Teach preschoolers about the detective work that policemen have to do as part of their jobs. Bring your class outside to the sandbox or an area that has dirt. Have your students walk all around the sand or dirt. Tell them to go back to their starting marks and see if they can trace their footprints all the way around the area. This activity represents how policemen have to follow trails to find criminals.
Community helpers help keep neighborhoods clean and free from debris and litter. Teach your preschool class about garbage and recycling. Explain what recycling is and how it is good for the community. Do a show-and-tell presentation on the types of items that can be recycled. Stage a make-believe neighborhood in your classroom with fake garbage made out of cardboard. As a class, have students go around the room and point out the pretend garbage that is recyclable. Then, place a recycle bin in your classroom (if you did not already have one) and inform students that they should use the recycle bin and watch as it fills up. When the recyclable garbage gets to the top, they can throw the contents away in the recycle dumpster outside of the school.
Electrical companies are an integral part of the community. Yet, many preschoolers are probably not familiar with where electricity comes from. Educate your class about electrical power plants that supply electricity that generates their homes and schools. As part of your discussion, introduce the topic of alternative energy, such as the energy that comes from the sun and the wind. Take your class outside to conduct an experiment (make sure the sun is shining that day). Ask students if they feel warmer being in the sun than in the shade. If they say yes, you can teach them about how the sun's heat creates energy. For the next science activity, pass out toy pinwheels and have each student blow on one to watch the blades spin around. Then, tell them to stop blowing and ask what happens to the fans when they do not blow on them. Relate this activity back to alternative wind energy.
Teach preschoolers about doctors and what an important role they serve in the community. Discuss some of the well-known instruments a doctor uses, such as thermometers and stethoscopes. For the activity, show students where the points on the body are for detecting a heart rate, such as on the side of the throat and the underside of the wrist. Have students practice counting their heart rates by pressing their fingers on the pressure points.