1. Introduction
2. Sponsor's Spot: The Morningstar Academy
3. Weekly Topic: Election 2008
4. Printables Club Members Also Get ...
5. Related Games
6. Quote of the Week
7. Subscription Management
#1. October 1, 2008
Dear Reader,
I had so much fun with this this week, that I just had to share it. My newest site isn't quite finished yet, but it's fleshed out enough to give you an idea of where it is going.
Litter Box Roundup will be litter box reviews with reader feedback and something I've never done before: a site mascot.
Meet gLitter. She's the site mascot. That's her on the masthead. And she has her own blog and Twitter account. She will be responsible for site spirit and litter box reviews.
Of course, you probably have to be a "cat person" to appreciate this, but I'm really looking forward to developing this site out. And I just wanted to share.
With the presidential election just a month away, the campaigns are heating up. In addition to the official candidate sites for Barack Obama and John McCain, here are some online resources for students to learn about the election process and keep up with the candidates.
270 to Win: 2008 Presidential Election Interactive Map
"It takes 270 electoral votes to win the Presidential election." This interactive map shows each state and the number of electoral votes they control. As you click on each state, you can change it from red (Republican), to blue (Democrat), and then to tan (undecided.) As you modify each state, the total counter will also update. To begin, you can choose from a number of starting views, such as, for example, the actual results from the 2004 election, when the Republicans won with 286 electoral votes. If you have cookies enabled, your custom map will be saved for your return visits.
National Mock Election
"The National Student/Parent Mock Election seeks to turn the sense of powerlessness that keeps young Americans and their parents, too, from going to the polls into a sense of the power of participation in our democracy." Run by the League of Women Votes and dozens of corporate sponsors, the nonprofit, nonpartisan program provides educational materials to anyone who wants to participate. In 2004, over 4 million students, parents and teachers participated. Since the project began, it has touched over 40 million participants. This year, the Mock Election will be held October 30, 2008.
PBS: Kids Democracy Project
This PBS site for grades three to six is evergreen because it does not specifically cover the 2008 elections, but rather the process itself. "How Does Government Affect Me?" is the largest of the three sections, with pages of learning on topics as diverse as funding local schools to checks and balances in the three branches of the federal government. "President for a Day" is an interactive exercise where you learn all about the president's duties by creating your own presidential agenda.
Dear Reader,
