All Preschoolers should learn the importance of Fire Safety!
Covering this theme unit gives your children a good opportunity to learn about fire safety in the home and the fire fighter's role in our community.
~Comparisions of Sizes~
Gather assorted toy fire trucks and ask your child to identify which is smaller, bigger, smallest, biggest. Make it a guessing game for fun!
~Counting~
Make a counting book of "fire gear." Draw pictures of boots, gloves, coats, helmets, and objects that a fire fighter wears. Make each picture a different number of items and then color each page. Once you have completed the pages staple them or hole punch them to make a counting book.
Making up simple rhymes is a good way to teach and promote counting skills in young children. You can make charts or pictures of whatever your rhyme is about. Remember "One Potato, Two Potato?" Make up a rhyme that goes with fire fighters.
~Fingerplays~
Preschool children use movement and learn counting skills with fingerplays.
Have your children form a circle and their feet and get a beat going with a clap and stomp and say "Get up Firefighters, Get up! And Let's count"
Here is a Fingerplay I wrote for my son.
One, firefighter, Two fire fighters,
three fire fighters, four!
Sliding down the firehouse pole.
(bend forward and bring hands together
and slide down your pretend fire pole)
Because there is a FIRE!
(look shocked and put hands on face in surprise)
Five Fire firefighters, six fire fighters,
seven fire fighters, eight.
Hurry, Hurry, hurry or we'll be late!
(run in place with your feet)
We need to help people so they can be safe.
(hands out like pulling people to safety!)
Nine Fire fighters, ten fire fighters,
can't believe my eyes!
(cover and uncover eyes in surprise)
A cat stuck in a tree!
What a surprise!
(Say to children)
How many fire fighters saved the little cat?
(and march with swinging arm and stomping feet while counting...)
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 FIRE FIGHTERS!!
(jump up and reach over head to the sky on 10)
"Again??"
(Do the count again, faster and a third time faster then plop back down to sitting after the last time.)
