Homeschool Garden Club – The Heat Is On!

Gardens and gardeners struggling with the heat! This week we have all been talking about how to stay cool in our garden space. Lucky many of you have portable gazebos and these are up, shade dens have been made and the paddling pools are full.

I loved the story of the dog jumping in and wallowing there like a hippo. If I was a dog - I would too this week!

I am keeping cool by getting up early to do my gardening and watering. I garden in the shade and follow the shadow of the house around as I work. I don’t like to spend too much time out in the bright hot sun between 10.00am and 3.00pm, as I burn very easily. I am also using some Japanese technology to stay cool. It is woven fabric that cools when you snap it. I was given it by one a learner two years ago and it is brilliant at keeping me cool. I would also recommend one other thing to stay cool - make sure you have lots of ice pops and at least one ice cream break

All of which brings me on to - We are all Slip, Slap, Slopping - hopefully!

If you are too young to know that phrase it means: it means in heat like this when outside you need to:

Slip in to a long sleeve lose T-shirt to protect your back and shoulders from burning. If you wet the T-shirt it will help you stay cooler.

Slap on hat to help protect your head and to shade your eyes.

Slop on the factor 50 sun cream to prevent your arms, legs, feet and hands from burning. If you have your hair pulled back or cut short don’t forget to cream the top of your ears and if your dad, uncle or grandad has a very short haircut (we would never use the word bald if they don’t) remind them to do the top of their head too! Don’t forget to reapply sun cream if you are in and out of the sea or pool.

Even if we are splashing around in the water look out for the signs of Heat Exhaustion. One of our learners, who goes to St Johns First Aid Badger Set Cadets Group, has asked if we could add this information to help us stay safe during the heat wave. I thought it was a really good idea. So, here we have some valuable information on heat exhaustion,

Heat exhaustion is not usually serious if you can cool down within 30 minutes. If it turns into heatstroke, it needs to be treated as an emergency. The signs of heat exhaustion include:

a headache
dizziness and confusion
loss of appetite and feeling sick
excessive sweating and pale, clammy skin
cramps in the arms, legs and stomach
fast breathing or pulse
temperature of 38C or above
being very thirsty

The symptoms are often the same in adults and children, although children may become floppy and sleepy.

If someone is showing signs of heat exhaustion, they need to be cooled down.

Things you can do to cool someone down, follow these 5 steps:

Move them to a cool place.
Get them to lie down and raise their feet slightly.
Get them to drink plenty of water. Sports or rehydration drinks are OK.
Cool their skin – spray or sponge them with cool water and fan them. Cold packs around the armpits or neck are good, too.
Stay with them until they're better.

They should start to cool down and feel better with 30 minutes. If they don’t it’s time to call for help. You should call 999 if you spot any of the following signs within that 30 minutes you are with them;