Staying Safe
Curriculum Outline For Lower Elementary Students
September 8/Part 1
Introduction: Today we are going to talk about an important topic – your
safety. You all know how to cross the street safely, how to stay safe on a
bike, and how to stay safe around a pool, right? (The class will review the
above.) The type of safety we are going to talk about is how to take care
of your body. We will discuss what to do if someone touches you in a way
that you don’t like whether that someone is a person you know or is a
stranger.
What is a stranger? It is anyone (man or woman) you don’t know or don’t
recognize. Can you tell a good stranger from a bad stranger: What do
they look like? (Children will be shown a variety of pictures of people they
don’t know and will be asked if they are a good stranger or a bad
stranger.)
Stranger rules:
Do not talk to strangers in person or over the phone.
Do not take rides with a stranger.
Do not go off with strangers
Do not take gifts from strangers
If a stranger talks to you, step back so he/she cannot grab you.
(Discussion will focus on the appropriate distance between a child and
someone they don’t know.)
Children will brainstorm other rules.
If someone says he/she knows your mom or dad but you don’t know that
person they are still a stranger.
If a person calls you by name but you don’t know or recognize that
person, he or she is still a stranger.
We’re going to talk about what to do if someone tries to hurt you: You can
say: “STOP” in a big voice, you can GET AWAY, and KEEP TELLING ADULTS!
Here are some movements that will help you remember STOP, GET AWAY
and KEEP TELLING ADULTS! Children will practice hand movements to help
them remember (Gryder.)
How to Keep a Safe Distance. Imaginary Circle of Safety: If a stranger talks
to you, step back so he/she cannot grab you. (Discussion will focus on the
appropriate distance between a child and someone they don’t know.)
Children will brainstorm adults they could talk to.
Activity: What if Game. (Children will be given different scenarios to
problem solve.)
Safety Tips for Being on the Internet
We have been talking about not talking to strangers and it’s important to
remember that when you are on the internet as well. Going on the internet
is like going out on Halloween. Everyone’s face is hidden. Unless you know
your friend’s costume (online name), you don’t know if you’re talking to
your friend or someone you don’t know. Any stranger can pretend to be a
friend and you have no way of knowing who they are because they are
behind the mask of the computer.
Law: COPPA or Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998. It is illegal
to collect any personal information about children under the age of 13.
Do not give out personal information. What does personal information
mean? This is any information that can identify who you are and how to
find you which can include the following:
Name
Where you live- city or address
Telephone Number
Birthdate
Height or weight
Photo
Parent’s name
School
Safety Rules:
Do not open email from strangers or emails with attachments
Do not give out email addresses unless your parents say it’s ok.
Have adults approve someone before you talk with them on the internet.
If someone asks to meet you, tell an adult immediately
Never arrange a face –to-face meeting with someone you met online
September 15/Part II
Private Parts: Every child is different and special and what makes us
special is that we all own our bodies. Your body is your own special
property. Your whole body from the top of your head to the bottom of
your feet belongs to you. No one should touch your private parts of your
body or ask you to touch them in their private parts. The mouth, chest,
area between your legs and the bottom are all private parts.
(Anatomically correct names will not be taught. It is very possible during
the discussion that a child might refer to the body using the anatomical
words.)
Activity: Students respond answering yes or no.
Is the hair a private part?
Is the mouth a private part?
Is the hand a private part?
Is the chest a private part?
Is the knee a private part?
Is the area between our legs a private part?
Is your nose a private part? And so on…
Two Safety Rules: 1. No one can hurt my body! Say it with me, “No one
can hurt my body!” That means no one can do anything to your body
that hurts it. No child can hurt your body; no adult can hurt your body. It’s
a rule everywhere! 2. No one can touch my private parts! Say it with me,
“No one can touch my private parts.” It’s a rule everywhere! ( Gryder.)
Feeling Education: When you feel sad, mad, scared, embarrassed or lonely it is a
way your body tells you that something is going on with you. When you feel sad,
mad, scared, embarrassed, or lonely it is a way your body tells you that you need
to do something. Maybe you need to tell someone how you are feeling. Maybe
you need to get help.
Uh-Oh feelings: Uh-Oh feelings are feelings that make us feel uncomfortable or
confused. It’s a feeling inside us that something isn’t right. Uh-oh feelings are like
an alarm system going off inside of you that is saying, “Warning, Warning”. It’s
telling you something is not ok. It’s important to trust your uh-oh feelings and tell a
trusted adult about them so they can help you understand what caused you to
feel that way. For example: Being tickled can be fun but sometimes being tickled
doesn’t feel so good.
Secrets: The important thing about secrets is learning when it’s ok to keep
them and when you shouldn’t keep them.
Activity: Students will brainstorm different kinds of secrets. When a secret
worries you, scares you or confuses you or makes you hurt inside, it’s not ok
to keep it a secret.
Read book, “The Trouble With Secrets,” by Karen Johnsen
Students will review who they can tell.
Activity: Students will role- play situations using Stop, Get Away and Keep
Telling Adults.
Recommended Children’s Books and Resources
It’s My Body, by Lory freeman
Loving Touches, by Lory Freeman
Your Body Belongs to You, by Cornelia Spelman
Telling Isn’t Tattling, by Kathryn Hammerseng
The Trouble With Secrets, by Karen Johnsen
My Body Is Private, by Linda Walvoord Girard
Who is a Stranger and What Should I Do? By Linda Walvoord Girard
The Body Safety Box for ages 5 to 8 and 9 to 12 by Dr. Missy Gryder --You can visit
her website at www. bodysafetybox.com