Educational Resources Our Mission: The Aurora Regional Fire Museum is a non-profit, tax exempt, educational institution.... Education is a key component our mission at the Aurora Regional Fire Museum. Although we have been providing guided group tours for school-aged children for nearly ten years, yet little emphasis had been given to the state educational learning standards, or to matching our message to the teacher's curriculum needs. This year, we hope to implement several educational programs, which will support and build upon our new interpretive exhibits. We propose local teachers, and the Illinois State Learning Standards, provide the framework on which to build these new programs and its goals. Would you like to be involved? - Read about the programs we have on the drawing board and then send an e-mail to: David Lewis - dlewisarfm@aol.com Programs we offer now "Chicago is in Flames Send HELP!" 30-60 minute artifact and slide presentation in your classroom or school Suitable for early elementary groups Learn about the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. How did it start? Did the cow really do it? How was it fought? How did Aurora help? What were the significant results of the fire? FIRE - Throw Out Your Buckets!" 30-45 minute Directed observation and hand-on participatory activity in your classroom or school Suitable for early elementary groups After looking at a painting of an early firefighting scene, we will break out the buckets and perform a real "bucket brigade." Children will learn about early firefighting and fire prevention methods, and comprehend that firefighting and fire prevention was(and is) the responsibility of the entire community. Firefighting in Aurora 30-60 minute artifact and slide presentation at your facility Suitable for teen and adult groups Trace the history of the Aurora Fire Department. This presentation will discuss fighting fires with buckets and hand power, stories of the old fire horses, the tribulation of our Steamer Company No. 1 winning the coveted Buckhorn trophy and the tragedy of the 1934 Woolworth fire where three firefighters lost their lives. Programs on the drawing board Interdisciplinary Learning Activities We also hope to initiate a series of learning activities and lesson plans for elementary school students. These activities, developed in cooperation with local 3rd grade teachers, would rely heavily on copies of primary source documents and prepared worksheets containing open-ended questions. These learning activities and questions will become the core of the Aurora Regional Fire Museum's "traveling trunk" educational outreach program. Traveling Trunk We love showing off our museum building (a historic fire station), but we realize teachers and schools have limited funds for field trips. With this in mind, we are trying to design (and redesign) our educational programs so they may be more independent of the museum building and the traditional guided museum tour. By serving our community, through outreach programs at schools and special events, we hope to touch and inspire new audiences to visit our museum building.	.......	Educational Links for... | Kids | Parents | Teachers | all links open in a new window Kids Illinois State Fire Marshall, Fire Safe Kids Main Page http://www.state.il.us/kids/fire/default.htm United States Fire Administration Kids Page http://www.usfa.fema.gov/kids/ Sparky the Fire Dog http://www.sparky.org/ Smokey Bear http://www.smokeybear.com/ How Stuff Works How "Fire" Works http://www.howstuffworks.com/fire.htm How "Wildfires" Work http://www.howstuffworks.com/wildfire.htm How "Fire Extinguishers" Work http://www.howstuffworks.com/fire-extinguisher.htm How "Fire Engines" Work http://www.howstuffworks.com/fire-engine.htm How Smoke Detectors Works http://www.howstuffworks.com/smoke.htm Why does smoke come from a fire? http://www.howstuffworks.com/question43.htm Parents Sesame Street: Parent's Guide to Learning (Fire Safety) http://www.sesameworkshop.org/parents/solutions/information/listing.php?categoryId=30786&sectionKey=safety The Perpetual Preschool: Fire Safety (Fire Snacks, Songs, Art & Science Projects, Games, Misc.) http://www.perpetualpreschool.com/preschool_themes/fire/fire_safety.htm Fire Safety - songs, books, art projects http://www.angelfire.com/ga/prespecial/Firesafety.html Teachers (lesson plans) About Face: Social Studies Lesson Plan - Firefighting and Community in Colonial America: An Introduction http://mag.rochester.edu/learn/teacherServices/onlineResources/copley/Firefighting.html AskERIC Lesson Plan: Fire Fighters At Work (grades 1-2) http://askeric.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Social_Studies/Civics/CIV0019.html AskERIC Lesson Plan: Fire and Fire Prevention A Thematic Unit Plan (grades 2-3) http://www.askeric.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Health/Safety/SFY0012.html Exploring Fire Safety (pre-K Classroom lessons) from the   University of Illinois Primary School http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/ups/curriculum2003/fire/index.html Education World, Fire Safety: Activities to Spark Learning! http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson026.shtml NYS learning unit: Fire safety, firefighters, & fire prevention (grades k-1) http://title3.monroe.edu:5004/FMPro?-DB=COVERPAGE.SH.FP3&-Format=unit_assess.html&CODE=Tra-ens.03-05.Fir-ion&-Find Newton's Apple: Teacher's Guides EMERGENCY RESCUE What happens when there's an emergency call? http://www.tpt.org/newtons/11/emrgency.html Scholastic press (printable, reproducible activity sheets) Teachers Guide: Heroes (grades k-2) http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/k_2theme/tguidefeb.htm Meet a firefighter and find out what it takes to do the job. http://teacher.scholastic.com/commclub/firefighter/index.htm On this reproducible, see the special clothes that firefighters wear to keep them safe. http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/reproducibles/dressjob.htm Discover what equipment firefighters use to put out fires. http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/reproducibles/firegear.htm Read a story and then record the five steps firefighters use in fighting fires. http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/reproducibles/litplace/r970818e.htm Planning an escape route from your home is important in case of fire. This reproducible can help you get started. http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/reproducibles/safetymap.htm Science Activitiesz AskERIC Lesson Plan: How Fires Burn - The Fire Triangle http://askeric.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Health/Safety/SFY0202.html Newton's Apple: Teacher's Guides FIREFIGHTING, How do fires start and why can they spread so quickly? http://www.tpt.org/newtons/11/fire.html How can I make a fire extinguisher? http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/funexperiments/quick/fireextinguisher.html