Elementary Toolkit
Elementary Toolkit
This toolkit aims to educate children in grades K-5 about medication safety in an age-appropriate manner.
Getting Started
The Generation Rx Elementary Toolkit consists of multiple resources to teach our key messages, including engaging hands-on activities, games, and worksheets. This is intentional – we want to help meet the needs of local communities and give opportunities for delivering multiple educational programs to a single audience.
Ready to go? Follow these three steps:
Step 1: Explore the key messages
featured in the GenRx Elementary Toolkit.
Step 2: Review our program recommendations
to help you plan an effective educational program.
Step 3: Browse the available toolkit resources
to build and deliver a Generation Rx program itinerary that aligns with your learning goals.
Step 1: Explore Key Messages
The Generation Rx Elementary Toolkit utilizes a “Medication Safety Patrol” theme to teach our key messages through emphasizing four medication safety rules:
- Ask trusted adults for help with medicine
- Only take medications that are meant for you
- Keep medicine in safe places
- Share what you learn with family and friends
Step 2: Program Recommendations
Audience
This toolkit is appropriate for universal audiences in grades K – 5. Common settings to host a program include community or family-based organizations (e.g., 4-H, Scouting, religious groups) as well as schools.
Venue
We recommend venues with flexible furniture layouts to support small group discussions or even circle time on the floor. Note the venue’s available technology, as some resources are in PPT format; each toolkit resource offers suggestions for adapting delivery if technology is limited.
Group Size
The ideal group size is 25 or fewer participants, as it helps maximize interaction between facilitators and participants, which is key for implementing prevention education. If you need to engage large groups, any of the toolkit games will typically adapt well.
Step 3: Toolkit Resources
Because children have short attention spans, each toolkit activity takes 10 – 15 minutes to complete. We encourage you to select the number of activities based on the total length of your program (e.g., for a 30-minute program, select two activities).
A typical GenRx Elementary program itinerary includes:
1 Opening
by making introductions to welcome participants
2 Delivering
your selected activities (listed below, organized by age group and the medication safety rule they teach)
3 Wrapping up
through awarding the Medication Safety Patrol Badge or leading the group in the Medication Safety Pledge
Grades K-2 Activities
- Trust Team Tale Activity: Facilitator Guide (PDF) | Participant Worksheet (PDF)
- Protect the Person Activity: Facilitator Guide (PDF) | Participant Worksheet (PDF)
- Safe Choices Game: Facilitator Guide (PDF) | Slide Deck (PPT)
- Medicine Hideouts Activity: Facilitator Guide (PDF) | Participant Worksheet (PDF)
- Keeping Medicines Safe Game: Facilitator Guide (PDF) | Slide Deck (PPT)
- Medication Safety Poster Activity: Facilitator Guide (PDF) | Participant Worksheet (PDF)
- Medication Safety Trivia Game: Facilitator Guide (PDF) | Slide Deck (PPT) | Participant Worksheet (PDF)
Grades 3-5 Activities
- Trust Team Activity: Facilitator Guide (PDF) | Participant Worksheet (PDF)
- Medicine Mission Activity: Facilitator Guide (PDF) | Participant Worksheet (PDF)
- Safe Choices Game: Facilitator Guide (PDF) | Slide Deck (PPT) | Participant Worksheet (PDF)
- Medicine Hideouts Activity: Facilitator Guide (PDF) | Participant Worksheet (PDF)
- Keeping Medicines Safe Game: Facilitator Guide (PDF) | Slide Deck (PPT)
- Junior Pharmacist Flyer Activity: Facilitator Guide (PDF) | Participant Worksheet (PDF)
- Medication Safety Trivia Game: Facilitator Guide (PDF) | Slide Deck (PPT) | Participant Worksheet (PDF)
Sample Program Itineraries
The Medication Safety Trivia Game summarizes all four medication safety rules. We encourage you to play this game and if time allows, complement it with either the Medication Safety Poster Activity (Grades K – 2) or the Junior Pharmacist Flyer Activity (Grades 3 – 5).
The breadth of the Elementary Toolkit supports communities delivering multiple Generation Rx Elementary programs to a single audience to meet local needs. Below is a suggestion for delivering a series of three sequential programs.
Grades K – 2
- Program 1: Trust Team Tale Activity and Safe Choices Game
- Program 2: Protect the Person Activity and Keeping Medicines Safe Game
- Program 3: Medicine Hideouts Activity and either the Medication Safety Trivia Game or Medication Safety Poster Activity; conclude Program 3 with participants earning their Medication Safety Patrol Badge
Grades 3 – 5
- Program 1: Trust Team Activity and Safe Choices Game
- Program 2: Medicine Mission Activity and Keeping Medicines Safe Game
- Program 3: Medicine Hideouts Activity and either the Medication Safety Trivia Game or Junior Pharmacist Flyer Activity; conclude Program 3 with participants earning their Medication Safety Patrol Badge
Any of the toolkit games typically adapt well for a tabling event. For example, print the slides for the Keeping Medicines Safe Game and encourage children to answer 1 – 2 questions. Children may also enjoy coloring a Medication Safety Patrol Badge or taking the Medication Safety Pledge.
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