Injury Prevention Project and Activity Ideas

2008 Buckle Up Challenge Project

The Virginia Department of Health, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Education, is proud to sponsor this year’s Buckle Up Challenge. With summer just around the corner, this is the perfect time to remind students about the importance of buckling up! The 2008 Buckle Up Challenge is a service learning project that engages students and “drives home” the importance of wearing seatbelts while driving or riding in a vehicle! It is our hope that with the help of the Buckle Up Challenge toolkit, your student leaders will succeed in increasing seatbelt usage at your school!

This student-led project consists of an observational baseline survey at the beginning of the week to determine seatbelt usage rates; an education campaign promoting seatbelt usage; and a second survey at the end of the week to determine if the seat belt usage rates increased.  The students will then summarize and report the results to the Virginia Department of Health’s Division of Injury and Violence Prevention. The school with a usage rate of 85% or higher will receive an award. The students working on the project will also receive a Leadership Award.

NEW! ProjectSafetyNetVA: Contest to create a PSA on youth internet safety.
Learn more at http://www.oag.state.va.us/ProjectSafetyNetVA/

STAR SCHOOL!
Gayle Middle School 7th and 8th Grade Students Successfully Held a Community Safety Fair
Ms. Carolyn Erbaugh, Health and P.E. Teacher at Gayle Middle School, led 135 of her 7th and 8th grade students in successfully planning and holding a safety fair in Stafford County, using the VDH Safety Fair Planning Kit (see below.) The event reached over 250 people in the community. Each of the 5 classes were divided into teams to address a specific safety issue (e.g. bicycle safety, water safety, fire safety, passenger safety, pedestrian safety.) The students researched their topics, designed their displays and made contacts in the community to bring in experts to exhibit at their fair. They even went beyond safety issues and addressed other health concerns such as Asthma and Heart Health. The students were able to increase their knowledge on safety issues and worked as a team. VDH rewarded the students with movie tickets for their outstanding efforts. Click here to view pictures from the event.

Student-Led Safety Fair Planning Kit:
DIVP has developed a peer education tool, a safety fair kit, for elementary and middle school-age children. This safety fair kit is an innovative tool that enables groups of children to teach others about safety. It can be implemented by elementary to middle school aged children. The kit can also be used by service clubs and scout troops to earn merits.

With this tool, children will be safety educators for their peers and/or younger children by planning and holding a safety fair. The kit includes topical facts and tip sheets on a few safety issues to guide the children in their research and planning of their activities and safety booths. Free planning kits can be obtained by filling out an order form or contacting Shannon Wright at shannon.wright@vdh.virginia.gov. We also have available buttons for the youth to wear during the fair (with the image to the left printed on it). If you decide to plan the fair with your youth please be sure to request the free buttons.

Download your copy NOW! Safety Team: A Youth Led Project (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Celebrate Walk to School during October, and promote safe walking and bicycling throughout the year.

Walk to School in October is an energizing event, reminding parents and children alike of the simple joy of walking to school. It also serves as an opportunity to focus on the importance of physical activity, safety, air quality and walkable communities. Walk to School activities often become a catalyst for on-going efforts to increase safe walking and bicycling all of the time. A community can choose whether a day, week, month or even a year of Walk to School activities works best.

Visit http://www.walktoschool.org/index.cfm to register your school, get event ideas, classroom lesson ideas, printable resources and a wealth of other supportive materials.

Get Students Involved in Injury Prevention Activities. Some ideas...

• Students can use the public address system to share injury prevention messages
  
• Have students design and post flyers/posters
  
• Write safety messages for the school newsletter
  
• Organize an assembly with a guest speaker
  
• Arrange for a crashed vehicle to be on display to show the dangers of irresponsible driving
• Develop skits/plays for younger peers teaching safe behavior
• Organize and participate in a bike rodeo
• Have the students walk around the surrounding school looking for hazards that need correcting. Have them document their findings and take pictures to share with school officials
  

Don't forget to reward students...

If you have a class or student that has worked on an injury prevention project that you think deserves an award, contact us. We may be able honor them with a special certificate from the Virginia Department of Health and if it's really outstanding, maybe with some movie tickets.

You may also download a blank Safety Team Cerificate that can be used to recognize students for their efforts.

We want to hear from you...

Do you have a great classroom activity or innovative project that teaches injury prevention? If so, please share it by emailing Shannon Wright at shannon.wright@vdh.virginia.gov. We will post it to this web page and will also credit you for the great idea. Thanks for sharing!