Most readers with recent German heritage have likely already figured out what the “school cone” is: a “Schultüte” or “Zuckertüte.” It’s a colorful card stock cone that German children receive on their first day of first grade. It is sometimes as tall as the kid and always stuffed with a mix of useful school supplies – pencils, erasers, a ruler, some fun paperclips, a few safety reflectors for the “Schulranzel” (the school backpack) – and treats like pretzels, granola bars, cookies, candy and maybe an apple.
This time of year, colorful school cones in all sizes are on display in every shop in Germany and also quite popular in neighboring areas of Poland, the Czech Republic and Austria, but not so much beyond. If you are in the US, the German Girl in America blog has tips on where to find them.
German school cones, “Schultüten” on display in a department store in Berlin, 2019. The colorful designs range from solid colors to space ships and ponies.
Back to school safety reflectors for backpacks and book bags
School supplies piled high, schedules checked and papers signed. Getting kids back to school can be daunting, and it is easy to forget all the soft things that are not on the provided supply lists, for example talking with your kids how to handle difficult and dangerous situations or what to do if they see bullying or are the target of it. Strategies and safety tips for how to deal with bullies, strangers and traffic dangers is something every kid should be taught.
1. Tools for Kids to Deal With Bullying
Bullying hurts, emotionally and/or physically, and as if that wasn’t bad enough, it also prevents learning and developing new skills. Take the time to talk with your kids about bullying, how to stand up for others and how they can protect themselves. It’s not always so easy to bring up the topic of bullying with the kids, we found some good tips here on how to talk about bullying. Go here to get strategies for your kids to deal with and prevent bullying. Give them the confidence to stand up for themselves but also to help others who might be the target of bullying.
2. Teach Kids More Than “Stranger Danger”
“Stranger Danger” is easy to tell kids, but it does not give them any tools to deal with creepy, scary and dangerous situations. When doing nothing is not enough, kids need to know what action to take. We like the site ChildSafetyFun.com as it gives kids and parents tools to assess strangers, most of whom are thankfully good people, and take immediate action when they are not. It teaches kids how they can verbally and physically protect themselves and encourages you to practice different situations with your kids.
3. Practice Road Safety With Your Kids
Whether your kids walk or bike to school, or wait for the school bus at the side of the road, they need to understand to take traffic seriously. That goes for teens in middle and high school too! We have mentioned it many times before on this blog, but here is a quick reminder:
Cross streets on crosswalks and at intersections. Most pedestrian crashes (70%) occur in the middle of the block.
Walk on the left side if there is no sidewalk. That way you know what’s going on with the traffic closest to you, and you will have more time to step away if needed.
Wear reflectors from dusk to dawn when walking, biking or running. Cars have rear lights to be seen and it is equally important for anyone not in a car to make themselves seen by drivers. Of all fatal teen pedestrian accidents, 75% happen when it’s dark. Make sure your kids don’t end up as a tally mark in the 2016 crash statistics.
The best way to teach kids how to behave is to practice what you preach. Be a good role model and park the car a block away next time, and use that to practice crossing streets. Especially, teach the kids to watch out for drivers turning “right on red” because those drivers are often only looking to the left… Wear reflectors yourself (you don’t want to become a tally mark either, right?) from dusk to dawn. For those adults who don’t think ninja or kitten safety reflectors are the right style for you, we have some more “neutral” ones too 🙂 The funflector team P.S. And to all parents out there who need to take a deep breath now when kids are back in school: This safety reflector is for you, enjoy!
We are so excited that the 2014 funflector® wholesale catalog is off the press! We hope you are too! It has all our new (and old) designs and our first licensed line of reflectors from the Particle Zoo. New for this year is also an online flip book, (you just need a little bit of patience while it downloads) but we have stocked up with envelopes and stamps and will gladly mail a copy to your store! You can order it here or shoot us an email.
As always in August, I’m in the back-to-school aisles of the big stores wondering what backpacks to get my kids for this school year. Since my third grader uses his backpack as something between a discus and a curling stone, it is pointless paying for “quality.” No matter what, it will look dirty and worn in a couple of weeks, so I end up buying him a generic gray and blue one.
At pickup at day camp this summer, my son discovered that he didn’t have his own backpack, but an identical one. My son’s had been grabbed by another kid, so we ended up going to his house to exchange them. The night before we had removed the reflectors that are normally on my son’s backpack for a much-needed wash. In the morning rush, we of course forgot to put them back.
Had I only followed my own advice that the reflectors are not only for safety, but also a great way for the kids to personalize their bags and jackets… Tomorrow morning it’s time to head for the school bus and my kids have not only picked their school supplies but also some funflector® safety reflectors to make sure they will come home with their own backpacks. They even decorated their lunch bags with safety reflectors!
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