These days, due in large part to the digitally-focused nature of our world, the nanny kids in our lives are being exposed to a lot more international news, politics, and world events.
There are some clear pros and cons to interacting with so much information in childhood. As caretakers, reading with our nanny kids is a fantastic way to inform and inspire our charges to be compassionate citizens in an age-appropriate manner.
As with all important conversations, we strongly recommend that any nanny or child care professional approach the parents prior to sharing any new information with the kids. Each family will have different beliefs and political leanings and you need to tread carefully when it comes to introducing any new concepts or educational ideas. The most important thing is to respect the family you are working for and as you get to know them, you’ll be better able to intuit what topics would interest them and their children, and what you can do to be a supportive part of that.
Dolores Huerta: A Hero to Migrant Workers
Dolores Huerta was a dedicated teacher who couldn’t figure out why her students were so hungry that they couldn’t learn, and why many of them didn’t even have shoes to wear to school. She learned that migrant workers work long hours for unlivable wages, but when she confronted their bosses, they ignored her. Huerta refused to ignore the situation: she not only encouraged the workers to strike but also convinced customers to boycott grapes until the workers were treated fairly. This compelling picture book biography captures the determination and courage of the woman who devoted decades of her life to fighting for workers’ rights. This wonderful book will give your nanny kids an eye-opening firsthand account of where their food comes from, and how they can stand up for others in difficult situations.
Child of the Civil Rights Movement
Paula Young Shelton was the daughter of Civil Rights activist Andrew Young and she grew up when everyone she knew was dedicated to the fight for equality. Even young people knew the injustice of segregation and in the book, the author recalls crying loudly when owners of a restaurant refused to seat her family in “my very first protest, my own little sit-in.” As she grew, her understanding of her father’s cause grew, until it became her own and she too marched from Selma to Montgomery. In this unique child’s eye view of the Civil Rights struggle, Shelton balances straightforward vulnerability about the difficulties her father and his friends faced with a sense of the unending hope that drove them forward. This book will offer your nanny kids a beautiful perspective on how they can impact the world, even as children!
Mother Jones was already a passionate labor reformer when she decided to take on a huge problem: child labor. At strikes for cotton mill workers, Jones met children as young as eight who were already working twelve hours a day, six days a week. Mother Jones strongly believed that kids should be allowed to enjoy their childhood, without the pressures of a full-time work schedule. In an effort to alert the public at large to the need to end child labor, Mother Jones organized an enormous march made up of children, straight to President Theodore Roosevelt’s home in Oyster Bay. This book about the crusade for children’s rights will open the eyes of your nanny kids and show them how important civil rights are for everyone.
Around America to Win the Vote: Two Suffragists, A Kitten, and 10,000 Miles
Nell Richardson + Alice Burke wanted to convince America to support equal voting rights for women so, in April 1916, they set out from New York to tell people in person. In a small yellow car, carrying vital supplies like a typewriter, a sewing machine, and a little black kitten, they drove all over the country, 10,000 miles in all. At every stop, they shared the suffragists’ cause despite their political opponents, not mention all of the car trouble! In honor of the 100th anniversary of their monumental American tour, author Mara Rockliff and illustrator Hadley Hooper made an inspiring and engaging book that will teach your nanny kids all about the importance of equal voting rights.
Rad Women Worldwide: Artists and Athletes, Pirates and Punks, and Other Revolutionaries Who Shaped History
This gorgeous book is an uplifting collection of 40 biographical profiles of women who bravely and compassionately challenged the systems of oppression in their environments. This book features history-makers as diverse as Hatshepsut, the Egyptian pharaoh who ruled for two decades; Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani girls’ rights activist; and Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft, the first women to cross Antarctica. Each profile is educational, eye-opening and will be fascinating for your older nanny kids.
h/t A Mighty Girl
What are some of your favorite books to inspire and educate your nanny kids about world events both past and current, in an age-appropriate way?
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