Can Toddlers Donate Money?

The Washington Post is running an article entitled, "As Campaigns Chafe at Limits, Donors Might be in Diapers." The article states, "...Campaign donations from young children would almost certainly run afoul of campaign finance regulations, several campaign lawyers said. But as bundlers seek to raise higher and higher sums for presidential contenders this year, the number who are turning to checks from underage givers appears to be on the rise." The article reports, "Just how much campaign cash is coming from children is uncertain -- the FEC does not require donors to provide their age. But the amount written by those identifying themselves as students on contribution forms has risen dramatically this year, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics. During the first six months of the 2000 presidential campaign, students gave $338,464. In 2004, that rose to $538,936...This year, the amount has nearly quadrupled, to $1,967,111."

Read the Article!!

Discussion Starters for Young Children

• Ask your students what they think the difference is between children and adults. Encourage them to explain their thoughts. Do students think that adults can do some things that children cannot do? If so, what? Can children do some things that adults cannot do? If so, what?
• Consider asking children to draw cartoons explaining what children can do and what adults can do. Alternatively, you might create a T-Chart labeling one side, "adults," and the other side, "children."
  
• Ask students if any of them have favorite charities. Do they know what the word "charity" means? Do students think it's important to donate money to charity? Why/why not? Do they think that it would be OK to donate money to charity without their parents' permission? Why/why not?
  
• Students might select a community charity and make a short infomercial about it. They might do this in small groups. You could provide a list of community charities.
  
• Ask students to imagine that they wanted to tell everybody in the world one thing. What one thing would they want to tell people? Challenge students to think of some creative ways that they might share this message with as many people as possible. Do students think that it would be easier to share their message with more people if they had money? Why/why not?
  
• Ask students to list things they might do with money to share their message with as many people as possible. The class might make a collaborative list.
• If a friend offers to give them a toy or a little bit of money for no particular reason, do students think it's OK to take this toy or money? Why/why not? Should students ask their parents first before they take something from somebody else? Why/why not?
  
• Students might write (or dictate) three rules as to when it is OK for one person to take something from somebody else.
  

Discussion Starters for Older Students

• Vocabulary terms to discuss: Chafe; Trustee; Provision; and, Routing.
  
• Do students think it is OK for a parent to donate money to a particular political candidate, in their children's names? Why/why not? If parents can donate money in their children's names, shouldn't they just be allowed to donate more money in their own name? Why/why not?
  
• Ask students to respond to these questions in persuasive essays. Students could refer to a core democratic value in their essays.
  
• Why do your students think that campaigns would return money that they received from young children? What does the word "perception" mean? In what ways does perception influence the success of a political campaign? In what ways does perception influence an individual lives?
  
• Consider asking students to develop definitions for the word "perception" in groups of two or three. The entire class might then develop a collaborative definition.
  
• Do your students think that children and teenagers should pay attention to political campaigns even though they can't vote? Why/why not? At what age should an individual begin to pay attention to a political campaign? Encourage students to support their opinions?
  
• These questions might prompt an interesting class discussion.