Happy 50Th Birthday Smokey Bear! a Learning Kit About Forests and Fire Safety for Grades K-3
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 373 999 SE 054 822 AUTHOR Hall, Meryl TITLE Happy 50th Birthday Smokey Bear! A Learning Kit about Forests and Fire Safety for Grades K-3. INSTITUTION Forest Service (DOA), Washington, D.C.; Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. REPORT NO USDA-FS-560 PUB DATE Sep 93 NOTE 38p. AVAILABLE FROMU.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest 201 14th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20250. PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Use Teaching Guides (For Teacher) (052) EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Class Activities; *Conservation (Environment); *Elementary School Curriculum; Environmental Education; *Fire Protection; *Habitats; Individual Activities; Learning Activities; Prinary Education; Resource Units; *Wildlife IDENTIFIERS Environmental Action; Environmental Management; *Forests; *Smokey Bear ABSTRACT For over 50 years, the primary goal of Smokey Bear has been to introduce the forest fire prevention message to young children. This learning kit provides the K-3 teacher with activities and resources to help students learn about Smokey Bear and fire safety, about forests as habitats, and about what they can do to protect forests. Students are involved in six whole group and five individual activities that include stories to act out, a game, and things to make and do. Each activity contains objectives, activity summary, grade level, materials, instructions, and teacher reproducible worksheets. Teacher background materials include information on Smokey Bear's story, forest fire, the forest as habitat, protecting habitats, and a list of 14 additional resources. A poster and puzzle accompany the learning kit. (12) ********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** 145 'o 9, . r e- Piet"e'tor_ 7:3 elp9rmkey ttrtvet a rest Frets ea MO_ _e ear! A Learning Kit about Forests and Fire Safety for Grades K-3 s U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Mice of Ecucbonal Research and improvement 0 EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Spiel document has been reproduced as stewed from the person or organization Originating it 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of view or otamona stated in this docu ment do not necessarily represent official OERI positron or policy $ ' eve P ae BEST COPY AVAILABLE In 1994, Smokey Bear turns 50! Fcr a half century, Smokey has been helping children and adults protect forest. and xvildlands from care- less fire. With this kit, your students in celebrate Smokey's message using a variety of engaging activities that include a ci dramatic play, stories, and games. Tnrough these activities, students will learn about Smokey Bear, about forests as habitats, and about what they can do to protect our forests. Goals of Smokey Bear's "_earning Kit Grades K-3 This kit encourages children to: recognize Smoker Bear as a symbol of forest fire prevention understand the importance of forest habitats and the importance of preventing careless fires in those habitats take pride in their own responsible behavior toward fire This publication has been developed by the USDA Forest Service and the Smithsonian Institution's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. Issued September 1993. Writer: Meryl Hall Illustrations: Mike McConnell Design: Porter/Novelli 0111C1 Ofsuatrtair SICO 22222 ISSCS11011 . : 7 ` ;' , 3 Kip, O; TEACHER BACKGROUND 2 activityone SMOKEY BEAR'S STORY 4 activity,47PIC SMOKEY BEAR'S SAFE CAMPFIRE 6 activitythree CAREFUL CAMPFIRE CIRCLE GAME 8 activityfour CAREFU!. CAMPFIRE/CARELESS CAMPFIRE 10 activityElie A PARTICIPATORY STORY 12 activity Silk HOMES IN THE FOREST 14 activityseven LAYERS-OF-THE-FOREST FLIPCHART 16 activityeight FOREST HABITAT PANTOMIME 22 activitynine SMOKEY BEAR COLORING PAGE 23 activityten DEAR PARENTS... 24 activity ieven ABIRTHDAY CARD FOR SMOKEY 26 THE STORY OF SMOKEY BEAR 29 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 32 TEACHER BACKGROUND Smokey Bear's Message Smokev Bear has been teaching people about preventing unwanted forest fires for 50 years. The first Smoke)! Bear symbol was introduced in a poster created by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service's Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention Program in 1944. He was a poster bear drawn wearing jeans and a campaignhat. To this day, Smokey and his famous slogan, "Remember, only YOU can prevent forest fires," are recognized aroundthe world. The lessons and activities in thiS kit were designed for In1950,a forest fire burned through the Lincoln National tne classroom teacher of kindergarten and the first. Forest in New Mexico. After the flames were out, firefighters second, and third grades. found a badly burned bear cub clinging to a blackened tree. Teaching the kit does not They rescued the cub and took him to a ranger station Nvhere his require expertise in environ- mental science or fire safety. burns were treated and he was nursed back to health. The cub was named Smokey and became the living symbol of forest fire prevention. The kit provides a variety of Smokey was then taken to the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoo in lessons that include both indi- vidual and whole group activi- Washington D.C., where millions of people have visited him over the years. ties. There is a game to play stories to act out, and things Today there is no longer a living Smokey, but the Smokey Bear symbol to make and do. Except for continues to teach people to be careful with fire and to prevent carelessly common matenals like blank paper, crayons, and glue, caused fire from destroying our forests. Forests are important as sources everything necessary to do of wood products, as places of recreation, and as natural habitats. the activities is provided. In addition to the lessons, the kit What Is Fire? includes a colorful poster that may be combined with the Fire starts when a fuel, such as wood, leaves, paper, or gasoline, reaches children's work to make a its"ignition temperatur"and combines with oxygen in the air. Many classroom display or bulletin things can cause a fuel to reach its ignition temperattire including board as well as a puzzle to be used in an activity center matches. Once a fire has started, the burning reaction occurs quickly, or free play area. giving off its own heat. To the right are some facts Fire in the Forest about Smokey Bear. fire. and forest habitats that you may Forest fires can result from both natural causes and human carelessness. find useful as you use this kit Although some forest communities are adapted to periodic fire and can A reading list and list of addl. actually benefit from carefully controlled burning (some pine cones, tional classroom resources for example, arc stimulated to open and drop their seeds'hen are provided at the end of this guide. exposed to a fire's heat), can he very destructive. R or e\drnple, 011(e IRV,' are biliThs(1 Va, Soil COI) erode' and Ci)Oke streams 1k11 t111(1 olhcr animals that live in them. Valciahle 111 recreation areas. scenic landscapes, arul 01 11-ter forest htsnef its lost in d lire 111(.1\' never he restored. The Forest as Habitat I.ikc other kinds ell natural areas such as prairies, ponds, beaches. and deserts.1OR'StS habitats 101" 111(111V kinds of wild animals. An animal's Ildhilat is its home the place \\ here the animal finds the food, miler, (111(1 shelterit needs to survive (crest t,)es ,,,1other plants that (1)(, iv.,),01 shat live there. For example, grouse. red sciciii- rels. hobcals. and snowshoe hares live in northern coniferous forests. thich areHued it h spruce (Inc( lir trees. An eastern hardc\ood forest has oak, maple. and hcc htreys.I icn: dccr.1.1.11-keS, (Ind grey squir- refs make their homes. lVeslern mountain forest,. of lodgepole and pon- a derosa pine are 1101110 to elk. 11-1111e (leer. (11)(1 Clark duelgriiilvhears. The trot, (Intl other 1)L-it', in theseforests provide animals with places to nest, 1.(.(1. Cloy, and raiseI heir \ oung. Protecting Habitats 811 I arc just (1s important to people as the\ are to cc ildlifc. For CN,1111- ple, people depend on these Ft-Mural Cornmunities lorood produc Is dud 1)1,1,e`,to "gel bout it oil." Ind ilk( beings, "ts depend on forests Ion cruc jot eiwironrnentd1 services. .\mong other things. trees and other plants produce oxygen and help keep the Earth's atmosphere in balance h\ absorbing carbon dioxide. 111 1)C0i)le need to protectand kvisely manage forests and e\er\ habitat so that a c.\er\-one animals mud liumcms can continue to enjoy the triony I its lorc,ts pro\icic Tlw Forest Ser\oicc and the Smithsonian Institution a hd\ c produced this kit to help you. as an educator. present the message oI forest prole( lion and lire salet to our students a BEST COPYAVAILABLE a AM°,1.__%de. Oh, yr a a SMOKE' BEAR'S STORY Objectives: Instructions: a Recognize Smokey Bear 1:0eac h child, cut a blank 8 I .2" N 11- piece 01 paper into fourths. as as a symbol of forest fire 'shown below. Give cdch child the lour strips of paper, d (Op of pdge prevention. Name some of the living and art supplies. things that depend on forests. !lave the c hildren tape together the lour strips of blank paper at the short Activity: ends.;(\1.. hove them color the 12 1,-)0m.-, on pow 5. cut them out. dnd Place events in sequence to paste the boxes in order onto the long, taped strip of paper. Then have tell a story and make an them klid the strip like an accordion, a "accordion book." separating edch pic lure a onto its own -pdgc." Grades: have them K-3 tape the folded book on the left hand side, Group: Tape Here its shown.