The Chautauqua Children's Safety Village is a tiny town created to teach children about fire safety and traffic safety is a mock village set to a child's scale. The Safety Village offers educational programming and is a fantastic location for birthday parties.
Location and Contact Information:
2695 Route 394, Ashville, NY 14710
(716) 338 - 0171
Website: http://www.ccsev.org/
Educational Programming:
The Safety Village has fantastic, age appropriate educational programs for children. Fire safety, lead prevention, and learning about poisons in the home are covered during a typical program. The fire safety program includes a demonstration using a dollhouse. The dollhouse is able to spark and give off "smoke," and dolls are used to show children how a family should escape a house in the event of a real fire. Children practice dialing 911 on a large chalkboard, and then repeat the practice using pretend cell phones.
Practicing 911
The safety training continues in a real-life mock-up of a kitchen and bedroom. Children learn to identify items that are "hot" and are taught to report "hot" items to adults. The bedroom contains three exit points and is filled with "smoke" while children practice rolling off the bed, crawling to the door, and exiting the bedroom. One door in the bedroom is heated, and children are taught to place the back of their hand to the door to determine if it is "hot." They are taught to avoid hot doors. Older children are taught how to climb out the window using an emergency ladder.
Is it hot, or is it not?
Concepts such as "stop, drop, and roll" are practiced and a member of the Safety Village staff dresses up as a firefighter to show children what a firefighter looks like in full gear. The children also listen to a simulated 911 call and participate with dialogue.
The poison control and lead prevention program allows children to learn about lead paint, learn that some items may look like food but are actually cleaners or medication (adults are given "Mr. Yuck" stickers to place on items are are reminded to keep cleaners in child-proof cabinets).
Lysol and apple juice look the same to a child
Traffic safety is also addressed and children are given a demonstration of driver blind spots and told to "pocket up" (put a hand in their parent's back pocket) or hold an adult's hand when crossing parking lots.
Learning about crosswalks
Birthday Parties:
The village may be rented out for birthday parties. A birthday party includes the use of a party room, a train ride on the Safety Village Express, and a drive around the town in miniature cars.
Driving around the town!
Scavenger (or "treasure") hunts are a great party game in the village, and pinatas may be hung from the picnic building's ceiling.
Birthday scavenger hunt
Pinata time!
Birthday parties end with a ride on the Safety Village Express, a miniature "train" that goes around the village.
The Safety Village Express
Seasonal Events:
Easter egg hunts and Halloween trick-or-treating events are held every year at the Children's Safety Village. Both require a very small fee (usually about $5 per child), which helps support the Safety Village's programs. The trick-or-treating event allows children to go from building to building and get candy in a safe environment. The Easter egg hunt is divided by age and is a fun event every year.
Easter egg hunt in the village
Trick-or-treating in the village
A fun, and safe, Halloween event!
