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Safe Halloween Plans -Indoor and Outdoors

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safe #Halloween with Covid-19

October is a month of Fall, enjoying harvests, pumpkins and for children, teens and adults, planning for Halloween. What’s on your social calendar for a spooktacular evening? and do you have safe Halloween plans for indoors or outdoors?

The virus Covid-19 floating around may have a few wondering how to enjoy this annual event. Who doesn’t enjoy seeing the varied and many different costumes our children wear for this special night?

It seems almost like an annual Halloween fashion show and as parents we enjoy those smiles and expressions of joy and fun plus curiosity of experiencing a change of perspective of their world literally without the light except artificial lights.

Personal safety and Indoor Halloween

We have to first keep ourselves, child, teen and adults alike, safe from this virus. We have recommendations of wear masks, social distancing and stay inside if not feeling well. This can bring feelings of loneliness, left out and left behind. Remember, this is only one year and Halloween will return again next year. It’s not the end and shhh! Christmas comes after Halloween too.

Parents can have a back-up plan for

  • Act One could start with a ‘mini monster mash‘ dance in a decorated spooky living room, basement or garage. Have a playlist of Halloween songs and have your dance for an hour or more.
  • Place bowls of candy treats around the room, and drinkables. Maybe invite family members to join the indoor Halloween ‘festivities‘. It could be the start of a whole new family ‘tradition‘.
  • Have a little candy pot your child can carry along to fill up too.
  • Act two, include a movie projector and see the movie in a huge size, on the wall.
  • Find out ahead of time what Halloween movies your child enjoys, or may enjoy. Ask family, friends or neighbors for ideas too.
  • Act three, dad may have to carry the little one to bed before midnight. Parents can do a high elbow tap, a last dance and enjoy their success while on clean-up duty.
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    Payhip digital services platform

    Halloween Mask Tips

    Canadian health professionals have recommended that masks be worn under Halloween masks. I’d add some practical advice too since I’m a parent and understand the excitement of Halloween with children. Last thing we want to do is commit the crime of ‘ruining‘ the fun of Halloween.

    Here are a few ideas that keeps covering the face to a minimum. I don’t think it would be comfortable wearing a full Halloween face mask atop the medical mask, right? Next to wondering, is there enough air to get through for breathing?

    I would suggest that children wear a half mask. Those ones that cover the eyes or even just wear a face painted mask around the eyes along with the medical mask.

    • Can you cut that full face mask to half size? Just cut in a somewhat Vee shape. Keep the nostrils open but nose is covered.
    • Secondly, see if you can enlarge the bottom eye area so your child won’t trip on uneven ground as it gets dark outside. If necessary use black face paint under the eyes so the enlarged eye area doesn’t seem so out-of-place.
    • There are websites that offer FREE mask printables such as The Spruce Crafts and others. Do an online search and check them out.
    • Face paint is another costume idea. This will require some personal design work on your part but again, check online at Youtube or other sites. Pick something that’s interesting but not going to take hours to apply. Not all children have patience to sit quietly for long periods of time, and that’s perfectly normal.

    Outdoor Temperatures

    Today’s weather is unpredictable especially with climate change literally changing our weather patterns. Check the weather channel ahead of time, right up to 15 minutes before heading out.

    Keeping your child warm while running along in chilly weather may help in prevention of getting a cold. I’d recommend that you dress your child in layers. Make it easy to remove a layer of clothing if your child starts overheating. What kind of clothing layers? We can start with the following;

    • an undershirt and longjohns, or use a tank top or tee shirt, and pajama pants under their main clothes.Remember, they will be wearing a costume atop their clothes.
    • A lined vest whether it’s fleece, wool, polyester or feather filled.
    • A wind breaker since these help stop the wind from lowering one’s body temperature.
    • A winter jacket if the temperature is going to drop significantly.
    • A hat to further help keep body heat loss to a minimum.
    • Gloves, again, another layer for added warmth.

    All these layers of outer clothing is easy to put on, or remove. It will require you to carry a tote bag, or back pack for the event of parental supervision during this annual event. Again, it’s all about keeping the health and safety of your child a top priority during this outing.

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    Yard Candy Trail

    One idea that may help with maintaining that ‘social distancing‘ could be designing a ‘trail‘ through your front yard. This will require the following;

    • Use lights attached to stakes to outline a path that’s set in semi-circle shape.
    • Decorate the yard with friendly Halloween decorations and maybe a few spooky ones too hanging around.
    • Add some spooky music, squeaky doors, maniacal laughing, footsteps, howling, sounds or friendly Halloween songs (i.e.,Monster Mash)
    • Set up tables with pots of candy labelled with silly names, newt thighs, batwing skin, etc.

    Supervise visiting children to ensure they get to pick from every pot and keep their distance from each other, and you.

    Oh! make sure you’re wearing a costume too. Dress for the weather. Keep a thick shawl/cape nearby for warmth. Enjoy the parade of costumes, and keep a thermos of hot chocolate or tea nearby.

    Examine the Candy Loot

    I believe some Boomer parents can remember those years when their own parents, sat at the table and examined candy spilled out on the table. Some may have wondered why and others may have known. It was a time when it was discovered that certain types of candy were hiding items that caused injuries to the child.

    I can remember that homemade candy items were removed. This due to news reports of food poisoning, sharp items, or allergies. Any treat that was homemade or suspiciously ‘open‘ were immediately removed.

    Who would do such a thing to children? I don’t think anybody was ever caught but the fact remains, Halloween treats were being used to hide items that could seriously hurt children.It takes a certain level of malice to want to hurt children.

    Parents should always check the candies that their child(ren) have brought home. Let your neighbors who do make handmade sweets drop them off directly to your home rather than it arriving anonymously.

    Halloween is a yearly fun event for children, teens and adults. Small and young children should be accompanied by a parent or elder siblings. This duty to prevent bullying and candy theft from other children or youths but also child abductions. Extreme thought? As a parent, safety should always be a priority.

    Let’s keep Halloween a fun and safe activity for all our children, and remember, don’t eat too much candy. Enjoy your safe Halloween!

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    Learning in Motion

    Halloween fun with DIY decor

    Reading Resources

    Free Halloween Mask Printables

    75 Fun and Easy DIY Halloween Costumes your Kids will love

    30 Best Easy Halloween Face Paint Ideas That Even Unartistic Parents Can Attempt


    I hope you found this article informative and gained some new insight. Please feel free to Share with others! and leave comments. Use the ‘Ask a Question’ form to make a request on a topic of your own interest. I hope you visit again for more informative articles coming soon. Stay safe!

    Article(C)2021 An Informal Cornr, all rights reserved. Ginsense writes articles on business, health, science, technology, society and enjoys advocating for independence, security and a better world for all of us






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    What is Home Safety worth to you?

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    home security, home safety, family safety, crime prevention

    Please Note: this article does contain Affiliate links offering monetary compensation. Please refer to the Disclosure policy for more details.

    Society can be found with crimes occurring every few minutes. Reports such as the Uniform Crime Report, done by the FBI in the USA, and UCR Survey from Statistics Canada, provides us with some insight, and, the degree of occurrence with the various crimes. Luckily, we can take proactive action, and help prevent, becoming part of these reports. How can we start our own home safety plans?

    Security at Home

    Changes can be done for improving safety measures, in our homes. One plan could start with building a ‘safe room’ aka a ‘panic’ room. These can be specially built, to provide a safe zone during a home invasion, withstand unpredictable weather, and, terror alerts. These types of home additions are becoming popular, and, considered to increase your home value.

    Basic supplies for your safe room may be simple such as food, water, medications, lighting, an extra telephone, and, bedding. We have no idea how long the duration to stay sheltered may be needed but at least, with the most basic survival needs at hand, safety can be maintained.

    Adding High Tech Security

    The use of high technological security tools, can be a second line of defense, for home and personal safety. Purchasing hidden cameras that appear as ordinary home objects such as a fan, telephone, pen, or, clip-on button, are available. These can provide audio and video monitoring, and, may include tracking capabilities, for home or personal safety use.

    Other tools are available such as GPS monitoring and real-time tracking systems, vehicle dashboard cameras, peep-hole cameras that allow you to see the other side of a door, outdoor yard cameras, with and without, night vision capabilities.

    smart home security, home security, security tools, shop security tech

    Why and how would I pay the high costs of such equipment?

    The price numbers that fly around in our minds, make the idea of purchasing such equipment seem impossible, or, unattainable. Now, who says you need everything, all at once? We have to learn to break that seemingly unattainable vision down- to manageable goals.

    Purchasing a nanny cam for home use, helps monitor our children, elderly parents, our youths and ‘nannies or caregivers’. A purchase could also include an infrared motion detector with night vision, and alert, for home security against intruders.

    The use of high technology such as infrared motion detectors, alarms, audio and video storage abilities, GPS satellite technology, and built into ordinary objects, does come with costs. Safety of our children and family members, is a shared priority in good parenting practices. We don’t always have to depend on a windfall, the lottery ticket, or, family IOU plans.

    Explore the world of Side Gigs

    The internet opens the door to beyond our town or city. This has opened a huge field for new business ideas and a few of those involve allowing people to sign up for ‘gigs aka side hustles’, and earn some money! such as the following:

    Lyft, Uber, offering cab services with your vehicle
    Rover, providing dog sitting or walking services
    Financial assistance, bookkeeper, accountant and tax preparation
    Gigwalk, small tasks assistance by phone app (i.e.,photo inside local store)
    Moving Service, offer home moving services weekends only, good with your own truck

    A few examples and true stories, to consider for raising funds. These do not have to be long-term goals but can prove useful enough, to earn extra monies towards purchasing your home security needs, or, future plans, for building your own safe room, can now become a reality. It will take time, effort and commitment.

    Setup your Plan and Goals

    The safety of our family members does not have a price tag attached. As parents, we do our best to keep them safe but sometimes, just a little more effort and know-how, can provide an extra layer of security, with access to home and personal safety tools.

    Explore various Home security vendors, and check out their products, in home security tools available to the public. These can prove to be helpful and affordable, to start your plans for building  your home and personal safety.

    Visit the sites, check out their products and start writing a wish list, the price, how many, and, then the total. Write down a second wish list for future goals under the first list. Again, add it all up for the total. Sit back and ask yourself, ‘can I manage this on my own work pay?‘ If help is needed, sign up for one of the above listed ‘Gigs’ or find other gig ideas online, yes, there are more!

    Secondly,  regarding your side hustle. You must learn to allow negotiating a fair price for your Gig services. We don’t want to rob people with prices set too high.  Friendly negotiations for a fair price may result in having word-of-mouth advertising, and people saying, ‘s/he’s a GREAT person to ask for help’.

    Lastly, figure out how many gigs to raise $ XXX.XX amount of dollars. Check out the sample illustration, to see potential results when you create your own side hustle/Gig forms, for your planning. Imagine the possibilities!

    gig tracker form sample, gig sample, sample gig form graphic, side hustle, earn money gigs

    Lastly, the biggest question remains. How good can we keep a secret about the safety measures taken, to protect your family? shhh! I won’t say anything. Visit your Home security provider of choice today, and start your wish list!

    Learning in Motion

    Extra Reading

    Aetoseye – A SafetyKart Initiative

    Safewise

    Neighborhood Watch

    I hope you found this article informative. Please feel free to leave your comments and SHARE with your Friends. Use the ‘Ask a Question’ form and request a topic of your own interest for the next Post!

    AIC| An Informal Cornr, all rights reserved. Ginsense writes articles on business skills, development, health, science, technology, society, and enjoys advocating for independence, security and a better world for all of us. She is also a VEA available for Hire 🙂

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    Learning Inboard Thunderboat Circuits

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    thunder-boat-races
    speeding-thunderboat

    The contest of speed can be found in many sports such as running, driving, sailing, riding, etc. This includes the world of boats aka Thunder boat races.

    There are risks involved when participating directly in these types of races but a regulatory organization can usually be found, and strict safety measures in place. Can you imagine being a pilot in a high speed boat race?

    Science behind Speed

    Hydrodynamic ‘lift‘ increases when the speed of a hydroplane boat increases.. Water is used for lift, propulsion and steering, rather than for buoyancy. A high speed boat used in the ‘Inboard circuits‘ refers to hydroplanes that race on inland waters such as lakes and rivers. These are usually built as a light speedboat with a shaped bottom which helps lifts the hull out of the water at high speeds.

    The use of different hulls will give each boat a different outcome but speed

    Thunder boats ride on fluid not on solids, and they use aerodynamic, hydrodynamic, and propulsive forces. Attention to wind gusts and waves are also used. One must know the science of Physics involved and usually designers of such boats are Engineers.

    Tweaking the Designs of Hydroplaning

    A few shared features found on hydroplanes, is their ‘flat run aft‘. This refers to the near flat hull that runs in a near straight line from front to back (aft to stern) of the boat. The shape of the hull will cause the water into a ‘downward‘ flow creating an upward force, and mixed with speed, causes the vessel to ‘plane‘.

    Most hydroplanes will have short ‘wings‘ called ‘sponsons‘ which uses the science of hydrodynamics, and helps the boat stay stabilized during ‘take off and landing‘. Sponsons are considered a main element in the over all design of this particular boat.

    A second detail that can be found, is an adjustable ‘canard‘ wing which is placed between the sponsons. This helps raise and lower the sponsons in/out of the water for easier maneuverability with controlling speed and turning corners.

    Most boats are built as ‘3 Point’ design meaning only 3 sections touch the water and this refers to the rear of the sponsons and propellor. Boat designers have learned that the less resistance in water attained meant more speed.

    Other boats may use a hydrofoil design similar to an ‘air foil‘, which refers to ‘any surface that’s designed to help lift or control an air craft‘ and usually attached beneath the hull, which also helps lift the boat out of the water, when it’s moving forward, and helps reduce hull ‘drag‘. These can be quite expensive to have added to one’s boat.

    racing thunder boats
    racing thunderboats

    Noise Factors of Thunder boat Racing Circuits

    A noise factor occurs when attending a Grand Prix race car event and this can also be found when attending a hydroplane race. This is due to the engine designs used ranging from actual airplane engines to ordinary car engines and usually all liquid cooled V-12 engines.

    The noise factor earned hydroplanes the nick name of ‘Thunderboats‘ and ‘Dinoboats‘. Today, some engines have incorporated the use of helicopter engines. These particular types of engines help the hydroplane easily enter the ‘planing‘ realm and apply the ‘power-to-weight‘ ratio to gain acceleration from velocity of their boat and overcome the forces of gravity and drag.

    Turbine engines from airplanes and helicoptors are favored and used in building these particular race boats. These engines basic function is bring air into the engine, through a compressor and increase up to 3-12 times, it’s original pressure.

    This helps propel the hydroplane with speeds up to 200 mph and still standing, record breaking speed, of 288.6 mph, by Ken Warby.

    turbine engine -thunderboats
    plane turbine engine for Thunderboats

    A Course and the Circuit

    A hydroplane racing event usually provides a course, that has the boats running in an oval shape for 4-6 laps around.

    Food and gift vendors, music, along with beer gardens are available next to regular business sections of the hosting township.

    Spectators can meet with boat crews, the pilot and viewings of boats. Some may even get opportunities to ride in one of the speed boats. Seating of spectators is provided for the most optimum viewing.

    One that’s on water rather than tarmac. You may think you’ve gone to a car race till you see those boats flying across the water, and noisy as car races.

    Early Days of High Speed Boat Racing

    The early beginnings of hydroplane racing had high fatalities of the driver aka the ‘pilot‘ due to their boat ‘flipping‘. Today, there is a process that must be followed that ‘builds the skills and experience‘ of a new driver, slowly, and assure that knowledge of all rules and regulations is in place.

    This is to help protect the life of the pilot though accidents cannot be foreseen and high risk is known. People still enter these races hoping to break records, win titles, enjoy the camaraderie of a team, enjoy the over all thrill of driving an extreme speed boat.

    Check around your area to see if you have a Hydroplane race coming up or where your nearest one is being hosted. Experience a race that’s far different, though somewhat similar, from a car race.

    Enjoy Thunderboats at Home

    We can still enjoy the thrill, beauty and wonder of Thunderboats at home. There are computer boat racing games that can be found online, and race against other players aka multi-player sites.

    Model kits are available to build replicas of Thunderboats from days of Yore and boats from recent years. There’s also Remote Control boats available for ‘racing‘ in a small pond or backyard pool. Check online or your nearest RC model stores.

    Lastly, there is a Museum, The Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum. It’s considered as ‘the nation’s primary resource for historical and educational information on hydroplane racing‘. They have memorabilia from the ages of this type of racing, along with vintage and restored original Thunderboats, and information about the many ‘Pilots‘ of famous winners and their Thunderboat. Visit their site for Virtual visits and information.

    Learning in Motion 

    Extra Learning Resources

    RCU Forums -Thunderboats

    Absolutely Free Boat Plans

    2022 Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Schedule

    The Aerodynamics of Unlimited Hydroplanes

    20 Surprising Things Most People Don’t Know About Speed Boats

    I hope you enjoyed this article. Please feel free to Share with your friends and family, and leave your comments. Use the ‘Ask a Question‘ form to make your own requests on a topic of interest.

    AIC| An Informal Cornr all rights reserved. Ginsense creates and posts articles online about business development, second income idea’s, health, science, technology and society.

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