Teaching Children

Dear Educator,

Helping children recognize how to create and maintain healthy poison prevention habits is an important job; however, educating children about poisons is not always easy. Poisons that can hurt children may be products that we use every day.

To assist you, North Carolina Poison Control has created Children Act Fast, So Do Poisons--a curriculum designed to educate children pre-K to 3^rd grade about the dangers of poisons. In addition, a participant pack is included to supplement the curriculum. The participant pack includes:

• Information on how to build a poison display
• 2 Look-a-like posters
• Picture of a poisonous snake
• Safety signs
• Poison prevention games/activities
• Parent letter
• Evaluation form

You can download the curriculum and participant pack from the links below.

Children Act Fast, So Do Poisons incorporates National Health Education Standards (NHES)¹ into the curriculum. These standards are designed to teach children how to recognize ways they can stay healthy and help them identify:

• healthy behaviors that impact personal health
• how the family influences personal health practices
• who can help when assistance is needed
• behaviors that avoid or reduce health risks

To see a complete listing of NHES standards, visit: cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/SHER/standards/index.htm.

To reinforce material content, North Carolina Poison Control can supply you with magnets or stickers to hand out to children. Visit our online store for all your poison education material needs.

Please contact us with any questions about the curriculum or facilitation. Let us know what you thought about your experience as a poison prevention educator. Poisonings can be prevented. We appreciate the time you are investing to keep the children in your community safe from poisons.

Best Regards,

The Education Department
North Carolina Poison Control
704-512-3750

¹The Joint Committee on National Health Education Standards. National Health Education Standards: Achieving Excellence (2nd Edition). Atlanta: American Cancer Society, 2007.

Mail completed evaluation forms to:

North Carolina Poison Control
Attn:  Manager, Communications & Content Development 
PO Box 32861
Charlotte, NC 28232

We can only mail additional supplies for future classes after evaluation forms for previous classes are submitted. Thank you!

Download Children Act Fast, So Do Poisons preschool and early childhood education curriculum for use in classroom setting.

Download your participant pack.

Download Spike's Poison Prevention Adventure video.

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