WATER SAFETY Keep kids safe around water this summer! 1) An adult should actively watch children at all times while they are in a pool. For infants and toddlers, an adult should be in the water and within arm’s reach, providing “touch supervision.” Put your child in swim lessons. Children can learn to swim as young as 3 years old! 2) Water wings go by many names - floaties, arm bands, swimmies, side wings, etc. - but they all have similar design construction. They are inflatable plastic bands worn around the upper arm that provide mild flotation assistance for uncertain young swimmers. It is important to note that water wings are not a lifesaving device and should not be worn as a substitute for a Coast Guard Approved Life Jacket. Children using any type of floatation device should have a parent with-in arms reach at all times. 3) Do not swim during thunder & lightning. Lightning is attracted to water. Be safe, go inside and wait for the storm to pass. The YMCA of the USA is the leading organization on water safety and leads the way on policies/procedures of clearing pools when there is a storm in the area. FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ® FOR HEALTHY LIVING FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ALWAYS HERE FOR YOU G. CECIL PRUETT COMMUNITY CENTER FAMILY YMCA pcy.ymcaatlanta.org www.ymcaregistration.com www.facebook.com/CantonYs a newsletter for Y members and volunteers July 2016 INDEPENDENCE DAY AT THE Y Interesting facts about the 4th of July We celebrate American Independence Day on the Fourth of July every year. We think of July 4, 1776, as a day that represents the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America as an independent nation. • July 4, 1776 wasn’t the day that the Continental Congress decided to declare independence (they did that on July 2, 1776) • It wasn’t the day we started the American Revolution either (that had happened back in April 1775) • It wasn’t the day Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence (that was in June 1776) • Not the date on which the Declaration was delivered to Great Britain (that didn’t happen until November 1776). Or the date it was signed (that was August 2, 1776) So what DID happen on the Fourth of July? The Continental Congress approved the final wording of the Declaration of Independence on July 4,1776. They had been working on it for a couple of days after the draft was submitted on July 2 and finally agreed on all of the edits and changes. When did July 4 become a holiday? For the first 15 or 20 years after the Declaration was written, people didn’t celebrate it much on any date. Celebrations of the Fourth of July became more common as the years went on. In 1870, almost a hundred years after the Declaration was written, Congress first declared July 4 to be a National Holiday as part of a bill to officially recognize several holidays, including Christmas.