Huckabee talks about Homeschooling, Education, and Teachers

Activity #8 - How Do Primaries Work?

Read or listen to the following resource about how primaries and caucuses work:

How Primaries Work

Another resource for primaries and caucuses:

Primaries and Caucuses

Here's a link for a follow-up worksheet for this resource:

Worksheet

Younger students: Discuss orally how primaries and caucuses differ (in primaries, votes are cast individually without interaction whereas in caucuses, voters interact to discuss support for a particular candidate before a vote is taken).

Older students: Write a paragraph describing the differences between primaries and caucuses.

Older students/younger students: Hold your own mock caucus with family members. Choose a precinct captain to hold 1-2 minute discussions of the candidates. Then vote for your favorite candidate.

Activity # 7 - A Timeline of Primaries and Caucuses

Click on the following links to download time lines of US primaries and caucuses:

Primary Time line (better for younger students)

Another chart to download :

Primary & Caucus Chart (better for older students)

Create a time line on a large sheet of poster board and add the following:

• Iowa Caucuses: January 3, 2008
• Wyoming Caucus: January 5, 2008 (Republicans only)
• New Hampshire: Primary January 8, 2008
• Michigan Primary: January 15, 2008
• South Carolina Primary and Nevada Caucuses: January 19, 2008
• Florida Primary: January 29, 2008

The Democratic Primary in South Carolina will be held on January 26, 2008. In South Carolina, the primaries are conducted by the political parties and not by state election boards. The Republican party will give the voter lists to the Democratic Party to ensure that voters do not vote in both primaries.

The first file above (Primary Time Line) has questions to answer below for younger students.

We'll be adding information to our time line over the next month, including the outcomes of each primary/caucus.

LIVE Webcast with Mike Huckabee and Chuck Norris

Don't miss this LIVE webcast from Des Moines Iowa featuring Governor Mike Huckabee and legend Chuck Norris! It will be streaming live on January 1, 2008 at www.mikehuckabee.com at 7:30 PM Central Time.

Activity #6 - White House Decorations & Lighting of the Chrismas Tree

Watch the 2007 lighting of the Christmas tree and a tour of the White House Christmas Decor by First Lady Laura Bush. See the link below:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/holiday/2007/index.html

Younger students: Describe your favorite room of the White House that you saw on the tour by the First Lady.

Older students: Write a paragraph describing your favorite decor in the White House this year for Christmas.

Attention Iowa Caucus Attendees

We need your help confirming voters for the January 3 Iowa Caucus. If you live in Iowa, please email your friends, family members and co-workers and ask them complete our Caucus Voter form on our website. It will take less than 60 seconds of their time. They can find the form at www.mikehuckabee.com/iowacaucus

Freedom Lives Day

Click here to find out more about Freedom Lives Day on Dec 27th, 2007

A Christmas Message from Mike Huckabee

Activity # 5 - Official White House Christmas Ornament

Click on the link to see the 2007 White House Christmas Ornament:

http://www.whitehousehistory.org/01/01.html

Younger students: Design your own White House Christmas Ornament and color it. Then add it to your Christmas tree.

Older students: Design your own White House Christmas Ornament based on an event of a past US President (Ex: the 2007 ornament is based on the wedding of President Grover Cleveland). Then write a historical essay describing the event.

Activity #4 - White House Christmas memorabilia including an account of how past presidents celebrated Christmas

Historian Mary Seeley describes her extensive White House Christmas memorabilia collection and reveals what she's discovered about the reverence past Presidents have had for this holiday. Listen here:

http://listen.family.org/daily/A000000814.cfm

Younger students: Retell what you remember after listening to historian Mary Seeley

Older students: Write a summary of your favorite part of historian Mary Seeley's account

Huckabee and Homeschooling

Activity #3 - Executive Branch Crossword Puzzle/Presidential Seal

Younger students:

• Color the presidential seal

• http://www.surfnetkids.com/games/president-cb.htm

Older students:

• Executive Branch crossword puzzle
• http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/printables/tv00104s1.pdf

Activity #2 - The 3 Branches of Government

Younger students:

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/k-2/government/index.html

Read about the 3 branches of gov't from this site, emphasizing that the executive branch is the branch which is led by the President.

Older Students:

Find the answers to these questions. Below are hints.

THE THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT

Our founding (1) designed our (2) with three main branches. This was to protect the (3) from a/an (4) leader. The three branches form a system of checks and (5).

THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH includes the office of (6). This branch (7) the judicial and legislative branches and has (8) power.

THE JUDICIAL BRANCH is responsible for upholding the (9), which was (10) by our founding fathers. The Judicial Branch includes a Supreme (11), which rules on (12) issues.

THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH is divided into two (13) - the Congress and the Senate. Together they regulate which (14) are passed into (15). This branch , however, can be vetoed by the (16).

(1) Plural noun
(2) Noun
(3) Plural noun
(4) Adjective
(5) Plural noun
(6) Occupation
(7) Verb ending in "s"
(8) Verb
(9) Noun
(10) Verb (past tense)
(11) Noun
(12) Adjective
(13) Plural noun
(14) Plural noun
(15) Plural noun
(16) Occupation

Activity #1 - Our USA Flag

We'll start our venture of learning with a simple exercise of coloring/painting a USA flag.

Here's a link to print a flag:

http://www.printourflag.com/kids.html

There are 3 to choose from or color all 3 for a collection.

For older students: research the different flags used throughout US history. Why were there different flags?