Operation Lifesaver, Inc. Education Materials Start Going Virtual
WASHINGTON, DC, October 5, 2020 – Operation Lifesaver Inc., (OLI), the national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting safety around trains and tracks, has reframed some of its most popular education materials into virtual resources to help teach children ages 5-13 the importance of making safe choices around trains and tracks.
About every 3 hours in the United States, a person or vehicle is hit by a train. On foot or in a vehicle, results can be the same — severe injury or even death.
“Children play an active and important role in their communities. Railroad trains and tracks are located in almost every community across the United States,” said OLI Education Manager Moriah Whiteman. “It’s important for children to know why it’s necessary to make safe choices around trains and tracks.”
OLI’s new resources are free and designed to be viewed virtually — from home, from school, on laptops, tablets, desktops or mobile devices.
“These new virtual materials meet children where they are with narrative stories, active play and characters they can identify with,” Whiteman continued. “They are designed to grab your attention and teach these important safely lessons in fun, interactive and interesting ways.”
The new Operation Lifesaver, Inc. virtual materials include:
Virtual Trains & Tracks (https://oli.org/media/trains-tracks-video) is best for children in grades K-2 or between the ages of 5-8 and introduces them to basic safety messages and train attributes, emphasizing the importance of using caution around trains and tracks. The information is presented as a story, “Train and the Whateveritwas,” which incorporates key safety messages in an entertaining and engaging format.
Virtual Main Line Middle School presentation (https://oli.org/media/mainline-middle-school-video-grades-6-8) uses emoji-like characters in a colorful, yearbook-style story line to appeal to smart phone-savvy students in grades 4-8 or ages 9-13 and covers general safety messages, signs, signals, and trespass prevention messages.
These two new virtual resources are available on the OL for Kids section of the Operation Lifesaver, Inc. website and are downloadable in the Materials Library section of the website.
“We are excited to share these new educational materials with students, educators and schools across the U.S.,” said Whiteman.
To see if a free safety presentation is available in your state, visit http://bit.ly/request-an-OL-presentation or www.oli.org.
About Operation Lifesaver, Inc.
Operation Lifesaver is a non-profit public safety education and awareness organization dedicated to reducing collisions, fatalities and injuries at highway-rail crossings and preventing trespassing on or near railroad tracks. A national network of trained volunteers gives free presentations on rail safety and a public awareness campaign,“See Tracks? Think Train!” provides tips and statistics to encourage safe behavior near the tracks. Learn more about Rail Safety Week; follow OLI on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube.
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