Teach the parts of a fire truck and what they are used for by displaying a large picture of a fire engine. Ask children to identify any parts they know. Point to any parts they haven't identified. Label the parts with clearly printed labels on index cards. Discuss the uses of each part of the truck. Extend the lesson and check for understanding by asking children to place the labels on the correct part of the fire truck diagram. Visit the Sparky the Fire Dog website for a virtual tour of a fire truck and explanations of each part.
Borrow the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus" and change the lyrics to the parts of a fire engine: "The wheels on the fire truck go round and round; the ladder on the fire truck goes up and down; the siren on the fire truck goes whoo, whoo, whoo." Use other parts including seat belts, hose or firefighters. Create movements to accompany the song. Point to the specific parts as you sing, or choose a child to point.
A creative snack lets children construct their own edible fire truck while reinforcing the parts of the truck that they've learned. Use graham crackers for the truck, small round crackers for the wheels, pretzel sticks for the ladder, black licorice for the fire hose, a red candy or strawberry for the emergency light and red frosting or cream cheese to assemble the pieces. Begin by showing children the finished product, then demonstrate how to use the frosting as glue to assemble the parts of the fire truck. Let children use their imaginations and knowledge to build their truck or lead them in a step-by-step procedure.
Construct individual fire trucks with a shoebox, markers or paint, and construction paper. Pre-cut blue construction paper windows, a brown ladder, black wheels and hose, and white headlights. Let children paint the sides of a shoebox red, allow to dry, and attach parts with a glue stick. For a model the children can fit inside and "drive," cut the bottom out of a large box, paint the sides red, attach painted paper plates for wheels and use construction paper for windows, a ladder and a hose. Let children participate by dividing them into small groups and assigning one part of the process to each group. For example, one group can paint the box, one can cut out the pieces of the ladder and another group can paint the paper plate wheels.