Award-Winning Stranger Safety DVD
Uses Humor to Teach Children Safety Tips
This DVD, developed in part by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, features the hilarious "Safe Side Superchick" who shares safety tips with viewers.
The Safe Side’s Stranger Safety DVD is an excellent tool for parents who want to provide their children with strategies to help them stay safe. John Walsh of America’s Most Wanted has teamed up with Julie Clark of Baby Einstein to create a series of DVD’s that help children learn to stay on “The Safe Side” by being aware of their surroundings and making smart choices. The first DVD, Stranger Safety, serves as a springboard for discussion about ways children can react to potentially dangerous situations.
Children enjoy watching Safe Side Superchick, a particularly engaging character who acts silly and has crazy hair. The actress, Angela Shelton, is passionate about her work in this project because she is an abuse survivor. She uses comedy to help children learn some valuable lessons about staying with their safe side adult and calling out if they need assistance by saying, “Help! This is not my Dad!” or “Help! This is not my Mom!”
The DVD also deals with whether or not to answer the door and the telephone without your parent and other common issues related to stranger safety. Safe Side Superchick introduces children to the term “Kinda Knows” which refers to people they encounter through school and activities. For example, their soccer coach is a “Kinda Know” and not a Safe Side Adult like their Mom, Dad, or other trusted adult. This is an important distinction because so many children are abducted or abused by someone they know.
In addition to three Emmies, Stranger Safety by The Safe Side received the following awards and endorsements in 2005 for its excellent content and engaging format:
- Parenting Mom-Tested DVD Video of the Year Award
- Dove Family Approved Seal
- Kids First! Endorsement
- iParenting Media Award
- Mom’s Choice Award
- Film Advisory Board of Excellence
This DVD uses humor to empower children, giving them tips that will help them stay safe in a format that will keep their interest. It is geared towards elementary school children, but parents of preschoolers need not worry about it being too scary for their little ones. Safe Side Superchick makes children laugh out loud but still manages to convey some very important messages about stranger safety. It is recommended that parents watch with their children, talking with them about the safety tips presented and answering their questions. Discussion question ideas for home and school are provided on the website for parents and teachers who would like to take it a step further.
The Safe Side recently released a DVD on Internet Safety as well. Interested in The Safe Side's DVD series for children? Check out these clips.
