Life and Death

Last week we had eight duck eggs delivered to our kindergarten which we anticipated would hatch in to cute fluffy ducklings. Well, they didn't hatch, not even one. Some children were more observant and inquizative and asked the question why they didn't hatch. We used this opportunity to talk about the lifecycle of ducks and briefly touched on the subject of life and death which brought up quite a few questions from the children.
I am often asked about how to handle and talk about this delicate topic with young children; being factual and honest and keeping in mind that you only need to tell them as much as they need to know. The following is a list of books that have been recommended on the subject:

• When Bad Things Happen- A guide to help kids cope written by Ted O'Neal
• Tough Boris written by Mem Fox 
• When someone very special dies written by Marge Heegaard
• Love Never Stops: A memory book for Children written by Emilio Parga
• Jim's Dog Muffins written by Miriam Cohen