Natural Disasters

It seems that more and more often we turn on the news and hear about some natural disaster that is affecting people around the world. I think that it is important that we take the time to inform our students about these, so that they can become more scientifically literate and compassionate individuals. I teach Kindergarten, so I would really have to be careful about how I go about informing them about the natural disasters, because I do not want to frighten them. When the earthquake hit in Haiti I talked to my students about it. I shared with them that my cousin was there when it happened and that she was helping the children there. They were a little worried, and they had some questions about what an earthquake was, so I did my best to help them understand the basic concepts. They decided that they wanted to collect items to send to my cousin in Haiti, so that she could give things to the children in the orphanage. I was very proud that they wanted to do that and my cousin was also very grateful. That showed me that they were thinking about what other people needed more than what they needed. AS I said earlier I think that it is important that my students are informed about these natural disasters, but I would be careful about the amount information that I share with them due to there young age.