Edutainment, Fun Pesticide Safety Education Programs
Agronomy & Pest Management
Genevieve Christ
Extension Educator
Penn State Extension
University Park
Abstract
Pesticide Safety is a necessary education program throughout the United States. Each state requires certified applicators to receive continuing education credits in Core and Category topics. Applicators enjoy category education more because the information presented is more relevant to them, helps them be more efficient, and provides them with new ideas or products for pest control. Core education is essential to pesticide applicator safety, but this information can be very dry and boring. With a lot of pesticide safety education programs being held virtually, I found there was a need to create presentations that were educational and entertaining. These “Edutainment” presentations teach pesticide safety information in fun interactive ways. These presentations can be done in person or virtually. The first edutainment presentation is Pesticide Safety Trivia, formatted like the popular game show Jeopardy. This presentation allows audience members to create teams and play along. Adding in a competition factor increases audience participation and focus. Safety information is explained in short segments following each trivia question. The second edutainment presentation is a Pesticide Formulations Demonstration. This is a technology free presentation that uses common household items to explain how pesticide formulations work and important safety information related to each formulation. Feedback following this demonstration is always very positive. Participants find it very informative but also fun and applicable to their pesticide experiences. The third edutainment presentation is Personal Protective Equipment Show and Tell. This presentation can be done using PowerPoint or as demonstration with clean unused personal protective equipment (PPE). I prefer to present it as a demonstration. The audience is shown PPE items and information is provided about how and when to wear each item. Audience participation is encouraged by asking audience members for input on how to use each PPE item or to demonstration how to wear each item. By making pesticide safety education fun, applicators learn more and retain the information for the future.
Authors: Genevieve Christ
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Genevieve Christ Extension Educator, Penn State Extension, Pennsylvania, 16802