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Classroom Safety Activities

Although the classroom provides a safe, learning environment for students, dangers can still lurk. They can be natural, as in the case of a tornado or earthquake, or accidental, like a lab chemical spill or fire. Although safety orientations and drills are conducted in schools across the country, there are additional safety activities that can be practiced in the classroom to ensure a safe learning environment in hazardous situations.

  1. Fire Safety

    • Children are taught to "stop, drop and roll" if articles of their clothing catch on fire, but equally important is knowing to stay low when in a smoky area. This can be practiced in a science learning activity known as the "Smoke Chamber." The activity requires a cardboard box, which should have windows cut out of it on its four sides. These windows are then wrapped in plastic wrap. Next, a small flap hole is created in the box and something that smokes is placed inside. The experiment is designed to show children that smoke always rises, therefore emphasizing the importance of staying low emergency situations.

    Mock Lab Drills

    • Middle school and high school students often work in chemistry and biology labs, in which experiments are performed with harmful chemicals. Students are typically required to go through a safety orientation, which introduces them to the lab's potential hazards and solutions, but these orientations often consist of watching safety videos. One way to ensure that students are prepared is to hold mock lab drills. These allow students hands-on practice in a controlled, safe environment. Chemical spills can be simulated with food dye and give students a chance to react and neutralize hazardous situations.

    Drop, Cover, Hold

    • According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), 45 U.S. states are at risk for earthquakes. So while tornado and fire drills often take precedence for classroom safety, an earthquake is another scenario that shouldn't be ignored. Classrooms can prepare for potential earthquakes in two ways. First, they can practice how to properly react if one occurs. This is done by practicing the "drop, cover and hold" technique with the class. When an earthquake occurs, students should crouch under a table or desk, tuck their heads toward their stomachs and cover their head with their hands. Another earthquake activity is to have students analyze potential items in the classroom that could cause further injury if they were to fall or break. The class can then work together with the teacher to remove or adjust the potential hazards.

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