Firefighters!

Theme: Firefighters

Books:
Firefigher Duckies by Frank Dormer
Firefighter Flo by Andrea Zimmerman
Fire Fighter Piggy Wiggy by Christyan Fox
The Firefighters’ Thanksgiving by Maribeth Boelts
Clifford the Firehouse Dog by Norman Bridwell
Fire! Fire! Said Mrs. McGuire by Bill Martin Jr.

Board Story:
Who uses this? Police officer or firefighter? I held up different pictures and the kids called out which side of the board I should put them on.

Action Rhymes / Songs:

Hurry Hurry
SUNG TO: 10 LITTLE INDIANS
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck,
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck,
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck,
ERRRRRRRR!
Hurry, hurry, ring the bell
Hurry, hurry, ring the bell
Hurry, hurry, ring the bell…
Ding ding ding ding ding
Hurry, hurry climb the ladder
Hurry, hurry climb the ladder
Hurry, hurry climb the ladder…
climb, climb, climb, climb, climb
Hurry, hurry squirt the water
Hurry, hurry squirt the water
Hurry, hurry squirt the water?
splash, splash, splash, splash, splash!

Little Firefighter
SUNG TO: I’M A LITTLE TEAPOT
I’m a little firefighter on the go
Here is my helmet, here is my hose
When I see a fire hear me shout
Turn on the water and put the fire out!
Fire Safety Song
What do you dial if there’s a fire,
What do you dial if there’s a fire,
What do you dial if there’s a fire,
Dial 9-1-1!
What do you do to plan for fire,
What do you do to plan for fire,
What do you do to plan for fire,
Have a fire drill!
What do you do if you’re on fire,
What do you do if you’re on fire,
What do you do if you’re on fire,
Stop, drop and roll!
Who comes in a truck if there’s fire,
Comes in a truck if there’s fire,
Comes in a truck if there’s fire,
It’s the Fireman!

Fire Safety
SUNG TO: FRERE JACQUES

Never, never, play with matches
If you do, if you do
You might burn your fingers,
you might burn your fingers
That won’t do, that won’t do.

Never, never, play with fire
If you do, if you do,
You might burn your house down,
you might burn your house down,
That won’t do, that won’t do.

Never, never, play with fire
If you do, if you do,
You might burn the forest,
You might burn the forest
That won’t do, that won’t do.

Fingerplay: “Five Brave Firefighters”
Five brave firefighters
Sleeping in a row
Ring goes the bell
And down one goes….

Action Rhyme: “Hurry, Hurry”
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck (pretend to turn wheel)
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck (pretend to turn wheel)
Hurry, hurry, drive the fire truck (pretend to turn wheel)
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! (ring bell)
(Turn the corner (lean over to one side, then the other), climb the ladder (pretend to climb), spray the water (pretend to spray a hose).)

Play time: We have a large wooden firetruck for the kids to play with as well as a few other toy firetrucks. I invited our local fire captain to bring a real firetruck for the kids and their families to tour after storytime. They loved taking their picture with the firefighter and the firetruck.

Early Literacy Asides:
Explain: Children must have a lot of background knowledge, knowledge about the world around them, in order to later understand what they read. Gaining background knowledge begins from birth. Children with strong background knowledge are more likely to understand what they read and are more likely to become successful readers. One way for them to accumulate background knowledge is by talking with them about everything you see and do together.

Example: Children are curious about their world. There is so much to know! You help them learn when you share with them what you know and when you help them find new information by reading books, for example. All their knowledge will help them understand what they read when they learn to read in school.

Empower: You may often hear the phrase, “read with your child 15 minutes a day.” No one expects young children to sit and be read to for that long in one sitting. It is far more important that the interaction be positive than it is to be long. Keeping the interaction around books enjoyable helps children understand that reading is fun and will keep them motivated to learn to read when they’re ready.

Other books considered / used for display:

Fire Fire Said Mrs McGuire
Fire Truck by Ivan Ultz
Firefighter Ted by Andrea Beaty
I Love Trucks! by Philemon Sturges
Firefighter Frank by Monica Wellington
Firefighters A to Z by Chris Demarest
Firefighters in the Dark by Dashka Slater
Fireman Small by Wong Herbert Yee
Poinsettia and the Firefighters by Felicia Bond
Firefighters! Speeding! Spraying! Saving by Patricia Hubbell

Resources Consulted:

Storytime with Miss Tara
Storytime Katie
Loudest Librarian
HCPL