Lesson Plan: The Sparky the Fire Dog® and Mr. Plug's® RED HOT Hunt

First/Second Grade

Identify and work to eliminate electrical safety hazards in the home.

"The Sparky the Fire Dog® and Mr. Plug's® RED HOT Hunt" Lesson Plan and Support Materials

Objectives

1. Identify outlets and plugs at school.
2. Identify outlets and plugs in the home.
3. Articulate the importance of leaving outlets alone and asking adults to plug in cords.

Preparation

1. Download Mr. Plug and Sparky icons and provide 25-30 to use in the hunt. One-inch squares of red construction paper can also serve the same purpose.
2. Provide tape.
3. Provide paper and markers to graph results of survey.

Procedure

Discuss provided information on the Electrical Information Guide. Help the children understand that electricity is always in the home. Electricity is safe to have in the home if it is treated with respect. Grown-ups should plug and unplug items - and they should do it correctly.

• One plug to one socket ratio.
• Adults should pull the plug out by the plug, not the wire. (The wires might break, causing a leak of electricity or a fire.)
• Adults should not overload a socket, as it could cause a fire.

1. Ask the students to identify all outlets and items needing to be plugged in at school.
2. Have the children place Mr. Plug/Sparky or red paper on the walls beside the outlet and on the item that has a cord.
3. Count all the red squares used. Identify which identified outlets and which identified cords and plugs.
4. Graph how many squares were used near outlets and how many squares were used on appliances that need electricity.
5. Reinforce the importance of leaving outlets alone and asking adults to plug in cords.

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