Hi everyone,
Earlier this summer, a neighbor's seven year old son was struck in the eye by a water cannon blast (toy) and partially blinded. Having watched the children play with these toys over the past several years, I can't say that I was surprised that something like this happened. While most activities for children involve some sort of rules or pre-defined (and therefore safer) goals, the use of water cannons involves something along the line of chaos. Blast your friend. Get blasted back. And repeat the pattern. Not only are the blasts of water very strong, especially at closer ranges, but some water cannons are quite strong in their construction and often become objects of accidental contact that can cause bruises, cuts, even fractures.
Personally, I've played with the children and really do enjoy these bigger, stronger water cannons. They are a great deal of fun, and I believe can be played with quite safely if used correctly (if it is alright with the moderators, I'm providing a link to www.waterblaster.com so that everyone can see the type I'm talking about).
The problem, I believe, is that no definative rules, goals, objectives, and so forth, exist for the use of these toys. At least none that I can find. I'm not much of a "game creator", I'm sorry to say, or I would have done so by now. Preaching to children about the dangers of things doesn't always work out the way it should...because they are innocent and don't remember things very well when caught up in the moments of chaotic fun.
What I have in mind is to collect as many game or activity ideas as possible, with rules that are part of the game. In other words, the safety would be built-in. I believe that children would pay attention to the rules if they were incorporated this way, and the rules would help protect the children against harming themselves or others. It is not so simple as having them all wear protective eyewear, which we've tried, because close range shooting often washes the eyewear askew or completely off.
If you would be kind enough to relay your experiences about fun activities with water cannons, and include rules, objectives, and so forth, I will compile the collection and publish it everywhere possible. Maybe together we can all help to protect other children from harm. I hope so.
Thanks in advance.