Edna Louise Spear Elementary School in the Port Jefferson School District held a program with Stony Brook Children’s Hospital recently that taught kindergarteners what to do if their teddy bear “gets hurt.” A fun and creative workshop, the lesson helped young children learn about safety and health care with several visitors from the trauma center at Stony Brook.

In this lesson, several Stony Brook nursing students, along with supervisors, held special clinics for the kindergarteners. The children participated in a hands-on activity that taught them how to handle and care for their own stuffed animals. After learning the importance of wearing masks, gloves, and caps, they dressed up as medical professionals and were shown how to conduct an exam as well as how to bandage minor injuries. The nursing students also shared how to stay safe while riding in a car, on a bicycle or a scooter, including the importance of seatbelts and helmets.

“This was a great learning opportunity and a really creative event. Children felt very comfortable with both health care procedures and the medical staff who are there to help them,” said Spear Elementary kindergarten teacher Marissa Shannon.