We hope that none of our Adventurer families ever encounters a dangerous fire. However, if they do, we want each child to know what to do so they can survive. And, if we can give them the skills they need to prevent a fire in the first place? Even better. Fires can be a scary topic for four to six year olds, and I appreciate the age appropriate books and activities in this award to make the scary topic a little less scary. Fire Safety is a required award for Eager Beaver Investiture Achievement.
Story: Staying Safe Around Fire
Fulfills Requirement # 5
The requirement for this award says to visit a fire station. If you can visit a fire station, this would be an excellent field trip for your adventurers. However, sometimes we just can’t fit a field trip in. As our club couldn’t take a trip to the local fire department this year, we choose reading a couple of books about fire safety.
Staying Safe Around Fire by Lucia Raatma is a great choice for Eager Beavers. There is a higher text to picture ratio than I usually recommend for this age group, but it has great information in it. I appreciate that it starts by talking about how beneficial fires are and how to stay safe around the good kinds of fires. It focuses heavily on preparedness – avoiding dangerous fires in the first place and being safer if there were a fire. (Have you checked the battery in your smoke detector lately?) Raatma also did a great job explaining to kids what to do in case of a fire – stop, drop, and roll and crawl under the smoke to safety.
Activity: Fire Drill
Hopefully, your church has those signs everywhere showing the best route out of the church in an emergency with clear information about meeting places outside. If you do, the prep for this activity is practically done for you! But, if your church, like mine, is missing those signs, check with the person in charge of safety to find out where the preferred meeting place is. (Your church secretary likely knows who you should contact.)
The most important thing is that we give the kids a chance to practice getting safely out of the building in an emergency. But, consistency between Adventurers and Sabbath School is super helpful. I wanted to teach my kids exactly where to go should a fire break out at the church – whether during Adventurers or church. We have two locations – situation depending. I discussed both places with the kids and the parents. Although our parents attend meetings with their kids, if they got separated, I want the parents to know exactly where their teachers would take them.
As I am not allowed to set off the church alarm (probably a wise rule), I played this YouTube video on my phone with the volume turned all the way up. There are many similar videos available. Eager Beavers did the fire drill with Busy Bees and Pathfinder Friends.
A home fire drill is not a requirement for this award; however, I encouraged families to plan one anyway. I am grateful my children know where to go if our home were on fire. We would never have taught them this and practiced if it were not for Adventurers.
Fire Safety Stations
The Fire Safety Stations are from the Eager Beaver and Busy Bee Leader’s Guides. We combined Busy Bees and Eager Beavers for this activity as the Safety Specialist Award needs to go over the same topics. Our combined class has eight adventurers and we divided them into three groups to go through the stations. The first and third stations could be done with larger groups, but I’d recommend small groups or more “9-1-1 Operators” for the second station. There are printable station signs at the end of this post.
Stop. Drop. Roll.
Fulfills Requirement # 1
What do you do if your clothes catch on fire? (I imagine that every adult has this ingrained deeply from their childhood!) Stop! (Seriously, stop running around in a panic. That just spreads the fire.) Drop! Lay on the ground and cover your face with your hands. Roll! Roll over a few times. This smothers the fire.
9-1-1: Is This An Emergency?
Fulfill Requirement # 4
Who do we call in an emergency? What happens when you call? When is it appropriate to call? We cover all of this in our little game.
Kids came to this station in their group. One kid plays the game while the others listen and then the next kid takes their turn. This is the station that takes the most time. (Fortunately, the kids in the other stations were happy to run around a bit in the foyer and were pretty patient.)
The adventurer chooses a scenario card and tells if this situation is worthy of a call to 911. If it isn’t, they choose another card. When they get an emergency card, they dial 911 on their paper phone (in the printable pack below). The adult running the station will pretend to be a 9-1-1 operator. The adventurer will answer the operator’s questions. I asked each adventurer their address as part of their call. (Their parents were encouraged to prompt them.) The kids needed reminders that nodding is not helpful during a phone call!
If you live in a country with a different emergency number, and you’d like a printable that better fits your needs, leave a comment below with the name of your country, your emergency number, and your preferred paper size (A4 or 8.5×11). I’d love to make a version just for your country!
Get Out and Stay Out – Safely
Fulfills Requirement # 2
The main purpose of this activity to practice getting out in a smokey situation. Two adults held a sheet 18 inches (46 cm) above the ground and the kids had to crawl under it to safety. This is also a great time to remind them that they should never return to a burning building.
Craft: Safety Flash Cards
This activity is from the Eager Beavers Leader’s Guide. Make flashcards with information Eager Beavers need to memorize: Full name, Mom’s full name, Dad’s Full name, address, phone number, and their city and state. I created a flash card printable for this activity (in the printable pack below). Each card has one fact on it. There is also a page of blank cards for families who need more cards or different cards.
Parents write the information on each card. Eager Beavers decorate the back. The leader’s guide suggests using small rubber stamps to decorate. I think this is a fantastic idea that the kids will love. However, my club doesn’t have rubber stamps. We do have washable ink though! The Eager Beavers used their fingers as their stamps. Making designs/scribbles with markers or crayons would also work great using materials you already have.
Game: Safety Flash Cards
Fulfills Requirements # 3
Using the newly created cards, lay them out face down. Beaver picks a card, and their adult reads the question. (In the beginning, plan to say the answer and have them repeat it.) Continue until all cards have been chosen. Encourage parents to continue using the cards at home.
Story: What Should I Do If There is a Fire
What Should I Do If There is a Fire by Wil Mara is another good book about fire safety. This book has a slightly higher text to picture ratio than Staying Safe Around Fire. As both books use a picture book chapter style, you could break either book up and read some at the beginning of the meeting and finish it at the end if your kids are struggling with the length. This book has pictures of actual fires and focuses heavily on the dangerous kinds of fires. It ends with a section about prevention.
Printables
Have you taught this award? What is your favorite fire safety activity to do with Eager Beaver age kids? Tell us in the comments.