Remembering September 11th

This collaboration with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) brings remembrance and early childhood education together at a pivotal moment: the 25 year anniversary of September 11th.

Introduction

The Remembering September 11th resource was created to support educators and families of children ages 5-8 who want to introduce this historic event in a developmentally-appropriate way.

The Series

What words come to mind when you think of September 11th? With input from first responders, teachers, parents, and children, the five words in this series - ANNIVERSARY, EMERGENCY, HERO, MEMORY, and SERVICE - are the organizational framework for this series.

You are encouraged to engage with this series in the intentional sequence below, starting with ANNIVERSARY and ending with SERVICE, as each concept builds upon the previous one.

The accompanying guides for teachers and families provide further context to support engagement at school and at home.

How should we react in an emergency?

OOPA and EMT Chief Cheryl discuss how emergencies make them feel and how they respond by remaining calm, listening to information, and asking for help.

How can we keep a memory?

OOPA and Fire Chief Sal discuss the importance of memories in helping us feel connected to a person, place or object that may no longer be around.

Why do we remember an anniversary?

OOPA and Ms. Erin discuss why we mark all kinds of anniversaries - important events that may be happy or sad - on calendars to help us remember.

What makes someone a hero?

OOPA and 11-year-old Piper discuss what makes someone a hero, like the firefighters during September 11th, and a friend who always does the right thing even when it’s hard.

How can we serve our community?

OOPA, Don, and Elisabetta discuss various ways to serve the community on September 11th, and on any other day.

The power of collaboration

Together, The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and NaliniKIDS have partnered to offer this groundbreaking new resource. We connected with teachers, families, children, first responders, and psychologists, and saw an opportunity to do this through careful language choice, relatable stories children can understand, and physical connection through movement.

Learn more about the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation >

Learn more about NaliniKIDS and the early childhood program, OOPA'S World of Words >

This project is made possible by the generous financial support from President and CEO, Liz Paintiff, and the Turtle Plastics Foundation. The Turtle Plastics Foundation is a broad-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to advocate, create, support, and promote educational, environmental, health, and safety initiatives worldwide.

Lean more at turtleplastics.com/foundation