Explaining Government to First Graders

Today I had the wonderful opportunity to speak to the First Grade Class at Marion Elementary about the purpose of government, what a candidate does and the upcoming election.

To open I think I developed a pretty good way of explaining our republican system.

I told them they would have three choices of ice cream: chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. I then asked how many chose each flavor. The clear winner was chocolate, followed by vanilla and then strawberry.

I then explained that while chocolate was clearly the most popular, the purpose of government was to protect the choices of all especially those who liked strawberry.

I asked, "Would you be happy if the only choice was chocolate?"

"Noooooo!" They replied.

To coin a phrase, "Mission accomplished."