Blame it all on my roots...personal roots, being the child of my mother and professionally roots, starting as a preschool SLP... I sure do love a good theme! When we were invited to visit a local fire station, I knew I needed to put my theme-loving self to work. With my own children and with work, when I consider putting a theme together, I want what we are working on to be functional and meaningful...not just doing it because it is cute and themey :). I consider: books, "work"/craft activities, toys, and snack.
I just had a few days to work on this theme prior to our fun fire station visit AND my favorite firetruck/firefighter books are happily spending the summer at my work office, so I improvised a bit. I did a little online browsing and found some new favorites to add to the party.
Books
This is one of my favorites! I love it for sequencing and story retelling. https://www.amazon.com/Five-Little-Firefighters-Tom-Graham/dp/0805086978
This is a very simple board book, but it is a favorite in my house. Again, great for story retelling. It is also great for starting the conversation about emergencies and what might happen in emergencies.https://www.amazon.com/Emergency-Vehicles-Felix-Fire-Engine/dp/1742489435/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1532471783&sr=1-1&keywords=felix+the+fire+engine
Not completely firefighter-themed, but I also like to take the opportunity to discuss occupations...what people do all day. Some of the material is a little outdated, in my opinion, BUT it is still great for introducing the topic and there are a lot of occupations covered in this book. https://www.amazon.com/Richard-Scarrys-What-People-World/dp/0553520598/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1532472826&sr=1-1&keywords=what+do+people+do+all+day+by+richard+scarry
"Work"/Craft Activities
I did this craft at my very first SLP job, and I have had it with me ever since. When I made it, I am sure I didn't think I'd still have it 7 (almost 8) years later and I know I wasn't thinking my future children would be playing with it. Also, speaking of future children, my oldest constantly says, "Mommy, this is just too funny. It is hilarious!" I'll take that as a compliment. Here is a link to the clipart I used http://gclipart.com/fireman-clipart_22668/
Print it out, print out a picture of your child/client's head and paste it on. Color. Then, cut out and laminate (if you can)...for, apparently, years of entertainment!
Tara at Homeschool Preschool has amazing resources. This website has great information, book lists, and some free printables. https://homeschoolpreschool.net
I'm starting to work on some alphabet art with my little guy as he is interested in his letters. I looked around on pinterest and got the idea for this alphabet art, but there was no one linked to give credit to. Soooo if this is your idea, let me know so I can share! Great idea :)
We also happen to have a park nearby that we call the Firetruck park. We made a stop there before our fire station visit. We played and pretended to be firefighters driving to a call.
Toys
Firetrucks! That's enough...especially for the preschool age. Their brains and imaginations are so active. Give them the opportunity to explore without any direction. A great observation for me has been to watch my older one enter his imagination and play out scenarios with firetrucks and ambulances, and then watch my little one try to understand and join in. Fascinating!Put on a firefighter helmet and pretend to be a firefighter. You could simply pretend or you could actually go outside and water some plants. We "put out a fire" in our trashcans...they really needed a wash :)
Since visiting the fire station, my oldest's most priced possession from the visit...not the cool plastic helmet...NOPE. Any guesses? The blue/purple, surgical gloves that they carry in the fire truck. He has carries the gloves with him everywhere and has pretended to be a firefighter, doctor, veterinarian, and dentist. So, in the future, I will bring out the gloves as part of our firefighter theme :) (All about following their lead)
Snack
Now, I did not incorporate any fire-themed snacks this time around, BUT I will be doing this (just ran out of time :) ). I saw some great ideas on pinterest that I'll share here. With all snack crafts, use it as an opportunity to help your little one follow step by step directions. Yes, it may take longer and not look as pretty, BUT there will be so much more meaningful learning!
How awesome are these?!? Here is a link to the directions for these yummy and adorable snacks. https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/fire-truck-cookies/
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