Nov. 5, 2008
Every opportunity
I love that homeschooling allows for so much flexibility. We are able to take advantage of every important opportunity that comes and make lessons out of it.
Yesterday, our history/social study lesson, for example, allowed us to vote. I took my children with me into my polling corridor and showed them how to vote. The why of the vote, we had already addressed. The who we vote for came naturally for my kids through discussion of our personal values and morals came into play. The what of the vote was easy... we're voting the President in. The when of the vote came as we looked at the calendar and discovered which Tuesday (and always a Tuesday) we vote. Papa Bear had explained the importance of voting to my kids already and so they were aware of how vital our vote was.
Today, the first full day after the results, we created an entire cross-curricula unit. Here's what we did:
Bought 2 newspapers- 1 local, 1 national (50 cents a piece)
READING-Located where in the newspapers the election results were, an electoral map, and our local election results.
SOCIAL STUDIES/ CIVICS- Discussed the importance of the popular vote and electoral votes
MATH-Created a pie graph based upon the electoral votes for each candidate AND the undeclared votes. AND Created 2 bar graphs - 1 for the popular votes and 1 for the electoral votes
WRITING PROCESS- ORGANIZATION OF THOUGHTS- Cut out important information regarding the election, including the electoral maps, stats, name of the newspaper and date, etc. We glued them onto a piece of paper creating a collage of the election and placed these in our history notebooks.
AMERICAN HISTORY- We determined which numerical president Obama would be and why this election was so historical
SCIENCE...THEORIES AND DEMOGRAPHICS- Upon looking at the electoral map, we discussed and theorized why, though there was more red on the paper, the blue party won the election
School was a blast today. The kids loved it and there wasn't a whole lot of preparation on my part either.
Yesterday, our history/social study lesson, for example, allowed us to vote. I took my children with me into my polling corridor and showed them how to vote. The why of the vote, we had already addressed. The who we vote for came naturally for my kids through discussion of our personal values and morals came into play. The what of the vote was easy... we're voting the President in. The when of the vote came as we looked at the calendar and discovered which Tuesday (and always a Tuesday) we vote. Papa Bear had explained the importance of voting to my kids already and so they were aware of how vital our vote was.
Today, the first full day after the results, we created an entire cross-curricula unit. Here's what we did:
Bought 2 newspapers- 1 local, 1 national (50 cents a piece)
READING-Located where in the newspapers the election results were, an electoral map, and our local election results.
SOCIAL STUDIES/ CIVICS- Discussed the importance of the popular vote and electoral votes
MATH-Created a pie graph based upon the electoral votes for each candidate AND the undeclared votes. AND Created 2 bar graphs - 1 for the popular votes and 1 for the electoral votes
WRITING PROCESS- ORGANIZATION OF THOUGHTS- Cut out important information regarding the election, including the electoral maps, stats, name of the newspaper and date, etc. We glued them onto a piece of paper creating a collage of the election and placed these in our history notebooks.
AMERICAN HISTORY- We determined which numerical president Obama would be and why this election was so historical
SCIENCE...THEORIES AND DEMOGRAPHICS- Upon looking at the electoral map, we discussed and theorized why, though there was more red on the paper, the blue party won the election
School was a blast today. The kids loved it and there wasn't a whole lot of preparation on my part either.
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Posted by Anonymous
Comments
Nov. 10, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Anonymous I taught my son at an early age all about the responsibilities of voting. I too took my child to the polling place and he watched me carry out my duty as an American. He is now 14 and had the opportunity to participate in mock elections at his school. Each homeroom represented a state of the union. The school voted 52-46 as the nation did.
The importance of this is significant. When I asked my son why he voted for the maverick, he replied..."he shares more of my ideas and beliefs than the other guy". I wanted to make sure that he was voting as an individual and not just following in my footsteps. It is important that he start developing who he is in the world...and what his beliefs are. I've heard and seen him stand up for GOD before...but hearing him mention key points of the election made me feel proud to know that he is succeeding in growing up and understanding what is right and wrong based on his Faith and not just on what the world has to offer. By teaching the lesson as you did, you have been a huge blessing an encouragement to your children. They may be young...but they will remember the values and lessons that you are instilling in them. If only more parents would take an active role in teaching their children the fundamentals of life and to hold fast to their beliefs...even if it isn't the poplar thing to do.
The importance of this is significant. When I asked my son why he voted for the maverick, he replied..."he shares more of my ideas and beliefs than the other guy". I wanted to make sure that he was voting as an individual and not just following in my footsteps. It is important that he start developing who he is in the world...and what his beliefs are. I've heard and seen him stand up for GOD before...but hearing him mention key points of the election made me feel proud to know that he is succeeding in growing up and understanding what is right and wrong based on his Faith and not just on what the world has to offer. By teaching the lesson as you did, you have been a huge blessing an encouragement to your children. They may be young...but they will remember the values and lessons that you are instilling in them. If only more parents would take an active role in teaching their children the fundamentals of life and to hold fast to their beliefs...even if it isn't the poplar thing to do.