Neither of my children had any particular inclination toward firefighting when we started this study. Because of that, I don't think their interest level was as high as it would have been for the child who is obsessed with the adventure and skill of this profession. That being said, I was very satisfied with the knowledge and appreciation for firefighting they gained during this study.
My first impression of the "When I Grow Up, I Want to Be a Firefighter" e-book was that it was very text-heavy. But those fears were assuaged as I read it to my children. (Had they been slightly older, or were I to do this again, I would have handed each of them the pages to read independently, then met together to discuss, answer the questions and do the projects. If your children are fairly strong readers, I would highly recommend that.) The text (while plentiful), is mostly conversational and easy-going, with questions interspersed.
One of my favorite parts of this e-book study were all of the ways it drew my children's attention to the world around them. It explained the reason for "maximum capacity" signs in buildings, the purposeful location of certain exit signs in restaurants (near the floor so you could find them crawling out in a smoke-filled building), building materials used in different parts of the country, the space between houses... these were things my children latched right onto, and have noticed and mentioned repeatedly while we've been out and about, during and since this study.
But I'm getting ahead of myself! The e-book starts out with the text pages I mentioned (with a few photos throughout). They read much like a child's non-fiction book, lots of information, but presented in a fun way. There are sections on the history of firefighting, equipment, building codes (and the reasons for them), what it's like to be a real firefighter, including a description of life in the firehouse, requirements for the job, pay scales for different positions in this field, and how those vary based on where you live, and even a section on the history of the firehouse dog!
The next section is packed with activities from worksheets (quizzes on what you read, word finds, crosswords, handwriting practice with firefighting vocabulary and facts) to activities in art, science, technology, math, english, and games, with each section focusing on a particular character trait of firefighters (creative thinker, always ready, physically fit, work as a team, problem solver, brave.) There are even Bible verses to memorize, though personally I found them to be a bit of a stretch as far as relating to the topic - they contained the word "fire", but that's not related enough for my taste. We skipped the verses this time through (we're working on other verses as a family), but what I'd rather see is verses related to those character traits above - about being courageous, brave, taking care of your body, etc.)
The study is recommended for ages 4-10, and I think that's pretty appropriate for most of the content, but truly, the whole family can participate in this one, have fun, and learn a lot. There are coloring pages (firetruck, firedog) to appeal to the youngest learners, and enough new facts to intrigue even the adults... I learned quite a bit myself, which is one of the many things I love about homeschooling!
The cost of this e-book study at The Old Schoolhouse Store is $8.95, which I would consider a tad on the steep side if you have just one child of a young age (4 or 5, when all little boys want to be firefighters!) But if you have several students of varying ages and do the study as a family, I thought it was quite reasonable for all it included.
Some other features I appreciated:
- Terms that may have been unfamiliar to the children were notated and defined at the bottom of the page they occurred on, so there's no need to stop to look up words, or flip between pages.
- Handwriting practice included printing and cursive, words and sentences, which meant there were options for many age groups.
- The tone of much of the book was personal - told by a real-life firefighter, relating to his experience in the field, and his thankfulness that his job can provide for his wife and 3 children.
And if you've got children with other aspirations, there are more careers available in this series - doctor, farmer, missionary, military, pilot, chef, veterinarian and more.
Disclaimer: I was provided a free copy of this product in exchange for my honest review. I have not been compensated in any other way.
