Firefighter Party -5yr- Stop, Drop & Roll

My daughter loves firefighters and really wanted to have that as the theme for her 5th birthday.  

Invitations:  I wanted her invitations to have the feel of a real firefighter.  I found scrapbook paper that had orange flames on it.  Next I found an image of a firefighter fighting a big fire and used that as a background for the information.  The wording was fairly simple You are invited to Bxxx Bxxx Firefighter Party! October 8th, 10 am to 11:45 am xxxxxx Way xxxxx, CO xxxx RSVP to xxxxxx or Gingerxxxx@xxxx.com.  I printed this over the top of the image and cut it out and put it on the flame paper.  Next I found some really detailed stickers of fire engines and put one below that.  For the final touch I burned the edges of the invitation, careful to knock off any extra ash.  It looked and even smelled like a firefighter party!

Decorations:  This was fairly simple.  I found a firefighter statue that was used to hold up several orange, red and yellow balloons.  Most of the décor came from the games themselves.  I did find a CD from ‘Lots and Lots of Fire Trucks’ that had several firefighter themes on it.  I played that in the background during the party. Food:  We didn’t have a lot of time for lunch, so I wanted it to be simple and still related the fire theme.  We had hot dogs, orange crunchy Cheetos (they looked like flames), water bottles and cupcakes.  The cupcakes were frosted with orange, red and yellow frosting.  I ordered Fireman Sam edible images to put on the top of each cupcake.

Games:  I had several different stations set up for the kids to play in.   I gave each guest a red plastic bag to put their different prizes in, which became the favors for them to take home.  The first one entailed a huge Thank You card that I had made for the firefighters.  It had a fire truck that I had drawn on the front.  I gave each guest a fire safety crayon box that they were able to keep.  Each of the kids drew a picture and wrote their names below it.  The parents even signed with quick notes of thanks for the service that they provide. 

The second one was a Stop, Drop and Roll as well as the Smoke Crawl.  I had laid out a red mat for them to practice on.  They had to do both drills of the stop, drop and roll and smoke crawl.  Once they completed this they received a Make Your Own Firefighter Sticker Scene that I found on Oriental Trading Company. 

The third station was called, Save the Dalmatian.  I set up a ladder and found a full sized stuffed Dalmatian dog that I put on top.  I took a mini trampoline and placed it at the bottom of the ladder.  I also found a firefighter vest that the kids had to put on before they scaled the ladder.  They were given firefighter hats as well to put on so that they felt like true heroes.  The kids climbed the ladder, took the Dalmatian and dropped it onto the trampoline below, then climbed down.  Their prize for this station was the firefighter hat. 

The fourth station was where they made foam Jr. Firefighter badges.  I found those on OTC as well.  Once they were done, we pinned them onto them.  The final station was called Put the Fire Out.  I made a game, with the help of my dad, using a large board with three holes cut out of it.  I attached Plexiglas with a hinge on the bottom and Velcro at the top.  The Plexiglas completely covered the whole. 

Next I painted flames on the Plexiglas on both the front and the back.  I painted the board to look like a brick building.  Finally I glued orange sheer ribbon on the top to look like flames coming out of the building.  I bought a power jet nozzle from Wal-Mart to attach to our garden hose.  I also found a firefighter costume that had a raincoat and hat.  I wanted boots too, so bought some large rain boots.  The kids had to dress in the firefighter outfit, which kept them dry. 

Next they took the hose and had to squeeze and shoot out the flames in the circles.  The Plexiglas fell down behind, so it looked like they had put out the flames.  This one was a big favorite!  They received a fire safety activity book once they had put out the flames. 

The final activity was the best part.  I had called the local fire station to see if we could set up a tour.  They informed me that they would actually bring a fire truck to our house!  This was a free service as part of their community awareness service.  I jumped on the idea.  The fire truck came a little late, due to being out on a call, but the kids were so excited when it finally showed up.  My daughter presented the Thank You card to the Captain.  Each of the kids got a turn to sit up in the truck. 

Next the firefighters took them all around the truck explaining what each thing was for.  They finally left with sirens blaring and horns blasting.  It was a perfect end to a fabulous firefighter party