SIX-YEAR-OLD Abigail Anson drew this image of her family weeping for the dead after watching the Asian tsunami disaster on television.

The little girl from Alne, near Easingwold, is one of thousands of local children who have struggled to understand the tragic events unfolding on the other side of the world, while their parents and teachers are left equally confused.

Abigail's dad, Mike, said: "She loves the news and has been watching the coverage. She still wants to know where the wave has gone. We showed her the cartoon Atlantis which has a tsunami destroying a town to help explain."

Mother-of-two Julie Wiseman, of Bootham, York, has faced difficult questions from her children Daniel, 13, and Jane, ten. "Daniel had seen a story about a woman who had to let one of her children go when the wave hit and he asked which of them I would let go," she said.

"Jane has been more upset about the suffering. She came downstairs crying and asked when it would hit here. Daniel was really good and explained the geography to her. You have to give them answers - they want to know."

Schools have had an important role in making sure children are educated about the disaster.

At Tang Hall Primary School, in Sixth Avenue, a special assembly was held on Wednesday to coincide with the nationwide three-minute silence and teachers took time to discuss the disaster with pupils beforehand.

Head teacher Ken Taylor said: "The majority of the children, the older ones, had seen something on the television, but some of the younger ones don't understand what's going on. We have been trying to give them an idea of how devastating it is for the communities affected. But you don't want to frighten them."

The school is holding a cake and jumble sale on Monday, from 2.30pm, and have asked children and families to donate cakes, sweets, unwanted gifts or just cash.

Older children in the city have also been given an opportunity to share their feelings following the tragedy.

Form tutors at Manor School, in Acomb, discussed events with their classes yesterday morning, having observed the three-minute silence the previous day.

"We haven't done any fundraising yet as we want to give the students a chance to come up with their own ideas," said head teacher Brian Crosby. "We have been deeply touched by this tragedy."

Updated: 10:37 Friday, January 07, 2005