Firewise

This term we have been learning how to be firewise. Being firewise is all about knowing what to do around fire. Things like keeping safe around fireworks, treating candles carefully, rules about using lighters and matches, and what to do if there is a fire. We have looked closely at a fire alarm, we practiced how to crawl on the floor if the fire alarm goes and we really liked yelling "Fire, Fire, Fire". Using our play-phone we pretended to ring 111 (New Zealand's emergency number) and asked for the fire-fighters to come to our address.

This week we acted out the 'Fire-Fighter Song' sung to the tune of 'I'm a Little Teapot'. We had lots of fun making up the actions to the poem, especially the part where we shouted 'shhhhhh' and pretended to put out a fire.

We also made fire collages.

It was lots of fun ripping up the paper for our collage, but we made a huge mess to tidy afterward. Ripping paper is a great experience. Gripping the paper with our working fingers (our thumb, first and middle fingers) lets us practice strengthening our small finger muscles ready for gripping a pencil to write with. Listening to the cool sounds that the paper makes as it tears is also fun. Sometimes we were so busy listening we forgot to talk!

Gluing paper with sticky PVA glue is an interesting sensory experience. Some children enjoyed the sensation and were quite happy to have their fingers and hands covered in glue, others quickly wanted to wash their hands before they had even finished gluing.

We used sticks in our collage that we found during a walk around our school.