In my last article on teaching homeschool lessons from real life, I discussed using our current economic recession to teach children about the Great Depression and subsequent recessions. Another timely lesson for homeschooling would be elections.
With American being in the midst of one of the most active election periods in US History, it only makes good sense to talk about the electoral process and history of elections with your children. Here are some resources you can use.
Education-world.com has a great series of government-sponsored sites that teach children about voting, democracy, inauguration, and the overall election process.
The Federal Resources for Educational Excellence website (FREE) at free.ed.gov also has a thorough elections topic categorized under US history and government. The website discusses past political parties, the Electoral College, and has lessons to encourage students to get involved.
Study the presidents: Use the excitement of the elections to get your kids excited about the history of presidents. Help them memorize the names of all the presidents, have them read biographies about presidents. Have them pick one or two presidents and study their presidency in depth, from personality quirks to legislation they passed.
Take your children to rallies: Since homeschoolers typically have flexible schedules, you should take advantage of that flexibility by attending elections rallies with your children. Have them hear candidates speak in person, whether they are candidates you support or not. (Children should hear both sides.) If you cannot attend live rallies, watch speeches and debates on television with your children. You will also want to answer their questions, and discuss the issue with them.
Take children with you to vote: When you vote, or participate in elections in any way, it is a good idea to take children with you as well as discussing (beforehand) whom you are voting for and why. This helps children to understand that the thought processes that goes into why people vote and for whom.
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