Prevent Blindness Ohio, with funding from the Save Our Sight Fund, and in cooperation with the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton, has redesigned one of the Boonshoft’s traveling elementary school science programs to emphasize the importance of eye health and safety. The program, called Wise About Eyes (Wise About Eyes-ETG), teaches young children about how to protect their vision and keep their eyes safe.
Additionally, every teacher whose classroom participates in a Wise About Eyes ETG programs receives a copy of the eye health and safety curriculum called Play It Safe With Your Eyes (PISWYE). This curriculum was recently revised to include lessons for children in grades kindergarten through six, and also integrates the National Health and Science Standards into each lesson.
Wise About Eyes-Exhibits-To-Go typically travels to 125 kindergarten through sixth grade classrooms annually, serving approximately 2,500 students and their teachers. Classroom presentations are limited to 30 students to allow for individual interaction with the presenter.
The Program:
Wise About Eyes is one of 27 different Exhibits-To-Go programs offered by the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery.
Wise About Eyes ETG is a 60-minute classroom presentation designed to enhance the early childhood education curriculum by providing “hands-on” experiences that bring the Wise About Eyes eye health and safety exhibit subject matter to life OUTSIDE the exhibit. The Wise About Eyes ETG program is aligned with the National Science and Health Standards.
The Wise About Eyes ETG introduces children to basic eye health and safety concepts. The presenter begins the program with an introduction about the eye, including a discussion about the size of the eye and what glasses can do for people. For the younger students (kindergarten through grade three), the presenter reads the book “Arthur’s Eyes”.
There are four learning objectives for Wise About Eyes ETG, and each objective has a set of hands-on activities designed to reinforce the objective. The objectives and examples of the hands-on activities are:
1. The importance of vision. The children learn the importance of our eyes, that eyes cannot be replaced, benefits of having two eyes, basic anatomy of the eye and how animal/bugs eyes are similar and different from human eyes. The hands-on activities include: looking at a model of a human eye; looking at insect/animal eyes (i.e. actual cow eye); having the children look at their own eyes in the mirror; and looking through magnifier and kaleidoscope to simulate how bugs see.
2. Why some people wear glasses. The children learn how glasses can correct for farsightedness and nearsightedness, and the importance of a regular regime of eye examinations by an eye doctor. The hands-on activities include: trying on goggles with simulated eye diseases so that the children can see how people with these conditions see; plano glasses to try on; an eye doctor’s coat to try on; eye charts to “test” your vision.
3. A world without sight. The children learn what things in their world would be different/more difficult if they didn’t have the use of their eyes. Small group activities include: while closing their eyes children try to: catch a ball that makes noises to simulate how blind people rely on other senses and try to identify different scents; making rubbings using crayons and Braille publications; trying to perform simple tasks while closing their eyes.
4. Eye health and safety. The children learn basic health and safety facts, including the importance of wearing safety goggles and visiting the eye doctor regularly. Hands-on activities include playing with various safety eyewear glasses/goggles; identifying things that are dangerous to your eyes; basis information about first aid for eye emergencies.
Each child in the classroom receives an assortment of eye health and safety brochures to take home to their parent/guardian.
The classroom teacher receives an orientation on how to integrate the PISWYE curriculum into their classroom, as well as a copy of the curriculum. The PISWYE curriculum contains 5 lessons. Each lesson contains a reading list, suggested activities to reinforce the lesson, and additional resources on the internet. Each lesson is also divided into three age groups (pre-kindergarten through grade 2, grade 3 through grade 4, and grade 5 through grade 6). The lessons in the curriculum are:
1. The importance of sight;
2. The eye and how we see;
3. Why people need glasses;
4. A world without sight;
5. Taking care of our eyes.
For additional information on the Wise About Eyes Exhibits-To-Go program, contact Prevent Blindness Ohio at 1-800-301-2020.
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