Getting to Know... (Germs & Fire Safety)

First Day of Preschool - I saw this idea on Michael's website and LOVED it.  I took a picture of each of the kiddos holding this sign.  I'll do it again for the last day of preschool.  It'll be really cute for their year books.

Circle Time - Today we reviewed procedures and germ-care (cover when you cough or sneeze, wash your hands, etc.).  We also took a look (binoculars) around the preschool to spot any differences.

Science Experiment #1 - Squirt Bottle Sneezes - As the kiddos were gathering at the table I "sneezed" all over them with the squirt bottle (ewww!).  We talked about germs and how if that was a real sneeze, I would have sprayed germs all over them (gross!).  We brainstormed ways to cover our sneezes and coughs to keep our friends safe from our germs.  (tissue, elbow, inside your shirt).  Then they got to "sneeze" on their tissues.  We colored the water green so we could see our "sneezes". 

I saw this fabulous idea on this blog.

Science Experiment #2 - Glitter Germs - Next we talked about how germs are so very small, that we can't see them, but if we cough or sneeze on our hands, those germs will get everywhere. 

I put a bit of lotion on everyone's hands, then sprinkled them with glitter.  The glitter became our pretend germs.  Then I sent the kiddos out into the preschool to touch things with their "germy" hands.

The kitchen, my arm, various toys, the table....

  

After we touched everything, it was time to talk about washing the germs off our hands.  
1. Get your hands wet and turn off water.
2. Pump 1 squirt of soap on our hands and lather up!
3. Keep washing our hands until we make bubbles with our soap (or sing the Abc's).
4. Then turn the water back on and rinse off.

Our germs washed right away!  Then we got to clean the preschool!

I saw this fabulous idea on this blog.  I also saw a blog that used cinnamon.  But I liked the glitter idea better, I'm use to having that spread around the preschool.

Science Experiment #3 - Germs are everywhere around us, even in our mouths!  To show this each kiddo licked a piece of bread, put it in a ziploc and taped it to the window.  We're going to see what grows from the germs (bacteria) in our mouths.

I saw this fabulous idea on this blog.

Cover that Cough - To continue our germ fun, we created a self portrait covering our cough!

 

Fire Drill - Today we learned about fire safety.  We started off with our first fire drill of the school year.  I pushed the tester button on the fire alarm so the kiddos could hear what the alarm sounds like.  Then we gathered on the green carpet (quick head count) and hustled outside to meet at the big pine tree in the yard.  

Stop, Drop, and Roll - We talked about what to do if fire gets on you, then we did it!  So much fun to roll around.
 "I'm really good at rolling!"
We were looking at a picture of a fire hydrant, I asked the kiddos if they knew what it was for...
"Yeah!  Dogs pee on them!" 

Tape Fires - The kiddos enjoyed creating these.  I bought electrical tape in red, yellow and orange.  Gathered sticks from the yard and set the kiddos loose.

I saw this idea on this blog.

Fire Science - We talked about match safety (only for grown ups) and then I lit the candles.  We watched the flames for a bit and then talked about what a fire needs:  something to burn (fuel) and oxygen.  We also talked about how you put out a fire:  water or smother it (take away the air).

We put a glass over one of our candles and sure enough!  The flame went out after a few moments.  Then we sprayed another candle with a squirt bottle (each of the kiddos did this several times).  The kiddos were surprised that the glass was warm to the touch.