Posts tagged ‘sledding’
How Not to Crash: Safe Sledding Technique for Kids
Sledding is fun, but it only takes one accident to ruin everything. A few simple tips can keep your event safe.
1) Teach kids how to roll out of their sled: Jumping off of a moving sled isn’t intuitive, nor is dragging your feet. These skills need to be taught. Things happen so fast on a sled and before you know it, you’re looking to crash. If your kids like to crash – you know who they are – tell them that rolling from a moving sled is pretty exciting too.
2) Always stand with your front facing the top of the hill: This may seem like a no brainer, but it’s not. I watched two boys nearly get hit because they were goofing off on the hill after their run. They didn’t see a sled coming. Remind kids to get up immediately after a run and stay present to sledders all around them.
3) Always go down feet first: Most sledding accidents happen because kids go down head first. They can’t control the sled on their stomachs and crashing can strain the neck.
4) Wear Helmets: Okay, I don’t require this on my sledding trips, but if you are really concerned about safety, the experts recommend this.
What are you doing to keep your kids safe this winter while sledding, skiing and ice skating?
Diane Schwartz is an Outdoor Education Teacher at Goodman Community Center in Madison, Wisconsin. She is also the Site Coordinator at Schumacher Farm County Park in Waunakee. Register for this blog now and receive your free 11-page Bubble Activity Guide. Thank you for visiting.
Crazy Fun Ice Sledding
What do you get when you take kindergarten and first graders sledding on a very icy hill? Comic relief and crazy fun.
The comic relief came from the kids trying to climb up the icy hill. They’d get so far and then fall down. We all laughed. I actually think the kids liked the challenge because there was a less icy option, but they ignored it. What great exercise.
The crazy fun part was screaming down the hill. This was a fast hill. We had the most fun when we linked all our sleds together and went down as a 7-sled unit. The ride felt like we were on a rollercoaster and the ice made the glide extra long. Now we just need a bit of snow to freshen things up.
If you’d like to try this hill, go to Heistad Park in Madison on Milwaukee Street. It’s the park with the frisbee golf course. Happy winter. Kids love to sled!
Sledding, Nose Bleeds and knowing when it’s time to go
Sledding is a blast in part because it’s just a little bit dangerous.
Today, the hill at Olbrich Park was well worn, pock marked and icy. Half of our 11 kids stayed on the steep part of the hill, while the other half stayed on the gentler side. After one run down the steep side, I too stayed on the gentler side. I felt pretty shook up. So did Rachelle. ”That was freaky”, she said. I had to coax her back on her sled on the gentler side after that first bumpy run. Once she did, she shouted, “Let’s do it again!” That was music to my ears.
Sledding is a creative sport. We made trains with two and three sleds. Kids went down backwards. They doubled up on sleds. They tried going face first, feet first and while standing on their feet like a snow boarder. They were having a great time. It really was a perfect day for sledding with temps in the 20s and a light breeze. Everything was going great until after about 40 minutes.
Suddenly, Margerie shouted, “Jean’s hurt.” Sure enough, Jean, a very hardy first grader, was crying. I ran over and brought her back up to the top of the hill. She had hit a bump hard and bit her lip. Snot and blood was pouring out of her nose and her lip was bloody too. We quickly got her cleaned up and soon she was back on the slopes.
I should have taken this cue and left then. Soon after, Sarah was crying and soon after that, Jean was crying again.
There is a skill to knowing when it’s time to leave. Sometimes I hit it perfect and other times not. It’s always better to leave them wanting for more, then to overstay a visit.
On the bright side, we went back to the Center and had hot cocoa and cookies. That certainly perked Jean up and helped Sarah feel better. Sarah got a pretty good bonk on the forehead.
I always feel bad when kids get hurt on events like this because I think that they wont go sledding again. However, I have to remember how many times I’ve been hurt while sledding and other sports and how that after awhile, you forget the hurts and only remember the fun. Plus, it’s good for kids to learn that a bump or bruise will not kill them. Bumps and bruises happen. It’s part of life. Sledding, like life, isn’t danger free.
Overall, we had a blast sledding. The sledding was fast and great and the kids were great. No one really got hurt… it was just the normal bumps and bruises that sometimes comes with having fun.
