It was a special day for the Safe-T Rangers. They had been traveling the galaxies teaching people that when it comes to traffic safety, "Safe-T is Fun and Safe-T is First." They had a week off between Safe-T missions and school, and they decided to take a vacation to the Island of Cool-All-Right.

Jo-Jo the Robo and Grady met Rebecca, Andrew, Lily, Kasey, and Thandika on the runway on Buckle Up Street. All of the beach balls, suntan lotion, lemonade, ice cream, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and bananas were loaded into the car. Everyone jumped in and buckled up.

Coloring Page

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What's Right With This Picture?

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Connect the Dots

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Lily went through her rule book to check the pre-flight commands -- everyone is buckled up? The Safe-T Rangers yelled, "Check!" All of the doors were locked? Everyone yelled, "Check!" Everything is under our seats and stored away so things don't move during take-off and landing? Everyone said, "Check!" They were ready to go, and the Safe-T Rangers shouted their pledge, "Safe-T is Fun, and Safe-T is First!" Quickly the car turned into an airplane.

Jo-Jo tried to start the engines, but nothing happened. She tried again -- still nothing! She asked Lily to make sure that all of the pre-flight commands had been followed. The Safe-T Rangers looked in front of them, nothing was there. They looked on each side of the plane, nothing was there. Kasey was the first to see him. It was a small green dragon with wings who looked like he was on vacation. He said, "My name is Marvin and you will see, that I am more than a dragon, please listen to me. I have come from far away to help you teach the Safe-T way."

Marvin talked in rhyme all of the time! He continued:

Hi, my Safe-T Ranger Friends,
It seems your work will never end.
I decided to take a vacation,
And I used a map to find Earth's location.
'Cause I had heard about your oceans,
The sun, the sand -- I even brought my suntan lotion.

Before I could do that I was shocked to see,
Your people not following the rules of Safe-T.
Adults not buckled, and there's much more,
Children unbuckled, danger's in store.

And people told me quite clearly
And they said it quite sincerely,
That, "belts are used when you're going far.
Not for a close ride in the car."

"The air bag is there to help out.
So belts aren't buckled when I'm driving about."
These are surely not Safe-T rules,
These make life very un-cool.

There's so much to do here on earth,
To help your people not get hurt.
I think we should help them, what do you say?
Let's help your people learn the Safe-T way.

The Safe-T Rangers were surprised by Marvin's words. They thought everyone buckled up. They decided Island Cool-All-Right could wait.

Andrew said, "What are we going to do?" Rebecca chimed in, "We need to spread our Safe-T message across the United States, and recruit kids and grown-ups to be Safe-T Rangers." Thandika jumped up and down and said, "We can visit different parts of the country, and teach people our Safe-T Ranger pledge." Marvin asked, "What's the pledge?"

[You can help Marvin figure out the Safe-T Ranger pledge by putting the words in the right order in the Snorkling Fun activity.]

Coloring Page

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Snorkling Fun

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Andrew set the coordinates for four different places across the United States -- Window Rock, Arizona; Los Angeles, California; Peabody, Kansas; and New York City, New York. Off they went!

The first stop was Window Rock, Arizona, the headquarters for the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation stretches across Arizona, New Mexico, and the southern part of Utah. It consists of 250,000 people. Chief Manuelto (who was named after a great chief with the same name) met them at the airport in a BIG car. It had enough seats for all of the Safe-T Rangers, and it even had the safety seat installed in the back seat (which is the safest place) for Grady, but it was really loose.

Kasey said, "Safety seats need to be tight, tight, tight in order for them to work right, right, right." Jo-Jo corrected the problem by checking all of the instructions in the car's manual and the car seat manual. Everyone piled into the back seats and buckled up.

Off they went to the Navajo Nation where the Chief lived. They were greeted by a Song and Dance Social Event with lots of music, singing, and dancing. The people were very excited about the Safe-T Rangers' visit. The Safe-T Rangers also met Luke Safety, the Navajo Nation's safety symbol. Luke told them stories about the Navajo people. His people needed help with three things in order to make their lives safer.

At the end of the Song and Dance Social, the Safe-T Rangers made Chief Manuelto and Luke Safety Safe-T Rangers. Everyone said the pledge, "Safe-T is Fun, and Safe-T is First!" and the Safe-T Rangers said good-bye.

Their next stop -- a visit to Safe T. Cool, one awesome dude living in Los Angeles. This time, a Safe-T Car was waiting from them at the airport when they landed, and Safe T. Cool greeted them. He said, "Yo, welcome to LA! Let's pile into this car. Hey Andrew, you look like a cool dude. You're nine years old, right? That front seat next to Jo-Jo is open, sit there."

Thandika said, "Safe T., it's always safer for kids to sit in the back seat. If there's not enough room, the bigger kid can sit in the front, and since I'm bigger than Andrew, I should sit in the front seat. Does that front seat have an air bag?" Safe T. Cool answered, "See here on the dash, it says it does!" Thandika said, "I'll sit there. I'm moving the seat back as far as it can go. That's because when we need it, the air bag comes out really fast, and it could hurt me if I'm sitting too close. I'm going to buckle both the lap and shoulder belt!" Safe T. Cool said, "Now that I know what's safe, I'm gonna spread the word."

As they were driving toward the city, Safe T. Cool, who was one cool dude, said:

Write a Rap Song

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The Safe-T Rangers, Marvin, and Safe T. cool had an idea. They would hold a contest that promoted buckling up. See if YOU can come up with the winning rap, song, or poem by using the words in the Write A Rap Song activity.

Congratulations! Your song hit the TOP TEN charts, and everyone is singing it and buckling up! Their job done, the Safe-T Rangers were ready to leave. The Safe-T Rangers made Safe T. Cool a Safe-T Ranger, and they waved good-bye.

Andrew set the dials for Peabody, Kansas. Farmer Safe-T was waiting for them in his van. It had enough seats for all of the Safe-T Rangers, and Grady's safety seat was even installed correctly. As they buckled up and drove away, Jo-Jo said in her robot-like voice, "You are really cool for following the Safe-T rules." (Jo-Jo liked the way that Marvin and Safe T. Cool talked so she had decided to talk the way they did!) Farmer Safe-T said sadly, "Thank you Jo-Jo, but not everyone in my town is as safe as I am. People get hurt because they don't always buckle up. I think they sometimes forget it's the law, too! What can I do?"

Rebecca said, "Let's have a Peabody Scramble!" Lily chimed in, "That's a great idea! We could have a town meeting, and give everyone a copy of it. Then everyone would be safe!' Farmer Safe-T asked, "What's a Peabody Scramble?" Andrew answered, "You'll see!"

[See if you can help Farmer Safe-T by finding the words in the Peabody Scramble activity. Then look at the rules underneath the egg and fill in the blanks with the words you've found. When you've finished the page, you've done the Peabody Scramble.]

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Their last stop was New York City, New York. The Safe-T Rangers were going to visit El Barrio, a neighborhood where people from Puerto Rico and Hispanic countries live, work, and play. Jose Seguridad and his baby sister Maria were waiting for them. Jose took them to his car, and it seemed perfect! There were enough seats for everybody, Grady's safety seat was installed correctly in the back seat, and there was an infant seat for Maria installed in the front seat.

Marvin was the first to see the problem. He said, "That baby seat -- it's not neat because the babe's feet will be facing the street!" He continued in Spanish, "Cambid el asiento porque no esta seguro!" (In English, this means "turn the seat around because it's not safe!") Andrew agreed, "You're right, Marvin! The infant seat is facing the wrong direction, and it's safer if we place it in the rear seat!" Jose said, "I'm glad you're here to help! I'll take care of that right now!" As Jose corrected the problem, everyone repeated Marvin's verse. You can, too! "That baby seat -- it's not neat because the babe's feet will be facing the street!" Jo-Jo added, "And babies are safest in the back, buckled in right, now that's a fact!"

Jose wanted to teach his friends and family about safety belts, and he had a great idea. He said, "Soon will be the Festival of San Juan. This is a special time for El Barrio because we all come together to eat, play games, and have fun. Let's teach everyone about safety belts at the festival. What do you think?" Everyone yelled, "Yeah!"

Get Your Safe-T Checklist Here!

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Safe-T Rule Picture

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Safe-T Ranger Rules

1. Everyone buckles up, every Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother, Aunt and Uncle -- Everybody!
2. The safest place for kids of all ages is properly buckled up in the back seat.
3. Make sure that your child or infant seat is installed correctly.
4. Buckling up is the law, and the law keeps us safe.
5. Whether you're going near or far, always buckle your safety belt.
6. Safe-T Rangers encourage everyone to be safe drivers.

The Safe-T Rangers waved good-bye to the newest Safe-T Rangers, Jose and Maria. When they left El Barrio, everyone was singing, dancing, and talking about safety.

It was time to go home. As they were about to land on Buckle Up Street, Rebecca said, "What an adventure! We visited lots of places, made new friends, and taught people important Safe-T Rules."

Jo-Jo safely landed the plane. Just like it did thousands of times before, the plane turned into a car, and everyone jumped out. Marvin said good-bye, and he was gone with a poof. They hoped that Marvin would be back. Grady said, "Our trip was cool-all-right!" Everyone laughed because they didn't have to go to Island Cool-All-Right to have a vacation after all!

With Thanks: Phil Belone - Principal, Chuska Boarding School | Nancy Bill - Navajo Area Indian Health Service | Lillian Cooper - Grady's Grandma | Brian Ellis - Peabody High School, Peabody, Kansas | Greg Evan & Melinda Titus Fausch - National Future Farmers of American Organization | Connie Giniger - Grady, Lily, and Kasey's Grandma | Teresita Gonzalez - Headlines | HONDA | Jerry Lee - Albuquerque Indian Health Service | Sheri Lyon - Albuquerque Indian Hospital | Paul Miller - AAA Potomac | Richard Montgomery - Art Director | Antonio Rivera - Puerto Rican Family Institute | Kelly Royall - Illustrator | Richard Smith - U.S. Indian Health Service | Isa Umar, Embassy of Nigeria | Tim VanEgmond - Storyteller | Dave Royer & Nancy Wagstaff - Los Angeles Department of Transportation | Ruth Dronzin | The Favins | Jim Ford | Andrew | Chris | Grady | Heather | Jenny | Jo-Jo | Kasey | Lily | Marvin | Peter | Rebecca

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January 29, 2002