Win a Kindle Fire!

So, let me start with a little personal story. When I was about 13 years old, one of my sisters was already married and living in a little house with three small children. One early morning, we got a frantic call that her house was on fire. By the time we raced over to her, the entire duplex was engulfed in flames. Nothing could be saved. I'll never forget the surreal feeling of seeing the appliances and furniture melted into unrecognizable twisted black objects. I can still picture the firemen shoveling debris out of my baby nephew's window and seeing part of his favorite My Buddy doll among the mess. Luckily my sister and her family made it out in time, but they lost everything they had.

Fast forward about 10 years to my other sister living in New Jersey. Another panicked phone call. Another house destroyed by a fire. This time due to a downstairs neighbor falling asleep with a cigarette. Another sister who lost everything, but thankfully wasn't home at the time.

I know it's hard to believe that both of my sisters' houses burned down, but it's true. And it's the reason why I am vigilant about fire safety in my own home. So as you can imagine, fire safety is a topic near and dear to my heart, so when I was approached to review these materials from FEMA and the National Fire Protection Association I immediately responded.

Although thinking about a fire in your home can be a scary prospect for a little kid, the videos produced by FEMA/NFPA do a great job of informing and teaching without bringing out that fear. Check out this first video called Little Rosalie. {You can also access it on You Tube or School Tube}



It's suggested for grades prek-1, but my second graders actually really liked it. Around the middle of the song when everyone is dancing outside, they asked if it was a brain break and if they could dance along!

This next video is called What's that Sound and it's aimed at grades 2-3. It features a rapper with some interesting bling who flies around on a smoke detector. And the kids loved it. They were up dancing and singing almost immediately. Be warned, the Beep Beep chorus will be stuck in your head for a while after watching! {You can also access it on You Tube or School Tube}



There is also a wealth of quality prek-third grade teaching resources available free to you at Sparky's Schoolhouse. I was especially impressed with the opinion writing activity - complete with great common core standard connections for second and third grade. It is really well thought out and includes printables, teaching ideas, assessment ideas and integration of the music videos.

Taking just a bit of time to incorporate these fun videos or lessons could literally save a life!

And as a thank you for watching the videos and checking out Sparky's Schoolhouse, they are giving away a Kindle Fire to one lucky blog reader! All you have to do is enter using the rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck, stay safe and check those batteries in your smoke detectors!

a Rafflecopter giveaway




94 comments

  1. I love the dance moves! The kids will definitely like that part!! :)

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  2. Deff the red suite rapper with the golden medallion. That's a good character, haha!!

    ❤ -Stephanie
    Falling Into First

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  3. I pinned this blog post so I don't loose it. Great ideas and videos for fire safety!

    Terri Izatt
    KinderKapers

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  4. Lots of fun ideas! Thanks so much for sharing. I will pass along to my teammates :)

    Aloha,
    Corinna (✿◠‿◠)
    Surfin' Through Second

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  5. The songs are darling! I'm so glad that both of your sisters are ok! House fires are so scary!

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  6. Thanks for sharing these. I remember spending the summer tearing down our ranch house that had caught fire due to negligent renters. It was one big mess.
    ✿Tiffani Time 4 Kindergarten
    time4kindergarten@comcast.net

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    1. oops forgot to tell you my favorite part- Loved the guy in the track suit dancing with his smoke alarm chain necklace. Very catchy tune

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  7. I loved the rapper's gold glittery smoke alarm chain. Both very great videos!!

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  8. I have got to say the best part was the amazing "bling"! Doesn't everyone want a smoke detector for a necklace? :)

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  9. Thanks for the links to some great teaching resources! I really enjoyed the catchy tunes - my second graders will definitely enjoy these songs! I am so glad to know that your sisters' families were OK - how scary!!

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  10. I can't decide if I like the fire dog playing the casio keyboard or the fact that the singer is dressed like flava flave with a smoke alarm as his bling. hehe.

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  11. The old school rapper. definitely.

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  12. I love the "catchy" tune for the kids to sing with the steps that they should follow to get out safely! This was very cute!! The smoke alarm flying carpet and necklace - the kids will love it!

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  13. Some great resources here! I'm going to pin so I don't forget about them.

    Julie
    Math is Elementary

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    1. Forgot to say that the catchy songs are my favorite!

      Julie

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  14. My entire garage burned down several years ago, with equipment of my husband's for his business, and antiques we were saving for our next home. It is a frightening thing...but at least no one was hurt. My students will love the videos. The catchy songs are my fave! They will dance, too! ThePaperPumpkin@aol.com

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  15. I love the rapper guy flying in on the smoke detector!!! My kiddos will love to dance along! PS...thanks for the giveaway!

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  16. Love it! I never know quite what to do during Fire Safety month - so these videos and ideas will be perfect! Thanks!! Favorite part - got to be the easy to remember chorus - 1 - stand up and walk away... etc. Thanks!

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  17. You weren't kidding... those tunes are catchy! I also just LOVE the smoke detector on the chain. Thanks for the great resources!

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  18. I love how catchy the songs are - my second graders will definitely LOVE these!!! I love using songs in the classroom. :)

    bbeverly@live.com

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  19. I had a principal who had a track suit exactly like the guy's in the second video! He wore it to school about once a month and we were all amazed. No bling, though. I loved the way the song in the first message made the 4 step action plan so clear.
    djkrueger8@gmail.com

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  20. I liked that the videos - songs and message are on a child's level and are "catchy" - upbeat and full of color to catch the kids' attention.
    susanlulu@yahoo.com

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  21. I love to set as many concepts as possible to music...it just helps it "stick." Fire safety is hugely important to teach to our children. One of our local fire stations comes out to our school and puts on a play. Then one of the firemen puts on the full suit so that the children can see what he looks and sounds like (Darth Vader anyone?). That way, the children won't be scared and hide from a fireman in a fire. Thanks for sharing the wonderful resources!
    teachertonyak@hotmail.com

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  22. I loved the song!!!!! Can't wait to show my students!!!!

    betsy824@cs.com

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  23. Any tune that sticks with kids has to be good. Thanks for sharing. Pinning and passing it on to colleagues. marciahoj@gmail.com

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  24. Thanks for the Fire Safety Songs and plans. My kids will love the song, and yes the song is stuck in my head. Very effective!

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  25. Love the song and the dance moves. Can't wait to show the kids at school. on Friday we actually had a true fire alarm at school. teachers microwave didn't turn off and smoked up the room. The students did AMAZING! higgystyx@yahoo.com

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  26. I find it hilarious that his 'bling' is a smoke detector! I think it was funny how at one point it changed to more of a western song... keeps the kids guessing. :) Thanks for sharing- I'll be adding this to my safety unit!

    Kelli
    Tales of a Teacher
    kelynch88@gmail.com

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  27. The Beep Beep chorus is definitely catchy! I love the song and that it actually teaches a great message at the same time.

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  28. Aww what catchy tunes! We definitely used to teach this a lot more thoroughly than we do now. Now I feel like we just do fire drill. We need to revisit this. It's so important. Thanks for sharing. My 2nd graders would like this too.
    Lessons Learned

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    1. Ooops, my favorite part - his gold smoke detector - reminds me of the rapper who wear the clock around his neck (Flava flav ???) ha, I have no clue.

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  29. Okay, I LOVED the Flavor-Flav inspired gold smoke detector medallion! ha! But I don't think my first graders would make that same connection... they would just think he was "silly" which is perfect because it means they would be hooked & listening & ready for mini lessons! Anything that can grab their attention on this very important topic is golden to me. I recently had a prior student lose everything in a middle-of-the-night fire and it just reinforces how VERY important it is to keep teaching these skills even when you feel pushed to start cutting topics to make it through an increasingly expanding list of curriculum. You never know if your lessons might be the thing that will kick-in during that scary moment. laura.scheunemann@wrps.net

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  30. We had a real fire emergency at school this year, and I have had too many students loose things in a fire over the last few years! Thank you for this very important reminder about fire safety and such fun ways to teach our littlest learners about this!

    Owl Be in Kindergarten

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  31. I love how clearly the 4 steps are stated with the big numbers and rhyming phrases. I know my littlest learners would remember the catchy tune and sing it on their own. What a great way to practice an important skill!
    Wendy
    Read With Me ABC

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  32. Thank you for sharing. I will be passing this information along to my coworkers.

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  33. The fire alarm gold chain definitely caught my eye ! Thanks for sharing...I saved the songs into my youtube channel!

    Lindsey - lmburto@gmail.com

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  34. I'll be showing these videos to my kids this week! Thanks!

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  35. I love What's that Sound! The 80's rap guy will really get their attention and make them want to sing and dance along!!!!

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  36. I love how engaging the videos are! The rapper is too funny. My kids will love them. Thanks for openly sharing your stories to spread awareness.

    Breanne
    breannesimons@gmail.com

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  37. How awful for your sisters and family, Denise. Fire safety is so important to teach. I must say that I am obsessed with the dude's gold smoke-detector necklace! LOL! What a fun way to teach fire safety to kids. I know they will love this clip! Thanks for sharing and for a great giveaway!

    Megan
    Mrs. Wheeler's First Grade

    Mrs. Wheeler's TPT

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  38. Loved the music! It was great that it showed the family working together on their escape plan.
    lhuhne@optonline.net

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  39. Catchy, repetitive steps in the first video. In fact, husband is boppin' around the house singing it! It's driving him crazy!!

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  40. My girls and I loved the dancing and the instruments.

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  41. The catchy tunes and the guys smoke detector medallion were some of my favorite parts. These videos are great and will really help engage students in learning about the importance of fire safety. So sorry to hear about your sisters. Fires are so scary. So glad they both made it out alive. Things can be replaced, but people cannot. Thanks for the chance to win and thanks for the great reasources for teaching fire safety.

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  42. I loved the songs! Thanks for the links!

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  43. THe songs are so catchy and really help kids to learn about fire safety!

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  44. The music is bouncy, kid-friendly, and the words will stick in their minds. Great video! Thanks for sharing, Denise

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  45. We do fire safety in the fall, but it's probably a good idea to re-teach such an important topic. Thanks for the reminder and for being an advocate!

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  46. I love that it is kid friendly and my 2nd graders will love it! They love to listen to music whenever possible and this will be great for a lesson on fire safety! THanks for sharing

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  47. I mean...obviously the wind from the hovercraft is hysterical! And the rapper line dancing! But this is clever and I think 2nd graders will get a kick out of it!

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  48. The dude dancing was amazing! This is a great reminder that we should all be aware of fire safety! Great Job, Denise :)

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  49. The videos are GREAT! I will definitely show them to my 2nd graders. For Fire Safety we always have the local firefighters come in and speak to our students. I then require my students to go home and come up with a fire plan with their family (this becomes their homework for the night). Thanks for sharing! (Hoping I win!!!!)

    Leah Grasty
    Grasty's 2nd Grade Goodies
    http://grastys2ndgradegoodies.blogspot.com/

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    1. Ooops, I'm back again (I didn't read your specifics about the post until AFTER I posted!). I watched Little Rosalie and I really liked the whole movie. I thought it was great how they went through each step of fire safety and it was repeated with Rosalie's actions, the singers and the firefighters.

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  50. Great fire safety resources! The students will love the smoke alarm bling.

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  51. Definitely the catchy tunes and can't forget the fire alarm gold chain...so cute!

    Gladys
    Teaching in High Heels

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  52. My favorite part is the music. It rocks. And your blog rocks. I'm so glad you teach second grade and choose to share with us all.

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  53. I am all for fire safety, and these videos bring it home for the students. Thanks.

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  54. I can't imagine...fire is terrifying! Thank you for sharing your story and passion and for the resources!! Nowww...how can I fit this into my Plants and Flowers unit this week?....! Haha!

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  55. I honestly love any song video that gets the kids engaged and learning!! One thing I liked are the hand motions to go with the song. It will really help my kids to remember the steps for fire safety!
    -Elyse @ A is for Apples

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  56. These look amazing! My apartment complex had a fire in it when I was 5. I still remember the smell and frantic people. Nobody was hurt, but I too think seriously about fire safety.

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  57. As a fireman's daughter, fire safety is dear to my heart as well! I love the catchy songs and hand motions. Anything to get the ideas into their little brains! I also am impressed with the opinion writing pieces, again when things are aligned, I am more likely to use them! Thanks for some great resources!

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  58. Thanks so much for the great information and videos!

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  59. Love the videos! My kids love anything set to music.

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  60. Love the dog mascot on guitar and the fact they emphasize that kids should know 2 ways out of every room. Catchy songs too! thursdaytook@hotmail.com

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  61. Thanks for sharing your story and those great videos. I am so sorry your sisters went through that, how scary and horrible.

    Tricks of the Trade in First Grade

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  62. My favorite part was the catchy tune used to teach kids to have an escape plan with their family so that they know what to do in case of a fire emergency at their house.

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  63. I watched Rosalie, and I really liked the music. I also liked how it went over the 4 steps multiple times, and the fact that they were paired with that catchy music was helpful. I also like the guy dressed up as a dog.

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  64. I love that they're with songs! That engages the kids so much more!

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  65. I loved the songs. My class loves catchy songs! Thanks for sharing and for offering the kindle.

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  66. I really enjoyed the dance in front of the barn! Great videos!

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  67. I loved the choreographed dance in the video "Sparky the Fire Dog." I really think with the datnce, finger/counting signals and repetitiveness of the song that student will really remember it! I know it's stuck in my head! So cute! Thanks so much for sharing this resource! My students are going to love it and I'm going to share the 2-3 video with my colleagues. :o)

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  68. Thanks for sharing! My students love songs :-)

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  69. I like how the Fire Department was in it and the children and everyone were dancing.

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  70. i like fire department participating and the rapper was fun

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  72. Great Idea, catchy tune that'll help kids remember!

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  73. I like the dance moves!! Quite a character huh?

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  74. It may get stuck in my head , but that's okay my 1st grader loved the video! :D

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  75. Love Sparky here!
    We change our batteries every Daylight savings, just so we do not forget :)

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  76. So many great parts of the video! I love the dances moves and also the alarm clock necklace...lol

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  77. I don't know if my previous comment went through but I loved the catchy tune and his old school hip hop outfit.

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  78. Creative idea, music is catchy and kids will love this!

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  79. Great video... I will be sharing with my team. My students will love it! :)

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  80. The catchy dance moves are too cute! It's inspiring to see you turn rough times into great lessons for others and spreading the word about fire safety. Thanks for this!

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  81. I liked watching Sparky play guitar in the video!

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  82. I love the catchy tune! Although now it's going to be stuck in my head for the rest of the day!
    My 1st grader loved that they used real kids dancing!

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  83. I liked the music. Kind of corny, but it was catchy!

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  84. Catchy music and the kids playing outside. Reminds me of my kids

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  85. The music was fun, but I really like watching the girls jump double dutch too!

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