Teaching Children What To Do if They are Lost

A Parent’s Nightmare-

You’re Child is Gone!

Teaching Children What To Do if They Are Lost 

Designed by Sensei Dan Rominski, 

TheDOJO in Rutherford 

The Intelligent Curriculum of Our Martial Arts Education

TheDOJO’s Basic Conversation Guide for Parents & Children

Dear Parents, 

Are you confident your child knows exactly what to do if they become lost or separated from you?  At the beach?  A town event?  An amusement Park?  Hotel?  While on vacation or traveling? In a large crowd?  While out shopping?  At TheDOJO our Martial Arts Education of Intelligent Curriculum includes teaching children what to do if they are lost.  This is practical self-defense for children in today’s world as taught regularly by Sensei Dan Rominski Chief Instructor at TheDOJO.  

“As a parent what I like best about my child attending lessons at TheDOJO with Sensei Dan are the life lessons he teaches.” 

-Jessica S. Parent of a 5 year old daughter

Here are 3 simple idea’s for parents to teach children:

1. Don’t Wonder Off

The best thing is for children to not get lost in the first place.  Children are impulsive.  Teaching them about self-control, patience, discipline/following directions all starts at an early age.  Then remind them before venturing out of the house how & why to stay nearby so as not to get separated.  Sometimes children get lost because they simply wander off after being told to wait or to stay near by.    

Delayed Gratification teaches children about patience and self-control and parents can teach this in a number of ways.  We started with introducing self-control to our children (twins) early on are through old fashioned table manners.  Basically once food is placed in front of the children or on the table they exercise some self-control. Our children have been taught to wait until everyone is seated & ready to eat before they touch or even taste their food.  If children want a new toy, have them earn it by doing some chores.  Our children earn poker chips during the week based on behavior, self-discipline, respect, self-control and responsibility.  They earn privileges such as watching their favorite show or a new toy by turning in the poker chips they earned.  This is the concept of dinner before desert.  Self-Control is like a muscle the more it is exercised the stronger it gets.  Having children experience delayed gratification is difficult to teach in the short term yet is extremely beneficial in the long term.  However hard, parents must be consistent and their is no better way than to teach self-control than parents leading by example.  

Another great way for parents to teach children about listening & following directions are playing games such as red light green light.  After they get the idea of the game “practice” through calling out to go & stop while playing.  Make it fun!  It’s also a “teachable moment” which will come in handy when needed, such as calling out “stop” to a child chasing a ball rolling into the street. The other day while our children were running around & playing we practiced calling out STOP!  Then GO!  This taught them that while playing in an excited state of mind they were able to shift mindset quickly & listen instantly.   

Children Protect themselves with their knowledge.  Self-defense is about learning what to do before it is ever needed which can help prevent something dangerous to happen in the first place.  These types of “teachable moments” offer parents the tools they need to keep their children safe.  

Lastly, simply discuss with children about what wondering off is & why it’s important to stay near parents when told to do so.  At TheDOJO our martial arts program teaches children self-control on a weekly basis.  It takes a village to raise a child, we are part of that village to help parents. 

2. Stay Calm & Stay Put

Once children become separated from parents panic may ensue from both parents & children.  Teach children to “Stay calm & stay put”.  Teach them to stay in an area with lot’s of people but near where they saw their parents last.  Also let them know it’s ok to stay put but in a safe place to move out of harms way such as traffic.  If separated briefly, parents will know where to look to find the child.  Also make sure the child knows their parents first name & to call it out loudly rather than just shouting “mom or dad”.  Parents can also establish a meeting place that’s easy to spot for children to go to if they become separated.   Meeting places could be a check out counter or cash register, the DJ stand or announcer/band stand or stage, a security or first aid booth, or a life guard station.  

3. Ask for Help

Teach children how to ask for help & who they should ask for help from.  Obviously teach children to ask for help from a Police Officer, Fireman or Paramedic.  However teaching them to ask for help by a person in a uniform may be the next best thing.  Upon arriving at a destination such as a shopping center, the beach, a carnival or amusement park or town event point out to the child who they would go to for help.  Have them take note of what color & types of uniforms, badges or name tags the Employees, Life Guards, Cashiers, Security Guards are wearing.  Point out places they would go and ask for help at such as the check out counter or cash register, the DJ stand or announcer/band stand, a security or first aid booth, or a life guard station.  It’s also a good idea to point out to children where emergency exits are such as movie theaters or shopping centers just in case a fire or some other emergency.

If these meeting places are not near by then teach children to ask for help from a “mom with children” or a “dad with children”.  Teach them it is ok to ask for help from more then one person as the more attention they can draw to themselves from different people the better.  Children should have memorized their full name, parent’s full name, cell phone numbers of both parents & address.   Teach children that in self-defense there are no rules.  Give an example such as if they become separated from you in a place like a library it’s OK for them to loudly call out your name.   

Here are a list of other ideas for parents:

• Remember what the children are wearing before they leave home so you can quickly give a description for them to be found.  Or take a picture of the children before leaving home.  Also parents stay alert. Distractions such as cell phones, texting & internet surfing can create an opportunity for something dangerous to happen.
• Do your children know to a make a phone call from a cell phone, landline or pay phone?  Teach them how to call 911, how to stay on the line so the call can be traced and to tell the operator what the emergency is.  Also 911 calls are free from a pay phone.
• Write your cell number in your child’s shoe.  Teach them to show it to a grown up if they become separated from you.
• Read safety books to your child that are reassuring, such as The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers ($4; amazon.com). 
• Check out the National Crime Prevention Council web site, www.ncpc.org  Search on their sites “Strangers”, this helps clarify how you can teach children, as they grow, about identifying safe strangers and recognizing dangerous situations.
• Obtain Child Identification Kits offered through local Police Departments & other community organizations.  

For more information about how we teach safety to children please visit our website www.TheDOJO.org

Parents, as a martial arts educator my mission is to teach every child in our community a FREE MONTH of self-defense.  Call me Today to try it FREE.  See why so many other parents have asked us to help them develop confidence, focus, respect, self-control, self-discipline, fitness, and self-defense in their children.  Parents like best that we Unleash Human Potential, give your child that opportunity.

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From,

Sensei Dan Rominski

TheDOJO

 TheDOJO

  52 Park Ave. Rutherford, NJ 07070 USA

(201) 933-3050  www.TheDOJO.org

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Children are educated in fire safety at TheDOJO in Rutherford NJ: a report by Sensei Dan Rominski of self-defense

Teaching Children Fire Safety at TheDOJO in Rutherford, NJ: The Basics

A Martial Arts Education of Intelligent Curriculum at The DOJO
Curated by Sensei Dan Rominski

Get Out & Stay Out When we teach fire safety to children one of the most important lessons is the concept of "Get Out & Stay Out".  Discuss with your children that if they are in a house or building that is on fire they should yell fire to alert others & to immediately "Get Out & Stay Out".  Fires can spread rapidly & we do not want to get trapped inside a burning house or building.  Upon hearing a smoke detector or fire alarm Get Out & Stay Out. Never go back inside for anything such as a toy or pet.  Fireman are good at what they do so leave it to them. Go to Your Family Meeting Place Everyone should have a "Family Meeting Place".  A Family Meeting Place is a place the entire family should know to meet if they need to evacuate a house or building that is on fire, or for any other emergency.  Everyone should know an exact location such as the neighbors front steps or the tree on the neighbors front lawn.  From there call out for help for others to call 911. This saves lives as each year firemen are at risk looking for people in a burning building who are not even in there.  A Family Meeting Place ensures everyone is out safely & at a safe distance from the danger. Preparing an Escape Plan - Plan Your Route At Home In the event of a fire one should escape through the nearest exit.  If that way out is blocked one should have a secondary escape route.  Plan Your Route is to practice fire drills at home of at least two escape routes.  The Fire Escape Plan Game is setting up a series of arrows marking the way out for children to follow as they practice home fire drills.  Role play some scenario's to best prepare for escaping.  Parents pretend to sound the alarm from different parts of the house such as while sleeping in bed to familiarize children with various ways to escape.  Have alternate routes.  In one scenario a child can practice escaping from sleeping in their bedroom.  They can follow hand drawn arrows on pieces of paper on the floor leading to a primary & secondary exit.  Make it more realistic by having a route unexpectedly marked with a drawing of a fire so the child will need to change course & find another way out.  Closed doors can also be marked with drawings of a fire so children learn how to properly feel a door before they open it & to change their route if needed.  Ultimately the goal is to exit the home & go to your Family Meeting Place. When Not at Home:  In a movie theatre, restaurant, school, hotel, mall, a friend or relative's house or any unfamiliar setting always make a mental note upon entering where the nearest exit is & a secondary exit. In the event of any kind of emergency when you'll need to get out quickly you'll have an escape plan ready.  Even while on vacation establish a family meeting when staying over somewhere that is not your home. Preparing an Escape Plan - Plan Your Route At Home In the event of a fire one should escape through the nearest exit.  If that way out is blocked one should have a secondary escape route.  Plan Your Route is to practice fire drills at home of at least two escape routes.  The Fire Escape Plan Game is setting up a series of arrows marking the way out for children to follow as they practice home fire drills.  Role play some scenario's to best prepare for escaping.  Parents pretend to sound the alarm from different parts of the house such as while sleeping in bed to familiarize children with various ways to escape.  Have alternate routes.  In one scenario a child can practice escaping from sleeping in their bedroom.  They can follow hand drawn arrows on pieces of paper on the floor leading to a primary & secondary exit.  Make it more realistic by having a route unexpectedly marked with a drawing of a fire so the child will need to change course & find another way out.  Closed doors can also be marked with drawings of a fire so children learn how to properly feel a door before they open it & to change their route if needed.  Ultimately the goal is to exit the home & go to your Family Meeting Place. When Not at Home:  In a movie theatre, restaurant, school, hotel, mall, a friend or relative's house or any unfamiliar setting always make a mental note upon entering where the nearest exit is & a secondary exit. In the event of any kind of emergency when you'll need to get out quickly you'll have an escape plan ready.  Even while on vacation establish a family meeting when staying over somewhere that is not your home. Preparing an Escape Plan - Plan Your Route At Home In the event of a fire one should escape through the nearest exit.  If that way out is blocked one should have a secondary escape route.  Plan Your Route is to practice fire drills at home of at least two escape routes.  The Fire Escape Plan Game is setting up a series of arrows marking the way out for children to follow as they practice home fire drills.  Role play some scenario's to best prepare for escaping.  Parents pretend to sound the alarm from different parts of the house such as while sleeping in bed to familiarize children with various ways to escape.  Have alternate routes.  In one scenario a child can practice escaping from sleeping in their bedroom.  They can follow hand drawn arrows on pieces of paper on the floor leading to a primary & secondary exit.  Make it more realistic by having a route unexpectedly marked with a drawing of a fire so the child will need to change course & find another way out.  Closed doors can also be marked with drawings of a fire so children learn how to properly feel a door before they open it & to change their route if needed.  Ultimately the goal is to exit the home & go to your Family Meeting Place. When Not at Home:  In a movie theatre, restaurant, school, hotel, mall, a friend or relative's house or any unfamiliar setting always make a mental note upon entering where the nearest exit is & a secondary exit. In the event of any kind of emergency when you'll need to get out quickly you'll have an escape plan ready.  Even while on vacation establish a family meeting when staying over somewhere that is not your home.

Have a Fire Ladder Every bedroom should have a Fire Ladder.  Bedrooms may have one door & one or more windows.  If the bedroom door is the primary escape route but is blocked by a fire then the window may become the secondary escape route.  For rooms on a second floor or higher have a Fire Ladder in every bedroom or playroom. On higher levels this makes using the window as an escape route much safer & practical.  The Fire Ladder can be stored in a closet or under a bed & can be purchased at home improvement stores where fire safety devices are sold.  Crawling Low in Smoke: Heat rises & smoke accumulates higher up in a room so when necessary crawl under the smoke on your hands & knees.  If the smoke makes seeing difficult keep a hand on the wall & follow it until one comes upon a door or window that can be used as an exit.  While traveling some hotels can have long hallways of similarly looking doors.Exit signs are high up & smoke can block them making the bottoms of the door the most visible part but not helpful if the all look the same.  A good practice is to count the doorways to a fire exit or fire stairwell to know which door leads to the way out.  Also when booking a hotel room fire ladders may only reach about 100 feet high or about 7 stories.  Try to book a low room.  However inspect that the hotel has a working sprinkler system, working smoke detectors & two fire stairwells.  Also create a family meeting place while staying away from home.  Your home may have working smoke detectors but does the family or friends house you are visiting have them?  When staying over take note.   Feel the Door Before Opening It : Before opening a door first make sure it's safe & that a fire is not on the other side.  Feel the door as high up as you can reach with the back of your hand.  if it's hot don't open the door & find another way out.  Be sure to have Fire Ladders in bedrooms that are high up.  This can make the use of a window as a secondary escape route a safer one. Smoke Detectors & Carbon Monoxide Detectors Install Smoke Detectors & Carbon Monoxide Detectors on every floor including the basement.  They should also be within ten feet of every bedroom & test them monthly & when returning from vacation.  While away on vacation the unit with a low battery alert chirp or beep may go off while no one is home to hear it.  The battery can die before returning & no one would know.  In this case no one would know the batteries would need replacing.  Also use the "Change Your Clocks Change Your Batteries" practice to keep smoke & carbon monoxide detectors operating correctly.  Install carbon monoxide detectors & even smoke detectors inside bedrooms as well.  Replace the actual smoke detector every seven years & carbon monoxide detector every five years to ensure proper operation.  When you install them label the detectors with the date you purchased them so you know when to replace them. Change your Clocks, Change Your Batteries When changing your clocks twice a year for Daylight Savings in the Spring & Fall it's a good practice to also at that time change the batteries in smoke & carbon monoxide detectors.  This is a great reminder. Fire Extinguishers  Have a fire extinguisher on every level of a house including the basement, garage & even your automobile.  According to the Rochester Fire Department: Fire extinguishers used properly can be effective against small fires. There are certain conditions that you must follow before attempting to use an extinguisher: 1First, know how to use the fire extinguisher before an emergency. There is no time to try to read the instructions on its use during a fire. 2Alert someone to call 911 to alert the fire department. Depending on your occupancy, alerting others may be done by pulling a local alarm box if you have this type of alarm system.  3Make sure you have the right fire extinguisher for the class of fire, and that you have an exit to your back in which to escape.  DON'T put a fire between you and an exit in which to escape. 4Use the "PASS" word as a reminder for using the fire extinguisher: ◦Pull the pin out (this will break the plastic seal used to hold the pin in). ◦Aim at the base of the fire with the nozzle, or hose. ◦Squeeze the levers together to discharge the extinguisher. ◦Sweep the fire from side to side while aiming at the base of the fire. The Classes of Fires * Class A: Ordinary combustibles such as wood, cloth, and paper. * Class B: Flammable liquids such as gasoline, kerosene, oil, and oil-based paint. * Class C: Energized electrical equipment such as a TV, computer, stereo, etc. * Class D: Combustible metals such as magnesium. Basic Types of Fire Extinguishers  *ABC Dry Chemical:  Multipurpose type, useful for class A, B, and C fires. *Carbon Dioxide: Useful on class B and class C fires *Water: Used only on class A fires *ABC Dry Chemical: Fire extinguishers are the best type to purchase for the home. If you have a fire, get out and stay out, and call 911 from a neighbor's house.  Stop, Drop, Roll & Cover Your Face Fire Hazards Eliminate fire hazards.  Use Extension cords for temporary use & don't leave them plugged in unattended or run them under carpets & across door ways. Use surge protectors instead of power strips.  Unplug heaters, cooking appliances, irons & other devices after using them & never leave them unattended.   Keep a three foot safety range for children to stay out of while cooking.  Don't leave leave a stove unattended while cooking.  Keep pan & pot handles turned in to prevent hazards.  Never leave a candle in a room unattended.  Never Play with Fire Discuss with children fire safety & review regularly.  Don't allow children to play with matches, candles or lighters & set a good example by using them correctly. Familiarizing Children with Fireman & their Fire Fighting Equipment  Children should get to know how a fireman's equipment operates.  During a fire children can become scared & hide making it difficult for fireman to find them for rescue.  Fireman use respirators that make strange noises & wear protective clothing & masks which can be scaring looking & sounding.  Be sure to have children attend school assemblies during fire prevention month in October & visit open house events at a fire department.  This introduces children to Fireman & their Rescue Gear also seeing a fireman suit up in their gears lets children know that their is a person inside that scary outfit that is there to help them during a fire. We teach Self-Defense to children. Get more information about our Martial Arts Education of Intelligent Curriculum involving Everything Self-Defense at TheDOJO located in Rutherford NJ. Contact Chief Instructor & Owner Sensei Dan Rominski at (201) 933-3050 or email SenseiDan@TheDOJO.org Visit our website www.TheDOJO.org TheDOJO Teaching Children Martial Arts (Karate Judo & Jujitsu) TheDOJO We Teach Martial Arts to Young People, Karate for kids in Rutherford NJ with Sensei Dan We teach punching, kicking, blocking, wrestling & every aspect of the arts of self-defense that we ourselves have studied. It's good stuff & not only are we good at what we do, but every teacher our team is working to improve his or her skills, daily. Speaking of who is teaching, Sensei Dan the Master Teacher & Owner of TheDOJO can be found teaching most every class assisted by instructors.  What we do best is teach children/students, be it children, teens or adults how to overcome obstacles, set goals & work well with others We offer a Free Introductory Course to any parent or individual interested in seeing exactly what we do. Try a free class click here on our website www.TheDOJO.org Some of the Styles Taught at the advanced level:Okinawa Goju Ryu Karate, Shorin Ryu Karate, Judo, Jujutsu (Jiujitsu/JiuJutsu/Jiu-Jitsu), Kendo, Ryu Kyu Kobudo, Muso Shinden Ryu Iaido,, Kung Fu, Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu, Aikido, Reality Based Self Defense Training to name but a few.Contact info: TheDOJO 52 Park Avenue Rutherford, NJ 07070 Phone: (201) 933-3050 Text us for info here: (201) 838-4177 Our e-mail address: SenseiDan@TheDOJO.org Our Facebook page: Like us at TheDOJO or Friend us DanRominski Our youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/DanRominski Our Twitter twitter.com/danrominski Instagram: instagram.com/danrominski A link to where our school is on Google Maps: www.google.com/maps/place/TheDOJO/@40.828037,-74.103237,1... If you live in the Rutherford, NJ area and would like to inquire about our programs, reach out to us at the phone and/or e-mail or text addresses above. -Sensei Dan