Schools Carousel a Roaring Success

Last week we visited a primary school on a ‘schools carousel’ to talk to children about our jobs and to give them a chance to ask us any questions they may have. We were accompanied by a number of different representatives of businesses and public services, all interested in helping children find out information about their careers.

However, we were initially concerned about talking to children about death and dying and wanted to do so in an appropriate way. The response from the children was remarkable; they were open about the subject and actively engaged in a ‘name the animal skeleton’ quiz which they of course, found fascinating. They were extremely excited to write on our ‘bucket list’ postcards with chalk and discussed not only career aspirations but things that they would like to do in their lives, from deep sea diving to swimming with sharks!

 

Bucket List Postcard

 

Whilst many of the questions they asked regarded salary or length of working hours, there were a few fantastic questions such as ‘do you find your job emotional?’, which demonstrated that children are far more aware of issues surrounding death than adults often give them credit for.

As adults, we are reluctant to talk to children about the subject of death and dying, in an attempt to ‘protect’ them. However, this venture proved that children are resilient and do not approach these topics with the same taboo attitude that is ingrained in to adults in Western society. Of course it is always important when talking to children about death to adhere to appropriate conversation, but it should not be avoided and brushed under the carpet.  Through talking openly about death at a younger age it will ultimately make it more normal and lead to better awareness of end of life care options for people with terminal illnesses.

 

Death in Disney Films
Image from clubecandoca.com

 

Death can be a scary subject, but it happens to us all. Every day children see death and dying in Disney films, cartoons and video games, so we shouldn’t be afraid to talk about it with them. For an interactive and light way to introduce the topic, why not head down to one of our events at the World Museum during Dying Matters Awareness Week, from the 12th – 18th May. There will be ‘Meet the Mummy’ sessions for both adults and children on Saturday the 17th at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm and a ‘Day of the Dead Drop In’ from 1-4pm on Sunday the 18th. It was inspiring to see one little girl in particular, frantically writing down the dates of these events; she will no doubt be asking her parents to take her there! And we hope to see you there too!

 

For more information on events we are hosting in Dying Matters Awareness Week, contact us at amy.king@mariecurie.org.uk or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

From Our Newsletters: Disturbing Disney Deaths

Did you know we have a series of newsletters you can download from the Newsletters tab? Every so often we will re-post an article from past newsletters. Here's one from our Spring 2013 edition about the dark side of Disney films...

Disturbing Disney deaths 

You might think that kids' movies would gloss over the less pleasant sides of life, in an effort to shelter children's innocence for a little while longer. But Disney has other ideas! Death is a common theme in many Disney films, and sometimes those deaths are pretty brutal.

Ursula's Stabbing, 'The Little Mermaid'
Take Ursula's death in 'The Little Mermaid', for example, she's the bad guy of the film, so she has to go somehow. But did she really have to die by getting impaled on the jagged front edge of a sunken ship? And then she gets electrocuted too, just in case you thought she might survive getting stabbed directly in the gut.

Judge Doom Gets Dipped, 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit'
Judge Doom from 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' is one nasty character. He is the main judge in Toontown and gets his jollies by punishing wrongdoing toons, preferably by killing them with his special Dip substance called.

When it's time for Doom to get his comeuppance, he first gets run over by a steamroller. Then, he stands up, flaps his paper-like limbs on over to an air pump, and blows himself back to relative normalcy. How is he even still alive? As it turns out, he's a toon, just like the ones he's killed with his dastardly Dip.
Thus, we get not only one horrifying death scene for Judge Doom, but two: he inevitably falls victim to his own creation, screaming like a banshee as he melts in a puddle of Dip.

Ray Gets Squashed, 'The Princess and the Frog'
It's one thing when the bad guys get taken down in the final act, but it's much more heart breaking when it happens to one of the good guys. In 'The Princess and the Frog', the talkative Cajun firefly named Ray meets his demise much sooner than anticipated.

What happens to the poor little critter? Well, he gets stomped to death! Never has the crunch of a dead bug brought so many tears!

Emily Binx and the Sanderson Sisters, 'Hocus Pocus'
Though 'Hocus Pocus' is arguably the best and most beloved children's Halloween movie ever made, we can't honestly claim that it's an entirely innocent endeavour. A creepy zombie cuts open his mouth and coughs up dust and leaves, and a cat gets flattened by a speeding bus. But even those scenarios aren't the most disturbing moments in the film!

In the beginning, the Sanderson Sisters kidnap an adorable little girl, tie her up to a chair, and proceed to suck the life-force out of her until her body lies dead and limp. Then, as a punishment for this terrible deed, the three witches are hanged in front of a town full of onlookers. Disney definitely isn't afraid to go dark!

Oogie Boogie Falls Apart, 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'
In Tim Burton's 'The Nightmare Before Christmas,' Oogie Boogie's demise is a rather disgusting one. As Jack Skellington grabs onto one of Oogie's loose strings, his sackcloth "body" unravels to let out his innards - thousands of disgusting bugs.

Ellie Grows Old, 'Up'
Lastly, this Disney death isn't as gruesome as the rest, but it still has the ability to absolutely destroy a viewer's hopes and dreams. Of course I'm talking about Ellie from 'Up,' who kicks the bucket less than ten minutes into the film.

First, though, we're treated to Carl and Ellie's love story. As they grow up, they build a happy life together. Then, Ellie grows old, gets sick, and dies.

Even if they don't get eaten by a wild animal, impaled on a spike, or hanged from a tree in the forest, people get old and die. Thanks for the reminder, Disney!

These are just a few examples of how we are exposed to death from a young age. We shouldn’t be scared to talk about it – even to young children.

There is a range of information available on how to talk to children about death with age appropriate literature. Child Bereavement UK, the Alder Centre, Marie Curie, Macmillan and Liverpool Bereavement Service are just some of the places that could help.

We’re working on a collaborative initiative around Bereavement policies in schools with a number of partners – watch this space for news or contact us if you want to get involved.