Teaching civic engagement is sweet at Wolfe Street Academy. To teach civic engagement and the democratic process of primaries and elections, Wolfe Street held its first-ever mock election using candy as “candidates”, which made it fun and relatable for the students.
Julie Kurland Simhi, LCSW-C, Wolfe Street’s Counselor, created the mock election process to help students understand key concepts of civic engagement, including personal responsibility, community considerations, voter registration, political parties, and the election process. First, students registered to vote, just like in real elections.
During the primary, each party – fruity and chocolatey – picked their party’s winning candidate. The primary winners, Skittles and M&Ms, had a two-week campaign before the general election for the Official Candy of Wolfe Street Academy, held on November 1.
“We used ballot boxes and the students received ‘I voted’ stickers after they cast their ballot,” explains Ms. Simhi. “This hands-on experience made the process feel more real and gave the students a deeper understanding of how elections work.” She shared grade-appropriate election resources with the faculty to underscore election vocabulary, civic duty, and voting systems including the electoral college. Teachers shared deeper lessons and incorporated writing and reading skills in the election mini-lessons during Social Studies/Science classes.
The goal of the mock election was to introduce elections in a way that was both exciting and meaningful for young students. “Using candy to represent candidates made the topic fun and accessible while also providing students with a concrete, less abstract example of the election process,” she says. It also sparked friendly debates and opinions with the Wolfe Street faculty and staff, too.
This activity, as fun as it was, also taught students that they have a voice that matters in this world. While this candy election was light-hearted and fun, it carried an important message: everyone has the right to have their opinion heard and their vote counted. Teaching kids about democracy helps them understand that elections act as an important engagement tool within communities. Teaching children about elections at an early age helps them to grow up to be responsible and informed citizens.
The spirited Wolfe Street community, students and adults, became passionate supporters of their favorite cand(y)date. “Some students were incredibly vocal about their choice, which made it clear just how deeply they cared about their opinions being heard,” Ms. Simhi reflects. “I learned how capable young children are of understanding the basics of election processes when it is framed in a way they can relate to. It’s crucial to involve children in conversations surrounding elections and democracy. By making these topics engaging, we can help them to understand that their participation is important, not just in school but in society as a whole.”
And the winner? Skittles!
The “Inauguration” will be a Skittles party for the kids.
