Staying safe was the focus during the annual Progressive Agriculture Safety Day in Altona on Friday.
About 150 grade 5 students from the area participated in the trade show style event, moving from booth to booth learning the many ways to stay safe this summer and in life. Topics ranged from drug, pet, lawn equipment and electricity safety, to name a few.
Staying safe online
Keaden Shebaylo, a school psychologist with Garden Valley School Division, spoke about social media and internet safety.
"The kinds of thing we can and should not post online. Being aware that not everything we see online is true and how to recognize that and who to talk to find out more," he explained. "We talked about the addictive effects of social media and technology and how to be aware of that and treat our brains well. Being kind online as well and being aware of cyber bullying and what to do in those kinds of situations."
Overall, Shebaylo says the students were great participants, noting they were very enthusiastic talking about technology and the different things they like to do online and asking lots of questions.
Ready for a summer of swimming
Kaylee Franz's presentation focused on water safety, associated with the Altona Aquatic Centre, highlighting things like life jacket safety, conditions to be on the lookout for before going swimming and other important information to consider before heading out in the water.
"There's definitely a lot of questions. Most kids around here are excited about the pool, it's kind of a staple in the community, I would say, so it's kind of fun to hear what people know and the things they've picked up in school and what not."
According to Franz, the students knew quite a lot coming into the session and noted, it was nice to offer the refresher.
"This is just a good event," she added, speaking of the overall day. "I think it's awesome to see everyone around learning things that aren't always as well trained and executed like water safety is."
"It's a perfect opportunity"
Brendan Funk, one of the organizers of the day, says this is the perfect age group to take in all of the different information.
"Their level of retention is just fantastic," he said. "I presented for many years and, any time after in the summertime, I'd get a handful of kids stop me on the road and say, 'I remember you from Ag Safety Day. I remember you presented on this'. Kids have access to a lot of information nowadays and, at this point, they remember so very much. It's a perfect opportunity."