MSU Extension 4-H Military Family Programs

Ned and the General

• Title: Ned and the General 
• Author: Ron Madison 
• Illustrator: David Covolo 
• Publisher: Ned’s Head Productions
• Date of Publication: 2005 
• Audience Age: 4 and up 

Summary 

Ned and the General: A Lesson about Deployment is a collection of stories and poems written by families who have experienced deployment.

Pre-Deployment Activities 

Read the book through together once and talk about questions that you have for your service member. Do you share some of the same feelings as the children in the book? Talk about what feelings are the same and what feelings are different. Make a list of all the activities that you can do if you start to feel sad or mad. These activities could include talking to friends, playing outside, sitting quietly or other activities that make you feel better.

During-Deployment Activities 

Write your own poem or story about how it feels to have your service member gone. Use the poems and stories in the book as an example of the type of information to include in your poem or story. Draw pictures of the activities that you do at school, for fun with friends or with family and send them to your service member to show them what you are doing while they are gone.

Post-Deployment Activities 

Share your poem or story that you wrote with your service member. Talk about what you did while they were away, how you felt and how you feel now that they are home. Spend time together as a family doing something fun such as playing outside, playing board or card games or other activities that your family enjoys.

Supporting Military Families During Deployment with Books & Activities

Deployment involves moving an individual or military unit within the country or to another country. A mission or task might include training, supporting communities during times of disaster, helping foreign countries or fighting in a war. The many changes happening with each departure and return create difficulties for both service members and their families.

Michigan State University (MSU) Extension and Michigan 4-H are committed to supporting the more than 20,000 Michigan military children and youth, and their families, through programming and community education. 

Programs for Military Families Include: 

• 4-H clubs on installations and in communities
• "4-H 101" and "4-H 201" training for military staff
• Operation: Military Kids (OMK) - supporting children of deployed soldiers
• Speak Out for Military Kids (SOMK) - preparing teens to speak on military life and deployment 
• Hero Packs - saying thank you to military children and youth
• Military 4-H Club Grants - supporting 4-H clubs for military youth and integrating them into county 4-H programs
• Community Awareness Training - educating the public on issues facing military families experiencing a deployment
• Special recognition events during Month of the Military Child and Month of the Military Family 
• Educational and recreational events and opportunities for military families 

4-H Military Family Book Sheets

The 4-H Military Family Book Sheets help parents and guardians find books and activities to help their children during various stages of their service members’ deployments. Each book sheet contains a summary of the book, author and publication details, and activities that they can use with their children pre-, during or post-deployment to extend the message of the book. To find each book, check with your local library, bookstore or online retailer. 

• Before reading: Show your child the front and back cover of the book. Ask him or her to guess what the book is about. 
• While reading: Stop at any time if something comes up that you or your child would like to talk about. 
• After reading: Spend time talking about the story. 

Learn More! 

Connect with us on Facebook: Search "Michigan Operation: Military Kids" and "Michigan 4-H." 

For more information on supporting military families, visit the following websites: 

• MSU Extension: (msue.anr.msu.edu)
• Michigan 4-H Youth Development: (www.4-hmilitarypartnerships.org)
• Operation: Military Kids: (http://www.operationmilitarykids.org)