Dr Seuss said it best: The more things you read the more things you know!
Kids Alive can attest to this and we have been working on a special partnership program that we know will get more kids reading and learning about water safety.
Libraries are amazing places, full of fun and knowledge. They reach over 3 million children every year through storytime and rhymetime. So, we are extremely excited to announce a new water safety awareness training program that we have created for libraries and community groups.
Following a successful partnership with Ipswich Libraries in Queensland earlier this year, we were inspired to create an online training program for other libraries and community groups designed to help spread the water safety message to the under 5 age group in an entertaining and informative way.
In the pilot of the program, the Kids Alive Early Learning Education resources were adapted by Ipswich Libraries, as an extension of the Queensland Government-funded First 5 Forever early literacy project, and saw the Kids Alive water safety message brought to life through a series of public storytelling events.
David Smith, First 5 Forever Project Team Leader Team Leader, said the First 5 Forever Dive into Books storytelling program had proven hugely popular with parents and young kids, with hundreds of participants attending the four events held.
“We had previously trialed a storytelling program at local swimming pools and once we were setup and running next to the water, the need and the opportunity to include the theme of water safety in our stories and songs was obvious,” Mr Smith said.
Kids Alive was an obvious partner and the organisation worked closely with the library to develop the program material and provide all the resources.
The full training program will be released in the coming months but check out what an amazing job Ipswich Libraries did with its water safety initiative.