Election Week

"So... you're telling me... you're voting... for a voter... who then goes and votes for a president?"

Unfortunately I think I either napped or passed notes during every single day of poly-sci at Benet (I'm sorry Mr. Noel), so my mastery of US politics, the government, and presidential elections has been a work in progress.

I wouldn't have even made a week about the election for homeschooling purposes, except that I have a third grader who is literally obsessed with all things US politics. He's a romantic at heart, and loves a good war story, so things like the Founding Fathers, the American Revolution, the US Constitution (and all its amendments) truly amazes him. He loves Hamilton and Lincoln and George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He's also a huge Joe Biden fan just like his Nana + Papa. To appease him (and because it sounded like fun) we made an election-themed week.

Here's what I did for the littles: I kept it simple! It was an exciting [stressful] week in any case, and I found myself spending most of my time with a cup of coffee/wine/whiskey/everything in front of the TV. Quinn, my third grader, was in school every day, so during the day I taught my littles the [very basic] concept of voting. We learned that if we need to decide between two things, we all get to choose which one we would like, and the one with the most "likes" wins. We cast our votes for what we'd have for meals that day, what show we'd watch on TV, what bedtime book we would read, etc.

Here's what I did for Quinn: I got him books! All different kinds of books about elections, the government, past presidents, qualities that make a good president, etc. We read a book every night at bedtime and he literally couldn't get enough of them. We learned about how people get nominated, how they choose running mates, and who helps a campaign happen. We learned about the requirements to be president and the requirements to vote in an election. We learned about the electoral college and the difference between electoral votes and popular votes. We also learned about other kinds of voting that takes place around the country. We talked about red states and blue states and the verrrrrrry basics of what make republican and democratic ideas and views different.

It's crazy to think that the next time a presidential election takes place, Quinn will be 12, Conall will be 9 and Nora will be 7. I'm already excited to be able to have these conversations with them again!