There have been a crazy amount of wildfires this year! Our own little city experienced a somewhat scary wildfire, as many homes were evacuated. It was surreal to witness something like that so close to home, and to see the billowing smoke clouds right above our own roof. I wasn't too worried about being evacuated; the fire would've had to burn through many, many homes before reaching us. But there were moments when I felt a bit anxious, and packed a little 2-day suitcase just in case :)
I decided I would try and use this experience as a teaching opportunity for the kids. What did they know about wildfires, firefighters, helicopters, evacuations, being prepared, etc.? Not a whole lot. Bubble Guppies' "Firefighter Gil to the Rescue" can only teach so much, right? :) When the smoke was above us, I took them outside to watch. We drove a little ways until we had an amazing panoramic view of the fire: smoke, flames, and all. I pulled over to the side of the road so they could watch for a few minutes--it was awesome and heart-swelling to watch those planes and choppers flying in so low with their water and fire retardant! When you see them up close, fighting and risking their lives to protect your home and land, it is pretty amazing and emotional! It was still in the early stages of the fire so we drove a little farther to check out what was happening. I pulled the car over again. This time we watched as fire engines and emergency personnel drove by with their loud sirens and bright lights. We saw police officers helping to evacuate a neighborhood close to home--the same neighborhood of the dance studio I taught for in recent years. The kids were in awe. We didn't stay there long, but we talked about everything we saw for a good 45 minutes after we left. I told the kids the firefighters were heroes, that they were driving to fight the fire, to "squirt it" with their hoses, and to protect the homes. When we got home, we turned on the news and watched the footage; we couldn't believe how fast it had spread!
The next morning we headed to Costco for cookies and gatorade; I thought it'd be a good service opportunity for Annabelle to take treats to the fire station. She was so excited. She drew the firefighters a picture, and wrote them a cute little note. My favorite sentence read "I hope you get this fire out of town, and that your hoses will work." :) When we drove up to the fire station she was totally nervous! She smiled at the firefighters but didn't dare speak! We gave them the cookies, gatorade, and picture. They were so sweet and thankful. They told Annabelle they had a surprise for her to say thank you: Firefighter hats for her and Stockton :) She was so excited! She took the hat and said "Good luck out there!" :) On the way home, she kept saying "I'm so thankful. I can't believe I got rewarded!" :) We got home and watched Bubble Guppies' "Firefighter Gil to the Rescue!" Haha :) I am pretty sure it meant a lot more to her after what she'd seen and experienced. She prayed for the firefighters every night after that, and one day she even said she couldn't decided what to be when she grew up: A fashion designer, a girl who does hair and nails, or a firefighter :) Maybe if I tell her the real fire hats aren't pink she'll change her mind! :)
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| Stockton LOVES his hat! He still wears it around the house at least once a day! |
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| Thank you to all who fought the fire and kept us safe! |
