Activity

Part A: Introduction

Step 1.

This activity is best suited to being inside.

Tell your kid/s that they are going to do an activity about fire. If you have a little activity or action that you use with your kid/s to focus their attention (such as three claps, three big breaths, or a mantra/statement), you could do this now.

Step 2.

Ask your kid/s to lay on the floor, or sit somewhere comfortable and close their eyes. Explain that they will need to do some careful listening. Play the following clip for them and invite them to listen (you could turn the screen away or darken the screen, so they aren’t distracted):

Realtime Fireplace - Relaxing Fire Burning Video (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux8xAuQBdkk)

More fire sounds can be found on Spotify and other online platforms.

Step 3.

Once you are satisfied that your kid/s have had time to absorb the sounds, invite them to share what they heard and noticed. You could pose the following I wonder statements:

I wonder what you could hear.
I wonder what these sounds made you think about. I wonder what you imagined in your head. Can you describe what you saw in your head with words or with a drawing?
I wonder what words we could use to describe how a fire looks (eg red, orange, yellow, black, hot, flickering, dancing, sparks, or smoke).
I wonder what words we could use to describe the sounds we heard (eg crackling, hissing, whispering, sizzling, or sputtering).
I wonder what words we could use to describe how a fire smells (eg sharp, woody, or smoky).
I wonder what fire might feel like?
.

Questioning - Open-ended questions encourage kids to develop their language by using a wider range of vocabulary to answer in a more nuanced way. Open-ended questions require them to provide more information and detail, and to actively process how to structure their thoughts in order to deliver a coherent answer and provide sufficient details.

Open-ended questions cannot be responded to with one-word answers such as yes or no, and are usually not looking for a specific response. They empower kids to think for themselves and build self-confidence, as they know you are invested in what they have to say. Find out more about open-ended questioning here.

Step 4.

Pose the following I wonder statement:

I wonder how the sounds of the fire made you feel.

Note: While it’s essential to communicate the risks around fires—such as bushfires or house fires—to even very young children, in this activity we want to try and keep the conversation positive, and to steer the conversation away from a place of fear. It would be useful to direct the conversation towards the ways we can enjoy a fire, such as candles on a birthday cake, a fire in a fireplace or wood heater, or an outdoor fire pit or campfire.

The aim is to connect the children’s experiences of fire to their bodies and their emotions. This can help children recognise and communicate their feelings and emotions, and support them in working towards social and emotional regulation.

Part B: Breathing activity

Step 1.

Explain to children that the next video will help them connect to the idea of fire and give them energy. Throughout this clip, children will need to move their bodies gently, focus on their breath, and listen to the instructions.

Share the following clip with your children:

Breath Circle - Fire (with captions) (https://vimeo.com/677552490)

Step 2.

Once you have watched the clip, spend some time talking with your kid/s about their experience of the breathing activity:

I wonder what you liked about this activity.
I wonder if you feel different in your body now.
I wonder if you feel different in your mind.
I wonder if you would like to do this again.

Part C: Take it further

Your kid/s may have developed their own ideas about how to extend upon the themes presented in this activity. If not, choose one of the following ideas to explore with them:

Make a (pretend) campfire! Work with your kid/s to make a pretend campfire by creating a circle of bricks, rocks, or blocks, adding kindling, and ‘lighting’ the fire by adding strips of coloured tissue paper, fabric, or cellophane. Sit around your fire, tell some stories and maybe even have a snack.
Make a playdough birthday cake and add some candles. Practice singing happy birthday to each other or to some favourite toys. You could even light a real candle and carefully watch the flame, seeing how it moves when you gently blow it. Remember to keep kids' fingers away and to extinguish the candle when you are finished.
Play a game of firefighters. Dress up in costumes, nominate some furniture (eg the sofa) as the fire engine, grab some hoses (eg pool noodles) and work together to fight a fire!
Talk to your kid/s about being safe around fire.
Spend some time exploring the Zones of Emotional Regulation Chart with children. Social and emotional learning strategies seek to equip children with knowledge and skills that positively impact their ability to manage emotions and behaviours, as well as improve their interactions with peers, parents, or other adults. The chart can help children visualise their feelings and build their emotional vocabulary, shifting them away from rote responses like 'good' to more nuanced responses like 'curious', 'excited', or 'worried'. Find out more here.

Want more breathing activities? You can find some more here, or register to see if Beata can visit your childcare, kindy, or school in person.

Something for parents and carers!

You could use the breathing exercise from this activity throughout the day to lift the mood. This activity could be helpful in transition moments at home, such as before and after meal times, or after nap time. And if you’re still having a daily ‘witching hour, this activity could help both you and your kid/s get through it. If you need a shorter exercise, try taking just three or five breaths, keeping one hand on your heart and the other on your belly.

This clip has some great suggestions to help you—as a parent or carer—to lift your mood if you're feeling weary, overwhelmed, worn out, or just a little bit defeated by your day:

Breath Circle - Energize (with captions) (https://vimeo.com/677929522)

Breath Circle - Fire (home learning)

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