MSU Extension 4-H Military Family Programs

Over There 

• Title: Over There 
• Author: Dorinda Silver Williams 
• Illustrator: Brenda Gilliam 
• Publisher: Zero to Three
• Date of Publication: 2006
• Audience Age: 1-3 years  

Summary 

Over There shows deployment from a toddler's perspective. It shows how a toddler might feel about deployment and some of the activities a toddler might do when their service member is gone. There is a mommy version and a daddy version.

Pre-Deployment Activities 

Take photos of your service member and child separately and together. Put the individual service member photo in the back of the book. Make a collage of the photos to help remind your child of your service member while they are away. Talk about how your service member will do similar things as your child while they are away. Things like brushing their teeth, eating or sleeping. If possible, take a picture of your service member doing these things before they leave and put them together in a book for your child to look at while they are away.

During-Deployment Activities 

Draw pictures of your service member doing all the activities in the book like sleeping, writing a letter, brushing their teeth, etc. Then put the drawings together in a book and mail the book to your service member. Make up a feelings chart. Draw, cut out pictures from magazines or take pictures of faces showing different emotions like angry, sad, mad, happy, etc. Use the feeling chart with your child so they can show you what they are feeling throughout the deployment.

Post-Deployment Activities 

Take some time and do some of the activities in the book together. Play together, read a  book together, color or draw together. Take a family photo together. Talk about what has changed during the deployment and what stayed the same. 

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)