Substance Awareness

Students learn the fundamentals of heart health and how to advocate for healthy habits in their community through a superhero-themed training program.

Students design their own warning labels or trading cards for specific chemicals found in tobacco (e.g., Formaldehyde, Lead). They list where else the chemical is found to solidify the 'gross' factor.

A sorting workshop where students categorize items into 'Safe to Ingest' and 'Poison/Toxic.' They place tobacco products firmly in the toxic category, reinforcing the refusal of unknown substances.

Students examine the difference between harmless water vapor and chemical aerosol using visual aids. They debunk the myth that e-cigarettes are just 'flavored water' by identifying the chemical residue left behind.

Students learn about nicotine and the concept of addiction through a tag-style game. The lesson defines nicotine as a chemical that 'tricks' the brain and explains addiction as losing the freedom to choose healthy habits.

Students create positive signage that celebrates fresh air zones, moving from 'No Smoking' to 'Fresh Air Zone' messaging.

Students learn and practice respectful 'I' statements to advocate for their right to breathe clean air in public spaces.

A cumulative role-playing session where students apply their skills to real-world scenarios involving tobacco and vapes.

Students practice the 'No, let's...' technique to redirect peer pressure toward healthy and fun alternatives.

A visual exploration of 'No Smoking' symbols and identifying where and why smoke-free zones exist in the community.

Students use 'bubbles' to visualize their personal space and learn how secondhand smoke invades that personal zone.

Students learn and drill three core refusal techniques: the Simple No, the Broken Record, and the Walk Away.

Students observe how scent travels to understand the spread of secondhand smoke and its impact on everyone in a shared space.

A physical workshop focusing on non-verbal communication, teaching students how to use posture, eye contact, and voice to show confidence.

Students synthesize their learning by designing their own 'Truth Posters.' These counter-advertisements use visual design and honest messaging to expose the marketing tactics of the tobacco industry.

Students define peer pressure, distinguishing between positive encouragement and negative coercion through interactive scenarios.

This workshop focuses on the power of language in advertising. Students practice rewriting misleading tobacco slogans to reflect the honest truth about the products' effects on health.

Students act as media detectives to identify common advertising 'tricks,' such as depicting smokers as happy, athletic, or cool. They compare these images to real-world health facts to build reality-testing skills.

In this lesson, students explore the strategic use of sweet flavors in tobacco and vaping products. They discuss why companies use 'kid-friendly' tastes like bubblegum or fruit to hide the harshness of chemicals.

Students investigate how bright colors and cartoon-like designs are used in tobacco packaging to mimic candy and attract children. They develop visual analysis skills to distinguish between products meant for kids and dangerous substances.

The final project where students create a personalized home safety plan and receive their 'Safety Captain' designation.

Teaches students how to locate and ask for help from neighbors or other trusted adults when immediate emergency services aren't available.

Students practice the essential skills of calling 911, including what information to provide and how to stay calm during an emergency.

Focuses on the safety of the responder, teaching students to identify hazardous substances like pills or needles without touching them.

Students synthesize their learning by creating and presenting a personal safety pledge, reinforcing collective norms for medication safety.

Students learn to identify critical symptoms that indicate someone has taken too much or the wrong kind of medicine, distinguishing these from minor health issues.

Students learn about expiration dates and the proper disposal of old or unused medication to keep the home environment safe.

Students learn why prescription medicine is only for the person it was prescribed for and create advocacy materials to reinforce the 'never-share' rule.

Students explore the concept of dosage and why taking the exact amount of medicine is critical for health and safety.

Students distinguish between 'tattling' and 'reporting' and identify trusted adults they can talk to about medication safety.

Students map the journey of a prescription from the doctor's office to the pharmacy to the home to understand the legal and safety checks in place.

Students practice physically removing themselves from unsafe situations and making excuses to leave immediately.

Students learn and role-play the 'Broken Record' technique to handle persistent pressure to take unknown medication.

Students brainstorm and practice different ways to say 'no' clearly and firmly using tone of voice and body language.

Students define peer pressure and identify what it looks and sounds like in social situations involving medication.

Students synthesize their learning to understand why prescriptions are tailored to individuals and why sharing medicine is physically dangerous.

This lesson explains how painkillers block messages to the brain and the potential for sleepiness and habit-forming behaviors.

Students explore how depressants and opioids slow down breathing and thinking, emphasizing the risks of taking these medicines incorrectly.

The sequence concludes with students designing safe storage solutions to keep medicines out of reach of children and pets.

Focusing on stimulants, this lesson uses engine analogies to explain how some medicines accelerate heart rate and energy, and why this is dangerous for a healthy body.