by California Casualty | Homeowners Insurance Info |
Here’s an unsettling statistic – about half of US households still haven’t completed a home inventory. Of those who have done one, 40 percent haven’t updated it in many years. It’s a resolution that we urge you to make.
Why? You’ve worked hard to make your house a home. Now it’s time to create a record of everything that you own. Trying to tally what needs to be replaced is not something you want to do in the event of a claim.
Home inventory is so important. It provides a list of your things in case there is a fire, destructive storm or someone breaks in and steals your valuable belongings. Without an inventory, many people have a difficult time pinpointing or recalling everything that might have been destroyed or taken. That could delay your claim or keep you from getting full compensation.
Whether you choose to write everything down or use a video camera (like your phone), now is a great time to get started. Just go room by room and document:
- Electronics
- Personal care items
- Jewelry
- Art
- Kitchen items and appliances
- Furniture
- Carpeting
- Beds and linens
- Clothing
- Sports equipment
- Yard and garden tools
Don’t forget to take pictures of the exterior of your home from all sides (including the landscaping and any decks or porches), and all the stuff in the garage, attic or basement (holiday ornaments, lawn and yard equipment, tools).
Completing your inventory will give you some peace of mind if the worst should happen. We’ve got a handy home inventory guide that you can download here.
by California Casualty | Educators |
The stress and exhaustion of teaching can take a toll, even if you don’t realize it. Your mind is constantly running back and forth between teaching, meetings, emails, parents, and life at home. So when the weight of anxiety and stress get heavy, here are some easy self-care tips for teachers on those hard mental health days.
For an easy school pick-me-up:
- Tea
- Chocolate
- Floss
- Healthy snacks
- Thank you notes
- Stress ball
- Small crafts
For small breaks or prep times:
- Stretches to get your blood moving
- Small walk to get some fresh air
- Take a moment and focus on slowing your breathing
- Meet up with another teacher
When you get home:
- Bake cookies
- Take a bath
- Online shop
- Sing
- Draw
- Knit
- Read
- Binge-watch a show
- Get a massage or your nails done
- Go for a walk
- Work out or do yoga
As a teacher, you love what you do and want to make sure everyone is taken care of, but don’t forget about yourself. Find a support system in other teachers to talk about their ideas, get exercise, and drink plenty of water. Share with us your tips you use for self-care.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
by California Casualty | Educators |
It’s time to get your classroom into the winter holiday spirit! Check out our favorite, educational, winter holiday videos, lesson plans, and games below!
Videos
Kwanzaa (History.com)
Hanukkah (History.com)
Diwali – Festival of Lights (National Geographic via Youtube.com)
Christmas Traditions Worldwide (History.com)
History of Christmas (History.com)
History of Christmas Trees (History.com)
Santa Claus (History.com)
New Year’s (History.com)
Lesson Plans
Celebrating Winter Holidays in the Classroom (Scholastic.com)
Holidays are a topic occupying the thoughts of children — and teachers — during much of the year, but especially during November and December. This theme can provide a wonderful opportunity to introduce students to customs and cultures that may be unfamiliar to them and to help them recognize festivals as communal celebrations of culture.
Winter Holiday Lesson Ideas (BrainPop Educators)
Lesson ideas for using BrainPOP to teach about holidays, winter holiday activities for kids, and winter holidays background information for parents and teachers.
Celebrate! Holidays and Festivals Around the World (ePals.com)
How are special days celebrated throughout the world? Every culture has its own special
traditions and reasons for celebrating and, in this project, students will learn how holidays and
festivals are celebrated all over the globe. Students will explore celebrations, traditions and
symbols related to a holiday or festival from their home countries and then investigate those from other parts of the world. In a culminating activity, students will share their information and create symbolic representations of their researched holiday from across the globe. This project is designed so that it can be done as a single classroom project with students collaborating in pairs or small groups and using various sources such as books, the internet and the ePals student forums for research, or, as a collaborative email-based project.
December Holiday Lesson Plans and Activities – Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and More (educationworld.com)
December is a month full of special days. Education World offers resources to help educators teach about all those special days. The resources include holiday lesson plans, holiday art and gift projects, and additional holiday resources.
Educational Games
Christmas Lights Math (abcya.com)
It’s time to put up the Christmas lights! But wait! Before you can put up the Christmas lights, you must correctly answer as many math problems as you can in one minute. You can practice addition, subtraction, multiplication or division facts. The more math problems you solve correctly, the more lights you will be given to decorate your house!
A Blocky Christmas (abcya.com)
A Blocky Christmas is a challenging holiday puzzle for kids grades four and up. Players must use the keyboard arrows to move the puzzle pieces into place. There are sixteen levels of play!
Christmas Word Search (abcya.com)
Christmas Word Search is a fun holiday activity for children of all ages. Puzzles can be created two ways: a small grid with shorter words or a larger grid with longer words. This feature will allow younger children to enjoy the puzzles too! You can print or play online.
Sugar, Sugar Christmas (abcya.com)
The Christmas edition of Sugar, Sugar is a challenging logic puzzle with a physics twist and a holiday theme. Each level of the game is a puzzle that requires planning and strategy.
Factory Ball Christmas (abcya.com)
Factory Balls is a logic puzzle game that will challenge kids and adults. The object of Factory Balls is to create balls with designs that match the Christmas ball in each level.
Civiballs Christmas (abcya.com)
Civiballs Christmas is a challenging physics puzzle for kids of all ages! The object of the puzzle is to cut the chains and get the colored balls into vases of the same color. Trial and error will lead to solutions!
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
by California Casualty | Auto Insurance Info |
A friend or relative needs your help, their car is out of commission and they want to borrow yours for a quick errand. You like to think of yourself as nice and helpful, so of course, you say “yes”. While it may seem like a kind gesture, letting them use your car is actually putting you in a bad position.
What many people don’t realize is that auto insurance follows the vehicle, not the driver. That means when you lend your vehicle to someone, you are also lending them your coverage. While you lent your car for free, it could end up costly for you.
Here’s why; when we loan a car or truck to a friend or relative, that’s called permissive use. If you have “broad protection insurance” they are covered by your vehicle’s insurance policy. While most accidents will be covered, you could be liable if people are seriously hurt in the accident and the medical and other expenses are more than you are insured for. Those injured parties could sue you for medical costs, time lost from work and property damage.
Yep, you weren’t driving, but because the accident involved your vehicle you will have to:
- Contact your insurance company
- File a claim
- Pay any deductibles
- Cover expenses beyond your insurance limits
- Prepare for a probable rate hike resulting from the accident
Here’s something to keep in mind: a permissive operator is a person who does not reside in your household, is not listed on the policy as a household member, and is operating the vehicle with your permission. A crash caused by a permissive operator will most likely be covered.
However – and this is very important – if you have named an excluded driver on the policy, insurance will not pay for damages caused in a crash by the excluded driver, even if they were using your car or truck in an emergency. So, before you let someone else use your vehicle:
- Check that they have a valid driver’s license and insurance
- Make sure your insurance policy will cover them if they have an accident
- Contact your insurance company for a policy review and that you have adequate and broad protection
- Be ready to accept the consequences if they cause a crash
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
by California Casualty | Auto Insurance Info |
Make the holidays more jolly for your wallet by taking advantage of the Holiday Skip Payment option.
Don’t let your budget impact your family moments. California Casualty helps you budget for the important things in life with the Holiday Skip Payment option. You can designate the two months you’d like to free up your money during the holidays.
California Casualty’s Holiday Skip is designed to allow you enjoy the spirit of the season with family and friends without worrying about your auto insurance payments.
If you are already a customer and would like to take advantage of this unique benefit, simply go online at www.calcas.com/payments to manage your account, or contact an advisor at 1.800.800.9410.
If you’re not a customer but would like to learn more about the skip payment option and all of the other special benefits available to Educators, Firefighters, Law Enforcement Officers and Nurses, request a quote today in the Start Your Auto Quote section on the right-hand side of this page.
