Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments How to facilitate research for young children

If this is the wrong forum for the types of questions I've been asking, please let me know. I have always received such great answers that I am now coming here first.

DD (6) read a children's book about mill workers in Lowell, MA at the turn of the century. It's pretty crazy that it is in the children's section. Lots of it needed to be explained. Lots of it isn't nice. But my daughter was completely fascinated by it. We read it together, discussed sweatshops..she wants to know more about child workers (turn of the century--she has no idea that they still exist). She loves to research and usually goes to google by herself, but the subject matter is so adult... I spent the day with her looking things up. She was even more fascinated with Triangle Factory fire and we ran into the Lawrence Mill too.

She wants to research and write a book about...something. Something related. She keeps asking me questions I can't answer and will ask questions that she doesn't get satisfactory answers to (because they don't HAVE satisfactory answers) over and over. I told her that instead of researching all this stuff on the iPad, I'd curate for her and get her a collection of research materials. I thought she'd forget but she's holding me to it.

It is insane. She will not stop talking about this.

So....any one know any child friendly resources about turn of the century child labor, especially in factories and mills in the US?

Also, if your young child likes to research and wants to create a "book," does anyone have any suggestions on what materials to collect or how to begin and help them set up or record information when they're really too young to write it all down?

I like to let her feed her interests, but I'm pretty uncomfortable with her going this direction. Sweatshops are cruel. And she's pretty sweet and innocent. When I tried to dissuade her she told me that this would help her be a better person and lean to do the right things, but in terms of material, this is definitely as dark as she's gone, which concerns me too. Thoughts about that?

Thanks.