Operation Lifesaver offers Polar Express ™ holiday safety lesson

WASHINGTON, DC, December 2, 2011 – This holiday season, as children and their families read The Polar Express™ by Chris Van Allsburg and watch the Warner Brothers movie based on the book, the nonprofit safety education program Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (www.oli.org) offers parents and teachers a free, fun activity that uses the famous story to teach kids about rail safety. “Do You Hear Me,” a lesson plan for grades 1-3, encourages children to discuss ways to be safe using real-life situations at railroad crossings and around passenger and freight trains.

View and download the materials at http://bit.ly/szkPML .

“The beloved children’s book and movie is about a fantasy train, and many of the movie’s scenes show behavior that would be dangerous around real trains,” said OLI President Helen M. Sramek. “By providing our free holiday activity, which teachers can also use as a lesson plan for grades 1-3, Operation Lifesaver is helping children take the lead on safety around tracks and trains.”

Visit www.oli.org for more safety information on highway-rail grade crossings and pedestrian safety tips. 

Operation Lifesaver (www.oli.org) is a national, non-profit safety education group whose goal is to eliminate deaths and injuries at railroad crossings and along railroad rights of way. It has programs in all 50 states with trained and certified presenters who provide free talks to raise the public’s safety awareness around tracks and trains.

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