STEAM Learning Lab - Learning About Candidates! - Discovery Gateway Children's Museum

In our fictional race, the main candidates are Elephant and Piggie. These characters are based off Mo Willems children’s books. Like most political contests in America, our fictional election has 2 main candidates that represent different viewpoints. All of our political correspondents have predicted that most voters will pick between these 2 main candidates.

When explaining the two main political parties, it is also a good idea to tell children that you can have more than 2 parties. Our election has recently had an exciting development! Pigeon has decided to enter the election late as a third-party candidate. He would like it if you would vote for him instead!

Here at the museum, we have found out some information about each of our fictional candidates that should help you decide on who to vote for! As you look over this list of the candidates’ positions, it is a good time to talk to your kids about how you research who to vote for, and what issues help you decide who to choose:

Issue	Elephant	Piggie	Pigeon
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor	Chocolate	Vanilla	Prefers Hot Dogs
Bicycle or Skateboard	Bicycle	Skateboard	Always takes the Bus
Favorite Animal	Elephant	Pigs	Pigeons
Favorite Color	Blue	Pink	Green
Favorite Weather	Rain	Sun	Snow

And here are some videos that might help you learn more about our candidates as well:

Storytime!

Don’t let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

Which candidate did you like best? Once you have decided who you like, you can make a sign to show your support!

Fictional Political Candidate Sign

Materials:

Paper or Poster-board
Markers, crayons, color pencils or paint
Mo Willem’s Tutorials on how to draw his characters

Directions:

Watch the tutorial on how to draw your candidate here!
Draw your favorite fictional candidate. Optional: write a funny campaign slogan for your candidate.
Display your sign until the election in November!