national fire prevention week: sparky's firehouse game for kids

No matter the age of your children, my friends, we’ve got to talk to them about tough topics.

Age-appropriate, of course, but you get what I mean.

Being prepared for a disaster and knowing what to do in the event of a fire are two of those topics that we need to revisit time and time again. The more we do, the better prepared our children will be. Promise.

Each year for the past few years, I have been honored to work with the National Fire Protection Association and Sparky.org to share with my readers the latest resources available for making the fire prevention conversation easier for families.

This year, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has released a brand, new app for children ages 4-7 years old. But know this: even if your kids are slightly older or younger, let them at this app! Give ’em a go at it. See what they think!

There are dozens of free resources available from NFPA and Sparky.org–quick and easy, from start to finish printables, videos, songs, you name it. Bring these resources into your home, your preschool, your classroom, your Sunday school.

Share them. Really, friends. The more people who know about these resources, the more families will be safe!

Here’s the skinny. . .

National Fire Prevention Week — Sparky’s Firehouse Game for Kids:

Before anything, know that NFPA has resources for every family, for every child.

Check out:

Sparky Schoolhouse homepage: Download the Fire Prevention Lessons and Parent Letter (in English and Spanish!); look at the songs, videos, and games
Sparky Schoolhouse digital backpack: Literally everything awesome from NFPA in a neat and tidy spot for easy sharing. Like one of the apps? Share it!
Sparky lessons: Many Common Core State Standard-Aligned lessons, coloring pages, and activities that go hand in hand with the videos!

And definitely take a minute to look at the brand, spanking new Sparky’s Firehouse Game.

Since my Cora is 9 1/2 (How did that happen?!), I reached out to my sister and nephews, ages 4and 6, to help me take a look at Sparky’s Firehouse app. Wyatt and Myles were more than thrilled to look at it and to give Aunt Amy some of their own, professional feedback.

You can find the app here: Sparky’s Firehouse app.

The main screen of Sparky’s Firehouse gives players three options: Fix Up, Pick Up; Make Believe; and Hear That.

Wyatt and Myles gave the game a good few tries this afternoon after they came home from preschool, finished lunch, and were ready to put on their ‘app testing’ hats for their Aunt Amy.

Overall, we:

loved Fix Up, Pick Up. Wyatt, 6 years old, liked moving the firetruck and trying to pick up as many bones as possible;
loved watching Wyatt face the challenge of trying to beat his high score;
liked that Fix Up, Pick Up really forces kids to focus on listening to directions! Wyatt is so used to playing games lately, where he controls the player and the direction, so it was neat to see him pausing and listening for the next instruction.
liked the Make Believe game. Myles, 4 years old, thought it was fun to spray the silly string and get a snack from the fridge. He doesn’t love being timed (or being challenged really!), so he really enjoyed the free play that this offered.
liked Hear That game. Both boys felt really proud when they remembered to head out the door as soon as they heard the smoke alarm go off! As a parent, I liked this one, too because it’s like a memory game using both sight and/or sound, and it rewards them by advancing them to the next “level” when they do well.

We wish that:

there was a little bit more. Wyatt wished that he could put more parts on the firetruck instead of just the wheels in Fix Up, Pick Up;
there were more options with each game. The boys really liked them and wanted even more of a challenge!

What did you think of the NFPA resources? Can you use them at home or in the classroom? I’d love to hear it!

Or better yet, share your thoughts with the team itself!

@NFPA on Twitter
@Sparky_Fire_Dog on Twitter
@theNFPA on Facebook
@SparkyTheFireDog on Facebook
@NFPAdotorg & #SparkytheFireDog on Instagram
@NFPA on Pinterest
@NFPAdotorg on Google+

Want even more resources on Fire Prevention Week?

Check out past posts I’ve written about how families can be prepared for fires:

Check out a few other posts that may help you develop strong and healthy habits for your family:

fyi: This post was written as part of a paid partnership with the National Fire Protection Association and Sparky.org. As always, my opinions are all my own, influenced only by my experience as a parent and educator.