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One of the best ways to show your kids that voting is important is by exercising your right to vote yourself. Bring them to your local polling place with you. If you’re voting by mail, bring them with you to drop off your ballot.
While you’re doing that, talk to them about why you’re doing what you’re doing and why voting is important to you. Young kids model their behavior off of their parents, so setting a good example for them will go a long way towards encouraging them to vote in the future!
If you have older children, it may be helpful to talk about what you’re voting on this year as a way to demonstrate what’s typically at stake in elections. This is especially important in non-presidential election years. Elections are important, even when we’re not electing a president.
Talk with your kids about a kid-friendly issue that’s on the ballot this year. For example, a statewide ballot measure in New York this year includes a bond issue that would issue $4.20 billion towards projects related to the environment, natural resources and climate change mitigation.
Talk to your older kids about what this means, why it was proposed and why people might be for or against it. This will show kids that elections are more than picking a president and may get them thinking about their own thoughts on issues.
Important Meetings for Feedback & Input
How can you help at home?
Encourage your child to read every day and to especially seek out rich nonfiction materials related to social studies.
Take them to local museums, cultural events, and historical landmarks.
Work with your child to do authentic research in the field of social studies. Remind them to ensure resources are credible and they are able to formulate an argument based on evidence from research.
Discuss current events and talk about the different perspectives people may have.
Encourage your child to participate in social studies programs such as National History Day, mock trial, We the People, etc.
Ask your child how what they are learning connects to “real life” and how it can help make positive change happen.
Talk to your children about financial capability, saving money, writing checks, positives and negatives about credit cards...as they prepare to enter college and/or the workforce.
Community Partners - Events
The RMSC (Rochester Museum & Science Center) ignites a passion for lifelong learning and equips our community with the foundational skills, knowledge, and understanding of the technologies needed to help solve society’s most pressing challenges. The RMSC includes three locations, the RMSC Museum & Science Center, the RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium, and the RMSC Cumming Nature Center.
The Strong National Museum of Play is one of the largest history museums in the United States and one of the leading museums serving families with highly interactive exhibits and programs. The Strong houses the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of historical materials related to play.
Genesee Country Village & Museum...
Genesee Country Village & Museum...
was founded in 1966 with the goal of preserving the architecture of the Genesee Valley region in a recreated historic village, providing context for the telling of New York State and 19th-century American history. The Museum now covers 600 acres and includes the Historic Village, the John L. Wehle Gallery, and the Genesee Country Nature Center, all of which provide interactive programs, fascinating exhibits, and special events to help you live and experience history.
GCV&M is the largest and most comprehensive living history museum in New York State – and the third-largest in the United States. Chartered as an educational institution by the NYS Board of Regents, the Museum offers opportunities to see, smell, taste, touch, explore, and experience our 68 historic buildings; more than 20,000 artifacts; wildlife paintings, drawings and sculpture spanning centuries; the living collections in our gardens, on our working farm and at our Nature Center; and the gorgeous landscape that first brought settlers to this region.
Seneca Park Zoo inspires our community to connect with, care for, and conserve wildlife and wild places.
Seneca Park Zoo inspires our community to connect with, care for, and conserve wildlife and wild places.
Seneca Park Zoo will be a national leader in education and conservation action for species survival.
Ganondagan State Historic Site located in Victor, NY is a National Historic Landmark, the only New York State Historic Site dedicated to a Native American theme (1987), and the only Seneca town developed and interpreted in the United States. Spanning 569 acres, Ganondagan (ga·NON·da·gan) is the original site of a 17th century Seneca town, that existed there peacefully more than 350 years ago. The culture, art, agriculture, and government of the Seneca people influenced our modern understanding of equality, democratic government, women’s rights, ecology and natural foods.
Ganondagan’s full-size, Seneca Bark Longhouse (1998) is fully furnished to reflect a typical Seneca family from the late 1600’s, complete with reproductions of 17th century Seneca objects and colonial-era trade goods.
Online Resources
Online Resources
Early Childhood
Early Childhood
Fortune Cookie Mom has free printables for teaching preschoolers about Chinese culture.
Young Children magazine from the National Association of Young Children has a great article on teaching social studies to little ones.
Scholastic has a guide for parents on teaching social studies to preschoolers.
Jumpstart has social studies games and worksheets.
Education.com has printable worksheets about community helpers, feelings, maps and more.
Warren County Educational Service Center has put together a long list of preschool social study activities for parents.
Supply Me has 68 preschool social studies lesson plans.
Leapfrog has printables, activities and videos on geography, culture, history and more for early education.
The Educator’s Spin On It has a fun harvest lesson plan to teach preschoolers about geography and cultures.
Elementary
Elementary
Ben’s Guide to the US Government has fun digital learning adventures.
50 States has map outlines, quizzes and tons of info.
World Atlas offers interactive maps, clocks, flags and videos.
US.gov has fun lessons like a tour of a money factory or a look into different types of government jobs.
Liberty Kids is a fun animated history series.
Amazon Inspire offers teachers and parents a place to gather and share resources, lesson plans, activities, etc.
Soft Schools offers free printable social studies word searches, quizzes and worksheets.
Captivating Compass has a free lesson plan for studying Ireland. Other countries are also available.
US Mint features online money education games.
iCivics has online games that teach concepts like the importance of voting.
Middle School
Middle School
Thirteen has history videos and interactive games.
Teaching Tolerance has lesson plans, articles, videos and activities geared at making us all better citizens.
Scholastic has articles on finances, world economy the stock market and more.
YouTube Edu has videos on social studies (and every other topic) compiled YouTube itself.
Worksheetworks has free geography printables.
EdHelper offers printable worksheets and journals on history topics and world problems.
Khan Academy offers history videos, lessons and activities.
Curriki offers interactive history, government and economics lessons.
Social Studies for Kids offers free curriculum in history, economics, geography, government, finance and more.
The Library of Congress has videos on topics such as Civil Rights and historical figures including Rosa Parks and Amelia Earhardt.
NeoK12 has games, lessons, puzzles, presentations and activities on a wide range of social study topics.
Social Studies for Kids has articles on budgeting, economics, cultures and current affairs.
High School
High School
Hippocampus has videos in history, social studies, government, economics, humanities and religion.
History Matters is filled with great resources and info.
Digital History offers tons of data on events in US History.
Sociology Source offers lessons, discussion prompts and activities.
Best History Sites lets you browse by topic and then access lesson plans.
National Women’s History Museum has an online digital classroom database of lesson plans.
Crash Course by John and Hank Green offers videos diving deep into specific topics in sociology, psychology, history, government, etc.
Teaching History has lesson plans and materials for a huge range of events and time frames.
Historical Thinking Matters offers resources and guidance to help students develop critical thinking about history.
Stanford History Education Group allows students to participate in free lessons and assessments from their history department.
YouTube Creators
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