Find as many used cigarette butts as you can and fill a jar at least halfway. Put in enough water to cover the butts. Let it sit out in the sun, lidless, for two days. Put the lid on for a few hours. Before the students arrive for the day, set the jar in a hidden place in the classroom, take the lid off and allow the smell to fill the room. When the students arrive they will notice the smell. Allow them to guess and then explain that it is cigarettes and this is what they do when the chemicals and tobacco sit in your body.
Have the students tell you things that have happened to them at school, on the bus or playground that made them feel bad. List these on the board. Ask for a description of the feelings that they had when this occurred. Explain that many of these events and feelings are a product of bullying. Select three students to watch the playground and list what sort of things they see and hear that could be bullying. Have them present it to the class. Ask the class to brainstorm ways that those situations could have been handled.
Visit the US Fire Administration website at www.usfa.dhs.gov. Locate and print the fire-prevention tip sheets for children and parents. Send the documents home with a note to families explaining that the children have a special assignment for school related to fire prevention at home. Tell families that they need to determine a fire evacuation plan and practice where to go if there is a fire in the home. The students will be required to present to the class what their family's plan is and draw a picture of the family's fire evacuation plan for a fire-safety bulletin board.
Explain that a stranger is a person you don't know. They don't have to look scary and can be very nice to talk to. Tell the children that strangers may be nice, but they are never to go with anyone they don't know and don't have permission to be with from an adult. Have the students draw a picture or list people and places that are safe for them. Let them know that they need to tell a trusted adult if a stranger or person they don't know tries to get them to go with them. Remind them to never take anything from a stranger even if it seems really cool. Explain that nice people are usually nice, but some nice people can also hurt them.