Halloween has come to an end and for the brief few days leading up to November 11th, we’ll pepper in some Remembrance Day education. It seems fitting to me in this time of darker days, blustery weather, and the thinning veil, we take a somber moment to remember. Here’s a list of resources you can use to engage and educate your children about why we observe Remembrance Day each year.
The Memory Project has a wealth of information and photographs, including collections on (oft-overlooked) Black Canadian Veterans and Indigenous Veterans (amongst others).
The Canadian War Museum has a lots of great facts on their website. It’s not set up for younger children (very wordy) but it’s a great resource for parents to review or find the information they’re looking for when lesson planning or older kids doing projects.
Veterans Affairs has a Student Portal where you can find a variety of information, stories, and resources for kids of all ages and their parents/teachers. (link to the Educator Portal)
The Legion has a Youth & Remembrance portal including a teaching guide (perfect for loading on a tablet and pursuing together as a family) and a list of activities for different ages.
CBCKids is sharing ‘8 Things You Can Do For Remembrance Day’ which includes a little list of kids books on the topic. (see also: Remembrance Day-18,000,000 Poppies and more interesting facts, and Remembrance Day Quiz)
CBCKids News has a variety of articles geared towards the tween set. There are a few older ones and I’m sure there will be some new ones in the coming week. I like this website because it broaches the gap between no news and too much news for that age group. The articles cover many different topics and encourages great conversations between kids and parents.
Historica Canada has great Teacher planned lessons that include resource lists and corresponding Heritage Minutes at the bottom of each.
Of course, for the younger set, crafts are going to be your best bet. Pinterest is the easiest/fasted way to find all the crafts and activities you’ll ever need to engage your students and promote learning.
Regardless of your feelings about war or the military, it’s important to recognise that the focus here is people. Lives lost or forever changed. From the soldiers, to the nurses, to the families left behind. We aren’t bowing our heads in silence for the buildings destroyed, or victories lost or won. We’re taking a moment to remember the very real people that served their country, their families, and their fellow humans in a time of utter turmoil. We’re just taking a moment to pour our collective energy into this world and hopefully learn from our past to help us make a better future.
Lest We Forget
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