on getting help when lost: important tips for children, parents, teachers & caregivers
by J. A. Ginsburg
An "I See I Learn" story about how to get help when you are lost, an important Health and Safety skill
Being lost is scary. So is that awful feeling someone in your charge has gone missing. Freda Is Found focuses on skills that can:
- help keep a child from getting lost
- make being lost a little less frightening
- help a child get found
Freda—the Hermione Granger of the I See I Learn set—is the last child you would expect to get lost. Freda follows directions! Freda loves directions! But anyone can get lost, which is important to remember. It takes only a moment to let go of a hand and become separated from the group. Suddenly, nothing looks familiar. Everybody is a stranger. And… it’s…scary!
Still, this is Freda we are talking about. How did this happen? The day started out so brilliantly. During the morning “circle time” at Ready Set Pre-K, Miss Cathy told the class they were going on a field trip to the fire station. Freda loves fire trucks! She could barely contain her excitement as she held hands with Percy, her safety partner, walking with the class over to the station.
Then she saw a toy fire truck in the window of her favorite toy shop. Freda let go of Percy’s hand, thinking he would follow her to get a better look. But she darted away too fast. By the time she turned around, Percy was nowhere to be seen. All her friends had disappeared. Miss Cathy and Mr. D., her assistant, were gone, too!
Uh oh.
Freda knew she had made a serious mistake by letting go of Percy’s hand, but she remembered what she had been taught about how to get found.
While Freda was trying to get help, so was Percy, who immediately told Miss Cathy what had happened.
Mr. D. and Percy went back to look for Freda and boy, was she ever happy to be found! And really REALLY happy when then let her ring the bell at the fire station.
Getting found is way more fun than being lost!
Teachers! Parents! Librarians! Caregivers! Each "I See I Learn" book includes a two-page spread called “A Closer Look," designed to review key points. Also available as FREE pdf posters, perfect for classroom walls & refrigerator doors!
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MISS CATHY RECOMMENDS:
- Keeping Kids from Getting Lost (and What to Do If They Do) by Alyssa Dver / babyzone: Lots of great tips, such as dressing children in eye-catching clothing to make them easier to spot in a crowd. H’mmm. Maybe Mr. D. will help me design some special Ready Set Pre-K t-shirts for field trip days. So you think we should we include a picture of Pickle, Emma’s green bulldog?
- National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: According to government statistics, nearly 800,000 children are reported missing annually. Most children are reunited with their families quickly, but some find themselves is frightening and dangerous situations. The NCMEC site has lots information and helpful links.
- AMBER Alert Program: This is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, and transportation agencies to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases.
- Boy Scout Jared Ropelato Found in Utah Wilderness / ABC News (print & video): Look at how happy Jared—and his mom—are when he’s found.Freda knows exactly how that feels! Don’t wander off alone! (Really, “an encounter with a moose”?!)
Be sure to check out all of Stuart J. Murphy’s I See I Learn books, including titles in Spanish! Stuart’s Level 1 MathStart books are perfect for Pre-K. You can follow us on twitter and Facebook. Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter, too! (sample)
