- Key idea: Climate change causes extreme weather – e.g. Making preparations before a storm, and participating as a team in emergency drills for fire and floods (UC3.2).
- Key idea: Different weather conditions can affect people’s daily lives – e.g. identifying the effects of extreme weather on the availability of food items (UC5.3).
Title: Playtown: Emergency
Author: Roger Priddy
Illustrator: Priddy Books
Publisher: Priddy Books
Publication Date: 2016
ISBN: 978-1783412822
Children will learn about doctors, firefighters, police and rescue crews, as well as the places they work, the vehicles they drive and equipment they use to do their jobs.
Emergent learning:
Extreme weather events effect us all either directly in causing damage to our homes and lives when there are floods, winds etc. or indirectly through community shared costs and effects upon water hygiene, food production, energy disruption etc. We want children to gain confidence in knowing that with a little team work and community spirit, no problem or emergency will ever be insurmountable.
A very positive and empowering way to introduce young children to safety as a general theme is to focus on the ‘first responders’; the people who come to help us in an emergency. Address fears directly, fire engines are big and loud alarms are scary but if we know what to do we don’t have to worry and we can help each other.
Activity recommendation:
The main focus should be on emergency prevention, but we must also be prepared and learn about what we should all be doing in an emergency. There are picture story books to support this but a visit to the fire station or visits from e.g. uniformed firefighters and paramedics will be potentially more memorable and effective. The trick is to prepare such visits in advance, prepare the adult professional on how to talk to young children and prepare the children for what they may learn.
Book recommendation:
Involve Me 