Growing up my knowledge of current events came from the 6:30 evening news, complete with commentary from family members. For my kids it’s different. They see headlines when they log in to their computers and phones, they get snippets from school assignments and they see television news every once in a while, if they’re in the room while I’m watching.
This means I have to be deliberate with conversations. Usually this is easy, but lately the news has been overwhelming, so I researched resources to help. Here’s some I found:
This article from Psychology Today covers the basics for talking about current events, and news, especially the uncomfortable topics we wish we didn’t have to talk about – racism, murder, child abuse, pandemics, etc.
The New York Times’ The Learning Network was the best site I found for discussing current events. They offer resources in the form of lesson plans, which help facilitate honest conversations in an age-appropriate way.
Time For KIDS is free through July and is a close second for information. They break down by grade (K-6) and cover topics like fun science experiments, the history of pandemics, and finance. The May issue of their finance feature has an article “Answering Questions About COVID-19 and the Economy.” It explains businesses closing, opening, and unemployment insurance.
KidsPost by Washington Post covers news, but they shine with their features and fun activities. There are contests
Teen Kids News is an international 1/2 hour weekly program with teens as reporters. They cover everything from Schools & Careers, to Entertainment, Health, Fun Facts and Sports.
Other sites worth mentioning:
DOGO News. This site comes highly regarded for good reason. News is segmented by current events, school subjects, fun and sports. With headlines like “The Sahara Desert Was Once Home To Earth’s Most Vicious Dinosaurs” you can see the appeal for kids/teens.
NBC News Learn. This is set up as a resource for classrooms, but you can make it work with your homeschool, too.
Good luck with your conversations! I salute your desire to raise knowledgeable, kind and civic-minded ladies.
Towanda
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