I guess it’s just free downloads month at the Rowhouse. Last week, I put up my modernized version of Problems Without Figures, a century-old text helping students focus on the procedures and meaning behind the math, and today I have something to share that was written by the Husband.
This fall, my husband, Peter, has started a mini-unit on elections for Mushroom and BalletBoy. He decided quickly that none of the resources out there would be up to snuff for him. He wanted to create his own. Peter is a recovering political junkie. The cover of the ebook is actually memorabilia from his personal collection of political bumper stickers and pins. He’s worked in various ways in politics and political journalism for a long time. So, of course, he felt confident to just write an authoritative guide off the top of his head, just like he can name your congressman off the top of his head (we may not get to have one, but he can name yours!) and probably your governor too.
He was very sweet as he worked on this and very excited to create and share it with others. It’s truly an amazing little text that is both detailed and easy to understand. He wrote it with Mushroom and BalletBoy in mind, but I suspect it would be useful for many kids in elementary and middle school.
Click on the image above to get it. The book is written to be read right now. Many of the examples and explanations deal specifically with the 2016 presidential race. At the end of most sections, there are questions to ponder in green text. At the end, there are a few web links and other resources. While obviously we have our own political views, the viewpoint is very neutral. Peter has been all over the political spectrum in his life so he knows how different sides think. This book is not about political issues so much as the process of becoming president. Why do people choose to run? Why do we focus on Iowa and New Hampshire? How do polls work? What does it take to win? Where do third parties stand? How did our system end up working this way? I think both liberal and conservative parents will find this guide completely usable.
I don’t talk much about Peter on this blog, but I’ll take this opportunity to extol his virtues. Long before we had kids, I told Peter we would be homeschooling them and he has been a complete supporter from the get go. He never questions that we’re doing a great job for our kids. When I was still teaching and the kids were very little, he was the first one to find us homeschool friends. While I do suffer occasionally from being the “default parent,” Peter is a very hands on father. He changed at least as many diapers as me and has dealt with at least as many tantrums and bedtimes and illnesses. He talks to the kids, plays games with them, takes them out to the park in the evening and on field trips, and reads to them at bedtime. Basically, I think he’s a superdad.
I Capture the Rowhouse 