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Students learn valuable farm safety lessons

Students at St. Augustine Catholic School received some important tips on farm safety last week.

Students at St. Augustine Catholic School received some important tips on farm safety last week.

Two days of classes were hosted by the Farm Safety Centre at the elementary school starting Monday, March 16. The main purpose of the classes was to give students important safety tips through an interactive class, explained Carol Senz, west central region instructor.

“We let each child feel that they’ve been part of the discussion,” said Senz.

Each grade receives a different set of lessons, ranging from showing the importance of life vests in boats to having only one person ride on a one-seat ATV.

“We hope that teaching them young, they’ll grow up with that,” explained Senz.

So far the reaction has been quite positive. Senz said the students enjoy the classes and are quite involved in the interactive teaching. A big lesson for the young kids is understanding the importance of safety on ATVs.

Senz said quad sales have been on the rise and with people buying them for recreation, the risks increase if safety steps are not followed. To counter that, Senz feels the classes will bring about positive safety discussions with parents.

Senz recalled one student recounting how he couldn’t ride on a one-seat quad with his father because of lessons from the class.

“That is so important to get the parents on the same wavelength,” said Senz.

Each student in each grade came home with something that will help remind them of the lessons they learned in the class. Some kids even get stickers to help identify safety areas on the farm. For Senz, the best part is when students start to understand. “When you’re presenting to them and you see, they get that ‘Aha!’ moment.”

The Farm Safety Centre has been operating since 1999 and Senz said instructors spoke with more than 10,000 students last year.