Cardboard Storyboard – Explaining the haze to little children

Learning about the haze and re-telling a story with story board.

“Mommy, why can’t we go out and play?”
I kept the kids at home for most of the past weekend as the haze was bad (above PSI 300). I did what I thought was the best for the kids. The kids however, didn’t quite understand what was going on – after all, they have not experienced such high PSI since they were born.

Me: Well Darlings, we can’t go out today ‘cos it’s hazy outside.
Jiejie: What is hazy?

Meimei was looking at us blankly

Me: You see the blur outside? *pointing to the window*

The kids ran over to the window and looked outside.

Jiejie: No *puzzled*
Meimei: NO *parroting her sister, confidently*

Wondering if I used the wrong description…

Me: I mean, you can’t see those further away blocks clearly, right?
Jiejie: Ooo!
Meimei: OOOO! *echoing her sister*
Jiejie: Why liddat?
Me: It’s the haze. Dirty air covering those blocks from our sight.

By now, I can see questions marks popping out all over their heads.

To help the kids understand the haze better, I made a little story board for them.
Using old cardboard, I cut out little shapes of tree trunks, green canopy and fire then got the kids to help painting them. I explained to them what is haze and how it came about with the storyboard then got the kids to re-tell the story.

movable cut-outs and cotton wool haze
Rearranging the items on the board as the story goes.

Disclaimer: The conversation didn’t occur, I put it together in my imagination. ;p
I’d keep the kids busy before they could ask anything (much) and assume they understood what they need to know (as they didn’t ask much about the haze) after our little “craft and tell” story time. ;D

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