Do you have ‘Clued-up Kids’?
The best way for children to learn is ‘by doing’, and that’s exactly what happened recently at Brayshaw Park in Blenheim.
The Marlborough Clued-Up Kids programme is a hands-on safety programme which involves children woking in small groups and responding to real-life scenarios (or safety sets) on personal safety skills. For instance, how to approach a dog, what to do if a house is on fire and what happens if they need to call 111.
This interactive and experiential approach aims to teach them to react to potentially dangerous situations with confidence. These are further reinforced by key safety messages like: ‘Keep a metre from the heater’, ‘Be safe , Be seen’, and ‘Get down, Get low, Get out’.
A spokesperson for Maata Waka said it’s the first year they have been involved in the programme and it’s proved to be a great idea – especially getting the dog safety message out into the community in a real way.
Wonderful local support from safety organisations and volunteers means the children also get to see groups working together for the good of everyone and learn to appreciate their community as a safe place.
The programme has been quietly operating for six years and recently won the NMDHB Quality Health and Innovation Award 2012. Continued positive feedback from teachers, students and organisations bodes well for the safe and clued-up kids of the future!
