I recently had an article published in our local newspaper and my husband was so proud he asked almost everyone he came in contact with if they had read my article.  We were both surprised at how many people do not read the local newspaper- or any newspaper at all.  This peaked my interest in how many people, especially young people, know what is going on in the world.  Having three young children myself, I also started thinking of ways that we can incorporate current events into our everyday learning and life.

Obviously, there are many events happening in the world that our children are too young to comprehend (or events that we do not want them to know about yet), but there are lots of activities that we can do to make them aware of the world and what is happening.  In addition, reading the newspaper can turn into a lesson not only about current events, it can incorporate math, reading, language, and geography skills as well!

Some example of activities to help you and your students make sense of current events include:

• Preserve the Headlines!  A couple years ago, my mom was cleaning out her closets and gave me a huge box full of newspaper articles from major events in history.  There were headlines about the death of JFK right up to September 11, 2001- she had kept them all.  Now that we have the advantage of technology, we no longer need to keep boxes full of newspapers, however there may be some newspaper articles we want to preserve.  For example, my niece gave me a precious gift this summer.  It was a story that I had written in the 4^th grade (long before she was even born) that was published in the newspaper.  Her dad had saved it and she found it and had it framed for me.

To preserve newspaper, dissolve one tablet of milk of magnesia in a quart of water and let stand overnight.  Pour into a flat baking pan large enough for the newspaper clipping(s).  Place the clipping(s) in the solution until they are completely covered with the liquid.  Let soak for one hour.  Remove from solution and pat dry.  They will remain crisp and like new for a very long time!  This is also a science experiment: why does the solution preserve the newspaper?  Acid is what makes newspapers turn yellow.  The magnesium carbide in the mixture neutralizes the acid in the paper preventing it from yellowing.

• Map the Headlines!  Keep a map of your community, state, country, or the world in a prominent place.  Read about current events in that area and pin the story to the location it took place.

• Hunt for Headlines!  Have a scavenger hunt and give your student(s) a list of things to find on the front page of the newspaper.  For example, ask him or her to look for as many adjectives, nouns, numbers, etc. as he or she can find.  Or have your student(s) search for particular stories throughout the entire newspaper. 

• Graph the Headlines!  Have your student create a bar graph, line graph, or other type of graph to record facts they learn from a news article or story.

• Match the Headlines!  Cut out 5-6 news articles and their headlines.  Separate the headline from the news article and have your student match the correct headline to the article.

• Collect the Headlines!  One summer, our family started an animal scrapbook using photos from the newspaper only.  It was a challenge, but each day our girls were excited to scan through the newspaper to try and find a new animal for their collection.  This activity is great for very young children.

• Divide the Headlines!  Create a folder or bulletin board divided into three categories: local, national, and international.  Have your student read articles and then place them in the category they belong.

• Rewrite the Headlines!  Have your student read a news article and write his or her own headline for the article.

• Weather the Headlines!  Follow and chart the daily weather for your own area or another region of the world for a set period of time.  If charting a different region, compare the weather to home.

Katie Kubesh is co-owner and writer/researcher for In the Hands of a Child.  Recognizing that hands-on projects are essential to the learning experience, In the Hands of a Child has created Project Packs that go beyond the hands-on aspect.   They have taken the preparation time out of the parent/teacher job description with Complete Ready to Assemble Lapbook-style units that are available in Ebook, Printed Book, and CD formats.    Please visit their website at www.handsofachild.com.

©2008 Katie Kubesh