cat purring as he lay curled up near the front door.”Why does a cat purr,” asked Nellie?

Grandpa John answered,” If you all trade in those sodas for some healthy juices, I will tell you all about why a cat purrs.” the “Can Dos” put their sodas back and picked out some fresh fruit juices. then they sat in a circle, in front of Can Do Cat and waited for Grandpa John to begin.

“I read a book, The Cat’s Mind, by Bruce Fogle,  a pet doctor,” said Grandpa John. “He says that purring lets a kitten to tell his mother that things are well. A kitten can purr when it is only two days old.

Purring is an important part of how cats talk. They purr for lots of reasons. As the cat grows up, the meaning of the purr changes. Some cats purr when they feel good, while other cats purr when they are frightened.

Whatever the reason for purring, it sounds nice to us humans and is pleasant to hear isn’t it?”

The “Can Dos” nodded. Yes, it was nice to watch “Can Do”Cat resting in the corner and listen to him purr. Wendy said,” I think he is purring because he likes it when we visit!”

“Could be,” answered Grandpa John.”It just could be the reason.”

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