FRESCO - a bright idea from Yorkshire and Humberside RSOs

The Yorkshire and Humberside Road Safety Officers Group has developed a resource to link the road safety messages it takes to schools with the sustainable messages RSOs are increasingly asked to spell out alongside safety - and the health agenda that arises from promoting walking and cycling.

"We wanted something to leave in school to help children to discover things for themselves," says Peter Hemming, section engineer (road safety) with Wakefield Metropolitan District Council. "We felt that a resource requiring a lot of teacher input would not get used.

"We knew of a company that had produced interactive learning materials for maths, and discovered they were keen to take on the challenge of producing a teaching kit that embraced these three issues," Peter Hemming adds.

15 months down the line the FRESCO kit – comprising between 18 and 20 activities that take place on a series of towers, boxes and playmats – is complete. The kit comes in three portable boxes that fit in a car, and is supplied with a set of folding wheels - which make it easy to move around.

"We have established links with the National Curriculum and this helps teachers to integrate the activities with other things that they have to teach," Peter Hemming says. "At £2250 it is not cheap, but we have done a lot of preparatory work and believe that it is a stand-alone teaching resource suitable for older primary school children."

For further information please contact Peter Hemming on 01924 306001, or to purchase a FRESCO kit speak to Miles Harris on 01422 886883.