Play Safe in Your Castle

*This post has been edited to include new posters for Winter Play!
Fall/Spring downloadable poster HERE
Winter downloadable poster HERE

This month, I heard Dr. Brian Goldman on CBC Radio One speaking on the Morning Show about how we can stay safe at schools, using the metaphor of a castle. I was in the hustle of getting ready for a day at school, but the metaphor instantly gave me a tool I could work with- for my own safety, and that of my students in my Primary classes. During the first few weeks of school, I have used this metaphor repeatedly with students, and found that it is gentle and effective.

Dr. Goldman’s idea is that castles are structures that keep the people in them safe, by using high walls and large moats. In his metaphor, our masks are the high walls, and our social distance are our moats. It is simple, yet something children (and adults) can easily relate to.

As an educator, I have found this approach can soften the anxiety and fear I feel when I consider how to keep myself and students safe from the Coronavirus at school. It is much gentler to remind students to “remember your moat!” or “you need a bigger moat”, and encourage them to play like princes and princesses in their castles, than to holler at them, with the words of the media and safety protocols, to “keep socially distanced!”

I find visuals are helpful supports when we are learning something new, and so I have created this visual for myself and my students, in English and in French. You can get the PDF copies in both languages (English first, French second) at the top of this post.