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Lesson Plan #2: Child Safety on the Farm

by Shari Burgus

Introduction

The family farm is a great place, but it also holds potential for harm to the ones we want to protect the most, young children. The farm is a unique environment for children to live, play, work and grow up. But agriculture is one of the most hazardous occupations, and farm children are routinely exposed to the same hazards as their parents working on the farm. Each year, hundreds of children are killed and thousands more are injured in farm-related incidents.

Purpose

The purpose of this lesson is to help children recognize the dangers on the farm in order for them to understand the importance of staying away from harmful items and situations.

Audience

This lesson is appropriate for teaching early elementary school children. It can be used by farm family members, community leaders, and high school agriculture student to teach children farm safety information.

Objectives

At the completion of this lesson, students should be able to:
Describe hazards found on the farm.
Identify behaviors that lead to avoidance of injuries and fatalities to children on the farm.
Identify safe play areas on the farm.

Lesson Outline

Part I: The Farm Environment (10 minutes)

Part II: Demonstrations of danger associated with farm hazards (30 minutes)

  • Tractor Safety Activity (10 minutes)
  • Flowing Grain Safety Activity (10 minutes)
  • Animal Safety Activity (10 minutes)

Part III: Safe Play Areas (5 minutes)

The Lesson: Child Safety on the Farm

Part I: The Farm Environment Farming is important to the U.S. economy and the food supply for America and our export markets. Ask children:\

Can you identify the positive aspects of the farm environment? Examples: animals, big buildings, open spaces, equipment

Can they make a connection between positive aspects of farming and possible negative factors?
Examples:

  • Animals, even though fun to be around, can also bite, trample, and stomp.Big buildings can be fun to play in but they can fall or they might be exposed to harmful substances like chemicals and electricity.Wide open farm spaces provide an ideal play area but this isolation may lead to more difficulty obtaining help if needed in the case of emergencies.
  • Powerful equipment is interesting to watch but you can become entrapped, cut, or crushed by the machinery. Even death can occur.

Can children give other examples of positive and negative factors?

Can the children identify the primary hazards to them on their farm?
Examples

  • Machinery - list specific machinery (e.g., combines, tractors, augers, grain wagons)Livestock - list specific animalsChemicals - warning identification signsRecreational vehiclesWater dangers - ponds, irrigation ditches
  • Lawn mowers
Part II: Demonstrations of Danger Associated with Farm Hazards

Tractor Safety Activity
Position a child in a chair to serve as a "pretend" tractor seat with a seat belt. Have other children make tractor sounds while one child sneaks from behind to the front of the seat. Instruct the child to ask for a ride when he/she is in front of the "tire." Ask the children:

  • What happened when it was that noisy? Could the driver hear?
  • Should the child have asked to ride on the tractor?

Stress these principles:
Children should never be invited to ride on or ask to ride on a tractor.
Stay away from machinery.
Never play or hide under or around machinery like tractors. Handout: Tractor Safety pages from listed activity books (see resources below). Flowing Grain Safety Activity
Using a toy gravity wagon (a half of a milk container or 2 liter bottle will also work), toy person and unpopped popcorn, show how the gravity pulls the grain and the toy person to the bottom. Place the toy person in the wagon or milk container with the door or cap closed. Open the door or cap to allow the grain to flow out. What happens? Explain that this happens very fast, in a few seconds, and that a person can suffocate if pulled under the grain. Ask the children:

  • "What happens to the toy person when I open the door on the gravity flow wagon?
  • "How long did it take for the person to become trapped?" (Demonstrate by having the children count the seconds, saying one-one thousand, two-one thousand and so on.)

Stress these principles:
Grain can entrap a person very quickly.
Children should not play around or in grain that is in wagons or bins.
It is difficult and maybe impossible to pull even a child out of grain if s/he becomes trapped. Handout: Grain Safety pages from listed activity book (see resources below). Animal Safety Activity
Have the children pretend they are animals. This is more fun if they can dress up in costumes, such as ears on headbands and noses on elastic. Discuss indications or signs that animals may be more dangerous than usual.

  • Pawing the groundSnortingRaised hair
  • Ears laid back

Ask the children to act out these behaviors. Stress these principles:
Animals, even friendly ones, can be unpredictable.
Stay away from animals, especially large ones.
Avoid animals with newborn or young.
Stay away from areas with male animals.
Stay calm, speak quietly and move slowly when around animals. Handout: Animal safety pages from listed activity books (see resources below). Part III: Safe Play Areas

  • It is important for children to have a safe play area. Have children determine where it is safe to play. List safe play areas on a board or poster.

Examples:
  • In fenced play yards under supervisionIn the house under supervision
  • In close proximity to adults
  • Have children identify unsafe play areas. List unsafe play areas on a board or poster.
Examples:
  • Near tractors and farm machineryNear animalsIn or around farm structures (barns, silos, grain bins, manure pits,etc.)In farm shopNear farm chemicals
  • Other dangerous farm areas
Ask children if they have a safe play area at home.
  • Handout: Safe Play Areas pages from the listed activity books (see resources below).

Lesson Summary

The family farm can be a dangerous environment for children if they and those in supervisory positions are not aware of the hazards. The most important thing for young children to learn is to identify and stay away from the dangers.

 

Resources

Deere and Co. (1993), The Adventures of Ready Rooster (Activity Book).
Farm Safety 4 Just Kids (1996)
  • Farm Safety Day, Teens Teaching 4- to 7- Year Old Children (Leader's Guide)Grain Handling decals (Decal)Gravity Flow Wagon (Plexiglass toy model)
  • Fun With the Farm (1996) (Activity Book)

Indiana Rural Safety and Health Council, Careful Country (Activity Book)
North Dakota Farm Bureau, (1990) ABC -- Always Be Careful on the Farm (Activity Book)

Author

Shari Burgus
Education Director
Farm Safety 4 Just Kids
PO Box 458, 110 South Chestnut
Earlham, IA 50072
Phone: 515-758-2827
FAX: 515-758-2517
E-Mail: fs4jk@netins.net

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Second in a series of agricultural safety lesson plans.