You can make any outdoor activity entertaining and safe for your kids by checking equipment for potential hazards and following some simple safety guidelines. Teaching your kids how to play safely is also important: if they know and follow the rules, they're less likely to get hurt.

Adult supervision can help prevent injuries by making sure kids properly use any equipment and don't engage in any unsafe behavior around it. If an injury does occur, an adult can assist the child and administer any needed first aid right away.

Baby, it's hot outside!

First step: protect your sunshine from the sun. Pay special attention to the local weather report for the heat/UV index rating each day. Anything over six is considered high, and that is a good reason to avoid spending prolonged periods outside, especially between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm.

Be liberal with the sunscreen. For kids age 6 months and older, slather on a sunscreen with at least SPF 30 and titanium dioxide. Ideally, it should go on about a half hour before you head outside and be reapplied every hour, even if it's waterproof. Avoid exposing babies under 6 months to direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time; apply sunscreen to small exposed areas like face and arms (avoiding the fingers). Block the sun with lightweight clothing and shade.

Pick up a pair of children's sunglasses. Besides looking adorable, they protect your child's eyes from UV damage. Look for lenses that block 100 percent of UV light and are made of impact-resistant material.

Push fluids. Offer infants breast milk or formula more frequently and encourage older kids to drink as much as they can. Water is preferred, though diluted juice is okay as well. If your toddler is playing outside, have him/her take a zippy cup break every half hour or so.

Hidden park hazards

No summer is fun without a slide, a few swings, and something to climb on. Yet faulty equipment, improper surfaces, or careless behavior are just a few of the hazards of playgrounds — each year, more than 200,000 kids are treated in hospital ERs for playground-related injuries. Many of these could have been prevented with the proper supervision.

When you arrive at the playground, give the area a once-over. If the slides are metal, make sure they're not too hot and look out for any sharp ends that can be harmful. As for those pushy big kids, expect small collisions now and then — it's all part of the adventure. More worrisome is when your explorer falls from a height higher than her own. If she hits her head, look for bleeding, vomiting, or a sudden onset of sleepiness; if you've got a feeling she's just not acting right, run to emergency.

Bone fractures aren't always easy to identify right away, so watch for an inability to move her arm or leg, swelling, or crying that won't stop.

Kids love to spend hours running around the splash pads. Make sure they wear appropriate clothes and shoes to get wet. Never let your kids go in underwear or barefoot to such places since these are public areas where sharp trash may be left on the ground..

Water is fun... but be extremely cautious!

Pools, lakes, and beaches mean summer fun and cool relief from hot weather. But water also can be dangerous for kids if you don't take the proper precautions. Nearly 1,000 kids across Canada die each year by drowning. And most of these accidents occur in home swimming pools. Kids need constant supervision around water — whether they know how to swim or not, and if they are in a bathtub, a swimming pool, or at the beach.

Close adult supervision —meaning close enough to touch— at any size pool and at any swimming level is the key. Young children are especially vulnerable — they can drown in less than 2 inches (6 centimeters) of water. That means drowning can happen where you'd least expect it — the sink, buckets, inflatable pools, or rain barrels. Always watch children when they're in or near any water. And don't assume that a child who knows how to swim isn't at risk for drowning.

For kids younger than 5 years old, choose a vest with a strap between the legs and head support — the collar will keep the child's head up and face out of the water. Inflatable vests and arm devices such as water wings are not effective protection against drowning.

Do not drink the water! Sounds like a no-brainer rule, but you'd be surprised how many tots consider that a plastic pool is the ultimate tea party. Those swimmer diapers do a good job at containing waste, but hold off if your little one has diarrhea. At day's end, empty the pool and turn it over.

There's nothing like splashing all day long in your own personal blow-up pool, but even the cutest can turn gross if left too long. After one afternoon's dip, it can become a bacteria hotbed, increasing the risk of urinary, skin, and gastrointestinal infections.

At the beach teach kids never to swim alone. Using the buddy system means there's always someone looking out for you. Make sure your kids understand that swimming in a pool is different from swimming in a lake or the ocean — there are different hazards for each.

Head into the water near a lifeguard tower, and always check the current conditions before you go in. Hold your little dipper's hand as he gets his feet wet and stay close to shore. Tell older kids that if they're caught in a rip current or undertow, it is very important not to panic; they should swim parallel to the shore or should tread water and call for a lifeguard's help. Don't allow them to swim in large waves or undertows, and tell them never to stand with their back to the water because a sudden wave can easily knock a child over.

Sand, even though so soft and squishy, can sizzle little feet as well as irritate the mouth and eyes when it becomes airborne. Encourage your kids to wear sandals or water shoes, especially on extra-hot days. Keep an eye out for taste-testing, throwing, or blowing sand. If the sand gets in his mouth, do what you can to rinse it or wipe it out. For sand in the eyes, try to flush them with fresh water. If your child is still rubbing after an hour, seek medical attention to be sure there are no scratches or particles left under the eyelid.

Shells and rocks are fun to hunt, but can cause big-time boo-boos, and small ones can be easy-to-overlook choking hazards. Shoes go far here as well, but let's face it, some kids just love going barefoot. Watch out for weeds and grass that could entangle a leg or arm. If your child gets a cut, just head to the bathroom to wash it out with soap and water, and cover it with a bandage to prevent infection.

The stings of jellyfish can be painful, so tell kids to avoid them in the water and to tell an adult right away if they're stung.

Safe riding adventures

Helmets and other protective gear should be used for anyone in your family when riding bikes, scooters, skates or skateboards. Many bike accidents involve a head injury, so a crash could mean permanent brain damage or death for someone who doesn't wear one while riding. To protect against brain injury, make sure your kids wear a correctly fitting helmet on every ride.

A bike helmet fits well if it sits level on the head, isn't tilted forward or backward, has strong wide straps that fasten snugly under the chin, and is tight enough so that after fastening, no sudden pulling or twisting could move it around.

Also teach children rules of the road such as safely crossing streets.

Poison ivy can grow anywhere

And it's so hard to identify. There are several types of poison ivy, and each one can look different depending on the time of year.

It is possible to get a rash from poison ivy without ever venturing into the woods or directly touching a plant. Kids can pick it up from other person or even from pets, in the playgrounds, in the backyard, or at the water parks.

To avoid getting a rash, teach your kids how to identify poison ivy, oak, and sumac, so they can steer clear of them (they should be especially careful of plants if the leaves look shiny); avoid areas where you know there's poison ivy; wear long sleeves and long pants in areas where poison ivy might grow.

If your child comes in contact with poison ivy, remove his clothes immediately and wash him down with soap and water. You might avoid a reaction if you act fast (within ten minutes). More likely, you won't even know he had a run-in, and you'll just see the rash, which typically develops within a week. In that case, you can apply an anti-itch cream for a mild case; a more severe reaction may require a visit to the doctor.

Bug bites and stings

They can cause infections that require treatment and allergic reactions that can be serious, even fatal. Parents should know the signs of an infection or allergic reaction, and when to get medical attention. Inform all caregivers if a child has any history of complications so they know what to do in the event of a bug bite or sting.

Spiders love hanging around in most of the outdoors, and some do bite. There's not much you can do to avoid them, and most spiders aren't harmful. If one chomps on your kid you'll likely see a local reaction: redness, itching, and swelling. Wash the area with soap and water, apply a warm compress for a few minutes, then dab on hydrocortisone cream, and cover with a bandage to prevent itching and infection.

Don't forget to shake out clothing or blankets in case any creepy crawlies try to hitch a ride.

A bee will leave behind a stinger attached to a venom sac. Try to remove it as quickly as possible. Wasps don't leave their stingers in the skin after stinging, which means they can sting more than once.

Wash the area carefully with soap and water. Apply an ice pack wrapped in a cloth or a cold, wet washcloth for a few minutes. For pain and itching, give an over-the-counter antihistamine. You could also apply a corticosteroid cream or calamine lotion to the sting area.

A sting anywhere in the mouth warrants immediate medical attention because stings in oral mucous membranes can quickly cause severe swelling that may block airways. Also get medical care if you notice a large skin rash or swelling and pain around the sting site for more than 3 days.

Seek medical help right away if you notice wheezing or difficulty breathing, tightness in throat or chest, swelling of the lips, tongue, or face, dizziness or fainting, nausea or vomiting --any of this symptoms may indicate a serious or potentially life-threatening allergic reaction.
Mosquitoes. These pesky, disease-carrying guests are often on the scene when you're chilling outside, especially near water or when the sun's going down. To protect your little ones against mosquitoes and other insects (like ticks), try to keep them indoors at dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active. Use screens on doors and windows to keep insects from entering your home.

If it's possible, wear white or neutral colours, long-sleeved shirts and long pants whenever you are outdoors. Because mosquitoes can bite through thin clothing, spray clothes with insect repellents. For children, choose a product that contains no more than a 10-30% concentration of DEET. Repellents with picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus also offer long-term protection.

Enjoy a safe summer with your kids!