On Election Day, PBS KIDS GO! will get into the political spirit with a new episode of WordGirl in which Becky Botsford (a.k.a. WordGirl) runs for student council president. Kids seeking further knowledge of the Electoral College, fun facts or any other aspect of the upcoming election can check out various resources available at pbskidsgo.org.
‘ZOOMout the Vote,’ (pbskids.org/zoom/fromyou/elections) invites elementary school kids to vote for their favorite candidate, get a crash course on elections, draft a letter to the President and more. Kids can also go to ‘The Democracy Project’ (pbskids.org/democracy), which illustrates how government affects kids’ daily lives and explains the impact a single vote can make. Finally, ‘American Experience WayBack’ (pbskids.org/wayback/prez/index.html) offers some interesting presidential secrets such as Ronald Reagan’s Secret Service codename and why Abraham Lincoln used to spy on his neighbors.
Parents and caregivers can find answers to children’s election questions in a special feature article at PBSparents.org, and educators can utilize PBS Teachers Vote 2008 (pbsteachers.org/vote2008) for election-related lesson plans, online games and activities, RSS feeds and podcasts, as well as an array of new Web 2.0 tools created by public broadcasting radio and television stations across the country. These resources are designed to engage students and encourage them to explore the election process.
