September 11, 2001 - Trivia, Children and Lessons in History

According to the New York Sun:

An activity book for children about the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks being distributed to schools with funding from Keyspan, North Fork Bank, and the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges contains pages of "trivia questions" and math problems about the attack.

The booklet, funded in part by an event involving Olympic silver medal winner Nancy Kerrigan, is intended to make for "a happy 9/11 commemorative event," said Tara Modlin, the founder of the organization distributing it, Stars, Stripes & Skates."To teach kids about an event so morbid, we needed to make something fun for them," she said

I understand where the concern or need to educate young children about the events of that day might lead to a sensitive approach to the subject, but isn't this taking it somewhere that it does not belong?

"To teach kids about an event so morbid, we needed to make something fun for them," nice and caring, but the event is and was morbid. To candy coat it or make it part of an activity book just seems an odd thing to do, don't you?

The math trivia section includes equations that show "relationships" between "the mystery number 11" and the attacks, such as "9/11, 9+1+1 =," which children should find equals 11.

I would like to know how an equation might be summed up this way; 9/11, 9+1+1= 2,996

tag: 911 Fun Activity Book