If ever there is a time to keep our media literacy skills front and center, it’s after a national disaster. Adults need to regulate and monitor what children see and, more importantly, adults need to remember that children see and hear a lot more than we sometimes think.
Check out the blog posting Protecting Children From the Media’s Storm Coverage. Written by K.J. Dell’Antonia, the New York Times Motherlode blogger, the November 2, 2012 article focuses on the need to limit children’s exposure to storm-related media coverage.
The Motherlode article directs readers to a two-page document that offers even more information about protecting children from prolonged traumatic event coverage — a free PDF available from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene website. The two-page article, Protecting Children from Disturbing Media Reports During Traumatic Events, offers tips for parents and caregivers, going into detail about what children understand at each age level.
Mashable’s blog shares information about Sesame Street’s hurricane episodes. Just like every other Sesame Street story, it’s busy, loud, and chock-full of helpful, non-scary information. You can watch all of the hurricane episodes at the Sesame Street website as well as look over the information in the Sesame Street Hurricane Kit.
You may also want to read Talking to Kids About Hurricane Sandy, a short article at the Common Sense Media website.
Consider reading my two other posts on media literacy, kids, and Hurricane Sandy — 7 Questions to Ask Before Sharing Hurricane Sandy Media With Kids and Hurricane Sandy: Finding Reliable Resources that Help you Learn as Well as Look
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