Sparkle Craft: Fire Station Doll House
In this week’s Martin & Sylvia: Saturdays! story, “How To Be A Fire Fighter”, Sylvia and Martin, along with Momma and Daddy, get the chance to tour a real life fire station! Sylvia, in particular, is especially interested in what fire fighters do – how they dress quickly, who they help, and so on. The tour of the Fire Station includes both downstairs – with the large, shiny trucks! – and upstairs; Sylvia was excited to see how the fire fighters dress quickly in case of an emergency and then voop! Down the pole!
Bring the excitement of a fire station into your own home with a cardboard fire station, where you can train to become a fire fighter too, just like Sylvia.
You Will Need
2 cardboard boxes or shoe boxes
Colored paper
Scissors
Markers
Paper drinking straw
Strong tape or glue
Washi Tape (optional)
Wooden peg people or clothespin clips (optional)
What To Do
Cut your windows. Let some light into your fire station and cut out some windows! A pack of cards makes for a great stencil for your windows. Then carefully clip them out with some sharp scissors.
Hang your wallpaper. Depending on what the inside of your cardboard boxes look like, you might want to decorate the insides of your fire station. You can glue down some colored paper or even fabric scraps!
Line your windows. Bring a bit more color to your windows and line the rough edges with a bit of washi tape. You could also use rickrack glued to the edges.
Decorate your fire station. What do you find in a fire station? Add that in to yours! We drew a town map on the wall, a ringing alarm, a kitchen and bed, even a pile of boots ready to be jumped into if an emergency calls! You can use markers or a paint pen (we used the latter).
Gather your fire fighters. You can use wooden peg people or wood clothespins. Let your little ones paint the clothes and draw on their faces and hat. Could you find something to paint like a cat, too? That’s what Sylvia hopes to be able to save when she’s a fire fighter, how about you?
Finally, set up your fire pole. Cut your straw to just fit in the bottom portion of your fire station. You can tape or glue it in place.
Now it’s time to play! Gather your fire trucks and emergency vehicles and line them up in their brand new fire station. Your fire fighters may want to do some training sliding down the fire pole. And be sure to listen for the alarm in case there is an emergency!
What else did Sylvia and her family see in the fire station they toured? Can you make some furniture for your fire station? What will you include? How will you make the furniture?
Have you ever toured a fire station in your own town or city? What did you see? What color were the fire trucks? Where did the fire fighters stay? What else do you remember about your tour?
Sylvia really admires the fire fighters and wants to train to become one as well. Is there someone that you admire? Is there a job you’d like to train for when you grow up? What about your parents? What did they want to be when they grew up?
About the Authors
Danielle Reiner
Danielle Reiner describes herself as a creative, a maker, and a mama. At the heart of her story is creativity, though that hasn’t always been the case. She rediscovered her deeply hidden creativity early in adulthood – with a ball of yarn and a couple of knitting needles – and hasn't stopped since. Danielle also runs Crafting Connections - a website providing inspiration, practical advice, and projects for creative families - with her close friend Andrea Folsom.
Andrea Folsom
Andrea Folsom describes herself as a writer, editor, creative maker, and eternal optimist. She is passionate about learning and sharing new creative techniques, making beautiful spaces, and talking about the social-emotional benefits of creativity and art. She runs Crafting Connections - a website providing inspiration, practical advice, and projects for creative families - with her close friend Danielle Reiner.
