A note to parents and teachers

This water safety coloring and activity book may be

used to instruct children in some of the basics of boat
and water safety. We recommend that you go through the
book with your children and read the poem on each page
out loud. Then discuss the message with your children,
and how it may apply to them. The teaching guide in
the back of the book elaborates on each picture with an
activity that will help reinforce what the children have
learned, and will suggest topics for discussion. There are
also several pages of puzzles with a water safety theme
at the end of the book.

Please take a little time with your children to study

this book and help protect Minnesota’s most precious
resource…our children!

While not a NASBLA approved boating safety course, this

publication is recognized by the
National Association of State Boating Law Administrators
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 Always wear your PFD*
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A PFD is your friend for life
and makes boating safe for you.

*Personal Flotation Device (or Life Jacket)


When swimming at the lake or beach
take a buddy to keep from trouble
A lifeguard standing by to help
can get there on the double.


Learning to swim is lots of fun
and a very smart thing to do
A swimming class can really help
make it easy and safe for you.

3
Water toys like tubes and mats
are only meant for play
But trusting one to save your life
could ruin your whole day!

4
Tippy boats and standing up
are bad for son and daughter
´Cause if they take that one wrong step
they could wind up in the water.

5
The skipper said “Full speed ahead”
“Let’s see how fast we’ll go!”
But if logs or rocks are in the way
they should be going slow.

6
Cold water likes to steal your strength
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So if your skiff turns bottom up
always climb back in the boat.

7
Reach a stick to save his life
or a long rope you could throw
And if a boat is standing by
to help him you could row.

8
I’ll show them I’m
no scaredy cat!

Johnny dove into

the lake but
didn’t check
the bottom,

Tho’ the water

wasn’t very
deep it was the
rocks that got
him.

9
Too much weight is dangerous
and can cause your boat to sink
´Cause overloading is just plain dumb
you could wind up in the drink!


 Be smart, be cool, don’t be a chump
Sunny when you see a storm HEAD BACK!
days are best for
boats but when you
hear lightning’s crack


Billy told his sister Sue
near thin ice please don’t play
He’s read the rules, he knows his stuff
this sign means stay away!


 You have to wear
your life jacket or no boat
ride today!

START


 Copy the number of boxes on the left in
the correctly numbered empty boxes on
the right to unscramble the picture.
(Hint: You should always obey this person
at the pool or beach.)


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(Hint: They can be up/down, left/right, or diagonal)


 Teaching Activity and Study Guide
Page 1 PFD stands for Personal Flotation Device (also called a life jacket) and they come in many styles and
colors. You should always wear a PFD when in a boat, even if you are a good swimmer. Why? What
would happen if you were not wearing a PFD and were knocked unconscious in a boating accident?

Activity Practice putting on different sizes of PFDs. Have the child put on a PFD and then lift their arms above
their head. An adult then lifts up on the shoulders of the PFD. If it touches the child’s ears or it comes off,
it is too loose.

Page 2 Swim at supervised beaches and always with a buddy. Wear a PFD if you aren’t sure of your swimming
ability.

Activity Talk about why there should be a grown-up present to supervise swimmers. The adult who is supervising
should be watching the swimmer, not reading a book or snoozing. Why?

Page 3 The best water safety advice we can give is to learn to swim properly. Lessons are available from the
American Red Cross, YMCA, community school programs and many other institutions.

Activity If you are a weak swimmer or don’t know how to swim at all, enroll in a swimming class today!
Page 4 Don’t substitute inflatable toys, tubes or air mattresses for swimming ability, because you might fall off, or
they might suddenly deflate or drift out into deep water.

Activity Talk about what bad things could happen while using an inflatable toy for flotation.

Page 5 These foolish folks are breaking an important safety rule. They are standing up in a boat.

Activity Try to think of ways to keep a boat from tipping over. (Hints: Would staying seated and keeping low in
the boat be a good idea? How about always having one hand on the boat when moving around?)

Page 6 There are lots of things to watch while boating. Help your skipper keep an eye out for logs, boats or other
objects that could cause a collision.

Activity Name as many things as you can that you should watch out for while boating.

Page 7 Capsizing (tipping over) and falls overboard are the two most common kinds of fatal boating accidents. If
you do tip over, try to climb back onto your boat, even if it is still upside down. It is important to get as
much of your body as possible out of the water, because cold water robs body heat 25 times faster than
air of the same temperature.

Activity Discuss why you should not take your clothes off if you fall into cold water.
(Hint: Clothing traps air and heat.)

Page 8 Unless you have special training in lifesaving, don’t swim out to help someone in trouble. Something
could be extended from shore to the victim like a long stick or a boat oar, or a fishing pole. Something
that floats could be thrown to them to help them stay afloat, like a boat cushion, life jacket or empty
picnic cooler. Most importantly, yell for help from an adult!

Activity Name things that float you might find at the dock or a beach that could be extended or thrown to
someone having trouble in the water and why you should not try a swimming rescue.

Page 9 Never dive into waters of unknown depth. You could hurt your head and neck on a rock, log or shallow
bottom. Just remember “First time, feet first.”

Activity Talk about other things that could happen if you were wading or swimming in unknown waters.
(Hint: What if there was broken glass on the bottom?)

Page 10 Find out how many people your boat can carry. Look at the plate usually near the back of the boat
(transom) or the steering wheel.

Activity Talk about why too many people in a boat might be dangerous.
Page 11 No boating trip should start out in a storm. If you see a storm coming, head back to shore.

Activity Lightning strikes the tallest object it can find. Talk about what the tallest things are out on the lake.

Page 12 The diamond shaped thin ice sign means danger, but just because there is no sign, doesn’t mean
it is safe. Never play on or near icy ponds, streams, ditches or lakes unless you are with a grown-up who
can tell you if it’s alright. If someone does fall through thin ice, tell them to grab the edge of the ice and
hang on, then you should run to an adult to call 911 for help!

Activity Talk about what you could do to help someone who fell through the ice if there was no grown-up to
help. (Note to teacher: This depends greatly on the age of the child. In most cases, we recommend that
children run for help if they see someone in a water or ice emergency and not attempt a rescue
themselves.)

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Tippy Boat Help Lifesaver
Capsized Boat Personal Flotation Water Safety
Lightning Device Lifeguard
Storms Supervised Rope
Unknown Waters Swimming Buddy Paddle
-RÀEXEFPI8S]W Swimming Class Life Preserver

For more information about boat and water safety, contact:

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Boat & Water Safety Section
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ask for the Boat & Water Safety Section
Find us on the Internet at: www.mndnr.gov/boating
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TTY (hearing impaired)
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This document is available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities
by calling the phone numbers above.

Credits
Graphics by Angela Jacobson Layout by Sharon Ketelsen & Tim Smalley
Text by Tim Smalley
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to all individuals regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, public assistance status, age, sexual
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.

Printed on recycled paper.

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