Hi,
I just wanted to add this topics, bcause I thought it was really interesting. My son and his best friend are both six and both discovered their interest in little green army men over a year ago while in preschool together. They have been friends ever since. They go to different schools, my son is at a french school while his friend's school is english. What I am sharing with you next, I think I finally figured out yesterday.
I took both boys on a day trip to a Fort that was, in 1755, fought over by the english and french. It was a french fort and fell to the english later that same year. These two boys know a lot about the history of the area and what happened to their ancestors, as we come from acadian background and my son's friend is english. Each family has taught each boy to respect the past and to learn about it. My son's friend is like a sponge when it comes to history, especially everthing that is about british battles. I love history myself, and even he knows things that I don't know. Please keep in mind that this child is six years old.
During to tour, at the very beginning their is a video presentation. My son's friend was cheering the brittish on, while my son seemed uncomfortable with that. My son's response was, "you know that was wrong and besides, it doesn't matter any more."
The next display talked about the deportation of the Acadians from the area...where it all first took place. And my son's friend seemd to just say, yup..that's what happened, while my son stood there and shook his head and said see how stupid the brittish were...you don't get rid of people just because you don't sgree with them. Then the discussion began...the two of them deffending each of their sides...what was right and what was wrong. They were discussing how wrong/right it was for the brittish to attack the Fort. My son was the first to say, "it doesn't matter", and his friend kept saying it does matter, like he had to clear the 'record'. So, when I thought the discussion was getting a little too intense, I cut in and we went on a tour of the grounds.
My son's friend told me that he heard of brittish soldier who had died when a few french soldiers attacked him with mortar fire. Apparently this soldier survived for a few minutes after the attack but was then killed by three french soldiers who snuck up on him and grabbed him. They both seemed to know where everything was and my son, didn't need a map to find a really out of the way tunnel. His friend kept acting as a tour guide to the fort and my son kept telling him..."I know, would you just let me look?!."
Since they have started playing together, they have had arguements over things that have to do with positioning their army men, and what is the right way and the wrong way. They, the odd time, might have a 'normal' childhood dissagreement, but mostly it is about how each other plays army men.
I am thinking that their differences may be because one IS actually English and the other IS actually French. They may have been in the military at some point and maybe even been at the Fort during the battle. The two boys are drawn to each other and miss each other a lot when they are apart. My son commented to me that his friend is, "fun, except when he starts talking about the Brittish winning wars and stuff. Then he gets annoying."
Also, I am starting to think that the soldier that the boy was talking about might have actually been him because of the way that he told me...in his actions and the look on his face, then he said that he would like to find out more about what happened to that soldier, such as why it happened.
I welcome any comments on this.
Thanks,
Mayflower
I just wanted to add this topics, bcause I thought it was really interesting. My son and his best friend are both six and both discovered their interest in little green army men over a year ago while in preschool together. They have been friends ever since. They go to different schools, my son is at a french school while his friend's school is english. What I am sharing with you next, I think I finally figured out yesterday.
I took both boys on a day trip to a Fort that was, in 1755, fought over by the english and french. It was a french fort and fell to the english later that same year. These two boys know a lot about the history of the area and what happened to their ancestors, as we come from acadian background and my son's friend is english. Each family has taught each boy to respect the past and to learn about it. My son's friend is like a sponge when it comes to history, especially everthing that is about british battles. I love history myself, and even he knows things that I don't know. Please keep in mind that this child is six years old.
During to tour, at the very beginning their is a video presentation. My son's friend was cheering the brittish on, while my son seemed uncomfortable with that. My son's response was, "you know that was wrong and besides, it doesn't matter any more."
The next display talked about the deportation of the Acadians from the area...where it all first took place. And my son's friend seemd to just say, yup..that's what happened, while my son stood there and shook his head and said see how stupid the brittish were...you don't get rid of people just because you don't sgree with them. Then the discussion began...the two of them deffending each of their sides...what was right and what was wrong. They were discussing how wrong/right it was for the brittish to attack the Fort. My son was the first to say, "it doesn't matter", and his friend kept saying it does matter, like he had to clear the 'record'. So, when I thought the discussion was getting a little too intense, I cut in and we went on a tour of the grounds.
My son's friend told me that he heard of brittish soldier who had died when a few french soldiers attacked him with mortar fire. Apparently this soldier survived for a few minutes after the attack but was then killed by three french soldiers who snuck up on him and grabbed him. They both seemed to know where everything was and my son, didn't need a map to find a really out of the way tunnel. His friend kept acting as a tour guide to the fort and my son kept telling him..."I know, would you just let me look?!."
Since they have started playing together, they have had arguements over things that have to do with positioning their army men, and what is the right way and the wrong way. They, the odd time, might have a 'normal' childhood dissagreement, but mostly it is about how each other plays army men.
I am thinking that their differences may be because one IS actually English and the other IS actually French. They may have been in the military at some point and maybe even been at the Fort during the battle. The two boys are drawn to each other and miss each other a lot when they are apart. My son commented to me that his friend is, "fun, except when he starts talking about the Brittish winning wars and stuff. Then he gets annoying."
Also, I am starting to think that the soldier that the boy was talking about might have actually been him because of the way that he told me...in his actions and the look on his face, then he said that he would like to find out more about what happened to that soldier, such as why it happened.
I welcome any comments on this.
Thanks,
Mayflower
