At least it keeps them off the streets: At Reagan's Presidential Library, the Kids Are in Control.
In a corner of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, beyond stately White House portraits and a sizable chunk of the Berlin Wall, Ronald Reagan's legacy is playing out in an unexpected way.
On multimillion dollar sets replicating the Reagan White House, children play the parts of key officials and reporters to reenact the invasion of Grenada. The U.S. invaded the Caribbean island nation in 1983, fearing a communist takeover after a coup.
Making a 27-year-old invasion relevant for today's children isn't always easy. Kids have to be told what communists are, and why Grenada becoming a communist country would have been a big deal.
The reenactments are part history lesson, part interactive game. The kids decide whether or not to invade, how to carry out an invasion, even how to deal with media leaks.
Here's how it works:
Ms. Hayden talked about the prospect of Grenada "turning red," and the threat from Cuba. "Does anyone know who Che Guevara was?" he asked.
A girl piped up, "I have a shirt with his picture on it!"
"That's cool," Ms. Hayden said, and moved on to a game of "Operation Urgent Fury," the code name for the actual Grenada invasion.
Why?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703321004575428112429946610.html
In a corner of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, beyond stately White House portraits and a sizable chunk of the Berlin Wall, Ronald Reagan's legacy is playing out in an unexpected way.
On multimillion dollar sets replicating the Reagan White House, children play the parts of key officials and reporters to reenact the invasion of Grenada. The U.S. invaded the Caribbean island nation in 1983, fearing a communist takeover after a coup.
Making a 27-year-old invasion relevant for today's children isn't always easy. Kids have to be told what communists are, and why Grenada becoming a communist country would have been a big deal.
The reenactments are part history lesson, part interactive game. The kids decide whether or not to invade, how to carry out an invasion, even how to deal with media leaks.
Ms. Hayden talked about the prospect of Grenada "turning red," and the threat from Cuba. "Does anyone know who Che Guevara was?" he asked.
A girl piped up, "I have a shirt with his picture on it!"
"That's cool," Ms. Hayden said, and moved on to a game of "Operation Urgent Fury," the code name for the actual Grenada invasion.
As the country nears the 100th anniversary of Mr. Reagan's birth on Feb. 6, 2011, schools and libraries, groups and towns with any connection to the late president are searching for ways to capture a piece of his legacy.
The young man shown above is a student from Thousand Oaks, playing the part of President Reagan.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703321004575428112429946610.html