9/11, Patriot Day

I have put a lot of thought into how I would teach my children about what happened on this day 12 years ago. Most of them weren't even born. The others were too little to remember. I have talked with my children, many times, about our country's history and that includes the events that took place on September 11, 2001. I remember exactly where I was, what I was doing and even what I was wearing. I want my children to gain something from what happened. This year I have decided to do a few things to help them understand what happened and to help them keep the families and victims in their minds, hearts and prayers. 

For my older children, I printed off some notebooking pages. We are using one dedicated to the heroes (write about why they are heroes and why we are thankful for them), one with the NY skyline (write a summary about what happened, how they can help their country become stronger and what they have learned from the actions of others on that day), and one with our national anthem (write about the freedoms they are thankful for). 

We are going to be watching this video from BrainPop. It explains what happens without being too scary or graphic. I would watch it first to be sure it's right for your family. After watching the video, we will do some of the activities that can be found at the end of the video. I am also going to be pointing out how much people helped and loved each other even though they were strangers and how our country turned to God for comfort and help. I will be focusing on how we can rise from our trials and from the evil of the world and find strength in doing what is right and serving others. 

For my younger children, I will be explaining what happened in a very child friendly way. I want them to know the basics of what happened and about the heroes of that day and the months that followed. I will be giving them this coloring page and talking about the heroes in our lives and how they make us feel. I want my little ones to feel safe so I will only be going over the events lightly. I want them to focus on the heroes that came out of that terrible day. 

We started our day with a little devotional. We watched this video and  this video put our flag out and said the pledge and a prayer.

I have also challenged every member of my family to do an act of service for someone every day and report on it at dinner. I want them to know that they can change the world with their actions of love. What a better day to start this tradition than this one. I hope you can find a way to share your feelings about this day with your children. Don't ever forget what happened. Let's teach our kids to be amazing citizens of this great country and that we can rise from tragedies and trials stronger, more faithful and with a great determination to be more like Christ.