Pre+School

**Finland & Spain**

 * Handicrafts to familiarize children with traffic objects (0-6 yrs)**

The aim of this activity is to make children aware of different traffic objects such as signs, helping them to familiarize with these while playing and doing handicraft work.
 * Learning objectives:**

Learning methods: Children will learn while working with their hands and different materials; it will be possible for them to use their imagination at the same time that they are learning important issues about traffic.

Required time: 2 or 3 sessions of 45 - 60 minutes with a class group, depending on the age of children and their ability.

Learning environment: Class, desks and chairs for all children; for the last part of the activity a large room or a courtyard can be used. Different materials to be used such as paper (different types) or card, glue/adhesive material, plastic beads or other small objects like lentils, threads of different colours and materials, paint, security scissors, pencils, different objects like bowls, boxes, rules. Also pictures or drawings of traffic signs will be needed.

Description of the assignment:

For the youngest children the teachers can help them to do the activity or parts of it, depending on the difficulty of each task and their age.

To start, children will be shown different geometrical shapes like circles, squares, triangles and bars.

The activity starts with the teacher / adult showing them different geometrical shapes and how to draw them on paper or card, maybe using objects in order to ease the work, like a bowl or a triangular rule. When they have the shapes drawn, they can cut them or let the teacher cut.

When these shapes are ready, teachers can show them the similarity between different traffic signs and the shapes they have been doing in form of circles, triangles, squares...

Taking the traffic signs they have been shown as an example, children will have to “customize” their own geometrical objects. They can use for this: paint, small pieces of paper of a specific colour, making little balls from small pieces of paper, painting beads or lentils... They will have to decide which colours they want to use to make their shapes similar to real traffic signs, and then make them accordingly.

When the signs are ready, students will be sharing and showing the rest of the class what they have done, and matching them to the original ones. Then, teachers will show children the meaning of each of them and explain them in which situation they are used and what they have to do when they see them.

To finalise the activity, the group children will be divided in 2 groups. If they are still in the class, it can be prepared so they will pretend they are in a circuit, moving the desks to make streets between them. The children in the first group will hold the signs and be distributed in strategical points in the classroom, and those in the second group will pretend they are vehicles or pedestrians. These will move around the space imitating traffic and will have to respect the signs and their meanings, with the teacher helping them. Then the groups will change their roles, so the ones doing as signs will do as pedestrians or vehicles, and the rest will take their positions around the room as signs.

During the activity the teacher has to show them how to behave in different situations, when to stop and when to walk/drive. At the end of the activity there can be a summary of the most relevant situations so the children are clear about the actions to avoid, especially being pedestrians. It can be done as a discussion with children, if they have different opinions, to show them why things wouldn’t be done in a certain way.


 * Storytelling – Explanation of traffic situations in the form of fairytales (0-6 yrs)**

Learning objectives: The objective of this activity is to start making children familiar with the fact of traffic, why does it happen and the dangers so they keep some respect to it.

Learning methods: In this activity the method will be listening to a story which has a content regarding traffic safety. It is done in a form of a story typical for small children so they can be attracted to the story and learn important issues without noticing.

Required time: 15 - 30 minutes, it can be done with one participant or a small group of children.

Learning environment: Class / room where both storyteller and child(ren) can be comfortable.

Description of the assignment:

This activity is especially thought for the smallest ones, since they can’t interact as much as older ones. It is probably their first contact with any traffic issue, and it is to be dealt with in a very light way.

The teacher / adult starts explaining them that they will be listening to a story that has a special significance and they have to pay attention to it. When they are ready the story will be told, speaking slowly and clearly and making especial emphasis in important parts or issues regarding traffic. Gestures and movements can also help to tell the story.

At the end of it there can be a round of questions about it, and a discussion to make sure the important issues dealt with are understood; they can also say what they would have done in the situations mentioned in the story, and see if they were right or not.

**Hidden in the dark – reflector knowledge and demonstration of the visibility of a reflector in the dark (0-6 yrs / 7-12 yrs)**
__Learning objectives:__ The aim of the session is to demonstrate the visibility of a reflector in the dark and the need to use a reflector when walking in dark.

__Learning methods:__ The visibility of a reflector in dark is illustrated to the pupils. This emphasizes the meaning of sense perceptions and concretizes the issue to be learned. The illustration exercise creates stimulation and invokes and maintains interest in the issue to be learned.

__Required time:__ 30 minutes.

__Learning environment:__ A space that can be darkened.

__Description of the assignment:__ Soft toys, school supplies or other objects are hidden to a dark classroom or other space and reflectors are put to some of them but not all. The group has to find all the objects using flashlights in a given time (e.g. 5 minutes). In pre-primary and primary education the objects are very visible and most of them have reflectors. After looking for the objects the group answers questions about a reflector: The correctness of different reflectors can be demonstrated to older pupils. For example a CE marked reflector is more visible than e.g. reflecting pins. (Liikenneturva)
 * What helps you to be seen in dark?
 * What is a reflector and how does it work?
 * What is the right place for reflectors?

**(0-6 yrs, 7-12 yrs)**
Learning objectives: The aim of this session is to illustrate the adequacy of different situations regarding traffic, both good behaviour and bad behaviour from the participants in traffic.

Learning methods: Children are shown with the puppet theatre different pieces of theatre. In these, the characters can show normal people like adults and children, interacting in traffic situations. They are shown in a form of a story, where the puppets act and the children can evaluate if they are doing right or wrong.

Required time: 30 - 45 minutes with a class group.

Learning environment: Class and chairs for the children, or outdoors.

Description of the activity: The theatre box is prepared in front of the classroom or in a place where it can be seen clearly by the audience.

In the form of a story, the narrator tells the story as in a fairy tale, in which characters will be acting and speaking loud the different situations in which they are, asking themselves loud what they can/should do or not, where children can tell them what to do in each case in an interactive way. They can also show situations in which they behave wrongly so children are shown the possible consequences of having such behaviour when being in traffic.

The aim of this activity is to involve children in it, showing them different behaviours and situations, things that are good or bad so they can start learning the difference, and start taking simple decissions depending on those. The narrator as well as the characters will ask children during the performance in order to keep their attention to the play as well as to make them think about the situations shown.

In the end there can be a part for the “morals” of the story, where the topics that have been dealt with can be summed up and/or discussed, with the participation from the teacher or adults present.

The children don’t need extra materials, just the theatre box and the puppets themselves are needed, together with small size traffic signs and vehicles for puppets to use. Depending on the age group used in this activity, the topics treated can be more simple or complicated

**Reflector box – Illustration tool for the visibility of reflector in dark (0-6 yrs, 7-12 yrs)**
Learning objectives:

The aim of the teaching session is to illustrate the visibility of a person using reflector as seen from a car. After the session each child receives a reflector and also promises to use it.

Learning methods: Children learn while playing but they do not play just for the sake of playing. Small children like to play in interaction with an adult. The adult guides this playing situation by creating the children an environment in which they play passengers of a car and each of them in turn is the driver.

Required time: 30 minutes with a group of 5 children.

Learning environment: Class and chairs for 5 children.

Description of the assignment: The reflector box is prepared according to a separate instruction sheet (the material includes a Pampers box, black cloth and reflectors). Imagine with the children a situation in which they are in a car in a dark road. Set the box in such height that a child can stand while looking into it. Give the child headlights, put him or her look through the eyeholes and put a hood around his or her head (with a timid child you can also yourself be under the hood). Ask the child to whisper what he or she sees; this way you can maintain the anticipating atmosphere among the whole group. During the first round the box includes a doll dressed in black clothes. After this you should change a doll with reflector vest to the box without the children noticing and repeat the same round. After the round discuss with the group which of the dolls was more visible.

- ask the group which of the dolls was more visible? Why?

- after the discussion put both dolls to the box side by side

- when the round has ended compare the view using the headlights. Confirm and explain the meaning of using a reflector

In the end of the session give each group member a reflector. Ensure one important thing. If it is you who gives the reflector to the group members make sure they also promise to use it.