Hazard Alley

Today I went on a wonderful, easy field trip.  It is not often that field trips are so easy and stress free, but this one was lovely.  After counting the kids and getting them all loaded onto a bus, I and a few other members of staff took the kids about fifteen minutes away to a safety center called "Hazard Alley."  Through our PSHE lessons, we have talked about staying safe and what to do in an emergency.  Hazard Alley was a wonderful addition and culmination to this.

Hazard Alley - Set up as its own little town with safety hazards and precautions.

Hazard Alley is a giant warehouse that has been turned into a small town, complete with a petrol station, a building site, a train, homes, a shop, a pond, a farm, and several roads.  Each of these stations is a center where the children are taught about some basic safety tips.  Children learned safe ways to cross streets, how to behave in petrol stations, what to do if someone passes out, adults that you can and cannot trust, and they even got the opportunity to make a 999 (911) call.  The pupils went to a phone booth and called 999 (aka a volunteer sitting upstairs).  They had to report the emergency, where it was and exactly what services were needed.

Two pupils making their 999 call.

Little did they know, that while they were making these calls, they were being videoed and while my children were in small groups being well looked after by the volunteers, I was upstairs in the staff room watching and listening to their calls.  It was wonderful!  I loved watching how they reacted in an emergency and which person in the pair took the lead role.

I walked around with some of the groups of pupils too and was amazed at some of the things I learned as well.  The volunteers were really dedicated and did a great job of keeping the kids engaged and interested while learning about so many different types of safety.

The kids had a blast, learned a lot, and I, the teacher, was thrilled to have a field trip where someone else was in charge!