to think that my 5 year old doesn't need to learn about Remembrance Day?

[RedDenmanBrush]

DD has been painting lots of pictures of poppies. They have a 'poppy play' area in class this week with toy soldiers. They have also watched a video about a rabbit in a field of poppies.

I think this is really.... off. I don't think it should be diluted into paint and sparkles. I think it is too important for that

Oh and the film about a rabbit in a field was actually a cbbc short film about rememberance showing a ww1battlefield through the eyes of animals.
I think that is a perfect way for 5 yo to start learning about rememberance.

Thats your view Itsall and thats fine.
However I do not share your view of the poppy.

The video about a rabbit is Poppies, done by the BBC to show on CBeebies and CBBC on Remembrance Day - it is very beautifully done. I can't find a link to the actual video - but this is a short film about how and why they made it.

At that age, I would just expect the children to learn that in November we wear poppies (and of course what a poppy looks like!)

It's about familiarisation. Each year they'll learn a little more.

I agree with you OP, my kids were told from age 4 what they signify. They know people died and why in age appropriate terms.

I work in Reception and disagree with your title; DCs should be encouraged to learn about Remembrance in an age-appropriate manner. For some it's something they learn about at home; DS2 is 5 and knows pretty much exactly what it is and why we remember; he'll be on parade with his Beavers troop this Sunday and take part in the church service with his school on Friday morning. For some children the celebration and acknowledgement through school will be the only act of Remembrance they see and take part in this year. I firmly believe all children can acknowledge this without it being seen as 'prettying' up an important part of history.

DS1 is 11 and studied WW2 in great detail last term. Some of it was quite difficult for him; particularly learning about children and families in concentration camps. Again, though, I think it's important that children learn and understand what it is to remember. Schools can't keep everyone happy, they can't please every parent. They have to try and incorporate so many topics over a year that some won't please parents. That's just how it is.

OP, I think the problem is the way you've worded the title of your post. Your actual post is quite different from the sentiment of the title and I think a lot of people are just responding to the title rather than reading what you mean as written in your OP.

Reckon you should ask MMHQ to edit the post if poss to garner a proper discussion.

They're constantly knocking off millions of us and then building memorials to those they've essentially murdered....

YABU

My nan is still alive who was 8 when ww2 started and was evacuated, shes told my ds a lot about WW2 , and taught him a game she played in the airraid shelters , hes very privilged in a way to have that frame of reference. I think they are trying to get drip,drip effect of rememberance day to children until they are old enough.

There's nothing to stop you, OP, teaching her more about the poppies and why they are all around at this time of year.

The school is teaching them in an age appropriate way but parents can take that further if they wish to. Parents know their children much better than a school can and have only one child to explain to not 30.

Oh that rabbit film is just so beautifully done. Really super. BBC at its finest, commissioning things like that. Thanks for reminder, going to check if it is on again this year and record it.

How much of this is coming from the word of your 5 year old about what she's been doing at school?

They do have a tendency to focus on the bits that appeal to them e.g. paint and rabbits, leaving out the other details.

I think it's important for young children to learn about Rememberance in an age appriopiate way, that doesn't shy away too much from the fact that we are remembering people who died along time ago.

I am not sure I would be keen on the toy soldiers as war is not a game. I have no problem with small people painting poppies and holding a minute silence.

Are you uncomfortable about a small child learning about death and the horror of war?

You are right. Remembrance is fetishised and cheapened.

Surely if the children are painting pictures and the poppy is introduced to them in this way... then when they see people wearing them, it will prompt questions, discussion etc. It creates an opportunity to open up a dialogue - be that with parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles - whoever. It's not disrespectful... it's about an age-appropriate way to get the kids thinking about it. Why not talk about what the child has been doing at school and then have a simple age-appropriate discussion about what it means? I was told about the wars very young... I don't remember a time when I didn't know about them or understand to SOME degree. It's not just up to the teachers to explain it either; we would do projects related to the war when we were at school - and then go home and ask parents and grandparents about it - it encouraged us to ask about it and have those conversations at home which to my mind is better than coming from a teacher.

YABVvU it part of the history of our country, and continuing the rememberence.

OP I totally understood your title, and YANBU. There's teaching in an age-appropriate manner, and then there's teaching things which aren't and cannot be age-appropriate to a 5 year-old. Better to wait a couple of years until it can be explained properly than just say 'Yeah, we wear poppies, it's cultural' or dumb it down to the point that it's pointless. And yes, I'm certainly uncomfortable about a child that small learning about the horror of war.

I'm wondering what was actually said to the kids? Do you know for sure that all they did was glitter and paint? Or have they talked about soldiers, and painted pictures to link in with it but in the excitement of telling you about her day she's left out the bit she didn't think was important, and included the bit she enjoyed? Doesn't mean she hasn't heard it, just that at this stage it's not something she chose to pass on.
I wouldn't be surprised if she said something in a few weeks. Something else triggers it, or she just has had the time to process it and so can start to talk about it.

Why can't it be age appropriate for a a 5 year old though? You don't need to go into the horrors of war. Just 'soldiers have been to war and so we remember them by wearing poppies.'

Our school did it as part of the Yr2 subject on learning about WW2.

Over the term they basically went through a much shortened timeline of the war.. so did the whole evacuee, ration books, women's land army, visited the RAF museum which has a WW2 display, then had their own VE/VJ day street party and then also covered Remembrance Day and what it symbolises.

It was done very tastefully and in an age appropriate manner for children aged 6/7

In some ways learning at an age appropriate level early stops children from being hit by the full and very disturbing reality of war later in one go.

My DD covered Remembrance Day in reception last year and coming back to it in year 1 she remembers why we have a poppy and we have discussed the silence again. The only problem last year was that the learnt about Remembrance Day and Diwali at the same time and got a bit confused about which was which.

I think 5 year old are perfectly capable of learning about the horrors of war - they are very matter of fact. I wouldn't show them rotting bodies in shell holes, but there is nothing wrong with telling them that millions of people dies across lots of countries; men, women and children, and that people are still dying in wars across the world today.

Aggressive insistence at remembrance and the wearing of poppies is a recent thing - probably post 2001 and the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Before then you were pretty much left to your own devices unless you were Michael Foot and wore what the Sun deliberately falsely described as a donkey jacket - actually a rather smart and expensive Loden coat plus a poppy - to the Cenotaph. Then you were crucified as disrespecting Our Boys.