Jersey primary school children in Years 1 and 2 are being introduced to the importance of beach safety, with the help of a new activity book produced by Jersey Coastguard.
Jersey Coastguard officers regularly visit primary schools to raise awareness about our rapidly changing tides and how to stay safe on our beaches. They teach older children about the RNLI beach lifeguard flag system, what to do in a riptide, where you are most at risk of being cut off by the tide, and what to do in an emergency at sea.
This year they have also produced an activity book to reinforce their safety message with younger children, aged 5-7.
Jersey Coastguard’s Manager, Phil Le Neveu, said: “It’s important to get the sea safety message out to children as early as possible, so they stay safe on the beach during the summer holidays. Teaching children about safety in the sea and on our beaches is an essential part of our work, so they can enjoy our coast without putting themselves in danger.
“We had the idea to create a book for younger primary school children that would help teachers reinforce the message with their classes. We’ve had positive feedback from teachers, who have said that the content is excellent, with good visuals and plenty of age-appropriate activities for the target age group to complete.”
Jersey Coastguard are also visiting Key Stage 2 classes (ages 7-11) with the specially written play that was first performed last year. Almost all the 32 schools have already booked a performance of the play for the summer term.
The new activity book is targeted at Key Stage 1 to communicate the sea safety message to younger children.