Today we are going to talk about our safety rule of always staying with our Grown-up in charge or a buddy.
Who is the Grown-Up in charge? This is the Grown-Up who is with us when we do different things. So if we go to the park with our mommy, our Grown-Up is our __________ (let the students say “mommy”) if we are in school, our Grown-Up is ______________(insert your name here, Morah, Rebbe, etc.). A Grown-Up in charge may be someone that is also on your Safety Star chart but, it’s not always that person. For example, if your mommy takes you to the park she is your Grown-Up in charge and maybe someone you have on your Safety Star. But if the person who takes you to the park is your older sister, she may not be someone that you have on your Safety Star chart, but she is the grown-up in charge at the park and your buddy for the day. It is always important to stay close to our Grown-up in charge or a buddy and not wander away.
Our Grown-Up in charge and our Buddies will not only help keep us safe, by making sure we make safe choices but will help us in case we fall, or get hurt, and need help.
Tell the following story or make up your own. Have the students hold their safety star safe vs. not safe signs to use throughout the stories.
Sara really wanted to go to the park and her mommy was very busy cooking and cleaning for Shabbos. Her mommy asked her older sister Aviva to please take her. Sara felt super excited because she loved going to the park with Aviva. Aviva went to sit down on a bench and told Sara to play in one area of the park where she could see her. Sara was having a great time, sliding and running and jumping. While Sara was swinging on the monkey bars she saw some children she recognized from school all the way on the other side by the jungle gym area. She looked over to Aviva and Aviva was on her phone talking to her friend very loudly. Sara was confused and had to stop and take a deep breath. Sara then had to think about how she was feeling. She was feeling a little confused and unsure. She really did not want to interrupt her sister’s phone call and make Aviva mad, and she knew how to get to the jungle gym. Sara thinks she can just go since if she is able to see her sister, she is sure her sister is able to see her.
What do you think? Should she go to the jungle gym alone? Hold up your safety signs.
NO, it is never safe to wander away from your buddy or go alone. So what does Sara have to do? She has to follow the rules and stay close to her grown-up in charge. Who is her grown-up in charge in the park? It’s her sister. So Sara has to go to her sister and say in her strong voice, “I want to go play with my friends by the jungle gym area, please take me.”
Let’s try another example. Shlomo was with his parents at the airport because his family was going on a special family vacation to Israel. While his parents were talking to the person behind the ticket counter, Shlomo saw a huge airplane behind the window, a little further away from his parents. Shlomo’s favorite part of going on trips is watching the planes landing and taking off at the airport. Shlomo thought to himself “I don’t want to bother my parents. It’s not derech eretz; it’s rude. I will just walk over to watch that plane and be right back. If I can see the window from where I am standing now, then my parents will be able to see me.”
Well, what do you think? Is Shlomo behaving in a safe way? Let’s stop and think about how Shlomo must be feeling. Shlomo is very excited to see the plane and thinks that leaving for a minute is not unsafe.
But we know the rule is that you always stay with your grown-up in charge or buddy. So what do you think Shlomo has to do? (Allow the students to give answers) That’s right, Shlomo must go over to his parents and say, “Excuse me Mommy and Daddy can you take me to see that airplane over there.” Remember always staying with your grown-up in charge is a very important rule to keep you safe. Great job!
Describe a shul scene where kids are playing together. One boy needs to use the restroom and leaves the group of friends to go alone. This is not a good idea as there is safety in numbers. The answer is to take a buddy with you.
This lesson is easy to reinforce. Whenever you go on a field trip or match kids up in a “buddy-system” discuss how this is the “Two Is Better Than One” rule. Express to the students the importance of not being alone and always making sure they take someone with them. Having a buddy is not only safer, but much more fun!
