2nd Grade Strangers Lesson

Tomorrow we are starting our final lesson of the year in 2nd grade. We'll learn about safety around strangers. I found a funny, kid-friendly DVD called The Safe Side: Stranger Safety. I think the kids will enjoy it, but unfortunately it will take up most of our lesson so we won't have much time for discussion or practice! However, I hope just seeing the video will give our kids some good ideas of how to handle situations with strangers, and I encourage you to talk and practice more with them at home. With summer right around the corner, it is a great time to review your family's safety rules and role play what you expect your children to do if they or a friend find themselves in a questionable situation with a stranger!

The basic idea of the video is that every kid has certain "Safe Side" adults. Usually these are their parents/caregivers and 3 other adults that the parents identify as so trustworthy that the child can go with them at any time (perhaps grandparents, mom's best friend, Aunt Suzy, etc.) These Safe Side adults are the people who you would ask to pick up your child at school if you couldn't get there in time, for example. All other adults besides these "Safe Side" adults are "Don't Knows" or "Kinda Knows," and children should ALWAYS ask their Safe Side adults first before going anywhere with a Kinda Know adult, or speaking with or taking anything from a Don't Know adult. The video compares strangers to dogs. Some dogs look really nice, but they can still be mean and bite you! You cannot tell just from looking whether a stranger is a good person or dangerous, and people who look nice can still be dangerous.

The video tells kids not to try to fight a grown-up with fancy karate moves and all those exciting fighting moves they see in video games and movies, because adults are just too strong and quick. It is safer to run away or yell for help. The video also teaches kids to yell things like "Help! This isn't my mom! This isn't my dad!" Finally, the video tells kids to watch out for grown-ups trying to trick them by asking for their help with something they should be asking other adults for help with (like finding their lost puppy), or coming inside their "personal space bubble" in stores or at playgrounds to talk to them, ask their name, etc.

I am passing out a rules handout and parent note to each student on the day we do the lesson, so look for those to come home with your 2nd grader. They will provide more details and information. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call or email me! The website for the company that made the DVD, www.thesafeside.com, also has a Family Safety Guide that you can download if you click to their "download center." I'll see Myrick, Singley, Turner, Johnson, Dean, Brown, and Horst's classes this week. All other 2nd grade classes will take place next week.

Thank you for reading! We are glad you are here!