Kindergarten students are flocking to the Putnam County Fairgrounds this week, not for the fair but to learn about safety.
Safety City is an event put on by the Putnam County Task Force for Youth, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, the health department, OSU extension office, and Pathways. Kindergarteners learn about water, railroad, bike, and pedestrian safety. Over 500 students will attend the series over a three day period with multiple sessions a day. They are taught things like hand signals and meanings of signs. For some, this is their first time learning these lessons.
"I think it's really important. I have a young child myself, my son was here this morning and I think they have a fascination with trains and they think that trains are really cool and fun and don't see them as a dangerous thing and so I think especially in the rural communities when you have a lot of railroad tracks close to houses, you know in backyards and things, that it's important that they know it's a dangerous thing and they need to stay away and be safe," said Beth Tobe, Pathways Counseling Center Prevention Coordinator.
Tobe said driving the motorized cars around is the students' favorite part, despite some minor fender benders.
