Smokey the Bear

Smokey the Bear turns 75 on August 9, 2019!! We wanted to celebrate with some fun preschool activities. *A lot of these activities you can use again on B is for Bear day or F is for Fire day.

• Smokey the Bear size match
1. I made some Smokey the Bear stickers - big, medium and small - with my Silhouette Machine and sticker paper (or you can find some fancy, bigger ones here - these are just one size).
2. Make a simple page with different size fires - big, medium, and small
3. Have your child match and cover the small fires with the small Smokey the Bear stickers, the medium fires with the medium stickers, etc.

• Pretend play - putting fires out
1. Use chalk on a sidewalk, driveway, fence or somewhere else to draw little fires.
2. Use a squirt bottle or water gun to “put out” the fires
3. More advanced, tell your preschooler to put out the “pink” fire, or put out the fire above the F (you will have to use different colors and/or add letters for this game)

• Dress up like Smokey the Bear
1. There’s not a lot to Smokey’s outfit…my girls had to add a little extra in fact (a t-shirt, as he doesn’t wear one!). His outfit includes:
• jeans
• a ranger hat, or similar hat, with 'SMOKEY' on it
• a belt, with 'SMOKEY' on it
• a shovel
• bear (or bare 😉) feet!
2. Dressed up as Smokey, have them say out loud Smokey’s slogan – “Only YOU can prevent wildfires”!

• Make a campfire 

1. Talk about fire safety. 
• *If you know a cub scout, or have one in your family like we do, have them pass off one of their requirements and talk about fire safety.
2. Enjoy the campfire. Roast hot dogs and marshmallows while practicing good fire safety!
3. Put the fire out like Smokey has taught: using water, then a shovel, then more water

• Visit your local Forest Service
1. Or look here for local events happening to celebrate Smokey the Bear’s birthday.
2. High-five and take a picture with Smokey, if you can find him!\

• Go on a hike!! Enjoy the forest, and see if you can spot any Smokey signs!

• Look at forest fire pictures and talk about the facts
1. I was a wildland firefighter for two summers and I have some pretty neat videos of forest fires. Google 'wild land fires' and learn about wildland firefighters. 
2. Talk about how 89% of wildfires in 2018 were caused by humans (source: nifc.gov)
3. Once more, reiterate how important fire safety is!

• Smokey the Bear website activities
1. Make a coloring page
2. Make up a story with Smokey
3. Play Ask Smokey

Happy Birthday Smokey!!

Fire Safety

• Fire Safety Week is in October.
1. Check with your local fire department.
2. Most of them do a open house or something fun for the kids during Fire Safety week or the Saturday before! They love having kids come to visit!

• Read “The Fire Engine Book” by Tibor Gergely
• Adorable: The fun rhyme and illustrations in this book make it one of my favorites to read to my kids. We love it.
• Teach about Fire Safety … here is a great list from Kids Soup
  1. Smoke alarms warn about fires
  2. Practice stop, drop and roll
  3. Get low and go under the smoke
  4. Get out of a burning building and stay out
  5. Don't be afraid of Firefighters - Firefighters rescue people
  6. Hot things burn and don't play with fire
  7. Plan and practice a home fire escape plan
  8. Designate a meeting place outside.

• Be a Fire Safety Inspector … print this terrific checklist from Sparky.org. I love how the kids color the circles red, yellow or green depending on how safe they are. It makes them aware of the fire safety in their own home!

• Chalk Firefighting
1. Use chalk to draw flames on a fence or sidewalk.
2. Wear firefighter hats if you have them. Or get them here. I noticed our Dollar Tree has sturdy hats for Halloween right now. 
3. Let the kids use a hose or spray bottle to spray the flames. They come right off!

• Visit a fire department
  1. Look at the engines and around the fire station.
  2. Bring a thank you letter to the firefighters! They do an amazing job!

 

• Practice a fire drill … click here to print.
  1. I’m impressed with these ready-to-use plans and instructions from Sparky.org. What a great way to plan ahead, teach the kids, and practice it together!
  2. Have a plan to get out of the house & where to meet.
  3. Practice getting out of the house two different ways
• Stop, Drop, & Roll the felt flames
  1. Demonstrate how to Stop, Drop & Roll. If you’re not sure, check it out here.
  2. To practice, place felt “flames” on your clothing.
  3. Stop, Drop & Roll until all of the flames fall off.

• Sparky’s Coloring Page … click here to print the page above.
• Crawl Below the Smoke
  1. Explain that when there is smoke, we need to crawl beneath it to stay safe.
  2. Use a bed sheet and have the kids hold it along the edges.
  3. TIP: I will probably tuck one edge between the bed mattresses or couch cushions since I don’t have enough preschoolers to hold it.
  4. Shake the sheet gently to make pretend smoke while the kids crawl on their hands and knees underneath to “safety”
• Fire Safety Song … to the tune of Frere Jacque

If there’s fire, If there’s fire

In your house, In your house

What do you do? What do you do?

YOU GET OUT! YOU GET OUT!

• Sparky.org … I’m really impressed with this website. Lots of fun activities and games for the kids. You can:
  1. Learn about the parts of a fire engine
  2. Play a fire drill challenge
  3. Play a matching game, but stop to get out the door when the fire alarm goes off.
  4. Print activities and crafts
  5. Printables for an entire fire safety party (pin the badge on Sparky, cupcake toppers, bottle wrappers, headbands, use licorice sticks for fire hoses)

• Sparky’s Preschool Lesson Plan … click here.
  • They even have ready-to-use lesson plans for Pre-K, 1-2 and 3-5.
  • The Pre-K lesson plan has several sounds to listen to including a smoke alarm.
  • The kids learn that when they hear that sound, they stop what they’re doing (even sleeping) and get out of the house.
  • Includes a worksheet to circle and write the letters B-E-E-P.