Civics

Election Day is almost here! This week I took my three and four year olds with me to early vote. They had SO MANY questions. Maybe your kids do too. Here are five Election Day activities to help your kids understand and get excited about exercising our most important right as U.S. citizens! Hold a Family Election Kids love to vote. And the great news is you can put pretty much anything up for a vote! Pizza or tacos? Vote on it! Cookies or brownies? Vote on it! We added some simple ideas onto a ballot for you to print out, but if you want to come up with your own “issues” to bring to a vote, we’ve got a printable for that too! Make Pretend Campaign Signs During election season, your kids may notice colorful campaign signs all over your community. Why not pretend your kids are running for something and have them make their own? My elementary-aged kids loved it! We threw their photos onto some campaign signs and had a blast coming up with their slogans! While you make the signs, you can talk to your kids about why campaign signs are even a thing. Did you […]

“There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.” -Jackie Kennedy You have LOVED our first lady stories on Instagram. So we didn’t want you to miss out on the latest picture book about one of them–Jackie and the Mona Lisa by Debbie Rovin Murphy. First Lady Jackie Kennedy is arguably the most popular first lady in U.S. history. Her list of accomplishments is a mile long. She’s most well known for bringing back to the White House works of art and priceless pieces of furniture and other objects from former presidents. But did you know that Jackie Kennedy also helped bring one of the most famous paintings of ALL TIME on tour to the United States? The amazing author and illustrator of Jackie and the Mona Lisa were kind enough to answer some questions for us (see below). Many of you have asked about what writing a nonfiction picture book entails, the research process for such a book, as well as some common misperceptions on how an illustrator is selected. Finally, drum roll, please . . . . take a look at this GORGEOUS book cover! Pre-Order it now (will […]

What is an inauguration anyway? What’s an inauguration and why do we have them? Well, an inauguration is a long standing American tradition. It’s a big ceremony held at the U.S. Capitol to celebrate the beginning of a new presidency. And it’s where the newly elected president takes his oath of office. They’re kind of a big deal– such a big deal that our Founding Fathers wrote included it in our Constitution. The 20th amendment to the Constitution specifies that the term of each elected President of the United States begins at noon on January 20 of the year following the election. Each president must take the oath of office (a whopping 35 words) before assuming the duties of the position. What is the Oath of Office? “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” How Can I Watch? You can watch HERE at 9AM ET on Wednesday, January 20, 2021. What else happens on Inauguration Day? In addition to the swearing-in-ceremony though, there are a bunch of other traditional events throughout the […]

This election season has so many people scratching their heads! It’s a presidential election that appears to be like no other– huge issues on the table in a race between two men who are two of the oldest presidential candidates this country has ever seen. It has been heated, and even ugly at times, and with less than a month away from the election, polls show there are still a lot of undecided voters. Are you one of them? What do you do when you don’t know who to vote for has been our #1 MOST asked question over the last several weeks. We’ve received so many pleas in our inbox asking for some guidance. “Help! I don’t want to vote for either candidate! What do I do?” and “I want to make good decisions on my ballot, but I don’t know where to start!” It’s never too late to become a smart voter. TIPS TO HELP YOU MAKE A DECISION ON THE BALLOT First and foremost, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH . Don’t rely on hearsay from family and friends or social media. Opinions are NOT research. Most social media influencers are NOT experts. So much of what is posted […]

Sure, you can argue that THE only real important date in the election this year is Election Day itself: November 3rd. But if you really want to be informed and do your part, other dates matter as well. It’s all part of the political process. Every Thursday, from now until November 3, look for our Instagram posts regarding Election Day. We’ll be posting an update on the presidential campaign along with a countdown. The goal isn’t simply to inform you that Election Day is drawing nearer, it’s to motivate you to do your part this year. Every Thursday, look for our Instagram posts regarding Election Day 2020. You’ll see not only updates, but also a countdown. For example, “200 days until Election Day.” That number isn’t there simply to inform you. It’s there to motivate you. It doesn’t just mean you only have 200 more days until you vote. It means you ONLY have 200 more days to decide who you want to vote for and do something about it: volunteer on a campaign, donate, register your neighbors to vote, educate yourself about issues, etc. Your duty as a U.S. citizen requires more than just voting.

Impeachment. It may conjure images of distrust and scandal, it’s a topic you’d rather just avoid, and it is almost always confusing. If those are thoughts coming from adults, then what are kids supposed to think about it? Whether or not you choose to bring it up for discussion, they’ll likely have heard something about it already, from social media, the news, or even at school. So what’s a parent to do? Here’s some tips for discussing it with your children.

Do you ever take the time to really explore where you live? I’m not talking about visiting the local mall and knowing the latest retailers in town. I’m talking about really knowing the personality of where you live and what makes it special, digging into its history and all it has to offer. The more you get to know where you live, the more of an ownership you’ll feel toward it. That ownership generally leads to more involvement. That right there is a recipe for active civic participation. Become a Local Tourist Exploring where you live is a great tool in helping your children take a vested interest in their community. The more vested they are in their local communities, the likelier they’ll be to grow up playing a more active role in it. What better time than summer, when school is out, to really dive in and explore where you live. Nearly every city and county in the U.S. has their own website with a listing of locations that are unique to them. What are those locations near you? Have you been to them? Make a list of the ones that interest you the most. If you need help with suggestions, visit your local tourism […]

After I moved to Tennessee a few years ago, someone who knew I had a background in politics asked me a question about the governor. I don’t remember exactly what was said, but I embarrassingly had to admit that I didn’t know who the governor was or anything about their policies. I vowed to never let that happen again. Sure, I was new to the state so the person didn’t hold it against me, but I should have made it a point to look up that info when I found out we were moving. I should have educated myself. For various reasons, whether we’re new to our state, or a long-time resident, we owe it to ourselves to be educated on who represents us both on a national and a local level. Those leaders are the people making decisions that affect our lives, after all. So, if you’re following along with our challenges this year to become more civic-minded, here’s your third challenge. You can find Challenge #1 and Challenge #2 here. Challenge #3: Find Out Who Represents You For starters, know your governor and your own representatives in the U.S. House and Senate. I’m going to assume that everyone already […]

Learning to be more civically engaged may start with a positive attitude and desire to do more, but it doesn’t stop there. Being civically engaged is more than just doing things. It’s an entire mindset, a change in the way you view the world around you. In that regard, one way that is absolutely necessary to becoming a more active civic participant is taking a more proactive approach to being aware of what’s going on in your neighborhoods, communities, states, country and world. That sounds like a lot. But it’s actually quite simple. It all comes down to simply paying attention. Paying attention? Yep. In other words, it’s just plain being aware of what’s going on around you. Awareness is what leads to a desire for change. And it’s that desire for change that leads us to eventually take action.

It’s no surprise that a majority of Americans say they distrust the government or have a negative view of it. The media paints an ugly portrait of the current political climate as “being a unique time in America”–one that is on the brink of something catastrophic. The truth is, every era throughout history has been a unique time and every era to come will be a unique one as well. We are always charting new territory with new ideas and new ways to do things–each with its own set of problems and new leaders entering the arena to try and tackle them. Historically, we’ve had some pretty unique leaders that have made Americans believe we’ve seen better days. We’ve always rallied through and survived. Checks and balances exist for a reason and there are better ways to survive an uncertain time than just grumbling and whining our way through it. That brings us to our first challenge, and perhaps the toughest, of the year in getting you to be more civic-minded. “All you can change is yourself. But sometimes, that changes everything!” -Gary Goldstein