Extreme Fieldtripping

While to most kids field trips are becoming a thing of the past, to homeschoolers they are very real and happen quite often, or when Mom can manage. I have been trying to get a trip to the fire department planned for quite a while. However, due to time restraints, scheduling conflicts, and just plain confusion it hadn't happened. Then on Thanksgiving Day the kids and I got an awesome gift.

My cousin, J.B., is a fireman with the Tahlequah (Pronounced "Tal a Kwa") Fire Department in Tahlequah, OK. He told us to come by the station after we had eaten. We didn't tell the kids until we were getting ready to walk out the door. They were so excited, but this trip was well worth it.

When we got to the station J.B. let the kids simply wander around. They were in awe of all of the different trucks, hoses, tubes, ladders, etc. Although, I was disappointed that there was no fire pole. J.B. told me he was also disappointed, but said he tries to not let it affect his job.

Here the kids are climbing all around one of the trucks.

Then of course they had to try on a real fire helmet
Warrior

Professor

Princess

Then they all got their own hats.

Then J.B. pulled one of the trucks out of the garage/bay, and the fun really began. He let the kids run the sirens. They got to open doors, touch equipment, pull on hoses, and ask more questions than one adult could keep up with, but J.B. did pretty well. And to top it all off, J.B. took the kids for a ride around the block in the truck. How cool is that?

Here Professor and Warrior are buckled in with one of their cousins to take that ride.

One really funny thing was that Professor was completely fascinated by the windows in the truck. They rolled up and down using a handle instead of a button (ugh! How old am I?).

Baby J got to participate, too. Although, he was content to do it from the safety of Rock's arms.

We did put J.B's first aid skills to the test when Professor shut his thumb in the door of the truck. Praise God it was equipped with a safety feature that keeps the door from being able to pinch the finger off. Professor got off with a sore skinned thumb.

Here are all the kids with J.B. For that day he was the "Best Cousin EVER!"

Before we left we had to check out the antique truck from 1901. It is still in working condition, although J.B. said it is an all day event to get it started. This truck was also featured in the movie "Where the Red Fern Grows," which was filmed in Tahlequah.

Here are my Mom and Dad with Princess on the truck. My Mom grew up in Tahlequah, and my Dad met her while they were both attending Northeastern State University which is in town.

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty good day, and what a terrific adventure!

Thank You J.B. and the Tahlequah Fire Department! Keep up the good work!