presidents | The Wolfe Pack {Reviews~Support~Opinions for the Discerning Homeschool Mom}

Whether you are a classic homeschooler whose kids have never stepped foot in a traditional school or you are a reluctant parent facilitating your child’s education at home during this crisis….

Whether you have precious early elementary kids or moody teenagers nearing adulthood…

Whether you detest politics or live and die by Fox News…

Whether you cried when Obama‘s second term was up, voted for Trump in 2016, or have been burning for Bernie for several years, doesn’t matter. Your kids need to understand the election process.

No matter what you believe or how you feel about the 2020 presidential candidates, your kids need to understand our country’s election process.

And here are three simple reasons why…

ONE: KIDS NEED TO UNDERSTAND OUR HISTORY It wasn’t until I started homeschooling my own son that I developed an understanding of the value of our country’s history. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve always been patriotic and knew basic facts about the founding of our country but I never truly appreciated the need to understand our full and complete history. Our history is one of both planning and perseverance, and the process by which we elect our presidents is a testimony to both. The concept of the Electoral College was not accidental. The age at which the president can be elected is not arbitrary. The allowances that different states have to run their elections is not incidental. All of that was planned. And it was all planned for a reason. And our kids need to understand all of it.

TWO: KIDS NEED TO KNOW THEIR FAMILY’S VOICE IS BEING HEARD Especially in the unprecedentedly uncertain times of today, our kids need to know that we are not voiceless members of a tyrannical society. Our kids need to know we live in a democratic country where every citizen has a say. Understanding the election process not only teaches how we can each use our voice appropriately and effectively, it can also lead to an understanding of the legislative process of our government. We vote to put the lawmakers into place. Our kids need to know that their families have a voice and that those voices are being heard.

THREE: KIDS WILL VOTE SOMEDAY As adults, we need to recognize that we are raising voters. When I taught a Presidential Election class for our co-op in 2016, we did quick math to figure out in which future election each kid would get to vote. The kids probably felt that four, eight or twelve years away was an eternity, but it really brought home to ME that the responsibility of voting was just around the corner for our kids. I remember my first time voting. I was excited. I was proud. But, I did NOT, in any way, shape or form, understand the severity of that responsibility and all that it entailed. I guess I was more preoccupied with getting the attention of Billy Barry during my US Government class in public school than I was focused on understanding the process by which we elected a president…or even what that truly meant. We are raising voters and it’s never too early to teach them about the election process.

And, believe it or not, Election Day 2020 is less than 200 days away!

So, whether you are a classic homeschooler or a pandemically-induced parent facilitator…

whether you have First Graders or Freshman….

whether you watch CNN, Fox or no news….

whether you love or hate Trump doesn’t matter.

Your kids need to understand our country’s election process.

If you’re needing a fun and easy way to teach your kids about our country’s election process, you might want to check out this highly rated Presidential Election Fact Pack.

It’s a very simple, yet thorough way to teach about the Electoral College and the entire process by which we elect our president. I have used it with ages ranging from 6 to 14 with great success and loads of fun! It’s available through Teachers Pay Teachers using this link: Presidential Election Fact Pack.

{This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy for details.}

Professor Noggin’s Presidents of the U.S. is available on Amazon HERE.

Read on for a detailed REVIEW.

Let me just start by saying that Professor Noggin has a HUGE selection of EDUCATIONAL CARD GAMES. They all use the same premise with the same rules. {They even all come in the same type of box which stack together perfectly.} So once you learn the rules and realize the VALUE in her games, you might get hooked {like us!}

This REVIEW pertains to the President of the United States version but would apply across the board to Noggin’s other offerings.

In addition to reviewing the

FUN FACTOR and the

EDUCATIONAL VALUE, I will also include info on the

ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT {because I can’t stand broken boxes},

TIME COMMITMENT {because mine is limited},

CLARITY LEVEL {because I get irritated if I have to translate instructions}

and an OVERALL SCORE.

NAME: Professor Noggin’s Presidents of the U.S. Card Game

PUBLISHER: Outset

CATEGORY: History

TIME COMMITMENT: Minimal {10-15 minutes}

PLAYERS: 2-8

AGES: 7+ {or anybody who has learned some historical presidential facts and/or can read the cards to learn them as they go}

HOW TO WIN: Be the player with the most cards by answering the most questions correctly.

CLARITY LEVEL: ♥♥♥♥♥ The instructions are super simple and explain the game clearly. We never needed to reference the instructions after we started playing. Score 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

FUN FACTOR: ♥♥♥♥_ This is a fun, little game! Turns are fast and simple. And you can modify it to make it fun for multiple ages/skill levels by selecting Easy, Hard or a mixed version. We only scored it 4/5, though, because your kids probably won’t select this for Family Game Night next Friday. But, it is a fun way to practice/learn facts about the presidents! Score 4/5 ♥♥♥♥_

EDUCATIONAL VALUE: ♥♥♥♥♥ The entire game is all about historical facts regarding United States’ Presidents so the educational value is high. Obviously, some facts hold more historical significance than others {some could be considered more like “fun trivia”} but everything pertains to the subject of our presidents. Each card has its own topic which includes: Presidential Firsts, Who Was President When, Where Are They From, Slogans,First Ladies and more. Several cards are also specific to one particular president. No matter which card you draw, though, it will pertain to a U.S. President and it will be educational. Score 5/5♥♥♥♥♥

ORGANIZATIONAL COMPONENT: ♥♥♥♥♥ The card game comes in a sturdy, little box which contains one die, 30 came cards and one instruction card. The cards are thick and strong. The components are minimal and very easy to keep organized. Score 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

OVERALL SCORE: ♥♥♥♥♥ We enjoy many of Professor Noggin’s games as a fun component of our school day and this U.S. Presidents version has been a great addition. It’s quick, fun and educational. And, if, like me, you don’t recall much from your own history classes {way back when,} no worries. Just use the cards as learning tools instead and learn while you play. You’ll probably lose to your kids, but that’s okay. When everybody learns, everybody wins! Score 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

If you are ready to offer your kids a fun and easy way to work on their presidential facts, you can buy the game here on Amazon.

If you would like to read detailed instructions {with pics,} continue on….

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Open box, unpack contents and shuffle cards.

2. Put the cards in a stack in the center.

3. Decide if you are going to play EASY, HARD or a mix of the two. You can easily play a mix if you have some players who are more advanced than others. Just assign those players the HARD questions and the beginner players get the EASY questions.

4. Decide who will go first. Player One rolls the die.

5. Player One draws the card from the top of the stack.

6. Player One shows everybody the topic on the card.

7. Player One looks at the die{1, 2, 3} and reads the corresponding question {1, 2, 3} on the card to Player Two {the person to his/her right.} Player One needs to make sure he/she is reading the assigned level for Player Two {Easy/Hard.}

8. Player Two answers the question.***

9. If Player Two is correct, he/she gets to put the card in his/her own pile.

10. If Player Two is incorrect, Player One reads the answer out loud and then the card is placed on the bottom of the stack.

11. Player Two rolls the die.

12. Repeat steps 5-11 rotating through the Players until all of the cards have been correctly answered {or you decide to stop. It’s super easy to stop at any given point and call the game over.}

13. The player with the most cards at the end, wins the game {which, not surprisingly, was my son.}

***If a corresponding question is labeled “NOGGIN’S CHOICE”, that Player does not need to answer the question. Instead, he/she gets to steal a card from another Player’s pile and add it to his/her own.