Her eyes are gleaming as she steps up and grabs the fire hose. The fire fighter shows her how to turn it on and a gush of water swooshes out in front of her. She beams.

A field trip to the Fire Station never stops being cool. These are moments that no book, no picture, and not even a video can capture.

The uniforms. The hoses and levers. The bright shiny red trucks.

We have been lucky enough to go on several Fire Station trips in the different state we have lived and every time it is an awesome experience for my kids.

On one particular Fire Station visit my kids initially seemed a little less interested.

Our son climbed in the front and then out the other side. Our daughter started in the back and then hopped out. They both started wandering around the truck. I suggested we get our inevitable coloring books to speed along this process.

Then my son asked me, “What is this for?” He was pointing to one of the many switches on the side. I had no clue and I could see that he was curious, so I told him to ask a firefighter. He was a little unsure about this, but his sister bravely walked up to one of these large men and said “What does that do?”

The firefighter bent down and answered her question.

This led to another question and another. Soon they were following the firefighter around the truck as he demonstrated everything to them. Where the hoses were and how they got hooked up. What was inside the different compartments and what they used each item for.

Their questions were endless and his patience, seemingly, was as well.

They were utterly fascinated and this kind man took the time to share his expertise with these two young children.

We forgot about the heat. We forgot about needing water and wanting AC.

We learned a lot about firetrucks and then when they were done, they grabbed those coloring books and headed for the car full of ideas.

Safety Unit for Kindergarten + First Grade

related curriculum or projects

• Members of our community have different roles.
• There are community jobs to help keep everyone safe.

Before the Field Trip

• Talk to the Fire Station to confirm date and what to expect.
• Read some children’s books about Fire Fighters and Fire Stations. Here are our favorites: 10 Books about Firetrucks
• Talk to your kindergarteners or first graders about what they know about fire fighters and what questions do they have. Write these down on a chart, but also copy the list of questions onto paper to carry with you to the field trip.

During the Field Trip

You can absolutely just walk up to a station with a kid or two. If the fire fighters aren’t busy they are usually happy to show you their trucks.

However, if you plan ahead and call the fire station to set up a time the experience is definitely more in depth and fun. Fire Fighters are more than happy to have kids come for an educational field trip.

6 Tips for a Successful Fire Station Field Trip

1. Read a Book Beforehand

Read a book or two about fire fighters and fire trucks before you go. Looking at pictures of fire fighters in their gear might be helpful. Some of the children in our group were frightened by all of the gear, especially the face mask. Preparing your child beforehand by introducing them to what a firefighter wears and why might be helpful.

2. Bring a Camera

Bring a camera and take pictures. We spent a lot of time referring to the pictures of our trip in the weeks to follow.

3. Have a Bathroom Plan

If you have a child more recent to toileting, make sure to go to the bathroom beforehand. The bathroom at the firehouse is not usually set up for outside use, plus your kid is not likely going to be thrilled with a toilet break during the field trip excitment.

4. Prepare Your Child

Talk to your child beforehand about some of the things you might see. The fire trucks, the fire fighters. Older kids could also brainstorm questions that they want to ask the firefighters on your trip.

5. Talk about Expectation

I think this is a good idea anytime you go anywhere. Having clear behavior expectations and communicating them to your child improves the odds that you’ll get good behavior. My expectations at the fire station where that they would follow the fire fighters’ directions, use walking feet, and stay near me.

6. Go Again!

Like I said above, we’ve done this several times. We’ve gone with moms groups in each of the cities we have lived, taken advantage of fire trucks at festivals, and visited fire stations without a group. Kids need to be exposed to things more than once. Even though I typically only share each activity or place once, don’t be fooled – we do most things many, many times.

after the field trip

Now is the time to extend and deepen learning. First, print out your pictures from the field trip and post them where the children can see them and reflect on what they learned.

During a group time, add to your chart with the answers to your questions and write other things you learned at the station.

Have new questions arisen? How could you go about answering those.

Use this conversation to help direct where you go next. What interested them the most? What are they wondering about?

Below are some Fire Fighter Unit ideas we have used.

Literacy Activities

• Draw and/or write a family or classroom emergency plan.

• Comparing and Contrasting Fiction and Non-Fiction Books
• Read more books about Firefighters.

Art Activities

• Paint Fire and then pretend to put it out with play hoses.

STEM Activities

• Make a Rescue Vehicle STEM Invitation
• Drawing signs shape activity – based on the goal to build and draw shapes to possess defining attributes. For example, a triangle is a closed shape with 3 sides and 3 corners)
• Five Little Firefighters (Craft + Song) from JDaniel4’s Mom

Social Studies Activities

• Things that work on social studies goals of understanding that people in the community have jobs, use tools to provide services, help in emergencies, and are diverse and work together.
• STOP, DROP AND ROLL (Song) from Rubber Boots and Elf Shoes
• Set up a dramatic play center using fire fighter costumes (we used these) and the DIY Pretend Play Fire Hoses described below.
• Add pretend fire trucks to your block area and perhaps some construction paper “fire”

DIY Pretend Play Fire Hoses

Materials

• Tape (I used craft tape and painters tape)
• Scissors
• 1/2 Inch Self Adhesive WeatherstripDirections:
  1. Gather materials
  2. Cut the insulation to the desired length. I made two of these, one for each of my kids. If you are making them for a larger group, I recommend at least 4.
  3. Cut lengths of painters tape and fold each strip in half to make the “water”
  4. Tuck the painters tape into the insulation and use tape to wrap it shut. I used colorful tape of two different colors to distinguish which hose belonged to which child. Masking tape would have worked just as well to hold it together.
  5. Coil and place in a basket on the shelf for play time.

Current Learning Objectives

Examples of what is learned through the activities in this unit based on NYC Common Core Standards for First Grade.

• People in the community have different jobs. (Social Studies)
• Community workers use tools and resources to provide services in a community. (Social Studies)
• People in a community help their neighbors in emergencies. (Social Studies)
• Community workers are diverse and work with one another. (Social Studies)
• Build and draw shapes to possess defining attributes. (Math)
• Compare and contrast fiction and non-fiction. (Literacy)
• Understand parts of informational texts. (Literacy)
• Understand features of a sentence and write various forms of texts. (Literacy)

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