This book introduces the children to what happens at a firehouse. It would be a good book to read before taking a field trip to the firehouse.

Materials

•   Small syringes or spray bottles

Vocabulary

•  Shiny (all bright and polished clean)
• Glow in the dark
• Extension ladder (something that gets longer and longer)
• Exit (this way out/in case of a fire)

Before Reading the Story

Bring in a smoke detector and talk to the children about what it is and how it keeps us safe. Turn it on so they can hear the loud piercing sound. Talk about what they should do if they ever hear this sound at school or in their home.

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; builds awareness and ability to follow basic health and safety rules such as fire safety, traffic and pedestrian safety, and responding appropriately to potentially harmful objects, substances, and activities.

Reading the Story

Stop on the page that shows all the parts of a fire truck for a few moments and talk with the children about what the part is called and how it might be used.

Social & Emotional Development/Knowledge of Families & Communities; develops growing awareness of jobs and what is required to perform them.  AND Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; uses an increasingly complex and varied spoken vocabulary.

After Reading the Story

Have a pretend fire drill with your class. Do the children know where to go, what to do or not do when they hear the alarm? Do they know to walk versus run to the exit?

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; builds awareness and ability to follow basic health and safety rules such as fire safety, traffic and pedestrian safety, and responding appropriately to potentially harmful objects, substances, and activities.

Discovery

Bring in a smoke detector and show it to the children. Have the children cover their ears and then turn it on so they can hear the shrill sound. Talk about the sound that the smoke detector makes. Do you think you could hear it if you were sleeping? Talk about the fire alarm at your school. What do you do in case the alarm goes off at school? Practice having a fire evacuation with the children making sure to tell them what is going to happen before it happens so that they are prepared and will not become frightened.

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; builds awareness and ability to follow basic health and safety rules such as fire safety, traffic and pedestrian safety, and responding appropriately to potentially harmful objects, substances, and activities.

Music and Movement

Use masking tape to put a ladder design down on the floor. The children can use this for jumping or walking the lines.

Physical Health & Development/Gross Motor Skills; shows increasing levels of proficiency, control, and balance walking, climbing, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, marching, and galloping.

Sing Stop, Drop, and Roll to The Farmer in the Dell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1c0srtQUZtE

Stop, drop, and roll

Stop, drop, and roll

If my clothes are on fire

I stop, drop, and roll.

Creative Arts/Music; participates with increasing interest and enjoyment in a variety of music activities, including listening, singing, finger plays, games, and performances.

Blocks

Add any fire trucks that you may have to the center. If you have none, draw a simple fire truck like that in the story and tape it to the side of the blocks. Encourage the children to be firemen and save the burning building.

Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; shows growing creativity and imagination in using materials and in assuming different roles in dramatic play situations.  AND Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; increases abilities to sustain interactions with peers by helping, sharing, and discussion.

Art

Put out red, orange and yellow finger paint. Show the children how to make zig zags like fire flames. Also practice making circles and wavy lines.

Creative Arts/Art; progresses in abilities to create drawings, paintings, models, and other art creations that are more detailed, realistic, and creative.

Sand and Water

Fire persons use lots of water. Put out water today with small syringes and/or spray bottles. The children can practice putting out fires. Give them bowls to aim their spray at, or make bulls eyes using cardboard and markers so that when they hit the mark, the color bleeds.

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; develops growing strength, dexterity, and control needed to use tools such as scissors, paper punch, stapler, and hammer.

Library and Writing

Put the book on the writing table and the children can try to draw their own fire trucks using the design on the balloons in the story. Take a moment and discuss and name all the parts of the fire truck.

Literacy/Early Writing; begins to represent stories and experiences through pictures, dictation, and in play.

Make EXIT signs that resemble those in your classroom. Ask the children to show you where the signs are, in the room and then practice writing the letters on a piece of paper.

Literacy/Early Writing; progresses from using scribbles, shapes, or pictures to represent ideas, to using letter-like symbols, to copying or writing familiar words such as their own name.

Dramatic play

Add some fire hats, jackets, and boxes to the center so the children can drive their own fire truck. If this is an extended unit they can take the box outside and paint it red.

Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; approaches tasks and activities with increased flexibility, imagination, and inventiveness.

Math and Manipulatives

Bring in a play phone and have the children take turns practicing dialing 911.

Mathematics/Number & Operation; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and writen numerals in meaningful ways.

Outdoor Play

Have a tricycle wash today or a chair wash to make them nice and shiny.

Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; increases abilities to sustain interactions with peers by helping, sharing, and discussion.

Transitions

As the children prepare to go to the next center say, “My Firefighter Friend hold up a card with a child’s name written on it may go and fight a fire. Continue until all the children’s names have been held up.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; identifies at least 10 letters of the alphabet, especially those in their own name.

Dear Parent-

            Today we talked about fire safety. Have you made an evacuation plan for your family in case of a fire or emergency? Find a spot away from the house to meet and practice getting there safely with your child.