The thing about hurricanes is how SLOW they are. We watch weather forecasts for days and days wondering if a newly formed storm in the Atlantic will hit us. Wondering what will happen if it does- will it be like 2003’s Hurricane Isabel here in Richmond? Or Hurricane Irene of 2011? How long will we be without power? Will a tree fall nearby?

You can imagine that all this build-up is not lost on the youngest children in our lives. They overhear the news in the car; listen closely as we plan with our partners what to buy and when; we comment on how long the grocery stores lines are when frantically shopping before an imminent impact.

The Tuesday before the possible Friday impact of the recent Hurricane Florence was our first clue in the Oak Room that our students were processing this future event. One child arrived in our hallway talking about a hurricane coming to her house on Friday. As part of our way of supporting children’s emotional lives here at Sabot, we often provide space to talk about difficult topics- if it comes from the children. So Shannon and I decided that we would leave some time in our morning meeting for people to share anything they wanted. And Hurricane Florence certainly came up.

Many children had a lot to share about hurricanes (and eventually tornadoes). Here is some of our documentation from that morning meeting:

We bought soup. Hurricanes bring rain, wind, and lots of water. -Ezra age 5

They make a stream around the world! -Cal age 4.9

Houses get knocked down. – Charlotte W age 4.9

Carlin (age 4.11) described seeing the hurricane from outer space on TV. It spins and is big. It covers Virginia! 

Wind knocks trees into houses and cars and humans. -Calvin age 5

When one child (age 4.11) mentioned tornadoes sucking people up into them, we steered the conversation around what our students know for sure: is this statement true? What exactly are tornadoes? And what are the differences between tornadoes and hurricanes? Carlin knew that one of them had an “eye” but not much more was offered by anyone. The conversation became confusing and disorganized.

At this point our morning meeting needed to wind down- people were restless and some were anxious. A few people wondered, do my parents know about this hurricane? Will it come to my house? We suggested that children draw their thoughts or worries. This process is an active way to sort out feelings; make them visible to others. After all, the children’s questions were impossible for us to answer honestly and satisfactorily. They needed a way to explore their own thinking and to vent their big emotions.

We know as teacher researchers that providing more information to children is not always the cure-all to their anxious feelings. But in this instance we were quick to discredit any untruths about hurricanes and tornadoes so no misinformation was circulating.

We also know that time provided for children to process their fears ultimately serves them well. It’s in these moments that resilience is nurtured; children are capable of managing big feelings- they just need calm and willing listeners.

This sketch provided the teachers with great insight into this child’s fears about the hurricane. (Oak Room student age 5)

Dylan (age 4.8) depicted several hurricanes using this iconic spiral shape.

That’s my blue house in the middle that has fallen down. -Oak Room student, age 5

For the most part, the hurricane discussions withered away. Those children who were anxious on Tuesday seemed bright eyed and ready for their preschool day on Wednesday. Perhaps the worry about this storm ran it’s course; maybe these children processed their thoughts with their grown ups or on their own. The hurricane and tornado conversations- the few that were overheard- changed tone from fearful fascination to mild curiosity.

And then this conversation happened…

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