Plus, why we carved pumpkins; re-leafing; rationing the Halloween candy
|  | Sunday, November 1, 2020 | | | | |
 | PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRISTINA PACIOLLA, AP, SHUTTERSTOCK
| | By Rachel Buchholz, KIDS AND FAMILY Editor in Chief
As a child, Tuesday mornings meant piano lessons. But every so often, Tuesdays also meant Election Day. My father—a very organized and methodical fellow—decided that as long as he was dragging me to my lesson, he might as well drag me to the polling station so he could vote before work.
For me, it was fun: I loved punching holes in the ballot as my dad told me why he was voting the way he was. But it also showed me how important the democratic process was. After all, why else (thought my young self) would all these people be lined up to vote for something like county assessor, when there wasn’t even a president running?
Experts will tell you that the reason I registered to vote the day I turned 18 was because of this exposure. “The single biggest predictor of whether a young person votes is if they come from a family where their parents are voters,” says Sunshine Hillygus, professor of political science at Duke University, in this article about raising civic-minded children. And now more than ever—when only nine states plus the District of Columbia require even a year of civics courses—it seems to be parents who are teaching their children about civic engagement.
But teaching kids to be responsible citizens—people who care about their community and those who live in it—goes beyond taking your kids to vote on Election Day, or involving them in early voting (which many probably are, given the record number of early voting ballots cast this year). It’s about being empathetic to those who have different realities from you. It’s about thinking about what changes are needed to make your community better—and then trying to make that happen.
“Kindergartners can contribute to their communities right now. Eighth graders can get involved in elections right now,” says Mary Ellen Daneels, civics instructional specialist at the Illinois Civics Mission Coalition. “It’s just looking for those authentic opportunities for kids to do civics.” (How are you teaching your child to be a responsible citizen? We want to know.)
I hope to see lots of parents taking their kids to secure drop-off ballot boxes and Election Day polling stations. But whatever your decision to bring your child along, please … just vote. Your kids will benefit whether they’re with you or not.
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 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVIDGN / DREAMSTIME | | | |
 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY MEDIAPHOTOS / GETTY IMAGES | |
Snack attacks. It’s a Halloween tradition for parents to allow their children to cram fistfuls of candy into their mouths for one night only. (OK, maybe three.) Problem is, snacking has actually increased since the pandemic started. “And kids, like adults, may be using food to alleviate boredom or stress, or simply because they're home more often and snack food is right there, always available to them,” says Bettina Elias Siegel, author of Kid Food: The Challenge of Feeding Children in a Highly Processed World. So how do you keep an eye on the munchies while still maintaining a semi-normal Halloween? This article by Nat Geo’s Jason Bittel has some advice, like sticking to a regular snacking schedule or coming up with healthy alternatives. (Spooky pizza, anyone)?
We asked, you responded. Last week, we asked readers to share what advice their own children would give other kids to help them through the pandemic. The answers surprised us. One wrote in to recommend that they talk to their grandparents—who might’ve lived through the polio epidemic in the ’50s. Another advised virtual study sessions on Zoom to keep up with friends, finding a hobby, and focusing on things you can control because “chances are, there are other things [besides the pandemic] to be stressed about.” That advice, of course, came from a ninth grader.
Family discussion: I know, it’s time to think about tossing the pumpkin. Ask your family how pumpkins ever started being associated with Halloween? Actually, the concept of using a round fruit or vegetable to depict a human face goes back thousands of years in some northern European Celtic cultures, we discovered. The Celtic festival of Samhain, which is today, inspired many traditions of modern-day Halloween, including costumes and carving frightening faces into root vegetables to to scare off the spirits of the dead. They began using them as lanterns, and the light would shine through the carvings.
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| TRY THIS: BOREDOM BUSTERS FOR KIDS | |
 | | PHOTOGRAPH BY RODOLFO VANEGAS, LATINCONTENT, GETTY IMAGES | |
For the spooky week ahead … Your kids might be crashing from a Halloween candy overload, but plenty of creepy fun can still be had. Today and tomorrow, teach them about Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, when people in Mexico honor their ancestors with lively celebrations (above). For Wednesday’s 98th anniversary of the discovery of the entrance to King Tut’s tomb in Egypt, kids can learn about high-tech methods being used to determine how the boy king actually died, or meet an Egyptologist. (Yep, that job actually exists!) Continue the spooky learning with Nat Geo Kids’ Don’t Read This Book Before Bed, a collection of strange events and unsolved mysteries from around the globe.
Meet a tamarin expert! This week in Nat Geo Education’s Explorer Classroom, kids can hear behind-the-scenes stories and interact in real time with conservationist Rosamira Guillen. At-home learners can learn how this explorer works to protect this adorable endangered primate. Get more details and register here.
This newsletter was edited and curated by David Beard and Rachel Buchholz. Have a healthy and a sane (as possible) week ahead! | | | |
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