Halloween is over, but it keeps getting darker later afternoons. Today, November 3rd, we’ll loose an hour at night after daylight saving time has ended. Here is sunset for some cities across North America. If your place is not on the map, look it up here. Type in the closest big city and then click on the tab “Sun & Moon”! The chances are quite slim that you’ll be home before 5 pm every day, so pedestrian reflectors will come in handy when you walk to and from your car, bus, train, house, work etc. Be bright when it’s dark and you need to cross a street! Our web shop is filled with fun pedestrian reflectors for everyone in the family. Hang reflectors on baby’s stroller, on grandpa’s walker and on jackets and on bags, purses and backpacks for everyone else!
Sunset in major North American cities after daylight saving times starts on November 3, 2013
Here is the full list of sunset for November 3rd, 2013: Boston 4:35 pm Montréal 4:38 pm Anchorage 4:41 pm Chicago 4:42 pm New York 4:50 pm Portland 4:54 pm Denver 4:55 pm Los Angeles 4:58 pm Minneapolis 4:58 pm St. Louis 4:58 pm Toronto 5:05 pm Vancouver 5:05 pm Washington 5:05 pm Calgary 5:06 pm San Francisco 5:09 pm New Orleans 5:11 pm Salt Lake City 5:21 pm Dallas 5:34 pm Phoenix 5:34 pm Miami 5:38 pm Atlanta 5:43 pm Honolulu 5:54 pm
This is the 7th year we celebrate Halloween in the US and I keep being surprised about longs lists of Halloween safety tips that circulates in media. When we look at statistics of what accidents actually happens on Halloween, there is one type that stands out: pedestrian accidents. Cars are the number one threat to trick-or-treaters and sadly, Halloween is the deadliest night all year for kid pedestrians. The graph below shows fatalities per day. Look at October 31st! The threat from cars and drivers is real. For every fatal accident, there are also about 10 seriously injured kids…
Child pedestrian fatalities by day of the year. How long did it take for you to spot Halloween? Klick on the image to get to the original article.
Let’s focus on the most important Halloween safety tips that make a significant difference:
#1 – Be Reflective (The Most Important Halloween Safety Tip!)
Here is what you need to know before buying reflector or reflective tape:
The power of reflectors depends on the reflective power per square inch and the size. A lesser quality reflective material needs a larger surface than a good quality material to reflect equally strongly back to the driver. There is no American standard that takes into account both the material and the surface, so we we follow EN13356, a European standard is for visibility accessories for non-professional use. All funflectors are made with 3M Scotchlite (one of the best reflective material on the market) and fulfill EN13356.
How many reflectors are needed for trick-or-treating?
One reflector can make wonders, but it may just as well be on the “wrong” side of the kid when a car comes by. We recommend at least two, one front and one back or one left and one right. We hang 4-5 on our kids, that’s still cheaper than most co-pays at the ER, less pain and more fun! If you use reflective tape, you also need to make sure it’s enough to be seen from multiple directions.
Safety reflectors increase your visibility the most when you hang them correctly – low and dangling!
#2 – Follow Traffic Rules
Most pedestrian accidents happen in the middle of the block. 1. Cross at intersections. 2. Use sidewalks and avoid busy streets without (or add another 3 reflectors to the outfit if you have to walk there). Practice, practice and practice BEFORE Halloween and supervise if your ghosts and goblins can’t handle it. With ADHD kids, you need to practice even more since they don’t always manage to judge the situation with approaching cars in safe manner. PRACTICE all year around!
#3 – Talk Safety with Kids
Studies shows that while most people talk about Halloween safety with their kids, only 1/3 do it every year. You need to talk about it several times in the weeks leading up to Halloween, not only when the kids are about to head out for trick-or-treating, too excited about costumes and candy to listen.
#4 – Educate Drivers
Here are some very good points from the State Farm Halloween Tips that you need to think about as a driver and talk to with friends and colleagues, especially those who don’t have kids at home. 1. Be alert for children and eliminate in-car distractions (cell phones, music, radio, friends,…) 2. Pull in and out of driveways carefully. 3. Slow down! 4. Practice extra caution at intersections and corners. 5. Discuss these and other driving pointers with your teen driver – or hide the car keys. Drivers ages 15–25 were involved in around one-third of fatal accidents involving child pedestrians on Halloween, according to the study.
— That’s it, Let’s Recap —
1. Use reflectors. If you don’t remember how many you need, just think that there can never be too many. 2. Follow Traffic Rules. You should know them, if not: study! 3.Talk Safety with Your Kids – start a week or two BEFORE Halloween 4. Remind Drivers, especially teen drivers, on being careful and alert every single minute they are in the car. So how about the flash light, tainted candy, ration the kid’s candy, inspecting candy and more? In our opinion, they are well meant, but draws attention from the real danger!
Less bad luck on Friday the thirteenth with funflector safety reflectors!
Whether or not you expect to have some bad luck coming your way this day, we’d like to let you know that we have some really neat stuff to increase your luck not to get struck by a car in the dark! Our funflectors® and are colorful, fun, lightweight and powerful pedestrian safety reflectors. They will work on Friday the 13th and on all other nights too! Buy them in our web shop, get free shipping within the US and hang them on zipper pulls of jackets and backpacks or on bags, purses, strollers, wheelchairs, picnic baskets, dog collars or anything else that is out and about after dusk. It is that simple! The funflector team
We got one warm day with pouring rain and now the temperature is heading south again. At subzero temperatures (Farenheit), sitting inside reading and pinning about walking feels healthier than going out for a walk. New to me is ChiWalking, walking with mixed in elements from Tai Chi, yoga and Pilates, which I will have to try. I also found a lot of interesting research on the benefits of walking that I thought I’d share with you:
Winter walks are fun with good gear (including safety reflectors). Just remember to check temperature and wind chill first.
Here are eight good reasons to start walking as summarized by CNN: 1. A brisk 30 minute walk is good for your heart. 2. Walking lowers breast-cancer risks 3. An afternoon walk helps you sleep better 4. ChiWalking can reduce aches and pains. 5. Walking makes you happy because your body produces more endorphins. 6. Walking keeps you slimmer 7. Walking helps ward off Alzheimer’s disease 8. Walking makes your bones stronger If you are a man and want to lower your lifetime medical bills: start walking! Extreme Longevity reports on a Japanese study that shows that even if walker live longer, they spend less on medical care. Women walkers also live longer, but don’t necessarily save on medical care during their life time. You have a good reason to worry when an elderly friend or relative slows down their walking speed. Walking speed has shown to be a good indicator of life expectancy independent on age, race and height.
Kids need to get moving on weekends as well as on school days to learn and to be able to focus.
Walking is not only good for living long and healthy, walking also helps learning while you are young. If your kid’s school doesn’t have a walk-to-school program, you should start organizing one. A Danish study (in English here) found that students who walk to school learn and concentrate better that those who go by bus or car. In addition, walking keeps the air around schools fresher than cars. Exercising is all about making it a habit. It takes some work to make it a habit, but after a while you notice how good it makes you feel and you’ll miss it when you don’t do it. In summary, it is pretty simple: Open the door and get out. Start slow and short and build up. Get a good pair of shoes. And don’t forget pedestrian reflectors if you get back after dusk. Here are some resources with more details on how to get started: The Mayo Clinic walking advice The Walking Site
Today, January 13th, is the “official” Swedish day for throwing Christmas out the door. Twenty days has passed since Christmas and the Saints’ calendar lists Knut on this day. I’ve enjoyed a couple of days in Lund, an old, cute and not-so-big city in southern Sweden with a lingering Christmas feeling. (I also spotted more bikes than cars and many pedestrian reflectors!)
A pretty Christmas tree is still in place at the Lund town hall on January 10th.
When I left the US, my house was the only one on the block with any signs of Christmas at all. The last official Christmas bank holiday is January 6th, so why the 13th? It turns out that the Knut day, named after a Danish prince who was murdered January 7th, 1131 and declared saint in 1170. During the 17th century, the day was moved to the 13th in the Swedish calendar and as it was already established as the day for cleaning out Christmas, Sweden extended the holidays for a week. Nobody knows why… Please enjoy some pics of a cute town not in a rush to get rid of Christmas quite yet! Here is a link if you’d like to know more about the differences between Swedish and American Christmas traditions – written by an American expat. Elisabeth
LOVE the lights in almost every window of every house! – here with the bonus view of the Lund cathedral.
Lund cathedral from 1145, always with burning candles.
Ginger bread model of the Lund cathedral
Christmas lights in January downtown Lund, Sweden.
This is a small downtown bike parking, full no matter what season it is!
Imagine early morning before sunrise when all is dark. All of a sudden, there is a faint singing in the distance and the doorway is lit up by a woman in a long white gown, wearing a wreath with candles on her head. Lucia, her maidens, and the “star boys” follow and bring light, joyful singing, coffee and sweet saffron rolls.
Saffron Rolls (in a re-purposed Polarn O. Pyret hat)
Christmas and the advent weeks is when we feel the most homesick, but we are lucky to live in Chicago, where the Swedish community is big enough for my kids to participate in one of the many Lucia celebrations. Today, the Chicago Lucia will be at Daley Plaza at 11:30 and in Andersonville, the Swedish neighborhood, in the evening. (See the Swedish American Museum for event details.) We had the pleasure of seeing and hearing three Lucia processions a couple of weekends ago at the Swedish American Museum Christmas Market where we had a funflector booth. It was a joy to see my 10-year old twins as “tärna” (maid) and “stjärngosse” (star boy) and my 13-year-old as Lucia with all their friends from Swedish School. It felt like being back in Sweden with the right music, food and ambiance – and parents taking pictures.
Lucia celebration by the Swedish School in Chicago
The older girls and the Lucia get real candles. They are very focused on standing still…
Photo op in better light and a better view of the “star boys”.
Watch today’s Lucia on Swedish Television. It is available until January 11th, 2013. Enjoy! Elisabeth
We’d like to share some great examples of how quality of life improves when public health workers and the urban planning and transportation offices work together and keep pedestrians and bicyclists in mind.
The North Shore Bike Path through Libertyville, IL has gone from passive to active transportation. It was once a local railroad, now used by bicyclists, runners and dog walkers.
The American Public Health Association and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership has put together a new report (16 MB pdf) with a lot of interesting findings. “Luckily, a small but passionate movement in the United States is happening to create healthier, more connected communities — where there are safe places to walk, bicycle and play, and public transit is within walking distance of home or work. This movement is aiming to ensure that the healthy choice is also the easiest one. …With the growing rate of obesity, the high cost of gas and climate change, we must rethink and reshape our transportation systems and networks to promote active transportation.” Promoting Actice Transportation: An Opportunity for Public Health. Read it for inspiration on how you can influence your community to improve active transporation.
Case studies of Southern California, Columbus (OH) and Houghton (MI)
Every Swede grows up with “There is no bad weather, only bad clothes”. If they don’t get it from their parents, they certainly hear it from teachers all the way from preschool and up. Since kids in preschools and elementary schools go outside every day, they are expected to have rain clothes, boots, snow pants, hats etc on hand all the time. Good gear for bad weather is a must. Active Kids Club wrote about “polar bear moms”, but it is not just moms carrying on this Scandinavian tradition, it is engraved in society.
Good (reflective!) outdoor gear for bad weather.
In other words, drizzling rain is not an excuse for not biking to school or work. So where do you find good gear for all weathers in the US?
This is a guest post that I wrote for the blog The Swedish American Mamma* last year. Thought it would be neat to share here too, since it sums up where we come from. I’m a Swedish mom myself and also work hard to keep our Swedish heritage alive in my children. Scandinavian products help so I’m glad to have found the Swedish American Mamma blog! Another tricky thing is to keep some of the Swedish mindset and attitudes alive. And they can be surprisingly different, for example when it comes to being outdoors or safety.
No matter where in the Scandinavians countries you happen to be, midsummer means long nights that never get really dark. Where there is no midnight sun, dusk blurs into dawn without night in between. This is the time of year that many Scandinavians long for all winter and their love for summer and nature is deeply embedded in the culture. While Americans celebrate the end of the hot summer and a successful harvest with Thanksgiving, Scandinavians celebrate the arrival of spring and new life with music and dances. There are numerous Swedish songs about nature, and most of them are about spring and summer. The hymn “Den blomstertid nu kommer” celebrates the return of the “flower season” and is sung at most last-day-of-school celebrations in early June. Maja’s Alphabet songs, popular with schools and children’s choirs, are all about different plants found in nature. This one is about an ash tree and this one is about poppies.
Typical Swedish American Mamma – go outside every day is vital, no matter what the weather is like.
However, if you think Scandinavians stay inside during the cold and dark half of the year, you have deeply miscalculated their love for the outdoors. My oldest child started daycare in March, a time when there is nothing but wet snow and mud in the Stockholm area. With water proof boots, good snow suits plus vinyl overalls, the kids had a blast in the muddy yard. “There is no bad weather, just bad gear” is a phrase and an attitude that every Swede grows up with. There is a lot of truth in an article about polar bear moms, but I’m not sure we are quite that ambitious every day… In addition to their love for nature, Scandinavians are well known for their creative design. Combine that with the Swedish passion for traffic safety (just think “Volvo”) and you end up with fun colorful reflectors that make you visible to drivers when it is dark. However, the reflectors haven’t always been colorful or fun.
My mom wearing a hard reflector, typical in Sweden until late 1990’s.
When I went to school in the 70’s and 80’s, we all had reflectors. Recently, someone told me that insurance companies handed them out. Reflectors are cheap life savers, so that makes a lot of sense! Those we had were made from hard, clear plastic and came with a string and a safety pin. We pinned them inside our jacket pockets and while out in the dark, they were dangling at knee height to notify drivers about our presence. The strings easily got tangled up with keys left in the pocket and the reflectors made an annoying clanking sound whenever they swung into other things around you. In the late 90’s, 3M launched a patented reflective vinyl foil, that could be turned into colorful, lightweight soft reflectors. All of a sudden, people started to wear reflectors because they looked cool! No longer did they need to be hidden in pockets during day time, so the string was replaced with a short ball chain. A recent poll among Swedes shows that about 90% of kids and 50% of parents wear reflectors. About 30% of the Finns wear them as well. That prevents many nighttime pedestrian accidents!
In America, the concept of hanging reflectors on your jacket, backpack, purse, briefcase, stroller, wheelchair or dog is little known. At Halloween (the biggest danger for kids that night is getting hit by a car), reflective tape is frequently recommended, but how cool is that? So after moving to the US with my three grade school kids, I set out to launch a line of fun reflectors for the North American market under the trademark funflector®. To make it fun and cool to be safe all year around, we work with Swedish designers living in the US, to get the best from both worlds. Enjoy the picture gallery and stay safe!
Elisabeth
* Update 2014: Sadly, the Swedish American Mamma blog is no longer live which is the reason there is no link to it.
When you live abroad with kids, how do you keep your heritage and language alive? In addition to speaking Swedish at home, attending Swedish School and SWEA events, we play a mix of Swedish rock, pop, jazz and classical music and songs for kids in the car. A few days ago, a friend who is a wonderful singer asked me to suggest some CD’s with Swedish songs to sing with her grandkids (age 3 and below) and I thought there might be others out there who’d like to know.
När dagen tagit slut och när nattskjortan är på… – from the song “Kaprifol” (Honeysuckle) of “Majas alfabetssånger”
So here are our personal favorites:
Majas Alfabetssånger – CD and Book Wonderful lyrics with creative and varied music to 26 songs about plants, one for each letter of the Swedish alphabet (almost). A wonderful way not only to share the language and music with kids, but also the love for nature that is so much a part of Swedish culture.
The Mamma Mu songs by Jujja and Tomas Wieslander make great entertainment for little quirky minds. Sing along in the car or at home. Get the packages with CD and booklet with suggestions for motions (“rörelsehäfte”) to go with the songs. The motions make it even more fun but they also help kids connect the words to body parts, motions and everyday toddler activities. “Min lilla kråksång” has the song about ants and moose clapping that I mentioned in the moose blog post last week.
Alice Babs did not just sing with Ulrik Neumann, Svend Asmussen, Charlie Norman and Duke Ellington, but also lent her versatile voice to enchant generations of Swedish kids with a number of records/CD’s. If you’d like a good singer along with the kid’s music, this is better than you can dream of. The much loved Alice Tegnér songs are available in a traditional version from 1963 (Sjung med oss, Mamma) and with a more modern twist from 2003 (Sjung med oss Mamma, vol II). Our favorite, however, is the “Hej du måne”, a collections of songs that take advantage of the range of Alice Babs’ mesmerizing voice. Those songs can be found on the second half of “Den olydiga ballongen” CD.
Lennart Hellsings’ Krakel Spektakel has been around for a while, but the songs are are still going strong. His books and tongue twister lyrics are fun to share and a great source for intriguing discussions with preschool kids. Do you remember “Sudda, sudda” or “Min Ponny” by Gullan Bornemark? She just keeps coming up with lyrics and music that kids love, so there are many, many recordings to choose between. The CD “Klang i Bygget” has mostly newer songs, but also some of the older favorites. The Real Group singing “Hösten hälsar på” is of course a treat. There is also one about moose 🙂 The CD also has tracks with the band but no vocals for those who want to sing along on their own.
Several of the CD’s are available at Amazon.com, but most seem to be out of stock right now. So you might want to pick them up in Sweden during your next trip or ask friends or relatives to send or bring them.
Kerstin Andeby, who composed the music to “Majas alfabetssånger” is now working with Peter Wanngren to create “Musik för barn”, about eight CD’s from Naxos with the 100 most loved children’s songs. Listen to a radio interview here (in Swedish). The two first are about to be released. Something to look out for during future visits to Sweden!
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