There could not be a better time during a presidential election to teach homeschoolers about politics and the elections process. It is just so easy to take advantage of this ginormous teaching opportunity presented during a presidential elections season. This also makes a great summer project since many kids are taking a break from their regular studies.
So far, during the elections process, my kids have learned about the nomination process as we have followed the nomination process of the presidential candidates.
They now understand delegates and superdelegtes, and even argue as to why the process needs overhauling. When they kept asking “What are superdelegates anyway?”, we had to take some time researching the topic.
They understand several key issues and are asking questions about the Iraq war, healthcare, and the economy. We are even discussing secondary issues such as abortion and tax laws, and the politics behind it.
They have made their own presidential choices and wish that the nominees we a bit more black and white when it comes to certain beliefs and stances.
In a previous article entitled Homeschool lessons from real life: Elections I gave ways you can teach your kids about politics using online sources. I have since found that the absolute best way to teach about politics is to watch the news together. We watch CNN, FOX News, and Network News reports together, sometimes for hours on end.
By watching the reports of the elections process together, we have also begun to discuss issues that are secondary to politics, such as how the news media can affect politics, and even how comedians can sway the political views of the public.
In the end, they have learned to be critical and discerning and to separate fact from gossip and projections based on opinion and polls versus the real thing.
Read the families.com politics blog