An election year, this is prime time to teach your homeschooler lessons in civics. You might start by defining democracy and comparing it with other forms of government throughout the world. Discuss the individual’s role in a democracy. Talk about the two major political parties in the United States and their ideological differences. How have the political parties changed throughout history? Discuss the three branches of U.S. government and their functions. When Allegra and I covered this last year, we used a “branches of government” bulletin board set from Oriental Trading (at right). This set proved to be tremendously helpful for a visual learner. While this particular item is no longer available, Oriental Trading offers a similar U.S. Government Learning Chart set, and Carson-Dellosa Publishing offers a “Branches of the U.S. Government” bulletin board set. Our nation is in the midst of caucuses, so starting now, you’ll find an abundance of free material in the news to bring into your homeschool classroom. This is history in the making. Share it with your student!
