Happy summer, FLOWers!
You may remember that back in May we held a campaign to raise awareness about water safety. We planned a number of activities in conjunction with National Water Safety Month, but it is important to realize that education about water safety should not be confined to one month; it should be recognized all year round.
Before we all go away for the Holiday weekend, we think it’s still a good time to talk about water safety. This weekend is going to get hot in Idaho, and if you are lucky enough to escape to higher elevations the heat will still be in the 90s, and chances are, at some point over the next three days you or a member of your family will end up cooling off in the water.
Whether it is a stream, lake, river, or even a household pool we would like to remind you to always take precautions to ensure your entire family is able to swim safely. We highly recommend doing the following:
Be prepared with life jackets.- Designate yourself a water watcher.
- Take the time to talk to your kiddos and your family about what it means to be safe in the water.
Check out our latest water safety post on the FLOW Aquatics blog for additional tips.
Before we leave you to splash into the weekend, we’ll wrap up with a couple of safety tips from our very own Coach Shannon.
“I’ve always known how much I loved the water, but I don’t think I realized how important it was for children to learn until I became a parent myself. Then it wasn’t an option,” she says. ”You can never be too safe around the water. The one safety skill that I like to emphasize the most is Reach or Throw, Don’t Go. I just think it’s something that is not instinctive, even to parents. If someone falls in water, who is smaller than you, especially if it is your child, there is no thought process; you just jump in. Many parents have drowned that way. We’ve had many stories from parents throughout the years that have had siblings save their smaller sibling when they fell in the pool by knowing what to do. I don’t think this is a skill that can be taught enough.”
No matter where you end up this holiday weekend, we encourage you to stay safe and of course, have fun!
-Toda
