Last term, and this term, many of us have shown an interest in fire engines and fire officer play so Miss Stewart organised a trip for us to visit the local fire station on Wednesday. We were all very excited to hear that Peter Walker was going to meet us there and open the station so we could explore the fire engine!
During our walk to the station we discussed what we know about fire engines and what we might see there. “They put out fires,” “there’s a water hose”, “the hose is really big”, “it makes a loud noise”, “the lights might flash”. We could see the fire station in the distance when we got behind the school. Walking to local places is a great way for us to connect with our community and develop awareness of where important places are such as the fire station. On our walk we were careful to be quiet near the sheep and lambs and to stay far away from bird nests too. Being respectful towards nature around us is very important for our social and emotional development and helps us become responsible citizens of the future.
Once we got to the station we enjoyed some time playing in the long grass while we waited. We noticed bees, insects and different coloured flowers as well as experienced the sensory sounds, smells and feelings of the grass as we rolled, ran, sat and lay in it together.
Before Peter opened the big doors of the station we posed for some photos and looked around us to see if there were any signs that could show us that we were at the right place. We saw the fire station sign and some of us recognised some of the letters, “I hae a S in my name,” There is the fire sign”, “I see a big sized C”.
We were all very excited when the big doors opened and very eager to walk around the big huge truck. Peter kindly showed us equipment such as the water hoses, the controls inside the cabin and the flashing lights! We took turns to explore all of these things. Some of us wanted to try on the fire officer hat too! Seeing the fire engine in a real life context helped us link what we had seen in books and on the Smartboard with reality and to learn more about the role of a fire officer. We also used our numeracy and literacy skills as we counted a lot of hoses, saw a lot of different gadgets and were amazed at how high up we had to climb to get into the driver seat. We noticed letters and numbers on the fire engine too.
At the end of our visit we thanked Peter, posed for some more photos and enjoyed some puddle splashing time before walking back up the hill to nursery.
What a wonderful morning. A HUGE thank you to Peter for being so kind as to show us around and spend time with us. THANK YOU PETER!
