Passport to Fun Gives Tips to Kids on Staying Safe This Summer

Passport to Fun (SM), a premier recreation and entertainment savings program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC^®, knows that summer is just around the corner. And that surely means plenty of outdoor fun for kids. Still, all that open-air activity can translate into exposure to dangerously hot temperatures, water safety hazards -- even trouble from pesky insects and other animal life.

And the same goes for all the "grown-up kids" out there; kids who understand that "Mother Nature" means business are largely influenced by their adult role models. Let the kids have fun, sure, but don't forget to tell them there's more to summertime safety than beating the heat.

It's like 20th-century essayist Russell Baker said, "Ah, summer. What power you have to make us suffer … and like it." With that in mind, PassportToFun suggests that striking the perfect balance of summertime fun and safety means helping kids better understand summertime's potential perils:

-- Don't flake out on me. All the sun worshipers out there (kids and adults) need to know the facts: Yeah, sun feels great, but between all that sunning, sweating and swimming, skin conditions like eczema (a.k.a. atopic dermatitis) can worsen during the summer months. It's cool to let kids catch the occasional "ray," but keep skin moisturizers on hand.

-- Make like Mae West. Busty film starlet Mae West may have lent her name to the life vests of yore, but when it comes to modern water safety, kids need U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets or personal flotation devices. IMPORTANT: Be sure to read the fine print on things like arm floaties and other swimming aids. They're designed to help kids learn how to swim -- to use their arms and legs -- not to keep them afloat.

-- Sport the right shades. For kids, image counts for just about everything, especially during the summer. That's why it's so important to help them find the right pair of sunglasses -- ones that will protect their eyes from the sun's damaging rays, while still offering them "the look" they want.

-- Dr. Doolittle never got the memo. There's no doubt that nature's creatures are a joy to behold. But Passport to Fun wants to reinforce a few facts: Deer carry ticks that can lead to Lyme Disease, wild animals are still … well … wild, and they don't understand it when kids just want to pet them. Oh, and bees and wasps can't be reasoned with. Teach kids the joys of summertime nature. Just make sure they understand the realities too.

So welcome summer 2008. Have a fun and safe time out there. And remember, no matter what the season, the never-ending quest to get more for less starts with Passport to Fun.