my kids are talking about it alot... there are a lot of haitian kids at their schools, so it is very real for them.

my son is autistic, and so i brought out the science books about earthquakes, and he now can tell me all about the fault line that goes through the carribean, what the plates are called, and what the damage done by a 7 earthquake usually is.  this is very poignant information... normally, a 7 only shakes stuff off the shelves and damages foundations.  so we had a very good chat about why it was SO DEVASTATING in haiti compared to what we normally see from an earthquake of that magnitude.  when he discovered that people were dying NOT because of the earthquake so much as because the housing and infrastructure were so deplorable, THAT really made him understand why he should be helping out.  he is a very literal thinker, eh??

anyways, the schools are all doing fundraising - some teacher led, others student led.

for me, i think that this is the best way to present it to them... obviously you need to look at the devastation, but focus on what they CAN DO TO HELP... otherwise, they just feel helpless and powerless against everything.

 Autistic people are really quite amazing in their FOCUS aren't they?  Not that I know much about it but that seems to be the case.  Once they get pointed in a direction...