Water safety box leader s notes page 1

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1 Water safety box leader s notes page 1 How to use these notes These notes provide you with ideas for using the contents of the water safety box with small groups of children. You can use all or some of the activities depending on the age of the children and the time available. The session is designed to be interactive and promote discussion. How you structure the session is up to you. Aims of the water safety box resources To raise awarenes of the hazards of being near water and how to avoid them. To learn what to do in an emergency. Links to learning National Curriculum Key Stage 2 Citizenship. Preparation for a visit to a waterways as part of a history, science or geography trip. Cubscout or brownie water safety badge. Contents of the box Feely bag and activity notes Dice and activity notes Selection of handling items listed below Key information for leading a trip to a waterway Handling objects Waterway poster Handling objects Life jacket A safety item used by people working on or near water. Either a self inflating jacket or a padded jacket used as a buoyancy aid. Please do not use the jacket included as a life saving aid. Throw line A good piece of equipment for a group leader to take with them on a visit (a washing line can be substituted). If anybody falls in, throw one end to them and pull them to the side. Young children should not be encouraged to do this as they could be pulled into the water. Mobile phone Always carry a mobile phone in case you need to call in an emergency. Be aware that you cannot always get a mobile phone signal from the towpath. Teach children to phone 999 in an emergency or shout for help.

2 Water safety box leader s notes page 2 Handling objects (continued) Floating object (ball and plastic bottle) You should not jump into the water to help someone as this puts two people at risk. You could throw an empty bottle or ball to them to hold under their chin to keep their head above water until help comes. Wellington boot A reminder not to go into the water and to wear sturdy footwear to reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls. Goggles A red herring. An object that would not be needed in a rescue as you never enter the water yourself. Bridge number plate Bridge numbers can help the emergency services locate you as they provide a more precise location. Look out for numbers on bridges and locks. Mini life ring Safety equipment is available in some locations such as reservoirs and some locks which are particularly dangerous. Unfortunately life rings often get stolen or vandalised.

3 Feely bag leader s notes page 1 How to use the feely bag The purpose of the feely bag is to use objects to initiate discussion about different aspects of water safety. Choose children one at a time to pick an object out of the bag. They have to explain why they think the object is in there. The leader can pick up on any missed message or start discussion where it is needed. All the objects link to a safe visit to a canal or river. Dog Never go into the water after a dog. Dogs are very strong swimmers and are naturally buoyant. Watch out for dogs on the towpath as they may be unfriendly. Ignore any dogs you see on the towpath and they will ignore you. Respect other users of the towpath and keep dogs on a lead if necessary. Ruler You don t always know the depth of the water. It may be deeper or shallower than you think both of which can lead to accidents. Windlass Locks are particularly dangerous places as the water is deep and there can be strong currents. Don t use lock equipment unless you are on a boat. Stay away from the edge of locks and keep away from the lock mechanism as you could trap your fingers or damage the equipment. Bike bell Be aware of different users of the towpath. If you are walking let people pass you and if you are cycling slow down near people and bridges. Remember pedestrians have right of way. Ring your bell to let people know you are coming. Motorbikes and other motorised vehicles are not allowed on the towpath. Dog dirt Be a responsible owner if you are walking your dog on the towpath. Take a plastic bag with you to collect your dog s mess and throw it away at home or in a dog bin. Watch out for dog mess if you are walking on the towpath. Rubbish It s great to want to keep places clean but don t pick up any rubbish from the towpath without the correct equipment. Respect the environment and take your rubbish home. There could be rubbish under the water that you cannot see - another reason for avoiding falling in the water.

4 Feely bag leader s notes page 2 Egg Stay away from nesting birds, give them space and try not to scare them. Some birds can be aggressive - stay away from swans particularly when they have young cygnets. Bridge Don t push people or mess around on bridges. Jumping off bridges is not a good idea as you don t know how deep the water is. It can be shallower than you think. Throwing stones from bridges at boats or other users is antisocial. Shoe Wear suitable footwear when using the towpath as slips, trips and falls are the biggest cause of accidents. As canals are historic structures towpaths often have uneven surfaces. Stick to the path and Stay Away From the Edge. Tree Watch out for overhanging branches. Don t swing out over the water or try to cross using a fallen branch. Trees can be useful in a rescue - a throw rope can be tied to a tree to ensure you don t fall in or an adult could use a branch to try and rescue someone in the water. Person Tell someone where you are going and don t go alone. Do you need an adult with you? Be aware of other people using the towpath. Boat Don t trip over boat mooring ropes. Stay away fron the edge near moored boats - you don t want to get your foot trapped. Respect people s privacy and don t peer into boats without permission. Make sure you get on and off boats carefully and keep hands inside to avoid getting trapped. Biscuit Wash. your hands before eating and beware of germs and infections that can be spread by water. Icicle Never step on ice on the canal. However thick it looks it won t take your weight. Fish Beware of fishing rods crossing the towpath. If you are an angler make sure you fish in a safe place. Respect the environment and take your litter home especially your fishing line which can harm wildlife.

5 Dice Bag Leader s Notes Problem solving activity This activity reinforces knowledge gained by taking part in the other two activities in the water safety box. It is best used as a follow on from the feely bag and handling activities. Dice one Dice two This dice shows pictures of waterway locations. This dice shows equipment or things you could use to help someone who has fallen into the water. Dice three This dice shows people behaving unsafely near water. What to do Ask someone to throw all 3 dice and look carefully at the pictures thrown. Then use the pictures to discuss how the incident has happened, where it is and how you could help by using the equipment or things to do. What would be different if you were in a group or alone when this happened? What equipment would you have liked to have had? What could have been done to avoid the situation happening? The dice can be rolled a number of times to illustrate different scenarios. The activity could be extended by adding other variables to the scenarios for older groups, such as weather or time of day. Always remember to stay SAFE - Stay Away From the Edge