Current Events for Little Ones? Ideas/help please

[Uff Da!]

Next year, I'll have a preschooler and one in kindergarten. I want to do something weekly that is gentle and fun to start introducing them to current events. I've been thinking about what I want to teach them and, if I don't make a habit of somehow including current events into our lives, I could easily have teenagers that don't know what has happened in their lifetimes. We've spent the last year studying world geography through hands on activities and read a louds. I think current events could be a gentle way to review, use and expand what they've learned. The events would obviously be appropriate for little ones. Any ideas on how or resources? (I've thought of printing a picture heavy, one page newspaper for Sunday morning utilizing information from Nat. Geographic's site.)

[KristenR]

I remember being a kid and reading our weeklyScholastic News. I felt like such a grown up with my own newspaper. I just checked their site and looks like their "current events" newspaper is geared for grades 2+. The First grade one is more of a cross-curricular high-interest nonfiction.

 

Edited to add-- just dawned on me that these are only available in bulk. Maybe there is a way to contact them and see if they have a homeschooling option. Or maybe get some friends to go in on a deal together.

Edited July 7, 2012 by KristenR

[Tarreymere]

We just start our day with our regular newspaper. We go over the day, the date, the weather, and that kind of thing first from the very beginning of preschool to get them used to those concepts and used to reading the newspaper first thing in the morning. With the younger kids I have them point out letters in the headline or I pick out some photos to talk about with them as well. I'll mention upcoming interesting event like a fall festival or whatever so that they get to know that the newspaper is a good way to find out about that kind of thing.

 

As they get older I pick out one or two stories or articles to go over with them, usually something local but if there is something interesting internationally that isn't about violence or war we'll go over that too and make a point of looking up the location of the event. Later, the first part of the paper they start to read on their own is the funnies.

 

I've had great success with this, all of my kids read the newspaper daily on their own except my youngest who is only five, and even the five year old knows that the newspaper is something interesting.

[my2boysteacher]

We love Gods World news. They have different age levels including one for preschool/kindergarten.

http://www.gwnews.com/

[fourisenough]

My girls love receiving Time For Kids. I believe they have a K-1 edition that would probably work for your children. If you go to their website, I believe you can request free sample issues for preview. My older girls have moved on to enjoy CNN Student News. They watch it daily during or after breakfast. They know more about what is going on in the world than most adults!

[Uff Da!]

Thank you for the suggestions! It's very helpful to hear how and what other families have done. You given me some good options to chose from.

[SkateLeft]

There's also Happy News which just posts positive news stories.

 

I found that my young kids picked up plenty of what was going on in the world, just by being around adults that talk about these things, so I didn't need to do anything formal for current events when they were little. Now, my teens usually know about world events before I do! :)

[bpskowski]

Edited to add-- just dawned on me that these are only available in bulk. Maybe there is a way to contact them and see if they have a homeschooling option. Or maybe get some friends to go in on a deal together.

 

I contacted them and you can order single copies. I inquired about 3rd Grade News. It's $5.35 for 24 issues (weekly) or $8.95 for Teacher's edition accompanied by a child's edition. Teacher's edition has lesson plans and answer keys.