All The President's Men + Visiting Your Local Newspaper = Kids Off The Couch

Kids who expect a multitude of information to magically appear from their computers don't always understand the power of a free press. Watching All the President's Men as a family opened up a conversation about how reporters follow a story and tell the truth, which makes this movie newsworthy in our household. It was front page news all over the world when Richard Nixon became the first American president to resign and the film, which won four Oscars in 1976, is a thrilling look at how the investigative reporters at the Washington Post became political heroes. We had fun bringing the headlines home with a tour of our local paper's printing facility, where our kids watched robots load reams of paper on to four story-high printing presses and enjoyed a sneak peek of the weekend comics section four days before the Sunday paper landed on our doorsteps.

Click here for more about the movie, a link to Walter Isaacson's article in Time on How To Save Your Newspaper, and our tips on visiting your local paper.

To listen to a podcast of this posting, click on the little green arrow below.

Powered by Podbean.com

Take Your Kids to the Voting Booth on Election Day!

"What does the President do anyway, Mommy?"

If you've been a subscriber for a while, you know that our advice on Election Day is to bring your kids into the voting booth (Click here for our adventure on the primaries, including tips for talking to kids about the electoral college system). Letting them stay up to watch the election results is even more fun than having them punch the chad through the hole!

Whomever takes over the helm as President will be stewarding a troubled nation through rough times. We don't envy the position, and it reminds us of 1972's The Candidate, in which Robert Redford plays a liberal lawyer chosen to run for Senate against an entrenched Republican incumbent. Since the polls figure he won't win, he's encouraged to say whatever he feels on the campaign trail; shockingly, he wins! As he's horded by the media he turns to his chief aide and, in one of cinema's famous lines, asks "What do we do now?"

It's a great time to discuss the role of government with your family. Here's a list of books and movies to fuel discussion about what the new President's job entails.

Movies about Getting Elected and the Presidency

Elementary School:
You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown
Schoolhouse Rocks Election Collection

Middle School:
All the President's Men
Mr Smith Goes to Washington
Dave
The Great McGinty
The American President

High School:
The Candidate Eleanor and Franklin
Primary Colors
The War Room.

Books about the Presidency

Elementary School
If I Ran for President and If I Were President by Catherine Stier
Presidential Elections: And other Cool Facts by Syl Sobel
The Boy Who Ran for President by Dan Gutman
Duck for President by Doreen Cronin

We also love the Schoolhouse Rock series about government, which comes in CD format for your drives around town. You'll all be singing along. Now.... Get out there and fulfill your civic duty!