Seaside Safety

A Play about Listening to Rules

Characters

KAYA: A responsible 3rd grader.
TOBY: Kaya's very excited puppy (played by a kid).
DYLAN: Kaya's friend who loves big waves.
LIFEGUARD LEN: A calm expert on beach safety.

Setting

A sunny beach with a lifeguard stand and yellow flags blowing.

[SCENE START]

TOBY

(Barking and running in circles) Woof! Sand! Water! Big blue thing! Can we jump in? Can we? Can we?

KAYA

Sit, Toby! Stay! Dylan, look at those flags. They’re yellow today. That means we have to be extra careful in the water.

DYLAN

Yellow just means "bright and fun!" Look at those waves over by the pier. They’re huge! I bet we could surf on them just using our bellies!

LIFEGUARD LEN

(Walking over, holding a buoy) Good morning, travelers. I see you’ve met the yellow flags. Do you know what they mean?

KAYA

It means "Caution," right, Len?

LIFEGUARD LEN

That's right. The currents are a bit strong today. I need everyone to stay between the flags and away from the pier. The water is much safer right here in front of my stand.

DYLAN

(Whispering to Kaya) "Safer" is just another word for "boring." Come on, let's take Toby down to the pier where the real action is!

TOBY

Pier! Pier! Pier! I want to see the big splashes! (He pulls on his leash and runs toward the pier.)

KAYA

Toby, come back! Dylan, stop him! The water gets too deep over there!

[TOBY reaches the edge of the water near the pier. A large wave splashes up, almost soaking him. He suddenly looks very scared.]

TOBY

(Whining) Yip! Yip! Too much water! It's pulling my paws! Kaya! Help!

DYLAN

(Starting to look worried) Whoa, that current is moving fast. Toby’s getting pulled toward the pilings!

KAYA

Dylan, don't go in! Remember what Len said about the pier. (She shouts) LIFEGUARD! HELP!

[LIFEGUARD LEN blows a loud whistle and runs over with his rescue tube.]

LIFEGUARD LEN

Stand back! I’ve got him. (He uses the long tube to reach out and pull Toby safely back to the sand.)

TOBY

(Shaking water everywhere) I’m okay! I’m okay! But I don’t like the pier. The pier is a bully!

LIFEGUARD LEN

It's not a bully, Toby. It just has a different job than the swimming beach. Rules aren't there to stop the fun—they're there to make sure you're around for more fun tomorrow.

DYLAN

I’m sorry, Len. I thought I knew better than the flags. From now on, I’m staying right in front of the stand where the water is "boring" but safe.

KAYA

And I’m keeping Toby on a much shorter leash. Thanks for saving him, Len!

LIFEGUARD LEN

Anytime. Now, how about we all go build a sandcastle right here? No current can wash that away... at least until high tide!

TOBY

Sand! I can do sand! Woof! (He starts digging happily)

[SCENE END]

Seaside Safety

Seaside Safety Script

Seaside Safety Worksheet