DB-PZ-07 · The Centre That Never Sleeps (BG: Центърът, който не спи)
track
PZ · The Guardians (safety systems for children) · lesson 7 of 8
level
Tinkerer (change · fix · combine) · two levels: ages 7–10 (grades 1–4) and an extra task for ages 11–13 (grades 5–7)
duration
10–15 min on screen + 10–15 min without a screen (with other children or an adult)
school link
supports safety lessons and Technology and Entrepreneurship as a cross-curricular topic; children learn the European emergency number 112 and their home address
publisher
East Accelerator Foundation (Фондация „Източен Акселератор“) · host: kagami.bg
access
free · no account · no data collected · works offline
Explain that signals from many buildings arrive at a centre that works day and night, 24/7, where an operator receives, checks, calls the people responsible and decides
Sort five signals into “Right away”, “Check first” and “Can wait”, with a reason
Say three facts about 112: free, works everywhere in the EU from fixed and mobile phones, only for emergencies — and the operator will ask what happened and where
(ages 11–13) Explain why two sensors agreeing, or a look at the camera, helps the operator decide whether a signal is real
KEY CONCEPTS
alarm receiving centres work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (EN 50518 standard)
the operator receives a signal, checks it (for example with a camera), calls the people responsible and decides what to do
a false signal can come from wind, a curtain or a low battery; a second sensor or a camera check helps
112 is free, EU-wide, from fixed and mobile phones, only for emergencies, not an information line (European Commission; Your Europe)
adults and operators call 112 when there is a real emergency; children practise only with a toy or paper phone
STRUCTURE
goal → 1 Remember (3 warm-up questions: the alarm brain from lesson 2, who works at night, what a phone call needs) → 2 Story (invented: two children on an open day at a centre that never sleeps, 60–90 s) → 3 Worked example (the operator's four steps: receive, check, call, decide; a box on 112) → 4 Try it (Predict: when does the centre close? → Run: the operator's desk, 5 signal cards one by one, sorted into Right away / Check first / Can wait, no timer → Change: what will the operator ask on 112?) + extra box for ages 11–13 (false signal: two sensors and a camera check) → 5 Unplugged (role play: operator and buildings with a toy or paper phone; “what happened, where we are, who I am”) → 6 Make your own (a card with the home address; ages 11–13: invent a sorting rule for a new signal) → 7 What I learned (3-question check + skill badge, no points) → 8 I have a question (form: the child writes ≤280 chars, the parent enters an e-mail and consents; double opt-in; plus "Was it useful?" / "We did the lesson" buttons — aggregate counts only)
ANSWERS
predict: the centre never closes — it works day and night (c)
desk: smoke alarm in a storeroom → right away (the operators call 112 and the people responsible); a low battery in a sensor → can wait (fix tomorrow); the door of a closed shop opened at night → check first (look at the camera, call the owner); a window sensor at a summer house noticed the wind → check first; a test signal planned by a technician → can wait
112 questions: what happened, where you are, who you are (b)
ages 11–13: one sensor alone → check first; two sensors agree → more likely real, call the people responsible; camera shows a curtain moving in the wind → false signal, tell the owner to check the window
check: q1 b (day and night) · q2 c (check first) · q3 a (only for emergencies)
SAFETY
never call the real 112 to practise; only a toy or paper phone
no fires, burglars or accidents in the story; the operator's work is calm and orderly; no timer, no pressure
the adults call 112 when there is a real signal; the child knows 112 and the home address
nothing to buy; no personal data entered or stored; the page works offline
NEXT
DB-PZ-08 · Project: The Smart Classroom · back: DB-PZ-06 · Mine and Ours
SOURCES · LICENCE
link only, facts retold in our own words: Kiwa, EN 50518 monitoring and alarm receiving centre — 24/7 availability; checked 2026-11-01
link only, facts retold in our own words: European Commission, 112 policy page (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu) and Your Europe 112 FAQ — free, EU-wide, fixed and mobile, emergencies only; checked 2026-11-01
licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
METADATA
path
6 · social impact
determinant
physical environment
sdg_target
4.7
who_criterion
accessibility
impact_type
prevention · education
DIGCOMP 3.0
framework
DigComp 3.0 (JRC144121, doi:10.2760/0001149)
primary
none (technology-understanding lesson: how safety systems work; no primary DigComp 3.0 competence)
secondary
1.2 Evaluating data, information and digital content
mapping
proposed 2026-11-01 by the lesson goal · confidence: medium · not a measured outcome
VERIFIED · 01.11.2026AI help: yesreviewer: awaiting teacher and psychologist
The Centre That Never Sleeps
While you sleep, a centre somewhere has its lights on. Signals from many buildings arrive there. Today you are an operator: you will sort the signals — what is right away, what is checked first and what can wait.
⏱ 10–15 minTinkererThe Guardians · 7grades 1–7 · two levels
You will be able to say what an operator does, sort signals by importance, and know when and how 112 is used.
For the parent: a one-page guide — who calls when there is a real signal, a role play with a toy phone.
progress0%
01Remember
Think about each question, then open the answer.
Where does a sensor's signal go?
To the “brain” — the control panel. It decides whether to give a signal. Remember the chain from the lesson “I Sense, I Think, I Signal”.
Which people also work at night?
Doctors, nurses, firefighters, night bus drivers, bakers. And the operators at signal centres.
What do you need to say when you make a phone call?
Who you are and why you are calling. Then the person on the other end understands quickly.
02Story
This story is made up.
On an open day, Nia and Bobby walk into a quiet room with many screens. Their aunt Mira works here.
“This is the centre that never sleeps,” she says. “We work day and night, every day.”
A small square lights up on the screen. “A signal from a summer house. The window sensor noticed something.”
“What now?” Bobby asks.
“First I check. I look at the camera… The wind has opened the window. I'll call the owner to close it.”
A second square lights up. “The battery in one sensor is low. That can wait until tomorrow.”
Nia smiles. “So not everything is urgent. You sort them.”
“Exactly. Now you try.”
03Worked example
Signals from many buildings arrive at the centre. It works day and night — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The operator works there. Here are the operator's four steps:
Step
What the operator does
1 · Receive
sees the signal: which building it is from and which sensor sent it
2 · Check
looks at the camera, if there is one, or waits for a second signal
3 · Call
phones the people who are responsible for the building
4 · Decide
right away, check first, or can wait
112is the emergency number.
It is free.
It works everywhere in the European Union — from a home phone and from a mobile phone.
It is only for emergencies. It is not for questions.
They will ask you what happened and where you are.
When there is a real signal, the adults and the operators call 112.
04Try it now
1 · Predict
When does the centre close? Choose before you check.
2 · Run: the operator's desk
This is a game. The signals arrive one by one. There is no rush. Read and choose where each one goes.
🔴 Right away
🟡 Check first
🟢 Can wait
3 · Change: what will they ask you on 112?
The 112 operator wants to help quickly. What will they ask you?
For older children · ages 11–13A false signal. Sometimes a sensor gives a signal because of the wind or a curtain. How does the operator know? Switch the sensors on and off and choose what the camera shows.
05No screen: operator and buildings
You need: a toy phone or a phone made of cardboard, small pieces of paper, and friends or an adult.
One child is the operator. The others are buildings: a school, a summer house, a shop, a library. Each building invents one signal and writes it on a piece of paper.
The buildings “ring” one by one. The operator says “Right away”, “Check first” or “Can wait” — and why.
Then practise with the toy phone saying the three things: what happened, where we are, who I am.
Swap roles. Everyone can be the operator, or just watch.
For older children · ages 11–13Keep an operator's log: time (made up) · building · signal · decision · why. Which signals repeat? What would you fix so that fewer false signals arrive?
✋
Toy phone only
Never call the real 112 to practise. It is only for emergencies. You practise with a toy or a cardboard phone.
06Make your own
Make your own operator's card — a small card to keep at home.
Write in big letters: 112 — only for emergencies.
Learn your address by heart with an adult: town, street, number. Write it on the card only at home and do not take the card outside.
Write the three things: what happened · where we are · who I am.
Show the card to someone at home and say your address by heart.
For older children · ages 11–13Invent a new signal — for example, “a water sensor under the washing machine in a café”. Which basket does it go in? Write a rule for the operator: “If …, then …”.
07What I learned
The centre works day and night. The operator receives the signal, checks, calls and decides.
Not everything is urgent: one thing is right away, another is checked first, a third can wait.
112 is free, works in the whole European Union and is only for emergencies. Adults make the call; you practise only with a toy.
And at home, what can wait until tomorrow and what cannot?
Check yourself
1. When does the centre that never sleeps work?
2. The door of a closed shop opened at night. What does the operator do?
3. What is 112 for?
🎧
Skill badge: “Centre operator” It is yours when you can sort three signals by importance and say the three things about 112. No points and no ranking — only a skill.
08I have a question
Do you still have a question? Write it here. It goes to your parent, not to strangers. Your parent confirms their e-mail first.
The form is loading… If it does not appear, write your question on paper and show it to a parent or teacher.
·Sources
Title: The Centre That Never Sleeps (DB-PZ-07) · Author: Children's Library, East Accelerator Foundation · Source: original content and original game code, 2026 · Rights: CC BY-SA 4.0.
Kiwa — description of the EN 50518 standard: alarm receiving centres must be available 24/7 and handle signals in the required time. Checked 01.11.2026.
European Commission — “112”: 112 is the European emergency number, free of charge, everywhere in the EU, from fixed and mobile phones; and Your Europe — 112 FAQ: only for emergencies, not an information line. Checked 01.11.2026.
Licence:CC BY-SA 4.0 · Children's Library, East Accelerator Foundation, 2026. You may share and adapt this lesson if you credit the author and keep the same licence. Learning is free forever.
