Nothing gets kids excited like the arrival of firefighters to their class in full gear. Contact your local firehouse to schedule a visit from local firefighters to help teach the class about fire safety and prevention. Have the firefighters explain to the class about safety, how they can prevent fires and what to do in an emergency. Some departments have educational material for children but if not, pass out coloring books about fire prevention and help the firefighters work with the children to color in the books. After the visit, have the class work together to make a "thank you" card for the firehouse. Help the kids write their names and a fire prevention tip they learned.
The most important lesson the class can learn about fire safety and prevention is what to do when there is a fire at school. By having regular fire drills it will help the children learn how to act and react when there is a fire in any situation. Get the class familiar to the sound the fire alarm makes as it can be startling. Teach them it's not scary and to remain calm when they hear it. Show the class how to line up together and how to evacuate the class. Teach them how to handle different situations like smoke in the room or a warm closed door. Walk them through the drill a few times at first. Practice the drill once a month to reinforce the lesson.
Knowing what fire is and how it works can help students know how to be safe and prevent fires from happening. Talk to the class about fire and how it works as you light a candle in a glass vase. Explain to them fire breathes air like we do and it will keep burning as long as it can breathe. Explain to them if stamped out or smothered, the fire will go away. Cover the vase and let them watch the fire extinguish. Go over things to look for in the house that could make fire like unwatched burning candles, smoking wires and lights and sparks from wall sockets. Teach them to calmly and quickly get their parents if they see any of the things that can cause fire.
Learning fire safety can be just as fun as it is important to learn. Making a game out of the stop drop and roll drill will not only make learning fun but also help them understand what to do in an emergency. Explain to the class why they will need to know how to stop drop and roll and when they should stop drop and roll. Bring the class outdoors to a grassy area. Tell them to walk around in a circle and wait for your commands to act out what you say as they yell the command back. As they walk around yell out "Fire! Calmly walk in line!" as they walk you should walk in place as well. Yell "Stop!" they should now stop in place. You should pantomime the command as well. Now yell "Drop!" Drop to the ground as they do then yell out "Roll!" Roll side to side as they mimic you. Repeat this until they can do it without hesitation and following along with your demonstration.