Learning about the Election

We've talked a great deal about the elections this season. My children have watched the debates and talked about the issues. With all the interest they've taken in the elections I thought we would set aside our normal curriculum for a day and focus on the election.

The boys are already aware of the issues at hand, but it doesn't hurt to have a brief reminder of where the candidates stand. We should make it a point to be informed as we go into the voting booth! I think it is important to talk with them about which issues are important in this election, and how we, as Christians, know which issues are of primary importance. Are all issues equally relevant? I've found this article on Principles for Voting by R.C. Sproul to be helpful to me, personally, as I seek to inform my children about Christian voting.

After this review, the boys will be voting in CurrClick's online Mock Presidential election for homeschoolers.

Tuesday will be a good opportunity to learn how elections work. I'm planning to do The Voice of the People: American Democracy in Action as a read-aloud, focusing on the details of how a presidential election works.



Then I want my boys to look at a map of the 2004 election results and use a map of how many electoral votes each state has to determine the total number of electoral votes each candidate received in that election. My middle schooler will take it one step further by experimenting with an Electoral College Calculator to try and predict the outcome of Tuesday's election.

I'll also have them color a copy of the electoral votes map for the 2004 election. On Tuesday night, we can use another copy of the map to color in the state by state results as they are reported, recording on a white board the totals as they come in (at least as long as we are able to stay awake!).

On Wednesday we can look at both colored maps to see which states remained blue or red and which states changed. Some children may find this red and blue coloring activity easier to accomplish with a map with state names, preferring to write in the electoral college numbers themselves.

My younger boys will also work on an election lapbook.