Your thoughts on this?

My four-year-old came home from school on Friday, and when she played with her dollhouse, she imagined that the door was on fire while everybody was in bed. Then she started having the Dora family characters jump out the second and third story windows. I questioned her a bit, and she said that some officers (I call them that because she couldn't tell me for sure if they were firefighters or policemen, since they had no big red truck, but I'm guessing they were firefighters) brought a dollhouse to school and talked about what to do if there was a fire in the night. She swears they acted out a scene where the mommy doll and the little girl doll jumped out the windows. Now I remember fire safety from when I was a kid. Stop, drop, and roll, get out of your house and have a meeting place for your family, call 911 and all, but I don't recall anything as drastic as an enactment by firefighters with a real dollhouse and a roleplay of dolls jumping out of a flaming home. Do any of you have experiences with this; is it typical for young kids to be educated this way nowadays? Does this seem a little drastic to all of you, or am I just being protective of my little girl's innocence? I know she has to be ready for the world and its dangers, but she doesn't need to have fears put in her mind before she hits the ripe old age of five, either. It seems a bit much, coming on the heels of the school shooting drills.

SHARE THIS QUESTION:

Asked by Ballad at 10:58 PM on Jan. 20, 2013 in Preschoolers (3-4)

82839 Level 36

This question is closed.

Answers (8)

I don't remember anything about jumping out of a window, but when I was in elementary school they would bring a trailer out to the parking lot and they'd fill it with fake smoke (I don't remember what it was) and we had to crawl through it on our hands and knees, teaching us to stay low and to the ground since smoke rises...sounds weird now that I'm typing it out but it was a serious thing we had to do that the firefighters taught us.

Answer by fricky29 at 11:22 PM on Jan. 20, 2013
Credits: 3601 Level 17

Found an answer to your question?
Like us on Facebook!
Why don't you call the school Tue morning and just ask what they were told... you can speculate all day long, but it sounds like you need the real story.

Answer by Crafty26 at 11:33 PM on Jan. 20, 2013
Credits: 151336 Level 42 Preschoolers (3-4) Minor

Found an answer to your question?
Like us on Facebook!
I remember them talking about jumping out a window if they have no way of getting into the building to save you. But they talk about it with a catch mat of some kind. One the firefighters hold or set up. Something like this...

Answer by SleepingBeautee at 11:01 PM on Jan. 20, 2013
Credits: 171686 Level 44 Preschoolers (3-4) Minor

Found an answer to your question?
Like us on Facebook!
Well, should they have taught her to just stand there and watch the fire instead of jumping out of a window?

Answer by funlovinlady at 11:01 PM on Jan. 20, 2013
Credits: 25262 Level 25

Found an answer to your question?
Like us on Facebook!
I think its good for children to know as early as possible and always good for us to re-learn something. we always heard the stop drop and roll too if there is a fire, touch the door to see if its too hot to touch, get out the house, meet somewhere with family.

But if the door is too hot to touch who has time to stop drop and roll, best to jump out the window

Answer by virginiamama71 at 11:05 PM on Jan. 20, 2013
Credits: 66989 Level 34 Preschoolers (3-4) 101

Found an answer to your question?
Like us on Facebook!
I guess it's an effective way to give young children a visual, at 4 that's his how they really understand and remember info like that , just coming and talking to a group of kids that age wouldn't have much effect

Answer by Princess_s21 at 12:40 AM on Jan. 21, 2013
Credits: 16593 Level 23 Preschoolers (3-4) 101

Found an answer to your question?
Like us on Facebook!
I'm sure they did talk to them about feeling the door for heat and staying away from smoke as well, but when you're 4 years old what's more exciting? Touching a door or jumping out a window lol? I'm sure that's just the part she remembered best :)

Answer by maecntpntz219 at 11:07 AM on Jan. 21, 2013
Credits: 37671 Level 29 Preschoolers (3-4) 101

Found an answer to your question?
Like us on Facebook!
Well, I suppose jumping out a window as a last resort is your best option, if your only other choice is facing the fire. Of course, in that case, I would want my daughter to jump. But I did talk to her about touching her door first to see if it was hot, staying low to the floor because of smoke, and stuffing a towel or some clothes under the door to keep out the smoke. I said jumping was good if those other things didn't work and the fire was coming in, or if a firefighter was down on the grass telling her to jump. I only thought actually roleplaying it with a dollhouse and people leaping out of bed and finding the door on fire, and then jumping out the windows, seemed pretty drastic. I guess it could be the way she perceived it, and not exactly the way it was.

Comment by Ballad (original poster) at 12:22 AM on Jan. 21, 2013
Credits: 82839 Level 36 Preschoolers (3-4) Minor