Brighten your bag
Suitable for primary schools. Supports the Art and Design National Curriculum.
Overview
Programme
Education phase
Category of activity
TravelTypes of activity
How it helps
- Supports the Art and Design National Curriculum
- Encourages safe interaction with other road user
- Uses creativity to support road safety messages
About the activity
Brighten your bag is a creative activity that makes pupils more visible, and therefore safer, during the darker winter months. By decorating their bags with reflective materials pupils can be seen more clearly by pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers on their journeys to and from school.
The activity can be run as part of a classroom activity or as a competition.
What you’ll need
- Bags: Make sure parents/carers know about the activity so they can send their children to school with a bag they are happy for them to decorate
- Materials: Use anything reflective and bright that will make the bags stand out
- Fun prizes: If you choose to run this activity as a competition, speak to your borough officer to see if there are any funding options or to the head teacher about a budget
Activity steps
Step 1
Bags of creativity. Send out an information letter with a permission slip for parents and carers, or announce the activity in your newsletter and make sure your pupils bring a bag they can be creative with
Step 2
Buy your materials. Make sure your materials are brightly coloured and reflective in car lights. Remember; ‘Be Safe, Be Seen, BE BRIGHT’
Step 3
Get reflective. Have fun with your pupils decorating their bags and testing them out. Don’t forget to bring your own to decorate! Show off your pupils’ creativity by taking some photos to share in your school's newsletter and on its website
Step 4
Check for success. Ask your class if they feel safer on the streets carrying their newly decorated bags and encourage them to use their bags every day
Step 5
Tell your story! Upload your evidence to "my activities"