Children to learn about the dangers of farms and the countryside (From Mid Devon Star)

Children to learn about the dangers of farms and the countryside

7:00am Friday 27th January 2012 in News

PRIMARY schools across Mid Devon are being encouraged to teach children about the dangers of farms and the countryside with the help of a new initiative being launched this week.

The scheme, organised by Cornish Mutual, will cover six key topics including farm, road and rail safety, how to behave around animals, electricity, hygiene and the Countryside Code.

It will take the form of a free on-line teaching resource which includes lesson plans and downloadable worksheets to be used in the classroom, with 16 different activities designed for children between five and 11.

More than 2,600 teachers and head teachers across the region will start to receive letters about the new free on-line resource from this week, along with a poster to display in the classroom.

It is expected that the teaching materials will be available to about 260,000 school children in the Westcountry.

Alan Goddard, managing director at Cornish Mutual, said: “As an insurer for|the rural community, we understand that farms and the countryside can sometimes be a dangerous place for children.

“We have developed this on-line teaching resource in order to help pupils identify some of the dangers and learn how to deal with them.

For more information about the initiative and to download any of the free teaching resources, visit www.cornish|mutual.co.uk/farmsafeforschools