Kindergarteners will learn about evacuation signs and their location in kindergarten. They will learn what the correct evacuation should look like, what behaviors are incorrect during the evacuation, and will also take part in the trial evacuation of the kindergarten.

Materials:

picture cards with evacuation signs, “March” music, picture cards showing the correct behavior during a fire and evacuation, a song entitled “Here comes the fire truck”, a whistle, a picture card entitled “Stop, Drop and Roll”, a song entitled “Red Light Red Light What Do You Say?”, fire emblems.

Activity description:

1. “Make a circle” – greeting children – teacher stands with children in a circle, turns on the song, sings it and shows the correct movements. Children try to imitate them.

Make a circle, big big big. (make a circle and go back, holding your hands)
Small small small. (go forward)
Big big big. (go back)
Make a circle, small small small. (go forward)
Hello hello hello. (wave to each other)

Make a circle, round and round. (turn around)
Round and round.
Round and round.
Make a circle, round and round.
Hello hello hello. (wave to each other)

Make a circle, up up up. (climb on your toes and raise your hands)
Down down down. (squat)
Up up up. (climb on your toes and raise your hands)
Make a circle, down down down. (squat)
Now sit down. (sit down)

2. “What are the evacuation signs for?” – didactic activity – teacher spreads the picture cards with evacuation signs on the carpet. Then, teacher asks children the following questions:

• Have you seen these signs anywhere?
• Do you know what they are called?
• Do you know what they mean?

Teacher then explains the concept of evacuation (immediate relocation of people from a place that endangers their life or health). Teacher informs children that all emergency signs are “glowing” so they are always clearly visible – even in the dark or smoky room, and tells children about the exact meaning of each sign.

3. “Evacuation signs” – movement activity – teacher puts out the picture cards with the signs from the previous activity in different places in the room, children march around the room to the rhythm of the “March” music. Teacher says the name of the sign during a break in the music, and children have the task of looking for the sign and standing near to it. After all, children are lined up, check the correctness of the task completion. Repeat the game at least until all signs will appear.

4. “Walk around kindergarten” – children and their teacher walk around the kindergarten room, paying attention to the signs hanging on the walls, emergency exits, and fire extinguishers.

5. “Correct behavior during evacuation” – didactic activity – teacher spreads the picture cards on the carpet showing the correct behavior during a fire and evacuation so that children cannot see what is on them. Then, teacher asks children one by one to select and reveal the pictures. One by one they talk about the situations shown on the pictures:

• Leave the building by nearest emergency exit – children try to point where is the nearest emergency exit.
• Use stairs.
• Do not use the elevator.
• Crawl low under smoke – the air below is much cleaner and cooler, because smoke and hot air rise.

After discussing the pictures, teacher talks with children about correct behavior during the evacuation.

• At the teacher’s command, children leave everything and line up at the door.
• If the room is smoky, crawl low under smoke.
• Children always follow a teacher – they don’t hide, they don’t push others, they don’t stop and they don’t come back for the toy!
• At the assembly point, they stand and wait for further instructions from a teacher/headmaster/firefighter.

6. “Evacuation” – movement activity – children run around the room to the rhythm of the song entitled “Here comes the fire truck”, at the teacher’s sound signal – one long whistle – children line up at the door; two short whistles – children crawl. Teacher does not turn off the song while playing – it is a preparation for an evacuation that can happen under various conditions.

7. “The Fire Drill” – didactic activity – teacher sings the song entitled “The Fire Drill”. After that, teacher talks with kindergarteners about the lyrics of this song.

The Fire Drill

(tune: “Farmer in the Dell”)
(by R. Scott Wiley)

The fire alarm sounds, The fire alarm sounds,
Womp, womp, womp, womp, The fire alarm sounds.
We line up at the door, We line up at the door,
Womp, womp, womp, womp, We line up at the door.
We all walk down the hall, We all walk down the hall,
Womp, womp, womp, womp, We all walk down the hall.
We walk without a sound, We walk without a sound,
Womp, womp, womp, womp, We walk without a sound.
We find our place outside, We find our place outside,
Womp, womp, womp, womp, We find our place outside.

8. “The fire alarm sounds” – didactic and movement activity – teacher sings the song – children try to sing it too. Everyone tries to imitate the lyrics of the song – if possible walk into the hall and go outside.

9. “Stop, Drop and Roll” – didactic activity – teacher shows the picture card to present proper behavior when clothing catches on fire and discusses with children:

• Stop where you are.
• Drop to the ground.
• Cover your face with your hands, and roll back and forth till the fire is out.

10. “Stop, Drop and Roll in practice” – didactic and movement activity – children move around the room to the rhythm of the song entitled “Red Light Red Light What Do You Say?”. Teacher sticks “fire” emblems on selected children. These children should stop, drop to the ground, cover their faces with their hands, and roll back and forth. After a few seconds, teacher pell-off the emblems and sticks them to other children. Repeat the game at least until everyone can practice “Stop, Drop and Roll”.

11. “Firefighter Simon Says!” – didactic and movement activity – children sit comfortably in a circle and listen to Simons’s commands. When children hear a good command, they should stand up. When they hear a bad command, they should lie down on the floor.

Firefighter Simon Good Commands:

• Crawl with your belly to the floor to avoid the smoke in the air above you.
• Stop, drop, and roll if fire touches you.
• Use the stairs to exit the building.
• Call 112/911/999/000.
• Find the nearest exit.
• Go to the outside meeting spot.

Firefighter Simon Bad Commands:

• Touch or go near the fire.
• Use an elevator.
• Go back for your favorite toy.
• Hide from the fire.

12. “Trial evacuation” – while playing, any teacher announces the evacuation – children leave everything, line up and everyone goes to the assembly point. At the meeting point, teacher praises children for properly carrying out the evacuation and talks with children about possible incorrect behaviors.

Attachments:

Picture cards with evacuation signs for the activities entitled “What are the evacuation signs for” and “Evacuation signs”

Picture cards for the “Correct behavior during evacuation” activity

Picture card for the “Stop, Drop and Roll” activity

Emblems for the “Stop, Drop and Roll in practice” activity

Pages used:

1. https://supersimple.com/song/make-a-circle/ – a song entitled “Make a circle”
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yyrupUSZjU&ab – Music “March” for the “Evacuation signs” activity
3. https://supersimple.com/song/here-comes-the-firetruck/ – a song entitled “Here comes the fire truck” for the “Evacuation” activity
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2KGkFyCqY8 – a song entitled “Red Light Red Light What Do You Say?”