With the upcoming presidential election being in all the news, it seems like the perfect time to study how we actually go about electing a president. This is where HISTORY Through the Ages Hands-on History Lap-Pak: U.S. Elections from Home School in the Woods can help out.
For this review we received the downloadable version of U.S. Elections. Home School in the Woods also offers a CD version.
I started by printing off the full-size text and placing it in the binder. (There is also an option to print off the text in a smaller bi-folding book that will fit in the lapbook. For me this was cumbersome to print so I opted for the full-size text.) Next I began printing off the different hands-on projects that went along with the different topics. I just printed off one copy since only part of the kids were interested in the coloring, cutting and pasting.
At times, I read the text to the kids but other times I took advantage of the audio reading that is provided. The audio is divided into two halves with the time noted for each specific topic. I found this to be very handy as we were able to stop and start even on different days.
U.S. Elections begins with introducing the student to the different types of government (monarchy, aristocracy, democracies, republics). The kids were introduced to an example of each of these governments. They were then able to see how the United States founding fathers took the lesson of democracy from the Greeks, protection of rights from the English and the Roman respect for the law.
The kids enjoyed learning about the three branches of government. As they were learning about the duties of each branch of government, it gave us an opportunity to talk about how some of the branches now look at their roles much differently than our forefathers initially set them up.
Next they learned about the Fifteenth Amendment. They learned that no one can be denied the right to vote because of the race, color or previous servitude. Next they were taught about the Nineteenth Amendment which gave women the right to vote.
We are still working through the lessons, but so far we have really enjoyed HISTORY Through the Ages Hands-on History Lap-Pak: U.S. Elections. Other topics that the kids will learn about include:
- Terms of Office,
- The Political Parties,
- Caucuses & Primaries,
- National Conventions,
- The Presidential Campaign,
- Raising Money,
- Election Day, and
- The Electoral College
I appreciate how the material is presented starting with the historical context. For our family, compiling the text and completed projects in a binder has worked well.
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Blessings,
Jennifer
