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July 9, 2010 | 14 Comments

Milk Carton Fire Station

It’s no secret how much my son loves firetrucks and doing firetruck crafts. I won’t be shocked if I get a restraining order from the fire department in town for stalking, I am always driving by slowly to let my son see which trucks at at the station. Obsession is perhaps not a strong enough word. So during the bruhaha of becoming a big brother I have stockpiled some super fun ideas that I knew he’d be into and we could have some mama son time like before so there is some continuity in his life.

  1. Gather your materials. You will need some milk cartons, plain paper, double sided tape , red paint, some black and white paper , glue and scissors.
  2. Start by taping the cartons together. You can use hot glue as well but double stick tape is easier with eager helping hands.
  3. Cut doors in each carton.
  4. Cover with paper. We used butcher paper ( find it at Walmart under the title “craft paper” for cheap), There is probably an easier way of doing this but I wrapped it then re cut the door holes.
  5. We colored with crayons first just because we wanted to but decorate it how you see fit.
  6. Paint with red paint. If your child wants to they can draw windows , signs, etc with permanent marker first before painting it.
  7. While they paint ask them what number station they want it to be and make a sign with the white and black paper. If they are able to write have them do this after painting.
  8. Add glue for the sign.
  9. Add the sign.
  10. Let dry and play… or if you are my son play with it before it’s dry. I couldn’t stop him!

Books

Clifford The Firehouse Dog by Norman Birdwell is not my favorite book. Generally speaking character books never are. They are formulaic, lacking in originality and in general poor quality. This book is no exception, but I have still read it 400 times. My son loves it. He loves anything about firetrucks or firefighters , saw it at the library and grabbed it.  I would rather him enjoy an ok book than no book at all. I am just not personally a fan of this franchise. If your child is into this character or theme I would get this from the library, but I wouldn’t waste your money on it unless you can’t get your child to read anything else. There are much much better books surrounding this theme to choose from ( the two below are fantastic).

Firefighters: Speeding! Spraying! Saving! by Patricia Hubbell is a wonderful rhyming book all about the work firefighters do. After only reading it twice my son was rhyming along with the simple but well crafted text. I liked that there was a mix of male and female firefighters, that the text incorporates information about equipment as well as tasks the firefighters complete on a call. Perhaps my favorite thing about this book are the details in the illustrations by Viviana Garofoli, the soot on the faces of the rescued and firefighters, the unique angles used in the illustrations and the fun colors. Great book!

Firefighter Frank by Monica Wellington was a huge score at the library. My son and I both love this author/illustrator and have read many of her books , but this one has never been available, and I can see why. The author has a knack for sharing information with her readers in a fun, simple way that is perfect for preschoolers. This book is no exception to her other great books.  I particularly enjoy some of the vocabulary she uses in this book about Firefighter Frank, words like shrill, intense, and exhausted. They aren’t obscure words but they are not often seen in books geared to those as young as this one, and the context is supportive so that even a young child can help decipher the meaning of the words.  The book itself tells a simple( and common) story but between the author’s ability to tell the story better than other authors, and the bright and beautiful illustrations this books stands out from the firefighter crowd.

Speaking of fire trucks did you enter my

Constructive Playthings Toy Review and $50 gift certificate giveaway?

Filed Under: Age Preschool, Age: Kindergarten, Age: Toddlers, Fire Truck, Preschool Crafts, Pretend Play, Recycled Art | 14 Comments

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14 Comments

  1. Deborah says

    July 9, 2010 at 6:44 am

    This is adorable! I have to try this with my nephew.
    .-= Deborah´s last blog ..Free early childhood education webinar series =-.

    to Deborah" aria-label='reply to this comment to Deborah'>reply to this comment
  2. jenny says

    July 9, 2010 at 7:53 am

    You could also “rework” this into a beautiful, fancy dollhouse for your little girls small dolls like polly pocket or mini disney dolls. I am planning on doing a firehouse w/ my son, and also recreate the resturaunt in the movie, Princess and the Frog- for my 4 yr old’s disney princess doll, Princess Tiana. Thanks for the idea….they’ll love it:-)

    to jenny" aria-label='reply to this comment to jenny'>reply to this comment
    • admin says

      July 9, 2010 at 8:10 am

      Yes – thank you for mentioning that for our readers who aren’t as amazed by things with sirens 🙂

      to admin" aria-label='reply to this comment to admin'>reply to this comment
  3. kristyn says

    July 9, 2010 at 11:05 am

    We just made a boat yesterday with our soymilk containers! Who knew those things could be so useful?! 🙂

    I’ve been looking a little for books about time of day – lately my son has been asking tons of q’s about when breakfast is, when tis it time for bed, etc. Can you recommend any off the top of your head??

    Thanks! And congrats on the baby!!

    to kristyn" aria-label='reply to this comment to kristyn'>reply to this comment
  4. Scott says

    July 9, 2010 at 11:13 am

    What a great firehouse! Thanks for sharing a fun, easy idea. (And one that can be adapted, too.)
    .-= Scott´s last blog ..More Places for Thought and Inspiration =-.

    to Scott" aria-label='reply to this comment to Scott'>reply to this comment
  5. Kim says

    July 9, 2010 at 12:37 pm

    Oh we are going to be doing this one. My son loves firetrucks. The only thing that ranks higher are construction trucks.
    .-= Kim´s last blog ..What We Have Been Up To =-.

    to Kim" aria-label='reply to this comment to Kim'>reply to this comment
  6. Jen says

    July 9, 2010 at 2:08 pm

    I LOVE this! I need to save up some milk cartons now. Both my kids (3 and 1 1/2) go nuts every time we drive past the fire station – so this will be a guaranteed hit. 🙂 Thanks for all your fantastic ideas.

    to Jen" aria-label='reply to this comment to Jen'>reply to this comment
  7. Ashlyn Brunson says

    August 13, 2010 at 1:33 pm

    This is probably going to be my son’s favorite craft! He absolutely LOVES the firetrucks,too. On the way to Publix, there is a fire station and we go through real slow so he can look. Sometimes he makes me turn around! He has like 500 firetrucks in the playroom and he says “Mama! Firetrucks need a firehouse!” and I can’t find one anywhere. This will be perfect!
    PS
    Congrats on the baby boy!

    to Ashlyn Brunson" aria-label='reply to this comment to Ashlyn Brunson'>reply to this comment
  8. Danielle says

    October 1, 2010 at 7:24 pm

    We live right around the corner from a firestation and my boys are always asking me to drive by it. At the end of the week next week our town is doing a Touch the truck for Fire Prevention week. My middle son can’t wait and asks everyday if it is today!!!! Cute ideas. Thanks for sharing.

    to Danielle" aria-label='reply to this comment to Danielle'>reply to this comment

Trackbacks

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    September 2, 2011 at 10:00 pm

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