Staying Safe Outdoors

During this lesson, students will practice their self-awareness and critical thinking skills to identify environmental factors that pose a safety risk, and apply behaviours, safety rules and procedures to maximize their own safety and avoid injury while participating in outdoor education activities.

• A1: A1.4, A1.5, A1.6
• B3: B3.1, B3.2
• D1: Gr. 2 – D1.2, Gr. 3 – D1.2, Gr 8. – D1.1
• D2: Gr. 4 – D2.2, Gr. 8 2.2
• D3: Gr. 1 - D3.1, Gr. 6 - D3.2

• I can behave responsibly and follow safety rules and procedures to avoid illness and injuries and keep myself and others safe during outdoor education activities.
• I can use my self-awareness and critical thinking skills to analyze situations, identify safety risks, and make safe choices while participating in outdoor education activities.

• Student Resource: Staying Safe Outdoors - Self-Check (primary)
• Student Resource: Staying Safe Outdoors - Self-Check (junior)
• Student Resource: Staying Safe Outdoors - Self-Check (intermediate)
• Student Resource: “What’s Wrong” Problem, Immediate Action, and Prevention Cards
• Student Resource: “What’s Wrong” Scenarios

Activities

• Backpacking/Hiking
• Camping
• Cooperative Games
• Orienteering

Tools and Resources

• Concussions
• Disability-Centred Safety
• First Aid Plan and First Aid Emergency Response
• Lightning
• Sample Curricular Medical Information and Acknowledgement of Elements of Risk Form
• Temperatures
• Ultraviolet (UV) Index
• Winds

Other

Risk Management

At the beginning of the lesson, work with students to co-create criteria for assessing knowledge of environmental factors that pose a risk and skills needed to make safe choices to avoid injuries and keep themselves safe during outdoor education activities. For example, success criteria might include:

• I can identify the environmental risks that might cause injury or illness when participating in outdoor education activities.
• I can behave responsibly and apply safety rules and procedures to avoid illness or injury and keep myself and others safe during outdoor education activities.

After the activity, review the co-created criteria with students and then have them complete the Student Resource: Staying Safe Outdoors - Self-Check.

Assess students’ responses during the class discussions throughout the “What’s Wrong” activity/ Expert Group work scenario. Use the co-created criteria to assess student learning and offer feedback. If needed, provide feedback to individual students or the entire group, to clarify or reinforce their understanding of staying safe during outdoor education activities, and answer any remaining questions.

Primary/Junior/Intermediate

Write one or more of the following expressions so that students can refer to them.

• “If you hear it, clear it. If you see it, flee it.” (If thunder is heard or lightning is seen, seek shelter.)
• “When thunder roars, go indoors.” (If thunder is heard, don’t wait to see lightening; go inside.)
• “If you get turned around, sit down”/ “Hug a Tree” (If you lose your way, stay where you are and wait for someone to find you.)
• “If in doubt, sit it out.” (if they think they might have a concussion, do not continue to participate.)
• “HIT, STOP, SIT (If they sustain a blow to the head neck or body that may produce signs and symptoms of a concussion, stop playing, and tell someone.)
• “Slip, slop, slap, seek, slide” (Slip on a shirt, slop on some sunscreen, slap on a hat, seek shade, slide on your shades/sunglasses.)
• “ABC” (ABC’s of First Aid - Airway, Breathing, Circulation)

Divide students into pairs to talk about what the expressions mean to them in relation to staying safe in the outdoors. Invite students to share their thoughts with the class. Use student responses to focus their attention on actions they can take to keep themselves safe while participating in outdoor education activities.

Primary/Junior/Intermediate

Explain to students that it is important to know the safety rules and procedures to stay safe, and minimize or avoid the risk of illness or injury while participating in outdoor education activities. It is also helpful to know some basic first aid if illness, or injury happens until the ill or injured person can get medical help.

Primary

Divide students into groups of 3 or 4. Write each of the following activities so that students can refer to them.

• Bike riding
• Playing in the snow/tobogganing
• Skating
• Playing at a park or a beach in summer
• Hiking
• Swimming
• Canoeing
• Boating
• Camping

After writing each activity, pause and ask groups to think about and share safety rules they would follow to keep themselves and others safe while participating in the activity. Record group responses. Consider adding other outdoor education activities based on student interest and access to local outdoor spaces. Possible answers:

• Wear a helmet when I am riding my bike.
• Make sure all my equipment fits property and is secure.
• Always wear sunscreen and a hat.
• Keep my hat and mitts on when I am outside.
• Watch where I walk when on a hike so I don’t trip on roots and rocks.
• If I hit my head or fall and hit the ground hard, tell an adult.
• If I don’t feel well when I am playing, tell an adult.
• Keep my shoelaces tied and my feet dry so I don’t get blisters.
• If I get lost, stay where I am and wait for someone to find me.
• Carry a whistle to signal for help and know the distress signal - 3 blasts or 3 shouts.
• Always wear my lifejacket around water.
• Always be supervised by a trusted adult around water.
• Have a first aid kit with you in case someone gets hurt.

Using a popcorn strategy, have students generate ideas about what should be contained in a first aid kit they might take on a day trip to a local conservation area with their family. Consider showing students items in a first aid kit and have them guess what the items are and how they might be used. Possible answers:

• Bandages that are different shapes & sizes
• Cream to treat cuts, blisters or insect bites
• Tweezers and scissors
• Gauze and sterile dressings
• Alcohol swabs
• Hand sanitizer/ wipes
• A triangular bandage and safety pins
• Tensor bandages
• Splints for fingers or arms
• Instant ice packs
• Foil blanket for extra warmth
• A plastic whistle
• First aid instructions
• Epipen
• Concussion identification tool

“What’s Wrong” Activity

Divide the students into small groups of 3-4. Read a scenario aloud from the Student Resource: “What’s Wrong” Scenario. Have groups generate possible answers to the following questions:

• What’s wrong?
• What should you do?
• What safety rules would you follow to try to prevent this situation from happening to you?

Invite groups to share their responses with the class, and then share the correct answers with them. Continue the activity using the same process for each scenario. Once students have had a chance to analyze all scenarios, review the take-aways. Consider selecting scenarios that are age appropriate for the level of learner.

Junior/Intermediate

Using a popcorn strategy (consult the Notes to Teachers section for a description of this strategy), invite students to identify some of the elements of safety outdoors that they need to know about for their safety and the safety of others. Possible answers:

• Staying safe in sun and hot weather.
• Staying safe in cold/ rainy weather.
• Staying safe in bad (inclement) weather.
• How to avoid sustaining a concussion/ head injury.
• How to use equipment properly to stay safe and avoid injury.
• How to protect against insect bites.
• How to stay safe in the dark.
• What items should be in a first aid kit and basic first aid.

Continue using a popcorn strategy, for students to generate ideas about items that should be included in a first aid kit they might take on a weekend outdoor excursion with their family. Consider showing students items in a first aid kit and have them guess what the items are and how they might be used. Possible answers:

• Bandages that are different shapes & sizes
• Cream to treat cuts, blisters or insect bites
• Tweezers and scissors
• Gauze and sterile dressings
• Alcohol swabs
• Hand sanitizer/ wipes
• A triangular bandage and safety pins
• Tensor bandages
• Splints for fingers or arms
• Instant ice packs
• Foil blanket for extra warmth
• A plastic whistle
• First aid instructions
• Epipen
• Concussion identification tool

Divide students into 10 equal groups. Give each group one of the scenarios from the Student Resource: “What’s Wrong” Scenarios. Instruct groups to read the scenario and generate answers to the following questions:

• What’s wrong?
• What should you do?
• What safety rules would you follow to try to prevent this situation from happening to you?

Once the group has analyzed the scenario and generated possible answers, give each group the Student Resource: “What’s Wrong” Problem, Immediate Action, and Prevention Cards to learn what’s wrong, the actions they should take to respond to the situation, and how to prevent the situation. Have groups pass their scenario to another group. Repeat this process until groups have had the opportunity to analyze and respond to some or all of the scenarios. Consider selecting scenarios that are age appropriate for the level of learner.

Primary/Junior/Intermediate

Have students complete the Student Resource: Staying Safe Outdoors - Self-Check to assess student understanding of safety rules and procedures to stay safe and minimize or avoid the risk of illness or injury while participating in outdoor education activities.

Remember to check school board policies and procedures applicable to any outdoor education activity.

A variety of assessment strategies have been identified in the Assessing for Learning section of each activity. Please note that these assessment strategies have been provided as a means for teachers to gather information to determine what students already know and can do, to inform instruction, scaffold learning, differentiate instruction in response to their students needs, and help students keep track of their progress in achieving the learning goals. These are not meant to be used for formal assessment and evaluation purposes.

A Popcorn Strategy may also be referred to as a Popcorn Share and is a collaborative way for students to share their ideas with each other. Students are invited to share their ideas by “popping up” from their seat to give their answer or make a comment about an idea or concept. When done speaking, the student sits down signaling for other students to pop up and share. There is no set order for student sharing. Students may offer a different answer or perspective or build on each other’s answers or ideas.

Consider pairing this lesson with the Lessons on, “Layering and Dressing For Success”, “Staying Healthy Outdoors”, and “Tick Safety” for students to learn more about safety practices, rules and procedures to avoid injuries or illness during outdoor education activities.