Home School Convention and Lost Children

So you are all set and excited to attend your local Home School Convention, but what if your child becomes lost? I have heard some conventions have grown so big that it’s just a sea of humanity! Here’s what my friend Honey from Honey’s Life has to say about small children and conferences:

“I love conventions and conferences but there’s no way I think they’re appropriate for little ones. I’ve seen children bumped, tripped, stepped on and even hit in the head due to the crush that comes with really great ones. I think babies & tots should be in a pack or wrap or they’re with someone else that’s hanging out on the very ends where there isn’t a crowd. (in a stroller) This gives you the chance to experience the convention while keeping kids safe and happy which prevents meltdowns and becoming overwhelmed. Personally the only ages that should be at a conference are babies and teens. It’s just safer.

Have you considered making an ID for each of your family members? You can create a free ID from Homeschool Buyers Co-op! Yes, that’s right you can upload the pictures of each of your family members and their names, grades,etc. You can then save and print right at home for FREE or order a hard plastic version if you prefer!

I opted for the free printable version for two reasons.

1. My kids are growing and changing all the time and I wanted to make sure their ID actually looked like them.

2. I wanted to have the option to add important information on the reverse side.

Here’s an example of what the website looks like where you create your ID:

 

Okay now that the front is taken care of. What do you do next? SAVE your doc to your PC. Be sure you know where you saved it! If you are good at changing the borders and margins you could print more than one ID per page. If you aren’t no big deal just save each person’s ID. Then you can print and laminate as needed.

Does your child have special needs or a special diet? Do they have a severe allergy? I would definitely include this info on the back of your ID. I would also include parent’s names and cell phone numbers or other local emergency contact.

Next you can fill-in the reverse side with all those special details about your child in case they were to become separated from you. Be sure to add a family photo in your ID pocket for children under 10 so you are easily identified as the parent!

Another tip: take a picture of each of your children each morning BEFORE heading out so you have a record of what they are wearing that day. Unless you color coordinate like the Duggar Family it would be very difficult to recall what each child was wearing during the stress of trying to locate a missing child.

Make sure you talk to your children about what to do in an emergency or in case of separation.

Check out what Honey has to say about Conference Prep and Kids.