Every day, thousands of pupils are on the road. They cover countless kilometres on their way to school, home, to friends or to sports training - whether on foot, by bike or by bus. It is therefore important that they are attentive and thus safe on the road. MobileKids has been supporting teachers for more than 20 years in raising primary school-aged children's awareness of the challenges of road traffic and making them fit for the way to school.
In the competition for the best school project on the topic of road safety, primary schools here in Germany have been able to send in their project ideas and win cool prizes in the four categories "Bicycle Safety", "Way to School Planning", "Creative Workshop" and "Traffic Knowledge". And this much can be revealed: Primary schools in this country are doing a terrific job of getting their pupils ready for the road.
This article will now present the best examples of successful school projects. Our aim is to show what can be done in addition to working on the school material. We would therefore like to expressly call on you to follow suit!
From cycling exercises and sustainability research to a traffic quiz: In 2019, there were once again many great projects on the topic of road safety among the entries for the school campaign. And yet, in the end, there could only be one winning school in each of the four categories.
Class 4c of the Drümmelberg School from Bad Schussenried (Germany) won category 1 ("Bicycle Safety"). Over a period of almost two months, the pupils took part in a cycling training course with a final test. The experiment using a watermelon and a bicycle helmet, which illustrated how important it is to wear a helmet as a cyclist, was particularly memorable.
Just as delighted were the third graders of the Gielow Primary School (Germany). The boys and girls got to grips with their traffic environment and acquired knowledge about traffic signs and danger spots. Afterwards, they worked out new possibilities for an even safer way to school and submitted their proposals as applications to the municipality. Great job and congratulations on winning category 2 ("Way to School Planning").
In category 3 ("Creative Workshop"), class 3b of the Erich-Kästner Primary School from Gera (Germany) was the winner. The pupils had already been working on the topic of sustainability for some time and were now researching drive systems in the future. They collected ideas on how they could get to school in a more environmentally friendly way and recorded their results on posters. Lego models also had to be involved.
With a traffic quiz on the topic of bus driving, classes 4a and 4b of the Schlossbergschule from Kappelrodeck (Germany) won the fourth category "traffic knowledge" and were then able to enjoy a school bus training session - the perfect preparation for secondary schools, which can often only be reached by bus.
The MobileKids school campaign was again a great success in 2018: A total of 43 school classes from eleven German federal states took up the challenge and submitted their project ideas. The four winning schools came from Rhineland-Palatinate, Berlin, Baden-Württemberg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. They each won a MobileKids school bus training course, which taught them, for example, how to behave correctly on the bus and at the bus stop, as well as how to get on and off the bus properly.
Category 1 ("Bicycle Safety") was won by class 4b of the Hainbuchenschule from Hagenbach (Germany). The pupils spent a total of six months preparing for their cycling test with a wide variety of exercises. For the theory in the classroom, expert teams were formed and posters were designed. Afterwards, a bicycle course was set up in the school yard and a bicycle technical inspection was conducted. In addition, the children were prepared for their cycling test by a police officer from the Deutsche Verkehrswacht, a German traffic education association.
Class 2b of the Peter-Witte Primary School from German capital Berlin worked on the topics "safe and mobile in road traffic" throughout the entire school year and thus won the second category "Way to School Planning". From school route posters to traffic dominoes to traffic light game, everything was included in the lessons. The programme also included a project day with a scooter and dexterity course, a practical day at the Berlin Transport Authority and visits to the youth traffic school and the Berlin police.
The Johanniterschule from Heitersheim (Germany) convinced the jury with a bicycle song and thus landed in first place in category 3 ("Creative Workshop"). The idea for the interdisciplinary project originated at the traffic training ground and was ultimately successfully developed in German and music lessons. The music video is not to be missed - look here!
An old hand when it comes to the MobileKids school campaign is Tutow Primary School (Germany). This year, the students were able to cheer on the victory in category 4 ("Traffic Knowledge"). How am I safe on the road with my bike? What do you have to watch out for in road traffic in spring? How do the children get to school? Answers were given to all these questions and many more. Well done!
In 2017, class 4a of the Erich-Kästner Primary School from Gera (Germany) compelled with their campaign in category 1 ("Bicycle Safety"). With the help of various courses, the pupils consolidated their theoretical knowledge on the bicycle saddle and thus prepared intensively for their bicycle test. The training lasted a total of four days, after which everyone was prepared for the real thing.
The focus of the 1.class of the Frankenthal Primary School (Germany) was on how to get to school safely and how to deal with the school bus. Reason for this: The school is located in the village, so most of the pupils come to class by bus. This makes it all the more important that children learn how to behave properly at an early age. In category 3 ("Way to School Planning"), this is enough to win.
The pupils of the 4. class of the Eichendorff Primary School from Veitshöchheim in Bavaria (Germany) were in the middle of their bicycle training when an idea came to them in German class: Why not make a film on the subject? Ideas were developed and discussed in the class. The idea of telling a story about aliens was quickly born. The film that led to the victory in category 3 ("Creative Workshop") can be watched here.
When parents, teachers and pupils pull together, they can make a big difference. This was demonstrated by the "Safe School Route" project week at the Primary School on Regina-Ullmann-Strasse in Munich (Germany), in which a total of 373 schoolchildren took part. The project, which was awarded in category 4 ("Traffic Knowledge"), will now be repeated annually.
