The AD Players: Secret Garden Play

We went to see the AD Players presentation of The Secret Garden. It was wonderful, the girls loved it. They both posed for pictures with "the acting bug". Chloe got autographs from Collin and Mary. This was such a huge hit, we can't wait for the Christmas play.

Fire Safety Unit Study

I recently had a brainstorming session, where I tried to come up with all the skills/info I thought would be important for the kids health and safety. So we are covering those areas this semester. Our germ unit was a part of this brainstorming session too. This past week was fire prevention week, and this unit study seemed to be a natural progression. We visited the firestation and got some great handouts from the firestation that will supplement our curriculum here and we had a GREAT time. This unit study is probably best for preK- elementary aged children.


Books:

• Fire! Fire! by Gail Gibbons
• Changes, Changes by Pat Hutchins
  

Activities:

• have kids practice stop, drop and roll. Explain why it works.
• have a smoke crawl race.
• what does fire need to burn? air, fuel and heat. Light a candle, place a jar over it... why does it go out? Explain how this works with stop, drop, and roll.
  
• check all the smoke alarms and change the batteries.
• explain to the kids what a fire fighter entering the home might look like with the fire mask. Stress the importance of not hiding from the fire fighters.
• learn our address and phone number, and how to call 911. What to report to the person at the 911 call center. Reinforce that you ONLY call during an emergency, discuss what would constitute an emergency.
  
• dramatic play: let the kids pretend to be firefighters.
• Visit your local fire department.
  

Making an Escape plan:

• explain to the kids why it is important to have a plan use this handout.
  
• stress that in the event of a fire emergency they are to get out FAST, not to try to save any belongings.
• Fires can be scary and confusing, you might not be able to see well. Smoke may make the house, or their room very, very dark.
  
• create an escape plan that includes at least two ways out of the house. Then practice using those escape routes. Especially practice taking out a window screen, or lowering a ladder. Actually go out of the house using your two escape routes.
  
• Include information about feeling the doors for heat, and the doorknobs for heat.
• crawl low if there is smoke along your escape route (run through your escape routes practicing crawling).
  
• pick a safe spot outside for the family to meet.
• discuss how important it is to stay outside the house no MATTER WHAT. Don't go back in after pets, or toys.
• Do a fire drill at night, when everyone is asleep to see if the smoke detectors wake the children, and practice using the escape routes. Read this article for the reasons why you should do this.
  

Coloring Pages:

• DLTK

Crafts:

• Fire truck Egg carton Craft
• Fireman toilet Paper craft
• Fire straw painting craft: Supply each child with a straw and a piece of paper. Have kids create a construction paper house that they can glue onto their paper. Then place a dot of red, yellow, orange paint on the windows of the house. Then, have them use the straw to blow the paint around their picture creating flames.
• Fire Truck Sponge Painting: cut a sponge in the shape of a fire truck and let the kids press it onto fire scenes they create.
• Fire Truck Saran Wrap Painting: Give each child a piece of paper with thick lines of red and yellow paint. cover it with saran wrap and then let each child drag the saran wrap a bit to make flames.
  
• Fire shaving cream play: drop red or yellow food coloring into shaving cream and schmear it round!
  

Songs:

• Firesafety song
• The Fire Song
• Sing the chicago fire song: One dark night while we were all in bed, Old lady Leary left the lantern in the shed, and when the cow kicked it over, she winked her eye and said, its going to be a hot time in the old town tonight! Fire, Fire, Fire!!! (then stop drop and roll)

S'Mores and Brownies

Last year we were a part of American Heritage Girls. We liked it, but it was too much in our schedule. It's one of the things that makes having a husband with a variable schedule difficult, it makes signing up for activities that are a weekly commitment difficult.

This year we decided to go back to Girl Scouts, but to sign up for the juliettes program with our friends the Ischy's. Meeting with just one other family allows us to be flexible. (the juliettes program is a program for independent girls instead of a whole troop).

Our first meeting was awesome, we ate smores, learned our brownie handshakes and promises, and drew pictures of girls enacting the girl scout law. This has been the perfect fit for us and we are having a blast!!!!