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CAS program delivers musical message to schoolchildren
dbachman@observer-reporter.com
John Buchanan may be known as the pre-kindergarten manager to his peers at Community Action Southwest, but to area youngsters, he's affectionately becoming known as "Safety John."
Buchanan is taking the interactive show, "Safety Through Music," on the road to CAS pre-K sites in eight school districts and five child-care providers in Washington and Greene counties.
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"Today, we're going to talk about safety. You can clap your hands and tap your feet," Buchanan told the students before welcoming them with a "Hello" song as he weaved his way through the auditorium, high-fiving the youngsters along the way.
Community Action Southwest developed the safety program to prevent accidents and save lives. Safety topics, all of which are addressed through song and role playing, include bicycle, seat belt, water, sun, fire, strange dogs and wrong kinds of touch.
The lyrics have been incorporated into familiar melodies so the kids can more easily remember.
For example, bike safety was addressed to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," and the youngsters learned about water safety to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb."
And each time Buchanan switched topics, he also made a "costume" change, turning in one hat for another, leaving little doubt what the song would be about. Water safety drew a few extra guffaws, with Buchanan wearing an undersized innertube around his waist and a shower cap.
In addition to young helpers from the audience, Buchanan also was joined on stage with Careful the safety Dalmatian dog. The costumed character appeared during the strange dog lesson, which was taught to the tune of "B-I-N-G-O."
Even the teachers and the handful of parents who accepted an open invitation to attend got into the spirit of the music.
Following each song, the youngsters were asked questions to reinforce what they learned, and each time their boisterous voices rang out with the correct answers.
This week, CAS is scheduled to present the program at Joe Walker Elementary School in McGuffey School District, Donora Elementary Center in Ringgold School District and Bethlehem-Center Elementary School.
