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Activities for the Home

Home inspection checklist

In order for your child to develop good safety habits, they should know the areas of your home where they should practice caution. Take a walk around your home with this checklist and let your child be a “safety ranger” for a day. Show them where propane is used in your home (for example, do you have a gas range or an electric range?), and check to make sure there are no obvious hazards. If there are, explain to your child why the situation is a hazard and remind them to always let an adult know if they see something wrong.




Emergency meeting place

In any emergency, families should always designate an “emergency meeting place,” a safe place where all family members can gather outside of the home and then decide what to do next. Have your child create a sign that lets all family members know where this meeting place is located. Or, download this sign to use.




Propane emergency drill

The best way to reinforce the lessons your child has learned on this site is to stage a propane emergency drill so they know exactly what to do in the case of a true emergency. Have your child “pretend” to smell a possible propane leak, then act as though it is a real emergency. Take note of your child’s actions during the “emergency” (for example, did he or she tell an adult right away?). Be sure to correct any mistakes they might have made, such as attempting to call 911 from inside your home, and give praise for all the good safety rules they followed, like gathering everyone at your family’s “emergency meeting place.”




How fast is gas?

This activity is intended to demonstrate to your child that gases — including propane — move through the air and that most gases can’t be seen or heard. Pick a large, open room in your home (one that does not have many obstructing objects) and have your child stand in one corner. From the opposite corner, spray a reasonable amount of scented air freshener — but don’t reveal what it smells like. Have your child close their eyes and count until they can smell and correctly identify what you have sprayed across the room.

You and your child should notice that it does not take very long for the gas to reach the opposite side of the room, so it is important for your child to tell an adult right away if he or she smells something “stinky” because it could be a dangerous gas. This is also a good time to point out that many gases in their natural form, including propane, can’t be seen, smelled, or tasted, so propane companies add an unpleasant smell (like a skunk or rotten eggs) so that propane can be detected if there is a leak.

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