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Becky Parker
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| Posted: March 06 2012 at 7:33am | IP Logged
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Can anyone give a comparison of the following programs? I was all set to use the Holling series with my 6th grader next year and then in another post Erin reminded me of this great resource:
Trail Guide
My sixth grader has just started reading well on his own so I know he would enjoy reading the Holling books. On the other hand, the Trail Guide books are so packed with great information....
Help! 
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Becky
Wife to Wes, Mom to 6 wonderful kids on Earth and 4 in Heaven!
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JennGM
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| Posted: March 06 2012 at 9:01am | IP Logged
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Well, I'm not familiar with the Trail Guide at all. What books go with these?
My gut instinct is to go with something classic in reading. The books stand alone as fantastic, and will stay with your child forever. The Geography Guide is nice, and the maps are beautiful, and I like it because it doesn't feel in the least textbooky. We are applying connections and doing hands-on learning without feeling boxed-in. The guide enhances the Holling series gently without dissection and multiple activities that sometimes kills the love of learning and the literature.
But again, I don't know what books are used for the other guide.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Aagot
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| Posted: March 06 2012 at 10:00am | IP Logged
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I looked at the sample page for Trail Guide. There does not seem to be any living books connected directly with the program. My kids really savored the Holling books and read them many times just to pick up on more detail.
Hth.
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mamaslearning
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| Posted: March 06 2012 at 11:32am | IP Logged
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We read Paddle-to-the-Sea this year with my 2nd and K (not other activities really, just reading). While they didn't absorb everything, my K loves to get the book out and look at the map in the back while tracing the trip on a North American map we have. I have the other books to use as we move through the elementary years.
I also like the layout of the Trail Guide. It looks like a good resource for getting some in-depth type geography. There was another thread in the past that had some wonderful descriptions of this program. If I find it, I'll link it up.
I'm not much help, am I!  I usually make decisions based on finances if I just can't decide any other way.
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Lara
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jawgee
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| Posted: March 06 2012 at 11:53am | IP Logged
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We've been doing the Holling series this year with the maps. My 4th grader likes it, but I think a 6th grader could get even more out of it - esp. if he likes to research things.
I haven't used the Trail Guide, but I have my eye on it for another time.
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Monica
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stellamaris
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| Posted: March 06 2012 at 11:57am | IP Logged
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Becky, I've used both these resources as various times.
The Trail Guide is a nice outline-style guide. It does not really use living books at all. It just provides you with some direction and structure in a more traditional approach to geography. In this program, you will choose an area (a state, a region, etc.) and then your student will need to find out various kinds of information about their region. Each "trail" consists of basically research-type questions that are starters for the student's own research. I wish I had my copy here with me, but I am going on what I remember of this program...which might be pretty sketchy given my memory these days  !
The Holling books we have been using during the last year. These are fantastic living books. I believe they are best for 3rd grade and up. My 5th grader really is getting a lot out of them. I use the Beautiful Feet Geography Guide and the map set with the books. These books cover areas such as natural habitats, animals of the region, important cities, some (little) history, important regional industries, as well as physical geography. Since we are studying the regions of the US this year, we are working with Paddle-to-the-Sea, Tree in the Trail, and Minn of the Mississippi. We have previously completed Pagoo (really a science topic book about hermit crabs) and Seabird (when we studied the continents) As my sons complete the maps, they are learning a lot about the regions each book describes. I have them look at our wall map or in atlases to find the cities and features they need to graph, so I incorporate research in that way. There are also some "rabbit trail" type research suggestions in the Geography guide book (e.g., find out about how iron ore is extracted), so for these we learn how to conduct research on the Internet or in encyclopedias. I especially appreciate that the Guide is laid out so clearly and the books are broken down into individual lessons (although some of the lessons might take more than one session, depending on how much detail you want to get into). When you finish a book, your student has a beautiful map to display (we add features to our maps as we go along, such as trees, animals, etc. of the region...this depends on how artistic your student is/wants to be). Also, they may have a nice learning notebook if they choose to keep their research information in one notebook (which she does suggest, but we just focused on the maps)
The resource you choose will depend upon your own teaching preferences and needs. Personally, I find it a lot easier to keep on track with the Holling books. There is almost no prep needed and the lessons are very clearly laid out. Also, I find the stories much more interesting and engaging. I appreciate the living book approach and the sense of a region the books communicate. They are both useful approaches, but I myself would chose the Holling series.
ETA: We had used the Holling books with previous children, as well as with this "bunch"
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: March 06 2012 at 9:07pm | IP Logged
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IMHO any time you can use a living book to teach a subject,that is the best option. Especially books as wonderful as the Holling books. It comes down to the difference between *memorizing* and *making memories*. KWIM?
We have never used the Beautiful Feet guides or maps (though I have heard great things about them), but just reading the books aloud, and following our own little rabbit trails made for some wonderful learning experiences--some of the best, in fact! Fond memories, for sure!I am planning on revisiting them next year with dd, who is finally old enough to fully appreciate them (instead of just tagging along with big brother like last time). I may even order the maps to go along this time. So excited about that!
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Theresa
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