Watch Media Detectives – Cracking the Case of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by clicking on the image above.
The full (free) game components plus teacher protocol are available to all educators here.
Honoring kids’ voices can make all the difference for them, their school, all of us.
Watch Voice & Choice, Civics in the Early Grades launched as part of annual National Civics Week (3/11-15) in 2024.
Learn how adults can nurture the civic-mindedness inherent in young citizens: passionate about justice, liberty and happiness. The video includes kids 5-17 talking with adults about teaching/learning civics in K-12.
Fran Wills, NYS regent and 17 year old David respond to; a Kindergartener Gabe (above), a 2nd grader named Lizzy (with her elementary school principal, Chelsey Palmer); a 4th grader (with her teacher Gail Sider); 5th grader Cruz (with neuroscientists Senegal Mabry and Elizabeth Waters) and DK Holland, K-6 civics advocate. All deliberate about how to bring productive civics into the whole school. The video is moderated by Rashid Duroseau, Civics Director of Democracy Prep Public Charter Schools.
Since we start with kindergarten and end with a senior in high school, we see how students can grow and emerge as independent and self-reliant critical-thinkers.
Voice & Choice was co produced and moderated by Rashid Duroseau and DK Holland, Executive Director of Inquiring Minds Institute.
Democracy is for/by the People when we help grow good citizens.
A compassionate, active, critically-thinking citizenry is why any democracy remains strong.
By improving civic education for all children we help them become part of the citizenry we so need.
Inquiring Minds Institute helps children relate civics to their lives – i.e., when they are developing their values and mindsets – which is in elementary school.
Go to Our Theory for more including our peer-reviewed white paper.
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By kids for kids...
By kids for kids...
Watch The United States of… by clicking on the arrow above. You will observe 5th graders playing a fun but hard game of civic engagement on a fictional island together. Melanie, 11, says, “This game should be played at the beginning AND end of 5th grade.”
Watch 5th graders create their own country!
How did kids co-create our game ‘The United States of…’ ?
Snapshot below, for more go to this page
Our student team, of 10-19 year olds, created a game – exploring ways to engage kids in understanding and possibly proposing solutions to thorny climate challenges.
The student team used a Jam Board to explore each of their ideas. After months of debate they grouped their concerns and narrowed down to 4 broad categories: government, natural resources, economy, and society. That’s when the idea of a 3D classroom game surfaced.
The team got very focused – researching, debating and writing – and ultimately, creating helpful tools to be used in the game over 6 additional months.
We named the game The United States of… because many countries (Ukraine and Mexico, for instance) are, in fact, The United States of...
“Civic education is an integral component of a complete education, yet too many of our students never have access to it.
Inquiring Minds has been an invaluable resource to not only provide this critical education, but to also challenge the children to think independently and develop a strong sense of self.”
Letitia James, New York State Attorney General
Our institutional collaborators
Each and every child has a civic heart
Kids are the future. Our democracy makes a bold promise: that all may seek liberty, happiness and justice. For this promise to be kept these intertwined tenets must be embraced by every citizen, in every community: A robust democracy is, after all, a collective. Therefore, if all children seize opportunities to act as good citizens, they will learn about the important individual roles they play in society firsthand. And for these kids, the promise of democracy will shine brighter. Here is our theory about kids and democratic civics in school.