Help! Visiting a kindergarten class tomorrow

[AnthonyM83]

Yup, asking questions is a good idea. You gotta engage them.

You could start off by asking them what number they could call for a serious emergency (give some examples like an accident with a looot of bleeding or somene choking and can't breathe). I'd expect a number of them to then shout out 911!

Explain how the 911 system works. That 911 calls a number to lot of operators who then use a radio to send you a police car, an ambulance, or firefigther depending on what they need.

If they call 911 when it's not an emergency, "they're busy talking to you and can't be helping"....(you can trail off and see if they fnish your sentence)..."that's righ! other people who are really hurt."

[medik8]

Hmmm...I always start my talks with... "Does everyone know the difference between a question and a story?" Clear that up first. Later, when you ask if anyone has questions...it will eliminate all the little ones going, "This one time...my aunt fell down, and we had to call an ambulance...blah blah..." or "When I was little (LMAO), I fell and hit my head and there was blood everywhere and my mommy...blah blah..." You get the picture. These are cute stories, but the little ones love to talk, and they eat up lots and lots of time, and no one learns anything.

I LOVE talking to kindergarten or preschool classes. They are usually very attentive, great listeners, interested, and excited. And, they DO love you...because you have the trucks there, the uniform, etc. They like surprises and special treats. I usually try to play a game with them, and we talk about 911 and safety. I tell them about my job and what I do. I show them equipment, and then we go to the ambulance. If the class is not too big, I hook each one of them to the heart monitor and print a strip to show them their heartbeat. They LOVE this!! Then, we all get our picture taken with our strips (and the crew in the middle).

It's a great time!!! Don't be intimidated. Have fun!!! :wink:

xoxo

8

[Michael]

the little ones love to talk, and they eat up lots and lots of time, and no one learns anything

I nominate 8 Official Conscience of EMT City's Message Board!

Which prompts me to relate that when training anyone to call emergency services, I've learned it's good to refer consistently to the phone number as "Nine-One-One" rather than "Nine-Eleven," in order to avoid underaged and/or overstressed callers wasting their valuable limbic time searching even a few seconds for a nonexistent eleven on the phone's keypad.

This also makes me wonder how well five-year-olds can distinguish the 911 we telephone from the 9/11 of the year of their birth.

[hammerpcp]

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2. Be ready for the weirdest questions "When I grow up I wanna be a dump truck"

Are you telling me that isn't a realistic goal?

But, seriously, there are some great suggestions here. Visual and tactile stimulation is the best and most effective teaching tool, and the most interesting for all age groups. Showing the equipment while giving brief descriptions as to function and indications for use (dumb it down. They have the intelligence of an ape with verbal skills remember) and ask for volunteers.

The KED is a great piece of equipment to show, and the Sager (applying traction may not be a good idea though). You can splint an arm, attach the ECG and print a strip, if you have a partner demonstrate how the stretcher comes in and out of the vehicle, show them the stair chair, have a volunteer sit on it and wheel them around.

You can take five minutes at the end, to just let them look around the back of the truck (supervised of course). Maybe play with the siren. Also if you decide to try and add a bit of basic education, like how and when to call 911, keep it really simple (it actually is pretty simple, if some of the pt's we get can master it). But repeat, repeat, repeat, throughout the demonstration. Perhaps give out colouring books or Band-Aids (do you have printed ones?) as rewards for answering questions correctly or participating in demonstrations. If you do this though, make sure everyone goes home with something.

It will be great. The worst thing you could do is just stand there and talk at them for twenty minutes. They will quickly lose interest and so will you.

I find the best way to teach something is to be enthusiastic about it yourself. Enthusiasm is contagious. You will know it's going well if you end up with a shorty mayhem on your hands (but that is the teachers problem :wink: ) but they will remember this demonstration. Even if they never call 911 in their lives, they might correct their parents the next time they refer to us as ambulance drivers. Public education will never hurt our profession.

[medik8]

Well said, Hammer! =D>

[Dustdevil]

If the class is not too big, I hook each one of them to the heart monitor and print a strip to show them their heartbeat.

Like this?

[medik8]

LMAO! U are such a silly sally...Yeah Dust...sort of...'cept I'm not blonde, and I don't do it in the parking lot. :shock: I just take the kiddies in the back of the truck and they take turns on the cot while I hook them up and print them off. And, of course, you have to leave the sound on the monitor.....beep....beep....beep....beep....beep....beep.... They get a kick out of that...

xoxo :wink:

8

PS...Thanks Michael.. :oops: Conscience, huh?

[Michael]

:oops: Conscience, huh?

http://tinyurl.com/mt27a

[SooC]

Dust must have some amazing sources to come up with a pic like that so easily

[MedicNorth]

Dust must have some amazing sources to come up with a pic like that so easily

Resources? Probably, but mostly too much time on his hands and a fast search engine!