It’s another presidential election year and that is a great time to introduce your homeschooling children to government, politics and the election process. Here are some ideas and resources to help you put together a great election year unit!

Curriculum:

• CNN’s Student News: Student News is a 10 minute daily snippet of news geared specifically for the young viewer. During election years, the coverage is strongly geared toward the political process and makes a great jumping off point for daily election coverage in your homeschool classroom. CNN Student News airs on CNN Headline News Monday through Friday from 3:12 – 3:22 am ET. Record it daily for use whenever it fits into your schooling schedule.
• How To Be President: What to do and where to go once you’re in office, by Stephen P. Williams – This is a really neat and interesting book that answers those questions we have all wondered about presidential life. How does the President get snacks? Where does he park? Where does he get cash? What is his bedroom like? This comprehensive book answers all these questions and so much more. This book will appeal to all ages!
• How the U.S. Government Works, by Syl Sobel – This book is written specifically for children. It breaks apart the three branches of government and describes their job functions and how they come together to create the political system in our country. With large print and pictures, this book will captivate those previously intimidated by the sometimes overwhelming political system. 
• Presidential Elections (and other cool facts): Second Edition, by Syl Sobel – This is such a great introduction to the election process! This book covers all the fundamentals and basic questions asked about becoming the President of the U.S. including what age and requirements are needed to become president, the Electoral College, the first lady, what if something happens to the president and more! This book is recommended for grades 3-5. 
• Government Projects: 30 Cool Activities, Crafts, Experiments & More for Kids To Do! by Carole Marsh – this book is written on the state level and each state has their own unique book. This book makes learning come to life while teaching the basics. From pretending you are mayor for the day to writing your real local officials with your opinion – what a great fun way to get children involved politically and locally! This book is geared for children between 5 and 15 years old.
• Core Democratic Values – this workbook has a version for lower elementary and one for upper elementary. If you have already introduced your children to politics or want a really in depth study, you should skip the lower elementary version in favor of the upper elementary. These books study each of 8 core democratic values through a short definition and an activity that brings that value to life. I absolutely love this book! It will appeal to liberal and conservative parents, alike. 
• Debate Skills – by Robert W. Paige, Ph.D. – Election time is prime time for introducing and studying debate skills! This book is a fun and interesting way to learn about the art of debate! It is geared for Grades 5-8 or higher.
• Elections by George Lee – this workbook is a great resource for any election year, not just a presidential election. It introduces children, through a series of informative articles and activities, to the election process. This might be too dry for some students but it is definitely a very in depth and complete introduction to the processes of electing officials.

Unit Studies: The Election can be incorporated into a huge unit study. Consider applying government, politics and election coverage to the following areas of study:

• Math: read or create charts, graphs and polls to follow and study campaign trends; keep a running tally of electoral vote predictions for each state and add them up daily
• Social Studies: learn about the branches of government, the past and present presidents, the electoral college and more!
• Science: Learning about propaganda and the psychological effects of the media on viewers makes a great science tie-in
• Language Arts: practice writing speeches, write letters to the candidates themselves, read a weekly children’s newspaper such as Time For Kids

Bringing Politics To Life:

There is nothing that drives home a lesson more thoroughly than bringing politics to life through real hands-on activities and participation. Here are some ideas for ways to make this election year stand out.

• Mock Elections: Have your homeschool group, co-op or family participate in a mock election. Use this as an opportunity to teach speech writing and delivering skills, propaganda lessons, explore the issues and create a platform, hold a debate and run a mock voting booth to election your new Mock President.
• Create a scrapbook: Look through newspaper and internet headlines with your children, daily, and cut out headlines that catch your eye. After the elections are complete, sit down with your child and create a memorable scrapbook of the Elections 2004.
• Get Involved: Children are never too young to get involved directly with the political process. Arrange for a tour of a local election campaign headquarters, attend rallies for all candidates, distribute materials for the candidate of your child’s choosing, etc. Parents who are involved in the election process role-model involvement to children who are much more likely to carry it forth into adulthood.