Fire Station Visit

Visit a fire station or police station on a field trip, or have a firefighter or police officer visit and talk about what they do to help people be safe, their equipment tools and what we can do to be safe and help to prevent emergencies.

Safety Sign Shapes

Have the children match different safety signs with each of the sign shapes (triangle, circle, octagon, etc.). The following website can be used as a resource for safety signs and their shapes: http://www.trafficsign.us/

Stop, Drop, Roll

Use a book or the information from either of the following websites(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop,_drop_and_roll or http://www.statefarm.com/learning/kid_stuff/smoke/cmndctr/stopdrop.html) to teach the children the "stop, drop, roll" fire safety technique. After explaining, demonstrate and have the children practice "stop, drop, roll" several times.

Emergency Identification Card

Put out items to help children prepare an identification card. Have them include on their card: their height, weight, color of hair and eyes, fingerprint and signature. Explain that this is important information that they shouldn't share with strangers, but they should keep it safe in case of an emergency.

Red Light, Green Light

You can use a red and green circle images below. Cut them out and paste them back to back on a posicle stick or tongue depressor. To play the game:
Choose one child to hold the stoplight. The other children should be lined up facing the "stoplight" at least 15 feet away. When the "stoplight" shows green the players run toward him. When the "stoplight" shows red they stop running. If someone is still moving on a red light, they have to go back to the start. The first one who makes it to the "stoplight" gets to be the "stoplight" during the next round.

Click on the image to view and/or print.

Fire Painting

Let kids paint with red, orange and yellow thick paint on black construction paper. Spread plastic wrap on top and pull it off again to create a fun flame texture.

Breadsticks

3/4c. warm water
2 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs oil
2 cups flour
1 beaten egg

Dissolve yeast in water. Add salt, sugar, and oil. Mix in flour. Knead the dough. Divide dough and roll into snakes or hoses. Brush with a beaten egg. Bbake 10-12min at 425ºF.

Police Station Play

Set up a police (or fire) station for dramatic play. You can use any of the following suggested props: safety signs, uniforms, phones, cars (boxes or chairs & stirring wheels), safety equipment, phones, etc.

Fire Hose Squence

Cut up an old bike tube different sized pieces (small to large). Let the children place them in sequential order. They can also use it like a puzzle and put it back together in a big circle.

Safety Walk

Take a safety walk in your neighborhood. Talk about obeying traffic lights, crosswalks and signs when walking along and crossing the street. Point out special hazards to the children.

Hoses and Pumps

Water pumps, hoses and water can be placed in the sensory table for children to pretend play with. You can discuss how firefighters use hoses, pumps and water to put out fires in emergencies.

Emergency Plan

Have your children draw the route they would take to get out of their house in case of emergency. Challenge them to come up with different routes. Send home their ideas for them to plan and discuss emergency situations and escape routes with their families as well.

Safety Sign Design

Provide your children with different shapes of cardboard or use the shapes in the image below. Let children design their own safety signs.

Click on the image to view and/or print.

Car Seat Practice

Talk about how we use car seats for children riding in cars to keep them safe in case of an accident. Provide car seats for the kids to practice buckling themselves or baby dolls into.

Safety Obstacle Course

Talk about how firefighters have to be in good shape to help rescue people in an emergency. They have to practice climbing ladders, descending polls, using heavy equipment, etc. Set up an obstacle course to help the children practice too. Include things to run around, jump over, go under, climb up, ride on, push, pull, etc. Demonstrate how they can go through the obstacle course in a specific order.

Twinkle, Twinkle, Traffic Light

Tune- "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"
Twinkle, twinkle, traffic light,
Standing on the corner bright.
When it's green it's time to go.
When it's red it's stop, you know.
Twinkle, twinkle, traffic light,
Standing on the corner bright.

Safety Journal Page

Read a book about safety then hand out a journal sheet with this question on it: "How can we be safe?" Record the children's responses and let them draw a picture to go along with their response.

Click on the image to view and/or print.

Safety Vehicles

Place safety vehicles and sand in the sensory table.

Emergency Information

Help children learn their address, phone number and how and when to dial 911-Get several old phones (or draw one on paper) and have your children practice dialing 911 in an emergency.

Putting Out Flames

Draw flames on a sidewalk with red & yellow sidewalk chalk, let you children "put them out" by squirting them with water bottles.