Board Game Addresses Child Safety On Amish Farms UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre Co.) Farming is one of Ameri ca’s most dangerous occupations. The danger is especially threat ening on Mennonite and Old Order Amish farms where youngsters use tractors, big horses and heavy farm machin ery at early ages. Teaching farm safety to Men nonite and Old Order Amish children is the goal of an interac tive board game,” Amos and Sa die’s Farm: A Pathway to Safe ty,” co-created by researchers from the School of Nursing in Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development. “Amos & Sadie’s Farm: A Pathway to Safety” is the only board game that specifically ad dresses the cultural safety needs and concerns of the Amish com munity while teaching children to stay safe on their farms and in their fields. The game, which took two years to produce, is being introduced into the Amish schools dotting the Lancaster countryside. More than 300 cop ies of the game have been created for distribution. “There is a high incidence of accidents and injuries among Amish children. This game is one of the few resources in the coun try specific to the Amish and Mennonite communities, and it may help reduce farm-related in juries among children,” says Dr. Kathleen Fisher, project director and assistant professor in Penn State’s School of Nursing. The team gathered informa tion from local community mem bers, including Amish children, to help create the game. A review of two Amish newspapers “the Diary” and “Die Botschaft” identified stories of accidents, in juries, and specific farm-related GT225 Lawn and Garden Tractor • /*) hf> • Automatic hansmission • 4J inch Convertible mm vo deck Only month* 1438 GS Sabre' Lawn Tractor • N r )hfj • iS inch rnon u deck • ? s iteed shift on the %o liunsmissian The lazy days of summer are here and John Deere has the perfect way to make your summer lawn care easy on you and on your wallet. Visit a John Deere dealer near you and learn how you can beat the heat this summer. /Ha * Offer ends October 31 2000 Suhiect to approved credit on John Deere Credit Revolving Plan Taxes freight setup and delivery charges could increase monthly payment Other special rates and terms may be available indudirg installment linancirg and financiiw for commercial use I V Available at participating dealers Not all products available at all dealerships injuries. One news clipping, for example, notes that a 13-year-old boy fell while cleaning the stable and the horse stepped on his ab domen area, injuring his liver to the extent that the doctor told him no work for three to six months. The researchers also con ducted a review of self-reported accidents and injuries of Lancas ter County Amish between Au gust 1995 and December 1999. They found 23 injuries and two fatalities associated with live stock, such as being kicked, trampled or bitten; 19 injuries and three fatalities reported due to building structures and falls; five injuries and eight fatalities were reported due to machinery. This informal sampling under represents the true magnitude of accidents and injuries as many Old Order Amish and Mennon ites may not seek medical atten tion unless they feel the accident is significant. In addition, Old Order Amish does not carry health insurance, says Fisher, who is located at The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Across all farms nationally not just Old Order Amish and Mennonite an estimated 100,000 children are injured each year and more than 100 are killed in incidents involving tractors and other farm equipment, livestock, building structures and falls. “Interviews were conducted with Old Order community members and statistics of farm accidents reported to area hospi tals were reviewed to determine what safety issues would be cov ered in the game,” explains Fish er. In the game, children follow a path around a typical Amish farm with a farmhouse, pond, To Locate A John Deere Dealer Near You, Call: 888-MOW-PROS (Toll Free 888-669-7767) silo, cows, windmill, horse and buggy, and a milk truck. The game is for two to six players, school age to adult. Each player chooses a colored game piece to be moved around a farm path way. On a typical turn, a player draws a question card. If the player answers the question cor rectly, he or she rolls the die and moves forward the number rolled. Many of the questions were developed by Amish and Mennonite school children so the topics relate directly to Old Order farm practices. Some sample questions in clude: Q: “What are the two potenti ally dangerous things in the hay loft?” A: “Pitch fork, hay hole.” Q: “Why do you climb into the access window of the grain silo?” A: “The gas from the silage can be harmful and there are low levels of oxygen so you could not breathe. You can be smothered by the grain.” Q: “After placing silage in a silo, how long must you wait be fore entering?” A: “Three weeks.” TT/ —t 3 CLOSED SUNDAYS, new year, EASTER MONDAY, ASCENSKIN DAY, WHTT MONDAY, OCT. 11, THANKSGIVING, f»ami»M CHRISTMAS & DECEMBER 26TH FISHER’S FURNITURE INC. NEW AND USED RJRNTTURE USED COAL & WOOD HEATERS COUNTRY FURNITURE & ANTIQUES BUS. HRS. BOX 57 MONrTHURSbfrS 1129 GEORGETOWN RD. FH, &8, SAT. 8-12 BART. PA 17503 325 Lawn and Garden Tractor • IS hp V hvm engine • Automata hansnussion • 4H mdi LonvetUbk moiua deck I Nothing Runs Like A Deere Teaching farm safety to Mennonite and Old Order Amish children is the goal of the interactive board game, Amos and Sadie’s Farm: A Pathway to Safety. Other topics include proper safety condition. If the condition cow milking procedures, CPR, is unsafe, players tell how they carbon monoxide, feeding ani- wou ld fix it. If they see a safety mals and downed power lines, feature, they explain it. There are also photo cards. Play- ers examine the photo and identi fy the hazard or LX2I • fit >42 •^mALTHMK Goodville Mutual New Holland, Pa Call 800 448-4622 for an agent near you affordable insurance for home, vehicle, small business, farm LTI33 Lawn Dractor • nhp • 38 inch mowing deck • 5 speed shifton the go liunsmission Only $Jg per month* www deere.com
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