Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
9-1-00
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Lynn Graham, human development and family studies, (515)
294-7975, lgraham@iastate.edu
Charles Schwab, agricultural and biosystems engineering,
(515) 294-6360; cvschwab@iastate.edu
Laura Miller, ISU Extension Safe Farm, (515) 294-6360,
lwmiller@iastate.edu
Four- To Eight-Year-Olds Face Special Farm Dangers
AMES, Iowa --Farms can be a wonderful place for families, but children between the ages of four and eight face unique and often unrecognized risks, according to an Iowa State University professor in child development.
"Children four to eight years old are just beginning to discover the world on their own and are very adventurous," said Lynn Graham, assistant professor in the ISU Department of Human Development and Family Studies. "They are curious and see the farm as a giant playground, with animals and animal babies, buildings to explore, lots of sensory things like grain and physical challenges such as ladders to climb."
Graham has just finished researching and co-authoring a new book for parents of children between the ages of four and eight years. The book, published by Iowa State University Extension, is called "What Would You Do? Helping Young Children Understand Farm Hazards."
"Children at this age are vulnerable because of their size and their developmental limitations," Graham said. "They cannot be expected to recognize a hazard and make good judgments. In fact, they often make very poor judgments that put them in danger."
For example, eyesight is not fully mature until about the age of eight, so younger children have limited depth perception. They cannot gauge the distance or speed of moving vehicles, Graham said.
"A four-year-old might not get out of the way of a tractor because she does not realize how fast the tractor is going, or how close it really is," Graham said. "Four- to eight-year-olds also are just beginning to understand these qualitative terms. So telling your six-year-old to stay away from a livestock pen requires interpretation and judgment that he may not have yet."
Graham said children ages four to eight years are gaining independence, but they must be properly supervised. A set of thoughtful and strictly enforced family rules, such as "Stay out of livestock pens," can reduce a child's risks, but they cannot cover all situations. What helps children is to discuss a problem in a safe setting, and hear a parent's warning and explanations.
The new "What Would You Do?" book is designed for family discussions about farm dangers. The 85-page spiral-bound book features 24 full-page illustrations that depict real-life farm situations. Each illustration focuses on a different type of hazard including livestock, electricity, chemicals, grain, lawnmowers, tractors and farm machinery. Parents are encouraged to adapt each situation to their own farm and talk about family rules.
"This book uses situations that are very specific because children ages four to eight cannot generalize from one situation to another," Graham said. "Discussing many situations will better prepare children to make good decisions and remember family rules."
Other authors include ISU Extension safety specialist Chuck Schwab and Laura Miller, who has edited ISU Extension's Safe Farm publication series. It was illustrated by Ames artist and vegetable farmer Lonna Nachtigal, and reviewed by a panel of farm safety educators.
For more information, contact any ISU Extension county office. The book sells for $6.75 plus shipping and handling. Order forms also are available on the Web at http://www.ae.iastate.edu/Safety.htm.
(A radio script version of this story also is available.)
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