Materials
pictures of favorite dinosaurs (from computer, coloring book, or hand
drawn)
white construction paper
tape
markers
three-panel display board
red, white, and blue tempera paint
United States flag
flag and star stickers
shoebox
scissors
poster board
pencil
Instructions
* Election Day is the second Tuesday in November.
1. Ask the children if they have heard anything about upcoming elections.
Explain the election process in simple terms. For example:
"Every four years, Americans must decide which person will be the leader
of the country (the President of the United States). Does anyone know
who the president is now?" Allow for responses, some children may know
this. "Right now, people all over the country are getting ready to choose a
new president. They do this by voting. When people vote, they go to a
polling place. They go into a booth called a voting booth. In the booth,
they choose the name of the person they want to lead the country by
writing it down, marking a piece of paper, or pushing a button on a
computer screen. The votes are all counted and the person who gets the
most votes wins."
2. Continue by telling the children: "We can have our own election in the
classroom. Since you are too young to vote for the president, let's vote on
something fun, like our favorite dinosaurs. We can all vote, and the
dinosaur that wins the election will be our classroom dinosaur for a
whole month."
3. Ask the children to nominate a favorite dinosaur. Limit the nominations
to three or four.
4. Find a computer graphic or picture of each nominated dinosaur. Place
the pictures on a single sheet of paper and make a copy for each child.
5. Let the children help decorate a voting booth. Put the three-panel
display board on a newspaper-covered surface. Have the children paint
one panel red, one panel white, and one panel blue. Explain that these
are the colors in the American flag. Show the children the flag and post it
in a prominent place.
6. When the paint has dried, have the children decorate the display board
with large star stickers. Set aside.
7. Let the children cover a shoebox with white construction paper and
star and flag stickers. An adult cuts a slot in the top of the box through
which the children will put their votes. Tape the top to the box.
8. Have each child trace and cut out a large circle from poster board. Help
them print "I Voted!" on their circles. Put these aside for later use.
9. Cut out the letters "LET'S VOTE" from poster board. Post the letters
vertically on the entrance to the room (above the door or on the side of
the door frame).
10. Invite the children to make campaign posters for the nominated
dinosaurs. Print out a large graphic of each dinosaur and put it at the
top of a piece of poster board. Under each picture, help the children
print "Vote for (Stegosaurus, T-Rex, Diplodocus, and Iguanodon)." Post
these in prominent places around the room.
11. On Election Day, set up the voting booth on a table that is close
to a wall (to give the children privacy when they vote).
12. Call the children, one at a time, to vote. Give the child a
ballot (the paper with the dinosaur graphics on
it). The child circles one dinosaur and then
puts the ballot in the shoebox. Use
looped masking tape to stick an "I
VOTED" button to the children's
shirts after they have voted.
13. After everyone has voted, remove
the ballots from the box and have
the children sort them. Count
each vote with the children.
Declare the dinosaur with
the most votes the winner of
the election!
