Look for the Helpers: Educator Resource

Helpers in the Community

Our communities are made up of many different people who help us in emergency situations. In these activities, we have covered a range of roles, such as doctors, nurses, paramedics, police officers, SES (State Emergency Service) volunteers, firefighters, surf lifesavers, veterinarians and wildlife carers. These individuals play vital roles in keeping our communities safe, healthy and supported.

These activities help our children learn about the community around them, their place in it, who they can ask for help in different situations, and what happens in an emergency.

The Importance of Role Play

In the 1960s, Jean Piaget's works infiltrated the world of education, and the idea of learning through play started to become mainstream. Today, play, and particularly role play, is a key tool used by educators and child psychologists to help support development. Role play provides a safe space for young children to explore boundaries, build empathy, and test social constructs.

Particularly in emergency situations, having children who have practised calling triple 0 or who understand that firemen are there to help can make a big difference to the outcome. In these activities, we have created a number of different opportunities for role play where children can

dress up and take on a role
be an external participant and direct the characters in the scenario
follow a script for how a scenario would play out
use their imagination to think about what might happen and what they could do.

Medical Helpers

In Australia, many different people can help out in a medical situation. Below we have broken it up into some easy-to-explain categories for children.

First Aiders: people who are trained in basic first-on-the-scene care, but as an early years educator, you know this because you are one! There are different levels of accreditation and different skill sets (wilderness first aid, anaphylaxis, CPR, etc.).
Nurses: people who provide primary care, including triage of patients (deciding who needs help first), providing care and medication, and monitoring of patients.
Doctors: people who diagnose patients and figure out what is going on, create treatment plans and prescribe medication.
Dentists: doctors who specialise in teeth and mouth care.
Orderlies: people who move patients and equipment around the hospital and assist nurses and doctors.
Paramedics: you can think of these people as the supercharged first aiders. Their job is to make sure patients are stable by giving them first aid and advanced life support, and then they transport them to hospital for further care.
Pharmacists: are people who prepare medication, whether it is in the hospital or at the Chemist down the road. They make sure you have the right amount, know how much to take and when, and get it all ready for you.
Specialists: this covers a whole range of people who might help, including those who take x-rays (radiologists), test hearing (audiologists), do surgery (surgeons), or help you get strong again (physiotherapists).

Wildlife Carers

In Australia, the majority of wildlife carers are volunteers, and there are lots of different roles. Some people man phone lines and take incoming calls from the public about wildlife that needs rescuing. Some people are rescuers who are trained in animal handling and go out to collect animals

Specialist Vehicles to Help

People who help us use various means of transportation to reach individuals in need. Firefighters use fire trucks equipped with water hoses and rescue equipment, while police officers may use patrol cars or bicycles to respond to emergencies. Ambulance crews transport patients to hospitals using ambulances equipped with medical supplies and equipment. Educators can engage children in discussions about the different vehicles and tools used by helpers and how they enable quick and effective response times.

Building Communities

By learning about these roles in the community, children develop their sense of belonging and begin to understand their rights and responsibilities as members of the community. For example, they will learn when they can ask these people for assistance and the responsibilities of these different roles, and they will also learn they have a responsibility to follow directions from these people so that they can provide help.

Teaching children about people who help us promotes a sense of community, empathy and social responsibility. By exploring the roles and responsibilities of emergency services people, healthcare professionals and other helpers, educators empower children to recognise the contributions of these individuals and appreciate the importance of their work. Through activities, children learn about the value of teamwork, compassion and wellbeing in supporting individuals and communities in times of need.

Look for the Helpers: Coming to Help!

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