Open Discussion Forum

  • 1.  Guns

    Posted 12-16-2019 02:51 PM
    We have a pretty large group of boys in our Pre-K class that like to pretend they are playing with guns.  We try to redirect them to do something else, and tell them that we can't play with guns at school.   I'm wondering if anyone has any resources for a lesson we could do on guns with our Pre-K class that would be at a developmentally appropriate level.

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    Elizabeth Weller
    Director
    Park Place Children's Center
    Anderson IN
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  • 2.  RE: Guns

    This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
    Posted 12-16-2019 06:07 PM
    This post was removed


  • 3.  RE: Guns

    Posted 12-17-2019 11:56 AM
    ​Hello Elizabeth,
    Before going to Early Head Start, I taught in a Head Start classroom for about 5 years.  Being from Alaska, most families have guns in their home and children see and know what they are.  The way we handled this dramatic play scenario, when it would arise, (children naturally want to act out scenarios they see to try and make sense of them), we would talk to the children about gun safety.  What I mean when I say "gun safety" is: You may point your "gun" at trees, (or other non human targets) and pretend you are hunting.  We also talk about the fact that although it is ok to pretend to hunt (using hands or a stick), it is not safe to pick up a real gun at home or anywhere, that is for adults only.  We also go in to the whole discussion of hunting and if we do shoot an animal, we need to then harvest it and eat it.  If we are not going to eat it, we do not shoot it. 

    There are so many learning opportunities for children around guns/hunting that I think we would be doing our children a disservice by always shutting down this type of play.  We know as educators that children learn through play, what better way to allow children to discover that guns are not "bad" or "scary" but that they serve a purpose and there are safe and correct ways to use them, especially when they see them in their own homes.

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    Kari Pralle
    Kenaitze Indian Tribe
    Kenai AK
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  • 4.  RE: Guns

    Posted 12-19-2019 11:18 PM

    Thank you for this topic and Kari for your response! This comes up all the time for me. With preschoolers who make pretend guns or play with guns I have started to ask more questions before laying down the law. "What does your gun shoot?" is often very interesting as they will say "monsters" or that their gun shoots out meatballs or that they are shooting to try to stop something that was an obstacle or harmful to others. I also ask "How can you be safe with your gun?" Thank you Kari for giving me more pointers to come back to regarding the safety question.



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    Tracy Harrison
    Nanny
    Seattle WA
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  • 5.  RE: Guns

    Posted 12-20-2019 06:39 AM
    Thank you both.  These are all great points to consider.  I know one of our boys has a father who does a lot of hunting.  We've had a lot of conversations about why Daddy uses guns.  Thanks for the insight!

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    Elizabeth Weller
    Director
    Park Place Children's Center
    Anderson IN
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