Lately the children in the JKK before and after school program have shown a lot of interest in police officers and the roles they serve. The children have been showcasing this interest through their dramatic play, often dressing up in the dramatic play career vests, carrying walkie talkies, and making their very own police badges. In order to help expand on this interest we invited one of the parents who happens to be a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer to come and speak with the children about the job and the role that the RCMP plays in our communities.
The visit started off outside where the children were able to have an up-close look at an RCMP vehicle, and take turns looking/sitting inside. We then moved to the gym where the children were given the chance to ask some of their questions, mainly discussing the flashlights, walkie talkies, handcuffs, and the overall uniform worn. Our visitor took the time to explain that there are two different uniforms worn, one used as an everyday uniform (all black, vest, and ball cap), and then a ceremony uniform (red jacket and brim hat). The children were then given the opportunity to try on some of the ceremonial uniform pieces.
Next our visitor took the time to explain how RCMP officers need to be cautious when finding themselves around unknown substances. Our visitor explained to the children that there is a special tool used for checking substances in order to ensure safety. After applying their protective gloves, the children were given the opportunity to test different mystery items. While doing so they discovered that the items they had carefully tested were ordinary household items such as flour, baking soda, and peach juice!
To further expand on their learning the staff followed up this visit by exploring finger prints, explaining that fingerprints are a common tool used by police departments in order to identify people. The children were given pencils and ink to apply on their fingers and stamp down on paper. Once the children had documented a few of their fingerprints they were given magnifying glasses to provide a closer look and compare differences between their own fingerprints and others.
Following this visit we have noticed that there has been quite a bit of discussion around the different jobs that the parents within our program hold. As the children continue to engage in these conversations on a regular basis we may take the opportunity to expand further into this interest by inviting more visitors into our program to discuss the different careers that we often see around us.
