iCivics

My first memory of being involved in the democratic process is of a mock election held during elementary school where students were encouraged to go through the voting process. With it being an election year, I thought it might be nice to find a kid-friendly resource that will help parents explain the electoral process to their children, while keeping it fun and interesting to learn from. I found iCivics, a website founded by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, that does just that and even more. It also offers free resources for teachers to use in their classrooms!

Win the White House – this game lets kids explore the path to presidency by allowing them to campaign all around the United States to try and win the election into office.

Election 2012 – this section provides educators with free classroom resources to help teach about the electoral process. Just sign up for a free account and then check this section out for lesson plans, activities, and games!

Do I Have a Right? – in this game, you’ll run a firm of lawyers who focus on Constitutional law. You’ll match clients to the lawyers who can best help them after deciding if they have the right to do whatever it is they want to do. This is a basic time/resource management game.

Counties Work – this game teaches the player all about how counties work. You’ll decided the programs and services that will affect your community. You’ll be able to raise or lower taxes, do the county’s budget, and keep the citizens of your county happy.

Argument Wars – ever wondered what it would be like to be a lawyer? Why not give it a try with this game? In Argument Wars you will argue cases that have actually come before the Supreme Court, provide support for your argument, and see if you can get the judge to rule in your favor. Can you win the argument?

If you scroll down past the game offerings you’ll find the Topics section where kids can explore Citizenship and Participation, Separation of Powers, The Constitution and Bill of Rights, The Judicial Branch, The Legislative Branch, The Executive Branch, and Budgeting. All of the categories help to explain more about the different ways that democracy works and how they can participate in it.

http://www.icivics.org/

~Amanda

Source: Worldstart newsletter (http://www.worldstart.com/icivics/)