Key Takeaways:

• Do a fire safety read-aloud to spark meaningful conversations.
• Create experiences that build on what children already know about fire safety and what they love—fire trucks!
• Invite kids to put their ideas into action!

How do you focus your fire-safety lessons? Let kids lead the way. Start by reading and talking about high-interest texts on fire safety and firefighting. You’ll find out what children already know, what they must learn to stay safe, and what interests them. Then you can set up meaningful, play-based activities for your class.

The October issue of My Big World provides a wonderful way to promote conversations about making safe choices.

It starts out with the attention-getting title, “Ouch! It’s Hot!” The children immediately understand that the big red X on the page means that we shouldn’t touch something that is hot. It also takes a good look at the equipment firefighters use to keep themselves safe.

Here are three activities I created based on this issue:

1. A Play 9-1-1 Call Center

Our discussions led the children down the path of what to do if someone is in danger and needs help. The children already seemed quite familiar with the idea of calling 9-1-1. But we went ahead and talked about it a little more deeply. My students were so interested in the topic of fire safety, that we set up a simple 9-1-1 call center at our writing center. The children spent the entire morning on 9-1-1 alert. They were ready to receive calls and send help to someone in danger in a moment’s notice. The conversations at the center were quite “alarming” and, I must say, a little entertaining, too!

2. Fighting a House “Fire” with Spray Bottles

At the tinker table, the children put their fine motor skills to work by putting out fires with their fire extinguishers (spray bottles designed to look similar to fire extinguishers). Fortunately, the house didn’t burn down, but it did take a few days to dry out. The children were extremely focused on drenching every single flame to save the house.

3. Firetruck Visit

The back page of My Big World’s fire safety issue gave the children a closer look at what firefighters wear to keep themselves safe when they are putting out fires. The conversation got our students excited about the up-and-coming visit from our local fire department. From the moment the firefighters stepped out of the big firetruck, the children began asking to see a real ax, air tank, helmet, and mask.

My Big World gave my class just the “spark” we needed to kick off informative discussions about fire safety around the classroom. If you’d like to try the magazine for yourself, now is a great time. I'm sure your class will love learning with My Big World just as much as mine does. Bring My Big World into your classroom all year long by starting a 30-day free trial today!

Deborah Stewart has worked in early-childhood education for over 30 years. She runs a preschool for children ages 3–5 in Indiana. She also writes the blog teachpreschool.org.

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