Episode 5: Exploring how to make civics fun, engaging, and relevant for families
Ben Sheehan, author of What Does the Constitution Say: A Kids’ Guide to How Our Democracy Works, joins to discuss how civics can be accessible, entertaining, and genuinely enjoyable for people of all ages.
In this episode we explore the many ways civic learning happens, how to make it fun, social, surprising, and even funny. We explore how a game night, a family road trip, and even dinner table conversations all become opportunities to engage in big ideas together, and how we can create spaces and moments for children to discover a civic life of their own. Ben Sheehan, author of OMG WTF Does the Constitution Actually Say?: A Non-Boring Guide to How Our Democracy is Supposed to Work and What Does the Constitution Say: A Kid’s Guide to How Our Democracy Works, joins Julie Silverbrook and Lindsey Cormack to discuss how civics can be accessible, entertaining, and genuinely enjoyable for people of all ages.
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This episode was produced and mixed by Bill Pollock. With production support from Charles Sahm. Research was provided by Anna Salvatore, Trey Sullivan, and Tristan Worsham.
Participants
Ben Sheehan is the host, writer, and executive producer of Civics Made Easy on PBS. He is the author of OMG WTF Does the Constitution Actually Say?: A Non-Boring Guide to How Our Democracy is Supposed to Work and What Does the Constitution Say: A Kid’s Guide to How Our Democracy Works. Sheehan also writes the bestselling Substack Politics Made Easy and has an active social media presence with more than 350,000 engaged followers.
Julie Silverbrook is chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center where she leads the strategy, development, and delivery of the Center’s content, public programs, and educational initiatives, advancing its mission of nonpartisan constitutional education and civil dialogue.
Lindsey Cormack is an associate professor of political science at Stevens Institute of Technology. She has authored two books, How to Raise a Citizen (And Why It’s Up to You to Do It) and Congress and U.S. Veterans: From the GI Bill to the VA Crisis. She created and maintains a digital database of all official Congress-to-constituent e-newsletters at dcinbox.com.
Additional Resources
- Ben Sheehan, What Does the Constitution Say?: A Kid’s Guide to How Our Democracy Works (2021)
- Ben Sheehan, Civics Made Easy, PBS
- New Jersey State Dinosaur Hardosaurus foulkii
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