It all started with the shifting of a box in the pantry. Suddenly there was a hissing noise and a cloud of “dust.” It quickly took over the pantry and kitchen and slowly spread into the living room and dining room. My first thought was “Oh my gosh! What is this?” Then it dawned on me, it was the fire extinguisher that hadn’t been mounted on the wall yet. Apparently, when I moved the box, it pushed the extinguisher under the table that the microwave is on, which in turn pushed the trigger on the fire extinguisher. (Note to readers: be sure to check your fire extinguishers for the safety pin. If there isn’t one, a wire hanger twisted a couple time will help.)
Being that the cloud was very noticeable, Jonathan quickly ran to the front door, hand on knob, asking what it was. When I told him it was okay, it was just the extinguisher, he came to the kitchen doorway to survey the “damages.” When it finally settled, everything in the pantry was covered in half an inch of fine powder, the kitchen had about a quarter of an inch, and the other two rooms had a light dusting on the floors. I grabbed my duster and Jonathan grabbed the broom. The learning experience started at the beginning of the incident, but this is where the discussion started.
We had an entire fire safety lesson without a plan. We discussed how the fire extinguisher was supposed to have a safety pin, and how it was possible for it to go off when it got pushed under the table. We talked about why you should not use water, and instead, use a fire extinguisher for some fires. We talked about what a fire needed to burn, and how the fire extinguisher would work to put out the fire. We went over our safety plan in case of a fire. Which led to a discussion on smoke detectors and how they work. He then went around and checked all of our smoke detectors in the house (he was holding the broom after all, so he was sure it was his job).
A lot of people would not have used this as an educational moment. They would have been very angry, frustrated and annoyed with the situation. If the children came into the room they would have yelled at them and kicked them out. This was a great situation to turn into a an educational moment because it was so off the wall and is one of those once in a lifetime things (hopefully).