My kids love Peggy Rathman’s book, Officer Buckle and Gloria. Reading it one night and noticing all the post-it notes behind Officer Buckle, I began to wonder if there were actually 101 safety tips in the book. I sat down one night and copied them all down. It turns out there are 101 and a few extras.
Some are purely practical “Lock your bike”, some are strangely adult “Never run in high heels” and others are are just weirdly specific “Wipe up drool”.
Here’s all the numbered rules that can be made out in the book:
- Keep your shoelaces tied
- Always wipe up spills before someone slips and falls
- ?
- Do not jumping… the bed
- Never play with matches
- Dial 911 in an emergency
- Always wear a crash helmet when biking or skating
- Never hitchhike
- Obey all traffic signs
- ?
- ?
- ?
- Never use water [on] a grease fire. Smother it with a lid.. bak…
- Remember your telephone number
- ?
- Never chase a ball that rolls into the street
- ?
- Never drink and drive
- Never run with a scissors in your hand
- Never wander too far from..
- Never roll around in poison ivy
- ?
- Never take someone else’s medicine
- Always tell your parents where…
- Always tell your parents if someone bite…
- Be alert..
- ?
- Stay away from cigarettes
- ?
- Never take a shortcut through lonely places
- Never stand up in a canoe
- ?
- Never take ..ne
- Avoid rattlesnakes
- Cross only at the crosswalk
- Never play with electrical outlets
- ?
- ?
- ?
- Never play in.. em.. wa..
- Never play with spray paint
- Never leave tennis balls on the stairs
- Say “no” if a stranger asks you to go to their house
- Lock your bike
- Wear a life jacket on boats
- ?
- ?
- Never play soccer in the living room
- Never reach over the hot stove when wearing loose sleeves
- ?
- Never bother a big dog while it’s eating
- ?
- ?
- Lock up your valuables
- ?
- ?
- Never leave a full wading pool where someone might fall into it
- ?
- Never…
- ?
- Never play on construction sites
- Never listen to music playing too loud
- ?
- ?
- ?
- ?
- Stay off thin ice
- Keep sharp objects away from children
- Never run in high heels
- Always wear light-colored clothing at night
- Never run on a wet pool deck
- Never swim near a storm sewer
- Never sit too close to the television
- Never stand up in a bus while it’s moving
- Never use a blowdryer in the bathtub
- Never dry your socks in the microwave oven
- Never stand on a swivel chair
- Stay away from firecrackers
- Never breath… fumes…
- Wipe up drool
- Stay away from abandoned refrigerators
- Always swim with a buddy
- ?
- ?
- Stay away from guns
- Keep your legs inside car windows
- ?
- Turn off the TV before you unplug it
- ?
- ?
- ?
- ?
- Always keep a flashlight and sturdy shoes under your bed
- Ride bikes only on posted…
- ?
- Never play in the car alone
- Never accept rides from strangers
- Never use an elevator in a fire
- Do not go swimming during electrical storms
- Never turn your back on a strange dog
- Always stick with your buddy
That’s 68 rules. There’s another 42 where you can’t make out the number:
- Never play loud music into headphones
- Look both ways before your cross the street
- Know your neighbors
- Keep your eyes open
- ..bee sting kit if allergic
- Never lick a stop sign in the winter
- Eat hamburg well done
- Keep off furniture
- Che.. foo.. We…
- Watch your step…
- Never fly kites near power lines
- Prepare for fire…
- Look before you leap
- Check how deep the water is before you dive
- Never give information over the phone to strangers
- Never leave a bar of soap where someone might step on it
- Buckle your seat belt
- Never put anything in your nose
- Never drink anything you find under the sink
- …before you pet them
- Dispose of banana peels properly
- Clean up broken glass
- Read the instructions before operating appliances
- Check water temperature for climbing in the bathtub
- No biking on the sidewalk
- Always check smoke alarm batteries…
- Keep necklaces…
- …while the mixer…s on
- …escape from fire
- Say …no… to drugs
- Wash your hands after you use the toilet
- Stay away from alcohol
- Never leave a thumbtack where someone might sit on it
- Never put anything in your ear
- Never accept rides from strangers
- Never eat mayonnaise that’s been sitting in the sun
- Never play in the microwave oven
- Never tilt your chair back on two legs
- Never play with spray cans
- Always pull the toothpick out of your sandwich
- Never run with a pop bottle in your mouth
- …might slip on it
So that’s 110 rules. I’ll always be reminded of this book when I (too frequently) stand on a swivel chair.
Hello Jeff, unrelated to this post (apologies), but I came across your blog post on geocaching from 10 years ago. Curious if you still do it? Or, did you burn out like the post pondered? I’m new to the hobby and was just reading about why people enjoy it. You’re post had some great points. Thanks!
Still do it occasionally, mostly when on vacation. Just got busy with other things, mostly.