1-2-3 Come Do A Few More Fire Safety Activities With Me

I think one of the most important things that I teach my Y5s is fire safety; however, with all of our discussions about not playing with matches, houses burning down, and people getting hurt, I discovered that my students were coming away with the idea that fire was bad.

Simply ask for a thumbs up or down whether your kiddos think fire is good or bad; and I think you’ll find like I did, that most, if not all of your students will give you a thumbs down, emphatically believing that fire is bad!

Since fire is truly beneficial and a necessary part of everyday life, I feel there’s a need to explain this to young children.

It’s important that they learn to respect fire without fearing it. Children need to understand the difference between good fires and bad fires, as well as fire’s beneficial and harmful effects.

With these things in mind, I created this “Good Fire-Bad Fire” packet. These quick, easy & fun activities will help children develop a healthy understanding of fire, so they are able to identify fire as a necessary part of their lives and an essential tool.

The packet includes:

* A simple way to help students realize that fire can be good is to show them pictures, so I've included 65 real photographs of fires which can be categorized by children as good or bad.
Choose a dozen or so and use them for . . .

* flashcards, where students give you a thumbs up or down,
* discussion
* an independent center where children sort the photographs into the 2 “good/bad fire” file folders

*a puzzle center (Cut the photographs in half or in quarters).
* writing prompts (There are 4 graphic organizers, plus 6 “complete the prompt” worksheets for this)
* a bulletin board displaying the pictures under the “good fire/bad fire” header cards.

* I’ve also included a “Flip the Flame” craftivity, where students color, cut and glue the “happy” good flame and the “angry” bad flame back-to-back on a Popsicle stick.

You show a photograph asking “Is this a good or bad fire?” Children flip their flame and hold up their answer.

After sharing and discussing the photographs, children will be able to see that each type of fire has common denominators: good fires are planned, desired, beneficial and supervised by an adult; bad fires are not.

* Two, writing prompt craftivities are a fun way for students to show this understanding, and allow you to check comprehension. 

The first one is a 3D flame "dangler" in two colors. (One with characteristics of good fires, the other bad.) 

The other craftivity is a side-by-side comparison.

Completed projects make a terrific bulletin board or hallway wall display too. 

Younger kiddos can show this knowledge with several worksheet options.

I've included full color patterns, so you can easily make a sample to share, or use for further explanation.

The good fire-bad fire sorting worksheet (see photograph) could also be made into an independent center.

Simply laminate and trim the pieces.  To make this self-correcting, put a G or B on the back of each picture.

* The packet also includes a graphing activity, several other worksheets, posters and a bookmark. 

Besides being able to differentiate between good and bad fires, I wanted another way to review all of the fire safety rules my students were learning. 

As with many of my activities, I like to "kill two birds with one stone",  so I designed these "Fire Safety Fix the Sentence" cards. 

These 36, fire safety-themed sentence cards, are a quick, easy and fun way to review a variety of fire safety related facts, while practicing capitalization and end punctuation.

Read the cards together as a whole group to practice a lot of Dolch sight words.
Choose a student to come up and using a dry erase marker, circle letters that should be capitalized and then add end punctuation. (period, question mark & exclamation point).

For more practice, as an individual activity, have students choose X number of mini cards and rewrite the sentences correctly on the worksheet provided. 

One of the most important fire safety rules that I teach my students, is about dialing 9-1-1 in an emergency. So today's FREEBIE features a 9-1-1 song to the tune of "This Old Man".

There are 3 poster options for you to choose from.  I hope your kiddos enjoy it as much as mine.

Well that's it for today. I'm still in a daze that September is over and we are now in October!

My grama Lydia always said "The older you get the faster time flies." Now that I'm in my "sexy sixties" I find that to be especially true! 

Wishing you a day filled with sunshine and laughter for a happily-ever-after.

"Time is free, but it's priceless; you can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it, and once you've lost it, you can never get it back." -Harvey Mackay

1-2-3 Come Do Some Fire Safety Activities With Me  

October is Fire Safety Month.  I truly believe fire safety is some of the most important information we can share with our students. 

With that in mind, I designed some quick, easy and fun activities that will help reinforce those skills.  Today's blog features 3 of my new packets.

First up, is some fire safety word fun. Studying fire safety provides a real opportunity to build important vocabulary.

Words like fire drill, smoke detector, hydrant, and fire extinguisher  may all be common for us, but they are brand new for most young children; so I designed this fun word work packet, which is appropriate for preschoolers through 2nd grade.

This diversity will also help you differentiate lessons for those who are struggling, those who are right where they should be, as well as having the ability to challenge others who are ready to advance.

You can use the pocket chart-size word cards in a pocket chart, or attach magnets and use them on your white board. You can also attach Velcro dots and use them on a flannel board.

Later, reinforce the vocabulary by using them as flashcards, then adding them to a “fire safety” word wall. I’ve included a “header” poster for this.

I’ve also made a template where the cards are grouped into 3 columns of word cards.
Print, laminate and trim. Toss them in a fire hat or other container and have your students pick X number of cards, which they can alphabetize on the ABC worksheet, or use to make sentences, using the “I can write sentences!” worksheet.

Students can also sort these mini word cards on the “Syllable Sorting” mat.  There’s a matching bookmark of the words, which children can keep in their writing journals.  For more practice, there are 2 word finds, along with an “ABC Me” worksheet.

Another way to practice vocabulary is choose whatever words are appropriate for your kiddos, write them on the board, and have them copy them into their “fire safety vocabulary booklet”, which fits in wonderfully for “Daily 5 word work” or your writing block. (There are 4 cover options).

Use the 24-colorful picture cards for Memory Match or “I Have; Who Has?” games.
Younger children can match picture to picture, while older children can match a picture card to a word card.

The packet also includes a “My Itty Bitty Word Booklet” as another fun way to build vocabulary. Children color the pictures, trace & write the words, then cut and collate the squares into a just-the-right-size booklet.  

Music is a super-fun way to build vocabulary as well.  Since my kiddos love singing "The Wheels On The Bus", I used that tune and made up "The Wheels On The Fire Truck" which also helps reinforce some fire safety rules. 

The packet includes . . .

* A song poster with the words.
* Colorful pocket chart cards you can refer to while you’re singing.  Later pass them out to see if children can sequence them in the correct order.
* To build vocabulary and practice writing skills, I’ve also included a flip booklet where students trace, write, color, cut and collate.

Finally, this fire truck "slider" craftivity, features some of the basic rules of fire safety.  

So that you can quickly and easily make a sample to share, I’ve included templates in full color.

There are also 2 black and white “slider” options for your kiddos. One without words for little ones, the other with a few words for students who are learning to read.

Children color the graphics, cut and glue their slider together, then slip it through the pre-cut slits on their fire truck.

Trucks can be run off on white paper so that children can color them, or to expedite things, give children a choice & run off on red and yellow construction paper. Students simply add some accent colors with crayons.

There’s also a set of 5 colorful posters to help explain the fire safety rules, which can later be used for a bulletin board or wall display.

I’ve also included a letter home to parents, should you want to have your students make and share their fire escape plan.

(Why teach rules, when there’s no follow through at home?)  

Because I think this is so important, I made the Fire Safety Escape Plan Letter today's featured FREEBIE.  Click on the link to grab your copy.

One never knows when this simple homework assignment might save a life. 

Well that's it for today.  I hope you found something useful. 

It's an absolutely gorgeous fall day, so it's time for a much-needed brain break.  Wishing you a carefree day. 

"Education is the passport to the future. For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today."

1-2-3 Come Do Some More Fire Safety Activities With Me    

I do a variety of themes each month, so I like to design some basic activities that practice the standards using that particular theme. 

With that in mind, since October is Fire Safety Month, I designed this jumbo fire safety packet, filled with a variety of activities, worksheets, and games that will PRACTICE ...

* upper and lowercase letters,
* alphabetical order,
* counting by 1s to 120,

* skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s, and 10s
* ordinal numbers
* odd & even numbers

* addition & subtraction
* greater & less than
* making groups/sets

* using 10 frames
* recognizing numbers & number words
* using a 100 chart to find a hidden letter

* graphing
* 2D shapes
* rhyming words
* plus writing; along with this Fire Safety “Stuff”...

* Fire “Can, Is, Has” plus Firefighters & Fire Trucks “Can, Are, Have”
* Label a fire truck

* Fire safety word work
* Fire safety KWL
* Fire Safety Poster

* Our School’s Fire Safety Rules
* "Stop Drop & Roll" coloring page
* Venn Diagram comparing a firefighter with a police officer

* “What’s Hot What’s Not?” Sorting activity
* “Will It Burn?” Sorting activity
* “If a fire truck could talk what might it say?”
* Words that describe a fire truck & firefighter graphic organizers plus a ...

* Fire safety “slap bracelet”
* Get the firefighter to the fire! Maze Craze
* "How many words can you make using the letters in fire truck?" challenge, as well as ...

* A "Trace and Snip" your way to the fire trucks worksheet,
* A “Place the rungs on the ladder” fine motor practice activity
* A Fire Fighters and Fire Trucks "On a Roll" dice games and finally ...
* “The Wheels On The Fire Truck” upper & lowercase letter alphabet game.

Besides this jumbo fire safety-themed packet that covers a variety of standards, I also designed a "Thank You Firefighters"  packet.   

Our local fire department comes with their truck,  to show and explain things to our students.

Afterwards, my kiddos are always eager to share what was their favorite thing that they saw/did, so it’s a perfect time to dive into some fun writing prompts.

They also want to make a card to thank the firefighters for coming and all that they do for us.

With that in mind, I designed this “Thank You Firefighters!” packet which also includes:
* A “Fire drill procedures” poster you can hang above your school’s instruction list and map.

* A Venn diagram comparing a fire drill with a severe weather drill.
There's a color copy to do as a whole group activity, as well as a BW version so you can check comprehension when students fill in their own.

* A colorful “Thank you!” poster every one can sign
* A boy and girl firefighter “color me” poster, where children write a thank you note in the box

* A colorful fire truck “Thank You!” card cover. Simply attach the blank paper and have everyone sign their name, which is great practice for little ones working on that skill.
* A “color me” fire truck thank you note

* A whole group discussion “Things We Learned Today:” poster, with a matching BW one if you want older students to make their own.

* A "Hats Off To Firefighters!” writing prompt craftivity, plus the following writing prompt worksheets:

* A boy and girl “color me” firefighter "Here are a few things that I learned from the firefighters..." 
* “Would you like to be a firefighter?
* “My favorite thing about today was…”

* “Your clothes are on fire! What should you do?” 
* “Your house is on fire! What should you do?”
* “My family has a fire plan!” 
* “It’s a fire drill! Here’s what we do . . .” 

* Transitional writing: “What to do during a fire drill” (First, then, next, last) worksheet.

Any of the above completed projects make a sweet fire safety bulletin board too.

Finally, I truly believe that if students write fire safety rules down, they are reinforced so much better than when they just hear them, plus in so doing, it’s also a great way to send that information home, so children can share it with their families. With that in mind there’s also a “color me” fire safety writing prompt worksheet as well.

Today's featured FREEBIE also has a fire safety theme. It's a "Hands Off Fire!" craftivity, which is a quick, easy and fun writing prompt.

Adding the interesting hand print “fire” at the top will get students excited about doing this project, and completed prompts will make an awesome bulletin board.

Have your students sign the “We promise to keep our hands off fire” poster, and display it in the middle. 

There are two different writing prompts to choose from, plus a blank page to dream up your own.

I've also included a "Never Ever Play With Fire" song poster.

Well that's it for today.   Thanks for stopping by.

It's a breezy day, but perfect for a nice long walk with my poodle pup Chloe. Wishing you a relaxing and fun-filled day.

"Hoodies, bonfires, colorful falling leaves, apple cider and cuddling; autumn is here!"

A big part of our fire safety studies includes learning about the emergency number 911.

Several years ago, one of my students was involved in a trailer fire. It was little Jose', just 6-years-old, who dialed 911. No need to convince me of the importance of making sure my kiddos know about fire safety and using their heads in a crisis.

With that incident in mind, it was a joy to put a lot of work into the 61-page, "Call 911 Fire Safety Packet", making sure you have a variety of simple & fun activities to keep students engaged, as they learn about this important emergency number.

Since my kiddos are just learning to recognize numbers, they often confuse 6s & 9s.

It makes no sense for them to recite “Call 911 in an emergency” if they haven’t practiced finding & pressing those numbers; so we practice on real, non-working cell phones, that parents have donated to our class.

Just as important as learning how to dial that number, is knowing when it’s appropriate to do so.

Keeping these things in mind, I designed this 911 packet, with quick, easy & super-fun activities that will ensure your students know how, as well as when, to dial this life saving number.

The packet includes:

* An emergent reader: “Who Ya Gonna Call?” with 24 Dolch sight words.

I titled the booklet that because of the catchy Ghostbusters tune, and have the music playing softly in the background, when my kiddos work on this activity.

When the refrain “Who ya gonna call?” is sung, my students yell out 911.

* Afterwards, we do the  “When Should I Call 911?” cell phone craftivity.

This not only reinforces the lesson, but tests comprehension. There are ...

* 2 song posters; 9-1-1 to the tune of “Brother John”, as well as “Call 9-1-1” to the tune of “If You’re Happy & You Know It”.

* A matching “flip phone craftivity” that displays the song inside.

* A “Rip & Tear” craftivity that helps strengthen finger muscles.

* A “100s chart, mystery number worksheet”, along with quite a few worksheets to practice the numbers 911.

* Five, colorful 911 number puzzles that practice sequencing numbers from 1-10, counting backwards from 10-1, plus skip counting by 2s & 10s.

I’ve included a black & white pattern as well, so that students can make their own puzzle. And finally . . .

* 911 “slap bracelets”, a bookmark and certificate of praise.

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop, to take a look at this whopping 61-page 911 Activities packet , chock full of hands-on fire safety fun. 

Today's FREEBIE also has a 911 theme.  Students sing this 9-1-1 song to the tune of "This Old Man". I've included 3 poster optons.  

Well that's it for today. It's balmy out, despite the drizzle; the perfect kind of day to open the windows, air out the house and snuggle up with a good book and hot cup of cider.  Wishing you a relaxing day.

"Each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor."  ~Edgar Allan Poe

1-2-3 Come Do Some Fire Safety Activities With Me

I know there's a lot a teacher has to cram in each month, but I can't stress enough, how important it is to make time to cover some fire safety with your kiddos, as life skills certainly far out way report card standards, should a crisis arise. 

With time as a factor, I designed these quick, easy & fun activities. 

There's nothing quite like adding a little bit of craftiness to a lesson or writing prompt, to get students excited and down to business. 

Younger studetns can simply do the craft, while older students can complete writing prompts. 

I've up-dated & tweaked some of my favorites and tossed them into Diane's Dollar Deals in my TpT shop. 

Simply click on the photograph that you're interested in, to zip on over to take a look. The "Safety Matches" are my personal favorite.

The "Put Out the Fire" craftivity, includes a sweet song. This project provides wonderful fine motor practice, as students cut the "hose" spiral. 

My kiddos are always amazed at the "way cool" results. I've included 2 spiral posters as well, so you can take advantage of that teachable moment to build vocabulary.

The Stop Drop & Roll writing prompt craftivity, also includes a song.

Besides fire safety "craftivities", I've also up-dated the fire safety number puzzles.

There's now a total of 52, featuring 20 different pictures. 

The puzzles come in color, so you can use them for an independent math center, as well as black & white, so your students can make their own. 

The number puzzles come in both horizontal & vertical patterns, and help students sequence numbers from 1-10, count backwards from 10 -1, as well as skip count by 2s & 10s.

I have two FREEBIES for you today: a cute fire hat, as well as a fire truck-themed 10 frames packet.  I hope you find them useful. 

Since I didn't want this blog to get too long, I'm posting two articles today, as I have one more big fire safety packet to share with you.

Simply scroll down, to check out all of the super-fun & creative activities, that will help teach your kiddos about the 911 emergency number.  

There's another FREEBIE there too. Thanks for stopping by. 

"The most tangible of all visible mysteries - fire."  ~Leigh Hunt

1-2-3 Come Do Some Fire Safety Activities With Me

Since Fire Safety Month is in October I wanted to use that theme for my word work activities.  Because we do that daily, I try to keep things fresh by practicing our skills using a seasonal theme.

My newesst fire safety activity, is F is for Fire.  It's packed with quick, easy & fun activities to engage your kiddos with.

The packet includes:

* An “F is for Fire” rip & tear craftivity,which helps strengthen those weak finger muscles. 

Completed projects make a colorful bulletin board. Older students can glue their alphabetical word work on it. 

* I've included a list of 42 words that contain the word fire.

Choose which ones are appropriate for your kiddos, and have them write the words in alphabetical order on the black and white ladder, or stationery or worksheet.

There are color copies of each to make a teacher's sample.

The list can be glued to the “F is for Fire” rip & tear craft.

* There’s also a “Please alphabetize these words:” poster.

Use it on your whiteboard as a "header" then list the words you want your students to work on, underneath.

* The 16 pocket chart picture word cards, come in full color, along with matching bookmarks.

* A Trace, Write & Color “F is for Fire” flip booklet, matches the pocket chart cards. There are 2 covers & 3 size options.

* There's also a word find
* A “My Fire Safety Words” booklet and . . .
* A “How many words can you make using the letters in the word firefighters?” worksheet.
I’ve included an answer key with 188 words!

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to have a look-see at this 40-page packet of fun: F is For Fire.

Today's featured FREEBIE also has a fire safety theme.  "Keep Your Hands Off Fire" is a quick, easy and fun writing prompt craftivity, which includes an "I Promise to Keep My Hands Off Fire" poster, as well as a "Never Ever Play With Fire" song. 

The hand print "fire" at the top will get your students excited to complete the writing prompt. Finished projects make an awesome bulletin board too.

Click on the link to get a copy of "Keep Your Hands Off Fire"   and let the fun and safety begin. 

Well that's it for today.  The wind is howling at my office window sending the lovely leaves swirling. 

Wishing you a warm and snuggly day filled with smiles.

"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination." - Jimmy Dean