Young children must be allowed to demonstrate that they can act responsibly with materials, but they must be given guidelines for safe and appropriate use of materials. Work with students to develop those guidelines so they participate in making behavior rules and understand the rationale for the rules. Encourage responsible actions toward other students. Look for the safety-note icon in the Getting Ready section, which will alert you to safety concerns throughout the module.

General classroom safety rules to share with students include

1. Listen carefully to all instructions. Follow all directions. Ask questions if you don’t know what to do.

2. Tell your teacher if you have any allergies.

3. Never put any materials in your mouth. Do not taste anything unless your teacher tells you to.

4. Never smell any unknown material. If your teacher asks you to smell a material, wave your hand over the material to draw the smell toward your nose.

5. Do not touch your face, mouth, ears, nose, or eyes while working with chemicals, plants, or animals.

6. Always protect your eyes. Wear safety goggles when necessary. Tell your teacher if you wear contact lenses.

7. Always wash your hands with soap and water after working with chemicals, plants, or animals.

8. Never mix any chemicals unless your teacher tells you to do so.

9. Report all spills and accidents to your teacher.

10. Treat animals with respect, caution, and consideration.

11. Clean up your work space after each investigation.

12. Act responsibly during science investigations.

These safety rules are on the FOSS Safety Poster.

Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for materials used in the FOSS program can be found on the Delta Education website. http://www.delta-education.com/msds.shtml. If you have questions regarding any MSDS, call Delta Education toll free at 800-258-1302 (Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST).