Anyway, we headed out to Lowe's for their craft and found a Field Trip! We were going only because the project today was fire trucks, and they all wanted to make one. When we got there, they only had puppet theaters (which Mary Claire was ecstatic about!) AND they had fire trucks, the Safety House (the old smoke house), and an ambulance-FUN!
So, first they made their project. They got all the wood pieces (precut for safety, of course), and they nailed them together following the directions:
Then they nailed on the curtains. Ethan was too young to get a kit, but this nice lady came over later, and gave him one! She said sometimes the people working don't let the little kids do one, but she always does-it was so sweet! This afternoon, Mary Claire helped Ethan build his out on the driveway-I love a girl who can use tools! : )
Then we moved on to the super-cool machinery! First we got a good look at the huge firetruck-it holds 750 gallons of water-all the time. It is 12 years old, and is showing some wear inside. The outside is perfect (guess they don't get door-dings!), but the seat and seat belts are well-worn. I hope they are still safe.
We learned all about the valves, the axes (for breaking down doors, or even walls),
and the hoses. They use the water in the truck first, and if it's going to take more, they hook up to a hydrant, refill the truck, then pump the water, so they have higher water pressure. It was very neat. Ethan was ready to move on, but we'll be back!
Next, we visited the Safety House. They purchased it with a grant-it's a trailer they pull and show at schools and use to teach about fire safety. There is a tiny kitchen, a "living room" and a "bedroom". In the kitchen, they talked about a leading cause of fires: kitchen fires-usually on the stove top. Then we moved to the living room, and the number one reason for house fires: smoking, and the number two reason: child-started fires. We learned about locking up lighters (oops-I guess I can always learn something!), and calling 911, and who comes when you call. Then we went to the bedroom, and talked about hot doors, smoke, and how to get out, and where to meet your family.
The kids all got to crawl out the window to "escape" the hot door-totally the highlight! (but I had a skirt on, so I ran out the way we came in-kinda embarrassing, but better than flashing people!!)
Next, we went out to their mailbox (the kids pilfered in their mail..), then checked out the ambulance!
And then..back to the big pumper truck! Clay hadn't seen it yet, so we went back for another go 'round: (and I love all the compartments and organization!!)
So, then they took turns sitting in the driver seat (Clay's in the passenger seat):
This is the rear passenger area of the big pumper truck-he's checking out the helmets and oxygen mask:
Then the big ladder truck came! The firemen leveled it, and put the ladder up: 75 feet in the air! (Clay wanted to go up, but no.) We explored all of its compartments-here are the tools for extricating people from their vehicles. Hurst makes the Jaws of Life, and these are pretty much the same thing: HUGE Cutters:
She says, "Look how BIG the tires are!" And I quizzed the Cap'n about them. He says they have to be replaced every two months since they all turn, and it wears out the ones to the left of her in the picture so fast-so I asked why they don't rotate them? He says they just started that! (I can help them save money!) (I also noticed their fire extinguisher was last checked in 2004, so I pointed that out too.) (I'm sure they love people like me.)
Ahhh...good day. Then we came home, had cheesy lunch (quesadillas, grilled cheese sandwiches), and some naps. Then Mary Claire had a friend over and all the kids swam all afternoon! By 5:40, I was getting hungry! We decided to eat here, since tomorrow Ches and I are going out. I got busy cooking (grilled chicken, stir-fried veggies, wild rice, and peaches/grapes), and we all had a great dinner. When we were almost done, Mary Claire asked if she could have her friend spend the night. They rode bikes to get her stuff, then played puppet theater some more! (thanks, Lowe's!)
The kids watched some silly Fred videos on youtube (then I stopped it after I heard some questionable stuff about teachers), and they got ready for bed. It was 9:40 before I went back up and told them all Lights Out. Ethan was a cutie-he was still up reading! He smiled so big, so I had to take just one more picture:
Ahh..so thankful for today-and the firemen and EMT's who protect and serve our city. What would we do without them?
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