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How can we help kids think about fire?

As the general topic this month is fire-related, we will explore our originally planned topic, ā€˜loose parts,ā€™ in next monthā€™s column and focus on how best to support young children with fire awareness.

I had the pleasure of communicating about this with my dear friend and former colleague Holly Downing, director at Tree House Hollow Preschool (Holly also bakes the most beautiful cakes youā€™ve ever laid eyes on). We were working together as co-directors at the time of the Tubbs fire in 2017, so we vividly remembered how it affected our students and how we processed the community trauma as a school. Holly shared with me her thoughts and favorite books that are geared towards young children to support them to constructively think about and process fear and anxiety around wildfire.

One of the ways we, as adults, can help children process complex events such as fires is to provide them with artistic materials to draw out their perceptions

Holly shared, ā€œOne of the ways we, as adults, can help children process complex events such as fires is to provide them with artistic materials to draw out their perceptions, as well as verbalize them to us. It is therapeutic and beautiful to see how children unpack information and help themselves understand it. Personally, we also thought it was lovely to see how many of them devised ways the fires could be put out (their way of reassuring themselves that they are safe). It is also a good reminder of the world's complexities and our role to hold space for children to help them process and vocalize their fears and thoughts. ā€œ

Here are a few good choices for books that are appropriate and engaging for young children to discuss fire:

Wildfire! By Ashley Wolff

With stunning, cinematic art, this fact-based picture book takes readers into the heart of a forest fire and shows how animals survive, how heroic first responders curb the flames, and how life gradually returns to the forest.

The Forest of Fire: A Wildfire Story by Erik Ohlson The Forest of Fire follows the cycles of a forest from it's pristine natural state to the changes that take place once modernized humans settle there.

Trika and Sam: The Big Fire (eBook)

Available to print free

Helps young children and their families talk about feelings and worries they may have after experiencing a large-scale fire, like a wildfire. This children's book describes some of Trinka's and Sam's reactions and talks about how their parents help them to express their feelings and feel safer. A caregiver guide is available in the back of the book that provides ways parents can use the story with their children.

https://www.nctsn.org/resources/trinka-and-sam-big-fire

As the director of the Adventure Day Program at that time, I felt it was very important to process healing through visiting some of our favorite parks that had been fire damaged, and safely explore and witness regeneration. We had spent many joyful hours at Foothill Regional Park and knew the trees along the path well. When the park reopened, we returned and talked about the burn scar and visited our friend-trees to see how they were surviving. We all celebrated the new growth and obvious signs of recovery. The children hugged and patted the trees and gave them words of encouragement. It was reassuring for the children to witness the park healing after the sadness and trauma of that time.

In this area we now have a yearly fire season that causes worry and disruption. As your childā€™s support person, be sure that youā€™re addressing your own anxieties and getting support to process and heal. Have a family fire safety plan in place and even run through it once or twice so everyone gets an idea of what needs to happen in an emergency. The National Fire Protection Association has a great website with lots of good idea and graphics for creating a fire plan. Stay safe!

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