Mom Heart Resources #7: A More Gentle 9/11

At our last Mom Heart group, we spoke about 9/11 and how to introduce the topic in a reasonable and safe way to our children.  I strongly believe that books are a far superior medium than television images to introduce hard topics to youngsters.  A child has no control over the images that a screen places in their minds, while a book gives their own imagination a chance to tone it down and make the scary event much less fearful.  There were a few books mentioned that are gentle and focus on the heroes of the day rather than the fear.  I will be using these with my own children.

The Little Chapel that Stood is about the chapel very close to the Twin Towers that survived the attacks and then served as a center of respite for the officers, firefighters and volunteers that served at Ground Zero for weeks afterwards.  A sweet focus of an awful tragedy.

The Man in the Red Bandanna is a biography of one hero of 9/11 that helped many people escape down the stairs to safety.  It was written by the main character's sister.  May bring tears to your eyes, but is a lovely example of heroism and courage for your children.

Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harveyis a book about an old firefighting boat that came back into service the day of the attacks.  A different viewpoint of the day, again providing a hero for your children to admire and focus on.

Other Topics

And of course, we can never get enough Shakespeare.  Illustrated Stories from Shakespeare has fun illustrations and easy to read stories to introduce children to the storylines of some of Shakespeare's most famous works.

This picture book of A Midsummer Night's Dreamis a beautifully illustrated version of one of the most fun Shakespeare plays.  It is no longer available new, but is worth tracking down used.  

We have moved onto the Civil War Era in my home and this book, Famous Figures of the Civil Waris a fun way to bring some crafting to your study of history.  These figures are made to be cut out and attached together with mini brads, making a movable paper doll of sorts.  We use them for posters and/or our timeline.  I could see some children making puppets as well and acting out scenes from history.  Each person comes in a color version as well as a line drawing that can be colored in by your children.  Such fun!

And for one last fun link, MindWare Pattern Playis a wonderful game that a child can play with on his own.  It comes with many cards of different patterns that are a challenge to reproduce.  A great way to bring some logical, spatial thinking to your child in a very fun way.  This game served us for many years and is still a draw.