Scholastic Archives - The Online Mom

By Tracey Dowdy

Between the protest turned Capitol riot and the restrictions necessary with COVID 19, the 2021 inauguration will be like none other in American history.

Aside from trying to unpack the complexities of our current political climate, take some time to do an Inauguration Day activity or two with your future leaders.

Go online together and explore past presidential inaugurations. Check out these fun facts from Scholastic, Brittanica Kids, and FactMonster. For example, did you know that Philadelphia and New York hosted the presidential inauguration until 1801? It then moved to Washington, D.C.
Along with President-elect Biden’s rise from Vice president to become the 46th President of the United States, incoming Vice President Kamala Harris represents a host of historic “firsts.” She is the first woman, Black person, and Indian-American ever to serve as Vice President. Talk to your children about these firsts. Ask why they think it’s taken so long for a woman, especially a woman of color, to be elected to this role.
Create a list of things you expect to see and play “Inaugural I Spy” as you watch the ceremonies together. You can download this Inauguration Day I Spy Scorecard to keep track!
Write a letter to President Biden or Vice President Harris. Their letter will be read by a White House secretary who may refer it to the President. No matter who reads it, however, you will receive a reply. Your letters can be neatly handwritten or typed. It should be short and to the point. The address is:

The President of the United States (or, The Vice President of the United States)

White House Office

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

Livestream the ceremony on one of The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) social media channels: YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Twitch. They have prepared a lineup of programming leading up to Inauguration Day.
Check out the White House’s 40-page printable document to help kids understand what Inauguration Day is and means to the country.
Let your kids design their own oval office. Check out images of the current or past oval office decor, and let their imaginations run wild as they decorate what it would look like if they were President.
While they’re dreaming of their own presidency, Scholastic has a fun template to help kids write their own Inaugural Address. If that seems like a chore, have a conversation about what they think are the most critical things President-Elect Biden needs to focus on as soon as he takes the oath of office.
Host your own Inaugural Ball. Sadly, due to Coronavirus, there will be no Inaugural balls to celebrate this historic moment, but that doesn’t mean you can’t throw your own at home! Get dressed up – or at least put on clean sweatpants and serve one of President Biden’s favorite meals – pasta with red sauce and ice cream for dessert – or Vice President Harris’ favorite dish, seafood gumbo. Then, put on some music and dance the night away.

For more kid-friendly, educational activities focused on the Inaugration, check out the Inauguration Celebration Kit for Kids from ourwhitehouse.org and the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance.

Tracey Dowdy is a freelance writer based just outside Washington DC. After years working for non-profits and charities, she now freelances, edits, and researches on subjects ranging from family and education to history and trends in technology. Follow Tracey on Twitter.

By Tracey Dowdy

Crossing the Atlantic once meant spending weeks onboard a ship; now we can be dipping our toes in the Mediterranean in a matter of hours. Geography and limited technology meant we had to wait for news to come through a letter. With the advent of radio the world got a little smaller and then smaller again with the arrival of TV.

Today, with the entire world before us on our laptops and smartphones, the world seems a much smaller place indeed. Events as important as the Ebola outbreak or the conflict in Syria, and even something as mundane as the score of last night’s game, are just a few clicks away.

When I was a kid and my parents turned on the news, I took that as my cue to go read a book. The news was dead boring to me and I had little interest until I was an adult. In contrast, today’s kids are global citizens. They have a much better awareness of world events and, because the world is a smaller place, it’s more important that they have an understanding of the world around them.

These sites make the news accessible, while being mindful of what’s appropriate for different age groups. They cover everything from politics to technology, providing a valuable resource for keeping kids informed. As a bonus, stories are broken down to make it easier to understand complex issues, something that often comes in handy for adults as well!

News-O-Matic is a newspaper style website for kids 7-10 years old. Every day five stories are written by experts and screened by a child psychologist to ensure age-appropriate content. Kids can choose from stories, puzzles or a word game, and the “Read to Me” feature is ideal for kids who struggle with auditory processing or verbal skills. Enabling location services allows the silly but entertaining distance tracker to measure the distance between your location and the location of the story. For example, the distance from your house to the Vatican can be measured in pope hats. (Ages 7+)

Scholastic Kids Press Corps features news stories from a group of 50 kids ages 9-14. Kids apply for the position and are chosen based on their reporting and writing skills. Stories, videos and blogs cover a variety of topics from current events to pop culture or movie and book reviews. Users can choose content by subject or by reading level and because it’s written by kids it’s always at their level. (Ages 9+)

Tween Tribune is focused on getting kids to follow the news. Content covers current events as well as pop culture and is divided into different sections by age group as well as a section dedicated to Spanish content. This isn’t a hard-hitting news site. The focus is on human interest stories, technology, fashion, health, and sports. (Ages 10+)

Nick News features content from “Nick News with Linda Ellerbee.” Story content ranges from lighter topics like The National Spelling Bee to heavier subjects like the conflict in the Middle East. All subjects are explored with the audience in mind, so even difficult stories are covered in a manner that presents facts without overwhelming or frightening users. (Ages 11+)

The Learning Network takes stories from the New York Times and breaks them down for kids. Readers get stories, quizzes and crossword puzzles, learn a word of the day, and go back in time with “On This Day,” which features front page stories from the past. Parents should be aware content is from the Times so tough subjects like war and poverty are frankly discussed. (Ages 12+)

This is by no means an exhaustive list. TIME magazine, NBC News and CNN all feature news geared to kids and teens. The most important thing is to get your kids reading. Use the content on these sites to start a conversation and teach your children critical thinking skills. Help them to see themselves as global citizens so they can understand the world from a broader perspective.

Tracey Dowdy is a freelance writer based just outside Toronto, ON. After years working for non-profits and charities, she now freelances and researches on subjects from family and education to pop culture and trends in technology. Follow Tracey on Twitter.

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