Safety Giveaway

I have to give a shout out to our school crossing guard. She is out at the intersection in front of our school every morning, in the rain/snow/cold and always has a smile on her face and a cheerful word for the students. Sometimes she even gives out gloves to students that come to school without any! She dresses up for the different holidays too - anything from a goofy t-shirt to a full Santa Claus suit. The kids love her! Since the break is coming up, and there will be more children playing outside, this is a good time to review safety  rules too!

I was recently contacted by the Chuggington Traffic Safety Campaign which is partnering with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for Think Safe. Ride Safe. Be Safe!, a national public service campaign that promotes traffic safety to young families. I decided to share this in my blog because in our Texoma community we lost a 13 year old girl over Halloween - she was hit by a drunk driver while crossing the street to trick or treat. One of my friends also lost a kindergarten student one year - he was not wearing his seat belt when his

Holiday Traffic Safety Tips

• The holidays are a busy time at shopping malls -- especially parking lots. Drivers should be on alert for small children when reversing out of a parking space. Parents should never leave children unattended near an open trunk, where they can get trapped.

• While winter clothes keep children warm, they can also interfere with the proper harness fit of a child in a car seat. Parents must make sure to place blankets around their child after they fasten the harness.

• Last-minute shopping can be stressful and rushed. Parents should never leave infants or young children unattended in a vehicle—even if the windows are partly open or the engine is running.

• Remember to always buckle up! Not only is it the law - it could help save your life.

• Play it safe and check your local news source for up-to-the-minute traffic information and weather conditions of the interstates and roads you will be traveling.

• Last but not least, make it fun! Heading out on a 'road trip' to Grandma's? Pack an assortment of age appropriate holiday music, DVDs (like The Chugger Championship) and travel games to make your trip fun for the entire family!

Check out the Chuggington website for some activities and the Safety Pledge that you can make with your class!  Let's make sure that ALL of our students come back to us after the Winter Break!

The Chuggington Traffic Safety Kit, which includes a printed activity book, traffic safety tip sheets, stickers and a children’s traffic safety vest, is a part of the program that ensures that families engage in safer traveling practices this holiday season. You can win a free kit to share with your class by:

1. Becoming a follower and comment below.
2. Sharing a comment about how you incorporate traffic safety in your teaching.
3. Blogging about this giveaway - we want as many people as possible to realize that it's important to focus on safety over the holidays!

I'll choose a winner via Random Generator on Friday December 16th at 6:00pm.