Words From The Editor - by Vivian Heyl |
| Home - Table Of Contents - Most Recent - RSS - Permalink - Text |
Costume Safety
Posted on 2024-04-25
Costume Safety
Trick-or-treating is a significant part of Halloween festivities, and for many kids the best part is having a terrific costume. For their parents, however, the right costume is not only one that suits the spirit of Halloween it's also one that is safe.
According to American Academy of Pediatrics the top three causes of emergency room visits on Halloween are from collisions with cars, eye injuries from sharp objects and burns from flammable costumes.
Here are some pointers for keeping your child safe:
Trick-or-treat in groups with other parents if possible. Place reflective tape on costumes to make trick-or-treaters more visible as they walk from house to house. If possible incorporated the tape into the costume design. Flashlights also increase their visibility and a child carrying a flashlight in a dusky area is much more likely to be seen by drivers.
Choose hats and face paints instead of masks. Masks can hamper a child's ability to to see cars and dangerous obstacles in their path.
Ensure that costumes fit well. Costumes that are too long can pose a tripping hazard. It's also a good idea for them to wear comfortable, flat shoes that are easy to walk in. Remind them to walk on sidewalks and well-lit paths and not to dart out into the street to run to another home.
If props are on the list for creating the perfect costume choose soft, flexible styles whenever possible. Make sure props, such as swords, are not sharp or too long.
Costumes and accessories made with flame-resistant materials are preferable. Remind children that lit candles and bonfires are dangerous and to avoid them while they make their rounds or attend outdoor activities.
Originally published in The Times Dispatch, October, 2015
Home - Table Of Contents - Most Recent - RSS - Permalink - Text
Posted on 2024-04-25
Costume Safety
Trick-or-treating is a significant part of Halloween festivities, and for many kids the best part is having a terrific costume. For their parents, however, the right costume is not only one that suits the spirit of Halloween it's also one that is safe.
According to American Academy of Pediatrics the top three causes of emergency room visits on Halloween are from collisions with cars, eye injuries from sharp objects and burns from flammable costumes.
Here are some pointers for keeping your child safe:
Trick-or-treat in groups with other parents if possible. Place reflective tape on costumes to make trick-or-treaters more visible as they walk from house to house. If possible incorporated the tape into the costume design. Flashlights also increase their visibility and a child carrying a flashlight in a dusky area is much more likely to be seen by drivers.
Choose hats and face paints instead of masks. Masks can hamper a child's ability to to see cars and dangerous obstacles in their path.
Ensure that costumes fit well. Costumes that are too long can pose a tripping hazard. It's also a good idea for them to wear comfortable, flat shoes that are easy to walk in. Remind them to walk on sidewalks and well-lit paths and not to dart out into the street to run to another home.
If props are on the list for creating the perfect costume choose soft, flexible styles whenever possible. Make sure props, such as swords, are not sharp or too long.
Costumes and accessories made with flame-resistant materials are preferable. Remind children that lit candles and bonfires are dangerous and to avoid them while they make their rounds or attend outdoor activities.
Originally published in The Times Dispatch, October, 2015
Home - Table Of Contents - Most Recent - RSS - Permalink - Text
by Vivian Heyl 1950-2024
Vivian Running Sound At Blues Fest
Vivian was editor at Delta Boogie since we started the site in 1996. She wrote almost all of our Delta Musicians section, the most popular area on Delta Boogie. She also wrote anything else on Delta Boogie that doesn't have a byline.
She also worked for the Times Dispatch in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, where she contributed many features and some reporting. Her work at the Times Dispatch regularly won awards from the Arkansas Press Association.
Writing was her passion. She wrote for her whole life. Much of it we still have in computer files. I am posting her work here as I find it.
by Larry Heyl
Links
Delta Boogie
Gamer+
Related To Geeks
Gretchen says:
Today we celebrate Vivian Heyl. Mom, Grandma, Viv. Whatever name you knew her by, I'm sure at some point in time she used her gift of nurturing on you. She was indeed a nurturer - of the mind, body and spirit. Her words of encouragement could only be outdone by her quick wit and, when needed, sharp tongue. She loved unconditionally, but she had no problem calling you on your crap. She welcomed ALL to her family - and about the only thing that would get you unwelcome was making someone else feel that way. Today we celebrate the life she lived, the example she set and the love she shared.
Many have asked what they can do for the family or in memory of Mom - I offer these suggestions:
Play a game with your family. There is nothing that would be a better gift than to share joy with your family and in memory of Mom.
Read a book (it can have pictures). Mom loved to go on adventures in books and she led us kids down the same path.
Encourage a kid (preferably one who no else even seems to notice). I promise that is the one Mom would spot first and immediately bring into the fold.
We would also love to hear your stories about Mom. We would love anyone who would like to share stories or memories to do so in the comment thread. Maybe you have a story where you realized, possibly even years later, that you had been molded by a momma's love in the form of Vivian Heyl.
If you would like to make a memorial gift, please consider the children and youth fund at Brookland UMC or the friends of the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library, the Lawrence County Library or your local library.
Lastly, just keep loving us! We are sad, but we are blessed.
Add your words to the comments thread:
Words and Comments
Delta Boogie Newsletter/Gamer+ News - May 2024 - This One's For Vivian
https://gamerplus.org/@hairylarry/pages/1714661546292
My wife Vivian was the editor of Delta Boogie and a regular contributor to Gamer+. She helped me with everything I did including Blues Fest for 25 years, The Bandshell Project, Jonesboro Computer Services, The Jonesboro User Group, and so much more. I don't know what I'll do without her.
On April 18, 2024, Vivian passed on.
She was a writer all her life and I am collecting her writings here.
https://deltaboogie.net/words
She worked at The Times Dispatch in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, for years. Her features regularly won Awards from the Arkansas Press Association.
She wrote almost all of Delta Musicians, the most popular section on Delta Boogie, where she provided Delta Bluesmen with a place on the internet back in the nineties. She also wrote all of the articles on Delta Boogie that do not have a byline.
She played and ran fantasy RPGs with dice and miniatures at ASU Beebe in the early seventies before D&D was published.
We home schooled our children and she saw their love of D&D as an educational opportunity for reading, writing, history, the arts, and, of course, math.
She loved music and games and she raised a family of musicians and gamers.
We have five children and seven grandchildren. I had two boys before we married and she loved them like her own.
She saved my life and she gave me a good life. I love her still and always.
For her, I thank you all, for your continued support of Delta Boogie, Gamer+, Delta music, NEA gaming and whatever else it is that you do to make the world a little bit better.
Please take a minute and say a prayer.
Thanks,
Hairy Larry
https://gamerplus.org/@hairylarry
hairylarry@deltaboogie.com
Comment thread here.