Teaching Politics
Many homeschooling families say they choose to do so so that they can give their children a real world education. However, the real world comes with the good, the bad, and the ugly. Like politics, which can be all three.
Kim shared on her blog the Mock Primary that she held in her house. I think it is an incredibly great idea. Her kids got a chance to see the pros and cons of each canidate, learning more about the issues, and getting a taste of democracy. But I think what I loved the most was that she didn’t just give her kids her position in this. While it’s tempting to tell your kids not to vote for so-and-so because of this, that, and the other that doesn’t help them really learn about where their feelings are. As Kim said
“Its good you trust your parents choices because I know all of your parents and they’ve all made good choices for you. But you’re getting older too and although in the end you might agree with them, choosing to like a candidate because your mom does isn’t the same as understanding all of the candidates on your own. Ideally, you’ll research the candidates and learn what they hope to accomplish as President. You’ll be voting in a few years.”
PBS has a six part lesson called The Democracy Project that is a great way to introduce young kids to politics by letting them create their own political party. The Youth Leadership Initiative is another great site that offers free resources for teaching children about the political system in America. This site is based out of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, and has a wonderful array of resources for all ages. If you have kids that like online games like fantasy baseball or fantasy football, they might enjoy Real Clear Politics, which is a fantasy politics type game. It is interesting to say the least.
Don’t be afraid to let your cihldren learn about the politics you do not agree with. And, if you can, try to kep your own opinions out of it at first. Them them decide their own ideas on who is right. Compare how issues are discussed on both the Left and the Right. Let them read more about the current politics and see where they feel we are headed. You might be surprised what they choose on their own.
homeschooling, politics, lesson plans
February 7th, 2008 at 9:39 am
I take my kids with me to vote. Sometimes I even let them pull the lever. (The excitement never ends at my house.)
February 10th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
We’ve never formally taught politics, but our son has always had a love of it. Last summer, he was in the hospital for surgery. He was in his room, still groggy from the anesthesia, and watching the Democratic debates on PBS (he was 11 at the time!) The nurse came in and started to change the channel, and he yelled “Hey, I was watching that!” She couldn’t believe it.
He’s currently contemplating a letter writing campaign to lower the voting age, because he doesn’t want to wait 6 more years to vote.
February 13th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
Thanks for posting this. Especially I’m thankful for the links. I’ve recently discovered Scholastic Kids news has a lot of political coverage also.