GAME FOR SAFETY

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20735, 20 February 1939, Page 4

GAME FOR SAFETY

CANADIAN EXPERIMENT AN EXAMPLE FOR NEW ZEALAND TEACHING RULES FOR TRAFFIC “Teaching- Safety by Make-Believe” is the title of a helpful article on recreation (published by the American National Recreation Association), written by Stanley Rough, general supervisor of the Parks and Playgrounds Association, Montreal, Canada. He remarks that small boys and girls with home-made badges, hats and traffic officers’ white bandoliers, proudly directed other youngsters with signs on their chests informing the world at large that they were auto- j mobiles of modern and ancient make, j up and down whitewash marked streets ; on the playground. The air was ' tense with excitement; make-believe motorists changed gears, put out hands when making turns and stopped for stop signs, lights or traffic officers. A radio patrol car weaved through traffic at terriffc speed; a peanut vendor whistled shrilly, and a farmer with a load of hay hugged the curb as his old horse shied a J passing cars. The traffic officer left her position to assist an old man on crutches across a busy inter-section, while “traffic lights’* and ••automobiles” applauded enthusiastically. That is how the new traffic game j of the Montreal Parks and Playgrounds' Association looked to bun- \ dreds of startled adults who stopped to sec what all the excitement was about. Dramatising Traffic Dramatising traffic, by making it a j game provides opportunities for a ! child to obey traffic rules hundreds j of times during the time the game is in progress. The game was one of the features of .Safely Week sponsored by the Playgrounds’ Association last autumn. It over-shadowed safety talks, poster contests and visits to tire stations. Each demonstration was in charge of playground supervisors and an officer from the Police Department who had been cioinjg special safety education work in schools. At the commencement of Safety ■S eek all supervisors on whose grounds the game was to be staged met with t’ne director of playgrounds and the police officer who had been released jy the Traffic Bureau to work with i

I- - - playground officials. The idea was carefully explained and the supervisor , made many valuable suggestions. Some of the supervisors were rather hazy on several of the traffic laws and these points were made clear. On returning to their crounds the j supervisor talked over the proposed ! g.wne w ith the children. Very litt'e I encouragement or promotion was | needed, however, as imaginations ran I not and there was little that the agile I young minds did not think of. There I was an ambulance with a doctor and ! nurse, the ambulance consisting of a • small cart drawn by two small boys. | The crew of this mercy vehicle were suitably garbed and equipped even down to a home-made first aid satchel and a stretcher. When an accident occurred with someone trving to cross in the middle of a block the ambulance rushed to the scene escorted by motorcycle police. Traffic was re-routed and the victim rushed to the hospital. For obvious reasons supervisors allowed only a limited number of accidents and fires. Interest of Spectators One hundred and fifty children participated in each demonstration. Of this number 16 were officers, 16 traffic lights, chosen from the 10 to 12 year age group, and the rest were i i cars, trucks and pedestrians, with I

ages ranging from eight to ten years. A tremendous number of children up lo eight years of age were the most interested spectators. Each demon - stration lasted one hour, and at its I conclusion all those taking part were | {riven a talk by the police officer in charge and urged to put into practice "'hat they had learited 'during the time they were playing. Traffic officers were changed frequently to give as many as possible a chance to take part. As a result of these demonstrations . days; they played “Tilfflc" at hiwf The press and police departments are enthusiastic about carrying it on next summer.