Firefighter Party

Plan two or three lively activities for a two-hour party. Choose extra so you're prepared for the unexpected. Alternate them with quieter activities, such as a crafts project or reading aloud, to keep the party from becoming too wild.

Ages: 3 and up

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Playing time: 20 minutes

Players: Any number

What you need:

• 2 fire trucks: toys work fine, or make our Big Fire Trucks (instructions on previous page)
• Lime, spray paint, tape or string to mark goal lines

Before the party:

1. Draw two goal lines, 25 to 40 feet apart.

At the party:

2. Divide the children into two teams. Assign each team to a firetruck. Team members should form a line starting at one goal line.

3. When you shout, "Fire!," the first member of each team runs with the truck to the opposite goal line, turns around, runs back and hands the truck off to the next player on each team.

4. Play continues until all the members of one team have returned to the starting line.

Ages: 3 and up

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Playing time: 15 minutes

Players: At least 4

1. Select one person to be the leader. Have all of the other players line up, side by side, 30 to 40 feet from the leader. Explain that players can only move when the leader's back is turned.

2. To begin the game, the leader turns his or her back to the rest of the players and shouts, "Green light!" The other players walk or run toward the leader.

3. Whenever he wants to, the leader yells, "Red light" and quickly turns around to face the other players. The players freeze as soon as they hear "Red light." If the leader sees any of the other players moving, the player in motion must go back to the starting line.

4. The game continues with the leader alternately yelling "green light" and "red light" until one of the other players touches the leader. The first player to touch the leader wins, and/or becomes the new leader.

On a warm summer day, this is the perfect outdoor activity! If weather forces you indoors, try our variation, as noted.

Ages: 3 and up

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Playing time: 10 minutes

Players: At least 6

What you need:

• 4 large buckets
• Large plastic cups (4 to 5 per team)
• Water, Styrofoam peanuts, or crumpled pieces of newspaper (if you're playing the game indoors, choose something that won't be too messy for you to clean up!)

Before the party:

1. Fill 2 of the buckets with water or other material. Crumpled newspaper should be small enough to fit into the plastic cups.

At the party:

2. Divide players into two teams.

3. Line up each team, with each person arm's-length from his or her teammates. Place one bucket full of water at one end of each team, and place an empty bucket at the other end.

4. Explain that the goal is to move all of the water from the full bucket to the empty bucket, using the cups to pass the water down the line. In other words, each team makes a fireman's brigade -- handing the cups from player to player.

5. When you yell, "Fire!" teams start to work. The first team to move all of their water from one bucket to the other wins. You may want to play several rounds so everyone can get the hang of the game -- players will need teamwork to send empty cups back down the line as full cups are moving the other direction.

Ages: 3 and up

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Playing time: 10 to 20 minutes

Players: At least 4

What you need:

• 2 firefighter hats
• 2 garden hoses or hose attachments
• 2 pair large (adult sized) rubber boots
• 2 yellow, red, or black rain slickers or overcoats

Before the party:

1. Collect the dress-up items, enough for two teams. Substitute or omit items as desired.

2. Mark two goal lines, approximately 25 to 30 feet apart. You may need to adjust the distance according to the ages of the children.

At the party:

3. Divide players into two even teams. If you have an uneven number, you may want to have an adult or older child join in.

4. Half of each team lines up at the first goal line, and the other half at the opposite line. Hand one set of firefighter's garb to the first member on each team.

5. When you yell, "Fire!," the first member on each team must put on the clothing, run to the other line, remove the firefighter outfit, and hand the clothes off to the next "firefighter" on his or her team. Then the second team member gets dressed, runs to the start line, removes the gear and hands it to the next player, and so on until every team member has had a chance to race.

Note: For children under six, you will need an older assistant at each goal line to help the teams get dressed and undressed.

6. The first team to have all of its members complete the race wins. Prizes could be firefighter hats for everyone.

• Have a Dalmation Hunt: Hide a stuffed Dalmation, and write clues on bone-shaped pieces of paper for the children to follow (like a treasure hunt). Tell the players that the firehouse's dog is missing, and they need to find him. When they succeed, reward your sleuths with cake.

• Play a variation of "Hot Potato" with music and a stuffed Dalmatian toy. When the music stops, the person holding the toy is out of the game. The last player left is the winner.

• Stop, Drop and Roll Tag: This is a firefighter version of traditional tag. When a player gets tagged, he or she must stop, drop, and roll: freeze in place, drop to the ground, and roll over. Set a time limit for each child to be "It," so players can take turns.