Resources for Teaching about 9/11

My daughter came home the other day talking about 9/11, which is something we’ve never really talked about at home, but is of course a big part of recent American history and something kids do need to learn about.

Whether you want to talk to your kids at home or in the classroom about the events of Sept. 11, 2001, there are a lot of great resources to help.

In my daughter’s classroom they were using a Scholastic reader, a Scholastic has a good collection of resources and lesson plans, including book lists, videos and first-person accounts, all organized by grade level.

The National September 11 Memorial and Museum also has 9/11 lesson plans arranged by grade level. The lessons for my daughter’s age (fourth grade) for instance include reading and discussing a book, talking about how kids grieve, important buildings, planning for emergencies, stories of heroes and different ways the event and people lost have been memorialized.

Add a craft by having kids make cards for first responders or make art responding to what they have learned.

It’s a heavy anniversary that holds so many important lessons for our kids. Do you talk about 9/11 with your kids? I’d love to hear what you’ve done in the past.

[Photo: National September 11 Memorial and Museum]

Looking for more Memorial day resources? Check these Memorial Day Books for Kids out.

A few years ago I shared some pumpkin themed sensory activities for kids, but I wanted to get a little more general and do some fall sensory ideas that can take you from Halloween al the way to Thanksgiving.

Playdough is a classic sensory activity, especially if kids can help make it, too. These playdough recipes from The Montessori Twin Mama are fall colored and scented with cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and apple pie spice (I honestly don’t know what the difference is!). Or try this fun maple playdough from Happy Toddler Playtime.

Throw together some cookie cutters, googly eyes and other fun things to make an easy fall playdough tray (similar to what I did on this Halloween playdough activity).

How about some fall themed slime? Natural Beach Living gave a basic slime recipe a fall twist with food coloring and glitter. Leaf shaped sequins make it even more fun. Little Bins for Little Hands also has a cinnamon slime, which is great for fall but can also carry you all the way through Christmas.

Raising Wild Things Sensory has some great easy to make fall themed sensory bottles, which you can add fall things to, or pompoms or whatever kind of I spy items you might want to include. They also have a fun apple moon sand sensory bin that has me wondering if you could add something scented to moon sand (I always hated the smell!).

And of course there are all kinds of sensory bins you can make for fall. I like this apple picking one from Happy Toddler Playtime that uses fake leaves and little apple toys. It has the added challenge of trying to pick the apples up through a mesh of branches — kind of like a low-tech game of Operation!

You can also do a short-lived sensory bin with real leaves, or use any kind of beans, brown rice, oats or lentils to make your base. Some more great ideas can be found at Fab Everyday. Their post includes some specific Halloween and Thanksgiving themed sensory bins, too.

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