Gone are the days when kids were taught to get under their desks in emergency drills at school. Now kids have the help of beloved friends that will teach them how to stay safe in an emergency and how to help their families plan for disasters.
The lovely furry old Grover and others will present your child with key things that they should know and help them to learn it. For example, it is important for children to know their own full names, and there is a fun video that talks about this. You can take the lesson one step further and teach children to know their addresses, your cell phone numbers and the name and numbers of trusted friends or relatives.
There is so much information here that parents can expand upon. For instance, we’ve not only taught my kids their whole names, addresses, etc., but also made sure that they new the name and street address of our church, since it is often designated as a local shelter and in the event of an emergency would probably be populated with many adults that the kids already know.
Beside the videos, there are printable activities that can be downloaded, a step by step plan to help your family create that all important emergency plan, and even podcasts. The nice thing about having this resource for your kids and your family is that the Sesame Street characters are non-threatening. They can teach your children gently, without subjecting them to unnecessary worry or concern about emergencies.
The website stresses the idea of getting the whole family involved with emergency planning, which I think is a great idea. Parents often don’t want to talk about emergencies with their kids, but it is important to do just that. A child who is prepared will have an easier time should a disaster strike. It may even save his or her life.
http://www.sesamestreet.org/parents/topicsandactivities/toolkits/ready
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