Fire Prevention Week is coming soon!

Teaching fire safety in preschool Fire prevention week is October 9th - 15th this year. We will be on fall break during that time, so we decided to Teaching fire safety in preschool Fire prevention week is October 9th - 15th this year. We will be on fall break during that time, so we decided to observe the occasion just a few weeks early. We spent the week exploring fire safety in both our preschool and pre-k class. The preschool class read a book about firefighters and then explored fire safety related centers to inspire conversation about the topic. We painted with fire trucks, put out shaving cream "fires," and explored the beautiful colors of red, yellow and orange with our sensory bags. Reading Fire! Fire! by Gail Gibbons Gel sensory bags invite children to touch, feel, press, and write. Painting with firetrucks Putting out shaving cream "fires:" great for building hand strength! The preschool class read a book called Stop, Drop, and Roll by Margery Cuyler and then took the opportunity to let the children practice on the rug. A "stop, drop, and roll" demonstration We even practiced our own fire escape plan to safely exit the preschool in the event of a fire. There was also a 911 call center set up at the writing table, and fire colored sand in the writing tray. We practiced our cutting skills making fire engines out of shapes at the art table and spent time focusing on our name with tissue paper "fire" art. Watch out - these names are hot! Our 911 call center Fire trucks in the sand tray Shapely fire trucks Setting our names on fire! To finish up our week, we had a visit from our local fire department. Firefighter Todd sat down with our students to talk about things like how to "stay low and go" if there is smoke in your room and how only grownups are allowed to touch matches and lighters. One tip that I'd never heard before was to tell the children to throw toys and blankets out the window if they aren't able to leave their room. The firefighters will walk the perimeter of the house when they arrive and if they see toys on the ground, they will know that there is a child in the bedroom upstairs. Next, we went outside and took a tour of the ambulance and fire truck that Todd and his firemen brought over for us to see. The firemen and EMT's took their time to answer all of the children's questions so that they would feel safe in the event that they were ever involved in an emergency situation. Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed. Plan your visit If you aren't able to visit a fire station in your community, I would encourage you to give your local fire outreach coordinator a call to see if they would be willing bring a truck to you. Our children love it and it teaches them so many valuable lessons regarding fire safety. More on fire safety Because we observe fire safety week every year, I have plenty of other activities to share! www.teachpreschool.org