Street Smart

What I've taught him so far? Or what he had the chance to experience here so far.

1. Buy a subway card from a machine.
2. Flash the cards on bus and train.
3. Try to figure out a vicinity map in a station.

We have yet to try...
1. the ticket window for a real train ticket.
2. ride a bus by himself
3. ride a train by himself

1. Be observant of people and things around you at all times.
Be aware of people around you. Learn to read people. It can be a fun hobby when you're stuck waiting without a book. Or even if you have a book. Specially if you are in a non-familiar area, it pays to be able to read people.
2. Remember landmarks and routes.
3. Heighten your senses specially if you are in an unfamiliar and deserted area.
Avoid deserted alleys specially at night.
4. Learn where and how to get help if lost. Identify the "safe places" where one can go in case of emergency.

How to possibly learn this.

1. Bring him more often downtown and let him figure out the streets.
2. Play 39 Clues theme game to help remember landmarks and routes.
3. Let him be the guide. Set a destination, and let him figure out how to get there.
4. Let him get to feel out directions without map. 

As usual, here are some sites where I found some useful ideas. 
- from afineparent.com about being street smart as emotional intelligence
- from parents.com about stranger safety.
- from kidshealth.org about kids being street smart. 
(Hubs heard this one while we were having breakfast. He ended up saying, "the world is such a miserable world that we have to teach our kids these kinds of things." But that is the reality in some parts of the world. Sure, there are still a few safe areas but there a more unsafe ones.